Wanted: for the dead and the alive

Everyone wants to be beautiful. Some are naturally gifted. For the rest, society has produced a whole industry devoted to the process of beautification. Fashion and cosmetics can be a statement of someone’s character, or a sign of taste or wealth.

Of course, fashion doesn’t always look good — everyone claims to have good taste, but like beauty, only a few are truly blessed with it.

Fortunately, some who have an “eye” for what looks good are here to help those of us who don’t.

One of these amazing folks is a renowned and sought-after makeup artist in the Philippine entertainment and advertising industry, Juan “Dondon” Sarte III.

 He started as a casting director for advertisements. Even then, his passion and talent for cosmetic-enhanced beauty shone through.

Beginning his career by making up models for their audition videos, as well as practicing makeup application on his mom, he taught himself through observation, trial and error, and a real enthusiasm for his art.

Almost two decades later, Juan bagged a Makeup Artist of the Year award from MTV, and now has an A-list roster of stars that go to him for their beautification needs. Judy Ann Santos, Melanie Marquez, KC Conception, Sarah Geronimo and Bea Alonzo are among his many famous clients.

You’d be surprised: many contemporary TV commercials bear his cosmetic and artistic expertise, making celebrities and models look their best. He himself has appeared in a few advertisements, notably for Visine and Nokia.

Being such a talented cosmetician (plus a genuinely nice guy), it’s no wonder that many socialites, rising stars and even ordinary folks are calling on him to prepare them for everything from public appearances and films to weddings and parties.

But, just recently, Dondon received a request that he couldn’t refuse. It was something he had never done before, and it was for an occasion he had never prepared for.

It was a plea for him to do mortuary makeup for a wake and funeral — yes, that’s right: makeup for the deceased.

Dondon often declines requests to do bridal makeup or anything similar (this would also include post-mortem cosmetics!), saying his job is more about “fashion and anything that involves a camera.” In this situation, though, he could hardly say no.

This case was special. Though Dondon wasn’t related to the person who had passed away, he was friends with the person’s daughter — who happens to be Kris Aquino.

Yes, Dondon is the man responsible for what many mourners have described as “really very good” makeup on the late Mrs. Corazon Aquino.

“When Kris called, natakot ako (I got scared). I’d never done (mortuary makeup). But it’s something that you can’t say no to. Si Kris ‘yon and mom niya ‘yon – si President Aquino (It was Kris, and it was her mom, President Aquino),” Dondon said.

The makeup artist explained that, while he has often done Kris’s makeup in the past, it was during a photo shoot last year that Kris asked him to retouch Tita Cory’s makeup for a family portrait. At the time, of course, Tita Cory was bravely battling cancer.

 “According to Kris, sabi daw ng mom niya na (her mom said) that was her best photo since she got sick,” he said.

After such a compliment, it comes as no surprise that the famous endorser tapped him once again to prepare her mother for the funeral.

A week before the former president died, the family called and asked Dondon to be on standby.

He recounts now how he feared every phone call and text message he received would be the one calling him to Heritage Park.

Hounded by these fears and images of dead bodies from CSI and horror movies, he sought advice from photographer and friend Jun de Leon.

De Leon told him to treat the job as a tribute to the person who brought democracy back to the country. This advice, plus some online research on post-mortem cosmetics (take note, there are actually courses on mortuary makeup in the US!), helped him prepare for the important task of making one of the nation’s most beloved leaders beautiful for her last farewell.

He almost didn’t make it. Days before Mrs. Aquino passed away, he was called to Cebu to work on Sarah Geronimo’s concert. He was worried that he wouldn’t be in Manila if he were to be needed by the Aquinos.

Call it luck or providence, but on the day he received the call he had been dreading since Kris first enlisted him, he was already on his way back to the capital.

It seems as if fate did want Dondon to take on this honor and responsibility.

After finishing his work — to much acclaim and appreciation — is the stars’ favorite cosmetician now ready to service both the living and the dead, and perhaps carve out a niche for himself in mortuary makeup?

His answer: a resounding no. However, he added that if he does have a personal relationship with the person or their family, then he might consider doing such work again.

Judging by his full calendar, though, he won’t have much time for a sideline in post-mortem beautification.

Dondon has even dropped regular work at Propaganda (now called the Jay Monis Salon), which he co-founded with three of his friends, because he is too busy with his freelancing.

 And why not? The perks of his job are plenty, from gossiping with some of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars during commercial shoots, to the travel involved.

“Ang boss mo lang, kung sino kasama mo on that day. Tomorrow, hindi mo na siya boss, (Today, the boss is the person you work with. Tomorrow, he’s not your boss anymore),” he adds, commenting on another upside of working on his own time.

Most folks are not born goddesses, but with a bit (okay, a lot) of help from Juan Sarte, anyone on — or even under — the face of this planet can look the best they can be.