Liz Uy: Lipstick completes a woman’s look

The country’s top stylist styles her own Happy Skin lippies.

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no stopping the country’s most loved and homegrown makeup brand from bringing women chic makeup finds that care for your skin. Last Feb. 5, Happy Skin’s beauty duo and founders Jacqe Gutierrez and Rissa Trillo proudly unveiled their newest collaboration with celebrity stylist Liz Uy.

At the Owners’ Lounge of Raffles Makati, Liz revealed the lipsticks made especially for her, the limited-edition Happy Skin StyLIZed collection. When asked why she decided to collaborate with Happy Skin, Liz said, “It’s a Filipino brand I believe in.” She adds, “It’s not every day one gets offered to be part of a special collaboration. It’s exciting to concoct your own shades and see Filipinas really wearing them!”

Coming to celebrate were Liz’s siblings, Laureen and Vince Uy, close friends and newlyweds Eric Dee and Bea Soriano-Dee, and Liz’s prince charming, Richard Griffiths. Also in attendance were top beauty editors, including family and friends like Tweetie De Leon-Gonzalez, Ella Laxa-Pangilinan, Kiana Valenciano, Plains & Prints’ Erickson and Roxanne Farillas.

A “StyLIZed” setup greeted guests for the launch, thanks to interior designer Bernice Sorongon. Miniature stiletto shoes, mannequin bodices and minaudières were especially handmade by Pam Arellano Sunga. Event coordinator Marge Montemayor kept the event smooth and seamless.

Overflowing glasses of sparkling Chandon Rose were served to guests while the colorful tarts and éclairs of Raffles Makati Hotel that mimic Happy Skin’s makeup collection kept the guests on a sugary high, though most said they were too cute to eat!

 “If I could add one more chapter to my book, it would be all about lipstick. That’s my essential for beauty,” Liz states.

Inspired by her bestselling book, StyLIZed: Liz Uy’s Ten Style Essentials, Liz collaborates with Happy Skin to create limited-edition lipsticks so you can dress up your lips. “Lipstick is a fashion essential because it completes a woman’s look,” she explains. “Just like shoes, the right lip color can change your entire look.”

She launched her StyLIZed book during her birthday last February 2014. This year, she celebrates her birthday again with Happy Skin under the StyLIZed branding.

Usually working behind the camera with the biggest celebrities in the country, Liz this time is front and center for the Happy Skin StyLIZed campaign. “Yes, lipstick has always been my weakness,” she confesses. “My love for makeup started when I was doing editorial shoots. After every shoot, makeup artists would play with my face,” Liz fondly recalls. “From then on, I found out that makeup is such a powerful weapon for us girls. It can totally transform you into a different person.”

To be sold at P599 each, the Happy Skin StyLIZed collection gives you new pouting essentials in three limited-edition Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie shades: 24 Carats (pink), Red Carpet (red), and Style Icon (nude). The set lippies also come in an acrylic clutch set (P1,799) and a leatherette case set (P1,499). “These are my favorite lip colors that I consider fashion essentials to our kits,” says Liz.  “This is for the woman who is independent, feminine and fashionable.”

For every Happy Skin StyLIZed lippie sold, a portion of sales will go to Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc., which helps end poverty by restoring dignity to the poor through community building. Gawad Kalinga made an unforgettable impact on Liz while she was volunteering for relief operations in Tacloban to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan. The #walangiwanan commitment of Gawad Kalinga volunteers touched the stylist. “It’s been years and Gawad Kalinga still has not forgotten about the community,” Liz shares.

“It’s my first time creating my own lipstick shade. I didn’t realize it was so hard to concoct your own palette!” she confesses. “I wanted to create something I will really use and what I feel other people will use.”

So what does a celebrity stylist like Liz look for in a lipstick? “One that has moisturizer and is long lasting,” Liz declares. “It shouldn’t dry out my lips. I really hate it when I remove other lipsticks and they make my lips so dry. Lipstick should be very moisturizing,” she stresses. Just like all Happy Skin lippies, the StyLIZed limited-edition shades offer the same three-fold “lip service”: the shine of a gloss, the pigment of a lipstick, and the hydration of a balm. They contain shea butter and collagen to keep lips in lip-lockin’ shape. 

“Liz was extremely hands-on with creating the collection,” says Rissa. “Every detail you see went past her trained fashion eye.” Jacqe explains, “It’s the first time Happy Skin lippies will be encased in metallic gold, silver and bronze tubes. This concept was part of her vision for the collection.”

The Happy Skin founders further explain that the acrylic bag was also another must in the celebrity stylist’s list – a beautiful piece that doubles as a fashion accessory. And the packaging? Jacqe and Rissa reveal that Liz chose every fashion item printed on the box. “If you look closely, you’ll see that Liz made sure that it illustrates items from her book on 10 style essentials,” shares Rissa.

Liz extends her distinct eye for detail as she recently founded StyLIZed Studio, a company featuring a pool of stylists trained under her wings. On top of the styling and advertising campaigns she does for celebrities, StyLIZed Studio under her creative direction offers styling services for proms, debuts, pre-nuptial photo shoots, weddings, corporate launches and even political campaign materials. 

Despite her busy schedule, the celebrity stylist always looks so polished. With 1.7 million Twitter followers and as one of the biggest celebrities followed on social media, how does she manage to always look picture-perfect on Instagram selfies? Liz declares, “The right angle and the perfect shade of lipstick.”

Her beauty mantra? “Stay happy. It gives the best glow.”

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Happy Skin is available at Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La, Beauty Bar, and Plains & Prints. Happy Skin is also now available at The SM Store Makati and Watson’s Mall of Asia Store GeNxt.