From Blueprints to Brows: The Many Lives of Momoi Supe

Momoi Supe knows a thing or two about starting over.

Today, he is best known as the founder of F-beauty mainstay Strokes Beauty Lab, along with Strokes Eye Beauty Studio and Siáge Fragrances. But surprisingly, his first career had little to do with cosmetics. 

Having spent nearly a decade as a licensed interior designer, designing to other people’s taste eventually wore on his creativity. By the ninth year, he recalls feeling jaded by the repetitiveness of it all. “If you’re a creative, we have this thing called creativity fatigue, right?.” And as Supe puts it, he “got bored.”

While searching for a different outlet, he found himself returning to a previous high school passion: makeup. He tells Allure Philippines, “Sabi ko, try ko kaya ibalik? I was earning and had the means to buy makeup.” Interior design took a back seat as Supe spent the next five years building a career in makeup. He worked weddings as part of a bridal makeup team before branching into celebrity grooming, with rapper Gloc-9 among his regular clients.

Then came 2014. Supe’s mother fell ill, and the medical bills quickly drained his savings. Needing a steadier income, he returned to the one thing he knew best by moving to Dubai to join an architectural design start-up.

It was supposed to be a fresh start. Instead, eight months later, he was back in the Philippines, starting from scratch once again.

In this Allure Philippines exclusive, Momoi Supe reflects on the many lives he’s lived: interior designer, makeup artist, entrepreneur—and the moments that led him to begin again.

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What year did you start? Because obviously, it’s Strokes. So, your businesses, which one did you start first, and then what came next? 

I started my professional career right after college as an interior designer. So, I was a freelance interior designer for almost 10 years, and then I got bored. You know, if you’re a creative, we have this creativity fatigue, right? So, I thought of doing something else because what I did with interior design was repetitive.

I got bored, and then I thought of something else that I could do aside from interior designing. In my 10th year, I explored the world of makeup artistry, and then from there, we had a bridal makeup group. We formed a bridal makeup group, and then we did bridal makeup for almost five years.

I also handled one celebrity rapper—Gloc 9. He was my client for almost three years. I was grooming him for his endorsements, concerts, pictorials, editorials. 

Then, come 2014, the hardest part of my life. When my mom got sick, wala akong magawa but to pursue interior design abroad because the bills were piling up and naubos yung savings ko. But it didn’t turn out well in Dubai. I went back home, and when I got back home, I started again from scratch.

While waiting for projects to come in, I accompanied my friend sa isang semi-permanent salon, and then I saw that there was a long queue or a long line for the clients. That’s when I had an idea about microblading. When I signed up for my first project again, I used the down payment to enroll myself in a microblading [class] in Singapore. So, that’s where it all started. 

in 2015, I started my business, or I started as a brow artist during that year talaga. I was excited and motivated and eager to learn at the same time. But also, I was really nervous about building my future because my background is not into business. I’m a creative person. I am an interior designer. It was hard and nerve-wracking on my part at the same time. 

What made you decide you were going to be a business owner? And what made you decide to come to do business? 

When I explored the world of makeup artistry—or the industry—that’s where I discovered my passion for beauty. Seeing the results or the impact it had on people’s confidence really inspired me to keep pursuing and eventually build a business around it. When I see that I have an edge as an interior designer as well as a makeup artist, that’s when I decided that, sige na nga, I’ll turn it into a business. 

In general, before your businesses took off, what was your first gig? 

Before being a brow artist and a makeup artist, I was really focused on interior design. So, yun talaga pinaka-career ko.

But, of course, during my younger years, ang passion ko talaga was really makeup. Because when I was young, during high school, I would do the makeup of my classmates during events or parties using drugstore makeup. Right after, when I got the chance to explore and study makeup again, so doon ko na i-binuhos.

Because during that time, I was earning na rin. So, I had the capability or I have the means to buy the makeup or branded makeup or international makeup brands. But during those years, right after college, I was really focused on doing a freelance job as an interior designer.

Excel Panlaque

What was the most difficult part of your journey?

In my journey as an artist, as a beauty enthusiast, and a business owner, the hardest part would really be building the business from the ground up. Because, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not really a business person. I’m a creative person.Making it as a business was really tough for me. But, good thing, I have business partners.

They helped me build up the business. I was in charge of the creative and marketing side, and they were in charge of the business side.

