This Filipino Makeup Artist Did Mackenyu Arata's Look for His Manila Fan Meet

In preparation for Mackenyu’s big night with his Filipino fans, his team created a shortlist of potential creatives to work with and ultimately decided to inquire with Jake. “Of course, I immediately said yes,” the makeup artist recalls.

According to Jake, Mackenyu was “very easy to work with.” He was conversational, too, asking Jake if they had met before, to which he answered no. In Jake’s words, “I would remember if we had!”

Mackenyu is the cool, calm, and collected type of muse who directed Jake on the kind of makeup and coverage he preferred. “He knew what he liked, which made everything really easy.” The actor’s primary request was a look that was neither too powdery nor too matte. “He wanted to see the skin, and didn’t mind having a little bit of shine.”

With that said, the goal was to create a look that put nourished skin at the center. Mackenyu’s look was complemented with waves by Filipino hairstylist RJ Dela Cruz, incorporating a style befitting a heartthrob.

“My job was more about enhancing what was already there and making sure his skin looked fresh, healthy, and very natural on camera.” Jake playfully adds, “Sometimes, when you have a face like Mackenyu’s, you really just don’t want to mess with it!”

Beauty is a personalized experience, which varies from person to person and culture to culture. “Filipino male celebrities often prefer a more matte and slightly deeper complexion with very subtle contouring and sometimes stronger or thicker brows,” Jake explains, stating that it creates a more “masculine, moreno” look. Meanwhile, beauty looks in Thailand and South Korea steer towards a different approach. “Male celebrities often go for a lighter, more perfected complexion, tinted lips, some rosy cheeks, and sometimes even a glassy, dewy finish.”

The makeup artist also had to consider that Mackenyu is an American-born Japanese actor. “You have to understand the person, their features, their personal style, and of course, what they’re comfortable wearing.”

Jake also considered that Mackenyu’s features are already strong and defined, so heavy contour or other dramatic applications were not necessary. “The key was restraint,” Jake tells Preview. “It was more about perfecting the skin, controlling where the shine was, and enhancing his natural features rather than changing them.”

To start, Jake prepped Mackenyu’s skin with the hydrating Guerlain Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil Serum. He followed this with the Chanel Les Beiges Water Fresh Tint to provide light to medium coverage, evening out his complexion while keeping it looking natural. The Natural Finish Loose Powder, also by Chanel, was used to set the areas that needed it. Jake opted for a rosy shade because “Mackenyu naturally has a slightly pinkish complexion, so I wanted to maintain that rather than making his skin look too yellow or flat.”

He then dabbed “a very small amount” of the Prada Beauty Touch Blush onto his cheeks to reinforce color without making it obvious. The key was to make it subtle to maintain the effortless look, and the same idea was applied to the lips, which were tinted with the Chanel Rouge Coco Hydra Gloss. This provided a healthy-looking sheen, too.

Jake capped it all off with the Dior Beauty Backstage Airflash Mist, which helped melt the products into Mackenyu’s skin, and keep the makeup look fresh and skin-like. Jake concludes, “The makeup should complement Mackenyu, not compete with him.”