Yciar Castillo

The lovely Yciar Castillo shares her beautiful journey, meeting Laura Mercier herself, and reworking the flawless face for the new normal

MEGA: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF:

YCIAR CASTILLO: I was born in Bacolod City and lived there until I was nine years old. I was very close to my mom’s family growing up and I think that’s where I got my creative genes. It was my mother who encouraged me to study makeup artistry. I found myself going at it full time pretty quickly, apprenticing with Jigs Mayuga for two years. I never looked back since.

WHERE DID YOU LEARN MAKEUP AND WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST LESSONS YOU GOT?

YC: I studied Basic Makeup Artistry in the Center for Aesthetic Studies and after that, I worked at MAC Cosmetics where I learned basic certification skills. But it was during my two years apprenticing under Jigs where I was exposed to all kinds of makeup: from bridal, to stage, to photo shoots, and advertising. Aside from the fact that those years established the foundation of how I evolved as an artist in terms of skill, I also learned how to be more positive and how to be less introverted.

Following my apprenticeship, I worked as an independent makeup artist doing editorial shoots and fashion shows. The best lessons I got during this time came from my fellow makeup artists—I saw how important it is to support, help, and learn from each other.

On June 2019, I started working for Shiseido Philippines as the Training Manager for Laura Mercier. This was very exciting because I get to see a different side of the beauty industry. I was trained by the Training Manager of Southeast and the Pacific Region in Singapore, and attended Global Training in Paris where I was able to meet and do a workshop with Laura Mercier herself.

WHO IS YOUR BEAUTY INSPIRATION?