Natural, fresh-looking skin is always in vogue, which is why the “no-makeup” makeup look has continued to rule the runways season after season. The effortless glow isn’t just favoured by designers, though. More celebrities have been taking on a sheer route as of late, and who better to help them achieve that coveted dewy skin than the Global Artistry Ambassador of Marc Jacobs Beauty, Hung Vanngo.
Image credit: Marc Jacobs Beauty
One of the most sought-after makeup artists in the business, Vietnam-born Hung Vanngo has come a long way from being a hairdresser in Calgary, with a resumé that spans across hundreds of magazine covers and pages, from i-D to Vogue as well as NYLON Singapore’s 38th issue featuring American singer-songwriter, Banks.
Over the years, he’s established close relationships with supermodels of the highest tier such as Helena Christensen, Gisele Bündchen, and Miranda Kerr; Hollywood darlings Kate Bosworth, Taraji P. Henson, and Julianne Moore; as well as young stars like Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Selena Gomez, honing his craft and garnering fans on his Instagram account at the same time.
We sat down with the talented and courteous makeup artist to gather some exclusive beauty tips and celebrate the launch of Marc Jacobs Beauty’s new Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palettes.
You said you started getting into makeup because there was a makeup station at the salon you worked at. Do you remember the first product you picked up or the first look you created that jumpstarted your love for makeup?
I painted a lot when I was young, so I was always attracted to colours – I’m a very visual person. It’s really hard to say what triggered it. When we weren’t busy in the salon, we’d just sit down and play with the makeup. At the time I didn’t know the order of things, but I just went ahead and experimented. That’s how it was. For me, I apply foundation first before concealer, but a lot of people would say you have to put on concealer first then foundation, so I just worked in a way I was comfortable with.
Which Marc Jacobs Beauty products would you recommend to Singaporeans?
The Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara is amazing especially for Asians because we all have shorter lashes. It gives you tons of volume and makes the eyelashes a lot thicker. I would choose the Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayon because it’s longwear. You have about 15 to 20 seconds to blend it in, then it sets and it doesn’t move, so in this humidity, it just stays. In hot weather, people are scared to wear pencil liners because it might run everywhere, so I think the Highliner is the perfect solution. Oh, our new Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palettes are very pigmented and there’s four different textures for you to play with. You can do a subtle eye for the day and a dramatic eye for the evening, and they’re great for creating different dimensions – from matte to satin to pearl to metallic, it’s a lot to play with. For foundation, I would go for the Genius Gel Super-Charged Oil-Free Foundation because it’s more sheer and it leaves the skin feeling fresher.
(L-R): Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara, $44; Highliner Matte Gel Eye Crayon, $38; Genius Gel Super-Charged Oil-Free Foundation, $39
For those with hooded eyes or monolids, what’s the best way to go about using the new Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palettes?
I love monolids! I guess because I’m Asian also, I understand those eye shapes very well. Applying eyeshadows on monolids is actually much easier for me compared to those with a full crease. I love creating a subtle gradation, so I’ll add depth to the lash line and just fade it out. It automatically opens the eye when you extend the shades out. I love that, and it’s a lot easier to blend.
Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palettes, $69 each. Available from Sephora and sephora.sg from 16 August.
Is that your go-to technique when you want to create brighter, bigger-looking eyes?
Yeah, ultimately I think we all want bigger almond-shaped eyes, I think that’s the most beautiful. Even when I’m trying to create a smoky eye, I’m always trying to extend the eyes out with eyeshadow, which is the shape that most Asians naturally have, except our eyes aren’t as open as Caucasian eyes. That’s why I’ll always try to extend it out and up, I think that’s beautiful.
Which shades should an eyeshadow novice start off with?
I think the best thing about the six new Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eye Palettes is that every palette has neutral shades, and each of them has just a pop of colour. So when people see that bright colour, they think that it’s a lot, but it’s not. If you cover that one shade from each palette, you’ll realise that every colour is wearable. That pop of colour is for when you wanna dress up, but every other colour is really neutral. They’re easy palettes to use, for sure.
We love the “no-makeup” makeup you did on Selena Gomez for her ‘Fetish’ music video. What’s your approach to creating that fresh, dewy look?
That look is perfect for this weather, and I think the key is to make sure you exfoliate your skin really well. You can then use our Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Primer and mix it with a little bit of the Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter to give your canvas a nice sheen. Then top it off with a little bit of lip gloss and mascara.
(L-R): Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Primer, $69; Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter, $69
Are there any tips and tricks to creating natural-looking faux freckles?
When it comes to creating fake freckles, a mistake people make is using a normal pencil to draw them on, so the sweat cause by humidity will make the pencil run, but if you use the longwear Matte Highliner Gel Eye Crayon (shade: (Earth)quake) to create small dots and pat them down using your fingers, they’ll look really natural and when the formula sets, they won’t move at all. The key to creating faux freckles is to centre mostly around the nose area.
Matte Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in (Earth)quake, $38
What’s your favourite beauty trend at the moment?
I love colours, but I also love the “no-makeup” makeup look. I think there’s nothing more beautiful than a woman who looks like she’s wearing no makeup, but really she’s used 20 products on her face. [Laughs] I think that’s the ultimate – people want to look like that! When you go to an event and you look like you have no makeup on – but you actually spent an hour on the face – and you have a really chic outfit on with a bare-faced look, I think that’s really gorgeous.
What’s the one makeup mistake that always gets on your nerves?
I don’t wanna call it a mistake because everyone sees makeup artistry differently. With the way I do makeup, sometimes people don’t really love it while others will say, “Wow! I love it!” So, they’re all different. For my own aesthetic, I’m not into heavy contouring and highlight. I like a softer contour and highlight, if you’ve seen my work. I love lip gloss but I never go overboard with it. A little hint of gloss is nice, but when you do gloss all over the lips, it cheapens the look. Or for eyebrows, when people stencil them on, they look too heavy. Those are not mistakes because some people love it, but it’s not really my thing.
Who or where do you draw inspiration from to create your looks?
Truthfully, I draw inspiration from the talent sitting in my makeup chair. I just look at the face and think, “You know what, I think these colours from the palette would look amazing on you,” or I look at what they wear. But really, the inspiration comes from the faces I’m working on. I know it sounds boring, but it’s true. [Laughs] It’s not as exciting, you know. Actually, I browse through Instagram accounts and get ideas from there. But for me, it’s all about enhancing someone’s natural features and making them look beautiful.
Main image: Selena Gomez Facebook
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