Blush can be used to mimic a subtle flush on the cheeks, just as contour adds to the illusion of dimension. A bold lipstick shade, be it fuchsia or red, can add a touch of drama to an otherwise clean complexion, especially when paired with a vibrant eyeshadow staining a joie de vivre to the eyes. For most, makeup, in its most familiar form, is designed to make a face look polished, presentable—and sometimes even conventionally beautiful—whether for ourselves or for an audience.

And if all those directives make sense, you could say content creator Alejandro “Art” Torrontegui is a rebel. In Torrontegui’s world, when you say makeup, the least he can conjure is a color story similar to that of a bruise. Ask for more, and his hands can transform eyeshadow into a constellation of stars connected by thread. Ask for the most, and his expressive persona can instantly turn his exterior into a dramatic daing na bangus-inspired eye look, a lid-line coated with the vibrant pinks and oranges of salted egg, or a look based on a rotten musa acuminata (banana). 

Before all that, Torrontegui once dreamed of becoming a painter, having spent his childhood sketching and drawing anime characters and works inspired by Salvador Dalí. Today, between bruises, rotting fruit, fish, galaxies, and butterflies, he’s found a fresh set of references in everyday objects and still lifes. None of these are ideas one would typically find on a beauty moodboard—much less painted on the face—but it’s this sense of invigoration that separates Art from the content tossed out by algorithm.

“Every time I create makeup looks, I [treat it as if I’m] painting something—but the canvas is my face.”

Blurring the lines between beauty and art is not an easy feat, especially when so much beauty content today favors the marketable appeal of clean, polished, everyday looks. Torrontegui, though, is one of the creators who refuses to play by these rules: not because the numbers that come with content creation don’t matter, but because he knows firsthand that there is freedom in allowing himself to create without being dictated by them. 

In this Allure Philippines exclusive, Torrontegui arrives with a butterfly painted across his eyes, a symbol of metamorphosis and continuous growth. He shares his first memory of beauty, the moment that almost made him quit, and the three words that define his content.

What were you doing before being a content creator?

I’ve always had interest in doing content creation, pero kasi, I [also had] a 9 to 5—meron pa akong corporate job. And when I discovered content creation, it was more of just having fun.

My content was more inclined towards joining trends, acting, dancing—I haven’t done any beauty content pa. And then, ginawa ko na siyang side hustle, and nakipag-collaborate na rin ako with brands, but it wasn’t exclusively beauty brands.

Your earliest memory of loving beauty.

My earliest memory would be around 2014, 2016, when nag-start na mag-mainstream ang drag scene. When I first watched Drag Race, I was really amazed by the makeup style of the queens; it was my first time seeing that type of makeup on drag.

Although, nakikita ko rin naman siya pero, it was a different style from what I’d seen on Drag Race. 

What was the very first beauty post on your feed? 

It was a look that I call, Troubled Boy. It was a recreation of making fake bruises, yung parang pagod na look na may eyebags. I found beauty in recreating scars and bruises. 

Hindi naman siya nag-viral, but from that, people recognized my talent with color stories, and [what it took] to create that photo. 

The video or post that changed everything.

My first viral video was the one inspired by a constellation. So, what I did was I stuck beads using eyelash glue around my face, so it looked like a whole collection of stars. That look had three constellations, and I connected them using a thread.

A risk you took that paid off.

Choosing creative makeup over simple glam looks. When I was starting, sikat na yung boy glam, simple makeup, everyday makeup—and I tried that. But [content] around that felt so saturated with that type of look, and I found it boring. Pero I still love it, I still do it—because it allowed me to risk doing creative looks, because this path is not conventional, sobrang niche niya. 

So sinabi ko, I really wanted to express my art, and I was really looking for another medium for my creativity and I found it here in makeup.

The moment you almost quit, but didn’t?

Every creator has experienced that—noong nag-increase na yung following ko. I became more conscious of my stats. 

