Into The Fire

Indonesian makeup artist Albert Kurniawan changed the game of beauty one celebrity at a time

- Geolettees Guerra

IT WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN NINE YEARS AGO WHEN I FIRST MET ALBERT KURNIAWAN.

I was editing a magazine that had Heart Evangelista-Escudero on the cover, our same cover girl this month, and she had requested for him. The country would hear about him a few months after that, but it would take a few more years before the world, and the universe, would know of this man whose magic touch and kind tutelage gave the queens their wings. We sat with Albert to relive some of his best moments on his 10th-year milestone, to talk about his serendipitous journey from interior design student to world-class makeup artist.

ON HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

As a student in Singapore, he was exposed to Filipino culture, which gave him the courage to move to the country and try out makeup artistry. With the help of his friend Melo Esguerra who sponsored his first makeup set for 6,000 pesos; Albert began adding items to his makeup arsenal, starting with the cheapest brands he could find.

ON TREASURING WHAT HE HAS