Kylie Celebre Is Done With the Clean-Girl Aesthetic
Content creator Kylie Celebre talks about finding confidence in creative makeup, staying true to herself, and why beauty should never be afraid of color.
“I’m kind of tired of the whole clean-girl aesthetic,” said Kylie Celebre.
The 25-year-old beauty creator spent the past two years embracing the no-makeup makeup look—but she’s over it. “It really sucked. I feel like I had to go with whatever the trend is now. I realized that I lost myself in the process. But at least I’m back na. I’ve always been a full glam person.”
Determined to break out of her beauty rut, Celebre returned to her love for creative makeup. “I did a sea urchin-inspired look. I stacked so many lashes to look like sea urchins. I thought it was about time that I did edgier looks, more colors. Just bold stuff. I missed doing it.”
Celebre has clearly found herself again. She arrives at her Allure Philippines shoot with cotton candy pink hair and bright blue eye makeup. “I really wanted to pay homage to the early 2000s look. Yung mukha siyang wallpaper from the 2000s. People always hype up the ‘90s but I’m a 2001 baby. I wanted it to be blue because it’s the color of my mom’s MAC eye shadow when I was growing up.”
Celebre is the daughter of actress Irene Celebre and it was her mom’s approach to beauty that inspired her to start playing with makeup. “I saw a lot of her routine. Kakaiba din yung mga eyeshadows niya when I was growing up.”
Kim Santos
The 2016 YouTube beauty era also influenced her. “That really shaped me as a creator. Doon ako nagising na okay, I’m going to be a creator. That’s when I fell in love with beauty.”
It was actually Celebre’s family who encouraged her to start posting online. Back then, she would borrow her mom’s makeup and experiment with different looks. While still in high school, she began sharing content on Instagram and YouTube, marking the start of her journey as a beauty content creator.
In the beginning, Celebre found it difficult to distinguish herself in the crowded space of social media. “Standing out has always been very difficult for me. There are a lot of content creators and there are a lot of trans creators. It’s hard to differentiate yourself from other creators.”
Ten years in, that’s no longer something Celebre worries about. “I feel like I know myself more now. I feel like I’m just completely crazy in terms of my ideas. I think I have originality as well.”
Kim Santos
Growing up, what beauty standards shaped how you saw yourself?
I used to think I should only be pretty. Growing up, iniisip ko I should only be the norm—the beautiful pageant girls, the very beautiful trans women. Then I started seeing a lot of beauty campaigns, a lot of girls in the magazines—especially the trans girls—and I realized that I could be different din pala. Hindi lang siya the normal kind of beauty.
How would you describe your point of view when it comes to beauty?
The way I see beauty is the way I saw it the first time. It’s colorful, it’s vibrant, it’s different.
What’s one beauty detail you never skip no matter how minimal your routine is?
Lip liner. Kahit nasa gym pa—as in magli-lip liner ako.
What’s one beauty myth you wish more people would stop believing?
That full glam looks cakey.
What beauty advice do you stand by even if it goes against the trends?
Don’t forget to add color to everything.
Kim Santos
What’s a beauty habit you’ll never give up no matter the trends?
A full-coverage foundation. Always.
What’s a beauty rule you love breaking?
I use lipstick as eyeshadow.
What’s a beauty opinion you’ll never change your mind about?
I’ll never, never, never, never change my whole routine just to fit standards.
What inspires your looks?
Nature, patterns, a lot of textures. Just being in the office, ang dami kong naiisip na gawing makeup.
In what ways do you use beauty today? Expression? Protection? Power?
I think it’s all of the above. I feel like I use it for expression. I use it for confidence. I use it for power as well because I do feel a lot more powerful whenever I wear makeup.
Kim Santos
Have you ever felt pressured to look a certain way online?
All the time. I always like to remember that this is me and I don’t think anyone could change it.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you were getting started as a creator?
That not everyone is going to be your friend.
How do you protect your sense of self in a space built on visibility?
One advice I would give is accepting the fact that it is okay to be a lone wolf, to be alone without a friend group, without other people helping you chase your dreams. Working hard on your own is super important.
What’s your relationship with perfection when it comes to beauty content?
I’m kind of a perfectionist. But I’ve learned to be content with what I have and what I can do.
