Our chief executive mummy Dolores Au introduces our resident beauty and makeup guru Tinoq who, in the days to come will share his secrets for looking fabulous. First up, his beauty tips for busy mums plus his take on a five minute festive face.
It’s not every day that you meet, connect and become lifelong friends with a makeup consultant over questions on eyeshadows and foundation tones. This happened to me one fine day in 1997 over the counter of the now-defunct makeup brand, Hard Candy. Oh and did I mention that he was male, fabulously gay and wonderfully real with the biggest heart I know?
Affectionately known as Tinoq, this multi-talented and humble makeup artiste is also an accomplished cook who can whip up a 10-course meal as easily as he can turn a plain visage into a work of art with a few deft strokes and expertly applied puffs of powder and creams. His handiwork has graced many a fashion and lifestyle titles in Singapore and on the faces of red carpet celebrities and society darlings over two decades. He is also Mummyfique’s beauty and makeup guru and the magician who, with a wave of his makeup brush, transformed three busy, multi-tasking mummies from plain Janes to glam-mamas for a day. He has come a long way from Hard Candy days.
DOLORES AU: Tell us, Tinoq, how did you stumble on this profession?
Tinoq: I’m the youngest of eight in my family, and of course the closest to my mum. Imagine bringing up eight children! My mum had very little time for herself especially when it came to grooming and making herself look pretty. So when she gets really stressed out and had enough of everyone, she would just say in Hokkien, “I’m going to Sai Been (have a facial) and thien tau moh (perm the hair)”, then she would grab me by my hand and we’d head to the beauty salon.
The beauty salon of the 70’s was my favourite place because there was aircon (a luxury at that time!) and my favourite scent of shampoo and cold facial cream. It was also the place that I witness the transformation of my mother, physically and internally. She was the happiest when she had her hair shampooed, right after getting a pampering facial. Personally, I hated the smell of the hair perming lotion and also the tight tiny curls that they gave her. I remember whispering into her ear that she looked like a poodle and that her hair is like a helmet because of all the hair spray. But despite the comical effect, I could see that she was very happy, calm and felt love.
After the ritual, she would finish off the look with her deep red lipstick. I could see stars in her eyes and she would smile into the mirror feeling very beautiful, confident and like a queen for a day. Usually, during this happy time I could ask her for anything, especially money. if I look at her smiled and said “Mum, you look very pretty and smell so good” she would reward me money. It’s times like these that she was untouchable and on top of the world.
Watching her, I knew I wanted to recreate that magic in women, especially in mothers.
Who are some of the biggest names you’ve worked with in your career?
Joan Chen, Lily Cole, Meg Whitman, Christine Lagarde, Kim Lim
If you can’t make the person prettier, please don’t make them look ugly.
If you can’t make the person younger, please don’t make them look old.
This is so true to me, there are no ugly people just ugly character/personality. – Tinoq
Who is your inspirational modern Supermummy? And why?
It would be my late mother. Because she knew that I’m special and I will grow up to be a gay. She would always stand by me and brush off cruel and negative hurtful remarks. For someone who was not very educated she sure is very intelligent, street smart, a great woman who helps other all the time no matter what situation she is in. She is modern in every way she can be, by being a Supermummy and an awesome human being.
Tinoq’s beauty advice for busy mothers:
“There is no such thing as “instant beauty”. Maintaining a regular skincare regime is very important, no matter how busy you are. And with these three tools, you can achieve good, healthy skin for quick application of simple makeup: face mask, eye mask and eye cream. Like they say, the eyes are the windows to the soul, so that is one area that must not be neglected. And there is no better way to refresh and plump up your skin without medical aesthetic treatments than using a face mask daily.”
The five minute party face
1. Face – Moisurising and glowing foundation that illuminates light
2. Eyes – Curl the lashes and use mascara and line both the top and bottom lids
3. Cheeks – Lightest touch of blush
4. Lips – A warm red stain
“Pick colours from the warm family like a deep, rose blush and a russet or terracotta-based red lip stain. That’s all you need if you are in a rush. Drawing brows, applying eyeshadow, liquid liner, lip line and shading are all fine if you have the luxury of time but with a five minute timeframe, stick to the basics above.”
