Photography DIX PEREZ
Videography ANDREW APUYA
Make Up AMANDA PADILLA
Hair CATS DEL ROSARIO
Fashion Styling B/C STYLE STUDIO
Special Thanks to DOROTHY PERKINS, EVER NEW, CALL IT SPRING
for accessories, RICA RICO, RAJO LAUREL, DREA LOPA, ALDO SHOES
By: Joanna Francisco
A glow that comes from within is the goal of many women when it comes to beauty. We want the dewy skin, the shiny hair, the glossy lips, but it seems out of reach for us to achieve this goddess beauty with the stress, junk food and sleepless nights that define our modern life. Isabel Roces has navigated it all with ease while embodying the kind of natural radiance that makes everything seem…well, easy.
Beauty Inside Out
The best testament to her commitment to a healthy lifestyle is her gorgeous skin—foundation-free but still even-toned with beautiful color. Wearing only a hint of lip and cheek tint and some mascara, she arrived at a Makati café for this interview straight from the airport from Hong Kong, coming in even earlier than the set-time. These days, Isabel is based in Bacolod with her husband and six-month-old daughter and shuttles to Manila for a week once a month. With her current routine plus caring for the baby, she’s had to let go of her 9 PM bedtime (she’s used to getting more than eight hours of sleep)—yet she seems calm and unruffled as ever, digging into a hearty meal of grilled cheese sandwich, salad and tomato soup.
One of her main philosophies is that the body really works inside out. “I think it’s really my lifestyle,” she says, when pressed about a regimen that keeps her looking ageless. She believes that beauty comes from the ingredients and nutrients you put into your body. “If you eat oily food, your skin secretes that also.”
One of the country’s first-ever ambassadors for PETA, Isabel shares that growing up, she was surrounded by animals at home, making her life choices second nature. “I grew up with parrots, dogs and all sorts of animals,” she says. She gravitated towards meat-free eating as early as age 12 or 14. The key to keeping yourself satiated, she advises, is to keep the plate colorful. “Eat your fruits and vegetables. I eat a lot of carrots and squash. They keep your skin healthy and give you a nice color.”
Mindful Living
Being a beauty columnist for Philippine Daily Inquirer also gives her the opportunity not to just test new products on the market, but to also meet principals of brands, which she appreciates for access to the vast collection of research-based information, especially for natural products. “I like to use products that are environmentally-sound. In the long run, it’s better for you.” For her daughter, she also adheres to a natural regimen.
“Our body has its own oils and a natural mechanism that keeps the internal processes including our skin healthy,” she says. “I still love to try new products, but I think it’s good to use the least amount of things you can put on your skin.” Her approach to fitness is equally mindful: she likes to mix it up, from yoga to krav maga to boxing. “Don’t make it mindless. Try to make it a learning experience.” She confesses to not feeling any of the body pains cited by peers, something she attributes to her vegetarian diet.
A veteran of the hectic model lifestyle, she emanates a truly inspiring, positive energy that is centered on her conscious philosophy. “We have so many ways now to educate ourselves, to come up with our own definition of beauty. For me, being vegetarian and supporting cruelty-free products works. Do what works for you.”
