The Simplest, Yet Most Useful Makeup Tips the Country’s Experts Swore By in 2025

Since the launch of Allure Philippines this 2025, my job as a beauty writer has meant sitting down with makeup artists whose work we’ve admired for years—sometimes over formal interviews, sometimes through conversations that naturally drift into skin struggles, humidity complaints, and makeup mistakes we’ve all made at least once. 

Somewhere between talk of pageants, editorials, and everyday glam, I realized that the tips that stuck weren’t complicated or intimidating. They were practical, thoughtful, and surprisingly easy to apply.

These lessons came from artists who’ve shaped the local beauty scene in very different ways. There’s Lala Flores, veteran makeup artist and founder of INKED Beauty, known for her creative, technique-first approach; Jigs Mayuga, an industry mainstay with over 20 years of experience; Mickey See, veteran makeup artist whose clients include Liza Soberano and Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ahtisa Manalo; Denise Go-Ochoa, who has 26 years of experience in the industry; Albert Kurniawan, a Manila-based Indonesian MUA and founder of local makeup brand Teviant Beauty; Nicole Ceballos, a trusted name in bridal makeup; Angeline Dela Cruz, whose clientele includes Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray; and Mary Twinkle Bernardo, a Manila-based makeup artist who works with beauty pageant contestants.

Whether you’re prepping for an event, a workday, or just want your everyday makeup to last through traffic, heat, and everything in between, these lessons feel especially made for us.

1. Exfoliate the night before, not the day of.

Skin prep mistakes almost always show up once makeup is on, but some of them don’t always show up right away. According to Ceballos, exfoliating right before doing your makeup can leave skin irritated and reactive, which can lead to breakouts.

“If you exfoliate right before you do your makeup, your skin will be a little raw and it’s gonna be on the rough side rather than smooth, and if you put on chemicals on top of raw skin like makeup, in the end you’re gonna break out,” she explains.

Her advice is simple: exfoliate the night before your event instead. This gives skin time to calm down and absorb moisture, making makeup application smoother the next day. For beginners, she suggests gentle acids like lactic acid or low-dose glycolic, while more experienced users can move on to stronger formulas.

2. Let skin care fully set to avoid pilling

One of my most common makeup frustrations—product pilling—turned out to be a timing issue. “For skin preparation (cleansing, toning, and moisturizing), ensure that every product placed should be given time to set,” Bernardo says.

Giving skin care enough time to absorb makes foundation smoother and prevents makeup from separating.

3. Do the sandwich technique.

Go-Ochoa made me rethink the idea that long-lasting makeup has to look flat. Her trick is all about layering textures the right way.

She likes applying powder over cream products, then bringing cream back in where you want light. “After putting powder, di ba nag-ma-matte siya? So if you wanna put back the light, you add another layer of cream product on selected parts,” she explains during an Allure Masterclass. These are usually the high points of the face where a bit of glow makes skin look healthier.

The result is makeup that lasts through the day but still looks fresh and dimensional.

4. Use eyeliner as a base for eyeshadow.

This tip from Flores completely changed how I approach eye makeup, especially when a palette isn’t giving enough color payoff.

Instead of a traditional eyeshadow, she starts with eyeliner as the eyeshadow. “That helps me [build] eyeshadow faster,” she says. Because eyeliners are naturally pigmented, they give eyeshadow something to hold onto, making shades look richer with less effort.

5. Choose just one focal point for shimmer.

I have to admit: I like dewy makeup so much that sometimes, I overdo it. See’s advice is to choose a focal point for the shine to keep it balanced. “Choose one focal point if you want to wear texture and keep it there,” he says. “If you want to wear shimmer on the eyes, keep the rest of the face matte.”

Keeping shimmer contained makes the whole look feel cleaner, and more intentional. 

6. Apply eyeshadow higher for hooded eyes.

As someone with hooded lids, Dela Cruz gave me a solution for my eyeshadow that often disappears once I open my eyes: Apply eyeshadow slightly higher than usual.

“When you have that crease, you really need to add color higher,” Dela Cruz says. “You have to look directly at the mirror, with your eyes open, and map out the shape of your eye so you can see where to blend the shadows.”

7. Set textured skin in thin layers.

For the longest time, powder felt like something I either overdid or avoided altogether. Mayuga helped reframe how it should actually be used, especially on textured skin.

To lock everything in place and further blur imperfections, he recommends setting skin with a puff, but only with a light hand. “I would pat [a clean puff] on my loose powder or my pressed powder, but I would wipe off the excess with a clean tissue or at the back of my hand before I start setting the face with powder,” he explains, 

Instead of one heavy layer, he suggests working in “thin layers instead of really dipping into your powder and just going ham on the application.” Once everything is set, brushing off excess powder with a fluffy brush helps keep the finish soft and natural, and not cakey.

8. Spray between every step, not just at the end.

I used to think fixing spray was just the final touch, until Kurniawan explained why he treats it as part of every layer of the process.

“I make sure that every layer of my process, I spray with fixing spray,” he says. Spraying after foundation, after powder, and again at the end helps lock everything in and makes makeup last longer, especially in our climate.

Practical, yet simple tricks win.

Looking back, the biggest makeup lesson I learned in 2025 is that good makeup isn’t about doing more. It’s about understanding when, where, and why you’re applying something. 

These tips didn’t just improve how my makeup looks, but also made my routine feel more intentional and less stressful. They’re simple, realistic, and grounded in experience. And they’re exactly the lessons I’m bringing with me into 2026.