Everything We Took Home from the First-Ever Allure Beauty Congress—Insights, Expertise, and Experience

There’s something sacred about the entire experience of receiving beauty advice—whether it’s an eyeliner application tip, the best kind of moisturizer for your skin type, or a favorite product recommendation.

And just as important as the kind of advice you receive is who you get it from. When the beauty hack comes from a trusted expert—such as a board-certified dermatologist, an experienced makeup artist, or a beauty industry leader—it’s rooted in credibility, and you’re bound to value it even more.

Here at Allure Philippines, we look at beauty through an expert lens, which is the same lens you take a peep through whenever you consume any of our content. Everything Allure Philippines that you devour—whether through our interviews, stories, features, videos, or spreads—is powered by insider knowledge from all of these trusted experts.

And at the first-ever Allure Beauty Congress, we didn’t just give you a peek through our lens, but completely immersed you in the world of The Beauty Expert through the three-day event that featured thought-provoking conversations, masterclass sessions with beauty experts, and immersive beauty and wellness stations.

Ed Simon

The latest innovations from leading beauty brands 

From November 21 to 23, 2025, two floors in RCBC Plaza, Makati were transformed into a haven of beauty and wellness, reimagined with lush, transformative greenery by Spruce Designs. For beauty lovers and enthusiasts, and industry insiders and experts alike, the Allure Beauty Congress experience began with the issuance of an event passport.

Betty Uy Chan

Kim Santos

Betty Uy Chan

For the beauty enthusiasts who braved the lines to access the universe of Allure Philippines, a tote bag with the iconic Allure logo was given—all the better to stash the curated gifts available from each booth.  

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Each booth had an activity to accomplish, and once done, guests received a sticker on their passport. Once all the stickers were completed, guests were given a chance to Spin the Wheel, taking home curated product picks from Laura Mercier, Kiehl’s, L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Dove, Pond’s, Vaseline, Cream Silk, Garnier, Laneige, Dermtropics, and Mentholatum Acnes, and to have their professional portrait taken at the Beauty Portrait Area by renowned photographers Jan Mayo, Mik Primacio, and Kieran Punay.

Kim Santos

A photo wall from Cream Silk, Vaseline, Pond’s, Dove, Kiehl’s, Maybelline, L’Oréal Paris, Laura Mercier, BeautyHub Pro, and Unilever Beauty and Wellbeing was also on hand for quick snaps. 

Betty Uy Chan

A few steps away, the Undertone Wall, in partnership with makeup school Makeup Science Asia, allowed guests to determine if their skin undertones were warm, cool, neutral warm, or neutral cool—very important information to have on hand when choosing makeup shades.

Kim Santos

Kim Santos

Scattered throughout the first floor were booths headlined by top beauty brands, each of which gave guests opportunities to get beauty advice and recommendations, beauty essentials, and goodies. 

Cream Silk had an AI-powered hair analyzer on hand, which scanned guests’ hair conditions, and recommended the best Cream Silk products to take home, like the new Cream Silk Hydration and Volume Salon Renewal Mask.

Kim Santos

Ed Simon

Ed Simon

Pond’s emphasized the importance of the skin microbiome in their booth, with a quiz for guests to discover their biome buddy through their skin concerns, and a first-hand testing of the Pond’s Ultra Light Biome Gel. They also offered guests a chance to win treats, the likes of their very own gua sha (which could be personalized on the spot), and the Pond’s Ultra Light Gel Cera-Hyamino.

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Dove offered a check on guests’ scalp conditions, with their scalp analyzer that could detect all sorts of problems, including flakes and dandruff. Based on the results, the best Dove shampoo and hair serum were then recommended, and exclusive items were taken home. 

Kim Santos

Kim Santos

Ed Simon

A moisture pen was the secret weapon of Vaseline in their booth, which detected skin age, water and oil levels, and elasticity when used to scan guests’ skin. They were also given the chance to test their preferred Vaseline body products, and check the condition of their skin after application, as well as take home full-sized bottles of the Vaseline products that worked best for them.

Kim Santos

John Joaquin Dag-uman

In the Issy room, guests were invited to sample—and take home—products, including their fragrances, and were given an exclusive sneak peek and chance to test their still-under-wraps Body Duo, which officially launches to the public in late November.

