Ever since the new year started, I’ve been out of words to write. It’s like my brain’s been reprogrammed that I don’t know how to blog anymore. Sheesh. I think I have a bad case of a Bloggers’ block. It’s taking my neurons forever to rise to its action potential from the holiday rest, as though it’s on a vacation in Panama city beach FL. Hope it doesn’t wait for the Chinese New Year to get its blogging groove back.

There are plenty of topics that I still have to cover yet I don’t know where to start. Some of the entries are still on draft mode which I should finish before the month ends. I got a couple of emails requesting for particular topics, please do hang on!

I promise more contents for this year. And oh, if you’re looking for a chance to enroll in a makeup artist course for free, Minute Maid and Beautynomics.com are having a contest til January 29, 2010!  The ad is frequently being shown below. They are giving away a P15,000 worth of makeup short course  at SOFA, the school featured on Project Runway Philippines. For the full mechanics, please head THIS WAY.

If you’re a coffee-loving fashion plate, you might want to try your luck at Equal’s contest for a free Figaro Coffee and let the world know of your fashion style. 150 winners are chosen daily. Read more details on THIS SITE. Good Luck!

Speaking of contests, I have something under wraps for you. Will draft the mechanics soon when I fully wake up from this blogging slumber. For now I’m still “sleepwriting” so pardon my incoherence. Please watch out for the coming posts.  ZZZZzzzzz…

The job as a make up artist starts when you land your first paid gig. There aren’t formal trainings or licenses required, especially here in the Philippines. With a few brushes and basic cosmetic kit, you can immediately start a career. That is, if you are skilled enough for the job to convince clients to trust you. It usually takes years to master the craft, with a few hits and misses but if you want to accelerate the learning process or develop the talent you innately have, enrolling in a good makeup school will help you enormously.

Personally, though I was already getting clients even before I had a formal training, I decided to go to a makeup school because I was raring to learn some more. I chose the Academy of Beauty and Arts in Manila because at that time, it was Sir Lourd Ramos who was handling the makeup classes. He used to work for Mac and was inches away from snagging the title of the very first Mac pro artist in the Philippines. He transferred to Smashbox and is now the company’s regional trainor for Asia. He was a very good teacher and generous with the knowledge he shared.

The exposure to different events was also a factor in choosing my school. As an ABA student, we were able to do assist our mentors in several ocassions like fashion shows, tv guestings, magazine editorials and outreach programs. My most memorable stint was being a guest make up artist for YSL. A few months after I returned to CDO, my ABA classmates had the opportunity to do makeup for the Supermodel Philippines 2007.

Studying make up may be pricey but it was one decision I don’t regret. The experience and the lessons I learned were priceless, even if I don’t pursue a full time career in it.

Here are some of the fabulous make up schools in Manila that I recommend:
The tution fees may not be up to date.

*Academy of Beauty and Arts (ABA)
3rd floor Triplewell Bldg.
1167 JP Rizal St. Guadalupe, Viejo
Makati City
Tuition fee: P30,000 for 2 months,3x a week hair and makeup inclusive of materials and portfolio
or P9,000 for 2 months, basic make up, no materials
note: Sir Lourd Ramos is no longer with them
*News is that they moved to Cebu since May 31,2008 where the owner is based. The school in Cebu is still under construction, though.