Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez and Christine Jacob-Sandejas are both considered gold standards of ageless beauty.
Those who grew up in the ’90s know that Tweetie and Christine were once household names.
Tweetie, now 57, is a pioneer in the modeling industry. She was a former supermodel who ventured into showbiz.
She portrayed Faye in cult TV classic, Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!, which was also made into a movie franchise.
Her TV career lasted six years—something she treasures to this day.
Christine, 58, was a competitive swimmer who won gold, silver, and bronze medals in various editions of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games during the ’80s.
She eventually swam her way into television, becoming a long-time host of Eat Bulaga! in the ’90s.
Both are independent women who have shown that they can thrive in any field they pursue, while always keeping sight of what truly matters.
That’s exactly why they decided to walk away from everything when family life began to loom on the horizon.
Tweetie and Christine stepped away from the limelight after getting pregnant with their first child.
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) and another member of the press recently caught up with these two Filipina icons for a chat about beauty, family, and aging gracefully.
The interview took place during the 30th anniversary celebration of Advanced Aesthetics, a beauty and wellness clinic owned by Tweetie’s and Christine’s beauty doctor, Dr. Venia Javellana.
The clinic, which partnered with BTL Aesthetics, unveiled its latest beauty and wellness services.
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ON AGING
Christine couldn’t hide her huge smile when she was complimented on looking good despite her age.
Yet she acknowledged that aging is inevitable.
“I feel it, I see it. But that’s okay. Were’s supposed to age.
“It’s nice to know. I don’t really do anything out of this world to keep at it. I think it’s the lifestyle,” she says.
Tweetie, for her part, sheepishly revealed her trick for hiding wrinkles.
“I just know how to hide it. I just know how to hide. Siguro, because of my make-up,” she said with a smile.
Looking good in their late 50s doesn’t come without effort.
They have been mindful of what they eat, maintaining an active lifestyle, and cultivating a positive mindset.
Christine explained, “I think I’m blessed in a way that I’m still active with work, which forces me to better take care of myself.”
She is into yoga and playing different kinds of sports, like tennis.
She is also thankful that her husband Paco Sandejas and kids allow her to keep on doing what she likes, which is hosting.
"The fact that I’m still in front of the camera, in one way or another, forces me to really keep up with everybody.”
Christine is a mom of five kids. Her eldest is 25 and her youngest is 16.
Likewise, Tweetie, even though she is no longer active on TV, remains mindful of staying fit.
“I try to be healthy all the time and I started this lifestyle in my teens. I’ve been working out ever since. I take good care of my body.
"I’m very active, I do sports, I go to the gym, and I try to eat a balanced diet, as much as I can.”
But she made it clear that she hasn’t given up desserts, since she doesn’t like missing out on the joy of eating.
“I temper it in terms of quantity. I don’t eat so much of treats, but I have them. After all, we need to enjoy our lives."
She and her husband, Mon Gonzalez, have maintained a healthy lifestyle, which they hope their children will emulate.
“We’re all active in the house. It’s important for me to adopt this kind of lifestyle because that’s what our kids see, and that’s what they will learn, and eventually that’s how they will lead their lives.”
Tweetie has four kids—a daughter who is now 29 and three sons. Her youngest is 20.
BEAUTY THEN AND NOW
In her youth, especially when she was active as a swimmer, Christine said she never really took care of her skin.
“Don’t ask me to put sunscreen because I never did any of those things. I really enjoyed my life as an athlete. So that was it.”
It was the exact opposite for Tweetie.
“When you’re young, it’s all about physical. You want not just your face, not just your hair, but how your clothes fall on your body, especially in my line of work. I was in fashion for a long time,” she explained.
“In the industry, a premium is placed on how you carry yourself, how you look, so that becomes necessary for me, for us models.”
How do they see beauty these days?
Christine emphasized that it’s not so much about the looks anymore.
“It’s more of the mental side,” she answered.
“Which is what I tell my two daughters all the time. Coz it’s very tough for them sometimes because of social media.
“We all want to be beautiful, but who’s to say who’s beautiful and who’s not?
“But that was never an issue for me. I just wanted to be happy. Whatever I did, I was just happy where I was. And I think that helped me stay beautiful.”
This is also what she always tells her two daughters.
“You have to find something that best suits you. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ in anything and everything.
"Whether it be a job, or whether it be romance, whether it be the clothes you wear, it has to be something that is really meant for you, that is you…
“As long as you’re happy in your lane, I think you’ll be fine.”
Tweetie’s message is not far from Christine’s current view on beauty: “But at best, they will understand that, ultimately, it’s about living a healthy, balanced lifestyle, and that will transcend any beauty trend.
“In life, your peace of mind, your joy that translates to a brighter outlook, which makes one very appealing...Let’s not complicate it.
"At the end of the day, what really gets to everyone… it’s really how you handle everyday life, how you handle stress, how you let it get to you, how you manage…”
She suggested that it is best to let go of things that are out of one’s control.
“It’s more about your demeanor—how you affect others by who you are and how you are more inwardly than outwardly, without, of course, giving up taking care of yourself.
“So, when you take good care of yourself health-wise, I think it translates to a well-balanced beauty.”
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TIPS ON SKIN CONCERNS
Aside from being physically active to stay fit, the two moms check in with their beauty doctor every now and then.
Tweetie threw in, “Growing up, fortunately, I had no problems with acne."
But when she reached early 30s, she began having acnes all over her forehead.
“I didn’t know how to take care of it because I didn’t have to deal with it before.”
A friend introduced her to Dr. Javellana. This was 15 years ago.
“And just like magic, it disappears and doesn’t come back. In no time, she was able to clear out my acne," attested Tweetie.
More than her acne problem, Tweetie highlighted the importance of having a good patient-doctor relationship.
“My ultimate goal is really just really clear skin. So we get along very well. We see eye to eye when it comes to the approach."
She also mentioned that retinol, as recommended by her doctor, has been part of her skin-care regimen for 10 years now.
Christine gave Dr. Javellana a shout-out: “So once you find something that works, you don’t wanna go anywhere else, right?
“You find a nice person who cuts your hair well, you’re not gonna try anything else. Baka masira lang, wag na.
“So she’s my point person that has touched my skin and not made me look scary.
"Because sometimes, you may look scary, but for her, she’s been able to allow me to age gracefully, which I totally want.”