Liza Soberano open to joining beauty contests

MANILA, Philippines — Almost coinciding with Binibining Pilipinas’ announcement of its new candidates is Liza Soberano’s admission that she is open to join beauty pageants, in response to social media clamor for her to represent the country in Miss Universe.

“We’ll see,” she said when asked at a press conference if she is willing to heed her dad’s wish for her to join beauty contests.

 “I guess, it’s a father’s dream for his daughter to be known around the world. My dad is so proud of Pia Wurtzbach when she won last year, so that’s why he wants me to join. But right now, I’m just focusing on pag-aartista and also studying. I don’t have enough time to actually prepare, to actually commit to being a beauty queen,” she said at the Maybelline New York event.

She admitted that she does feel the pressure to look beautiful all the time because people have attached the word "beauty" to her.

For her, the ultimate beauty icon is Audrey Hepburn. “She’s a timeless, classic beauty and she’s beautiful inside-out. She’s someone I really look up to.”

To take care of her beauty, she said: “I always make sure I moisturize a lot, especially around the eye area. At the end of the day, I make sure to remove my makeup. I also drink a lot of water and use a good soap.”

For her fellow youth, she advised them to always go for natural makeup. “Of course, if you’re going to school, you want to look natural. You want to look yourself, of course. Just light. For teens, students in high school and college, just powder, lipstick, a little of blush. I always believe in natural makeup, so you’d still look like yourself. It depends on what you’re going for. If you’re going for something spectacular to wow everybody, then wear something bongga—bold lipstick and something that gives a statement. For me talaga, just natural to look like yourself.”

Besides doing two soap operas, one with her reel-and-real-life partner Enrique Gil, Liza hopes to have time to do charity work.

“Kelsey is fun to work with. She’s very bubbly and a very good person… I can see a very bright future for her in the modeling world,” Liza said of fellow Maybelline girl Kelsey Merritt, who is also being egged on in social media to become the Philippines’ next Miss Universe bet.

WATCH: Liza Soberano on becoming a beauty queen