At 16, Andrea Brillantes finally fulfills her dream of having her own make-up line.
"Happy ako na nandito na siya! My gosh, may launching na ako! Super grateful ako," the young ABS-CBN actress tells PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) during the launch of Blythe Cosmetics.
Launching her own make-up line has been a dream of hers since she was three years old.
Andrea continues, "Hindi ko na-expect na makukuha ko siya ngayon...Kahapon, nasa church lang ako para maging successful ang event na ito and happy ako sa lahat na nangyayari ngayon. Happy! H-a-p-p-y!"
Blythe Cosmetics took a year from conceptualization to finished product.
HOW ANDREA CAME UP WITH THE NAMES
Andrea's main inspiration for the collection began with the word "starlight."
She says, "Nag-start siya nung naisip ko yung 'Starlight Eyes.' Yung parang glitters sa mata, 'tapos isip ko 'Starlight' yung name. 'Tapos, after yung Starlight name, parang nasundan ko na siya ng 'Cosmos.'
"So parang, 'Ay, papunta na ako sa galaxy, sa universe. Ituloy ka na!' Gusto ko kasi yung colors ko ay pastel. Mahilig ako sa shimmer, mahilig ako sa iba't ibang kulay."
Her brand's name Blythe is part of the actress's real name.
"Naisip ko na Blythe kasi sabi ng mommy ko, since ito yung first make-up ko, para mas alam ng mga tao, maganda na magsimula sa Blythe.
"Since maganda din naman yung pangalan ko, since bigay naman ng nanay ko pangalan ko, ginamit ko."
The launch of the latest celebrity make-up line was held at the Century Mall Event Center in Makati City last August 14.
WHAT IS ANDREA'S GOAL FOR MAKE-UP LINE?
Andrea hopes that her make-up line will make beauty more accessible and fun for everyone.
She says, "Iniisip ko talaga yung magagamit sa lahat—magagamit everyday, magagamit sa parties. Gusto ko yung magagamit ng lahat."
Because of this main goal, Andrea fully appreciates the efforts of the team that helped her bring this collaboration together.
She continues, "Na-appreciate ko sila kasi, grabe, napatupad nila pangarap ko and sobrang hirap ko kasi pumili ng shades, ng names para sa colors.
"Na-appreciate ko talaga patience nila kasi hirap ako. Minsan sinasabi ko, 'Puwede po ba balikan ko na lang kayo?' 'Tapos, babalikan ko after a day, kasi talagang pag-iisipan ko siya buong araw.
"Appreciate ko effort nila kasi lahat sila naghirap for this. Lahat din sila pinag-isipan ito mabuti. Sa lahat ng gumagawa, sobrang appreciate ko lahat ng effort nila.
"And kanina, na-appreciate ko yung pag-applause nila sa akin. Sobrang, 'Ah, my heart!' Ayun, na-appreciate lahat ng small things they do for me.
"Na-appreciate ko din na hinayaan nila i-express yung gusto ko. Hinayaan nila ako sa lahat ng gusto ko. Hinayaan lang nila ako to be me."
HOW TO START DOING MAKE-UP?
For Andrea, the prevalence of YouTube has made the art of make-up a much easier skill to learn.
The Kadenang Ginto actress says, "Ate ko, ngayon pa lang siya mag-start ng make-up. Ako nagtuturo sa kanya. Para sa akin, madali kapag meron kang kaibigang marunong mag make-up. 'Bes, paturo naman. Ano bang mauuna, concealer ba o powder?'"
At the same time, the Kapamilya teen star points out that make-up is one of the many personal forms of expression.
She adds, "Para sa akin, mas madali ma-express ang sarili mo sa make-up. Kung saan mo feel, kung saan ka masaya."