Ruffa’s best beauty secret

Ruffa Gutierrez is one of showbiz’s prettiest faces. At 5’10”, she’s a head-turner with flawless, glowing skin and a statuesque physique. She has had her share of controversies and was back in the limelight recently.

I recently caught up with Ruffa, who graciously answered my questions about her love life, her parenting style, the pandemic, and her new lifestyle business venture.

Asked if she would consider getting married again, Ruffa emphasizes that she has no plans to do so.

“It’s not a priority,” she declares. “But if someone comes into my life and will change my world, put me on a pedestal and give me a life better than what I have now, then I will consider it. But because of my experience with my ex-husband, Yilmaz (Bektas), I am still traumatized by it. I am just more careful about getting married again.”

Speaking of Yilmaz, Ruffa denies a story that surfaced several weeks ago that they are on speaking terms once again. Ruffa clarifies, “We spoke last year for the sake of the kids so they can reconnect again and he can fulfill his duties as a father. Unfortunately, we always end up fighting and so we’re not okay again. But since the kids are older, I gave the number of Venice to Yilmaz so they can directly communicate with each other without me having to be in the middle.”

And what can Ruffa share about being a single parent? What’s her parenting style? “I am a good cop-bad cop,” she says. “I am strict when it comes to certain things but at the same time I want (my kids) to be open with me and tell me everything. I remember when Lorin was 15 years old and she told me that she had a crush, I cried for three hours! She said, ‘I thought you wanted me to tell you everything?’

“I am quite conservative when it comes to raising my kids, but at the same time I give them the liberty to choose what they want to study, what to wear, etc. I remind them to be careful and not do anything that will put them in a bad light. I also remind them of our Filipino culture and tell them to be more discerning when it comes to their suitors. I noticed that a lot of the youth now don’t even have a courting stage, they just jump right into relationships.”

When I asked her what life was like during the pandemic, she replied, “The pandemic changed my outlook and I realized how important family is. Things that we thought mattered before don’t matter anymore. I used to buy the latest shoes and bags, all my ‘capricho.’ But the pandemic forced me to stay home and I asked myself, ‘Do I really need all the stuff in my closet?’ We don’t. I wear the same tsinelas every day. I am thankful that I could swim at home and get some exercise while there are a lot of people who were cooped up at home. I think it was God’s way of shaking us and telling us to go back to basics, back to our roots, and think of your family and the things that really matter in life.

“Pre-pandemic, I’d only go home to sleep. I was always on the go, doing projects, working, taping. I was always out of the house. Then suddenly I was stuck at home. I started checking on the plants, learned to cook a bit and worked on getting my college degree. Now I’m more selective when I go out. I ask myself, ‘Is it worth my energy?’ I’d rather spend time with my parents and Venice (Lorin is in the USA for college).”

Before our chat ended, I asked her about her new business venture. Ruffa recently launched her new lifestyle brand, Gutz and Glow. The product line-up will include a butt-and-body scrub, disinfectant hand soap, feminine lightening spray mist, luminous hand cream, lustrous hand sanitizer, blazing hand sanitizer, make-up remover wipes and intimate feminine wipes.

She proudly declares that though the products are infused with superior technology and made from the freshest and finest functional ingredients and antioxidants, they are still affordable in keeping with her vision. Her lifestyle products will soon be available in the market through direct selling and eventually, through various retail outlets.

For Ruffa, however, the best beauty secret is having a positive attitude. She refuses to harbor ill will and negative feelings. She also believes that her “Italian” temperament allows her to exhaust any anger she may be harboring in three days tops, after which she is okay.

She also knows that life’s stresses quicken ageing, and so she meditates to relax. For her, loving yourself and being in the company of people who love you and whom you love in return will keep anyone glowing.