If anyone knows how to curate an Instagram feed, it’s our #CalyxtaGirl, Issa Pressman. With inspiring travel outfits and OOTDs, I suddenly have the need to throw out my entire closet, set it on fire, and start over. But let’s be real—I’m neither courageous enough nor willing enough to spend, but one can dream!
Throughout our cover shoot, Issa constantly gave us more and more reason to adore her. Like a true chameleon, she took each look that our talented glam team put together, and made it her own—from a bright yellow lid to a muted smoky eye; she rocked it all with ease. Talent, creativity in the arts, and impeccable style aside, she shows us her wholehearted belief in respecting and embracing everyone’s individuality: style, sexuality, beauty routines, and all!
Can you walk us through your usual beauty routine?
Yay, beauty! Okay, so before—for skincare—I thought that the less you put, the better. I thought I had super sensitive skin, so I stuck with gentle cleansers like Cetaphil, and then I tried other stuff. I did the complete routine of toner, moisturizer, eye cream, face mist—all of that, until I finally found the right products for my face. That’s the thing! One reminder before I say my usual routine is that it doesn’t work for everyone. We all have different skin types. For my skin type, I’m a combination of oily and dry. I wake up in the morning, and wash my face with water only! Then I have breakfast and do whatever, and when I take a shower, before I head out, I put my moisturizer and a bit of face mist.
At night is when it takes super long. I first use micellar water, or whatever that I could remove my makeup with if I wear makeup, then I use my facial wash, and then toner, and then after that I put my midnight oil, and then I put my night moisturizer, and then eye cream under the eye area, and then, every now and then, face masks. So yeah, for me, when it comes to a skin care routine, the night routine is the best. It’s like a mini pamper session after a long day!
Since you said that skin care depends on the person, do you see a big difference between your skin care and Marga’s skin care?
Hmm—yes. She uses less. I tell her sometimes, “Oh, let’s put moisturizer, or toner!” I’m the boss when it comes to that! (laughs)
We know you have so many different styles and you really like playing up your look. So, if you can define your style in one sentence, how would you describe it?
In one sentence? It’s the hardest thing! I mean, you get dancing, or makeup, or painting, or singing. My style is just DIFFERENT! It really depends on my mood—that’s the sentence! Sometimes, I could do girly, and sometimes street but with a touch of smart casual chic. You know, it’s like a combination of everything. I think also because I do different things, or I go to different events, and I just want to be safe and be well-dressed for each event, or for work, or each picture.
So you mix? Yeah, always!
Do you have any inspirations for how you do your makeup, or how you dress?
My makeup—not much! I’m into painting, so I think that’s why I kind of found love in makeup. Most of it is just self-discovery. Fashion? There’s actually a lot, but then these are Instagram girls. Before though, I used to really like Vanessa Hudgens, because she’s also a mix of everything. She could do super formal business—what do you call that? The strong woman…strong dress…
Oh, power suit!
Yes! Power dressing, strong dressing, power dressing and then she can also go super boho, or super girly—but then she could also go sexy fierce, you know? So maybe that’s why I was under that kind of influence. Before I would search, “Vanessa Hudgens black top,” or whatever, and then I’ll copy how she matched it up. But then now, I kind of have more of my own sense of style.
My style types are like @llifeisapigsty on Instagram, and umm…who else? @double3xposure, who also mixes and matches. I really like Dua Lipa though, but then it’s not my style. I like it, but it’s not my peg.
What are your thoughts on gender-based beauty? Like gendering fashion, gendering skin care beauty—what do you think about that?
For me, beauty is for everyone, you know? That’s why when I make videos or I post a video, I never say, “For the ladies who love makeup” because it’s not just the ladies. Sometimes, I even say, “Ladies, and Ladies at Heart.” Or something like, “Makeup’s for everyone!” I actually find it so cute when boys and gays put on makeup. Beauty is for everyone. I remember what Patrick Starr said and I’ll never forget that when I watched him: “Makeup is a one size fits all!”
You mentioned Patrick Starr. Him and other queer icons have been getting a lot more visibility in the fashion and beauty industry. Where do you think the future of beauty standards, and the beauty industry is, given that?
Diversity. Variation. I hope that one day people are just going to be clueless to the word “gender bias” or “sexists.” I want one day for my kid to ask me when she’s 20, 25, or 30 years old, “What’s the meaning of sexism?” You know? Like, “What is that?”
Because it doesn’t exist anymore.
Yeah, because it doesn’t exist anymore! You know why I have that thing in my head? Just recently someone was talking to me, and I’m 22, right? So someone was talking to me, and she was half-Taiwanese and half-European. She was getting bullied all her life growing up, and she was like, “How was it for you when you were young?” I was like, nothing, but now that I think about it, I remember when I was 16 or 17, I had to research what racist meant. You know—that’s how much I wasn’t aware of it because I never really categorized race, you know? It’s like, “Oh my god! It’s an issue pala!” And then I researched about it, and then I learned about it, and then man, it is a big deal! But then if imagine one day, right? Your daughter asks you, “What is sexist?” They’d have to Google it because it doesn’t exist.
So, hopefully that’s where it all leads, right? And then fashion and beauty and makeup, they’re super powerful right now. I hope people of influence just take that power to their own advantage and keep inspiring until the term sexism doesn’t exist anymore.
To empower people that are interested in beauty but are kind of too shy, or don’t know where to begin, what advice would you have for them?
It’s really simple and very broad: just be yourself. I can’t tell them, “Oh, wear less makeup,” or “Wear more makeup,” because that’s your own self. Because if I tell you to wear more makeup and then you go to an event, and you feel so conscious because it’s too much makeup pala, it’s not going to fit. It’s really just being yourself, and being yourself is doing what makes you comfortable. Because when you’re comfortable, you become confident.
Assisted By: Shawn Landayan
Art Direction: Margaux Cortez
Editorial Interns: Alec Alquiroz and Sam Nubla
Editor-at-Large: Gretchen Gatan
Videographer: Ryan Tizon
Photographer: Erwin Canlas (Shot on Film)
Makeup: Mikka Marcaida
Hair: Joseph Fantone
Styling: Flo Trinidad
