ATTN Makeup Junkies! We Came Up With A Thorough Makeup Guide Based On Albert Kurniawan's Exclusive Masterclass!
Though it's easy to think that a makeup artist as in-demand and monopolized by Manila's A-list celebs and personalities like Albert Kurniawan is as secretive about his techniques as he is difficult to book, who he is beyond Instagram and his starry clientele couldn't be farther from this assumption.
He is, in fact, generous and approachable, even deeply sympathetic towards women's most pressing, and often private, concerns about their faces and all things that make them feel beautiful.
And so, after years of carving a name for himself in the industry, this Indonesian import has come to be loved by many not only for his skill (he was the brains behind teaching many winning Filipina beauty queens how to apply their own makeup!), but for his sincerity in making sure they always look and feel their best after a session with him.
Attending Albert's second-ever masterclass held at the Shangri-La Makati in March, we picked up a ton of useful tips to help us recreate his makeup magic, and we're sharing them with you, too!
READ: Everything You Need To Know About Celebrity Makeup Artist Albert Kurniawan's New Line Teviant
I. Skincare and general tips
As any makeup artist will tell you, incorproating a skincare routine tailor-fit for your skin type is half the battle when it comes to flawless makeup. Although there will be a need for specialty products to address specific skin needs (i.e.: dry patches, acne scars, hyperpigmentation), Albert says that there are still general skincare steps to follow no matter what your unique skin situation is.
READ: What Are Surfactants, And How Can Your Skin Benefit From Them?
1. Always, always start with a fresh face. If you know you're going to be doing your makeup midday when a bit of oil and perspiration have built up, have a travel-sized bottle of a gentle cleanser or makeup removing wipes at hand before applying any cosmetics.
2. For that extra kick of glow and plumpness, he strongly recommends having a sheet mask or eye patches ready, too! Use them after a cleansing and toning and he guarantees you'll see a marked difference.
WATCH: Albert Kurniawan Teaches Alex Gonzaga How To Properly Apply Makeup
II. Face
While it's totally fine to experiment and be adventurous with most makeup products, what you need to be meticulously precise about are your bases: primer, foundation, and if needed, concealer and color corrector. They're literally the base of your whole look and dicate whether everything else—eye makeup, lips, and cheeks will all come together as a seamless whole—which means you must get the shade and finish just right, always—no excuses!
1. Make priming a habit! Do not start makeup without it! Not only does it fulfill its main purpose of helping your makeup last longer, but it also serves as a barrier between your skin and makeup, and in the end, decreases the likelihood of unsightly breakouts or allergic reactions.
2. Yes, it's okay—and even recommended!—to use more than one kind of primer. A single face can have different skin concerns all at once, so in your arsenal, include a basic duo of a mattifying primer (for oily spots like the T-zone) and hydrating primers (for usually dry to normal areas like cheeks).
READ: How To Get Your Skin Party-Ready, According To A Skincare Brand Executive
3. "The more the merrier" certainly doesn't apply to using all base products for your face. If you can afford skipping concealer or corrector and go straight to foundation, go for it! This is epsecially true for the areas around the eyes and where fine lines form; more produts equals more chances of creasing and cracking.
4. According to Albert, there are three steps to applying foundation. Start with a wide synthetic brush (to deliver product onto your face), follow up with a beauty blender (to get even coverage), and end with a stippling brush (to remove excess product). This is his foolproof way of getting your base to look as natural and as close to your real skin as possible.
READ: On Our Radar: Clinical Skincare
5. Acidic-skinned girls should consider foundation shades up to two tones lighter. Throughout the day, your makeup will adjust and darken to match your skintone.
6. There are tons of formulas for base makeup in the market today (i.e.: liquids, creams, even mousses!) but the trick to making them all jive together is first, to use only two formulas together at a time, and third, to opt for liquids as often as possible as they're the most lightweight, and therefore appropriate, for humid, tropical settings.
READ: Get Summer-Ready With The Best Facial Sunscreen For Your Skin Type
III. Cheeks
During his masterclass, Albert couldn't stress enough how often he's seen women apply blush or do their contouring in every way, except the right way! It really isn't so complicated once you've mastered the basics, though, he assures.
READ: Stay At The Peak Of Your Beauty With This Extra-Firming Luxury Skin Care Range
1. Contrary to what early YouTube tutorials taught us, you don't have to smile or suck in your cheeks when you're figuring out where your contouring line should go. Instead, feel for the spot of movement where your jaw meets your ear. And in a straight line—not a diagonal line—draw your contour line ever so lightly from front to back, beginning from your ear moving to the corner of your lip.
2. When it comes to highlighter, less is always more (more so when you're dealing with mature skin). Concentrate on drawing gentle C-shapes from the top of your cheeks to your temples. A few strokes of application will do; remember to take it easy on highlighter as skin looks naturally more slick in climates like that of the Philippines. Too much highligher may make you appear sweaty!
