Makeup wizard Kakuyasu Uchiide, international artistic director of the Shu Uemura cosmetics line, is heavily involved in product and visual development and is regularly featured in top fashion magazines in Japan and around the world.

After joining the brand in 1988 and learning from Mr. Shu Uemura on the possibilities of make-up, Uchiide aspired to become a makeup artist. He eventually joined Shu Uemura’s atelier team, guided by Uemura himself.

Starting with the fundamentals, from obedience to challenging boundaries and breaking from tradition and finally graduating to transcendence and mastery, Uchiide learned not only how to walk the “road of cosmetics” as a makeup artist, but also developed as an individual.

As the successor to Uemura, he has played an active role in fashion. He has worked for numerous high fashion collections, including those of Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato and French fashion house Rue Du Mail.

During a recent visit to Manila, Uemura shared his knowledge about makeup and what he has picked up in the world beauty circuit.

Makeup philosophy

My makeup philosophy in three words is…  shin-zen-bi, which in Japanese means truth, goodness and beauty. I believe that makeup should not only be dramatic, but also honor the individuality of the wearer.

What I enjoy the most about my work with the Shu Uemura atelier team is… creating something new. I love offering/sharing what I make. I love to make people happy, I believe that it’s the makeup artist’s job to fulfill the customer’s will perfectly. I enjoy everything that I do in my job, every part of it.

In makeup, I believe…  everything (from skin to all parts of the face) should be perfect because that’s the job of a professional makeup artist. I do not choose just one particular part of the face to emphasize.

The most valuable piece of advice given to me by Mr. Shu Uemura is… makeup can make everyone beautiful as long as it’s not overdone.

Memorable countries that work has taken me to are… Paris, France: Paris Fashion Week (it is always exciting to work in their fashion shows); Karl Lagerfeld collaboration (it has always been my dream to work with Karl Lagerfeld); New York, US: I recall my recent photo shoot with renowned photographer Solve Sunsbo for the new look of the brand.

It’s memorable because I have always wanted to work with him. His work is very impressive.

Among all of Shu Uemura’s brand collaborations, my favorites are… Karl Lagerfeld—it’s my long-time dream to work with him; Tsumori Chisato—she has a totally different taste from Shu Uemura, especially with what I’ve done. Her style is more romantic and cute, but until that point (collaborating with her), we had never made those kinds of products.

That’s why I had learned a lot from her because I was able to do something different and new.

Viktor&Rolf (Tokyo Lash Collaboration)—through this collaboration, I discovered the possibility of expression with the use of eyelashes, which is not only about extensions, or to volumize. I learned that it is a kind of accessory for the face.

My all-time favorite Shu Uemura products are… Ultime8 Cleansing Oil, Tsuya Essence, UV Underbase Mousse, eyeshadow and brushes.

To update your look, color hues and shades… pink, orange and green are perfect, cool colors this summer.

The Shu Uemura products I use daily are… Ultime8 Cleansing Oil, Redjuvenus skincare line, and Tsuya Essence.

Cleansing oil

Kakuyasu believes that cleansing is an essential step to having beautiful skin. So much so that one of the products he uses daily and highly recommends is Shu Uemura’s Ultime8 Cleansing oil.

Since the birth of the first oil-based cleanser in 1967, Mr. Shu Uemura continued seeking to improve its quality, based on his philosophy, “Tradition is a continuous process of innovation.”

Today, Shu Uemura’s iconic cleansing oil has reached new heights, metamorphosing into a fine and sublime beauty cleansing oil, Ultime8.

It is a fine combination of eight exquisite, botanical-origin oils, designed to effectively remove oxidized sebum and long-lasting makeup, including hard-to-remove waterproof mascara from pores and skin surface in a single step.

It’s so effective that, on the average, one bottle is sold every seven seconds around the world, based on Shu Uemura worldwide sales in 2011.

How to use: Take three to four  pumps of cleansing oil into the palms of your hands. (may be used with dry and wet hands). Rub gently on your face. Wet face to emulsify cleansing oil. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Available in all Shu Uemura botiques and counters for P6,200 per 450 ml bottle.