When Margarett de Guzman started doing professional make-up in the Philippines, she found a French make-up brand that worked wonders on her Filipina clients. Last month she fulfilled a lifelong dream when she flew to Paris to master her craft under the tutelage of the people behind the brand.


Paris is a long way away from Sydney. But for one aspiring hair and make-up artist, distance is just a matter of logistics. Philippine-born and now Australia-based Margarett de Guzman knew she just had to work hard and save enough money to make the long (and expensive) pilgrimage.

The reason she wanted to go to Paris is to get training from an academy by cosmetics group Make Up For Ever. Unlike other make-up companies, MUFE is unusual in that it was founded by a woman, Dany Sanz, who was a painter and a sculptor before she became a make-up artist.

That pedigree injected more finesse, artistry and creativity to her product line. Keen to make sure her legacy, like her make-up, lasts forever, Sanz opened up her first make-up academy in the 1970s. Her devout followers can now be found all over the world, perfecting their art a la Sanz.

One of her devotees is Margarett, who bought the MUFE (short for Make Up For Ever) sculpting kit when she was just starting out many years ago.

“I still have it to this day. It really helped me a lot when I’m sculpting the faces of my clients or models,” she said.

Before she knew it she bought another product and then, another one, until her make-up box was loaded with MUFE products.

“I learnt to love them and, indeed, they have never failed me,” she said.

Her dream to study at the academy came true last month. She flew to Paris and undertook the Intensive Training program, which meant studying six-hours a day over five days. She was trained on natural beauty and nude make-up, day and night fashion show make-up, and on various eyes and foundation techniques.

More importantly, she also improved her skills on Special Effects make-up and learnt various techniques suited for theatrical and cabaret performances – specialist skills that are highly sought after but rarely available to the local Filipino-Australian artistic community.

While Margarett is now armed with the latest make-up trends, she says that for day-to-day needs, women of Filipino heritage should always keep it simple.

“My make-up philosophy is always ‘less is more’ and that it shouldn't be overdone.”

“Filipinos, or Asians in general, are already blessed with beautiful skin so all they need to do is enhance their own natural beauty.”

When she talks about the ‘natural’ look, she doesn’t mean boring or bland make-up. It simply means spending more time figuring out what colours are right for your skin tone. She says you don’t need to be a professional to do a good job – you just need to follow some guidelines.

“Getting a natural look is easy. You just need to stick to the basics and develop a style that fits you.”

It helps, too, if you use the right products. From the small town of San Jose City in Nueva Ecija where she first used her MUFE sculpting kit on Filipina models, her portfolio now includes work done for major fashion magazines, photographers and fashion designers from Manila to Sydney. Besides fashion shoots, she is also in hot demand for special events, weddings and TV work in and around Sydney.

Next stop? She plans to go back to Paris and maybe, just maybe, do make-up for the catwalks in London and Milan.

It’s just a matter of logistics.

Five handy tips to achieving a ‘natural look’ on a Filipina

1)      Make sure your concealer is yellow in tone since it mutes imperfections without adding color, giving your skin a natural look.

2)       Apply foundation that matches your skin tone. The right foundation color for you is the one that will seem to disappear on your face.

3)      Apply eye make-up in earthy tones. Beige, brown or plum for shadows and make it really light and well-blended.

4)      Keep your cheeks’ blush minimal for a more natural look. You should try to replicate your cheeks’ color when slightly flushed.

5)      Lip colour should be subtle, achieving the look of natural healthy-looking lips.

For more info, go to http://www.margarettdeguzman.com.au/

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