Max May’s creativity and vision have made him one of the most preeminent names in Australian beauty, creating iconic looks for the likes of Rose Byrne, Teresa Palmer, Abbie Cornish, Sarah Murdoch and Lara Bingle. A talented painter, Max draws on fine art techniques and colour palettes in his beauty work. “One of my favourite pastimes is visiting art galleries and looking through old art books,” he says. “I draw inspiration from the street and art.” 

Max made the transition into makeup after years working as a hair stylist. “My ability to understand a brief and inject an original flare sets me apart,” he says. Now, with more than 13 years in the industry, Max has established himself as a sought-after celebrity makeup artist, and is an ambassador for Nude By Nature, Dermalogica and David Jones Beauty.

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My signature aesthetic is… effortlessly cool "It Girl" meets Hollywood glam.

I’ve worked with talent including… Kate Bosworth, Nadia Bartel, Rose Byrne, Teresa Palmer, Abbie Cornish and Jodi Gordon.

My favourite piece of work so far is… for me, it’s always the first and the last job. My first was a cover with Sarah Murdoch and the last was a skincare campaign for Eye Of Horus Cosmetics. 

My favourite kind of brief is… there’s nothing more challenging and fulfilling than being part of a team of creatives where each of the team members get to create freely, yet in-sync.  

If I could shoot anyone it would be… the iconic Kate Moss (in her early late 90s early 2000s era) in a cool sexy timeless ’90s beauty story shot by Gilles Bensimon.

My favourite location to shoot is… I like being outside/beach/nature playing with light and shapes, and for my more glam style in the studio capturing and enhancing the shapes and colours in the hair and makeup.

The creative dream still on my professional wish list is… to continue challenging my creativity, creating products and to one day launch my own product. 

My favourite part of the job is… that every day is different, and that I get to express my visions with like-minded people who encourage and challenge me.