Throughout his childhood in a refugee camp in Thailand and navigating the complicated immigration system, Makeup Artist Hung Vanngo was always creative, often choosing to draw and paint in his free time. The biggest difference between a young and present day Vanngo is, arguably, that he didn't experiment with much color as a kid. Now, that's all that he wants to do.
After falling into a career as a hairstylist out of convenience, necessity, and innate abilities, he discovered his true passion while playing around with makeup in a hair salon he worked at in Canada. Knowing that he wanted to work in beauty but not quite knowing how, he did the only thing he could've done: took any and every opportunity that came his way (weddings, graduations, model test shoots, etc.), and worked his way up until he was the go-to celebrity makeup artist for it-girls Jennifer Lawrence, Bella Hadid, and Selena Gomez.
He has spent his career studying makeup, noting what he likes about products down to texture and packaging, what clients liked the feeling of, and considered what consumers would be drawn to, all while planning for a big career move that has finally arrived: launching his very own makeup brand, Hung Vango Beauty. Officially available to shop as of yesterday, the collection of eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip liner, and more are a culmination of everything that Vanngo has been working towards. In celebration of this monumental moment, Coveteur sat down with Hung Vanngo and deep-dived into everything color and creativity.
Hung Vanngo
What are three words to describe your brand?
"Perfecting the basics."
What's your background?
"I was born in Vietnam and when I was young, my brother and sister and I got sent to a refugee camp in Thailand. We were stuck there for three years and then, finally, we got accepted by Canada and immigrated to Canada in the early '90s."
What drew you to the beauty industry?
"When I was young, I was always into drawing and painting. But for some reason when I was younger, I didn't use too much color, it was always black and white. In high school, I was always in the library looking at fashion magazines and '90s supermodels."
How did you enter the beauty industry?
"I knew that I wanted to work in beauty, but when I was in Calgary, Canada, I didn't know anyone that did makeup for a living. So I assumed I would become a hairstylist. After high school I registered in a hairdressing school and that's how I started my career in the beauty industry. I worked in a hair salon that had a makeup station, so that's when I played with makeup more and realized I loved makeup. I started doing makeup for weddings on the weekends and graduations. Then I did a little more research and realized that you can reach out to local agencies to do model testing and do local shoots. l realized I had to do that full time."
Hung Vanngo
How did you end up in New York?
"I first came to New York for a trip with my friend and realized this is the place I want to be but, at the time, I wasn't ready yet. So I moved to Toronto and did freelance work. Toronto is basically a mini New York, so they have everything. They have magazines, they have shoots, they have catalogs, they have everything, but in Canada I was required to do both hair and makeup on sets. I continued doing both hair and makeup for three years there. In 2006 when I got my working papers, I moved to New York and I completely stopped doing hair and only focused on makeup."
What is it about makeup that excites you more than hair?
"Doing hair, for me, was a gift that I didn't really love. Makeup is a challenge for me because everyday I can experiment with a look and with the face. Faces are so fascinating to me. I appreciate colors."
What inspires you? How do you stay creative?
"It sounds a little cheesy but, to be honest, the face really inspires me. I'm not the type of makeup artist who's inspired by scenery. I'm inspired by the client in the chair."
When you were building your makeup brand and developing new products, what was important to you?
"I had to think as a consumer. I didn't want to develop products that only makeup artists could use. I thought about the people at home who don't know about makeup, how they were going to use it, and how they would like the texture."
Hung Vanngo
If you were speaking to someone who didn't really know much about makeup, what would you tell them and where should they start?
"I want to tell them that there's nothing right or wrong in terms of application. Because I learned about makeup on my own. The only way to know what looks good on you and how to do makeup is to play with it.
How involved were you in the campaign shoot?
"I did everything myself. I shot the campaign, I did the makeup, and I did the art direction. I came up with all of the looks as we went along. We shot for three days and it was just so spontaneous. I learned from working in the past not to have too many chefs in the kitchen."
What do you want people to think or feel when they see the campaign?
"They're going to feel that 90s supermodel glamour."
For the products, how important was design and packaging?"
"Very important. I hate when a product is too heavy. A lot of people feel like if the package is heavy, it feels more expensive. As a makeup artist, I like lighter, more portable packaging."
How do you think your background and childhood influences what you do now?
"The experience in the refugee camp and as an immigrant makes me super hardworking and makes everything I have today. I'm the only one in my family that's a more creative person. I was always a bit of the odd child."
How do you see the brand growing in the future?
"We are working way ahead. We are working on 2027 already. Each year we are going to have a few launches. When I described the brand as perfecting the basics before I mean I'm creating basic products that are still innovative. For example, for the eyeshadow, we have four different textures in the palette. I'm dying to see how the consumer will react to this because it's anew texture. It's not a cream and it's not a powder. The lipsticks are creamy and very hydrating. It gives a matte finish but doesn't dry your lips."
What do you feel are the basics?
"I think before anything we want to have a great complexion for sure. As a makeup artist I've noticed a lot of neutral looks coming out. So I want to wear color because I think that's missing in makeup artistry right now, it's going backwards a little with less color. But I think the basics are a great lipstick, great eyeshadow, great pencil, and great blush. That's what people want before even trying anything innovative or trendy."
Hung Vanngo
Do you have a favorite skincare product?
"I try different products all the time, but my go-to is the brand The Outset. They are great for people with sensitive skin and any skin type really. They're very light, they have a great serum, the moisturizer is very light. I also like some eye cream and moisturizer from iS Clinical. If you're someone who wants a heavier cream, I do recommend La Mer. It's great for cold weather."
What's your best beauty tip?
"You can always wash makeup off. You can always wipe it up and it's gone. So you don't have to worry about application. You can always play with makeup. It's not like haircut and having to wait for it to grow out. So don't worry about experimenting with makeup. And I always tell people they should never be afraid of colors. Color gives you so much life, especially when you get older and lose a little color in your face."
What's the best advice you've ever received?
"Dreams don't work unless you do."
What are your goals for the rest of 2025?
"I want a really big warm welcome to my brand because we worked on this for so long. I put a lot of my heart and soul in it."