But, to tell you a story, during my early years or actually early months as a brow artist or early months of Strokes Eye Beauty Studio, it was really hard for me because I did everything. Ako yung artist, ako rin sumasagot sa inquiries, ako rin nagbibigay ng aftercare. And then, if my client had concerns and complaints, I was the one who answered.

So, I was used to working alone as an interior designer. So, during those early years, it was really tough because I had to make or be in charge of all these jobs, diba? Of all these responsibilities. But, you know, when you realize na hindi ka puwede na ikaw lang, that’s when the business partners came in.

When was the moment you knew you finally made it?

So, I realized that Strokes had arrived when we were making impact, lalo na sa mga strangers. 

Karamihan sa kanila, I didn’t know. Specifically, those people or clients that came from abroad or overseas. So, when they mentioned Strokes and they mentioned my name, random people, when asked or my friends told me that, Oh, kilala ka nito, kilala ka ng friend ko, kilala ka ng tita ko, kilala ka ng kaklase ko. That’s the time that I realized, Ah, I finally or we finally made it.

Plus, when I was offered a spot in Greenbelt, that’s when I realized, Ah, gusto nila kami. Or gusto nila mapabilang si Strokes sa kanilang lineup sa Greenbelt. And of course, the finale was when your appointments or when my appointments became consistently fully booked. And they were saying, Ah, hirap-hirap makipag-appointment sayo! It takes like a month or two pa. So, that’s when I realized, shucks—Strokes has arrived. We made it.

Who are your favorite people to work with? 

The best people or the people that I really loved working with are actually the normal, the ordinary people. Because these are the people with no pretensions.

And they really appreciate my work, my job as an artist. Aside from that, I value and I support and promote women empowerment. So, these people, these clients of mine that are ordinary people have a lot and different stories to tell.

Ito yung pinaka-gusto kong ginagawa. And also, the clients who know what they want, that’s what’s easy to do. Because they already have what they want in mind. So, I just need to execute it. And then, I love transforming clients who have low self-esteem and confidence—those that undergo or undergoing medical treatments.

I have clients who go to me that are cancer survivors or in the process of cancer treatment. I also have clients who are victims of domestic abuse; verbal abuse. So, when I get the chance to do this for them, it’s so satisfying and I feel very happy. Right after the procedure, you’ll see that naitaas mo ang self confidence nila; naitaas mo ang self-esteem nila. You bring back their confidence, their belief in themselves. Tsaka makikita mo talaga na na-empower mo sila.

Sometimes, even if you don’t want to delve into their personal lives, malalaman mo kasi sila na mismo nago-open up. The ones who are touched by the stories—the ones who undergo cancer treatments or cancer survivors, you’ll see that right after that, after the microblading session, they have a lot of smiles on their faces.

It’s so big. And sometimes, they cry. Beauty, in general, is a tool for women empowerment, and I can attest to that. 

What do you  love about being a brow artist and a business owner? 

The sweet smiles and the happy smiles, and sometimes, tears of joy that I see in my clients’ faces every after the procedure. That’s the most heartwarming, fulfilling, and satisfying feeling that I feel as an artist. 

As a brand owner and as a business owner, of course, it is that I make and I follow my own rules. Because I’m the artist and I’m also the owner of the business. That’s what I really like about being a brow artist and a business owner at the same time. 

What qualities should a business owner possess to make it in the industry? 

I think the best qualities a business owner should possess are M and S, like from Momoi Supe. So, M for mindset.

One must have a strong and good mindset all the time, a mindset that stays focused and adaptable despite the different challenges in the industry. And secondly, S for service. Because a good service, in any industry, a good service is really the heart of the business.

Because this is how you care for people. With great service, you can build trust, loyalty, and long-term success. 

What is the most important thing an aspiring business owner should remember? 

If you ever plan to do a business or to put up a business, first, you really need to know the reasons why you want to start this kind of business. Second, the burning passion that you have should always be there.

Because business is a big gamble. It’s not just time, effort, and financial. It’s a gamble. But really, you really need to know the reason for putting up a business. This is what you’ll come back to during times of difficulties, during times when there are a lot of challenges coming to your business.

And like me, I’m managing multiple brands and multiple businesses. So, I always remind myself why I’m doing this. I’m doing this because I want to empower women. I want to enhance their beauty, and I believe that through beauty, you can really empower women.