TV host and now Internet sensation Paolo Ballesteros has tried doing drag makeup on other people, but he hasn’t pulled it off yet. But when he uses his face as canvas, wow!
Ballesteros has been posting his celebrity makeup transformations on Instagram for quite a while now, and it’s taken the international press this long to pick it up.
He is trending on social media, after being featured on Cosmpolitan US’s website, which was then picked up by Buzzfeed, and now everyone from NBC’s The Today Show to Tyra Banks is taking notice.
Five months ago, our friends over at Manila Bulletin‘s Lifestyle section, always ahead of the curve, sat Ballesteros down and asked him to transform himself into evil Maleficent. It took the TV host two hours to do his own makeup.
It’s in that photo shoot and interview with Eugene Y. Santos that we learn the following things about Ballesteros:
1. He grew up in an artistically inclined family. “I used to draw as a child and I initially wanted to take up Fine Arts in college. My father, who is an artist, advised me against it because it’s not every day that you can sell an artwork.”
2. He initially studied architecture but shifted to mass communications. “I switched to Mass Communication, and then acting and TV hosting came along.”
3. He is related to a famous actress and artist “When I first tried copying Angelina Jolie, I looked like my aunt, the actress Eula [Amorsolo] Valdez.” Paolo is the great-grandson of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.
4. It was ‘Super Sireyna’ that inspired him. “As a host for Eat Bulaga, I saw how some contestants in ‘Super Sireyna’ did their own makeup to do these various impersonations of celebrities. One day, I gave it a shot. I watched videos on YouTube to teach myself about makeup. It also helped that doing this became sort of a requirement for our performances on TV.”
5. Makeup is his ‘art’. “It also feels good because since I didn’t pursue drawing professionally, my hands found another creative avenue through makeup.”
Ballesteros uses makeup to transform himself into Marilyn Monroe. Video: Parazzi Hotshot
Ballesteros’ tip to those who would like to do their own makeup transformations? “When it comes to doing impersonation makeup, the smallest details really matter. For example, we all know that Angelina Jolie has plump lips, but there are also details such as the lip line on the middle that you have to consider if you really want to look like her.”
Click here to see Manila Bulletin’s slideshow of Paolo Ballesteros’ transformation into Maleficent.
Photo: Paolo Ballesteros as Maleficent via Manila Bulletin
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