Famous for making celebrities like Heart Evangelista, Kim Chiu and Alex Gonzaga look red-carpet-ready, celebrity makeup artist Albert Kurniawan has been bringing the Balinese style to Filipino makeup for six years now.
Kurniawan grew up in Jakarta and moved to Singapore to study. While there, he took up his Filipino friends’ invitation to visit the Philippines and promptly fell in love with the country. Makeup was just a hobby then, until fashion designer and Rustan’s creative director Inno Sotto introduced him to Nars Philippines.
His portfolio certainly got their attention, earning him a chief makeup artist position. Since then, he’s been beautifying faces for fashion catwalks, red-carpet events, billboards and eye-catching magazine covers.
“My makeup style and technique have some Indonesian influences, such as strong and defined eyes, which I learned from watching my mom and grandmas do their makeup,” he says. Here, he shares makeup tips, favorite beauty products and an amazing eyebrow trick.
A memorable client moment was… The first time I did Heart Evangelista’s makeup. I used to watch her on TV in Singapore and dreamed of having a picture with her because I’m really mesmerized by her beauty. So doing her makeup for the first time was like a dream come true.
My claim-to-fame makeup look would be… Healthy, glowing and radiant skin with defined eyes. I always try to make my client’s eyes almond-shaped, because I believe it’s the most beautiful shape for the eyes.
Products I’m loving right now are… Nars’ New Brow Perfector and Brow Gel. Also, from the Fall 2013 collection, the best shades for me are Mysterious Red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil and, since plum lips are in for the year, Pure Matte Lipstick in La Paz. Nars colors are very much pigmented, so it’s easy for me to apply with just a little amount; they’re definitely worth the price. I am also in love with the new Satin Lip Pencil; it is easy to apply and glides well. For those who have problems with chapped lips, this is perfect.
When it comes to applying makeup, I’m very particular about… Skin preparation such as cleaning and cleansing and application of primer and foundation, because that’s the key to long-lasting makeup.
A Fall makeup trend to try is… Glowing and radiant skin. For the eyes, frosted eye shadows are perfect for that glowing effect. Use wing-tip eyeliner and lots of mascara to finish the eye makeup. And bolder lips always look good during the fall.
A technique to achieve strong brows without looking overdone is… To always start applying the Nars Brow Perfector to frame and fill the brows. For a more 3D effect, apply a darker Nars Brow Perfector from the highest point of the eyebrow; arc outwards and slowly blend them together using a clean brush. To finish, brush in the Nars brow gel.
When it comes to lips… Most women are afraid of using deep or dark lip shades because they may look too strong or sharp. To make the effect more subtle and feminine, I normally do either of these two options: apply lip gloss on top of it, or make the skin finish more radiant and glowing, not shiny.
Top tip
Kurniawan’s current favorite products are the Nars Brow Gel and Brow Perfector. Use the Brow Gel to tame and groom eyebrows, and the Brow Perfector to define brows with a full and flawless, natural-matte finish. The products allow you to reshape, fill and design brows with four shades. Available in all Nars boutiques and counters at Rustan’s Department Stores.
Follow Albert on Twitter and Instagram @abtkurniawan (hashtag #makeupbyalbertkurniawan)