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Bold and beautiful, makeup artist Pong Niu reveals what truly matters in life

Iarrive a few minutes shy of our 9 AM call time. When I get to the studio, I find our subject for today, makeup artist Pong Niu, getting ready to prep her muse Cat Arambulo’s face. I’m a little embarrassed that they arrived before me, but they assure me that things have always been this way with them. Apparently, this was how the two developed a bond over the years. Both would arrive before the call time and would pass the time chatting while waiting for everyone else to arrive.

“I was represented by MAC back then and was assigned to work with Cat, who was the fashion director then of Channel V Philippines,” Niu shares. Since then, Arambulo would always request for the makeup artist, even reaching a point where she would rather not shoot if Niu was not there to do her makeup. “That’s the type of relationship we have,” Arambulo says. “She knew me as a person and was the only one who knew my face like the back of her hand. She even did my wedding!” True to her compliments, it is Niu’s professionalism—in addition to her obvious talent—that has caused her to remain as one of the industry’s gems.

Niu looks back to when it all began. “I used to work as a flight attendant and my husband wanted me to resign. I agreed but of course, as a woman with a strong personality, I wanted to do something for myself as well,” she shares. Her interest in the beauty industry started early, as she would describe herself as maarte, even back then. “There was a time I was working in Saudi and at the time, there was no internet. So magazines were my source of entertainment and inspiration. I’d read them from cover to cover. The beautiful looks led me to want to try makeup,” she says.

Before she knew it, Niu was at the top of her game, getting booked for projects and clients left and right. She never said no; she felt more invincible than ever. “I felt that I was superwoman. I would just go, go go,” she says. In 2015 however, the makeup artist was given a reality check when she underwent a health scare. “It didn’t really affect the nature of my career, but it was a wake-up call. It was prayer talaga that helped humble me, helped get me through it. I’ve really learned to count my blessings,” she shares solemnly.

Since then, she has grown to become more selective with her projects. “I have learned to edit and to assess which projects to take on. My relationship with God has made me realize that everything is according to His plan and that everything will happen in perfect time,” she says as she applies her signature smoky eye on Arambulo and later on, on herself.

As Niu expertly applies her eyeshadow, Arambulo goes on to share what she loves about working with her. “We usually go for strong eyes and overdrawn lips. But Pong also subtly experiments and pushes me to try new things. We’ve done freckles and falsies on the lower lash line. She makes me feel confident with any look we try on,” she shares.

These remarks are in line with Niu’s beauty philosophy: that true beauty starts from within. “I know it sounds so cliché, but it really is true,” she laughs. “With everything you do, find gratitude, even when your life isn’t perfect. Take the traffic in EDSA, for example. For all you know, there is a reason you’re delayed. So just sit back and enjoy,” she says with a knowing smile.