Singaporebrides | Beauty

April 2017

Catching Up with Candy of Candy T. Makeup Artistry

By Tansey Tang

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Bubbly and friendly, Candy Tiong of Candy T. Makeup Artistry has endeared herself to many brides who appreciate her friendship in addition to her makeup skills.

Bustling with people and friendly chatter, the colourful Joo Chiat Place hosts a resident as lively as this vibrant street. Makeup artist Candy Tiong set up her beautiful new studio in the heart of this enclave, perhaps because it called to her bubbly nature. With her megawatt smile and friendly, perky manner, Candy has endeared herself to many brides over her 11 years as a makeup artist. In fact, many of her clients are referrals from happy brides, who love the way Candy takes time to get to know them personally and tries her best to put them at ease. On destination shoots, where the team follows the couple for the whole day, Candy builds even closer bonds with her brides as they invite her to share meals and personal stories.

Candy’s friendliness is something bride Jovin Ong really appreciated. “Candy is an amazing lady!” Jovin says. “Her bubbly nature and chattiness made the whole makeup process so much more enjoyable, especially during the actual wedding day. She’s not like any make up artiste; she’s like my newfound friend! As the actual wedding day was very rushed, Candy was really sweet to help me change and tidy up, so that I could put my mind at ease and just focus on looking pretty!” It wasn’t the first time Candy has stepped in to help a bride after doing her hair and makeup. “I’ve ever fixed a bride’s skirt with a sewing kit, and driven a groom when his car broke down!” laughs Candy, remembering those moments with her couples fondly. Understanding the special joy and excitement of a wedding day, Candy is always happy to go the extra mile so that couples can fully enjoy their once-in-a-lifetime.

Her relationships with her brides start early on. “Communication is very important,” says Candy, who encourages brides to be very open and send visuals so that their makeup artists can understand their preferences better. Laughing, she recounts a time when a bride told her she wanted a subtle smoky eye. “But then she sent me a photo of Gong Li with a red lippie and a super smoky eye! So visuals are important, because perceptions can be very different!” she says. After getting to know her brides and what styles of makeup they like, Candy advises them girl-to-girl about what looks would suit them and their style of gown and wedding, always ensuring that her makeup brings out their natural beauty.

“What makes every makeup artist different is the style they carry,” Candy tells us. “For me, I like to give very natural looks, that enhance the features and bring out the brides themselves.” Creating a barely-made-up look is actually more difficult than simply piling on the colour, but Candy firmly believes the time-consuming care is worth it for brides to look and feel beautiful. “I work a lot on the base to create a natural look, to make brides look like they woke up with perfect, flawless skin,” she explains. To get that beautiful, flawless effect on all of her brides, Candy stocks many different types of foundation to suit different skin types as well as match skin tone.

Lasting four to six hours, the looks are created using only high quality makeup products. Unboxing a bright pink makeup kit, Candy shows us some of her favourite brands right now: Jill Stuart, Helena Rubinstein, Dior, Chanel, as well as natural-looking falsies she gets friends to bring over from Japan. “Shh, these are trade secrets!” she quips as she hands over the lashes. Among her go-to’s are products from SKII, which she loves for prepping brides’ skin on the morning of the wedding as the first step in her beautifying process.

Candy’s makeup philosophy is that good skincare is the basis of achieving beautiful makeup. She advises her brides to focus on a good skincare regime three months prior to their weddings. “First of all, rest and hydrate,” she says. “Get plenty of sleep and water so that you’re radiant. Take less sodium to prevent water retention, which actually happens when you don’t get enough water. Apply masks twice a week. The day before, don’t be adventurous and try new products!”

Her holistic approach to beauty led her to begin a series of workshops that educate women on the importance of skincare. Hosted in Candy’s spacious new studio, the 2 ½-hour workshops are interactive sessions that are run once a month. “We let people understand how important skincare is,” explains Candy. “We start from within.” The sessions include hands-on lessons about creating a professional, presentable makeup look within 15 minutes—a skill every woman needs. With a maximum of 10 participants, the workshops make sure everyone receives individual attention. Graduates come back to tell her that the tips have really helped. “It’s great knowing that I’ve helped someone become more beautiful, on a daily basis!” Candy says.

It’s not just paying students that Candy’s helped. Concerned about more than physical beauty, Candy has also conducted a charity workshop for teenagers in a girls’ orphanage, to teach them how to take care of their skin as well as how to express their beauty in healthy ways. Using the workshops as an opportunity to share, Candy encouraged these girls from humble backgrounds with her own life story. “It’s more like a life course,” she shares. “We share about what brings us to this point in life, and what other things they can do.” This charity workshop has led to her next one with the Yellow Ribbon Project, where Candy hopes to help rehabilitating inmates prepare for the workforce again with tips on proper etiquette and looking professional, and by sharing inspiring life stories.

As her brides have seen, Candy is someone who cares. She’s hardly ever free—when asked what she does in her spare time, she exclaims, “I have so many things to do!”—and she’s worked on her own birthday, but she still finds time to conduct a yearly charity drive delivering goodie bags of rice and households goods to the needy, such as elderly folks living alone. On the rare weekend off, Candy brings her two children for a day out. “I really love weekends when I don’t have to work, so that I can spend time with my kids!” she says. Struggling to remember what she does with any free time, she adds, “I love to golf. I travel a lot too, for destination shoots. But travelling can be tiring, so golf is the best!”

Meet Candy at Candy T. Makeup Artistry, located at 42A Joo Chiat Place, S427766. Visit her website at https://www.candytiong.com/, or make an appointment by contacting Candy at +65 8380 9922 or [email protected].

Credits: Images courtesy of Candy Tiong Makeup Artistry. Feature image by Lightedpixels Pixies.

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