Being an actress often means that appearance is part and parcel of the job, and Angel Aquino has long understood this through years in the industry. From memorable roles across television and film, she has built a steady career that continues to evolve, gradually revealing more of who she is beyond the characters she plays in evening teleseryes that we often watch with our families in the living room. She has now become a constant presence, admired for her personality, and morena beauty.
In an exclusive one-on-one with Allure Philippines, she opens up to us on the beauty lessons she has learned over the years, from simple, practical hacks to the profound changes in perspective that can only come with time and experience of being in the spotlight.
Photographed by Charisma Lico-Santos. Aliane Tan Tethered Grace. Maic Atellier Pleated Bra. Ditta Sandico Banaca Wrap. Miladay Dangling Diamond Earrings and Diamond Ring. Kalima Arts Liuag Brass Choker.
What’s a skincare step you wish you started earlier?
I think positioning my fascia, my facial fascia. You know how you do gua sha? I wish I had done that a long time ago.
Can you share your most unexpected beauty trick?
I just stretch my face if I want to wake up my facial muscles. I move it around just so it wakes up all the blood flow, and everything.
Tell us a beauty shortcut that you swear by?
Lipstick, really. That goes very far, for any girl.
What’s a beauty hack you learned from another celebrity or makeup artist?
I remember Tweetie [De Leon] telling me before, you don’t have to use an eye cream because the moisturizer acts the same way, and it’s more expensive. So why diba? I use my moisturizer all over my face, even around my eye.
Photographed by Charisma Lico-Santos. Lara Datinguino Fatal Destruction Top.
Which beauty product do you hoard?
I guess the toner, the facial spray, and moisturizer—those things I can’t live without and I cannot run out of.
What’s a beauty rule you’ve stopped believing in?
That white skin is more beautiful than brown skin. That white skin is easier for makeup. Or that curly big hair just looks frizzy and messy and not so beautiful. I love curly manes, I mean, it’s a head-turner for me. Those who can carry curly manes so confidently, you go girl. It’s really beautiful even for a man. I love curly hair. Maybe because I have straight hair all the way from my childhood.
What does beauty mean to you now compared to when you were younger?
It definitely has a deeper meaning to me now. Beauty for me is not just the aesthetics. It’s not a beautiful face. I would see a beautiful person more than a beautiful face. It’s the overall aura of a woman or a man. The kindness that they exude, the confidence. It’s just really the way they carry themselves and how they relate to other people.
Art direction by Nicole Almero. Beauty direction by Leira Aquino. Photography by Charisma Lico-Santos, assisted by Yhana Imutan, Erwin Arda, Antonio Baylon Jr., Mark De Castro. Makeup by Xeng Zulueta. Hair by Reese Roque. Styling by Gee Jocson, assisted by Kassandra Gandionco and Vince Avisado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Angel Aquino credits facial fascia positioning — specifically gua sha — as a technique she wishes she had started sooner. She considers it a foundational skincare step for stimulating circulation and supporting facial structure over time.
No. She follows advice from Tweetie De Leon Gonzalez and applies her regular facial moisturizer around the eye area instead. Her view is that eye creams offer no distinct benefit over a quality moisturizer and are generally more expensive for the same result.
She has publicly rejected the belief that white or fair skin is more beautiful or easier to work with in makeup. She views brown skin as equally beautiful and considers this a beauty rule she has long left behind, aligning with the broader morena beauty movement in the Philippines.
Her daily essentials are toner, facial spray, and moisturizer. She describes these as the products she hoards because she cannot function without them — basic but consistent anchors of her skincare routine.
For Aquino, beauty now extends far beyond physical appearance. She describes it as the full aura of a person — encompassing kindness, confidence, and how someone carries themselves and relates to others — a perspective she attributes to years of experience in the public eye.
