Jelly Eugenio at the Full Spectrum Masterclass. Photo by Excel Panlaque
With every beauty trend and technique, Jelly Eugenio skillfully turns it into his own unique makeup looks. At the first Full Spectrum Masterclass, Eugenio shares his techniques with fellow makeup artists Anthea Bueno and Mark Qua.
Fifteen years ago, Jelly Eugenio was a budding makeup artist with the tenacity to make it into the industry. Fifteen years later, he has cemented himself as one of the leading makeup artists in the Philippines, and now he shares his expertise at the first edition of the Full Spectrum Masterclass with fellow makeup artists Anthea Bueno and Mark Qua.
In his early days as a makeup artist, Eugenio first learned through YouTube videos, attending workshops, and a lot of practice. Workshops in particular have inspired most of Eugenio’s techniques, which is one of the reasons why the Full Spectrum Masterclass came to fruition.
“It was my dream to attend this class. That’s why I made it happen,” he says. “The Full Spectrum Masterclass is the epitome of what I would want as a younger makeup artist because there are demos, there’s makeup, and you see the practicality and the idea of the industry. More than knowing how to apply makeup, what’s important is to get the ideology behind the idea so that when you do it in your own style or technique, you understand the specifics.”
During his session, he demonstrated a “red carpet glam” look on one of his celebrity muses, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray. The look featured heavy eye makeup with “light” skin coverage, which highlights Eugenio’s principle of creating contrasts with makeup, where one facial feature is highlighted to balance the look. “Kapag nag-buo kayo ng mata, buo yung foundation, buo yung blush-on, buo yung contour, buo yung lipstick, buong-buo yung mukha, pero nawawala yung tao,” he says during the masterclass. (If the eye makeup, foundation, blush-on, contour, lipstick, and the whole face is heavy, the person behind the makeup disappears.)
Eugenio also demonstrated his techniques, such as the proper skin prep for long-lasting makeup, the “Jelly Eugenio” eye makeup shape, using bronzer as contour (which he fondly calls “brontour”), and how to achieve a “wet” or dewy skin with powders.
On making trends your own
At every step of his red carpet glam masterclass, Eugenio rapidly fires information about each technique that he is using. And every second of it was uniquely Jelly Eugenio. From the skin preparation down to the finishing touches, every technique is a combination of his knowledge, experience, and preferences as an artist. “I don’t like my makeup to look like everyone else’s,” he expresses. Sure enough, Eugenio’s makeup looks are recognizably his.
In an age where creative freedom is overflowing, finding your identity as a makeup artist can be challenging. But for Eugenio, his uniqueness comes from inspiration and experimentation. “I’m taking a lot of inspiration from different things. And I mix them together, and that is my own formula. I think it’s as simple as that because there is no new technique anymore. Everything has been done before,” he says. It was this mindset that sparked Eugenio’s Igari makeup-inspired “drunk blush” look, which became popular with Nadine Lustre, one of his celebrity muses.
Even in pageantry, Eugenio refuses to go by the book. His work with Gray brought fashion and pageantry together, changing the perception and standards of beauty queens. “In the past, it was only done by the crown. But now it’s the other way around. We injected, or even the pageant queens; they absorb the fashion in them. That’s why fashion and beauty queens are merging slowly,” he says.
When Gray was competing for Miss Universe, her makeup look inspired new trends in the pageantry scene. According to Eugenio, black smokey eyes and nude lips were the trends that dominated at the time. In true Jelly Eugenio fashion, he decided to add glitter to her eyelids and lips while also making her lips look fuller. “‘Pag nanood kayo after a time niya manalo, lahat ng sumali sa Binibini [Binibining Pilipinas] may glitter sila sa eyelids, umaapaw sila sa glitter,” he says during the masterclass. (When you watch Binibining Pilipinas after her time, you’ll see the contestants wearing glitter on their eyelids; their looks are overflowing with glitter.)
It was working with different muses and creatives that helped Eugenio find his identity and confidence as an artist. “I’m at a place where I’m very relaxed because I know that I’m working with the best people and I have great muses,” he says. “I also think I found the right place for me. I’m at the right intersection of beauty and creativity, and we’re able to express it in whatever way we want, and [that’s how] we set the trends.”
He continues, “I was inspired by a lot of makeup artists. But then, when I found my comfort, I found that my muses don’t really need that [makeup] style, and we discovered it together.”
For Eugenio, to successfully partake in trends or try out techniques, you must understand how to make them work for you or your features. But above all, feeling confident and beautiful is the goal. “I think what you should not miss is that you have to look beautiful and feel confident,” he says. “I always ask my muses, ‘We’re going to try this trend; are you confident with it?’ But if [they] don’t like it, [they] have to let me know so that we can change it or do something based on [their] preference.”
But for a makeup look that’s always in style, Eugenio recommends going for a “healthy look.” “The goal is to always look healthy; I think that will never go out of style. Right now, there’s a renaissance for blush; all the brands are launching blushes, and I think it’s because a lot of people are aiming to look plumper and more fresh,” he says. “If you don’t know how to do your makeup, you should go for a physically healthy look: good skin, blush, open eyes, lifted eyes, and plump and healthy lips,” he says.
Lastly, Eugeno gives a reminder that makeup doesn’t have to look “perfect.” “You don’t have to have the perfect makeup, but you want to look perfect with the makeup on you. When the little things you do with makeup make you look better, that’s what I enjoy the most,” he says. “It’s nice to see a confident person with makeup on with the imperfection still showing, and they’re fine with it! We’re in a modern age where everybody tries to look perfect on the internet, but in reality, we have to deal with the lines, pimples, texture, and unevenness.”
He continues, “I think just making little, tiny details and not overly perfecting the makeup is going to make you excel these days. And I think that your vision, preference, and overall taste will really define you as an artist.”
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