The Man Behind Edwin Samot Hair Design Salon “BEAUTIFYING PRECIOUS MOMENTS” Who is Edwin Samot When it comes to weddings, every bride wants to be the most beautiful. What better way to make it happen than to have someone with a magic wand, like a fairy godmother. scheme, fixing the eyelashes and eyebrows, and having messy hair or even the no-makeup look. They don’t get to experiment unlike before when make-up artists like Edwin himself had to do beautify the so-called donyas and señoras. Edwin Samot, one of the country’s celebrated hairstylists, began his stint as a hair designer when he was 19. Carrying his own name as his brand, Edwin sees to it that he leaves nothing but great service to his clients. What started as a simple hair designing stint expanded to include wedding makeup, eventually becoming a full-service salon service provider. When it comes to business, competition is tougher because of the many salons that have been opening in the areas where he is operating. However, Edwin Samot is Edwin Samot -- an established cosmetologist who has carved his name in industry maybe far longer than the new salons in Cavite and Tagaytay. He knew he had to expand to cope with the growing needs of his clients and to continuously attract them to come back. Edwin recalled the first bridal makeup he ever did -- at the time when his makeup artist left the salon five years after it opened. “Ako ‘yung pumalit pero wala pa akong masyadong alam (I replaced him but at that time, I only had limited knowledge),” he admitted. Being curious and observant helped him. He now owns 17 branches of Edwin Samot Hair Design Salon and according to him, he’s just getting started. Forty years of experience Despite only being an elementary school graduate, Edwin had a clear vision in his head -- he wanted to be like Ricky Reyes and Fanny Serrano, people he looked up to in this industry. So he did what he could to succeed. Since there was only limited training at that time, Edwin flew to different coun- tries -- USA, Australia, HongKong, and Singapore -- to take courses and join competitions. He did not stop until he reached his ultimate goal. “Hindi kailangang mayaman ka; hindi kailangang mataas ang pinag-aralan mo; hindi kailangang maganda ka (You don’t have to be rich; you don’t have to be highly educated; you don’t have to be beautiful),” he shares. Recalling the first competition he joined, Edwin shared that he only relied on his skills with no formal training to back it up. He took it as a challenge and he took it so well that after earning the runner-up places, he was soon awarded as a champion. He served as president of Philippine International Cosmetologists Association, the country’s biggest organization of hair and makeup professionals, and also shares his time and knowledge to those who are just starting in the industry. Advice for aspiring makeup artists With four decades of experience, he emphasized the importance of skills, hardwork and discipline to be able to succeed in this craft. One must also love what he/she is doing even if it gets exhausting and demanding at times. Skills coupled with the burning passion to succeed is what made Edwin Samot the successful person that he is now. More importantly, he stressed how his faith has helped him get through the difficult times and thanked the Lord for it, “Hindi ko naman nakaya ng mag-isa ang aking career (I did not do it all alone),” he said. Makeup then and now With so many makeup brands available in the market now plus the access to online makeup tutorials, anyone can do their own makeup but it’s still different with the help of the professionals. Edwin admitted that doing makeup now has never been easier and that a person’s preference will determine whether it’s hard to achieve or not. He said that some makeup artists don’t grow because they stick to the basic: using the brown and gold color Edwin Samot Official Page (046) 481-9802