Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Lifestyle Asia

Why has everyone been obsessed with beauty since the beginning of time? Why is it so powerful that it ruins lives, countries and even civilizations? Its immense power is astounding and we have just begun to understand its impact to self, others and the society we live in. Now comes health and wellness. They are not replacing beauty but they have become part of an ecosystem. As the role of beauty becomes even stronger, health and wellness trends become the new mindset that completes self love and self care. Everybody, more so to the people who have the means, know that health and wellness have become symbiotic to beauty. It is now part of everyone’s lives. We can no longer have a magazine that is solely focused on beauty. There…

Brage Stuve and Ina Yulo met at a club called Maggie’s, in London. “I was with my flat-mates after a house party we had at our place and Brage was with a big group of his friends who were visiting from Norway,” says Ina. They caught each other’s eye and said hello, and spent the entire evening talking. “We spent the entire evening talking and eventually I said I was starving so he brought me to this 24-hour restaurant next door,” she remembers, “I remember him showing me photos of his two nieces and newborn nephew. Who would’ve known they would eventually end up as our flower girls and ring bearer!” They were together for five and a half years before they got married. Ina’s family flew to London for…

Now that summer is fast approaching, are you looking for new ways to express yourself and embrace a bit of drama—looks-wise, that is? There’s no better way to do it than through the most exciting makeup trends for 2020. Gone are the days when neon-colored liners were daunting and scary. Now is the best time to throw caution to the wind and invest in this year’s coveted multicolored palettes. To this end, we’ve scoured the runways of New York Fashion Week, checked out the must-have beauty brands and asked top makeup artist John Pagaduan to help cherry-pick some of the latest makeup looks and products that can take you from basic to vibrantly bold. To help you create that fresh and exciting summer look, here are the top 4 makeup…

Milky-mauve shades are the colors of the moment, and Le Vernis strikes a perfect note in the opaque colors of Mirage, a hazy mauve, and Daydream, a mauve beige. Feel the extreme, hallucinogenic heat of the desert with Rouge Brûlant in the shade Rouge Allure, a vivid warm orange with pinkish tones that is increasingly intense with more layers and blotting. The Rouge Allure Velvet Extrême is a warm rosewood. Combine the two for a look that is a contrast of color and texture: hot and cool, creamy and matte. The Ombre Première Laque brightens and opens the eyes, and can be applied with the fingertip or a blending and shading brush. Rayon is metallic ivory beige, Rising Sun is a metallic sweet apricot, Quartz Rose is a metallic mauve…

While many will agree that this past decade saw the most strides and advancements in the beauty industry, there is a fast-growing trend that takes an entirely different approach to beauty and it might just surprise you. Lately, there has been a growing demand for all-natural, organic, and chemical-free products, which has allowed new beauty brands and products to sprout and thrive. For many, it is a refreshing change, especially since most of these products not only look and feel good to the touch, they are quite effective, too. Perhaps it’s an answer to the sign of the times; after all, we’ve never experienced as many wildfires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and epidemics as we do today. At the same time, the technology-driven beauty products and treatments of the last decade…

By now, everyone’s seen that famous scene on Friends, when Ross, played by David Schwimmer, gets a spray tan and forgets to turn when prompted because he counted wrong (“One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…”). He ends up with an orange tan. So, when I was invited to Spray Studio, the first spray tan salon in the Philippines, I was very excited but also quite wary. What if I ended up looking like Ross, or worse, the President of an erstwhile world power with an affinity for a fake tan? I need not have worried. The day before my appointment, I received a text from a technician at Spray telling me what to do: she recommended a full body shave and exfoliation, and to avoid wearing makeup or laser hair…

In a sea of countless diet meal plans in the market that promise ambitious results with their preset meals and trendy dishes, a standout has risen amongst the pre-packed noise with its more scientific approach to meal planning but never compromising the quality of their food’s flavor—Dr. Food, a diet program that curates meals specifically to your body, goals, and taste. While many other programs suggest meal plans for you or switch out certain ingredients or meats in an illusion of customization, Dr. Food starts with you and your needs-and-wants out of the program, so much so you can call it a bespoke nutrition plan. So how does it work? What makes Dr. Food such a personal experience to its patrons? With the likes of Cat Arambulo, Erin Campos, and…

Continuing its legacy of fine craftsmanship and design excellence, the Clash de Cartier collection pays homage to the Maison’s well-loved traditions while welcoming modern techniques. The aesthetic push and pull of ideas is a visual dance of duality. The geometric shapes and the feminine curves seamlessly blend in a brilliant duet of soft and hard details. The epitome of the jewelry collection’s undeniable resplendence and fluid collision of attitudes, Kaya Scodelario perfectly captures the spirit of Clash de Cartier. The multitalented English-Brazilian actress has portrayed a variety of roles that showcase her admirable talent in evoking a myriad of emotions from each character. Like Effy Stonem, everyone’s favorite bad girl in the UK version of Skins, she perfectly captures the aura of a conflicted youngster be it through her signature…

