Beauty Profile: Ala Paredes

I have beautiful friends and family. From time to time (actually quite often probably) I will be featuring them in this blog. Just short Q&A's and some photos of them. Let's start off with my sister, Ala :)

 

 Living in a country where there are so many different races, how do you think Pinay beauty stands out?
Ala: I think our naturally young-looking skin really is a stand-out here. Also, many Pinoys are of a mixed heritage which leads to many people trying to determine where we're from. People definitely think we're an interesting mix. 

Describe your beauty routine.
Ala: I don't use soap on my face as it dries my skin out. I love Cetaphil. I use an eye-makeup remover for my mascara but I find Cetaphil does the trick for the rest of my face. I use Human Heart Nature's Night Moisturizer at night which makes my skin so soft when I wake up in the morning, and it's heavy enough to stand up to winter. I use HHN Day Moisturizer during the day or Cetaphil, depending on what I have. Also Invisible Zinc facial sunscreen which I find is the most non-oily/ non-greasy.

When you were living in Manila and getting into the whole advertising scene, what was it like being surrounded by fair skinned/straight haired girls and why do you think that despite that being the norm at the time, they kept booking you?

Ala: I do remember my first big ad which was a facial wash ad and being compared to the girl I was with who was fairer and had long straight hair. Some people did make harsh comments, and I was actually pressured by some clients to have my hair straightened. I don't know why I kept getting booked, I didn't feel very beautiful growing up. But I guess people we're just ready for something new. Maybe the market was just saturated with fair-skinned beauties. 

What hair care do u recommend for people with curly hair?

Ala: I'm a huge fan of Human Heart Nature products. Their shampoo, conditioner, and hair styling cream all work wonders for me. A lot of commercially sold products don't work well on my hair, they're so heavy and leave a lot of residue, and I think I'm allergic to them. I've also found that TIGI Curls Rock line do pretty well.