I used to believe talaga na, “oh, you shouldn’t mind the views,” but it still matters if you’re a creator. Brands will still look at the perspective of the business—following still matters, and the numbers, and dumating ako sa point na I felt so conscious of my [online] performance.

There was also a time last year that I was planning to quit content creation. Aside from experiencing burnout, my performance at that time wasn’t so okay, so I took a break.

‘Yung break, it helped me realize what I really want for my content: it’s sharing my creativity and just expressing art. Medyo nawala kasi yung personality ko dati when I got a following; I used to be funny. But now, after I took a break, I realised that creation is fun! It’s supposed to be fun—hindi siya kailangan masyado seryosohin. You can be serious, but mix-an mo siya ng fun.

Describe your beauty content in three words.

My makeup style is surreal, experimental, and fearless. 

One word that defines your trademark beauty look.

I actually asked this from the point of view of a different person—my sister. Sabi niya, unconventional, which I agree with. 

What keeps people coming back to your page?

It’s more of my originality. And I treat my makeup as a piece of art. So, every time I create a makeup look, it’s like I’m painting something, but the canvas is my face.

Matte or dewy base? 

Of course, dewy!

Full glam or no makeup-makeup? 

Hello?! Full glam.

3-step routine or 10-step skin care routine? 

3-step. For my age, meron nang mga products that have all the ingredients that you want.

Morning skin care or night time skin care?

Nighttime skin care. I love waking up after—pag-gising mo, like oh my god! Especially 

Short hair or long hair? 

Long hair. 

Air dry or heat styling? 

Air dry.

Bar soap or body wash?

Honestly, lately I’ve been loving bar soap.

One, it’s safer for the environment: it uses less components and plastic bottles, and hello?! Magaganda yung mga bar soap that are handmade.

Imagine, overconsumption na ang beauty and makeup—we are consuming so much, so at least, kahit in a different category like body care, makapag-save naman tayo ng kahit konti.

Hand cream or body butter? 

I love body butter!

Layering scents or one fragrance only? 

I recently learned layering scents, and na-try ko yung disrupting scents. They’re like different scents, but [it comes together as one] once nag-come into contact with your body chemistry.

What’s your signature scent? 

Oud & Bergamot by Jo Malone. Very musky.

Spray scent on skin or on clothes? 

On skin. Sobrang iba [yung feeling], parang ‘pag may nakaamoy sayo, [sabihin nila], ang bango mo naman.

Rest day or active recovery? 

Rest day. With my line of work, naka-stand talaga ako with hours of doing makeup, so rest talaga.  

Coffee or matcha?

Coffee, obviously. I don’t like grass. Charot. A simple latte will do, and make sure the color doesn’t look like milk tea. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Alejandro “Art” Torrontegui is a Filipino content creator known for experimental makeup that treats the face as a canvas—bruise-inspired color stories, constellation looks built from beads and thread, and food-referencing eye looks. He started with trend and dance content while holding a corporate job before moving into beauty.

His first viral video was a constellation-inspired look: beads attached across the face with eyelash glue to form three constellations, then connected with thread. It followed an earlier, non-viral bruise recreation called “Troubled Boy,” which first drew attention to his handling of color stories and detailed image-making.

Torrontegui describes his makeup as surreal, experimental, and fearless; his sister’s one-word summary is “unconventional.” Rather than everyday boy glam, he draws references from still lifes and everyday objects — rotting fruit, daing na bangus, salted egg, galaxies, and butterflies—approaching each look as a painting on his own face.

He nearly quit last year after growing overly conscious of views and follower stats—metrics he acknowledges brands still weigh—compounded by burnout and a dip in performance. A deliberate break clarified that his content exists to share creativity and art, and that creation should stay fun, not overly serious.

Torrontegui favors a dewy base, full glam, and a three-step routine built on multi-ingredient products, with skin care done at night. He air-dries long hair, prefers body butter and handmade bar soap, layers fragrances, and sprays scent on skin—his signature is Jo Malone’s Oud & Bergamot.