Hi Kris, 
May nakita kong pic same ng sa folio mo, not sure baka apprentice mo. Same kayo ng pic.. Sa exhibit ko nakita.

with a link to this photo:

 I let out a big “WHAT THE HELL?! AKIN ‘TO!” to the surprise of my students, and I showed them the photo above and the same photo of Barbie, the model,  in my website:

My makeup work was plagiarized by this certain DF and she put it in her tarpaulin during the Weddings & Beyond wedding fair last January. How she was able to print it that big, I have no idea. I don’t upload hi-res photos of my portfolio, so this girl must be desperate.

Admittedly and weirdly enough, the first emotion that went over me was kilig. Kilig that my work is good enough to be ripped off by a pseudo-makeup artist, kilig that I got to experience firsthand the cliche “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”.

That flattered feeling was short lived though, as it immediately turned to the more proper emotion of anger. Who is stupid enough to do this? How dare she steal something that I worked so hard for? What do I do now?

ON PLAGIARISM

Upon investigating her profile, she claims that she’s a part time professor in Ateneo de Manila University. A teacher from my very own alma mater who plagiarizes? Unbelievable. Let me tell you one of the very first things I learned when I studied in Ateneo. In my freshman year, one of the rules that my English teacher emphasized to us is zero tolerance on plagiarism. She told us of an incident where the English Department revoked a degree of a graduate when they learned that s/he plagiarized a part of her paper, years after s/he graduated. I certainly didn’t want that to happen to me, and for the four years I was in college, I never dared to pass off someone else’s work as mine.

And we all know what happened to Manny V. Pangilinan. When people found out that his commencement speech in Ateneo’s graduation rites 2 years ago was ripped off from parts of Oprah’s and Obama’s speeches, MVP took full responsibility of the incident and immediately resigned as Chairman of Ateneo. Some said it wasn’t really his fault and the speechwriters were to blame, that people’s call for his resignation was a drastic punishment. Still, for such a powerful man, rules are rules. No to plagiarism.

From these two incidents, I learned that plagiarism is and should never be taken lightly. So when my own makeup work was ripped off so a lazy makeup artist can profit from it, I was positively livid. If this happened to Kevyn Aucoin, he would have probably risen from the dead and stabbed the girl to death with dull eyebrow tweezers.

ON PRACTICE

A single photo was stolen, but this photo speaks volumes of the hardwork put in not just by me, but by all the artists who collaborated to produce this photo. Heck, I even have a whole blog entry to prove that this is my work and to explain the process on how this photo came about. So for DF to simply pluck this photo from my site  and to Photoshop it under her fancy logo was not just an insult to me, the makeup artist, but also to photographer Stan Ong, model Barbie Salvador, and hairstylist Dimple Callada, all of whom allotted their expertise for a day to pull this off. Even though this just took a day to do, expertise comes with years of experience, and years of experience means years of practice.

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell introduces to us the 10,000 Hour Rule of practice. This rule states that success in any field is a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of 10,000 hours. I roughly calculated, and I probably have almost 5,000 hours tucked under my makeup brush belt. After reading this book and learning of this rule, it just made the perfect sense to me. I am a fan of practice. No, I am obsessed with practice. I think my 16 years of experience in dance taught me that there are no short cuts to practicing to perfection, you have to clock in your hours, day after day. This mindset of doing things obsessively over and over again carried over to my work as a makeup artist, where I need to do things obsessively over and over again on an almost daily basis to produce quality work.

So going back to that plagiarized photo, seeing that felt like someone snuck off several hours from my hard earned practice. How dare DF steal and profit from my 10,000-hour goal easily? It took me a year and a half since I first studied makeup before I plunged into bridal work. Why? I wanted to be sure that I have practiced enough, such that I can guarantee my bridal clients will definitely look and feel their best on their big day. So even though it’s just one photo, I am definitely not taking it lightly. It speaks of almost 5,000 hours of makeup practice for me as opposed to the 15 minutes Diamond spent on comfortably browsing thru my website and picking this photo to peddle her services.