READ: Sarah Lahbati Teaches Us How To Achieve The Glass Skin Look In 3 Easy Steps
3. Still on the topic of highlighting and contouring, Albert touches on a really popular topic for many Asian women: Applying eyeshadow on their noses to make them appear more pointed. He simply gives two rules of thumb: Dab a teeny tiny bit of highlighter on your nose bridge (usually on its lowest point between the eyebrows) to draw light to that area, then save the shading for the nostrils (a.k.a. the widest part of the nose) to literally "shade" them from attention.
READ: Metro Beauty Awards: The Holy Grail
IV. Eyes
Albert could seriously go for hours on end discussing techniques for how to achive a ton of different eye looks as eye makeup is his forte! However, for those who just want to get a hold of the basics and his go-to methods that he never does without, he shares the following.
READ: Beauty Buzz Words: What Do These Science-y Words Mean?
1. Eyeshadow application does not begin without a white base. You can skip the primer even for oily lids, but use a white or pale beige base as this helps bring out the full pigmentation of the colors you'll be layering.
2. Learn to appreciate and train your hand with wet application for eyeshadow. A moist brush leads to more even application and less powdery fallout that can stain your undereye or cheeks.
3. For mascara, begin with curling, and then apply product only to the base first. Let your eyelash roots dry so they become stiff enough to hold a curl! After a few minute, apply mascara to the rest of the length of your lashes.
READ: You Don't Have To Be A Pro To Do The Smokey Eye. Master It In 6 Easy Steps!
4. Dispell the myth that chinita-eyed ladies can't enjoy eyeshadow or wingtip eyeliner. For elongating this eye shape (therefore giving it the illusion of fullness), Albert suggests to "overdraw" the eyes' inner corner with black liner, and for that tricky wingtip look, don't draw upwards in a dramatic diagonal line—make the angle much more subtle, with the line appearing almost straight.
5. There is no hard and fast rule about which colors to mix and match for eyes—makeup is all about having the confidence to own whatever look you come up with. However, Albert is partial to the palette family of warm, earthy browns rather than their gray-brown counterparts on Asian skin tones that almost always have yellow undertones.
READ: Beat The Moody Weather With These Budge-Proof Makeup Hacks
V. Brows
Once a neglected facial feature, eyebrows now the subject of focus for many beauty gurus as they have the power to frame the face and can make you look younger (or otherwise) in an instant. Here's what you need to know about grooming and styling them to make them look your best.
READ: This Is The Top Eyebrow Styling Trend For 2019!
1. Invest in a full coverage brow mascara. It's a fuss-free product to use and saves you the trouble of shaping, shading, outlining, and blending. A caveat, though: this only works for ladies blessed with naturally full brows.
2. For those with sparse eyebrows, try your very best to follow your natural brow shape, and begin to fill them a quarter from the inner tip. Gentle, upward strokes are the key to making your product of choice (most commonly pencil or shadow) look like your brow's natural strands.
VI. Lips
Though rules for what color or formula of lipstick, lip balm, or lip gloss practically don't exist in Albert's world (always remember that he's all about confidence no matter what trends, colors, and products you mix and match!), he still has a couple of aces up his sleeve to share with women who love drawing attention to their pretty pouts.
READ: Start Your Year Right With This "Living Coral” Beauty List
1. Learn to use lip liner, if you haven't already. It's a great way to ensure sharp lines around your lips (no lipstick feathering, please!) and also a lovely, non-obvious technique for evening out lip shape or giving the illusion that lips are plumper.
2. There is no such thing as veering away from bold lippie shades when wearing equally daring eyeshadows. It's a common misconception to believe that nude lips are the way to go when all other facial features are highlighted, but Albert showed us how a look consisting of shimmery orange lids, blue liner, rosy highlighted cheeks, and red lips can work together!
We hope you learned from Albert as much as we did!
Remember too that this master makeup artist doesn't just have tips and tricks up his sleeve; he's got his own makeup line called Teviant (named after his mom) whose products are definitely something we swear by.
READ: Metro Beauty Awards: Cult Favorites
Offering eyeshadow palettes, mascara, and liquid liner to say the very least, Teviant has an extra special suprrise for its most avid followers: a totally new collection of pencil liners, a first for the brand!
The new product comes in six shades from must-have opaqe black to magical shimmery pink and even gem-hued blue. Doing double duty as smudge-proof liners and blendable eyeshadows for that extra drama in your look, they have to be the newest items to make it to your beauty arsenal.
Follow Albert and Teviant's social media pages for more information about his products, tips on makeup application, and inspiration for different looks great for different occasions!
Images from @abtkurniawan @teviant
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023