Doron and Cherryl Glazer met 22 years ago. Cherryl had been working in aesthetics since 1997, while Doron, a transplant, from Israel, moved to the Philippines in 2005 and started working in the import industry. “I come from Israel. Later I saw this company in Thailand selling lasers, and I wondered what it was all about, so I went to check. I saw the use of lasers in general medicine, so I decided to sell it here,” says Doron. He remembers the days when doctors rarely did work in aesthetics, when Dr. Vicki Belo was one of the few who did work on it. “Over the next decade I saw how aesthetics was evolving, so I decided to focus on aesthetic lasers. Slowly, we started bringing the latest technology here.”…

“In a nutshell fitness is the state of being physically fit and healthy, and for me, under the term ‘fitness’ also falls emotional and mental health,” says Sasja Mulder. The 28-year old trainer who focuses on pre- and postnatal fitness grew up in the Netherlands and shared that as a young girl, she had loved doing sports and was always active. Sasja decided to take it to the next level when she found out she was pregnant. At the age of 23, she was firm on staying active throughout her pregnancy. At the time, not a lot of fitness trainers felt they were equipped to handle pregnant clients. “Unfortunately in the Philippines, there was no support or any educated trainers out there that would help me out,” she says. “In…

In an alternate universe, Z Teo could have been a lawyer. While the Singaporean doctor grew up playing around his father’s clinic and thinking that he would follow his dad’s footsteps, he discovered a love for the arts and humanities during his teenage years. “I’ve always been told that I should become a doctor,” says Z. “As with children growing up, however, I started discovering other subjects in school. I liked English literature, history, and the arts—in fact, I excelled in those subjects. Math and science were a bit of a challenge, but you know how it is with Singaporeans—we are not supposed to struggle academically,” he quips. Challenges aside, Z was able to study well enough to get accepted in medical and law school. “I veered toward law at…

Benny Tady and Maica Salud met at a common friend’s birthday party and were together for 11 years before Benny proposed during a family trip. “I loved this because we got to celebrate with family right after,” says Maica. According to Maica, both of them love the beach, so they decided to celebrate in a garden wedding at Montemar, Bataan. “We knew from the beginning that it would be an outdoor setting where we could feel Mother Nature,” she says. Maica wore her mother’s wedding dress, reconstructed into a new design by Vania Romoff. “We used the beautiful hand-beaded lace and placed it into a new bodice,” she says. Her other two dresses were by Martin Bautista, topped off with a pearl-encrusted headpiece for the after-party by Magnetic Midnight. The…

PURE CANVAS PRIMER ILLUMINATING The skin’s natural luminosity is enhanced with a “glow from within” effect. The complexion is visibly refreshed and dull, tired skin instantly improves thanks to a formulation that includes micronized pearls that reflect and refract light and porcelain flower extract that is high in antioxidants. PURE CANVAS PRIMER BLURRING This oil-free and oil-absorbing primer creates a mattifying filter that blurs the complexion for a soft-focus effect. This clean formula includes ingredients like glycerin to plump the skin and microalgae to improve look and texture is breathable and seals in skincare, creating a protective barrier that extends makeup wear from day to night while helping control oil breakthrough. PURE CANVAS PRIMER HYDRATING This all-new water-based hydrating primer keeps moisture locked in, for a flawless, makeup-ready canvas. Lightweight…

For the younger generation of epicures, the opening of Bloom might not be as significant compared to the more experienced Makati gourmand. The idea of a new restaurant in a mall might not be a cause for much attention, maybe even the entire mall complex as a whole, with so many other newer culinary areas outside of Greenbelt. But Bloom’s premiere is nothing but significant to the Makati dining scene and holds its own with its vibrantly modern fare and deep history that tells of exciting things ahead. Bloom is the brainchild of longtime friends Philip Cruz and Carlos Chan—the former is a scion of one of the country’s leading construction families while the latter is the man behind the multi-national food and beverage colossus that is Oishi. A duo…

The first time I went to Paris, I went with my parents. I was in high school, and we visited all the usual tourist haunts: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Versailles. Ever since then, I have yearned to be back, but Paris is not my dad’s favorite city, so as a family, we have never returned. I resigned myself to waiting for something like a work trip, if I was lucky, or I figured that perhaps the next trip would be when I had my own family. Luckily, I did not have to wait that long. My previous boss, Anna Sobrepeña, messaged to say that the Filipina Women’s Network had given her an award recognizing her as one of the most Influential Filipina Women in the World. The ceremony…

While the average person can probably hold off eating red meat for a few weeks or months, Bianca Araneta-Elizalde has been doing just that for over twenty years now. “I still eat seafood and poultry, so I’m not a full-fledged vegetarian,” she quips. Bianca also hasn’t had a single drop of alcohol or soda in a long time; one can imagine how clean and healthy her diet is. These choices go beyond making simple dietary decisions or following trends—in fact, one can say that Bianca has championed clean eating even before colorful açai bowls and chia puddings became in vogue. Instead, these decisions underscore her unwavering commitment toward sustainable living to nurture herself, her family, and the environment. Years of healthy living are commendable enough, but Bianca impresses further by…