ON PAKIKISAMA

I happen to belong to an industry where pretty much everyone knows everyone. As long as marunong kang makisama, have acceptable talent and speak a bit of gay lingo, you will get along with everyone in the makeup industry and will be treated as a friend and not as a competitor. After all, I would never have known about this if not for another makeup artist’s initiative. And when I posted this incriminating photo on Facebook naturally everyone, especially my co-makeup artists, cried foul. Within a few hours it was shared rapidly online and DF was deservedly called different versions of tanga, because any working makeup artist would obviously be appalled by this act.

It was specifically because of this pakikisama also that we learned her deception was on a bigger scale. One of my friends commented on my post, “May album pa talaga siya na “My Brides” ah” with a link to her supposed bridal portfolio:

My photo was again there, and while browsing through the photos of other brides, I instantly recognized the first photo. Wait a minute. I’ve seen this before. It was so familiar to me, I know I’ve seen it years ago. I racked my brain and tried to remember where I saw it, and in an instant it hit me– it’s Cherry Pacheco’s work! I sent Cherry the link and she confirmed right away that it’s hers. And then Pearl, owner of Dollface Cosmetics, sent me a message saying that she did reverse image search in Google (how do you do that exactly?) and found out that the two other photos were ripped off from Wenwen Zaspa and Carmel Villongco. So her bridal portfolio is a mishmash of 4 makeup artists’ works. As my friend said, “I know good artists copy and great artists steal… but this is just plain crap.”

By then I can’t even explain exactly what I thought of this whole thing. Never, and I mean NEVER, in my short career as a makeup artist have I ever contemplated on stealing from other makeup artists’ works. First because I respect them and treat them as friends, second because I know how hard it is to build a solid portfolio, third because  it is a small world and you are bound to get caught eventually, and fourth because doing so is just plain stupid.

THE APOLOGY

So of course within a matter of hours word got to DF, and she sent me a personal message through Facebook. She said she was “truly truly sorry” from her heart for her shortcoming, no reason or justification for what she did. Can I be the kind-hearted person that she thinks of me and forgive her? Ok na sana eh, but her apology came with the disclaimer that “I’m a technical person and makeup artistry is just a hobby, I will never make it as a career.” As if that makes it okay to plagiarize? Isn’t plagiarism a universal sin, both in the technical and non-technical world? And if this is just a hobby, then why even bother joining a big wedding fair and be desperate enough to book weddings that you’ll rip off others’ works?

Call me crazy, but I accepted her apology and I thought that was the end of it. I wanted to let go of everything, until she replied back to me, which made me question her own sanity:

Thank you very much for accepting my apology Kris, it means so much to me, I humble myself, and yes it’s true it’s just my hobby believe it or not. I would like to take pride in the wealth that I have in my own right and enjoying right now from my corporate career, even teaching Operations Management combined Statistics (a 5-unit subject in ADMU) is just my hobby … I don’t really need them Kris, I work for a petroleum company I’m a very technical person it doesn’t show though if you see me in person  come to my office at 6750 and you’ll know what I mean. I joined the exhibit because a friend, who happens to be a coordinator of that event, is my friend and to tell you honestly I didn’t have a picture ready for the tarp so I was forced to choose one from the internet and had it printed for the tarp and since I didn’t have a ready portfolio at that time a friend suggested I pick some photos from the net only for that event, my mistake I didn’t remove the album right away… but still that doesn’t justify everything I did so I’m so sorry. 

I have a favor, please consider, if you can just delete or hide your post so there would be no further damage to any of us, it’s serious defamation I already showed it to my lawyer earlier and we are monitoring through a friend of yours (you see fb is not really friendly at all, your own friends traced the viral post, contacted me thru my mobile phone and shared the link of your post that’s why I knew about it early afternoon) and we printed copies of the posts of different people who called me names, who don’t even know me and yet they judged me from one unfortunate circumstance, me and my lawyer are contemplating on the best way to approach the issue, but i’m still calm you know I don’t fight through FB…

And then another makeup artist showed me (that pakikisama really works) DF’s rant on her own FB wall that literally made me want to throw up after reading it. WARNING: BARF BAG NEEDED:

I will give you time to go to the bathroom and puke. Done? Ok. I know I’m stooping down to her level by posting all these, but I don’t care anymore. As another makeup artist friend, Carmie, texted to me earlier, “Please don’t be your usual nice self. Sobra na yan.”

