Hair there and everywhere!

MACAU — The winning hairstyle was a crowd favorite from the very start, ascending layers of dark hair topped by a salakot that could have reached the ceiling (oops! that’s an exaggeration!), what with foot-high heels worn by the model, the Philippines’ Ameera Johara, 15 (who started as a model when she was 13), styled by Stephanie Ilagan who screamed in falsetto when Ameera, rather his creation, was declared winner in Bridal Makeup/Total Look category, as well as media favorite.

The Philippines’ other entry, made up by Mario Tacuboy, finished first runner-up in the Fantasy Look category.

Only 10 of the 18 members (Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand) participated in the 2017 Creative Image Arts Hair and Makeup (CIAHM) competition held in this city last Nov. 29. The 22nd (2018) APHCA Olympics next year will be held in Macau and the CIAHM event was a mere “preview” of what is predicted to be more explosive, more eye-popping, more mind-blowing and more stunning competition, calculated to top the 2015 Olympics in Bangkok that showcased more than 500 different make-up and hairstyles from the members. APHCA stands for Asia Pacific Hairdressers & Cosmetologists Association of which Ricky Reyes has been president for years, with his record so sterling that he has been hailed as “leader for life.”

Ricky is also the long-time head of Filhair, an association of Filipino hairstylists band make-up artists that include Stephanie (who owns a beauty parlor in Novaliches, Quezon City) and Mario (with his own shop in Bulacan).

“For the 2017 CIAHM competition, each country brought two models,” counted Ricky who remained hands-off (to avoid being accused of favoritism) during the competition that took up one whole afternoon at the ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. ABS-CBN PR Girl Pat-P Daza (who was invited with her mom Jullie Yap-Daza, Aster Amoyo and this columnist to cover the event) was among the judges.

The APHCA Olympics is among the many events that keep Ricky on his toes, also including advocacies like the Angking Galing (in affiliation with TESDA) that recently graduated 2,444 students, the years-old Isang Suklay, Isang Buhay which trains participants in hair-cutting/styling, an orphanage, and the 14-year-old ChildHaus (for kids battling cancer) which entertained patients at a Christmas Party last Sunday, Dec. 3, held in front of a big building on Agoncillo Street in Paco, Manila, donated by Hans Sy.

“So far,” said Ricky, “more than 15,000 have benefitted from ChidHaus, coming from Metro Manila and the provinces who are being treated in various government hospitals. It’s so nice because mataas ang record ng mga gumagaling. The kids at ChaidHaus have full meals every day, kaya lumalakas ang immune system nila at tuloy ang gamutan. Libre ang stay nila, pati food at medicine.” 

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)