To say that actress/artist/author/ animal rights advocate Heart Evangelista is busy is an understatement.
After releasing a beauty book last year entitled “This is Me, Love Marie,” Evangelista wished she could collaborate with a brand whose lippies she loved instantly. That brand was Happy Skin, and when Evangelista found out that it was a homegrown brand, she was thrilled, and reached out to the brand immediately.
Of course, Happy Skin girl bosses Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez and Rissa Mananquil-Trillo were pumped when Evangelista came a-knocking (or a-texting, to be more specific).
“Before she reached out to us, she had already included Happy Skin lippies in her book, “This is Me, Love Marie,” and that’s how I found out that she’s a genuine fan of the brand,” says Trillo.
“Some time in February, she (Evangelista) texted and said, ‘Hey, just a thought, you wanna collaborate?’ and then sobrang kilig kami. She’s one of the most beautiful faces in the industry, and she’s also not just an actress but a beauty icon and an artist. So, of course, we said yes in a heartbeat.”
Six-piece collection
The first meeting happened during Chinese New Year last February; by July, a six-piece collaborative collection was launched—a feat, considering everything from planning to production (over Viber, mostly) happened in just under six months.
Happy Skin x Love Marie is a collection defined and inspired by Evangelista’s first foray into makeup, her artistic passion, and fan feedback.
Their collaboration with Evangelista is the brand’s biggest yet.
“It gets bigger and bigger with every collaboration,” says Trillo. Three matte lipsticks and three lip liners comprise Happy Skin x Love Marie. The complementary shades are what the three women deem as essentials in every woman’s lipstick wardrobe.
All Heart is a vintage red hue; New Love (Evangelista’s personal favorite) is a warm nude, while Nostalgia is a neutral rose. For the matte lippies, Happy Skin incorporates fan feedback into the packaging, releasing mini sticks of their lippies for the first time.
“A lot of our Happy Skin fans have been clamoring for that kasi they want something they can put in their clutches during a night out,” says Trillo.
Another first for the brand: lip liners. Adds Trillo, “It’s also the first time we’re doing lip liners, and it was perfect that at 13, Evangelista was already using lip liners (she used to steal her elder sister’s nubby, worn-down lip liners and use them on herself). That’s why she already knew what she wanted, and perfect talaga to launch mini matte lippies and lip liners.”
Evangelista-Escudero, Rissa Mananquil-Trillo PHOTOS BY TATIN YANG
Decisive
Says Gutierrez, “Heart knew exactly what she wanted; she’s very decisive.”
Trillo adds, “From the very start, before anything was ever started, she said, ‘I want a box with my illustrations; a nude matte lippie and lip liners. We loved that she was a go-getter.”
The two marveled at how fast Evangelista came up with the illustrations for the heart-shaped box, which houses the three matte lipsticks from the collection.
Says Trillo, “What makes me admire her the most was, we were working on this at the height of the campaign period during the elections, and yet never siyang naubusan ng time or energy for us. That’s why we were really so impressed by a woman like her. All heart talaga.”
The lip liners are as pout-perfect as their matte lippie partners. Heartthrob is a sexy red; Skinny Dipping is a nude that won’t wash you out, and First Date is a soft pink that enhances lips. The matte lip liners can be worn alone or as “underwear” to give your lipsticks more staying power.
Even though the formulation of the pencils is matte, Trillo and Gutierrez agonized over the formula and packaging to ensure that lip liners would remain moisturizing. The secret? Cupuacu butter, an emollient found in Amazon rainforests. This ingredient allowed the lip liners to be creamy and moisturizing while remaining matte.
The lip liner also retains its moisturizing properties by taking on the form of a pencil, which ensures that you unveil the product afresh only after sharpening it.
The collection comes with a most ingenious sharpener, which doubles as a cap that you can stick at the end of the pencil so you’ll always have access to it anytime, anywhere. At P79, the sharpener is a super steal, such that we ended up ordering five from Happy Skin’s online shop so we’d always have backups (come Christmas we’ll order more to give away to friends).
Fixture
It’s hard to believe that Happy Skin is only two years old, given how quickly it has become a permanent fixture in every makeup addict’s vanity kit. Its shade library for the popular Shut Up and Kiss Me moisturizing lippies is as vast as it is nuanced; just when you thought you had already bagged the perfect neutral, along comes a new shade you’ll covet until you give in.
Happy Skin x Love Marie is also that—a covetable collection you’ll love with all your heart (don’t forget the genius sharpener!).
After the collaboration with Evangelista, what’s next? On Gutierrez and Trillo’s collab wishlist: designer Monique Lhuillier.
“With her Cebuano roots and her global popularity, she’s our dream collaborator. A lot of our consumers want something for brides, like a go-to bridal kit or pre-bridal look, and we’d love to do something like that with her.”
As for Evangelista, there’s no stopping her. After putting her mark on makeup, she’s also coming out with a fragrance line, a cookbook with her mom and an art exhibit where she’ll debut limited edition hand-painted clutches. She’s also eyeing a jewelry line, and has an art-related collaboration with another big brand in the pipeline.
On the inside of the Happy Skin x Love Marie box is a quote that says, “Give a woman the right lippie and she can conquer the world!” Clearly, Evangelista has the right lippies (six of them), and she’s all set to conquer the world.
Happy Skin x Love Marie is available at Happy Skin boutiques and online at www.happyskincosmetics.com. Follow @happyskin_ph and @iamhearte on Instagram.