Boy Beauty: A Dive Into the Makeup Looks You Saw on IV of Spades’ Wonder Cover

Color and glitter in spades

 

 

It's been a good three and a half weeks or so since we shot our cover with the IV of Spades boys, but I find plenty of memories still wash up when I think about that afternoon. There was the sound of Lil Nas X's Old Town Road (every remix possible, I tell you) swimming through the studio, the racks of clothes that our entire team wanted to bring home, that one moment at the end of the day when a pregnant cat somehow managed to enter the studio unnoticed, prompting Zild to help our team capture the critter as gently as possible. Another thing that I can't shake is, of course, the makeup.

 

IV of Spades is no stranger to the stuff, sporting generous amounts of eyeliner and a little red eyeshadow here and there for their photoshoots and stage performances. That familiarity with amplifying and playing with looks gave us a good canvas to build off of, so in true Wonder fashion, we took messing with makeup to an entirely different level than these boys are familiar with. Boys, meet color and glitter.

 

Ahead, we take the time to break down the two distinct makeup looks sported by IV of Spades on our cover. And who better to discuss these looks with than the pros behind the masterpieces themselves?

 

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Color Pop

with Hanna Pechon de Mesa

 

Hi Hanna! What were your first thoughts when you saw the beauty direction for the shoot? Did you feel a certain look would suit a certain member best? 

Hanna: Whimsical yet fashion. Zild, Blaster and Badjao have androgynous features––not to mention good skin. Whether the look was color or glitter, they expressed it [well] through their own personalities.

 

Now, let's talk about the look. From skin prep down to the finishing touches, what products did you need to achieve the fearless pop of color you painted on the boys' faces?

 

NATURE REPUBLIC Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel Mist, P275

KIEHL'S Lip Balm #1 in Mango

J.CAT BEAUTY H20 Fresh Dewy Hydrating Face Primer, P499

SHU UEMURA The Lightbulb Oleo-Pact Foundation

SHU UEMURA Face Powder Sheer in Colorless, P2600

 

H: For skin prep, [I used] Nature Republic's Aloe Vera Mist and the Kiehl's Mango Lip Balm. For makeup, [I used] the J.Cat H20 Primer, Shu Uemura's Oleo-Pact Foundation and Face Powder. I also used the NYX Jet Set Liquid Suede Little Denim Dress Lipstick for Zild's blue eyeshadow, and the Imagic 12 Flash Color Case for Blaster's green eyeshadow.

 

Knowing first-hand how unforgiving the heat in our country can be, do you have any tips and tricks for making bold makeup looks like this last all day long?
H: For those who have oily skin, use a matte primer and setting powder. Research and use products that are long-wearing and those with a matte finish.

 

Throw Some Glitter On It

with Slo Lopez

Hi, Slo! Upon seeing the beauty concept and meeting the boys, was there a certain look you were excited to do on a each of the members? 

Slo: Yes, I was very excited because as a band they have such a strong visual identity that lends itself to really fun, creative makeup. I can't really isolate a single member that I was really excited to do the makeup on. It was very fun to play with the theme given each member's features and think about how to vary the looks per member so that it would suit their faces as well as be striking and well put together for the group photos.

 

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From skin prep down to the finishing touches, what products did you use to achieve the over-the-top glitter look that made it on our cover? Everyone's particularly curious about how you got the glitter to adhere so well!

 

BIODERMA Sensibio H2O, P93

DRUNK ELEPHANT Protini™ Polypeptide Cream, P4010

PHYSIOGEL AI Cream, P78

MEHRON ProFACE™ Makeup

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Glitter Adhesive

 

S: The skin prep was different per face but I started by generally cleansing the face with some Bioderma. Then I used a moisturizer: I used Drunk Elephant's Protini™ Polypeptide Cream if I felt the skin was oily and a richer moisturizer, the Physiogel AI Cream, if I felt the skin was dry. I then used a really thin coat of a demi-matte foundation all over just to even out the skin tone. Then I used concealer just on any blemishes and areas where the foundation didn't even out.

 

Then, I put a touch of blush––I actually used a theatrical cream paint from Mehron that's a kind of brownish pink color that is really just very natural looking––just to make the skin look a bit more alive. Then I contoured very casually around the cheekbones and nose bridge.

 

For the glitter, I patted down a fluid glitter base from Anastasia Beverly Hills then I used a fluffy brush to pick up the glitter and stick it to the sticky base. I prefer clear fluid glitter bases to more pasty ones because it's just more seamless and versatile. Hanna and I agreed on the shapes and placements for each face and each look as well so the group photos would be dynamic.

 

 

Do you have any recommendations on where our readers should go get their fill of glitter and shimmery makeup?

S: I get my glitter from everywhere to be honest. The bigger ones, I get from places like landmark and abroad. Daiso also occasionally has options––I prefer to use those on the face and not so near the eye. I also have eye-safe cosmetic glitter from brands like MAC, Make Up For Ever, BYS and J.Cat. There are also companies that make glitter pastes like Lemonhead LA that are available from Sephora. As for the beads, I just get them from clothing shops and sometimes the craft section in stores and in Divisoria. For safety, I always just make sure I use cosmetic grade glue and keep the bigger glitters away from the lash line.

 

I think when getting into kind of fun creative makeup it's really more about just looking at a product and thinking about all of the things you could do, versus having a look that you've seen and shopping to copy. The creative process is more about being organic and open to possibilities and being inspired by the tools you have; especially the one no one can take from you: your creative voice.

 

RELATED: Boys in Blush and Other Things Our Cover Shoot with Jason Dhakal Left Us Thinking About

 

 

Take to the ‘gram and follow Hanna and Slo for more insider tips. Oh, and if you haven't already, make sure to read through our August cover story featuring IV of Spades! 

 

 

Photography Ed Enclona

Art and Art Direction Alexandra Lara

Fashion Direction Nicole Blanco Ramos

Styling Danae Vernisse Dipon assisted by Justine Benitez

Beauty Direction Cessi Treñas

Grooming Hanna Pechon and Sylvina Lopez

Hair JA Feliciano

Production Wonder

Location Creativx Studio