We Filipinos always swell with pride when we see a kababayan make it big in the international arena—be it in sports, pageantry, or music. So it’s no surprise that many passionately rally behind Sophia Laforteza, the Filipina leader of global girl group Katseye. 

Laforteza earned her spot in the girl group through the global survival show The Debut: Dream Academy created by HYBE (the same entertainment company behind BTS) and music label Geffen Records. Out of more than 120,000 auditionees from around the globe, only 20 girls made it to the reality competition, and only six formally debuted.

In just three years, Laforteza alongside fellow members Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung, and Manon Bannerman (currently on hiatus), achieved something only a few rookie acts can accomplish so quickly. An unprecedented meteoric rise to global stardom–high-charting songs, electrifying performances and headline-making red carpet appearances. Along with the supernova of fame comes an ever-evolving beauty identity.

As Laforteza hits historic milestones for the Philippines—being the first homegrown Filipina  signed artist under HYBE, earning a Grammy nomination and winning New Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards—she has served beauty looks every single time. Allure Philippines traces her beauty evolution through every defining era of Katseye so far.  

This is how Filipina beauty shows up on the world stage.

November 2023: Dream Academy

Hybe

Effortlessly radiant and fresh-faced, Laforteza first appeared on the music reality competition with barely-there glam. She was simple and polished, with well-groomed eyebrows, short lashes, warm eyeshadow, soft pink blush and glossy lips. Meanwhile her loose curls framed her face easily. This is a look that’s easy to recreate whether for a morning routine before school or on days you just want to be a little more dolled up.

June 2024: Debut 

Katseye Official Website

All the girls were giving us major girl-next-door energy when they launched their first single aptly named “Debut.” Makeup artist Valerie Vonprisk’s soft glam for Laforteza enhanced the Filipina pop star’s natural features. The look is all about glow, with dewy base, highlight, and peachy glossy lips. Nothing over the top, just well-groomed brows, bronzy eyeshadow and short lashes. To complete the concept, hairstylist Sully Layo added a little more visual interest with soft curls cascading down her shoulders.

April 2025: Gnarly

Katseye Official Website

From a soft, sweet aesthetic, Katseye leaned into their fiercer and more feminine side for “Gnarly.” Laforteza can be seen with a much darker glam look, with smoky eyes, crimson blush, and vampy red glossy lips, thanks to makeup artist Jeonghwan Park. For the music video, the girls had hairstylists Gabe Sin, Suhyeon Jeon, and Semin Park create their hair makeover. Laforteza is now seen sporting full bangs and pin-straight hair. Now that is so Gnarly!

June 2025: Gabriela

Katseye Official Website

If many can’t get the tune of “Gabriela” out of their heads, we can’t keep our minds off Laforteza’s femme fatale glam in the music video. The girls starred in their very own old-school telenovela, and that called for major drama, which extended to their hair and makeup. 

Makeup artist Jeonghwan Park drew a sharp black cat eyeliner on Laforteza, paired with cool-toned eyeshadow, warm contour, and nude gloss. Hairstylist Matt Benns added even more drama with big, voluminous curls and layers that added dimension. This glam is fit for a main character like her.

August 2025: Better in Denim campaign

Gap

The girls were cast in a viral jeans campaign by Gap that turned them from rookies to pop culture icons. It was a feel-good video, with the girls dancing to the 2003 hit “Milkshake” by Kelis in denim-on-denim ensembles. Aside from the captivating choreography and retro spirit, the glam is also unforgettable. 

Laforteza looks carefree yet polished with full brows, short cat eyeliner, bright pink blush, and an ultra-glossy pink lip created by makeup artist Eden Lattanzio. A little zoom in on the nails, too, and a fun purple stiletto manicure with 3D French tip accents by nail artist Naomi Yasuda will surprise you.

September 2025: MTV Video Music Awards

Sophia Laforteza/@sophia_laforteza on Instagram

It was a memorable night for the girls, bagging the Push Performance of the Year award for their viral hit Touch. But as Laforteza accepted the award alongside her group members, we couldn’t help but notice that she was serving high-powered glamour.

A dramatic high ponytail made by hairstylist Evanie Frausto allowed Laforteza’s face to shine on stage. Speaking of shine, makeup artist  Marcelo Gutierrez shared on Instagram that he used Haus Lab’s Radiant Gel powder highlighter in Moonstone for Laforteza.  As she clutched her first moon trophy, we saw that nail artist Naomi Yasuda created a black and gold bejeweled manicure for her. This look defined how Filipina beauty shows up on center stage. 

February 2026: Grammy Awards

Sophia Laforteza/@sophia_laforteza on Instagram

Sophia Laforteza and the rest of Katseye were on an awards season roll as they made history earning two major nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards: Best New Artist and Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance for Gabriela. 

