One of the most talked about royal weddings is that of Prince Mateen and Princess Anisha of Brunei. It was a 10-day wedding affair, with them getting married last Jan. 11, 2024, that captured the hearts of many.
But what got the attention of the Filipinos is that the makeup artist behind the bride’s looks was a fellow Filipina—makeup artist Denise Ochoa who flew to Brunei for two weeks for this royal celebration.
Here are some more details from our very own Pinay makeup artist Denise Ochoa who is making waves overseas.
Natural beauty
It can be seen from all the photos of the bride, it can be seen that her natural beauty glows. “She’s not into blushes. She also isn’t fond of glitter or unrealistic highlights on the skin. In other words, she would always prefer a simple makeup look on her. And I actually couldn’t agree more. Her face, I think, is very delicate. A tiny amount of makeup easily makes a big difference,” shares Denise.
“I think the highlight of the makeup or her look isn’t the makeup at all, but her natural beauty, which I really tried not to overpower. Not everyone is blessed with the kind of impeccable beauty that she has. It would be a shame to cover her face with too much makeup.”
Two wedding looks
There were two looks that stood out from the 10-day wedding affair. For those events where Princess Anisha was wearing all white, Denise noted that they kept it natural. “I think she is hardly seen with heavily made up, and we wanted to maintain that effortless classic look.”
For the Berbedak Pengatin Diraja, or the Royal powdering ceremony, “she was wearing the red attire along with accents, we played it up just a little more on the eyes, but kept everything else natural.”
Prep time
Denise also reveals that Princess Anisha always arrived with a clean and fresh face, so they don’t cleanse anymore. “I usually start by preparing her skin with toner, treatment lotion, serum, cream or moisturizer.”
Makeup products used
A 10-day affair means a lot of products were used on the bride. Denise shares some of them with us—La Mer Treatment Lotion and Regenerating Serum, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 1.5 shade, Makeup Forever HD Skin Palette, Nars Dolce Vita Afterglow Liquid Blush, Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk Lipstick and Lipliner, and Hourglass palettes.
“I also swiped just a bit of the Chanel Blush Harmony in Beige Rose Et Mauve on the apples of her cheeks and applied Charlotte Tilbury Matte Bronzer on the hollows of her cheeks.”
Local products were also used on rotation, including Sunnies Face Lip Tracer, blk cosmetics Glow Cushion Wand in Champagne, Teviant Loose Powder in Translucent and Illuminating, and Strokes Concealer and Translucent Finishing Powder.
Denise also reveals that she would always remind herself to keep makeup at a minimum. “That can be quite a challenge for some makeup artists, including myself.” And, we have to admit it— she did such a great job of highlighting Princess Anisha’s natural beauty and flawless, smooth skin.