Talented makeup experts have been for long making silent but major contributions to the beauty and career success of celebrities.

Ho Chi Minh City is home to many of them as more and more famous figures in Vietnam’s economic and entertainment hub want to look their best in front of the public.

“People have the mistaken impression that makeup artists do their job in almost the same way for everybody,” Nguyen Hung, one of the city’s leading artists, says.

“In fact, before we begin, we usually find out about a client’s personality and sartorial style.”

His choice of styles also depends on a client’s facial features and tastes and the places they will go to, he explains.

“We surely can’t apply gentle makeup on a person with an angular face and a strong personality.”

Thanh Nhon, who often works with models for fashion magazines and actors and actresses in several films, including last year’s big hit Dong mau anh hung (The Rebel), says, “We also have to consider the requirements of magazine editors or film directors when it comes to choosing styles.

“Makeup styles also vary from season to season,” he says, adding light, natural makeup is favored in summer while the spring style needs more sparkling eye shades.

Quan Pham, another successful makeup artist who has been doing the job for eight years, says, “I’m always after beauty; so it doesn’t matter to me if my clients are singers, actresses or models or anyone else.

“They all want to look more glamorous, and I’m here to help them.

“My makeup styles are varied, but I prefer practical and not very gaudy styles.”

“Whatever the style is, the job is well done if the artist can bring out the wearer’s natural beauty and give them a gorgeous and seductive look.”

Makeup artists must also have basic knowledge of cosmetic surgery, he says.

They must also know how to make the striking features on a person’s face stand out and to overcome their weaknesses, he says.

“Take singer [and teen pop idol] Bao Thy for example. She has a pretty oval face and a small straight nose which need to be highlighted.

“I can add depth and dimension to her small eyes by applying dark shades on the upper parts of the eyelids and attaching very thin artificial eyelashes.”

That would surely bring out her glamour and make Thy’s eyes appear larger, he explains.

While making up actress Tang Bao Quyen, whose face is pretty but plump, Pham adds dimension to her face and makes it more attractive by applying dark-tinted foundation along the jawbone.

Why men?

Many successful makeup artists in HCMC are male.

Thanh Phuoc, a well-known makeup expert, says: “Makeup is almost exclusively for women, and it’s quite strange that men like to do [this] job.

“But it’s the strangeness that fascinates me as it enables me to be more daring and creative in my work.”

“The important thing is how we live and work so that people don’t misunderstand us.” Phuoc says he is really proud to do his job.

Dubbed a “beauty wizard”, he was invited by French channel Fashion TV (FTV) to work with models in its Hair and Makeup program among other major shows.

“I majored in journalism, but destiny drew me to this career,” he says.

“Men’s make up reflects feminine beauty in their own eyes, so maybe that helps male makeup artists to be more successful than their female colleagues,” he suggests.

Pham has made up contestants in several national beauty pageants, the latest being the 2008 Vietnamese Supermodel contest launched by the Ho Chi Minh City Television.