ARCHIE TOLENTINO
This is my new project for my site. Read, learn and be inspired by talented and wonderful makeup artists of our country every month. Pick up beauty tips and find out what makeup products they swear by.
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Archie Tolentino... :)
How did you get started in the makeup industry?
I started during the time when the only way to break into business was to work for a salon and train under senior make-up artists, there were no make-up schools back then. I am from the pioneer batch of Bench Fix Salon and was trained under the tutelage of renowned make-up artist Juan Sarte and seasoned hairstylist Alex Carbonell. After a two-year stay at the salon, I decided to do make-up on a freelance basis until I joined Maybelline New York’s Color Artists Search in 2007 and emerged as one of the winners.
How long have you been doing makeup?
It has been a decade since I started doing make-up.
What is the most important thing you do when doing someone’s makeup?
It is important to observe hygiene and sanitation because I am dealing with the most sensitive part of our body: the face. I always make sure I perform skin preparation, my tools and hands are clean and my products are not in rancid state. With respect to the make-up process itself, I focus more on creating a good base, because that serves as a perfect canvas for the decorative part of putting on make-up, whether it is as simple as applying a neutral shade of eyeliner or creating an intricate eye make-up look.
Also, because make-up artistry is an intimate job, I always make an effort to make my subject comfortable while I am doing make-up on her. I crack jokes and tell stories most of the time and most important of all, I make sure to apply make-up in a light-handed manner so that my subject will have a comfortable experience.
What is you favorite makeup memory/experience?
Not really a favorite, it is more of a regret, but a memorable one nonetheless. When I was still working at the salon, a fashion director I oftentimes work with in salon sponsored events ( I head the salon’s make-up team back then ) approached me and ask if I could do make-up for Chin-Chin Gutierrez for the cover of Time Magazine. That overwhelmed me much because a magazine cover is one of the highly – coveted projects that a make-up artist dream of landing and not to mention the fact that Time Magazine is an international magazine. Add the fact that it will require me to be absent in the salon for a weekend which is forbidden according salon’s rules and regulations. I eventually turned it down it until I saw the magazine at a newsstand and regret immediately struck me. That experience taught me to be aggressive and to take calculated risks and helped me to become what I am right now and it helps me a lot especially I am holding a big responsibility with the make-up brand I am working for.
What inspires you when doing makeup?
If I’m doing make-up let say, for a fashion or a beauty story, the texture and color of the clothes or the featured make-up products and/or looks and oftentimes the models themselves usually inspire me. If it is for a profile feature for a person, personality counts a lot whenever I look for inspiration. I usually I talk to them or listen to their inspiring stories while they were interviewed and that drives me to create a make-up look that is totally their own, depending on their personality. I always believed that one’s physical appearance is amplified by what is going on inside and a make-up artist can be an instrument in taking it up further. It is a symbiotic relationship, the subject inspires the artist to create a better version of the subject.
What are your top 5 makeup items? Please explain why you love them.
Stila Eye Shadows in Java, Champara, Tolima and Kamet
The best matte finish browns I tried. Super blendable, and these can double as effective contouring shades from fair to deep skin tones because these doesn’t contain reddish undertones that make contour shadows look like inflamed skin especially on hollows of the cheeks.
Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk UV Foundations SPF 20
One of the industry favorites. Since it is silicone-based, it glides beautifully on skin, the pH level of the skin doesn’t affect the color foundation shade after sometime so no need to go a shade lighter or darker if the skin of the subject is acidic and it doesn’t compromise the real texture of skin, hence the finish is virtually skin-like.
Maybelline New York Volum' Express Magnum Super Film Mascara
Always the authority in mascaras, Maybelline New York creates Super Film Technology which utilizes just warm water in removing mascara from the lashes at the end of the day. Not to mention the promise of super volumized lashes in just a few coats.
NYX Concealer in Orange
I always rely on neutralizing than coverage in concealing discolorations in the skin and since this concealer is highly pigmented, customizing concealer shades is easy just by mixing other concealer or foundation shades in different shades.
Maybelline New York Impact Express 2-in-1 Shadow Liners
Doesn’t skip when applied and can be smudged because of its creamy consistency but sets into a waterproof state after sometime. One said it was comparable to waterproof eyeliners from a high-end professional make-up line. I also use these as base for powder eyeshadows for more intensity. A make-up artist friend was all praises and thankful I gave these to her because she once used these for a shoot by the beach and the models jumped in the water only to find out the eyeliner was still there!
I was so inspired and giddy with excitement after reading Archie's answers to my questions. Thank you so much Archie! :) I can't wait for next month's feature!
xoxo
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