TRICK OR TREAT?
Make-up and special effects artist Sarah Suyom brings the Halloween game to a whole new level with her skill and creativity
During the Halloween season, costume parties are everywhere. In some companies and schools, the scariest and the most convincing Halloween look is even given a prize. And so, nowadays people do not just grab anything they can get from their wardrobe and make up kit to complete the look. People are more competitive now.
In Davao City, Sarah Suyom is a make-up and special effects artist that had been tapped by many companies and individuals now to complete their scary look perfect to complement their costume. In an interview with Suyom, she said being a visual artist runs in their family. She grew up with sisters who also paint and sketch. As a kid, she had also enjoyed doing that as well.
“Being a make-up artist is really an accidental career. I didn’t plan that I will be a make-up artist because I’m not that a kikay really. But I do enjoy make-up on other people,” said Suyom in an interview with SunStar Davao.
Aside from painting and sketching, she had also enjoyed paper mache and other makeup and special effects experimentation that had helped her be known in her craft. Not a lot of people and artist in Davao City venture in this industry.
During the chance interview with Suyom, we were lucky enough to be shown with different types of special effects make-up: a frozen zombie and a gory face filled with safety pins.
“Her look is inspired by a frozen zombie. She is still a pretty zombie which is actually really nice because sometimes you are torn between going for gore or going for beauty look. But with this one, she’s still a very pretty zombie. I used blue and green to neutralize red so it would really look like she’s “dead” and frozen and showed the veins with blue and purple colors. What made it really glam, even though she’s a zombie, are the glitters! It made everything so much better. Ironically, it puts “life” to the deadness of the zombie. So it makes the look unique,” she explained.
As for the gore look, she said it is very much related to paper mache while she used fake blood, old lipstick, and some eyeshadow. Suyom said as much as she can, the Halloween make up she does is different from the previous ones she does. Every creation is unique. She said this is where the fun begins as her creativity and imagination is tweaked.
“This one is a very classic gore look. The idea is a part of her bloodied face is filled with safety pins. So it seems like her skin was ripped off. It looks like her face was peeled off and the remaining skin, coming apparently from somebody else, is being glued to her face. The secret here is just really covering some parts with liquid latex and cotton and tissue and goring up everything else with old lipsticks, fake blood, a bit of face paint, eye shadow, making sure that a particular area is separated with foundation so the colors of the inner side would really pop out,” explained Suyom of her gore make-up creation.
For years now, Suyom does zombie, broken porcelain doll, fantasy, supernatural, and gore Halloween look among others. Her craft had improved over time with her self-taught and self-acquired abilities and new tactics by getting inspired by the posts and videos she sees online.
Aside from special effects make-up, Suyom also does glam make-up for special occasions such as weddings, pre-nuptial shoot, debut, and other similar events.
For bookings and inquiries, Sarah Suyom’s studio is located at Shop 10, 2nd floor Pelayo Bldg., 1107 Camus Ext. Davao City. She can also be reached through her Facebook page Beauty Express by Sarah Suyom.