Dior Co

Fashion isn’t only about what type of clothes you wear. It’s the total package and one thing that goes hand in hand with your style of clothing is your style of make-up. So we wanted to know, from someone that knows the business, what you should keep in your bag and what you should just toss in the trash.

Dior Co

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and what educational background do you have?
I’m a make-up artist, beauty blogger, make-up artistry professor and beauty consultant, currently living and working in Manila.
I graduated Magna Cum Laude in De La Salle University with a degree in Marketing Management. I took interest in make-up artistry when I was still in college. During my stint as an exchange student in Singapore where I was sent by DLSU to represent the university, I discovered Cosmoprof International and took basic make-up courses. Upon returning to Manila and finishing my degree, I took Professional make-up artistry course at the Center for Aesthetic Studies. Afterwhich, I pursued a career in the corporate world and worked for L’Oreal handling retail and marketing functions for cosmetic brands such as Shu Uemura, L’Oreal Paris and Lancome. I’ve come to understand the business side of the industry and after years of training, I decided to shift to a more focused career that I can call my own. I still want to continue contributing in the beauty industry, but this time, creatively as a make-up artist.

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a make-up artist and why?
I think that passion is something that cannot really be explained. You just get drawn into it over and over and the next thing you know, you find yourself spending most of your time on it, even getting paid for doing it. Beauty has been my passion ever since and I don’t see myself doing anything else outside of it. I’ve always known that I’d be pursuing a career in the beauty industry that’s why I chose to join beauty companies before deciding to do make-up professionally. In L’Oreal and TupperBrands, both companies where I handled marketing for cosmetic brands, I learned the dynamics of the business and the industry. I’m thankful for the training I got from both companies but to be honest, I’m not really the 9-to-5-job kind of a person. I like working in my own pace, in my own time and not having a boss! And I really wanted to practice my craft in make-up artistry. The inspiration and serenity I get from doing make-up on people, the look on my clients’ faces after I’m done, the people I meet because of the jobs – it’s why I chose this field. Sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like work anymore. It’s too therapeutic!

What was your big break as a makeup artist?
I don’t think there ever was one big break that brought me where I am right now. It’s the daily perseverance and hard work that put me here. Little things such as being professional and punctual, being down-to-earth and accommodating, giving your100% on every job – those things get appreciated. And in this industry, you get your name out their by word-of-mouth. People talk and that gets you to places.

What are the obstacles and challenges that you have faced in your field since you began?
The most challenging part on being a freelance make-up artist is coping with drought. Sometimes in a week, you get no jobs. But you have to be patient and know that a lot is on its way. Getting your name out there needs a lot of work and the pay off comes in later than sooner but it happens!

Where do you get your inspiration from?
As for my inspiration, I don’t have anything specifically in mind. Art is everywhere — in nature, architecture, even in everyday life. My creations are inspired by sudden discoveries and encounters. One day it’s the fashion shows, another it’s your mom’s vintage collection, then a painter’s art exhibit. As for the person I look highly the most, it’s Oprah. It may be a cliché but what she does – giving strength and confidence to people especially to women – I find that inspiring. I’m aiming to do the same thing by giving women more confidence and a higher esteem through enhancing their natural beauty and revealing to them the potential of their features in terms of beauty.

For aspiring make-up artists, can you outline an idea of what a day is like in your shoes?
Erratic. There is no typical day and no such thing as a routine when you’re doing freelance. Sometimes you go to wedding job at 6am in the morning, sometimes you do a shoot until 2am, or sometimes you get flown to different places for a couple of days to finish a photoshoot. It’s a very exciting job where you need to be open and flexible to everyday challenges and surprises, and be adventurous while you’re at it!

What is your favorite thing about your job?
The most exciting thing about being a make-up artist is that you always start with a different canvas every time. You have a different face to enhance and do make-up on each day. There’s no one way of doing things, it’s always different on every job. It’s never boring!

Is there anyone that you hope to work with in the future?
No one in particular pops in mind but I really dream of doing red-carpet make-up on my favorite Hollywood celebrities for the Oscar’s, Grammy’s and the like!

How do you define beauty?
Beauty is being in harmony with yourself.

Give us your best beauty/makeup tips.
Health begets beauty. Make-up is supposed to enhance and not cover so keep your skincare regimen intact. Make-up would just sit on your face if your skin isn’t well-conditioned. Know your skin type, find the right skincare for it, and maintain it. As for make-up, choose one focal point and concentrate on that. Do not overdo by putting on too much of everything everywhere.

What are the biggest makeup mistakes you see?
The floating head! Up until now, there are still lots of women who wear foundation or powder shade that doesn’t match their skintone. They end up with a floating head, where their face is of different color as their neck. To avoid this, test your base shades under daylight and the shade that disappears is your correct shade.

What are some of the makeup products every girl should carry in her purse?
It would depend on their feature and problem and also in the environment they’re going to be in. A person with dark undereye circle in a cool temperature should have an opaque concealer while a person perfect skin but dry light lips should have a tinted balm. But in general, always have a facial tissue to remove excess oil and loose powder to get rid of shine. A lipstick also makes a huge difference and makes the face more “awake” instantly.

If we peeked inside your makeup kit what would we find?
My personal make-up kit consists of: Shu Uemura Pro Concealer in 7YR medium light, Shu Uemura Natural Powder Foundation in 764, Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic, Benefit Hoola face powder, NARS blush in Orgasm, Maybelline Pulse Perfection Mascara in Black, an eyelash curler and Chanel Glossimer in 107.

My own beauty regimen is quite simple to make sure I can stick to it. At daytime, I use a gentle cleanser and I put on a high-SPF sunblock on my face (as well as my body). I follow putting on make-up just where I need it. At night, I remove excess make-up and dirt using Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil. Afterwhich, I put on moisturizer (Philosophy Hope In A Jar), eye cream (Lancome Primordiale Yeux) and lipbalm (Olay Regenerist).

What’s the one beauty item you can’t live without?
Ironically for a make-up artist, I would say sunscreen. 90% of aging is caused by sun exposure and though I’m into tanning, I make sure I stay protected even when I’m just out running errands. Go out of the house wearing nothing but sunscreen and you’re already taking good care of yourself!

Looking ahead, what are the makeup trends toward 2011?
Bold lips are here to stay for 2011, as well as bright and smoky eye make-up. The natural look would still come into play. As for hair, the messy ‘dos are still in. Same thing for braids.

Have you ever had a crazy or bad experience with skin care products or during a makeup session? If so, what happened?
Being a beauty blogger who tries so many beauty products, it’s expected that one or two products out there is bound to fail and torture my skin. Fortunately though, nothing really was crazy enough for me to swear it off! But I remember having a make-up session in a salon back in the early 2000 where I had my make-up done for an event. My eyebrows ended up being shaped too thin! Since then, nobody touches my face but me!

What’s next in your career?
As of the moment, I’m currently enjoying taking a wide-array of projects from weddings to runway shows to photoshoots. I’m also currently teaching basic and advanced make-up classes and one-on-one sessions. Life has been good to my career as lots of opportunities have been showing up. I have nothing to complain about but looking forward, I’m planning to start my own make-up studio business and a make-up line of my own. In the far, far futre, my own make-up school too!

To wrap up, is there anything you want people to know about you? Professionally or Personally?
Maybe just an advice to other aspiring make-up artists: Be inspired, love what you do, and never give up on yourself. If this is truly your passion and if you want this that much, your career will take off.

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For more info on Dior Co click on the link to her website:
diorcomakeup.com

1. Marc said on November 14, 2010 at 7:43 am

   

   This is great!