For the 41-year-old, it all started when she witnessed the poor handling of her late brother’s body after a fatal accident – an experience that left a lasting impression.
“I was 13 when my brother passed away, but I vividly remember how poorly his body was handled: the prayers were conducted improperly, and the makeup, though he was only 19, made him look like an elderly man,” she recounted when met by Bernama at a local coffin supply company.
She thus made the life-changing decision to leave her banking career after seven years and enrolled in a short course to become a makeup artist and mortician.
After completing several courses abroad, including mortuary restorative art in Japan, an embalming course in the Philippines, and workshops in Singapore and Taiwan, Aileen dedicated two years to mastering her skills before stepping into the field in 2012.
Beyond applying makeup, her work involves tasks such as embalming, repairing stitches, and concealing wounds on the body, all of which requires meticulous attention to detail.
She said the primary mission of a mortuary cosmetologist is to preserve the dignity of the deceased, ensuring their appearance does not invite negative remarks owing to discolouration or other visible imperfections. The goal is to make the body appear as though the individual is peacefully sleeping.
“Before preparing the body, I inspect it in the presence of the family to identify any wounds. If the body has undergone an autopsy and the stitching is poorly done, I will restitch it to make it less noticeable. I use wax vaseline to conceal any wounds,” said Ong, who hails from Muar, Johor.
She explained that without makeup, the face will darken, turning black, blue, or purple. “Typically, decomposition begins within two hours. Without makeup, the family might feel deeply saddened, and it could even lead to gossip among relatives.
“Our role is to preserve the dignity of the deceased and shield them from any criticism,” she noted.
Ong, who receives bookings from across the country, shared that applying makeup to a body in good condition typically takes around 15 minutes, though the technique differs slightly from that used on a living person.
“Normally, for living people, we use water-based products or toner before applying makeup, but for a body, we need to use oils like baby oil and olive oil as moisturisers.
“This is because when a person has died, the body can no longer produce oil. So, the skin becomes very dry and easily damaged,” she said, adding that the entire process of preparing a body can take between two and nine hours, depending on the condition.
Ong, who handles the bodies of Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist individuals, said searching for missing body parts is among the most challenging parts of her work.
“When I promise the deceased’s family that I will ‘restore’ their kin, it means I have to reattach severed body parts. In such cases, we need to coordinate with the police, and if they haven’t found the missing parts yet, we have to go to the scene of the incident and search,” she shared.
Ong handles at least 60 bodies a month, with her services priced between RM580 and RM6,000.