Chic & fearless
MANILA, Philippines — Beauty and fashion blogger Nicole Tavu Syjuco faces the world with a heart for life and a strong sense of self. As she embraces her passions, her beauty is revealed even more.
There is calm in 29-year-old Nicole — when she speaks, when she expresses her ideas. But behind this Zen-like disposition is a fearless, strong-willed woman who is ready to tackle life every day head on.
“Beauty and fashion are my passions. They have allowed me to show my personality. I am not afraid to dress the way I want because I like to experiment with fashion. I don’t just follow trends; I want to always incorporate my own style,” says Nicole, whose well-curated Instagram account (with more than 40,000 followers to date) bursts with vivid colors and a parade of chic fashion statements.
Nicole is inspired by her surroundings. When she sees interesting things like, say, a colorful faded wall or a random foliage, she would think of what outfit and style would go well with that element and then she executes her idea.
“For me, it doesn’t stop with just thinking of an outfit and snapping a photo. There should always be a location factor. Like if you see a fire truck and you feel like it would go well with your outfit, go ahead and take a photo,” shares Nicole, who credits her mom Ayin Martinez as the one who brought her the fashion fancy.
“Growing up, I would always see my mom dressing up, wearing these super fashionable outfits and she would teach me what’s in style. We always talk about fashion. She’s one of my best friends. Our goal is to go to New York Fashion Week together.”
As she creates content for her blog and Instagram feed, Nicole also builds and sells houses with her husband Miguel Syjuco for the family business Draco Builders. “My husband inspires me a lot. He brings out the best in me and he is very hands on with our son Andy. We work best when we are together because we work on improving each other’s ideas and then we make it ‘our’ idea,” she says.
Nicole and her husband started a website in 2009 when they were still in college at the Ateneo. As their website grew, they did a bold move of dropping out of college one year shy of graduating to keep the website running. Today, both of them are taking an online course at the Swiss Management Center University.
“Miguel and I don’t usually take the traditional route. We are not afraid to take a chance on things.”
Recently, Nicole put up an online sunglass store called @Shopnicolesyjuco (now with almost 30,000 followers) where one can find stylish and eye-catching sunglasses. She plans to put up a physical store for it soon. “I want to sell trendy pieces that are affordable and different from the classic designs that we are already used to. I want everyone to love and enjoy fashion like I do.”
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Aside from fashion, one of Nicole’s passions is makeup as seen in her blog nicolesyjuco.com. Now that summer is in full swing, Nicole admits that she is not too excited about it “because of the heat.” So, as much as possible, she keeps her makeup light.
“I keep it simple during summer,” she says. “I just usually have three things: mascara, eyebrow pencil and lipstick.”
Nicole is particular with her eyelashes and she sometimes has them permed. For this shoot, Nicole used EB Power Curl Mascara, which has a curved brush that creates a visibly thicker and fanned out lashes. Its long-lasting waterproof formula is perfect for the summer season, too.
Nicole’s brows are always perfectly arched as she tried eyebrow embroidery “so when I wake up, my eyebrows are already done,” which saves her time. But for those who are not ready yet for this kind of procedure, the dual-ended EB Pro Brow Duo may work just fine. Its retractable pencil tip helps outline and lightly fill in brows while the opposite end has a sponge tip and pressed powder cap to set and color brows for naturally full-looking results.
And lastly, Nicole’s ultimate summer makeup must-have is lipstick. “When I am wearing smoky eyes, I always go for nude lipstick to balance out the look,” she says. Nicole particularly loves the Ever Bilena Matte Lipstick in Sexy Nude. This line of lipstick’s bold and rich shades give the lips a velvety matte finish while maintaining their moisture. This is best used with the EB Matte Lip Liner.
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Nicole embraces beauty with familiarity as she aims to be her best in the many roles she plays in her life.
“There is beauty when you are confident in the way you carry yourself,” she says.
“If there’s anything that I’ve learned in life, it is you should not be afraid to take a chance on anything. If you’re passionate about something, go for it. Don’t let anything stop you,” she concludes.
Photography by Claudine Cervantes Callanta of Larawanmo • Fashion styling by J-em Sta. Ana • Makeup by ANA ABAINZA • Hairstyling by ROBERT LUMBRE • Green velvet wrap dress from @thepinkbowtiqueph, floral ruffled halter dress from @djourshop and accessories from @kala.mnl
