"She’s very simple," attests Chin-Chin Bona-La Rosa, senior vice president of Pink Soda and Blue Soda. "That’s why we chose her for Pink Soda. She is so sweet and unassuming. She’s a no-frills type of girl and yet she’s very pert and pretty." Although she is a showbiz veteran on her ninth year in the biz, she has retained her small-town simplicity. She still lives with her family in Cavite, in fact.
"Actually I identify very well with Eds, my character on Tabing Ilog," she acknowledges. "We both grew up in the province. Also, we’re both very sensitive. Very emotional. The only difference is Eds cries more than I do!"
Just like Eds, Kaye is a Pink Soda kind of girl. "We both like very basic tops and plain shirts," she quips. "When I go out shopping, I usually look for simple tops." That’s why Pink Soda was a perfect match for both Kaye and her TV alter ego Eds.
Simplicity is key for Kaye. Case in point: She also follows very straightforward beauty secrets. "I just wash my face and make sure to moisturize every day," she says.
Similarly, she adheres to a no-fuss fashion philosophy. "I usually just wear jeans," she remarks. "I also go for khakis. Shirts. And there are a lot of those in the Pink Soda collection. They’re not too big on florals. But they have lots of tops that come in plain colors or cool stripes."
She also finds Pink Soda fabulously feminine. "Very girlish," she chimes in. "I love their sleeveless tops, those in stripes. They’re very cute." Kaye subscribes to a very down-to-earth fashion philosophy. In fact, she admires the same unaffected sense of style in other women. Among Hollywood icons, she looks up to Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez as the ultimate fashionistas. "I like the way Julia carries her clothes," Kaye expounds. "She’s always well-dressed. Very simple, but elegant. Jennifer, on the other hand, is very sexy. She can get away with absolutely anything."
When Pink Soda started dressing her up a year ago, Kaye was able to explore and expand not only her personal sense of style, but also those of her TV characters. "Eds used to be a typical barrio lass," she remembers. "Always in long skirts. But now, she’s more modern. She now wears sleeveless tops and short skirts."
Smooth and stress-free, she describes her working relationship with the Pink Soda team. "I can always tell them the type of clothes that I need on my TV shows," she volunteers.
On her old telenovela, Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan, she requested Pink Soda to come up with soft blouses and other lady-like outfits. "To suit my character." For her new soap opera Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas, she asked Pink Soda to make lots of Capri pants and matching tops. "Pink Soda has always been very supportive of me," Kaye beams.
"I’ve never been close to my image models before," Chin-Chin pipes up, "but these kids are very nice. And it’s fun to hang out with them. That’s why we always look forward to our mall tours."
In fact, Pink Soda and Blue Soda will have another big event coming up in Davao by October, to celebrate the topnotch clothing apparel’s lucky 14 years in the biz. Of course, Kaye will join them on this milestone, along with her former Tabing Ilog "husband" and Blue Soda model Rafael Rosel IV.
Kaye and Rafael are very good buddies. They constantly tease each other and are always joking around whenever they are in a room together. Rafael chides Kaye for dumping him on Tabing Ilog. "She had our marriage annulled on the show," Rafael cracks. "Then she went back to her old sweetheart (played by John Lloyd Cruz, who is also a Blue Soda guy). "
"Did you get jealous?" Kaye jests in retaliation. "You’re very moody," Rafael ribs Kaye. "You’re so childish," Kaye answers back.
They sound like two kids having a ball whenever they are within spitting distance. It wasn’t always like that, however. "When Rafael was new on Tabing Ilog, we were not so at ease with each other," Kaye looks back. "Our director Malou Sevilla even punished us." To demolish the wall between them, they were ordered to always be together, round-the-clock, even between takes. "So we ate together," she reminisces. "We went everywhere together. Eventually we became comfortable and close to each other. To the point that we were even rumored to be a couple!"
They were that effective. The candid and easy-going rapport that they’ve developed on the set, they now make fine use of whenever they go on mall tours for Blue Soda and Pink Soda. But will Kaye and Rafael be joined on the mall tours by the third guy in their boob-tube love triangle, John Lloyd Cruz?
Now, that is something to look forward to.