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Ed Simon

Colgate offered guests a chance to test the effectiveness of their Optic White Purple toothpaste, by applying on eggs that were stained with coffee, so they could see for themselves how well the product can remove discoloration.

Ed Simon

Ed Simon

BeautyHub Pro had their online scanning tool available for comprehensive skin and hair analyses. The hair scanner determined hair conditions such as damage and frizziness, and the skin scanner showed results for pigmentation, acne, hydration, eyebags, and perceived skin age, with their product recommendations afterwards.

Betty Uy Chan

Kim Santos

The Konvy Drop and Win! gave guests a chance to win product picks from viral K-beauty brands Mediheal, Anua, and Purito Seoul, Thai beauty brands 4U2 Cosmetics and Sasi, and popular C-beauty brand Pramy.

Kim Santos

Excel Panlaque

John Joaquin Dag-uman

A chance to hear from the experts… and chat with each other

Nestled to one side of the beauty booths were the iconic Allure Philippines Talk To The Experts phone booths, which made their first appearance in the Allure Philippines launch, where they first gave guests a chance to dial in and hear from the beauty experts themselves. 

In a much-awaited comeback, Dr. Steve Mark Gan, DMD, of GAOC Dental, Unilever research and development lead for consumer goods Anna Tongco of Cream Silk, and Filipino perfumer Renato Lopena Jr. of Wren Atelier were on hand this time at the Beauty Congress to impart their beauty knowledge to guests.

Kieran Punay

Kim Santos

Kim Santos

After getting expert advice, guests were able to step into the B&W Lounge, with a couch provided by Velvety, and a photo booth in partnership with The Flashbox Photography—a perfect setup to mingle and relax, while enjoying some coffee from the PICKUP COFFEE booth. It was the perfect pitstop to keep guests’ energy up as they headed deeper into the venue to pick up some beauty wisdom from the Allure Masterclasses and Allure Conversations.

Kim Santos

Ed Simon

Ed Simon

Tips and tricks from the pros

The Allure Masterclasses gave guests a very special chance to learn directly from the beauty industry’s most respected makeup artists and hair stylists. Lala Flores and Denise Go-Ochoa shared insights from their years of experience in Icons of Artistry: Inside the Minds of Makeup Legends, showcasing their skills and secrets on Breanna Estacio and Pam Prinster, in a session moderated by OG beauty vlogger Michelle Dy.

Kim Santos

Kim Santos

In Color Theory Meets Confidence: The Science and Shades of Colors That Empower, a live makeup session supported by Colgate, makeup enthusiast and content creator Nate Javier showed in a demo on Doreen Catacutan how colors, shades, undertones, and blending techniques all contribute to our confidence and beauty.

Excel Panlaque

And in The Total-Look Blueprint: Mastering Hair and Makeup for the Filipina Today, hairstylist Lourd Ramos and makeup artist Booya Mocorro worked their collective magic on their muses Charlie Fleming and Anshel Lim to show how important the synergy of hair and makeup is, to create powerful looks for the modern Filipina.

John Joaquin Dag-uman

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Wisdom and insights from the beauty experts

If the hair and makeup artists gifted guests with their knowledge in the Masterclass area, the second floor of the venue played host to board-certified dermatologists, licensed physicians, beauty experts, celebrities, and beauty insiders, who all shared their expertise and knowledge with the crowd in a series of thought-provoking, Allure Conversations.

In the very first session on Day 1, Edited or Empowered: The New Debate on Aesthetic Enhancements, founders of The Aivee Clinic board-certified dermatologist Aivee Teo, MD, FPDS, and aesthetic physician Dr. Z Teo, author and wellness advocate Stephanie Zubiri spoke to moderator and TV host Suzi Entrata-Abrera about the ins and outs of the very personal choice to enhance oneself physically.

Kieran Punay

This was followed by The Root Cause: The Real Story Behind Hair Fall, an Allure Conversation supported by Dove, which had occupational health physician Drolah Sanchez, MD, courtside reporter Kyla Kingsu, model Bianca Ferro, and content creator Evan Tan talking about scalp health, and its connection with stress and self-confidence.

