Bold. Beautiful.

MANILA, Philippines — Now on its 35th year, leading local cosmetics brand Ever Bilena is bolder than ever.

As a company that takes pride in being an all-Filipino brand, Ever Bilena continues to standout in today’s exciting and competitive local cosmetics arena with its wide range of products -— from a full cosmetics line to hairstyling products, among others.

Today, the company celebrates not only the beauty of Filipinos but also their creativity and ability to push boundaries when it comes to makeup artistry. This is evident in the campaigns and activities the company takes part in like its annual Ever Bilena Big Beauty Challenge, a contest for video bloggers, aspiring and professional makeup artists to unleash their creativity.

In 2017,  27-year-old Min Ortiz was hailed the grand winner with his spellbinding Goth-inspired avant-garde look. And for 2018, it was 23-year-old Trisha Montero who won with her meticulously put-together “extraterrestrial” look.

Min Ortiz

Min Ortiz — a fashion model, makeup artist, club DJ, painter, beauty blogger/vlogger — was first known for his makeup transformation videos that went viral online. From there, he developed his makeup aesthetic.

Min started to use makeup in high school just to conceal his troubled skin. It wasn’t until he was in college, while taking up Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas,  when he discovered makeup as an art form through a body-painting project.

“That’s where I got the creative aesthetic of the makeup that I do now. That’s when I also realized that makeup is powerful,” says Min, a self-taught makeup artist who is into dark, genderless, non-binary and edgy look.

For this shoot, Min did his own makeup using Ever Bilena products and created his “fast glam” look. For his lips, he used EB Matte Nudes in Dolce shade. This line of six bold nude colors caters to a variety of moods, personalities and looks.

Min shares that one of his makeup must-haves is eyeshadow. So for this look, he used the EB Eyeshadow Palette in Pink (Shimmer) and Brown (Matte), which comes in six expertly coordinated shades to help color, define and enhance one’s eyes. It comes in two finishes, which can take one’s look from day to night. And to give more definition to the eyes, he used EB Pro Eye Liner in Ebony, a retractable, waterproof eyeliner with a thin pencil that is great for tightlining.

Min first used makeup to conceal imperfections and feel more confident in a way. But now, he does makeup as a form of self-expression. “Makeup has become a way for me to express my creativity more. When I vlog, my skills are being developed — doing makeup, video editing, having the eye for what’s beautiful. I am really able to explore my creativity and skills. I’ve learned that when you are authentic to yourself, you’ll do good. And don’t let anybody limit your self-expression. As an artist, that is always the goal — to express yourself through whatever platform of art you are in.”

Trisha Montero

With her blonde hair, wide eyes and adorable clothes, Trisha Montero easily gets mistaken as a cosplayer. “That happens to me a lot,” says this young mom, whose style is inspired by her fancy with Japanese fashion and culture that later on developed her kawaii (cute) aesthetic.

Trisha, who studied Fashion Design at SoFA, first wanted to be a fashion designer and dabbled a lot on creative pursuits like graphic design, traditional and digital artwork, blogging, makeup, and even gaming. But her priorities shifted when she had her daughter, who is now two years old.

“I started blogging in 2011 just to share whatever I did at the time — crafts, makeup, clothes. But when I had my daughter, all my time went to taking care of her. That’s why I decided to do makeup tutorials and vlogs more because those are easier to manage while I take care of her,” she shares.

She found her interest in makeup when she was in college. She tried it and wanted to learn more so she watched makeup tutorial videos and was immediately transfixed. That was when she realized that she could do a lot more with her newfound love for the craft. Eventually, she was able to use her makeup skills to earn money as a makeup artist.

For this shoot, Trisha, used Ever Bilena products to create her look. “I like Ever Bilena because the products are not expensive but they give off great quality. Like the blush that I used, it’s highly pigmented and the shades are nice.”

As one who is fond of nude shades of lipstick, Trisha used the EB Matte Nudes in Bellissima. She liked it because the lips are saturated in color while staying soft and supple even after one takes off the lipstick.

She also loves highlighting her eyes so the EB Eyeshadow Palette in Pink (Shimmer) and Brown (Matte) was perfect for the look she wanted to achieve, especially since the product comes in two finishes for various effects and styles. She also used the EB Pro Eye Liner in Ebony for more definition on her eyes. This eyeliner is also waterproof, which helps the product to last longer on the eyelids.

Trisha continues to develop her makeup artistry by vlogging and opening her eyes to inspirations around her. She also plans to create a clothing line soon. “In the future, I want to regularly create videos because I enjoy creating them and I also enjoy doing makeup at the same time. When I had my baby, it changed by perspective in life. My daughter is really my motivation. Everything I do right now, it’s for her,” she says.

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Photography by Claudine Cervantes Callanta of Larawanmo • Fashion styling by J-em Sta. Ana