It’s hard to believe that we’re on the last week of our Fashion Issue, and it sounds a little comical that we’re feeling the separation anxiety—perhaps because working with Lauren Reid has been so unforgettable. From the moment the campaign was conceptualized, to meeting up with her at Stockton Place for dinner and drinks, to finally doing the shoot that, in her words, “didn’t feel like work at all.”
In the last three weeks featuring our September Calyxta Girl, we’ve seen so many different sides to her—all of which resonate a witty and charming personality.
In our last cover story, we asked Lauren what her next plans are and where she sees herself two to three years from now. She also shares a heartfelt message to all those who are shooting for the moon and pursuing their dreams.
What do you miss most about Australia? And what do you love most about the Philippines?
What I love about the Philippines—well, one my family is here and it’s a really good lifestyle. It’s a relaxed lifestyle, as opposed to having the occupation like I did in Australia, which was a bit tough. Yeah, the Philippines is really free. I can focus on myself. Do all the things that I kind of wouldn’t have been able to do with a 9 to 5 job back in Australia.
However, in Australia, I really enjoy the fact that you can get somewhere within half an hour. And the access to the beach is right there. Access to the city is right there. Access to anywhere is really easy. It’s just really something that I miss—being able to get anywhere without the traffic. Like the traffic here takes a toll on my day, and it’s something that you just kind of have to live with.
If our transportation system was more efficient, we all wouldn’t mind commuting everyday, right?
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind commuting. Exactly! I would catch the train and the bus back in Australia. I didn’t drive back there. You know—just because it’s not safe to catch the MRT, LRT, things like that. But I’d take Ubers. There was this time, I fell asleep while driving. Like I literally fell asleep. We were at a standstill, and I was just so exhausted. I was at a standstill, and I was drifting in and out. I kept saying, “I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.” And then, I paused for maybe 15 seconds or so, and the next thing I know, I was putting my foot on the break! And the only reason I did wake up was because people were honking at me—like six cars behind me. And it just freaked me out so much. I had to stop at my dad’s place, park, and catch an Uber to where I was going—like I didn’t want to drive anymore. It was too unsafe. I can’t believe I did that. It’s just so insane.
What’s your favorite part about modelling? What do you enjoy most about the lifestyle now, especially since you didn’t expect to enter this sort of industry?
It’s mostly meeting new people every time, which is fantastic. Usually, everyone’s just really passionate and inspired by what they’re doing. They won’t be there if they weren’t really inspired, and it inspires me. Like I just really want to do a good job, because everybody’s put a lot of effort into it, curating and talking together, so it’s probably one of the more exciting things.
To me, I like seeing other people happy. That makes me happy. And it’s a really big thing that drives me when I see people enjoying themselves and I’m like, “Yeah, I don’t need to do anything else. Yeah, that’s great.” I think that’s also why I have that thing with my family—like if they’re doing good, it makes me happy. As long as other people are good, yeah, my mood changes, and I’m happy.
How about your dancing? What do you love most about dancing?
It’s my teacher—I love him. He’s so good. And to be honest, I just wanted to make him proud because he’s always like, “You can do it, Lauren!” and I didn’t really think I could do it. Seriously, when I dance, I’m like a dude, like a guy. And he’s all about being sexy, and you know, being fluid with your body.
But what I enjoy about dancing is I get to know how everything works, because I just really didn’t know my body. I couldn’t sway my hips before whereas now, I’m more comfortable to be moving around. At the start, I was like, “Oh no, I can’t dance! I’m not a good dancer.” But then, when I started doing it, I felt more comfortable. I actually did a concert for G-Force. I did my own little segment. It was very simple. But it was fun. I never thought that I’d be able to do that in front of how many people—was it like, a thousand?
What can we expect from you in the next 2 to 3 years?
2 to 3 years. So I have a lot of ideas in my mind with what I want to do—the movie option, maybe this year? So I’d be doing maybe an action drama. I want to be like Lara Croft and Angelina Jolie—that would be a lot of fun. Modelling, I’d love to continue doing that. I mean, I do more commercials. But I want to do Vogue. (laughs) But if I do end up ever being in there, then that’d be fantastic.
A lot of young girls look up to you, and some even aspire to be like you.
What message would you give them in terms of shooting for the moon and
pursuing their dreams?
Oooh. I want to give them the right message. For me, I had to go through a struggle. I had to suffer before I recovered and got discovered. I think it’s just, if you have a goal that you want to aspire to, keep on working for it even if you get knocked down because this has totally happened to me before. Got knocked down, wasn’t good enough, had to educate myself, pay for an education, and get better at things before I could achieve what I wanted to achieve. And really, just be nice to other people. Be nice to other people and to yourself, more importantly. Actually, first off, be nice to yourself because once you’re nice to yourself, you accept yourself, and you’re happy with yourself, then you can be nice to others because I just don’t see it happening if you’re not happy with who you are and what kind of life you’re living. If that’s the case, how can you do it for another person, you know? Until you’re okay with what’s going on with yourself. You can sit down, assess it, really kind of think about where you want to go in life and just do anything you can. Think outside of the box. Most people work hard to get where they want to be or some people have a goal, but then it turns out they work for that goal and once they get there, they realize there’s something else they want to do in life. So you’re not doing the wrong thing. Life is just a journey. It’s not about the destination. Boom!
(continued) You can’t plan out your whole life and expect everything to go that way, because it’s just not going to happen. This is not where I expected to be a few years ago, and now I’m here. It’s probably made me super disappointed to know that I wouldn’t have gotten there back a few years ago, but now that I’m here, I’m super happy with where I am.
Don’t forget to read Lauren’s previous cover stories: Fashion-Forward, Beauty and Beyond, and Silver City. Catch her 5-Minute Makeup Challenge here, and be sure to follow us on Instagram @calyxtabeauty to watch snippets of our shoot, as well as her Blooper Reel!
Text by: GRETCHEN GATAN
Videographer: ANDREW APUYA
Photographer: AYA CABAUTAN
Makeup: SYLVINA LOPEZ
Hair: MONG AMADO
Fashion Styling: ROSENTHAL TEE
Special thanks to: RONAC ART CENTER
