As make-up becomes more mainstream and associated with gender-bending countercultures, STYLE interviews two of Hong Kong’s finest male make-up artists
In recent years, men have started to enter the heavily female-dominated industry of make-up, creating a cultural shift. As make-up is becoming more mainstream and associated with gender-bending countercultures, we interviewed two of Hong Kong's finest male make-up artists, Will Or and Mak Tung, who are also influencers and mentors, to get a glimpse of their vibrant world.
1. How did you get started in make-up?
Will Or: Since I was young, I have fallen in love with pretty things and in particular make-up, skincare and essential oils. The first make-up items I ever used were concealer and foundation. I used them to cover my pimples and spots and started realising the magical function of make-up. Therefore, I chose to start my career as a make-up artist.
Mak Tung: During high school, students were not only focusing on their scores but also got to nurture their hobbies by joining different kinds of extracurricular activities. My teacher suggested that I should take a make-up course as I love beautiful creatures and was curious about how they are created. That was the beginning of my journey to becoming a make-up artist.
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2. Who or what inspired you from the start? And who inspires you now?
Will Or: Should be me. Due to my own skin problem, I wanted to improve my skin and conceal those skin imperfections, so I decided to find out more about make-up. When I first started my career, I met a versatile make-up artist. He inspired me a lot, not just in the profession but also the skill to deal with people and things in society.
Mak Tung: In the past, people had a relatively conservative mindset towards make-up. They thought it is a daily routine for women, and it is sissy if men wear make-up, so male make-up artists were not common at that time. When I was still a make-up learner, I went to the beauty counters for cosmetics, and some female customers would look at me with curiosity and doubt. At that time male make-up was not popular and the information regarding this was relatively limited.
All these factors motivated me to become an excellent male make-up artist to share more beauty and skincare and make-up tips with everyone. As a make-up artist, keeping up with updated information and the latest make-up trends is a must. Whenever I see spectacular make-up, it inspires me to re-examine myself.
3. What has been your experience of working in the Hong Kong beauty industry, and how does it compare with the rest of the world?
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我很鍾意呢個妝，可以幫我改個名字麻？ #妝優 #妝優bywillmakeup #willmakeup #化妝課程 #化妝服務
A post shared by willwillwillwillwillwillwillor (@willwillwillwillwillwillwillor) on Mar 4, 2020 at 6:13am PST
Will Or: As a male make-up artist, there are certain advantages for me to work in such a female-oriented field. Surrounded by females, there are more job opportunities. Globally speaking, most leaders and bosses are men, and it is the same in the make-up industry. Hong Kong's make-up industry is not that distinctive when compared to other Asian countries like Japan and Korea. But Hong Kong's make-up industry is more diverse, as we adapt make-up techniques from mainland China, Europe and the US and then integrate them into a new style. It's not a unique Hong Kong style, but a universal style instead.
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A post shared by MakTung (@maktung) on Oct 8, 2019 at 2:32am PDT
Mak Tung: Nowadays, make-up is still a female-dominated industry since there are more varieties in women's make-up and their developed products and consumption power are naturally higher in the market. To get into the market, male make-up artists must highlight their unique style, be brave enough to express opinions to earn recognition and show that you are professional.
Although the proportion of female make-up artists is still relatively high, it cannot be denied that there are still many well-known male make-up artists around the world. Additionally, male make-up artists have an advantage, and they can put themselves in the females' shoes, and at the same time utilise their abilities from the perspective of a male admirer, thus from both professional and objective aesthetic perspective.
4. How do you juggle the roles of being a make-up artist, influencer and mentor and what are the challenges?
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Mak Tung: Being a make-up artist, an influencer or a mentor, look like three different roles however they are inseparable as the core is always about make-up, so I really enjoy having these roles at the same time. As a make-up artist, I want to use my professional knowledge and skills to help my customers. I tried to learn and accumulate as much make-up experience as possible. I became a qualified international make-up instructor so that I can impart my knowledge and experience to my students.
The same goes as being an influencer, and I share the product experience as a user with my followers. Everything is difficult at the beginning, keep your persistence and never giving up. So, I think the most difficult part is to manage all the tasks together. For instance, when I am working, I also need to arrange a time to study to become a better make-up instructor; at the same time, I also need to prepare and update course content for my make-up class.
5. What are your thoughts on men using cosmetics and how far have we come?
Will Or: It is not unusual for men to wear make-up. Concealing your own imperfections and enabling yourself to look neat and energetic is a way to show respect to others. But of course, it should not be extreme, applying a reasonable amount of concealer, brow liner and lip balm are good enough. Actually, around 10 years ago when I was studying make-up in the UK, there were many department stores selling male make-up products.
Nowadays, there are more men applying make-up and most of them learn how to apply them online. Also, due to the make-up trend in Korea, applying make-up base and drawing eyeliner are common for men. So I believe in the next decade, more and more people will apply make-up, and people's standard of beauty will be higher. The make-up trend will also become more extreme and dramatic, such as cosplay make-up or Japanese-inspired ones.
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A post shared by MakTung (@maktung) on Aug 1, 2019 at 6:20am PDT
Mak Tung: Ten years ago, men who wore make-up were mainly male artists and performers. With the influences of international movie stars, men's make-up was getting more popular. Additionally, information about make-up can be easily obtained via the internet. Gradually, make-up was no longer labelled as feminine. Nowadays, people even consider make-up as an accessory, like a ring or a hat regardless of genders.
