As a little girl, Katrina Ponce Enrile watched her mother Cristina put makeup on before going out. Once Mom had left the house, Enrile would sit on her chair and help herself to a sneaky swipe of lipstick.

“That’s how my love for makeup started. Once she leaves the house, I would put her makeup on,” Enrile said.

At puberty, Enrile was already well-acquainted with drugstore brands. Now a mature woman with kids, the self-confessed “makeup hoarder” not only exchanges makeup tips with her daughters; Enrile, daughter Kristen and Kristen’s BFF Bianca Jackes are also launching a blog called “The Makeup Addicts” (www.themakeupaddicts.com.ph) today, April 26, at the Green Sun in Makati City.

Common bond

“We’re always talking about makeup, it’s the common bond between us. Every time we see each other it’s makeup, makeup, makeup! So we decided to put up this blog. We have been talking about doing this for two or three years now. The plan is to eventually establish a presence in social media through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter,” Enrile said in an exclusive interview with Inquirer Lifestyle.

“It’s gonna be anything and everything about makeup. I’m actually what they call a makeup hoarder. I have a whole room filled with makeup… In my house I have a makeup room which I will later feature in my blog,” Enrile added.

The makeup room boasts of a jaw-dropping stash that includes products from Make Up For Ever, Kevyn Aucoin, NARS, Chantecaille, Serge Lutens, Tarte, Kat Von D, MAC, Chanel and Addiction—the last one a product available only in Japan.

The stock comes from foreign trips. Sales people in makeup counters abroad are so familiar with Enrile’s face that she is immediately invited to sit down and try the latest product when she enters a store.

On-point JLo

The new blogger said she looks forward to a local brand making it big in the global cosmetics arena.

“I would encourage local manufacturers to make good quality makeup. If it’s really good and they tap the right people to market it, especially with a lot of people selling things online, it’s a huge market,” she noted.

Enrile admires the makeup of Hollywood celebrities Jennifer Lopez and Angelina Jolie. 

“Sometimes Kim Kardashian, but not too much. It’s always JLo who is on point,” she added.

Enrile noted, however, that a makeup endorsement by a famous person is not a factor when she chooses her paints.

“The color may be nice on the counter but not when you swipe it. So I try everything myself. If the color payoff is good, then I buy it,” she related.

Limited shades

Enrile said she has tried Korean cosmetics that are gaining visibility in the global market. Trouble is, the products’ shades are limited and usually do not agree with her neutral-olive complexion.

These days, Enrile doesn’t leave the house without a tube of Mehr lipstick (“the perfect shade of pink”) from MAC.

“I prefer brownish pink which is a variant of nude lipstick, but more on the pink. I can carry a smoky eye, a winged liner and lashes because I have very deep-set eyes. I can carry any kind of makeup on myself. And it has rubbed off on Kristen because she would see what I’m doing,” Enrile said.

Curiously, Enrile does not apply makeup on herself. “I’m legally blind. Near or far, I cannot see. I have to tell the makeup artist what I want on my face. After a while, they get to know the style I want. I learn from them, they learn from me.  I always have a nice time with a makeup artist.”

The three bloggers have prepared five articles each for the Tuesday launch, covering a wide array of makeup subjects including cosmetics, skincare, equipment like brushes and makeup artists—both famous and up-and-coming.

“It will be a fun banter among the three of us. I’m obviously the senior one so I would talk about makeup appropriate for my age. Bianca, my ‘adopted daughter,’ is a makeup artist and Kristen is an enthusiast. It’s gonna be a good mix,” Enrile said.

The women will each present a muse and a makeup artist/collaborator who will interpret her idea of a specific makeup look.

‘Dewy-skinned look’

Enrile’s muse will be actress Gretchen Barretto. “It’s easy to put makeup on Gretchen,” Enrile noted.

“Gretchen is a friend and she said ‘yes’ right away. Since she works only with Patrick Rosas, Patrick and I have to work together to get the look I want for her,” Enrile said.

Enrile envisions a “dewy-skinned look” that she knows Barretto can easily pull off.

“Color would only be around the eyes and everything else fades away. We’ll use red liquid lipstick as her eyeliner. It’s just going to be something different. The reveal would be at the launch itself,” Enrile said.

Kristen would have Kianna Valenciano as her muse and Imee Sitchon as her makeup artist; Jackes, a trained makeup artist, will play around with muse Sam del Rosario’s features along with makeup artist Jigs Mayuga.

The blog is not Enrile’s first foray into the creative sector. Back in the 1980s, she set up a fashion line called “Options” that dealt with one-of-a-kind creations. She also dabbled in a baking venture called Pandesal Magic.

Family businesses

Enrile was set to launch the bakeshop’s fifth branch when her father, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, hinted quite strongly it was time for her to be more hands-on in the family businesses.

“I’m more of an artist at heart, but because of circumstances, designing clothes and the pan de sal chain got overtaken. At the peak of it, Dad asked me, ‘Are you going to join the family corporation or not?’” she recalled.

The obedient daughter put aside her creative endeavors to concentrate on business. She is now president of the Jaka Group of Companies and the Montemar Beach Club. She also sits on the board of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.

But intense left-brain activities need a foil sometimes.

“I need a creative balance, it’s just the way I am. I’m seriously thinking of going back to designing clothes. I always have a creative outlet, whether cooking, clothes or my makeup,” Enrile said.

“Right now, makeup is a passion, not a business. If I make a review or anything, it’s not because I’m paid to do it. I just don’t know if it would get monetized somewhere. I’m not thinking of that right now.”

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