Ed Simon

To round out Day 1 of Allure Conversations, local beauty brand founders the likes of Joel Andrade of Issy, Rachelle Bravo of New Lounge, Margaux Lucena of Dermtropics, and Ava Diaz Daza of Jellytime spoke with moderator Cleo Loque of Hiraya Pilipina about how Filipino brands belong on the world stage, in Beauty With Purpose: The Power of Filipino Visionaries.

Kieran Punay

On Day 2, Allure Conversations kicked off with More Than Moisture: The Power of Whole-Body Beauty, a session supported by Vaseline, where board-certified dermatologist Chesca Sy-Alvarado, MD, FPDS, and licensed primary care physician Cel Martinez, MD, spoke with moderator and DJ Micha Gayle, about the importance of body care and the dash of self-confidence it gives.

Ed Simon

It was a dive into the science of the human body and modern skin care with The Skin’s Microbiome: Where Radiance Truly Begins, powered by Pond’s Skin Institute, where board-certified dermatologists Raissa Pasion, MD, FPDS, and Coreen Copuyoc, MD, FPDS, together with content creator Iya Omaña, spoke with moderator and content creator Jan Angelo Ong, about the living ecosystem in the skin’s barrier called the microbiome.

Excel Panlaque

And to wrap up Day 2, the Allure Conversation Shades of Change: The Rise of Morena Power tackled the changing beauty standards in the Philippines, and the rise of the morena in our culture, with actress and beauty queen Michelle Marquez Dee, filmmaker Samantha Lee, and moderator and morena advocate Ayn Bernos.

Kim Santos

Day 3 of the Allure Beauty Congress began with a shower of star power, in a powerhouse cast of celebrities Pia Wurtzbach-Jauncey, Iza Calzado, Angel Aquino, and moderator Bianca Gonzalez-Intal, who opened up in a moving and powerful conversation about unfiltered beauty in Unretouched: Real Skin, Real Stories in the Age of Filters.

John Joaquin Dag-uman

John Joaquin Dag-uman

The country’s highest authority in dermatology was on hand to discuss misinformation in beauty at length. In Fact or Fiction: Fighting Misinformation in Beauty and Health, board-certified dermatologist and president of the Philippine Dermatological Society Jasmin Jamora, MD, FPDS, spoke with moderator and Allure features writer Lia Cruz about the dangers of misinformation in beauty and health, and how to guard oneself against it.

Betty Uy Chan

Unilever research and development lead for consumer goods Anna Tongco, and drag queen Arizona Brandy spoke with moderator and content creator Belle Rodolfo about Filipino hair, and everything that shapes its health in Strand by Strand: The Science and Secrets of Filipino Hair, the final Allure Conversation, supported by Cream Silk.  

Betty Uy Chan

Betty Uy Chan

The chic couches used for the speakers and moderators both onstage and off were provided by Mod Rentals and Lounge. In an effort to be plastic-free, the esteemed experts were kept hydrated throughout the Allure Masterclasses and Conversations through glass bottles of Evian. They were also served delectable mochi donuts from Mo’i Pua PH.

Betty Uy Chan

Kieran Punay

The Truth Issue

To cap off three days celebrating beauty and beauty expertise, the highly-anticipated Volume 3 of Allure Philippines was unveiled—The Truth Issue, a historic three cover-volume featuring none other than actress, advocate, and entrepreneur Nadine Lustre, and the Philippines’ very own version of the iconic Allure Best of Beauty Awards was announced.

Betty Uy Chan

Betty Uy Chan

With thunderous applause and a firestorm of cheers, glasses filled with cocktails provided by Salucci were raised in toasts to Allure Philippines Volume 3: The Truth Issue, the Best of Beauty Awards, and the first-ever Allure Beauty Congress, all to a backdrop of stunning flower arrangements on stage and on the cocktail tables, provided by Parasyó.

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Betty Uy Chan

John Joaquin Dag-uman

Betty Uy Chan

Where beauty meets expertise 

In the Philippines, reverence for beauty is deeply ingrained in our culture—where anything beautiful is put on a pedestal, and beauty rituals are undertaken with an almost pious ceremony. 

But in the pages of Allure Philippines, and at the first-ever Allure Beauty Congress, beauty is taken hand in hand with expertise. And it’s through this expert lens that we aim to change the conversation, impart priceless advice and lessons, and elevate the standards of the beauty industry—and with all that, refine, redefine, and bring out the truth in beauty.