A wedding can take months, sometimes years, to plan. There are venues to book, dresses to fit, flowers to arrange and countless details to settle before the big day finally arrives.
Then comes the moment the bride sits in front of the mirror.
After all the preparation, it is often the final look that makes everything feel real. The excitement is there, sometimes accompanied by a little anxiety, as she waits to see herself ready for one of the most photographed days of her life.
Behind that moment are the makeup artists who arrive before everyone else, set up their kits and spend hours making sure every detail comes together.
Cebuano makeup artist Raisa Jan Bercede has spent more than a decade working in that space, starting with local shoots and eventually taking her brushes to destination weddings around the Philippines and abroad.
When VoxPop first featured Bercede in 2015, she was four years into her professional makeup career. Even then, she was drawn to makeup that enhanced rather than changed a person’s features, describing her style as clean, fresh and focused on the eyes.
More than a decade later, that philosophy remains at the center of her work, particularly in bridal makeup.
“Like every story, my makeup career had its own shares of highs and challenging lows. I won’t lie, there were moments I doubted if I was good enough. But looking back, I’m so grateful for each and every experience, good or bad. The whole journey has been nothing short of lovely,” she said.
The years have brought her into some of her clients’ happiest moments, while also giving her friendships that have lasted alongside her career.
“I got to be a part of some of the happiest moments of my clients’ lives. I learned a lot with every setback and mistake. I met so many wonderful people along the way, and many of them stayed to become really good friends.”
She credits people who believed in her from the beginning, including Kryz Uy, Danessa Onglato, Karen Tan and Rizbelle Ostrea.
“I’m blessed with people who believed in me since day one, people like Kryz Uy, Danessa Onglato, Karen Tan, Rizbelle Ostrea and so many more. Ladies who were there for me early on in my makeup career and here we are 15 years later and I’m still doing their makeup!”
From makeup artist to bridal specialist
“A few years after I started doing makeup for a living, around 2013 to 2014, I began getting regular inquiries from soon-to-be brides who wanted me to do their makeup for their big day. Of course, I was thrilled!”
She quickly learned that bridal carried a different kind of responsibility.
“I love doing makeup for everyone, but doing a bride’s makeup on her wedding day is a different kind of special. For a makeup artist, bridal is kind of the next level.”
That trust remains one of the things she values most about the work.
“And it still humbles me every time. It’s so flattering, and it makes me proud that on the biggest day of her life, a bride would entrust her look to me.”
That responsibility is what drives her to create what she calls her signature “Raisa Bercede Timeless Classic look.”
“That trust is exactly why I work so hard. A wedding day easily becomes one of the happiest memories a woman carries for the rest of her life, and she deserves nothing less than to look back on it and love what she sees. So I always try to give her my signature Raisa Bercede Timeless Classic look.”
Beyond the Cebu wedding
Her bridal bookings eventually moved beyond Cebu, beginning with destination weddings in Boracay, Bohol, Palawan and other local destinations.
Her first major overseas booking came in New York for a prenup shoot with Karen Tan. The trip led to another opportunity when Shiny Sepulveda reached out after hearing that Bercede was in the United States.
“Also during that same trip, word got around that I was in the States so I got a call from another client Shiny Sepulveda to do her makeup for her wedding in Los Angeles! I was happy to oblige and fly out to LA. After that, the inquiries for international bookings started to stream in quite regularly.”
The glamour of destination weddings, however, comes with plenty of work that rarely makes it into the photographs.
Her kit includes makeup, lights and a mirror, while wedding-day call times can begin as early as 3 a.m. In the early years, Bercede handled everything herself.
“I didn’t start out with an assistant or a team, so I did everything myself: setup, hair, makeup, all of it! You really have to plan ahead and manage your time in order to finish on schedule.”
Today, she works with a core team of Bercede Makeup assistants whom she personally trains.
“Having a team helps make the whole load lighter and a more fun experience overall.”
Natural, but built to last
“Yes, the trend is definitely moving away from heavy makeup to a more natural ‘no makeup makeup’ look. Looking back at my own work when I was starting out, there is a noticeable difference. The look back then was more structured and defined. I think over the years the definition of ‘natural makeup’ has evolved.”
Social media has given brides more references to bring into the makeup chair, but not every viral look translates the same way in person.
Her role, she said, is to find the balance between a bride’s inspiration and a look that will remain beautiful beyond the current trend.
“As a makeup artist you are both creative and a professional at the same time, so a lot of effort has to be poured into balancing between what the bride wants and delivering a classic bridal finish that would survive shifting trends.”
That idea of longevity is central to her signature style.
“The whole idea behind my Raisa Bercede Signature Bridal Look is best encapsulated by the words ‘timeless classic.’ Timeless means it doesn’t fade with the years. Classic means it stays elegant and natural, never loud, never trying too hard.”
Trends may change, but wedding photographs remain.
“I always encourage my brides to stick with this on their wedding day, because trends come and go, but your wedding photos are forever. Ten, twenty, thirty years from now, you’ll still be looking at them.” Her ideal outcome is simple: a bride who still loves what she sees years later.
Keeping the signature
The beauty industry that Bercede works in today is far different from the one she entered more than a decade ago. Social media has accelerated trends, changed how clients find inspiration and introduced new ideas of what beauty should look like.
“With social media, I’ll admit I sometimes feel the pressure to follow trendier looks. But I’ve realized people come to me for my personal style, and that’s what they love, so I just stay true to that and incorporate new trends here and there while keeping everything natural.”
Her philosophy, however, has remained steady.
“At the end of the day, no amount of social media algorithms will ever change my mission: don’t change, just enhance. Make the client feel confident in their own skin.”
The makeup may be what people notice first, but Bercede believes longevity in the industry also depends on what happens beyond the brush.
“What keeps you long in this industry isn’t just how good you are at makeup, but your attitude and professionalism with everyone. I always treat people fairly, no matter their status in life.”
More than a decade ago, Bercede told VoxPop that good makeup skills were only part of building a lasting career. Just as important, she said, was treating everyone with kindness. Today, that lesson remains as relevant to her as it was when she was just starting out.