Nate Javier shares how precision and polish can turn bold beauty into something that feels powerful, not performative.

PHOTOGRAPHY Kevin Gonzales
CREATIVE DIRECTION Paolo Chua
STYLING Markarvin

What was your first memory of makeup or beauty?
My first memory of makeup... Lady Gaga. I think that was 2009, the &ldquo;Paparazzi&rdquo; era. In the music video, she had really nice eyeliner on. So, I stole eyeliner from my mother&rsquo;s makeup kit and tried to copy Lady Gaga&rsquo;s eyeliner.
Was there a moment when you realized makeup could be yours, not just something for others?
I feel like [that happened] when I started to see that I could become a makeup artist. That was when I started working on it and making it my own via art. It was a form of art for me. Then I started practicing on my classmates and slowly developed a style.

Did anyone ever tell you that makeup wasn&rsquo;t &ldquo;for you&rdquo;? How did you respond?
Well, at first, my dad was hesitant. Actually, the whole of my dad&rsquo;s side of the family, they weren&rsquo;t supportive of my love for makeup. They wanted me to be a lawyer, a doctor, etc. Thankfully, my mom was neutral about it, because she was also a makeup artist. So, she said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a hard job,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;It can&rsquo;t provide for your lifestyle, but if you want to try it as a job, you can go for it.&rdquo; So that was how supportive she was. When I started earning enough and stopped getting allowance from my dad, that was when he slowly realized, &ldquo;Oh, he&rsquo;s doing okay for himself.&rdquo;
What did you have to unlearn about beauty?
For me, beauty would always mean super glamorous, elaborate and intricate [styles], but now I find beauty in the simplest makeup looks &mdash; similar to how in life, the simplest things are sometimes the most beautiful. What makes something beautiful is how you appreciate it, how you see it. It&rsquo;s not exactly the thing itself that&rsquo;s beautiful, but your view of it, your appreciation of it. And it&rsquo;s the same with makeup. Even if there&rsquo;s not a lot of makeup, if you appreciate it a lot, then it&rsquo;s beautiful.

How does makeup change the way you move and the way you carry yourself?
It&rsquo;s a tool for me to bring out my confidence. My confidence is not reliant on makeup, but I know that I stand a little taller, I smile a little bit brighter when I have my makeup on, because I know that I look good.
Is there a color, texture or style that feels tied to your personal story?
I get the most compliments on my base makeup on myself and my work as a makeup artist. I love base makeup. I spend the most time perfecting the base and I&rsquo;ve explored a lot of different techniques when it comes to it.
When it comes to beauty, what does &ldquo;maximalism&rdquo; mean to you?
Maximalism, for me, is drag because I don&rsquo;t wear a lot of makeup every day. So, if you ask me about maximalism in beauty, I want the extremes.

If you could show your younger self this version of you, what would you want him to see?
I would want him to see that his interest and desire to chase his dreams have paid off. He has made a career out of it, and then he has made a career out of not just makeup, but himself, becoming a personality because of makeup, and then now he is a personality beyond makeup. So, keep chasing your dream!
What do you hope people feel when they see your work, beyond whether they like it or not?
I always get flattered when people recognize the makeup I do because my signature style is there. It&rsquo;s very, very natural, but, like, there&rsquo;s a little oomph there. It&rsquo;s very clean, but it always fits for the event or the outfit. It&rsquo;s always harmonious with the face of the person.

MAKEUP Nate Javier
HAIR Patty Cristobal
PHOTOGRAPHER&rsquo;S ASSISTANT Giancarlo Dimalanta

Face Value: Nate Javier

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