HOW A BROKEN HEART MENDS ITSELF
The #HappySkinxLoveMarie relaunch over the weekend at SM Aura was a month overdue. It was June when actress Heart Evangelista — who goes by her birth name Love Marie Ongpauco as an artist — had miscarried her twins. Happy Skin co-founder Rissa Trillo first heard the news from Heart’s husband, Senator Chiz Escudero, who relayed the message, asking for a postponement of the launch. Even in that moment of loss and grief, Heart was thoughtful enough to consider her collaborators.
Happy Skin’s limited-edition collabs (Heart’s was first released in 2016 as lip liners and mini matte lipsticks) usually don’t get reissued. But the homegrown skincare-in-makeup brand couldn’t ignore the clamor from fans of both Heart and Happy Skin, so a firsttime exception had to be made with the nude-pink Skinny Dipping and rich-red Heartthrob.
“Nude is so sexy and fits any kind of outfit. Red is for spicing things up, changing your look,” Heart describes. Both shades are now in full-size lipsticks, the packaging still with Heart’s illustrations of her favorite things.
Moments before the interactive #HappySkinxLoveMarie sticker wall at SM Aura was unveiled, we caught up with Heart inside the Happy Skin store makeup room about her return to the limelight and how beauty has always helped her bounce back. I was home for almost a month after I found out. The whole time my husband was very supportive of me. When the
invitation for a work trip to Paris came up, he encouraged me by saying that it would be good for me to get out of that black hole and enjoy life again. I did two shoots during my last trip in Paris. I shot a beauty endorsement for a French brand and I was part of a shoot with Kevin Kwan (Singaporean author of Crazy Rich Asians). It was such an experience. We went there for couture which I enjoy so much. There are times that I really have to catch myself and help myself up. It’s still harder on some days. I’m really maarte, but there are days when I’m down and really don’t want to do anything. The moment I put my eyebrows on, I instantly feel ready to face the world again. It’s not that I put a mask on to hide how I really feel, but putting on makeup is the first step to feeling good again. Being kikay all started with lip
liners. My sisters (Mich and Camille) were all into lipstick and lip liner, and I grew up watching them put on their makeup. I remember my dad (Reynaldo Ongpauco) would get mad at me, saying, “O, why are you putting lip liner on?” when I was 11. My first lip liner was a satin-finish, warm, nude-brown shade from a foreign brand. I used it to overline my lips. I have small lips but now, just accentuating my cupid’s bow makes a big difference. I am currently working on a collection of paintings. I have completed seven and I have seven more to go. I’m also working on a website, writing and editing everything. I’m taking my time. I only have one beauty tip. Go for it! If it makes you feel beautiful, there’s no right or wrong. If you want to make your lips bigger, go for it. My biggest beauty risk is already behind me. The biggest beauty risk of my life was really tanning, lying under the sun until I got really dark. I do love my hair long, but I still think of chopping it all off. It’s something I’m still thinking about because it’s too stressful caring for it and you can’t grow it out so fast. As I got older, I wanted to take care of myself more. My health became my biggest wealth. I became more religious about taking care of my skin. The sun isn’t my best friend anymore. When I travel, I make an effort of bringing a separate kit for my skin.
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The #HappySkinxLoveMarie Moisturizing Matte Lippie collection (individually and as a set) is available at happyskincosmetics.com, select Happy Skin boutiques, and Zalora. Get limited-edition Love Marie sticker illustrations when you purchase the set.