by Jullie Y. Daza
You can have your APEC summits and the pick and peak of ASEAN meetings, we ordinary beauty-conscious mortals will be happy with the latest golden trophies brought home by two Filipino hair and makeup experts from an international competition held in Macau last Wednesday.
In a world that can only grow uglier with cartels dealing in drugs, arms, and terrorism, what a relief it was to watch beautiful models (all girls) and beauticians go through a 12-hour display of fantasy hair and makeup styles. Makeup doesn’t say it all, either, because now maquillage artists are drawing lace-like patterns, abstract art, flowers and insects on bare skin, and attaching kilograms of colorful hair extensions, tendrils, knots, and all kinds of stuff to a real human head of hair.
Stephanie Ilagan of Lagro, Quezon City, won two trophies from the 2017 International Creative Image Arts, Hair and Makeup Competition (CIAM) for the bridal category and for besting his peers from 18 other countries as overall champion. His model, Ameera, a Grade 8 student who’s all of 14 years old and 5’6” tall, was “Media’s Choice” for smiling sweetly through her ordeal of wearing 120 yards on her ruffled skirt, a salakot studded with huge sparklers cascading from a 4-yard veil, and 10-inch high platform shoes. The entire outfit cost P70,000.
Mario Tacuboy of Marilao and SM San Jose, Bulacan, was first runnerup in evening-party makeup, with Marlene as his model.
Three wins in one night. “Mader” Ricky Reyes said he chose Stephanie and Mario to represent the Philippines for their “flair and ability to stand out.” Neither of them belongs to any of his Gandang RR salons. “I didn’t even want to be seen or go near our PH delegation, small as it was.”
Two days later he would be home for a Christmas party with 40 children afflicted with cancer. His Child Haus – with the ardent support of Hans Sy – is the big winner of all time: 15,000 young patients “graduated” and healed, a mortality rate of 1,000, across 14 years. What a beautiful accomplishment! Beauty is as beauty does.
