Makeup is his palette, and the face is his canvass. Roi Santos is not your ordinary makeup artist. No wonder, he is the go-to person of Filipino celebrities in the West Coast.
Among the celebs who have sat on his chair are Rufa Mae Quinto, LJ Moreno-Alapag, Beth Tamayo, Bunny Paras, Carla Humphries, Angel Jones, Cherie Gil, Maria Isabel Lopez, Jinky Pacquiao, and Rabiya Mateo. And working with this bevy of beauties easily made him earn the moniker “Makeup Artist to the Stars.”
“I collect wisdom from people who sit on my makeup chair. Some give me advice on how to make myself relevant in the public eye and how to keep my reputation respectable,” Roi shared with Manila Standard Life in a virtual interview.
“I really appreciate it and it keeps me humble as my career grows,” the US-based makeup artist added.
Roi started his career in the beauty industry 10 years ago. A late bloomer in the field, he studied to become a pharmaceutical assistant. But obviously, fate had other plans for him.
“I had a high-paying job but I was not happy,” he recalled adding it was at around that time when he also came out as gay. He treasures that moment because he was warmly embraced by his family and instantly got their support to pursue a passion that makes him feel more free and creative.
While quite content with his flourishing career, the 34-year-old makeup artist never thought his life would change when he met comedy actress Rufa Mae Quinto last year at Sephora in Burlingame, California, where he works.
“She was actually shopping for makeup and then I came up to her and asked, ‘Are you the famous comedienne in the Philippines? Are you Rufa Mae Quinto?’ She said, ‘Yes!’ It started there, I introduced myself and we started talking. I think the foundation for our friendship is the love of makeup. Talagang she was really nice, we started talking about makeup and it started our friendship,” Roi narrated.
The week after, the sexy comedienne invited him over to LA to do her makeup for a magazine shoot.
“I consider that as the turning point of my career,” he said alluding to the magazine cover Rufa Mae did. It was photographed by another Filipino, Vincent Gotti, a trusted name in fashion and lifestyle editorials for numerous publications in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
After the collaboration, Roi’s network widened and he became more in demand.
“There are so many makeup artists here. I feel so fortunate that until this day they actually refer me to their friends, or they would ask me from time to time to do their makeup,” he said.
Roi considers himself a versatile makeup artist. He can do glamor and special effects, a skill not everyone in his field can masterfully execute.
“There are no rules in makeup, if there are, you can always bend them. Makeup evokes emotion without telling a word. And this mantra has helped me have the best of both worlds. I’m a big fan of Halloween makeup, like I paint.
I use my boyfriend as my model. One time I turned him into Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story,” Roi, who is also an Instagram celebrity, shared.
Moving to the United States at an early age, Roi is very much immersed in different cultures. And he uses this exposure when dealing with his clients.
Roi maintains that he is able to keep a close relationship with his clients not only because of his amiable personality. He continuously updates his knowledge and explores possibilities in improving his “art.”
“Yes, I consider myself as an artist. It’s just that I use a different canvass. A good makeup artist must be very knowledgeable. You’re the bus driver, people will sit on your chair and trust you if you’re good,” he said.
Before he starts doing makeup, Roi asks a lot of questions. He asks his clients what their skin type is, their reason for coming to him, and what look do they want to achieve.
“You don’t know your client until they show up in your shop, normally you’ll just have their names. So, you must learn to work on the makeup of certain nationalities especially those with darker skin tone, it’s very tricky,” he admitted.
Though he promotes continuous learning among his colleagues, Roi explained that the process of improving one’s skill set must not be done over eagerly. He believes that the person must accept his imperfections because it can him be a better individual and stay grounded.
“I have been doing makeup for 10 years and I have my own fair share of blunders that I can say I’m still proud about because they helped me better myself as a makeup artist,” he related.
“But the biggest challenge of being a makeup artist is the fact that many of us are hard on ourselves. So, I always tell my colleagues to be themselves. If you stay true to your core, you will flourish,” he ended.