W​ith a combination of natural talent, creative ability and luck, Preng Sam Ath Vinarak works as a hair and make-up artist at Cindy Salon.

After five hears of being a make-up artist, Vinarak said that he is very satisfied with his job. He is particularly happy when his customers admire his talent and skills in makeup design. He has done makeup for events such as jewellery exhibitions, fashion shows, and photo shoots. One day, he hopes to open his own salon.

“We try to understand what [customers] want to make them happy with the style of makeup, so they may see themselves as beautiful,” said Vinarak.

Vinarak began his beauty career when he got a chance to study with a Dior makeup artist professional in Thailand for four months before studying hair colouring in Vietnam.

In order to provide the best looks to his customers, Vinarak said that he has to stay up to date with all styles of fashion while also using his own creativity.

“The point is that sometimes we have to get some ideas from famous international fashion magazines for new styles, and then we mix them with our own creative ideas in order to bring out a new style for our customers. But we have to make sure that the style is acceptable and not too much.”

The customer, of course, must also explain to Vinarak what they want.

“Before I give my customers makeup, I always ask how they will dress and their favourite styles, whether they favour the sexy face or natural look so that I can give them a look that they like.”

Vinarak said that he has noticed that most customers prefer the natural look these days.

“The customer needs soft makeup so that when they walk outside they will not feel shy, and think that their face is naturally beautiful. Then we need to take care about their face shape, and the amount of powder we apply on their face. If there is no bad point that we need to hide, the best way of bringing out the natural look is to use less liquid foundation as much as we can and apply it by using our hands.”

Throughout his daily work, Vinarak said there are not many difficulties. Sometimes, however, he must spend a lot of time with customers who have bad skin conditions.

“If they have a lot of acne or a black spot on their face, we need to take care by hiding it and, once again, make our customer feel their natural beauty, and not just the thick powder on their face.”