I have always been fascinated with make up. I remember during high school I would tinker my older cousins’ kikay kit or the loot of my bolder and gutsier friends, who already knew how to apply make up. It was only around college that I really learned to apply my own make up, which is by the way consisting of only eyeliner, blush and lip stain. Haha. By the time I was working, and had the money to buy my “luho,” I stepped up to buying my own stuff and so was able to experiment with a few things: basic eyeshadows, brow liners, blushes and lipstick. Needless to say, I am very interested in make up and would grab every opportunity to learn more.
So when my friend Shayne, a.k.a Misstache, told me to fill in for her at Techne’s make up workshop, headed and organized by Nizza Gueco, Rizza Kho, and make-up artist Vicel Enriquez, my heart skipped a beat. Well, partly because it would be my first time to attend a make up workshop (and God, who knows what could happen haha) but mostly because I was excited to meet new people, make friends and learn new things.
Here are my key takeaways from the event:
1. Make up is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.
Vicel doing a demo of Day Makeup on Nizza
We started the workshop with Vicel’s tips on make up application. She talked about a lot of things: picking the correct foundation shade, the importance of primer, contouring, understanding the color wheel to know which colors match and guess what? — putting saline solution to dried mascara to moisten it again (bet you didn’t know that haha). But what really stuck with me is her openness to differences. She emphasizes that what may feel like the perfect look for her, might not be the preference of another. It’s easier to learn when you feel that you are in an open environment, and that’s exactly how the whole event felt.
2. As Vicel jokingly said, “practice makes permanent”
Vicel has been practicing makeup artistry for 5 years now. She took a professional hair and make up course at Makeup Design Academy in Quezon City
So after teaching us her make up techniques and two basic looks (day make up and holiday make up), it was time to put what we’ve learned to the test. We had ample time to play with the make up they provided and experiment on our own.
3. There is always room for improvement.
You think you know how to do your brows? Think again. It might look like a unibrow. Have enough skills for eyeshadow? You might actually look like a panda! At the expense of sounding sarcastic, my point is you can never really say you’ve mastered makeup unless you’ve studied and studied and practiced and practiced! So take it from the experts. Good thing there were also guest Hair and Make Up Artists (HMUAs) at the event who guided us as we made ourselves up. I was particularly thankful to Wheng Divah who really took her time to show me how to create the correct smoky eyes for a chinita like me and how contouring makes a lot of difference! (I have an angular face so contouring is my best friend)
4. Be beautiful inside and out.
Photos by Xic Gueco from X Marks the Shot
We’ve all heard this and we all know how an awesome attitude trumps a beautiful face, but I’m not just talking about personality. I’m literally talking about the outside of our body, our skin. It’s great to enhance our appearance through makeup but remember that the condition of our body reflects on our skin. We can cover up our blemishes, but make up can only do so much if we don’t have a clean canvas to begin with. To reinforce this idea, Skin Lite, a wellness center in Antipolo City gave out tips on how to take care of our skin and showed some samples of their skincare products. They also presented their list of services and products, such as facials, diamond peel etc.
Aside from learning makeup techniques, we were also able to sample baked goodies from Paulette’s Choclette. There were unlimited servings of chocolate cupcakes, cookies and brownies. I liked the chocolate cupcakes the most, but some of my co-participants liked the cookies better. I guess the only way to know which you prefer is to try them yourselves. They also have mini cookies neatly packed in small jars, good for giveaways this Christmas. You can check out their products HERE.
We also had our portraits taken after our makeovers. Xic Gueco of X Marks the Shot acted as our official photographer that day. He took before and after shots of each participant, portrait shots, and product shot (holding baked products from Paulette’s). X Marks the Shot also offers basic photography workshops for only P600, in case you’re interested.
Makeup products from Make Me Up shop were also available for sale at the event.
Aside from the handouts and certificate, freebies were also given to participants, which included: a can of baked goods from Paulette’s Choclette, a jumbo Lip Gloss Stick from e.l.f. and a small set of basic makeup brushes. For a P1200 workshop fee (as compared to the usual fee of P2500 to 3000) it’s a bang for the buck!
The workshop runs for six hours and was held at Thompson Square in Tomas Morato cor. Roces Ave, QC.
If you’re interested on having the same experience that I did or if you simply want to meet friends while having fun, check out their upcoming monthly workshops starting next year. Tentative date is January 31, but watch out for updates on Techne’s official Facebook page.
Techne Hair & Make Up Services
Contact No.: 09326795418
Facebook: Techne
Email: nizzagueco@yahoo.com