2018 was a big year for beauty. From January until December of last year, we were able to gain nuggets of wisdom from the country’s top makeup artists, which was documented monthly on MEGA Magazine’s Artist Confidential section. As we welcome 2019, we look back to some of our favorite takeaways:
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Bambbi Fuentes
It would be an understatement to say that makeup artist and hairstylist Bambbi Fuentes knows what she is talking about. After all, she has a range of celebrity clients and various salon branches under her belt. In the same way that her makeup highlights her client’s best features, she believes that one’s hair should adjust to their type of lifestyle and the way they carry themselves.
“I want my client to be comfortable. While I suggest to them to try different—but still flattering—styles every now and then, their hair should ultimately suit their personality,” Fuentes shares. Trends come and go, after all.
Xeng Zulueta
Xeng Zulueta has made a career out of her high fashion and avant garde makeup looks. But as she progresses in the beauty industry, she talks about the beauty in dialing things down: “My whole career has been all about piling everything on. Now, I’m dialing it down because I want women to embrace their true selves.”
The makeup artist also adds that if there is one thing every beauty enthusiast should master, it would have to be a natural-looking base. “You can tell if a makeup artist is good if they are able to make skin look like skin. The hardest part about it is practicing restraint, telling yourself to put down the brush,” she adds.
John Pagaduan
Don’t let John Pagaduan’s humbleness and soft spoken manner of speaking fool you–the makeup artist’s work has appeared in the country’s top magazines and in various advertisements.
Pagaduan believes that inspiration is everywhere, and for an aspiring makeup artist, one has to keep an open mind. “The industry now is very competitive. You need to upgrade your tools, you need to make your Instragram feed interesting. Also, now there is exclusivity–celebrities have their own glam teams,” he says.
Gery Penaso
With years of experience in the industry, Gery Penaso goes past sharing his makeup tricks. Instead, he tells us that he believes that true beauty all boils down to one thing: confidence. “Confidence is something that comes from the inside. No amount of makeup can make a woman feel beautiful if you are never confident about yourself,” he says.
