Singapore celebrates its 48th birthday on Aug 9, and to tie in with this, The Straits Times Picture Desk has put together 48 Singaporean Seconds, an audio-visual tribute to Singaporeans who have made this little red dot their home.

We are releasing their stories and videos in the next few weeks. In the 21st instalment of our series, we talk to freelance hair and make-up artist Andy Razali.

Andy Razali, 23, hair-and-make-up artist

Dreams come true if you believe in them. Such is the case with freelance hair-and-make-up artist Andy Razali.

As a Secondary 4 student, he was struck by American R&B starlet Ashanti in the 2006 teen flick, John Tucker Must Die.

Five years later, he actually met her in person when she came to town as a guest performer at a David Foster concert.

He got to do her hair. "It was an out-of-body-experience," he recalls, describing it as his most memorable assignment.

A regular fixture at big-label fashion shows and red-carpet events, he has come a long away since buying his first hair-styling kit at Watsons during his secondary school days.

At age 15, he discovered how a curl here and a blush there can transform a person's looks. "It can really change someone's confidence. When they feel beautiful outside, they feel beautiful inside as well," he says.

Mostly self-taught, the recent graduate from RMIT University with a bachelor of business (management) now runs a hair styling and make-up blog called Andy&Weave. His dream, one day, is to open a beauty salon that offers the complete package from hair styling to skin care.

His mission, he says, is to make "everyone feel good about themselves".

- Photos and videos by The Straits Times Picture Desk