Chichi Sotomil

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I'm happy for the chance to do makeup for the special people in my life. Ivy married my first cousin Jodon, technically my cousin but in my heart my brother, who I grew up playing GI Joe, matchbox, tex (now how do you actually spell that?!!), and patintero with. :)

She came from abroad a few days before her wedding day, and we weren't able to have any meeting or trial. Her wedding day was my first time to meet her, to actually speak to her, but I have to say that it was love at first meeting. Cecille was so warm, funny, and full of positive energy that I knew I was in for a fun wedding prep. What made this day even more inspiring for me as her makeup artist was that this bridechilla (her word, wish it was mine!) was very much game for makeup. :)

On another note, I love my nude and natural looks for sure, but I'm so happy to have been getting more requests for a more glamorous and made up look. :)

I'm not one to use the word exquisite, but this is really the term that comes to mind when I remember Sherry Anne on her wedding day. She totally carried (keri!) the goddess look. I was awestruck by her wedding gown, and became even more inspired and excited to give her the look that she aspired. :) From the time I met her (we had our trial about a year before her wedding date), she had been an absolute dream to work with, somebody who knew what she wanted, clear and firm, sweet and calm, but never demanding about it. Dyosa talaga. :)

My bride from 2007. All these years and she remains to be one of my favorites. Oops. Not that I have favorites, of course, but if I had, she would be one of them. Hehehe! :)

Abby sent me a lot of pictures to work with, so I decided to tinker a bit with the layouting. :) The first three layouts are of my own crude efforts, so please spare the photographers if they're not up to par. The last photo is actually from the couple's prenup shoot, when we did our trial session, but I really liked the photo so I included it here.

All the other suppliers who saw Liza for the first time on her wedding day had the same reaction... Mukha kang mag de debut pa lang!!! And they didn't even see her as I did when we arrived for the preps (because of the nature of our work, our team is usually one of the first to see the bride), that is, wearing a mickey mouse character tee and shorts. Had they seen her in this outfit they would have said... Mukha kang ga-graduate pa lang ng high school!!! Hehehe. With such a petite frame, a cute face and a super sweet smile, she would pass for someone in her teens.

Here's a little break from all the natural makeup looks. At the time this photo was taken, Lyka, our photographer, was just 17 (17!!!), and was just about to go to college. Fantastic! :)

I'm saying this again. There's just something so exciting and fulfilling about a fellow supplier asking you to be her wedding supplier. I have always admired her work, and loved doing weddings with her team, so super kinilig ako when Mia Barlaan, wedding gown designer, asked me to do her wedding makeup.

I remember that it was Clem, Mia's mahinhin and friendly assistant, who I met first. At one wedding some years ago, I took note of the bride's gown, which was so cleanly and finely made, and fit the bride so well. I found out from Clem that Mia was the designer of the gown, and she was located in Las Pinas, just like me.

At Mia's request, we went with a very soft and feminine look for her wedding. I don't normally apply eye makeup the way I did for her--using pastels instead of my favorite nudes and earth tones. Doing Mia's wedding makeup gave me a whole new love for pastel eyes! :)

Kats has been a friend since college. Even back in school, she already had that put together, mabango look down pat (one, I admit, that I valiantly tried to attain as a haggard engineering student haha!). :)

When I became a makeup artist, I would do makeup for her every time she would be part of a wedding entourage. Each makeup session served as catch up and chika time, while we worked on her glowing and fresh look ala Gretchen Barretto.

For her wedding, she asked me for the no makeup look. At this point I didn't realize just how little makeup she meant. We had a trial session, after which she told me "Chi, softer pa daw". Whoa no!!! I had to think of ways on how I could soften the makeup even more, having given her what I thought was already the absolute minimum makeup for a bride, even lighter than the ones I used to do for her. I realized then that Kats needed me to be the makeup artist who will not just put on her makeup, but the one who will hold myself back and just let her natural beauty come through.

Needless to say, no false eyelashes were used on this bride. Here was Kats during her wedding day, absolutely glowing with literally almost no makeup on.