Beauty is in the eye of the (Be)holder… What I learned from working in a Pageant

July 30 and 31 were one of the best working weekend dates I had after coming from a long vacation. Remember the Inglot Polishing Workshop I wrote about before? While I only had 2 days to work with these lovely ladies, the rest of the United Makeup Artists of the Philippines (UMAP) artists had a month to bond with these beauties.  Saturday was for the “Mutya ng Pilipinas” Candidates 2016 and Sunday belonged to the Mr. and Miss Chinatown 2016.

Both events were sponsored by Inglot Cosmetics and by Cynos Hair products. Status Salon Manila provided the hair and makeup requirements while the rest of the team was composed of the UMAP members.

Here is what I learned from this gig:

1. Be prepared to wait.

Patience is a virtue you need to master, if you are a makeup artist.  Call times are usually early (like 7 am at the venue in this case). It was in Resorts World Manila Newport Theater and we considered ourselves lucky that we had ample time to set up.  Mirrors with lights and a table were provided, so we were thankful for any kind of help. Candidates showed up at 8:30 am and we began working on them between 9:00-9:30 am.  In between this,  all candidates are being called by the director for a technical rehearsal which lasts from 2 -6 hours depending on the amount they have to cover.  While waiting, we went through our pegs, makeup and saw to it everything had to be ready when the ladies came back.  Clean your tools, glue single lashes, tidy your work space were some of the things we did to while the time.

Selfie while waiting for the candidates to return from a technical rehearsal.
Selfie while waiting for the candidates to return from a technical rehearsal.

 

Our Working Tables
Our Working Tables

2. Be flexible in your expectations.

This is not about you but more importantly this is a test of character.  There are many things going on simultaneously from the floor and stage directors screaming. “Girls, you have 3 minutes to change” to Girls, you have to run! We’re starting the evening gown portion!” Mind you, these gowns are heavy and difficult to put on.  Part of the job is to be able to help these ladies move as fast as they can by helping them dress up, strap on their stilettos and sometimes be a fashion stylist like securing their gowns with a safety pin because the gown is simply a size smaller than expected.  Yes, you will be a multi-tasker in events like these, and you have to be OK with that.

Backstage, Prayer before the show
Backstage, Prayer before the show

 

Hazel anothet UMAP member is practicing the art of Zen in her touch up before the show.
Hazel anothet UMAP member is practicing the art of Zen in her touch up before the show.

3. Pageant Makeup is designed to be seen.  

Because of the Polishing Workshop we had to undergo with Inglot, pageant makeup is a glamourised version of the classic look, a bolder version of your traditional smokey eye.  Harsh lights can drown out the colours you’ve put on.  It is important to layer your makeup, and make sure it is still blended and well put together. Peg for all seasons, Pia Wurtzback, 2015 Miss Universe.

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Pageant Makeup Peg

 

Makeup Peg for Mutya
Photo from Xyrene Eugenio, Inglot makeup affiliate who spearheaded this event for UMAP. Onin Bolos UMAP Member also did the makeup here which we used as our peg for the makeup look.

4. Be a Jack of All trades

When we were all done with the candidates, our work did not end there.  We were assigned tasks to do last minute touch ups before the ladies were whisked away onto the stage.  Two artists were in charge of applying powder and blush, one was assigned to check the lashes and bring glue, and one was in charge of applying lipstick and gloss.  The hair team was also divided so they can do touch ups for the hair.  It didn’t end there: We were looking at the TV monitor to check the makeup to see if we needed to add or lessen the makeup.  We were required to always be on standby behind the wings for costume changes.

Mindset: You are the hired help for the day so leave your ego at home.

5. Makeup tips learned from the event

Ace of base was the Inglot HD foundation in shades 71, 73 and 77 to create that flawless “Cutis Porcelana” look.  No airbrush here, we layered this 2x and buffed it well into the skin,

Inglot hd_shade_chart
Kutis Porcelana

Blush Palette used were:

Inglot Blush #46
Coral Peach tones Inglot #46. Photo from Xyrene Eugenio

 

Inglot Blush #29
Inglot blush #29 another coral peach tone blush. Photo from Onin Bolos, another UMAP member

 

Inglot Blush #28
Inglot blush #28, a neutral pink blush. Photo from Xyrene Eugenio

To set the makeup and make it last longer, we used the baking technique.  We also had to use a lighter concealer to give the face a nice highlight.

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I just buffed the powder on my candidate. Check out the candidate on the left side. Maryann Obias is applying this technique on her candidate.  Photo from Michelle Viray UMAP Member

 

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Finished result on Aeryka Chu Candidate #7 for Mr and Miss Chinatown 2016

Contour does not need to be heavy but sculpted cheekbones were a must for this event to give depth to the face.  We used Inglot no. 505

Inglot 505 Contour
Inglot 505 was used to sculpt the cheeks and give the face depth.

Since the eyes needed to stand out, we were instructed to use fuller, wispy lashes to add drama.

Lashes for Pageants
Photo from Xyrene Eugenio. She used these wispy babies. Notice the full stack but they were still light when applied.

 

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Photo from Michelle Viray. Like a surgeon, Maryann OBias  skilfully applies the lashes.

