10 Steps For Better Makeup, According to Filipino Makeup Artists

Makeup advice only works if it fits where you live. In the Philippines, that means having shades that fit morena skinMorena SkinA celebration of natural brown Filipina skin tones, central to Allure Philippines' Morena Manual. Morena skin has distinct needs, including protection from hyperpigmentation, foundation shades that match its undertones, andGo to Morena Skin Glossary, a base that doesn’t turn cakey or oxidize in the heat, and a look that holds up, from your 9-to-5 to your 5-to-9. Sometimes, the fix is a product. Other times, it’s a good night’s sleep, exfoliation, a bit of practice, and the right techniques.

Below, Allure Philippines rounds up tips and tricks that Filipino makeup artists use on set, on clients, and on themselves—from skin prep to a polished finish. Here are 10 steps we’re taking to heart. 

Step #1: Practice before you shower

Remember this: your makeup shouldn’t wear you; you wear it. To help your makeup look great every day, a little practice won’t hurt. Renowned makeup artist and Issy’s Creative Visionary Slo Lopez shared that practicing just before showering can help boost your confidence in your makeup looks.

“Just put eyeshadow on, and it’s okay. You’ll just shower it off, and if you do that every day, you’ll suddenly see yourself getting better or finding a way to make it work for you,” she said.  

Step #2: Exfoliate your face the night before a full glam

Think of your face as a blank canvas—you need to prep it well to help the products absorb better. Part of this preparation is exfoliating, and makeup artist Nicole Ceballos emphasized that when is just as important as how you do it. 

“Exfoliate the night before,” she shared with Allure Philippines, noting that an evening scrub gives the skin time to “soothe from the night before.” She discouraged doing any last-minute scrubs, which can leave the skin “a little raw” and prone to breakouts once the makeup goes on the face. 

Step #3: Get enough sleep

You can apply makeup meticulously and still end up with a look you’re not happy about. For seasoned makeup artist Gery Penaso, it’s all in the makeup prep, for which he has a simple and effective tip: “Hydrate the skin by getting enough sleep before the event, and still complete your skin care regimen,” he shared at the Allure Philippines launch. 

This means that no other skin prep is more important than getting enough zzzs for the night. 

Step #4: Use light layers

No one likes it when their makeup looks cakey or overdone. To make the base look light and skin-like, makeup artists Albert Kurniawan and Jigs Mayuga both suggested using a light hand to avoid excess product buildup. “Some people go really heavy with foundation because they try to fill in the texture. But you should go with a really light hand,” said Mayuga.

Teviant Beauty founder Kurniawan uses the same technique, especially for hot and humid days. “The less layering, the better,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, makeup enthusiast and content creator Nate Javier is all for foregoing foundation entirely, if possible. Skin, to him, should be the star of the show. “The purpose of foundation is to even out your skin tone,” he said in a masterclass at last year’s Allure Beauty Congress. 

Javier said that “color-correcting spots with discoloration” can make the skin less cakey under makeup, since you won’t need as much foundation or concealer once the spots are already corrected.

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Step #5: Use the right shade for color correction

A misconception that most Filipinos have about color correction is that any peach shade can work for anyone. However, celebrity makeup artists Booya Mocorro and Jigs Mayuga say otherwise. 

“If you are a tan to deep morena, it’s more of a deep peach or more on the terracotta side. And if you’re on the lighter side, of course lighter peaches work for you,” Mocorro said. 

Mayuga recommended using a color between peach and orange for morena skin. “Because if it’s a color that’s too light, then it’s not going to be able to correct either the blue or the purple tones on your skin,” he shared.

Step #6: Work with your undertone for your contour

ContourContourA makeup technique that uses a shade slightly deeper than your skin tone to add shadow and structure to the cheekbones, nose, and jawline. Blend carefully and choose an undertoneGo to Contour Glossary, just like many products in your makeup kit, isn’t a one-size-fits-all item. It’s important to match your contour shade with your undertone, which is the deeper hue under the skin that never changes. 

At the previous Allure Beauty Congress, celebrity makeup artist Denise Go-Ochoa said that not all morenas fall under the warm-tone spectrum, so contourContourA makeup technique that uses a shade slightly deeper than your skin tone to add shadow and structure to the cheekbones, nose, and jawline. Blend carefully and choose an undertoneGo to Contour Glossary shades can vary. “Normally, it depends on the skin tone, because may morena na warm, may morena na cool,” Go-Ochoa explained, noting that morenas aren’t automatically warm-toned. She also suggested going for a cool-toned contour to create a shadow. 

Step #7: Use tapping motions only

If you end up with dry patches on some parts of your face after applying powder products, it’s possibly because of how you’re applying them. Both Mayuga and Kurniawan swear by tapping the product in and not swiping it across the face. 

“If I were to use powder, I would pick up some powder with a brush, but I would actually brush off the excess,” Mayuga explained. “And I don’t swipe; I just really tap the powder on, so it goes on very light, so it still looks like skin.” 

Kurniawan agreed with Mayuga on this one, too. “You have to press lightly because you don’t want to move [anything on the] skin,” he said.

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Step #8: Spray between every step

The setting spray serves as a “glue” that binds every layer of makeup together. For Kurniawan, it’s an essential product he uses at every step. “I make sure that every layer of my process I spray with fixing spray,” he said, explaining that he treats this as an important part of his work as a makeup artist.

What’s the difference between a setting and a fixing spray? Setting sprays have ingredients that make them closer to face mists, while fixing sprays are made with film-forming agents that create a lightweight barrier over the skin, locking everything in place. 

Step #9: Use your eyeliner as a base for eyeshadow

How do you start doing your eyeshadow? Do you start with an eyeshadow primer or a nude color, or use a tape to help make a clean, winged-out look? 

Celebrity makeup artist Lala Flores has a completely different method—she uses eyeliner to build her client’s eyeshadow look from start to finish. As unconventional as it sounds, she shared that this particularly helps when an eyeshadow palette isn’t pigmented enough. “Because eyeliners are naturally pigmented, I don’t need much to complete the look,” she shared at the Allure Beauty Congress. 

Step #10: Choose your falsies carefully

False and cluster lashes definitely tie an eye look together, and the best ones can make it look even better. For monolid eyes, specifically, celebrity makeup artist Angeline Dela Cruz said that Korean and Thai false lashes work best. 

“I would say avoid using lashes that have too much volume,” she explained. “This tends to make the eyes look darker and smaller.” Since lashes play such a big part in opening up the eyes, she also encouraged practicing applying lashes, too.