MTV VJ Holly Grabarek

This is my latest editorial work - Butterfactory's publication, Rhythm. The cover model is the lovely Holly, a fast-rising MTV VJ.

I love Pan-Asian faces as they have the best of both worlds. The call time was 9am and she came in looking fabulous even though she was not wearing a scrap of makeup. Her skin was smooth and beautiful, but I was drawn to her eyes which are expressive and kind. her friendly and humble personality immediately put everyone at ease.

We started with simple cleansing, toning and moisturising with a water-based moisturiser, which I recommend instead of the the usual oil-based ones. The latter has a tendency to darken foundations and stay true.

I have started getting into the habit of using the foundation brush - something I learnt from another makeup artist, Larry Yeo. My first experience with the foundation brush was disastrous. The foundation went on too thick as I applied it with the same heavy handedness as sponge applicators. Models have also shared similar woes with the brush. The foundation brush is specially designed to pick up the product effectively, so just use the tip of the brush and pick up a very small amount. Then lightly and deftly stroke on the foundation onto the face. I just love the soft, luminous, and natural effect (not as thick as sponge application). Next, I set the foundation with L'Oreal's Mattifying -Minerals in Natural 01. This is one of the best off-the-shelf mineral powders as the texture is really fine and the coverage is excellent.

For the healthy glow, I used Candlelight from Too Faced at Sephora. This is such an amazing product as it imparts that soft romantic glow. I dusted Candlelight, a softly illuminating transluscent powder, on the cheek bones and the chin (this is excellent for those with short chins).

For cheeks, the trend is peach. This shade is great for all skin types as it makes the wearer look healthy and slightly sunkissed. My choice is Hot Mama by The Balm available at all Sasa stores. This particular blusher imparts a nice iridescent sheen that combines well with the Candlelight. I used this combination at a Simply Her magazine shoot and my friend, stylist Janice Pidduck commended on the nice glow on the model.

For the eyes, we went with mauve as instructed by stylists, Firdaos and Mich. This is my first time working with them and I truly enjoyed the experience. Both of them have great, funky taste in fashion (simply love the shoes they got for Holly - fantastic choices).

For the lips, I mixed two matte lipstick shades - warm pink and brown pink. I like matte lipsticks as the high glossy ones sometimes catch the light all wrong and makes the lipstick look badly applied. For a pouty look, just dab a little gloss in the centre of the lower lip.

Holly was photographed by Photographer Colin Wee. Hmm, may I mention that he was once a top international male model? Loved the way he captured Holly - made my makeup look fabulous. Holly's tresses is styled by Ritz Tan, a renowned hair maestro whom I had worked with in my days in publishing.

Groovin Mens' Underwear Ad

Finally, the grooming I did for Groovin, a Japanese brand of underwear, is out. It has been a long wait for this post. I have featured mostly female models and have been dying to feature something on men.

It was a whole day photoshoot and we had great models and one of whom (Eddie Tioh) starred in the local drama, Polo Boys. The above picture is Eddie.

Makeup for men is not as easy as slapping powder and applying lip gloss. It is far more complicated and the artist has to understand bone structure and light play.

Firstly, a cream-to-powder by Revlon was laid to complement the boys' tan and to even out skin tone. Then a darker foundation was used to shade the temples to make the forehead stronger. Then I shaded the hollow of the cheeks in straight diagonal lines and highlighted the cheek bones. Then I used a bronzer (Sephora) to blush the cheeks and sweep across the nose for that natural tan look. For the brows, I used a gel mascara to neaten them. A soft brown liquid eyeliner was applied close to lash line to define them and make them pop. To make the yese look brighter, I applied a little highlighter powder to the inner corner of the bottom lid. The lips are given a lick of a nice chocolate coloured gloss (The Body Shop - limited edition). I crimped the eyelashes and tipped the lashes with black mascara.

This image appeared on the cover of a Thai magazine for men. The model featured is Anthony. Yes, there is body makeup to make the abs pop. First, we applied a moisturiser which Ernest Seah, the stylist brought back from the US. Some shimmer powder was mixed in with a little liquid foundation from Constance Carroll to enhance the tan and to impart a sexy glow that is not overly shiny.

The photographer was Marcus Mok, who is now based in Australia. Fashion styling was by Ernest Seah. If anyone is interested in the underwear (I love it - soft, lightweight and luxurious), can go down to Sportsmen Asia's new store in The Platinum, 46 Upper Cross Street #01-02 (opposite Chinatown Point) and at all Isetan men's department to check the range out.