What’s the inspiration behind your wedding look? Did you have any hair and makeup pegs?
I was really inspired by the sexy silhouettes of the Galia Lahav brides. Even before I got engaged, I would browse through their dreamy photos on their Instagram account and drool over their gowns which were body hugging, daring, and so romantic. My hair peg for the reception was Victoria’s Secret Angel waves!! But I opted for a loose bun for the actual ceremony as I knew moving around would from hotel to church to photo sessions would be busy and messy with my hair down. Also, my gown designer, Francis Libiran, wanted my hair up for the ceremony.
I had no makeup pegs in particular as I was looking for a makeup artist I could totally trust with my look. But I wanted my eye make up to be similar to Heart Evangelista’s red carpet eye makeup looks.
How did you choose your hair and makeup artist?
I asked my makeup artist friend, Ciari Luna, for an artist she could recommend that does wedding day makeup, which is both glamorous fresh-looking. I am not into the super natural, “no makeup” makeup look, because that’s not me on a daily basis anyway.
She recommended Ting Duque. After stalking her thoroughly on Instagram, I was in love, and I booked her five months before my wedding. Ting does a full-on trial session with you months before your wedding. In my case, it turned into an entire day of hanging out, doing hair and makeup, and lots of girl talk! Plus, merienda with Ting and my maid of honor, Ange dela Cruz. We tried maybe two looks. I super trusted her. All she asked me was, “Are you afraid of makeup?” and I told her a resounding, “No! I love make up, give me what you’ve got! I’m not into the no makeup look.”
I was very particular with my eyes since I have small chinita eyes and I wanted them to pop and stand out during the wedding. She used a special type of double false lashes on me too. I just didn’t want my look to look dated when I look back on pictures 20 years from now. Glam, but fresh and timeless!
What were the preparations you did for your skin prior to the wedding day? Did you go to a skincare center regularly? What kind of services did you have done? Is this something you would recommend to other brides-to-be?
I’ve been going to Dra. Aivee Aguilar-Teo for years, so I just continued my consultations and monthly white facials and diamond peels with her. A year before my wedding day, I started doing regular Revlite sessions for my face at Wink. Six months before my wedding, I bought an underarm hair removal package called ICE from Strip because you don’t want to stress about that on your wedding day! Three months before my wedding, I started a tooth whitening program with my dentist because I wanted my teeth to glow on my wedding day. We used those trays that stay in your mouth overnight. Others opt for laser though. I wanted something less invasive.
Who designed your wedding gown, and how did you come up with the style? How long did it take to create or find the perfect wedding dress?
My couturier was Francis Libiran. He was really number one on my list of dream wedding designers. Although I liked the romantic silhouettes, I didn’t want an overly girly gown, as I myself am feminine yet very fierce and dominant. I wanted the gown to be a reflection of my personality.
As soon as I got engaged, the first wedding-related task I did was to make an appointment with Francis. I would say the gown took around seven months to perfect from my first appointment up until the wedding day.
It started with a few Pinterest boards (how millennial of me), and then Francis did some sketches. At first, the gown was designed to have off-the-shoulder sleeves. As months went by, the sleeves came off, the backless portion of the gown became lower and lower until it only reached the top of my butt. More parts of the gown became see through, the laser cut patterns were revised a few times, and the hug of the gown around my butt became more and more defined. The process of finding that perfect laser cut design was amazing because Francis won’t move on with the gown unless you are happy with the design of the laser cut, and it’s always a one-of-a-kind design for you only. No other bride will have that design.
I would say I had around six or even more than six fittings, not because it didn’t fit, but because each time, Francis and I found a way to make the gown even better, even sexier and more daring, even more intricate, even more beautiful, and even more suited to my personality. My shoes were from Christian Louboutin, as recommended by Francis.
What was in your wedding day makeup kit/pouch?
Just an oil blotter, which my coordinator carried around for me. No need to retouch anything as we used setting spray (Ting said it was the same ones drag queens used), so that my makeup would not smear or melt at all.
What lip color did you choose for the wedding day?
We did two looks. I wanted something on the pink and natural side for the ceremony since it was during the day–Ting used Tom Ford in Casablanca for the day look. For my reception look, Ting adjusted my eye makeup into a darker look and put with my hair down in big loose waves. She changed my lipstick to Jeffree Star in Androgyny for this.
How about in terms of fitness? What did you do months before the wedding to stay in shape and make sure your wedding dress fit perfectly? Did you enroll in a gym or fitness center? What was your diet like?
Having been a track athlete in college, I’ve always been a fit and active person and I carried that lifestyle over until I started working. There was no need to enroll in a new gym since I am a spin instructor at Ride Revolution, so fitness was always there even before I got engaged. Since my dress was so revealing and unforgiving (no fat could hide in that dress), I had to make sure I was extra fit for the wedding day. I started the ketogenic diet, plus Carb Nite a year before my wedding—this allowed me to feel lean and fit on my wedding day!
What was the best beauty advice you received that helped you prepare for your wedding?
Try to not let the stress get to you, and delegate tasks if you can! Even though I had a wedding coordinator, I was so hands on because… I’m a control freak. Plus, I have marketing and events background from work. That led me to stress out–a week before my wedding, a few small pimples broke out on my neck! My mom told me the same thing happened to her days before her wedding. So, stress really shows on your skin and can ruin your perfectly planned skin care routine. Try to take it easy. And ask your dermatologist to be on standby to inject surprise stress-induced pimples a day or two before wedding day, which is what happened to me.
Did you have your nails done? If so, where? Would you recommend this nail salon to others?
Yes! At Dashing Diva Greenbelt. I got French Tips in gel polish! I wanted my nails to look classic. I was so tempted to put rhinestones on my nails since they are so trendy now, but I knew that if I looked back on photos 20 years from now I would regret it. Haha! I would recommend Dashing Diva to brides, because you do not want to run the risk of regular nail polish chipping on wedding day. Gel is the way to go, they are super professional, too.
“Try to not let the stress get to you, and delegate tasks if you can!”
What was your biggest takeaway from your wedding day? Do you have any beauty-related tips you’d like to share to upcoming brides?
Your wedding day will go by so fast! Enjoy the journey planning for the wedding, just as much as the wedding day itself. If you plan early and efficiently everything will go perfectly. And even if it doesn’t, it’s okay because the point of your wedding day is to be united forever with your soul mate. In terms of beauty, my advice would be… plan EARLY. By early I mean at least one year. Your body and skin will not respond to treatments if you only start three or four months before the wedding day –to really see results with skin care, exercise, and diet, you need to start a year or ten months ahead to see maximum effects.