Her reply and her rant were just so wrong on so many levels:

As Cherry pointed out, if you’re so freakin’ rich, why work three jobs?

Reiterating that you teach in Ateneo disgusts and horrifies us Ateneans. For an institution that is very strict when dealing with plagiarism, we are embarassed to have you in the faculty. You should know better especially if you’re a teacher.

Not  a chance that I will delete my post, the public deserves to know. I will make as much noise as I can. Serious defamation? You deserve it. Contemplating with your lawyer on how to approach the issue? I sure hope you contemplated first on your own before stealing my work.

I hate to break this to you, but real wealthy people do not brag about all the designer goods they have. You cheapened yourself by enumerating your watch collection and… wait, what does this have to do with plagiarism again? I don’t have to ruin your life, you are already digging your own grave.

Hobby lang yan? So relax lang? MVP didn’t say “relax lang, speech lang yan!” Your hobby happened to be my source of livelihood (which fortunately is not barya-barya) and while we do have fun with makeup artistry, we take our craft seriously. It will never be lang for me and for the other makeup artists who derive great joy in fulfilling our passion. Yes, this is our world, not yours, so do us all a favor by staying away from our happy place.  

You take pride in your very expensive makeup equipment and brands? I have those too, but they are next to nothing compared to the pride I have in my very own hands.

_____________________________________________

UPDATES:

FROM RUDY ANG, DEAN OF ATENEO JG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT:

Ms. DF was a PART TIME LECTURER of the John Gokongwei School of Management, Ateneo de Manila University, for less than TWO MONTHS, June-July 2010. She fell sick in July, and was unable to complete the semester for which her services has been contracted. She had been hired to handle one class for the Department of Quantitative Methods and Information Technology. She has not been since re-employed in the Ateneo.

**********************************************************

After this post went viral, another person recognized that one of the photos is makeup artist Val Villarin’s work. So that’s now a total of 5 makeup artists she ripped off from.

]]> http://krisandmakeup.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/on-plagiarism-practice-pakikisama-and-an-apology-gone-wrong/feed/ 412 krisbacani df Image Screen shot 2012-04-19 at 2.54.01 PM 2 :-) rant http://krisandmakeup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/mary-kay-top-picks/ http://krisandmakeup.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/mary-kay-top-picks/#comments Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:46:46 +0000 krisbacani http://krisandmakeup.wordpress.com/?p=1424 ]]> This post is long overdue. I’ve been constantly working with Mary Kay Cosmetics for about 4 years now, and they’ve been sooo generous with me, they give me a lot of products to try out that I’m having a hard time using everything! Here are my top picks from this brand:

1. Timewise Liquid Foundation

Before, I find their yellow-based foundations still a bit too pink, but they got it right this time with their Timewise line. The shades have just the right amount of yellow in them, making them more Pinay friendly.

2. Concealer

The concealers come in small tubes, but they’re uber pigmented and creamy so a little goes a long way.

3. Mineral Blush in Shy Blush and Strawberry Cream

These 2 cheek color shades are a staple in my bridal kit. The Shy Blush is a dead ringer of Nars Orgasm, and Strawberry Cream is just the right shade of pink that will make anyone look blushing. Both have just enough shimmer to have that much coveted glow.

4. Cream Eye Color in Pale Blush and Iced Cocoa

Cream form + powder finish = No creases! Pale Blush and Iced cocoa are perfect for everyday natural look.

5. Creme Lipstick in Hibiscus

For those blah days or when you’re just lazy to put on full makeup, just swipe on this puta pink shade and you’ll instantly feel pretty and made up!

