Jessica Lace specializes in airbrush makeup, the newest trend in fashion, TV and film.

MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-two year old Jessica Lace loves doing make-up so much that she decided to go to school for it.

This in spite the fact that she already holds an AB Communication degree from the Ateneo de Manila University, and a master’s degree in International Public Relations from Cardiff University in Wales.

Yet in the end, Jessica went for what she has always wanted to do and took up master classes in makeup and hairstyling at the London College of Fashion and London Academy of Media, Film and TV. Likewise, she earned certificates in make-up from Maquillage Professionnel, as sponsored by Make Up Forever and the Tony Galvez School of Cosmetology.

Even as a teenage girl, Jessica already knew that she had the passion and the flair for make-up, saying it’s always great to be able to work and have fun at the same time.

“I was supposed to enter corporate life after graduating from Cardiff but we acquired a salon and I decided to pursue a career in make-up,” says Jessica who juggles her time between being the head make-up artist and managing the family-owned J23 Salon located along Timog Ave. in Quezon City.

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People may ask why spend so much on studying abroad for make-up. But Jessica says doing so gives students – of any discipline at that – a much wider perspective because they get to study with people from different cultures.

“It’s a great experience because professors and students there are equals. Our teachers encourage us to voice out our opinion. It allowed me to be more confident and independent,” recalls Jessica.

The discipline challenges her as well as trends keep coming and she has to be updated all the time. For instance, she has chosen to specialize in airbrush make-up, now a favorite in fashion, TV and film.

“Airbrush makeup is easy to apply. It is extremely clean because there’s no double dipping involved. It comes out very natural and flawless, and great for high-definition camera,” explains Jessica of the advantages of airbrush make-up.

Jessica dreams of doing the make-up of eccentric pop artist Lady Gaga and Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively. “I would love to do the make-up of Lady Gaga because she allows her makeup artists to do avantgarde and be all out in creativity.

Also Blake Lively because she’s extremely gorgeous.

But I noticed that she has the same eye make-up all the time so it would be fun to play around with a new look for her,” she says.

Being a make-up artist can be a career in itself, Jessica says, if one puts her heart and passion in it. But of course, first and foremost, there have to be talent and creativity, which are the non-negotiables in this field.

She advises young and aspiring makeup artists to start establishing a name in the industry early to make it highly lucrative for them.

“Because there are already many make-up artists, you will need lots of word-of-mouth recommendation, good training, and most of all, talent. So, it really needs a lot of time, effort, passion and patience,” she says.

For more information, log on to www.jessicalace.net.

Jessica’s makeup tips for teens:
As students return to school from sem break, the pressure is on for them to look their best. And so, Jessica Lace offers these basic makeup tips for young girls:

1. Maintain a clean face, cleanse, exfoliate and moisturize.
2. Never sleep with your makeup on.
3. Fix your eyebrows.
4. Find the best foundation, one that will suit your shade.
5. Stick with neutral colors for your eye shadow and lipstick, nothing too bright and will attract too much attention.
6. Clean your brushes because bacteria thrive on dirty brushes and can give you infection, pimples,etc.
7. Know the expiration date of your makeup.