Selena Gomez’s Makeup Artist, Hung Vanngo, On What You Should Never Do When Working With Celebs
"I could lie and say, ‘I walk on the street and look at a tree and I find inspiration,’ but I don’t. The person in my chair is my inspiration."
Celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo is quickly becoming a household name, thanks to some A-list clients (think Selena Gomez, Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajowski, Olivia Munn) and a massive social media following (845,000 followers on Instagram alone).
Last week, the Canadian makeup artist (yup! Vanngo was born in Vietnam and later moved to Calgary) was in his hometown for the opening of Canada’s third Saks Fifth Avenue location, Saks Calgary, where he talked about his career path and the best advice he has for up-and-coming makeup artists who want to work with A-list celebs.
Read the interview with Hung Vanngo below!
What is one of your favourite memories of your time working in Calgary?
There are a lot of good memories. I used to do a lot of local mall shows, and I miss that. I think Saks Calgary should do shows like that here because I think that encourages people to get out of the house and come to the store. I think it’s amazing.
What advice would you give to junior makeup artists and assistants who are on set with celebrities?
Assistants have to learn to turn their phones off. That’s key. If you want to work with celebrities, it’s the number one thing. Everyone I work with has to sign an NDA. You can’t post and talk about everyone openly like that, because celebrities still have a private life.
Where do you get inspiration for the looks you do?
I could lie and say, ‘I walk on the street and look at a tree and I find inspiration,’ but I don’t. The person in my chair is my inspiration. I usually work with the face in my chair, and I think that’s most important. You have to find the subject in your chair inspiring.
In terms of colour, I usually base it on the outfit that the talent is going to wear. Sometimes you don’t know until the day of, right before they go on the red carpet.
Would you ever start a look and take it all off and start all over again out of frustration?
Maybe at the beginning of my career. But now I’m pretty decisive.
How did you place yourself in the right place to get so much word-of-mouth business?
I’m not the type of person to go out to meet the right person to get a job. I appreciate everyone who’s given me the opportunity and I always want to do the best makeup for the client and you only hope the client will refer you to a friend, but you can’t expect or assume that people will do that.
When you were starting out, were you reaching out to people and offering to do makeup?
In Calgary, when I was working at the salon, I did call Kelly [Streit] and I kept calling and calling and leaving messages. I think being proactive is important, but I think sometimes when you’re too pushy it’s a turn-off, too.
Photography by Phil Crozier for Saks Fifth Avenue
Photography by Phil Crozier for Saks Fifth Avenue
Photography by Phil Crozier for Saks Fifth Avenue
Photography by Phil Crozier for Saks Fifth Avenue
Photography by Phil Crozier for Saks Fifth Avenue
 and a massive social media following (845,000 followers on Instagram alone).
Last week, the Canadian makeup artist (yup! Vanngo was born in Vietnam and later moved to Calgary) was in his hometown for the opening of Canada's third Saks Fifth Avenue location, Saks Calgary, where he talked about his career path and the best advice he has for up-and-coming makeup artists who want to work with A-list celebs.
Read the interview with Hung Vanngo below!
What is one of your favourite memories of your time working in Calgary?
There are a lot of good memories. I used to do a lot of local mall shows, and I miss that. I think Saks Calgary should do shows like that here because I think that encourages people to get out of the house and come to the store. I think it’s amazing.
What advice would you give to junior makeup artists and assistants who are on set with celebrities?
Assistants have to learn to turn their phones off. That’s key. If you want to work with celebrities, it’s the number one thing. Everyone I work with has to sign an NDA. You can’t post and talk about everyone openly like that, because celebrities still have a private life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfPJOC7hvKA/?hl=en&taken-by=hungvanngo
Where do you get inspiration for the looks you do?
I could lie and say, ‘I walk on the street and look at a tree and I find inspiration,’ but I don’t. The person in my chair is my inspiration. I usually work with the face in my chair, and I think that’s most important. You have to find the subject in your chair inspiring.
In terms of colour, I usually base it on the outfit that the talent is going to wear. Sometimes you don’t know until the day of, right before they go on the red carpet.
Would you ever start a look and take it all off and start all over again out of frustration?
Maybe at the beginning of my career. But now I’m pretty decisive.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BembgtCAgfn/?hl=en&taken-by=hungvanngo
How did you place yourself in the right place to get so much word-of-mouth business?
I’m not the type of person to go out to meet the right person to get a job. I appreciate everyone who’s given me the opportunity and I always want to do the best makeup for the client and you only hope the client will refer you to a friend, but you can’t expect or assume that people will do that.
When you were starting out, were you reaching out to people and offering to do makeup?
In Calgary, when I was working at the salon, I did call Kelly [Streit] and I kept calling and calling and leaving messages. I think being proactive is important, but I think sometimes when you’re too pushy it’s a turn-off, too.
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