Bretman Rock talks to us about repping Filipino culture as an influencer and the first makeup he ever bought
Let’s be real, with the number of beauty influencers out there, it’s hard to figure out just who is worthy of the follow button. But in a sea of a thousand perfectly beat faces, Bretman Rock stands out. The Hawaii-born vlogger is not only talented at makeup, with a magnetic, hilarious personality that has attracted over 9 million Instagram followers to his feed, but he’s also a major inspiration to the Filipino community. This is something that personally resonates with me. Filipinos are highly underrepresented in social spaces like the entertainment, fashion, and beauty industries, so it’s inspiring to see Bretman making waves while keeping his highlighter poppin‘ and his contour on point.
Bretman has worked with brands like Morphe and Ole Henriksen, and we know he’s only going to nab even more opportunities. Who wouldn’t want to collab with Bretman? Luckily for us, we got to chat with Bretman about his very specific daily skin care routine, repping Filipino culture, and the beauty idol he’s always looked up to.
But first, a fun fact: Bretman’s name was literally inspired by the wrestlers Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (seriously, how cool is that?).
HelloGiggles: How did you first get into beauty?
Bretman Rock: I knew I was going to love or be doing beauty when I would watch my grandmother get ready for church. It was a cool process to watch how makeup would make her feel when she put it on, and the confidence it gave her. I remember the four lipsticks she used to have. I also would help my grandmother apply her blush. I got into beauty when I was about four or five years old.
HG: Do you remember what the first makeup product you bought was?
BR: The first product I bought with my own money, that I didn’t steal from my mom, was the Jordana Eyebrow Duo because my eyebrows were the only thing I used to do. Once my eyebrows were on, Bretman Rock was on. It was a Jordana Eyebrow Duo, shade #4, and it was $3.99 ($4.07 with tax). I would get this at Longs Drugs — third column, second row of the store. I remember where it was because it was such a small product and I would always lose it so I would always have someone else buy it for me.
HG: Walk us through your daily skin care routine.
BR: When I wake up, I drink a glass of water to get some H2O in my system, because when you go to bed, that’s about 8 hours of not drinking water. I drink my water first then gather my thoughts, wake myself up, like, “Bret, you’re going to kill today.” Skin care routines are a vibe and how you feel inside. If I have water and confidence, then my skin is poppin’.
Skin care-wise, I turn on the faucet and wait for it to get warm. I start with three splashes of warm water, then lather up the soap in my hands first, with my hands being clean. I clean my hands first then lather the soap. I rub that around my face for about 30 seconds, and then I wash it off with two splashes of warm water, then I use cold water to close my pores. Then I take a paper towel, just to be sanitary, because if you use the same rag towel to dry your face every day, that is disgusting. Pat the paper towels on your face, and pat, do not drag your face because dragging your face will cause wrinkles. Depending if I shave my face that day or not, I would spray this tea tree and let it dry. Then I use my La Mer moisturizer. I of course love the new Cold Plunge Pore Mask from Ole Henriksen. I’m also a huge fan of their C-Rush Brightening Gel Crème and Banana Bright Eye Crème because they’re amazing to prep your skin before makeup. They all smell so good too!
HG: Because of beauty vloggers like yourself, men are being more accepted as beauty idols. What are your feelings on that?
BR: I just feel like, “Damn, I’m doing my job!” If people look up to me now because I’m a boy in makeup, then I’m doing my job.
HG: Asians are underrepresented in the beauty industry, and Filipinos more so. How do you feel about representing Pinoys in beauty?
BR: I feel great to show the beauty of Filipinos (they are some of the brightest people in the world) because we are underrated and have the stereotype of being poor or ugly, especially in Asia. I want to prove that Filipinos can do things just the same as others, if not better — and cuter.
HG: What beauty advice have you learned from your mom?
BR: My mom was never really into makeup, she only wore mascara, blush, or lipstick. She taught me to never sleep with my makeup on and the importance of moisturizing. She moisturizes a lot, she’s 60 and you would never even know.
HG: Who are some of your beauty idols from the past and present?
BR: I’ve really always admired Pat McGrath, my number-one beauty idol makeup-wise, growing up. I remember watching old Hollywood films when living with my dad. Since we didn’t have TV, we would always play old movies on VHS and wait for the credits to see who did everyone’s makeup. Pat McGrath was doing a lot of people’s makeup. And then, one day I was watching an infomercial when I was six or seven, and Pat McGrath was in it showing how to put lipstick on. I loved how she carried herself and spoke about the products. She made me feel like she was putting the lipstick on me, and I said to myself, “Damn, I’m going to do makeup…this is my calling.”
Watch Bretman’s hilar video with Ole Henriksen below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdJZSLZNfg?feature=oembed
