Make no mistake—when Bretman Rock came to Allure Philippines’ maiden issue cover shoot, he came to play. Proving that moreno skin can wear all colors of the rainbow, he and makeup artist Booya tried everything under contributing beauty editor Andrea Ang’s beauty direction: from aqua blue shadow to hot pink cheeks and burgundy lips. Hairstylist JA Feliciano also shares how they came up with the many hairstyles Bretman rocked in the cover story, which ranged from voluminous blow-outs to bubble ponytails.   

Wearing the rainbow 

Perhaps one of the best things about Bretman Rock is his ability to make makeup fun again. Actually, he makes many things fun, even gardening and lifting weights, but that’s besides the point. He has been a long proponent of using makeup to empower, express, and feel about one’s self. We can all learn from his zany approach to beauty. 

Case in point, the Allure Philippines maiden issue. Since this was a beauty shoot, Bretman and the team had license to play and experiment with a kaleidoscope of colors and textures. Makeup artist Booya prepared a variety of colorful looks, from an aqua-colored eye (GRWM Cosmetics Face Card Shadowplay Colorplay Velvet Matte Eyeshadow in Naomi), to a sunset-inspired eye shadow look (GRWM Cosmetics Face Card Shadowplay Colorplay Velvet Matte Eyeshadow in Fame, Electric, and Jam), and an edgy double liner (Jeffree Star Cosmetics Orgy Eyeshadow Palette). 

Bretman and Booya didn’t shy away from using bright and vibrant colors, making a statement for morenas and morenos in the Philippines. 

“I’ve never been a believer that morenos or morenas should steer clear of loud colors,” says Booya. “In fact, when you look at our history, from our Muslim brothers and sisters in Mindanao, to the vibrant costumes of MassKara Festival in Visayas, and the striking red fabrics that Igorots from Luzon wear, these loud, festive colors look so good on our rich, kayumanggi Filipino skin.”

She adds: “You can sport any color or hue you want—whether in fashion or on your face. Though, the caveat is knowing what shade and tone of the color will complement you.”

Ace that base 

While Bretman shows us that you can wear whatever color you want, there is one thing that requires a bit more attention: one’s base shade. Thankfully, the days of six-shades-of-beige foundation launches are long gone (we hope!). Even better, Filipino beauty has really stepped up in the last few years, with local cosmetic companies coming up with products designed specially for the spectrum of Filipina skin tones. 

“What’s amazing about the Philippine beauty market is that homegrown brands now consciously offer a wide range of foundation shades to choose from,” says Booya. “If you plan to buy a complexion product but you’re unsure, my advice would be to go to a physical store and actually swatch the foundation on your jaw area—not on your wrist! Our wrists have a different shade than our face so you can most accurately shade-match when you swatch on your jaw.”

Plaits, please 

For the cover, Heart and Bretman sported identical makeup looks: radiant skin, a subtle cat eye, and an overload of blush. It’s a youthful take on a classic look and what ups the ante are the thick, interlocking braids that bring to mind musical artist Doechii and her band. Hairstylists JA Feliciano and Mark Ghil Sayo twisted the duo’s hair together, creating a statement that is unmissable: beauty connects us. 

A straightforward braid seemed simple enough, but this was the one look that gave both hairstylists pause. “At first I was honestly so nervous when I got the brief,” admits the soft-spoken Feliciano, a longtime hairstylist known for his editorial work the past 13 years. “But I was able to pull it off by using a long hair extension that I braided, and with the help of Ghil, we were able to conjoint the braid for that layout.”

At one point in the shoot, Bretman wanted to play and push the envelope with the looks, something he’s known for since his early days as a beauty content creator. Feliciano was up to the challenge, creating a series of fun hair styles for Bretman. 

“Honestly, it was liberating and at the same time, [it] made me nervous,” he shares. “I immediately thought of doing a mix of styles so I did little braids that popped out randomly with bubble ponytail pigtails and a bun at the back that has spikes at the end. Good thing I use Living Proof Flex Hairspray so it’s easier to style his hair from one style to another.”

Blush crazy 

While fanciful liners and lips usually take centerstage in covers, Allure Philippines’ maiden issue cover focused on blush—a lot of it. In fact, we asked Bretman’s makeup artist Booya on how she pulled off the heavily rouged, hot pink cheeks without venturing into blush blindness. 

“I think it’s all about balance of makeup, outfit choices and personality,” says Booya, who has amassed a striking body of work despite only starting out doing makeup full time in 2020. 

“Most of the ‘blush blindness’ I’ve seen are on clean girl or strawberry makeup [looks], which is a minimal makeup look regular folks like you and I wear paired with a casual outfit. The high blush saturation draws your attention to it which creates an imbalance in the minimalistic makeup—especially with a casual outfit. However, in Bretman’s case, the combination of his larger-than-life persona, eccentric fashion, and bold glamour balances out the strong blush.”

In a word, Booya describes the looks she did on Bretman as “so 2015,” describing the year in a positive light. “This was the year Bretman began his beauty content online. That year birthed a huge wave of beauty personalities like Bretman, and a new generation of makeup artists like me. The creative process [during the shoot] was fun, experimental, and bold—just like what we did back in 2015.”

Photographer: Mark Nicdao. Fashion direction: Daryl Chang. Fashion assistant: Kurt Abonal. Beauty direction: Andrea Ang. Makeup: Booya. Hair: JA Feliciano. Fashion styling: Brian Meller. 

Read more from Allure Philippines’ maiden issue: