Get to know the next generation of Filipino makeup artists championing the beauty and fashion industry
Beauty in fashion lies in the hands of the industry’s new breed of creatives, particularly those who have proven themselves worthy of being called the next generation of Filipino makeup artists and hairstylists. And one name that has been on a constant rise to fame is local talent Gery Penaso.
Penaso has been a professional makeup artist for 13 years now. During his younger years, just like every young adult trying to brave the world, he was struggling to figure out the path he wanted to take. But there was one thing that he was always certain about: he wanted to be surrounded by creativity. Despite his parents not seeing that the arts was something he could flourish in, he knew it was where he belonged. There was a long time when he was working in the corporate industry, but still, he felt lost.
“If you are a creative person, you’re really meant to create,” Penaso shares passionately, grateful to have still remained in the path of artistry after so long. “You don’t really do it for the money because it ignites you and makes you happy, fulfilled. It changed my life, allowed me to touch many people, and brought me great friends.”
The seasoned makeup artist started in the industry just like everyone else—aspiring, hopeful, and without any network. He proudly shares that where he is now is because of the people who believed in him 13 years ago.
“To the younger creatives, value relationships because they will be the ones to help you,” says Penaso. “You’re not going to start big right away, it’s not an overnight thing. Just do it.”
There are many stories as to how he started, but one of them was that he is a MEGA baby. He was part of the MEGA Fashion Crew Season One series and was actually the first contestant to be eliminated. But that didn’t stop him, and he was grateful that MEGA’s core is still the same—giving the platform to local creatives and finding new talents. He sees this as a great concept because it always goes around.
Aside from being a regular name in weddings, pageants, and editorials, one of the moments Penaso really takes pride in is when Miss Universe 2016 was held in the Philippines, and the organization chose an all-Filipino lineup of makeup artists for the duration of the pageant. Pia Wurtzbach’s win in the previous year showed the international scene that the glam team of the country is topnotch and world-class. It was a win for Penaso and the local creatives.
“No matter how long you’ve been doing it, always love your work so it will love you back,” Penaso advises all makeup artists, both rookies and veterans. “Treat it with dignity, integrity, and respect. Don’t use it to take advantage of other people.”
With years of experience and wisdom under his name, Penaso is now pushing the spotlight toward the other artists in the industry. During the pandemic, he helped form a high-caliber team composed of brilliant and innovative makeup artists and hairstylists. He feels that this is his fate. “I’m at this point in my career where I am very protective of the people that I surround myself with,” he tells MEGA. “It’s more of God or the universe giving me people who are aligned with me or people with the same frequency—people who share my values.” The pandemic, he says, gave them a chance and a bigger space to support, instead of compete with, each other.
While he is the most experienced in the team, he quickly says he can’t call himself a mentor—at least not to all of them. “It’s a mixture of seasoned and new artists,” he says. “It’s really the vibe that makes it work. I haven’t seen anything like it, at least pre-pandemic.”
This isn’t the first time that Penaso has tried to “manage” creatives, but he is hopeful that this current collaboration could lead to more fruitful endeavors in the future. “I don’t know if it will become a team, formally, but I want to show them the best practices, so when the times that it they would be a mentor and lead a creative team, they could apply what they learned from me, and they could make a difference in the industry.”
PALETTES AND BRUSHES
Helming the cosmetics department are Janica Cleto, Vince Leendon, Lei Ponce, Jay Salcedo, Bryan Cuizon, Angeline Dela Cruz, Rochelle Lacuna, and Japeth Mike Purog, among others. How are these ingenious creatives redefining beauty through their craft?
JANICA CLETO
Freelance makeup artist and architect Janica Cleto is enamored by the contradictory careers she is currently taking up. Right before the pandemic, she was starting to explore her craft in doing makeup as a means to express herself. She shares that her most memorable moment was when they did test shoots that weren’t planned—they were simply like a group of friends jiving with each others’ style of working.
“The first step is really the hardest,” Cleto says, explaining that as someone from the Chinese community, being a makeup artist wasn’t really a conventional career choice. “I just followed my heart because that is my passion. Take that step. Do whatever you like and whatever makes you happy.”
VINCE LEENDON
At 22, Vince Leendon is a freelance makeup artist who is also working in the business process outsourcing industry. The young creative started doing makeup in 2016 simply from the beauty gurus he watches on YouTube. He also got inspired by the television series Face Off, which is why his first love wasn’t really beauty makeup, but the creative effects and prosthetics.
The self-taught makeup artist’s most pivotal moment was when he won J.Cat Beauty Philippine’s first ever Halloween makeup competition in 2018. Leendon’s advice to aspiring artists? Believe in yourself and watch lots of videos online. There are a handful of tips and tricks on YouTube and TikTok, the way other makeup artists learn.
LEI PONCE
There’s another MEGA baby in the group, and it’s none other than Lei Ponce—the MEGA Fashion Crew Season Two winner of the makeup category. He started in the creative industry when he was working in the corporate world. His team of all-girls enlisted in a makeup workshop, which he also joined and enjoyed. Why is makeup truly special to him? It unleashes his creative side as a painter. But this time, it’s through a different medium.
Unsurprisingly, one of Ponce’s unforgettable moments was during MEGA’s reality show—when he got scolded by the judges. According to him, the “below-the-belt” concept got heavily criticized and got him eliminated. Fortunately, he was called back for the wildcard and worked his way to winning the season. He can’t really pinpoint a lesson from that situation because it was their craft, and for him, there should be no boundaries surrounding artistic work, as long as you are not stepping on anyone’s toes.
“Always remember to keep your feet on the ground even if you become famous,” Ponce says. “The makeup industry is small. Help others bring out the best in them because good karma will come.”
JAY SALCEDO
Jay Salcedo, a freelance makeup artist like Leendon, also fell in love with the beauty industry at a young age. He recently attended the wedding of his best friend—the person who inspired him to be a makeup artist—and were talking about their highschool life, the point where his curiosity in makeup started by learning the basics, such as putting eyeliner and powder. After that, he started doing the makeup of his relatives. Eventually, Salcedo wanted to do it full time, so he enrolled in a makeup school and started to work as a production makeup artist. The moment that truly changed his life was when Penaso, the person he considers his mentor, invited him to a shoot for Century Tuna.
“Pursue your passion,” Salcedo proclaims, recalling how that particular project skyrocketed his career. “If you really want to become a makeup artist, do it now. Don’t think twice.”
BRYAN CUIZON
From being a licensed professional teacher, Bryan Cuizon became a makeup artist. He always believes that you should look for the job that makes you happy. When he was in college, he was a member of the dance troupe and was very inclined with the performing arts. They would do their own makeup and that helped enhance his skills. He realized it was his calling—he can do makeup for other people.
A situation that was etched in his career as a makeup artist was when someone criticized his work, and then a year after, he was a speaker at a seminar where that person was one of the attendees. He recognized him and told him how he felt when he was criticized. That moment taught him that in our life, one will never know how far a person can go. And so his advice for aspiring creatives? Strive hard and dream harder.
ANGELINE DELA CRUZ
For six years now, Angeline Dela Cruz is all too familiar with the ropes of being a professional makeup artist. When she was in college, she was juggling going to school and accepting jobs for editorial shoots and clients. In 2019, when she was at a point when she felt down about her career and thought it wasn’t going anywhere, her mentor suddenly reached out to give her a particular project: a makeup test for the movie of Asia’s Next Top Model season five winner and beauty queen Maureen Wroblewitz. It was her first time handling a celebrity. After that, she became friends with Maureen. To this day, she talks to the model and does her makeup.
“Be kind,” Del Cruz says simply. “It’s the easiest thing that you can do. You’ll never know what a person is going through. Never stop learning. You can learn a lot from people when you meet someone new, especially when you’re in shoots. Whether it be good or bad, it will always be an experience for you and that always counts.”
JAPETH MIKE PUROG
When it comes to the source of inspiration, professional makeup artist Japeth Mike Purog got his from his mom, who is a teacher. Every time his mom goes to school, she always puts on red lipstick, and that piqued Purog’s curiosity. He actually used to secretly try the lipstick on himself.
From doing his classmate’s makeup in highschool, Purog became a makeup artist for an international pageant held in Manila. That paved the way for him to meet a newbie photographer, and together, they formed a team of creatives.
Purog was among the people who recently realized how social media can be an impactful platform. He didn’t know how wide its reach actually was, until actress Jennylyn Mercado sent him a personal message, through one of his social media accounts, and asked him to be her personal makeup artist in 2018. He was in utter shock, and until this day, he sees that as one of the most defining moments of his career.
“Don’t be harsh on yourself,” Purog says, sharing that he onced asked himself if he should quit this work. During the pandemic, he felt that the industry suddenly embraced makeup artists and stylists even more, which in turn brought him immense pressure. The competition also got tougher: “Your time will come. Believe in yourself that you can do it.”
ROCHELLE LACUNA
Another veteran professional makeup artist in the industry is Rochelle Lacuna. Even after 10 years as a creative, she still feels very lucky to have met like-minded creative people with whom she can grow and improve her skills.
Lacuna began doing makeup two years after college when she was working in the hardware store. She loved finding ways to show her creativity and freely express herself as a woman, especially since in her former industry, she was surrounded mostly by men. Now, every time people appreciate her work and she is able to put a smile on a client’s face, she considers that a memorable moment.
“Believe that you can do makeup and that you can improve,” Lacuna advises aspiring creatives. “In every career, we must find a way to improve ourselves. It’s a continuous study. We have to know the trends, what else is out there that we can tap into. It’s not just makeup in magazines—it’s a broad industry that we can share with.”