Neutral palette was used on the eyes.  No blue, green, pink or lavender colours here, just earthy brown tones.  No glitters or frost as this looks dirty on camera.

 

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I doubled up on my lashes. Since I had fairly light ones, sometimes I glued 3 thin lashes to get the desired effect.

 

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Mr and Miss Chinatown Candidate # 9 Shireen Rosales.

 

Male grooming should be simple and natural.  Bronzer was used to warm up the face.  Skin tone was evened out with a light application of foundation, concealer when needed and loose powder o set the makeup.  A touch of lip balm was applied to make the lips soft.

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Mr and Miss Chinatown 2016 Candidate no. 11 Richmond Balila

Contact lens were used by the candidates to make the eyes stand out in front of the camera.

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Mutya ng Pilipinas Pampanga 2016 Candidate no. 11 Rhancoise Mayangitan

 

Rhancoise Mayangitan #11
Photo taken from Rhancoise Mayangitan. Credit belongs to owner

 

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Mutya ng Pilipinas Batangas 2016 Candidate # 22 Rianne Kalaw

 

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Mutya ng Pilipinas Japan 2016 Candidate # 13 Mayu Murakami.

 

Mayu made it to the Top 10! Candidate #13 is her lucky number!
Mayu made it to the Top 10! Candidate #13 is her lucky number!

Scenes from the 2 events

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Shireen Rosales Candidate #9 Mr and Miss Chinatown 2016 won Best in Talent. Photo courtesy of Michelle Viray

 

Shireen # 9 Best in Talent
Photo courtesy of Joselito Caleon

 

Richard Balila no 11
Photo courtesy from Joselito Caleon. Candidate #11 Richmond Balila

 

 

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A quick photo before heading out to the stage for their opening number. Candidates of Mr and Miss Chinatown 2016

 

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Feathers and Boas for the opening number of Mutya ng Pilipinas Candidate # 11

 

At a days end actually it was 10:30 pm. We were a tired but happy bunch. L-R Pilita Guadines, Onin Bolos, Charisma Vergara, Maryann Obias and Acie Fores
At a days end actually it was 10:30 pm. We were a tired but happy bunch. L-R Pilita Guadines, Onin Bolos, Charisma Vergara, Maryann Obias and Acie Fores

 

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Another shot of the working group, From L-R, Michelle Viray, Amy Villatuya, Charisma Vergara, Onin Bolos, Pilita Guadines, Marjorie Divina, Maryann Obias, Acie Fores and Xyrene Eugenio

 

Bulaga of the night, Selfie with Makeup artist to the stars, RB Chanco backstage. Thrilled to the max!
Bulaga of the night, Selfie with Makeup artist to the stars, RB Chanco backstage. Thrilled to the max!

Being on the other end of this event, pageants are definitely hard work both for the candidates and for us hair and makeup artists.  It is a stepping stone for most of them and while they pursue their dreams of becoming ambassadors of change or tourism, for us makeup artists, we are glad to share in their experience on their path to success and hope.

    1. Hi sydneyfashionhunter, the lashes I used were bridal ones, very natural looking. I had to glue 2-3 at a time to give the eyes drama. Yes while waiting that s what i did. 😊 If you re putting them on yourself, tilt your mirror like you re looking down. Apply glue on the edge of the lashes and wait until it gets tacky like 10-20 sec. Then grab your tweezers and start laying from the Root of the lashes beginning from the middle and lay the outer lash flat and follow it with the inner lash line. Hope that works for you.

  1. Who knew it was so difficult to work in a beauty pageant. I know that make-up takes time and it needs to be perfect. I was part of a movie once for a brand and my make-up took about half an hour, even if I went all natural. I did love the final result though, my face was perfect. 🙂 The make-up artist definitely knew what she was doing.

    1. Hi Joanna we were in a time crunch, since the girls were always being called for something, we had 1 hour to do 3 girls for hair and makeup. It is stressful but this is part and parcel of how a makeup artist excels in her craft. We all wished that the time spent waiting was time spent on each candidate. Thanks Joanna for your thoughts, appreciate it!

  2. Great work, great experience. Thank you for sharing your insight on what it was like working backstage and making sure the ladies look really nice, not only in person to those who were watching live, but also on TV.

    I now have a better appreciation of your job as one thing I never thought of was touching up and the time frame involved as everything has to be done quickly, so there must have been a lot of pressure to perform your job.

  3. It is indeed fun and fulfilling to work in a pageant show. And to be one of the judges is such a tough responsibility. Nonetheless, despite the pressure, there would be so many lessons learned from poise and grace to modeling and even how to properly apply make up. i guess, these three are important factors on how contestants project themselves. Also the three factors judges look for in a candidate.

    1. Hi Momiberlin thanks for reading the blog, I agree with you on your points. I want to add that although the emphasis is on the poise, outer appearance and how she conducts herself, it is the mental and spiritual elements too, that will carry the candidate in her winning the coveted crown.

  4. This does look like a lot of hard work. You would never think it was so busy behind the scenes but I think that’s the way it goes with every event! I have to say though, the looks you created are stunning. You are a real artist!

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