6. Timewise Moisture Renewing Gel Mask

When I tried it out, my face was so touchably soft and smooth after, it really is a moisture miracle in a tube. It instantly hydrates, softens, and smoothens the skin, and is great for all skin types. Mary Kay has great skin care products, and this is definitely one of my favorites so far.

Mary Kay Cosmetics is a direct selling brand, so it’s available thru their Beauty Consultants. Go here for more details or if you are interested in selling them.

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Alex Leyson

Photos by Wally Gonzales Photography

Shot at Bellevue Hotel

I love Irene’s glow here. Thanks to airbrush makeup! Nice hairpiece, too.

View more of my works here.

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Alex Leyson

Photos by Zye De Guzman

See I told you, cuteness!

view more of my works here.

Here are some photos I took of the place, and you’ll see what I mean:

This mosaic is on the ceiling. Simply amazing.

The bridal room.

The bathroom. I can live here!

Casa Binondo, the grandest house.

If ever you’re thinking of having a Filipiniana themed wedding, you HAVE to have it at Las Casas.

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Alex Leyson

Wedding Gown by Veluz Reyes

Photos by Mango Red

I think this is the only shot of her that I can see the detail of the makeup. MangoRed please take more beauty shots! :p

I love the wallpaper.

with her breathtaking gown

Lovely back detail.

I was behind the photographer when he was taking this, and I can’t help but stare. Ang ganda eh!

Also did her mom’s makeup. Natural for Izza, smokey eyes for her mom.

The parasols were a nice touch.

You can view the awesome same day edit video by Bob Nicolas here.

Hands down, this is definitely one of the best weddings I’ve done makeup on, where everything just exudes old world elegance. Congrats Izza and Nic!

View more of my works here.

Liz’s main concern was her eye makeup. She said that almost all those who did her makeup make her piercing eyes look too strong, which makes her look mataray. So I just put minimal eyeshadow, diffused her eyeliner, and didn’t put false eyelashes anymore to soften her eyes. The result: she looked doe-eyed instead of mataray in the photos.

Here’s her before photo:

and after:

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Alex Leyson

I wasn’t able to get the name of the photographer, oops!

Alex putting final touches

pwede na ring bride si Mommy!

View more of my works here.

So, back to Beth. I did a smokier version of the natural eye makeup I did during her trial and tinghun, and Alex put her hair up in a simple updo, which really suits her as it was able to show off the detail of her gorgeous gown’s neckline. Alex said her eyes resemble Sam Pinto’s, and I agree!

This wedding also turned out to be great because I got to work with photographer John Ong. A few weeks before this we worked together for the first time in a prenup shoot in Bellaroca, and I told him I wonder why I’ve worked with a lot of Imagine Nation photographers in my weddings but never with him. So we were surprised that merely a few weeks after, we’d bump into each other again!

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Alex Leyson

Gown by Cecilio Abad

Photos by John Ong of Imagine Nation Photography

Congrats Beth and Melvin!

View more of my works here.

If you ask me what I really envy about other people’s features, I envy those with long eyelashes. I usually convince my brides to wear false eyelashes on their wedding day because it really makes the eyes look more awake, but since Jannice had such enviable lashes, I didn’t need to put any. As for me the inggitera, I’ll just have to make do with trusty Maybelline mascaras to do the job of lengthening mine.

Here’s her before photo:

And after:

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Dimple Callada

Photos by Nice Print Photography

See their on-site photo AVP also by Niceprint here.

View more of my works here.

We were able to test the smokey eye look she wanted during their prenup shoot (check out the vintage themed photos here), so that’s what I also did for the wedding in Punta Fuego Batangas, sans the red lips to make the look softer.

Here’s her before photo:

and after:

Airbrush makeup by Kris Bacani, wedding makeup artist

Hair by Dimple Callada

Photos by Niceprint Photography

Shot at Club Punta Fuego, Batangas

Hello birthday girl! Sinong bagong kulot??

view more of my works here.