Fashion designer Happy Andrada is well-known by all for her world-class craft of helping keep the Philippine fashion scene alive for over 15 years. But did you know that she is also adept at the makeup brush and can put together some of the most creative looks that would make your jaw drop?
In celebration of spooky month, Happy took on the challenge of creating some Halloween looks inspired by Philippine culture and the results are absolutely fa-boo-lous!
We got to talk to Happy about her personal project which she gladly shared with us.
“I’m doing a Halloween makeup challenge [and] it’s my 2nd year doing this,” Happy said. “Because of the pandemic I miss celebrating with our dear friends and family. It’s a way of still having fun by coming up with different looks but at the same time also [using] my talent in makeup. Every look is different, it’s a challenge coming up with different makeup and outfits but I’m really enjoying the process and the experience.”
“I studied makeup [in] 2008. I’ve been doing makeup for my photoshoots and clients since then. I took makeup courses too in the UK as well, Illamasqua, London School of Fashion, and London School of Beauty Makeup. I really think that makeup and fashion [go] hand in hand, as a designer and a makeup artist I’m able to come up and translate the looks that I want,” she explained to us.
“When I was starting my career in fashion, we had a photoshoot and the makeup artist took a lot of time doing the makeup and it didn’t really translate to the look that I envisioned my collection to be, I guess that just motivated me to learn makeup to really come up with a collection as a whole and take control of how I envision it.”
Some of the looks she’s done for this Halloween project are inspired by local festivals such as Higantes, Maskara, and Ati-Atihan, Philippine mythological creatures like the tiyanak, diwata, and Ibong Adarna, and even our national hero Jose Rizal, which she shoots by herself or with the help of her husband at their mini-studio at home.
“This year I really wanted to do something different, most of the time people come up with makeup looks that are similar to each other like the famous characters (which I did last year). I wanted to challenge myself further by creating something that hasn’t been seen much before [and], at the same time, create something that’s representing us [and] our culture,” she continued.
“I’m also happy [that] through this I am able to share to others about the Philippines, from our national hero to festivals, mythology, and even monsters. We have a really rich culture and it’s something to be proud of, there [are] so [many] looks I wanted to do but Halloween isn’t enough. Maybe in the future, I can still continue exploring and creating these looks!”
(ALSO READ: Be Camera-Ready for Your Virtual Christmas Parties With This Easy Makeup Tutorial)
Check out more photos on her Instagram account!
Thank you to Happy Andrada for supplying the photos!
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