How make-up artist Hung Vanngo turned a crimson carpet energy playerYesterday

If Hung Vanngo is coming to your feast, you higher not be operating late. The sought-after make-up artist, most acknowledged for his work with celebrities akin to Julianne Moore, Selena Gomez and the Jennifers (Lawrence, Lopez, Aniston), can also be well-known for being extraordinarily punctual – within the uncommon case he’s not early for a job, his shoppers instantly begin to fear. “They’ll name me or my company as a result of they assume one thing is improper,” says Vanngo, laughing. (For the report, he units two alarms, and refuses to hit the snooze button.)

Maintaining an in depth eye on the clock comes with the territory when your work requires crossing time zones as usually as Vanngo does. When he’s not heading to locations akin to Brazil, Dubai, Singapore and Australia, he’s an everyday on crimson eye flights between Los Angeles and his residence in New York, getting his shoppers digicam prepared for every part from movie premieres and picture shoots to the Met Ball, and naturally the crimson carpet.

Just like accountants in April, superstar make-up artists work extra time throughout award season, which is historically bookended by the Golden Globes in January and the Academy Awards in March. For Vanngo, the superstar frenzy’s overlap with style month’s events and runway reveals in London, Paris and Milan, makes it the proper storm.

However the artist has weathered loads of these to get to the place he’s in his profession. The chaos doesn’t faze Vanngo – who additionally paints faces for editorials in magazines akin to Vogue and Elle and advert campaigns for luxurious manufacturers akin to Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin. “With a view to achieve success on this planet I’m in, it’s important to have well being, power and endurance,” he says, declaring that lots of people can’t cope with the extraordinary tempo. “My mother had six kids and is a single mom. I noticed how arduous she labored. I feel everybody in my household, all of us have that type of work ethic.”

Born in Vietnam, Vanngo started his profession in Canada, after a harrowing journey to get right here. Confronted with political turmoil and poor residing circumstances brought on by the Vietnam Warfare, his mom used the cash she had saved as much as put her three youngest kids – Vanngo and his sister and brother – on a tiny migrant boat. His mom, who stayed behind, thought her kids have been destined for the U.S., however issues didn’t go in line with plan, they usually ended up on the shores of Thailand, the place Vanngo and his siblings almost died strolling via a mudflat, earlier than locals got here to their rescue.

For the following three years, they lived in a Thai refugee camp the place they spent their nights sleeping on a concrete ground, unsure about their future. It wasn’t till a catastrophe reduction volunteer in Calgary noticed their {photograph} and determined to sponsor the youngsters that his mom’s dream began to come back to fruition. Vanngo and his siblings arrived in Canada shortly after.

As a teen, Vanngo remembers hanging out in his high-school library, studying again problems with style magazines. He was fascinated by the nineties supermodels, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen amongst them (each of whom he now counts as shoppers), and their beautiful faces, perfected by famed make-up artists akin to Kevyn Aucoin and Francois Nars.

He crammed notebooks with human faces, sketching cheekbones, lips and eyes, sharpening his expertise for a profession he didn’t but know he might pursue. After briefly going to hairstylist college, he labored at a neighborhood salon. However after taking part in with the cosmetics station on the salon, and practising on shoppers, he determined to pursue turning into a make-up artist.

He moved to Toronto in 2003, taking no matter jobs he might. Phrase of his expertise travelled, finally incomes him regular work with Holt Renfrew, Canadian style label Lida Baday and Flare journal. For a lot of, the success story would finish there. However Vanngo knew he wished to finish up in New York, and in 2006, after securing his visa, he made the leap. However that additionally meant beginning recent once more, in a metropolis the place the expertise pool was a lot bigger.

“You hear so many tales of make-up artists who transfer to New York after which transfer again as a result of they didn’t make it,” he says. “It’s important to make sacrifices.” When everybody else was working 5 days per week, Vanngo pushed himself to work seven. If he didn’t have a job booked, he’d be on standby, make-up package packed and prepared, in case his company referred to as searching for somebody to fill in when a extra established artist didn’t present up or was late. He did this all whereas flying to Toronto a number of instances a month for gigs together with his Canadian shoppers to assist pay for his residing bills.

