Nine tips for stunning wedding makeup from a celebrity makeup artist

EventsWorkshops

Jul 27

When you visit @nongchat on Instagram, you'll instantly see why the Thai celebrity makeup artist has over 400,000 followers and counting. Aside from his adorable personal posts, his makeup portfolio shows a plethora of stunning looks. From red carpet glam to glowing bride, Nongchat knows how to bring out the best in his ladies! His signature eye makeup is one that many MUAs aspire for. Lucky for us, we got to learn his secrets when Nippon Esthetic Philippines invited Nongchat to our shores for an intensive one-day only workshop.

The Bridal and Glam Eyes Masterclass by Nongchat is the latest Nippon Beauty Lab event and was done in partnership with Bohktoh Philippines, exclusive distributor of the industry fave Bohktoh Lashes from Thailand. A pop-up shop at the event offered exclusive discounts and showcased Nippon and Bohktoh products together with other cult-fave brands like Pixi by Petra, Eye of Horus, Pop Beauty, and Ofra Cosmetics. We spotted top PV Picks like the Nippon Pro Blend Sponge, Nippon Dome 6 Face Brush, Eye of Horus Dual Brow Perfect Pencil in Husk, Pixi Brow Powder Palette, and Ofra Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipsticks!

The course was divided into two sessions, with the morning session focusing on how to do Glam Eyes. With the help of a translator, Nongchat gave us solid notes about putting a sparkle into our peepers as he demonstrated them on his model for the day, Soak Swimwear CEO Angela See.

Tip #1: Location is key to choosing an appropriate formula

If you want to keep the focus on the eyes, it's important to start by creating a flawless face base to set them against. Nongchat stressed the importance of using a formula that's appropriate for your location. Since it's hot and humid in our part of the world, he recommends using a light foundation as much as possible. A heavier product and application may not hold up to the weather, upping your risk of turning oily and shiny.

Tip #2: Find your go-to brown for your lids

Nongchat uses a brown eyeshadow with a hint of shimmer for his base color and builds up from it. The perfect brown is one that you can just apply all over your lid and look instantly glam in! Then you can intensify your look with black eyeliner and use false eyelashes to create that extra pop.

Tip #3: Emphasize eyes with falsies

Before popping on your false lashes though, you need to prep your real ones! Start by curling them properly then coat them with a curling mascara that can hold up the curl. This will help them combine better with your falsies, and give you a better idea of which type of falsies to use or where you need extra lashes.

Nongchat uses good quality false lashes and layering them for a more dramatic effect. He prefers using Bohktoh Lashes because they are very lightweight and can be easily molded to different eye shapes. That's right: not only do you have to cut the falsies to the appropriate length, you also have to bend them to follow the eye's natural shape prior to applying glue. This helps a lot in keeping those ends firmly on the skin instead of popping up.

You can use as many as three layers of falsies (or even more), which is actually a beauty queen makeup trick! This will depend on your or your model's comfort level, of course. For the demo, Nongchat layered two Bohktoh Y005 lashes plus some single hair ones. His favorite Bohktoh lashes is J202 though, as he likes how the strands cross over each other like natural lashes do.

Angela's final look! (Image via @nongchat)

Tip #4: Layer different types of product to get a stunning, photogenic effect

Nongchat is a huge fan of layering and aside from applying this trick for falsies, he uses it to create a more vivid eye line as well. He first uses a pigmented pencil eyeliner then tops it with a liquid formula to create sharper edges and greater intensity that looks stunning in photos.

Bridal makeup is one of the most challenging looks to do, which is why few girls dare to do it on their own! Nongchat’s IG posts of his brides' wedding looks are nothing short of stunning so the second workshop session was the one that everyone most looked forward to. Newly married Glamourbox co-founder and CEO Lia Andrea Ramos even slipped into a dazzling gown to complete the effect.

Bridal Makeup Tip #1: Prep the skin well before applying your face base

Even if your makeup promises to have skin benefits, you should never ever skip your skincare routine. This is especially important for brides who want to look their best on their special day! Nongchat shares that the groom's first look at the bride is a very precious moment, so he wants her look to have an immediate and powerful impact.

He starts by cleaning the face well to remove all traces of oil and dirt, then spritzes on mineral water. For glowing skin, he likes using water-based moisturizers as it wouldn’t be as thick under the foundation. He also recommends applying lighter makeup for outdoor events and thicker makeup for indoors.

Bridal Makeup Tip #2: Soften eyebrows and keep them in place with lash glue

Nongchat recommends keeping brow makeup soft and feathery for bridal makeup. His preferred method is wetting a small brush before using powder to fill in the eyebrows. To tame unruly hairs, he applies a bit of Bohktoh Eyelash Adhesive Glue to keep brow hairs in place and lines neat. He uses a spoolie to brush the hairs down from the middle but leaves the innermost hairs standing straight up to look more natural.

Bridal Makeup Tip #3: Apply blush on your cheekbones instead of on the apples of the cheeks

This is apparently a popular Thai beauty trend! Nongchat applies blush high up on the cheekbones, practically where we’re used to putting our highlighters. He says that this makes the bride look more youthful, and adds an instant contouring effect as well.

Bridal Makeup Tip #4: Contour your nose from the bottom going up

Your wedding will probably be the most photographed event of your life, so contouring is essential for ensuring that you look good from every angle. When doing your nose contouring, Nongchat suggest starting from the bottom instead of the top of the nose. This gives you better control in creating the shape.

Bridal Makeup Tip #5: Kiss-proof your lips by using two shades of lipstick

There'll be a lot of smooching involved, so long-lasting lip color is a must! Nongchat first applies a dark-toned lipstick as base then tops it with a nude lipstick so that the color won’t fade as easily. Then the bride only needs to carry the nude lipstick for retouching.

We immediately got to put our new learning to the test at the afternoon part of the workshop. During the hands-on trial, Nongchat went around, checked our work and freely shared his pro tips! I practiced the Bridal Makeup look on my cousin, and tried the Bohktoh Lashes and the Bohktoh Eyelash Adhesive Glue. I’m happy to report that they are easy to use! With Nongchat's guidance, I managed to secure the falsies on even if it was my first time to try applying them!

Lia Andrea Ramos, Nongchat, Nippon Esthetic Philippines CEO Sydney Go, Bohktoh Lashes CEO Prang, and Angela See

The workshop was a certificate course so attendees all got one from Nongchat. We made sure to snag a photo with him as well! He's a gifted artist and incredible teacher, so seeing him work his magic was really such a treat. Thanks for inviting us, Nippon!