“Even before Happy Skin was launched in 2013, it was always a dream of mine to create a makeup line that I could swear my life on,” says Rissa Mananquil Trillo. She shares that in more than a decade of experience as a model and columnist in the beauty industry, she hadn’t yet been able to find a makeup brand that could take care of her skin and wouldn’t leave it feeling and looking worse at the end of the day. “I learned that while makeup can instantly prettify you, the biggest beauty woe is still going home with ruined skin.” Rissa also wanted products that were well suited to the country’s tropical climes; with shades that would fit the variety of skin colors in the Philippines. “There were so…

I’d like to think that I used to have an active lifestyle back in the day. I played tennis weekly, ran several miles a day, and occasionally, played football or baseball. But by the time I hit my thirties, finding time to hit the gym became quite difficult as I tend to put work on top of my priority list. Gym memberships end up being wasted. So when the opportunity to try yoga at Other Movement came, I was at first, a bit hesitant. Last year, I went to a yoga studio for about two months. But being the perfectionist that I am, it would get me frustrated when I couldn’t follow poses. In the end, I would wait for easier classes instead and not get the benefits of the…

The iconic Swiss watchmaker Omega has garnered over 150 years of expert craftsmanship and unmistakably luxurious designs, making every timepiece special. But this heritage does not rest on the wrist alone. This 2020, Omega launches their latest luxury eyewear collection, creating a harmony between elegant sunglasses and the watches they are inspired by. In partnership with Marcolin Eyewear in Italy, these new products will further the already-renowned quality and perpetual style of Omega. From the precise choice of materials, evident details that allude to signature watch features, and a wide range of color options, Omega’s attention to detail is seen in every pair. Classic and contemporary shapes also make these stunning statement pieces for any look. For sunny mornings by the beachfront, or midday events that call for some flair,…

THE SIGHTS OF SUCCESS With a well-curated selection of nearly 300 paintings, prints, jewelry, decorative art, and collectibles, Gavel&Block by Salcedo Auctions opened the auction season with the ‘art+design’ sale that was held last February 8, 2020 at the Salcedo Auctions headquarters at NEX Tower, 6786 Ayala Avenue, Makati City. The auction witnessed an emerging demand for skilled abstract artists such as Jaime Roque and Norberto Carating, with other decorative pieces gaining much-deserved attention as well. Roque’s A Pair of Abstract Works was sold for Php 116,800 (including buyer’s premium and VAT) while Carating’s Untitled work sold for Php 350,400. Norberto is well-known in art circles for his metallic abstractions and is multi-awarded—earning accolades at the Thirteen Artists Awards, Philippine Art Awards, and the Annual Competition and Exhibition by the…

According to Dr. Lia Bernardo, it was Lifestyle Asia who christened her “The Happiness Doctor” two years ago when we first featured her on the pages of the magazine. A well-known figure among Manila’s society circles, Lia has guided many individuals in their personal pursuits of happiness. Considered one of the leading experts in personal growth and development in the country today and an active member of the American and International Board of Psychoneurology, she utilizes leading-edge principles and practices of psychoneurology and integrative health, helping and guiding many into their lives of wholeness, happiness and thriving—as stated in her website <liabernardo.com>. Lia tells us about the governing principles of her practice, “I practice psychoneurology, which is basically an alternative to psychiatry and psychology. We practice ancient spiritual practices combined…

While the business of real estate is lucrative and high yielding, elevating the practice by putting purpose first ensures not only a healthy community but encourages an environment that goes beyond living luxuriously and promotes a lifestyle that invites social dialogue. Calma Properties Inc. President Carlo Calma, in staying true to the company’s motto “Architect Your Life,” succeeds in doing so with his latest venture: Monument, which also houses a Film Archives Museum, is a project whose story is almost as epic as the stuff movies are made of. Central to the story of the aforementioned piece of property is an eight-decades-old residence, which aside from witnessing the passing of generations in the confines of its walls, boasts of rich history—recounting multiple iconic Filipino movies and playing a significant role…

Standing in the midst of Greenhills’ Connecticut Street is a newly refurbished space in the mid-century modern style. Rather than being populated by pieces of the Ettore Sottsass persuasion, it is home to some of the most luxurious furniture brands in the metro, like Fornasetti, the famed Italian brand named after the eponymous artist and whose work prominently displayed the face of opera singer Lina Cavalieri. The brainchild of husband and wife team Gerry and Jinky Sy, Opulence Design Concept was conceived with the intention of making luxury dreams a reality. “We shared a vision for making well-crafted luxury furniture, modular kitchens, wardrobes, and home décor items more accessible to every homeowner,” says Gerry. This expert curation of home and design pieces belies years of experience in the furniture industry,…