His huge break was across the nook, although. In a full circle second, he ended up on a canopy shoot in 2009 with supermodel Helena Christensen for Numéro Tokyo journal, a a lot lauded publication amongst style insiders. On set he was launched to Vancouver-born hairstylist Harry Josh, who Vanngo has referred to as his guardian angel. Struck by Vanngo’s humility and keenness, Josh – already a pressure within the trade and the genius behind Gisele Bundchen’s beachy waves – turned a buddy and supporter, connecting him together with his community of photographers, fashions and stylists.

Since then, issues have modified lots within the occupation. For one factor, artists like Vanngo have change into virtually as well-known as their superstar shoppers, and as public, sharing their private lives on Instagram and TikTok. However Vanngo has been famously low key, preferring to remain behind the digicam for essentially the most half. It took some critical coaxing from mannequin associates akin to Karlie Kloss and Emily Ratajkowski and the isolation of the pandemic, for Vanngo to lastly launch his YouTube channel – @hungvanngo – in 2021.

In his inaugural video, filmed in Ratajkowski’s condo throughout considered one of many lockdowns, the mannequin appears to soften at Vanngo’s contact. “I haven’t had my make-up accomplished in ages,” she sighs, as he calmly presses and massages hydrating serums and lotions into her pores and skin, a Vanngo signature, just like the pristine black baseball cap he wears in each tutorial. Imagine it or not, these magic palms have been one of many causes Vanngo was so digicam shy within the first place. After filming an audition tape for an enormous magnificence contract, the model turned him down. “They mentioned ‘we love Hung, we love his make-up and his character, however his palms are a bit too huge for the digicam,’” he remembers.

Happily, for his half 1,000,000 subscribers, he didn’t let that criticism cease him from sharing his step-by-step tutorials and wonder knowledge, all delivered in a voice as smooth and exact as the fragile brushes he wields.

Now that his YouTube channel is off the bottom, he has ambitions to do extra, akin to launching his personal magnificence line. However the surprising loss of life of a buddy just lately has given him some perspective about prioritizing his well being and saying no extra usually, as arduous as it’s. “This 12 months I have to make extra room for myself,” he says.

After not having the ability to see his mom and siblings throughout the pandemic in any respect, final 12 months he went residence to Vietnam a number of instances, together with a visit in August for an enormous reunion. And when he’s not there, he has his work household, a close-knit group of associates together with famend style stylist Kate Younger and Gomez, who threw Vanngo a shock celebration on set this previous December, the place everybody serenaded him in customized crimson sweatshirts together with his title emblazoned on the entrance.

An early consumer, Gomez was additionally with him on some of the vital nights of his life again in 2017, presenting him with InStyle journal’s Make-up Artist of the 12 months award, together with his mom wanting on within the crowd.

Secrets and techniques of his success

Berocca: When in Europe, the style crowd shares up on this vitamin C-rich power complement that’s arduous to seek out in North America. “If I’m travelling lots, I take it each morning once I get up, particularly if I’m drained or not feeling my finest.”

Hydration on repeat: “I don’t drink something apart from water, and I reside on smoothies,” Vanngo says. “After I need to be actually wholesome, I make the inexperienced smoothie recipe Julianne Moore gave me.”

Harry Josh Professional Instruments Professional Make-up Wave Setting Clips: These clips from Vanngo’s shut pal (and fellow Canadian) superstar hairstylist Harry Josh are excellent for protecting hair off the face whereas he’s making use of make-up.

Podcasts and audiobooks: Vanngo’s in-flight leisure consists of catching up on Excessive Low with EmRata, hosted by longtime consumer and buddy Emily Ratajkowski, Fats Mascara for magnificence trade information, or What’s Up to date Now? for interviews with leaders in style, artwork and design. He additionally listens to audiobooks by poet and religious chief Thich Nhat Hanh.

Jonathan Adler Cannabis Ceramic Candle: To make his resort room really feel extra like residence, “I at all times attempt to deliver a candle with me,” says Vanngo. This one is a mix of black currant, inexperienced apple and patchouli notes.