Marina Summers’ Miss Universe Philippines Beauty Looks Are a Masterclass in Summer Evening Glam

Empowerment and inclusivity never cease in pageantry. For its 2026 edition, Miss Universe Philippines named Marina Summers as host, marking a historic first as the first transwoman and drag artist to host the pageant. It also marks a return for Summers, who previously performed during the coronation night two years ago, and this time, she had bigger shoes to fill—not just in hosting the program, but also in the looks she served while doing so.

For the big night, Summers tapped professional hairstylist Dale Mallari, celebrity makeup artist Thazzia Falek, and various local designers to help her look her best on stage and pull off multiple look changes throughout the show.

Marina got Trisha-fied

Content creator and salon owner Trisha Mendoza of Trishafied Hair Extensions, shares with Allure Philippines that Summers sat in her salon chair a day before the coronation night. “We did her hair extensions, and we gave her a haircut as well.” It was Trishafied Hair Extensions that gave Summers her 18-inch ash brown extensions with soft caramel highlights.

Aside from giving her a luscious hue, Mendoza also revealed that they trimmed her hair. “It was a soft layered haircut with curtain bangs,” she adds.

The softest white swan

Marina Summers / IG: @marinaxsummers

During the opening, as the fifty candidates strutted and danced to the performance by P-pop boy group BGYO, Summers floated across the stage with ease in a pristine white Ulysses Caragayan number. Matching the fluidity of the dress was Marina’s glam.

Ditching the usual heavy drag makeup, celebrity makeup artist Thazzia Falek tells Allure Philippines she wanted Summers to exude a “very modern Filipina energy,” with lightly shaped brows, warm smoky eyes topped with gold glitter, smooth bronzy cheeks, and a glossy mauve lip. 

“I wanted Marina to look like ‘that girl’—glowy, lifted, and super confident. Still soft, but effortlessly powerful.” And the secret to the glow, she reveals, lies in skin prep. “Hydration and texture are key for that lit-from-within finish.”

The hair echoed the same softness, with a tousled updo and face-framing pieces. “I wanted to soften the hyper-glamour of Marina’s drag aesthetic and reinterpret her beauty through a softer, more timeless pageant lens. The goal was to create hairstyles that felt elegant, polished, and pageant-appropriate,” Mallari explains to Allure Philippines.

Honeyed and sultry in scarlet

Marina Summers / IG: @marinaxsummers

For her second look, Summers was blooming—literally. This was mirrored in her updo, with fewer tendrils falling from the bun and instead gathered into a knot that echoed the bodice of her Mark Bumgarner dress. “The effortless bun was the best hairstyle for the overall look,” Mallari says. 

With the various hairstyle changes throughout the show, Mallari ensured her hair was well protected from heat styling tools by using Color Wow Dream Coat.

Breathtaking bombshell 

Dale Mallari / IG: @dalemallari_

Summers made another striking entrance for the swimsuit round, this time in full technicolor. With her hair bouncing and fringes shimmying across the stage, her side-parted, loose waves complemented the playful Ehrran Montoya gown she wore.

To maintain freshness between looks, Mallari reveals he relied on BetterHair’s Cool Root Dry Shampoo. “It effectively absorbed excess oil and revitalized the scalp, even after a full day.”

For makeup, Falek opted for “small upgrades per segment,” explaining, “I’d build up the eyes a bit more or tweak the lips depending on the outfit and lighting, but keep everything cohesive the whole time.”

Dark and dramatic diva

Marina Summers / IG: @marinaxsummers

The evening gown competition prompted the girls to sashay across the stage in their most glamorous looks, and Summers took her glam up a notch as well. At this moment, her hair was parted in the middle and sleeked back into a high ponytail that cascaded in waves, perfectly elevating her black Glademir Echaverre dress.

“The main challenge was that we started with an updo. It would have been much easier to begin with the hair down, then transition to an updo, and finally to a sleek look, but I was able to successfully execute them with the help of the entire team, including Marina,” Mallari shares.

A golden reverie

Marina Summers / IG: @marinaxsummers

Summers took the golden opportunity to serve one last time as she announced Bea Millan-Windorski of La Union as Miss Universe Philippines 2026. Her updo was slicked back, with knotted high-looped buns—perfectly polished while softening the sculptural details of her gilded Dandy Temporosa number.

The key to pulling off all these look changes in the span of a commercial break? “Stay in the zone—I would already be thinking about the next look before she even headed backstage for quick changes,” says Mallari.

Makeup should be well-planned too. Falek says the key is setting the makeup smartly. “For long events, it’s essential to set where needed, but leave the high points of the face fresh to keep dimension.”

Universe, it’s time

If there’s one thing we can learn from Marina Summers it’s that there are so many ways to reinterpret summer evening beauty—it can be delicate and feminine or fierce and dramatic. But beyond the glitz, she stood as a shining beacon for the LGBTQIA+ community, offering not just a masterclass in glamour, but also a reminder that there is no better time to showcase Filipino drag excellence than now.