Laforteza was eye-catching with an ensemble that made her look like she was born for the red carpet. Makeup artist Jeonghwan Park went for shimmery silver tones with bright highlights on the inner corner, elevated with a precise cat eyeliner. The rest of the face leaned into softer tones of pink for the blush and lips. To accentuate the glam, hairstylist Malcolm Marquez tucked Laforteza’s pin straight hair behind her ears. This look matches perfectly with her glittering, can’t-miss Ludovic de Saint Sernin ensemble.

March 2026: Lollapalooza  

Sophia Laforteza/@sophia_laforteza on Instagram

The girls were on fire as they performed at Lollapalooza South America. Resplendent in red, Laforteza’s glam was equal parts soft and sharp. A dramatic smoky eye with rhinestones matched with a bright red lip, is a sharp contrast to the soft dewy base of her makeup. Meanwhile, her hair was total tropical inspiration with tight curls cascading down to her waist. This standout look saw Laforteza lean into red, departing from her usual soft, cool pink tones.

April 2026: Coachella

Sophia Laforteza/@sophia_laforteza on Instagram

Laforteza made her Coachella debut this year, and she and the girls pulled out all the stops in their performance.

Beauty showed up even in the harsh desert, as key makeup artist Jeonghwan Park made sure that Laforteza stood out with her bedazzled and holographic eye look, bright rosy blush, and nude glossy kisser. Aside from it being her first Coachella performance, it was also the first time Laforteza showed up in a huge hair color transformation with a blonde dip-dye look created by George Papanikolas of Matrix. For her performance, key hairstylist Evanie Frausto made sure her hair moved easily with the snappy choreography.

May 2026: American Music Awards 

Alexander McQueen

It was a big night for Katseye after performing their infectious track Pinky Up and sweeping all three major awards they were nominated for: Best Music Video, Breakthrough Pop Artist and New Artist of the Year.

Laforteza displayed power dressing on the red carpet in a sharp suit, accentuated with an equally precise makeup look. Makeup artist Jeonghwan Park smoked out the eyes with spicy red tones, kept the lashes short and wispy, paired with glossy scarlet lips. Hair stylist Evanie Frausto created a sleek hairstyle for her with a few straight hair-framing pieces. The look was an instant winner even before the night began.

June 2026: Iconic By Mistake

Katseye Official Website

This crossover between K-pop groups Le Sserafim, Illit, and global girl group Katseye is nothing short of iconic.

The big ensemble teamed up for one huge hit, and the beauty looks were in no way pared down. Makeup artists Jeonghwan Park and Laura Dudley created distinct looks for the girls. Laforteza sported a sultry smoky eye with glitter all over the lids, blush swept across the cheeks, and juicy berry-red lips. Meanwhile, hairstylist Evanie Frausto softly styled her dip-dyed blonde hair. A popstar ensemble is not complete without nails. Nail artist Naomi Yasuda created long coffin nails with 3D embellishments to finish the phenomenal look.

June 2026: Allure Philippines Volume 4 cover

In another first of its kind, Sophia Laforteza is currently one of the five cover girls of Allure Philippines’ Volume 4 issue. This three-way collaboration with Allure US and Allure Korea puts the Philippines at the forefront of shaping the global beauty conversation.

For her individual cover of the Philippine edition, makeup artist Alexandra French played with all things cute and pink for the Filipina pop star, with bright pink shimmery eyeshadow and soft pink blush. But the main attraction? The carnation-pink polka-dot lip art, matching the dotted wispy lashes. Hairstylist Evanie Frausto also leaned into volume and softness with side-parted curls. Totally fun, and definitely very Allure!

Frequently Asked Questions

Laforteza’s beauty identity spans a wide range — from barely-there fresh glam in the Dream Academy era to vampy smoky eyes for Gnarly and shimmery silver for the Grammys. Her looks are consistently executed by makeup artist Jeonghwan Park, who helms most of her major beauty moments.

Key collaborators include makeup artists Jeonghwan Park, Eden Lattanzio, and Alexandra French, hairstylists Evanie Frausto and Matt Benns, colorist George Papanikolas of Matrix, and nail artist Naomi Yasuda — a consistent creative team behind her most high-profile beauty appearances.

At the 2025 MTV VMAs, makeup artist Marcel Gutierrez used Haus Lab’s Radiant Gel Powder Highlighter in Moonstone on Laforteza. Her VMAs look also featured a dramatic high ponytail by Evanie Frausto and a black-and-gold bejeweled manicure by Naomi Yasuda.

Laforteza debuted a blonde dip-dye at her first Coachella performance — a color transformation created by George Papanikolas of Matrix, with key hairstylist Evanie Frausto ensuring her hair moved freely with the group’s choreography throughout the desert festival set.

Laforteza is the first homegrown Filipina signed artist under HYBE — and as she has earned a Grammy nomination and won New Artist of the Year at the AMAs, her beauty looks have put Filipina identity visibly at the center of global pop culture beauty conversations.

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