P recious
With a future all planned out by her
parents, Precious Medina is one of those
brave young girls who took control of her life
by pursuing a dream she had since she was
a child. Graduating with a Communications
degree from the University of Asia and
the Pacific and a certificate in Business
Management from New York University,
Precious Medina took the flight that changed
her destination - she moved out of Manila to
pursue a Make Up degree in the prestigious
Make Up Designory, Los Angeles.
An Artist With A Goal
Before Precious found herself doing make up for celebrities and brides, she was in New York University
preparing to take over their family business. “Everyday, on my way to my classes in NYU, I would pass by a
make up school called Make Up Designory in Soho. I remember being jealous over a group of young girls
who were carrying loads of make up in their make up kit. They looked happy and excited to go to class and
I thought to myself – If they can do it, I can do it too,” she shares with us. “After my program in NYU I went
home and talked to my parents about leaving again for make up school in Los Angeles - the city of movies,
celebrities, and entertainment. I chose L.A. over N.Y. because I wanted to live in a new environment, I wanted
to make new friends, and break out of my comfort zone.” With her parents’ blessing and support, she flew
to L.A. with no formal training in make up but with great passion to learn the craft. She now has a degree
in Beauty Make up, Hairstyling and Prosthetics and a certificate in Airbrush Make Up. “People in America
treat make up artistry as a real profession,” she explains. “They have contracts and insurance, they are also
protected by the make up union. They look out for each other, protecting the rates of one another. They are
never late for a job, always treating the client as king, and follow strict procedures of proper sanitation. They
have high standards, always in search for better products and techniques. Those are the things I’d like to
bring back to Manila, somehow in my own little way, I’d like to raise our standards too.”
Celebrities and Weddings
We asked Precious how she was able to have a wide clientele in such a short period of time and how she
was able to do an international commercial with Toshiba and a foreign film in Vietnam. “I got all my clients thru
recommendations, I’m blessed with family and friends who believe in me. I don’t rest, when someone needs
me, I’m there! I even work on Sundays because of Party Pilipinas and ASAP Rocks,” she shares. “I got into
the business with 2 goals in mind: to be a celebrity make up artist and wedding make up artist,” with only 3
years of experience, Precious is already so much closer to her dream. Some of her celebrity clients include
Rhian Ramos and Lovi Poe, to see more of her work you can visit her website at www.preciousmedina.com.
Before the Wedding
-------------------------------------
When asked to compare doing make up for celebrities and brides, she says, “Doing make up for
celebrities is exciting because I get to see my work in a form of a billboard along EDSA and I get to see my
name in magazines. But the kind of fulfillment I get when doing make up for brides is different, it’s special
because I become part of someone’s special day. I love doing wedding make up because I’m surrounded
by people who are in love, by people who are about to begin their journey together.”
Precious meets with her bride weeks before the big day. “It’s important for me to get to know my bride,
I ask them to meet me with a bare face so I can assess the condition of their skin. Depending on their skin
type, my make up products and techniques will adjust.” As they talk, she studies the face and takes note of
overall wardrobe details to help her assess their personality. “You get a general idea of someone’s lifestyle
based on how they put themselves together. You can tell if a bride wants natural or smokey make up,
sometimes all you have to do is look and listen.”
Her pre-wedding tips:
• Avoid drinking alcohol during your bachelorette party, alcohol doesn’t help make up adhere to your
skin. You become dehydrated and you lose your glow.
• Get a facial months before your wedding, have your blackheads, whiteheads, skin tags, and warts
taken out. Make up can only correct skin discoloration, it can’t correct skin texture.
• Get a little sun! Exposing yourself to a little sunlight will help you achieve the bridal glow everyone is
raving about. The sun gives you vitamin D, it boosts your immune system and adds color to your skin.
• Sleep 8 hours a day 10 days before your wedding. This will help you get rid of puffy eyes and dark
circles. Moisturize your face every night, make up adheres better on healthy skin.