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More and more men in Hong Kong are paying attention to skincare and make-up, just like men's grooming. You can see many young men with make-up on the streets. Most of them only wear make-up to make them look cleaner and more energetic; the point is to look natural with unnoticeable make-up.
6. Which brands are at the forefront of making cosmetics available to all?
Will Or: I would recommend these two brands " Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury. These two brands offer both make-up and skincare products and are both founded by make-up artists. They are really fabulous. Pat McGrath's products are more suitable for stage and fashion shows, whereas Charlotte Tilbury's products are more down-to-earth and good for day-to-day application. They are affordable as well.
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A post shared by MakTung (@maktung) on Feb 20, 2020 at 6:35am PST
Mak Tung: Brands generally look for influential global artists for advertisements. The male commercial endorser can show empathy in men's skincare products. Recently more male celebrity endorsers are well-known in women's skincare and cosmetics or becoming endorsers for beauty brands in the Asia-Pacific region. They can collaborate with the brand image and attract their followers to buy the products, resulting in a rise of loyal customers.
7. How do Hong Kong men compare to other Asians and guys around the world?
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A post shared by willwillwillwillwillwillwillor (@willwillwillwillwillwillwillor) on Mar 3, 2020 at 5:22am PST
Will Or: Male make-up artists in Hong Kong are not that competitive when compared to those in Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, and Japan because Hong Kong is relatively a more conservative place in terms of make-up. For example, people can accept some dramatic make-up in Malaysia and Thailand, and it is not a big deal if a male make-up artist wears heavy make-up while working or walking casually on the streets. In addition, appearance means a lot to the male make-up artists in Japan and South Korea, so they tend to have natural make-up looks. However, in Hong Kong, the economy is the biggest issue, so the make-up industry is not that significant here. We may need to learn from other countries.
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A post shared by MakTung (@maktung) on Aug 26, 2019 at 11:05pm PDT
Mak Tung: Compared with other countries and regions, men in Hong Kong are more conservative about make-up. In the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese men have paid attention to skincare from a young age. In recent years, South Korean trends and culture has become quite popular in Asia. Boy bands with exaggerated make-up styles and actors with a beautiful look in South Korea, their exquisite and clean appearance and body management are perfectly matched. The combination of gentleness and masculinity has become one of the aesthetic standards of men.
However, men in Thailand and Malaysia are not enthusiastic about make-up due to regional factors. Instead of categorising by region, another factor for men to wear make-up is the need for work. For example, make-up artists like me, beauty consultants, on stage casts all require make-up for work.
8. What are your most and least favourite parts of your job?
Will Or: I have been a make-up artist for 15 years, and I finally opened my own make-up school. It is something I am quite proud of recently. My make-up school is different from the other schools. There are many different courses to choose from, and the latest trend and information will be provided. I will also visit Korea and Japan to attain the latest skills and technology, hoping that this will help elevate the make-up industry in Hong Kong to a higher level.
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A post shared by MakTung (@maktung) on Jul 4, 2019 at 6:48am PDT
Mak Tung: My favourite part is knowing my customers love and appreciate the make-up that I did for them. This is an affirmation of my profession and satisfaction to me, or my students complete the end-product from zero. When you are enthusiastic about what you are doing, you will enjoy all the things that you do. Even though I have to do several consecutive stylings and make-ups, I still enjoy it. However, it will most likely cause back pain, an occupational disease in this profession.
9. What do you think of reality shows like Netflix's Glow Up?
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Will Or: Of course, I watched the show and I really loved it. I also watched America's Next Top Model many years ago, and these two shows are quite similar. The participants were assigned different make-up challenges in each episode. Some of them seemed to be very good at doing complicated make-up but actually lacked basic skills.
Whereas others were good at completing a simple look and were equipped with all the basic techniques required, so you can see their talent and learning ability. Some of them are already YouTubers, and their make-up skills are nearly perfect but they need around three hours to complete the look. In real life, they must have better time management while applying make-up. Also, the way they get along with people makes the show more realistic.
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A post shared by Glow Up (@glowupbbc) on Apr 18, 2019 at 10:30am PDT
Mak Tung: Compared to reality shows about singing, acting and cooking, we seldom see shows about make-up, and the show is not about the usual make-up, but more on special themes that bring out the creativity and techniques of the make-up artists.
Make-up artists are like actors: "One minute on stage, 10 years of preparation." Everyone may only see a photo or ad in a flash, but the make-up artist and styling team have put in a lot of effort. Through reality shows, the public can recognise the hard work and professionalism behind the make-up artists, and this causes everyone to pay more attention to the beauty and make-up industry.
10. What does beauty mean to you?
Will Or: Beauty itself is a broad idea. In fact, it is not the appearance that matters, but the attitude. If you have a good attitude, people around you will appreciate it and even look up to you as a role model. These all come from our heart, that is the true beauty.
Mak Tung: Beauty is subjective, and everyone's definition of beauty is different. Even in each period and era, the definition of beauty is different. I think beauty is positive and can have a positive impact on people and emotions. If people feel that they are beautiful, they will naturally exude happiness and that will enhance their self-confidence.
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