Viral 'hyper-reality' look: Celebrity makeup artist RB Chanco gives makeup tutorial

MANILA, Philippines — Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been the talk of the town nowadays: from technology, to medicine, and now, it has influenced even the viral so-called “hyper-reality” look.

This look, according to makeup artist Tamara Pineda, is characterized by “hyper-realistic” skin and “all about achieving this filter-like, flawless skin.”

According to celebrity makeup artist RB Chanco, the “hyper-reality” look is akin to the trending “clean girl” look, which is “not about masking, but more on enhancing” one’s features.

“It’s all about enhancing what you already have and it will take you only 10 to 15 minutes, tops,” RB assured, “But siguro 30 minutes because of chika.”

The key to the look, the makeup guru said, are evenly applied face makeup, bold red lips and soft eye makeup.

“To have a perfectly toned makeup, of course, you have to have a perfectly cleansed face,” RB began. 

Using Laura Mercier products, the makeup-artist-to-the-stars like Kris Aquino instructed to first, use a primer and an illuminator, which according to Pineda, can give the skin that “lit from within look.”

Once primed, RB recommended putting on foundation with Hyaluronic acid, Chanco’s favorite cosmetics ingredient to date, as “it promises hydration throughout the day.”

Hyaluronic acid, Pineda added, “is like a magnet for moisture” that “attracts the moisture around you” once it is applied to the skin.

“Especially in the Philippines, we are very humid, so we need moisture everywhere,” Chanco affirmed.

Using a foundation brush, RB spreads a dot of the foundation only on facial areas that need it. “If you have really nice skin, you need less,” RB said, applying liquid foundation first on the forehead, then the cheeks, chin, and over the nose bridge. “And from there, you can blend it out already.”

What one should use, said RB, is a foundation “that does not sit on the skin and feels like you’ve got nothing on.”

Next, RB uses a concealer with a finger-like applicator, with full coverage and does not sit on the skin. The makeup artist applies concealer dot-by-dot from the eye’s inner corner going to the outer corner, then to the middle of the forehead, the nose bridge, the middle of the upper lip, and then, the chin. “You can blend with a finger, but what I do is, I blend with a brush.”

RB then locks in the foundation and the concealer with a translucent powder, using a velour puff, in stamping motion.

For the eyes, Chanco uses eyeshadow sticks as these “make the work done easier and faster” and “you don’t (get) eyeshadow fallout.”

“What I do is apply it all over – from lash to eyelid, to the crease, that’s it. Just leave it like than and then blend (with a brush)… and then I use it also for the lower lash line.”

A mauve, brownish and orangey eyeshadow color flatters all skin tones, RB said.

Having eyeliner after eyeshadow, “para sa mga may-asawa, (is) mistress-proof,” Chanco joked, because it makes one’s eyes foxy when applied to the lower lash line. 

For mascara, RB prefers something with lash-growing natural ingredients. Chanco applies it not by swiping, but brushing it over the lashes, “the plumper, the better.”

A good mascara, said Chanco, “is not wet, but a bit dry so the product really goes into the lashes.”

For blush, RB said: “I really, really like the sun-kissed look, which is uso (trendy) now.”

What Chanco does is to blend a dot of the blush on a plate, then apply it to the cheeks with a brush in a tapping motion. RB blends it with a finger.

“It gives you the sun-kissed look without the sun damage,” Pineda said of the look.

A rosy lip liner, said RB, matches any skin tone, so RB swipes it while the lips are pressed for easier application. 

“The concept of this look is you have clean face, clean eyes, and (then) do a very, very iconic red lipstick,” Chanco said.

And that's how, according to Chanco, one can pull-off an AI-inspired makeup — manually.

Chanco was among the guest speakers at the recently launch Rustan's Beauty Addict, which offers promos, deals and discounts at Rustan's The Beauty Source until November. — Video by Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo; video editing by Martin Ramos

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