Wu, a first-year student in the Department of Cosmetic Science, Vanung University, traveled with only his model (and against his parents’ wishes) to participate in the makeup contest, outshining participants from 13 countries and gaining a great deal of honor.

Wu is a sturdy man with rugged looks, but with a soft heart and skilled hands. People often have difficulty in reconciling his appearance with his achievements.

With such a clear-cut contrast between his appearance and his skills, and bearing the burden of his family’s expectations of him as their only child, Wu’s road towards a career as stylist had been a rocky one—until he gained the double championships.

“My mother is now willing to help me financially in progressing my career, and my father is more tolerant of the fact that I changed our guest room into a studio to store costumes and accessories.” And winning awards has brought another benefit—people are wanting to learn from him. He’s currently tutoring five hopefuls who are preparing for contests at home and abroad.

The foundation should be flawless; the highlighting should bring out the spirit in the eyes. The human face is like a canvas for the delicate creations that students complete under Wu’s tutelage.

Wu had no doubts about his choice of career even when he was in senior high school. He insisted on enrolling in a beauty treatment pathway at World Senior High School in Hsin­chu, and ignored his parents’ advice to take more “normal” courses such as advertising or art design. He’s always been interested in styling—drawing has been an interest since he was a child, and he has always had strong feelings for and ideas about color and arrangement.

In high school, he was already working part time in a hair salon in order to buy costumes and hair accessories to create new looks. He also worked part time in a café when he was a student at Hsin Sheng College of Medical Care and Management. In fact, he made a number of friends in the café who helped financially when he was preparing for the overseas contest, support for which he will always be grateful.

He needed to win so as not to disappoint his friends, so just before the contest he was under a great deal of stress, occasionally losing control of his emotions and crying. But he got through the preliminary rounds in Taipei, making it to the finals in Hong Kong. “My theme was Dreamy Sweetheart, a topic that has elements of youth, fashion, and sweetness.” Wu speaks of his creation with great vigor and enthusiasm.

In order to best display the boldness and magnificence of his creations, before the contest he designed a sumptuous evening gown, comprising a short dress with a long train at the back, which he had made by a costume company. Wu also made the exotic headwear, with special attention to details such as the appropriate placement of feathers and lace. To train for the makeup contest, where he would need to apply a complete makeup in 30 minutes, he practiced making up his model’s face seven times a day. With such frequent applications, “my model eventually suffered quite a lot of pain removing her makeup, and I ended up having to pay for her skin treatment.”

Although he was fully prepared for the competition, in the tense atmosphere he was so nervous that he had trouble holding the cosmetic pencil properly. “Luckily, my regular practice helped overcome my nerves, otherwise the result could have been disaster!”

“The key to applying beautiful makeup begins with a complete foundation, and then the careful use of eyeliner to highlight the eyes.” With the laurels of international championships behind him, Wu is happy to share the secrets of his success, patiently tutoring young hopefuls.

Wu says modestly that people who are highly skilled in applying makeup are not necessarily talented in a natural sense. Most very talented people probably end up becoming accountants or lawyers, but people who have a genuine interest in becoming good at something will practice and actively strive to seek success.

“I’m not talented—but I try my best.” Roger Cheng, who was a well-known makeup stylist for famous pop singers such as Leslie ­Cheung, is a model that Wu would like to emulate. Wu hopes to be able to launch a training college to provide opportunities for those who would like to build a career in this area. Winning championships is simply confirmation of his own career choices.