Tell us about your online community.
Iba-ibang fantasy talaga sila. Some are gay, some are lesbian, some are girls. They’re all completely different and loving people.
Kim Santos
How do you decide which products or brands are worth sharing with your audience?
I think it’s good if they have a really good shade range and quality as well. And they scream Filipino vibes, hindi super westernized.
What does trust mean to you when it comes to beauty recommendations?
Oh, it’s very important to build a good relationship with your audience. And a good relationship is always built on trust. If there’s no trust, there’s nothing.
How do you approach brand partnerships while staying authentic to your audience?
I’ve declined a lot of brands that don’t align with my content and also because of their work ethic. If I worked with you in the past and I really did not enjoy working with you, I won’t work with you anymore.
Have brands changed the way you create?
All the time, which I hate. Especially in the two years that I’ve done more no-makeup makeup moments–a lot of the brands really want more of a natural look. They try to dictate.
What’s one beauty product you can’t live without?
One beauty product I can’t live without is anything that’s glossy. I love a gloss.
Kim Santos
What’s something you’re obsessing over right now that you haven’t posted on your feed yet?
I recently got a lot of crazy lipsticks. Like crazy colors. Grays, blues.
Do you think the industry is becoming more inclusive or do you think brands are being performative?
I think a lot of brands are being a bit performative. Especially during Pride Month, they’re always like, “Rainbow! Let’s get gay people!” You know?
What about the normal days when we’re all just living our own lives? I feel like inclusion and diversity in that aspect is super amazing.
How do you represent Filipino beauty in your own content?
I always think of ideas that are very Filipino. Like my tahong makeup look recently and my Luzon bleeding-heart makeup look. It’s so nice to see that we have something to offer from the Philippines.
What’s one thing you’d change about the beauty industry?
I would tell them to just go all out. I feel like lately, a lot of the beauty brands end up releasing the same color palettes, always the usual red lipsticks, nude lipsticks. I feel like it’s about time that we elevate and do more cool tones, grays, something different.
Kim Santos
What conversations around beauty in the Philippines still need to happen?
I think in terms of the beauty community in the Philippines, I think it’s super okay, I think it’s good. Ang feeling ko ang kulang is mainstream media. I feel like we should see more diversity in commercials, on print, movies even. Na hindi lang best friend lang ni ganyan. We also deserve to have our own story and our own voice.
What does long-term success look like for you in this industry?
For me, I think it’s being able to be authentic all throughout. If you’re not being authentic, the audience will see it. They’ll lose interest in watching your content.
When do you feel the most beautiful?
Whenever my boyfriend tells me I’m beautiful.
What do you hope people see beyond your face card?
I hope they get inspired to be different as well. And not fit in.
If your face card could say one thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Pasabog!
Anything else you want to add?
Just be hot. Add color and be a baddie.
Art direction by Mikiyo Ricamora. Photography by Kim Santos. Makeup by Kylie Celebre. Styled by Anastasia Areti and Tim Orate.
Kylie Celebre is a Filipino trans beauty content creator with a decade of experience. She is known for creative, color-driven makeup looks inspired by Filipino nature and culture — including looks referencing tahong and the Luzon bleeding-heart bird — and advocates for full glam over minimalist beauty trends.
Kylie Celebre says the two years she spent doing no-makeup makeup looks caused her to lose her sense of self. She returned to full glam and creative makeup after realizing the clean-girl trend led her away from her genuine aesthetic identity, which has always centered on color and bold looks.
Kylie Celebre draws directly from Filipino nature and cultural references for her makeup looks — among them a look inspired by the tahong (mussel) and one referencing the Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon. She sees this as a way to highlight what the Philippines has to offer in the global beauty conversation.
Kylie Celebre evaluates brands on two primary criteria: shade range quality and how authentically Filipino their identity is, preferring brands that do not feel overly westernized. She has declined partnerships with brands whose content direction or work ethic has not aligned with her own, and she does not return to negative past collaborations.
Kylie Celebre believes the beauty community in the Philippines is inclusive, but mainstream media — television, print, and film — still lacks diversity. She argues that trans and LGBTQ+ Filipinos deserve their own narratives in media, not just supporting or peripheral roles alongside more prominent characters.
