Pearl Profiles: Belle Rodolfo, the Manila-Based Beauty Editor You Need to Know
As beauty editor at L'Officiel Philippines and a content creator, Belle talks buzzy local beauty brands we don't have in America, makeup trends Filipinas are following, and evolving beauty standards.
Welcome to Pearl, a newsletter dedicated to Filipinas and their beauty journeys. Read more about its mission here.
Belle Rodolfo is one of my favorite Filipina beauty creators to follow. As the beauty editor at L’Officiel Philippines with over 120,000 followers on TikTok, she has the authority of a seasoned reporter but the familiarity of a big sister who tells it like it is. Whether she’s swatching the best shades for morenas, vlogging her busy days running around Manila attending beauty events, or taking us behind the scenes on set of a magazine shoot, Belle’s signature honesty brings a refreshing realness to an industry often committed to keeping up the glam facade.
It’s no wonder she just starred in L’Oréal’s #ImWorthIt campaign. In the commercial, she, alongside her girlfriend and veterinarian Deng Garcia, show queer love representation where it’s never highlighted. “While others expect us to be silent, we’re inspiring the youth to love bravely and stand for their own beliefs,” she says in the commercial, “Living and loving authentically no matter what others say.” Former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach and actress Iza Calzado are also featured, all of them challenging traits Filipino culture deems “sayang” (a waste).
I first started following Belle a couple years ago, piqued by the fact that 1) We’re not related but our last names are so similar and 2) She’s also a beauty editor like me! I was like, is this my twin? As a Filipina in NYC who doesn’t get to visit the Philippines often, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest homegrown beauty trends, brands, and launches. Following Belle has helped me feel more connected and given me so much insight I’d never know in the US, where Philippines-based beauty brands have yet to really break through.
Despite being across the world from each other, I found during our conversation that we had SO many shared experiences. Ahead, Belle and I chat about her editorial career, top Filipino beauty brands to know, and the craziest beauty services we’ve both tried in the name of journalism.
Kristina Rodulfo: Most beauty editors I know were obsessed with beauty from a young age – when did your interest in beauty really start?
Belle Rodolfo: I was a beauty girl even before I was any good at it. It was the 2010s and I was in high school when magazines were such a big part of pop culture here. I was living outside Metro Manila and in an all-girls Catholic school, so magazines were how I would live vicariously–especially because we weren't allowed to wear makeup at all. You would get sent to the office! So, I was always in the office for wearing lip and cheek tint and mascara. It fueled me into thinking…what is wrong with all of this anyway?
Kristina: How did you get your start as a beauty editor?
Belle: When I was in college, I had an internship with Style Bible, which used to be the online arm of Preview magazine, where I ended up working. I got there by just cold calling people. I was like, “I'm going to work at 18 years old!” There was a lady who ran a fashion blog who replied to me, and she ended up sending me to cover Philippine Fashion Week for her, which was still a big thing then. Because I had that in my resume, I started getting noticed in my applications. I started in Style Bible, and then it just kind of rolled on from there.
Kristina: I had the same experience. I started when I was 18, as soon as I could do an internship while I was in college. I was working at a start-up website called Stylebistro.com. At first, I was a fashion assistant working in the closet, then I started writing. I would love to know–what is a favorite that you've written?
Belle: My number one favorite story was for Preview. They have an annual beauty awards. When I was there, finally getting my footing, I got promoted to associate beauty editor. Preview was known for this creative direction where models are not allowed to smile. It has to be fierce, you have to give “fashion.” So, I pitched a story where the beauty awards would be decided not by me, but by 50 women who are not celebrities or models–just your everyday friend. They would get to decide, and we photographed all their black and white portraits. They wore shirts saying, “I'm a Preview Girl,” and they were all smiling. I was so happy! I felt like it was iconic. I don't want to give myself too much credit, but ever since I got that approved, they have softened towards the idea of more real, more dynamic models and subjects in the magazine.
Kristina: It sounds like it was ahead of its time, because I feel like that definitely wasn't a thing in the early 2010s where editorial was really about you being the authority or the one who's saying what is “in” what's “out.” I love that you did that!
Now, since we’re both beauty editors, I’d love if we could compare beauty services that we've tried on the job. What are some of the crazier or most memorable beauty services you've tried either at derm offices or spas?
Belle: Oh my gosh–ultherapy. It was so painful. It felt like getting a tattoo on the inside of your face! I was shaking from the pain. I was physically cold and shivering from the pain. When you're looking at yourself every day, you're like, well, nothing really happened. But then, if you look at old photos side by side, you're like, wow. The difference is insane.
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Another one was at this famous resort here called The Farm at San Benito. They have this service where it's like a “yassified” coffee colonic. You get all these new age-y treatments. It’s very Nine Perfect Strangers. They have this facility where you're sitting on a toilet with a view, and it's custom-made so that you don't really feel messy at all. They put something in you–like coffee–for you to expel it out. It was crazy. I did feel lighter afterwards, but I don't think I'll ever do that again!
Kristina: I feel like our jobs are to try everything once! I've tried a lot of crazy things. In 2015, when Kim Kardashian did a “Vampire” blood facial, I did it too. The way that she did it was with a dermapen, which is almost like it's just stamping the skin, microneedling. I went to this wellness retreat in Miami, where a doctor drew my blood and separated the plasma and the red blood cells. Instead of using a microneedling tool, they had a syringe and injected my blood and plasma back into my face! It was to stimulate collagen and treat acne scarring–it worked, but it was the most painful procedure I had ever done. Botox injections don’t feel as painful. This was really deep in your face. That was one of the first beauty services I tried, but also the most memorable.
Belle: Would you do it again?
Kristina: No! I don’t think I’d ever do it again. I’ve done radiofrequency microneedling. Painful, but I could handle that. The things we do for readers!
Kristina: Now, one of the perks of being a beauty editor are the beauty brand trips. What are some memorable press trips or beauty events that really stand out to you?
Belle: A core memory of mine is going to Paris Fashion Week. I was 24 and it was one of my very first long haul flights that I went on my own. So it was a very “big girl” moment and I was there for eight days. I was able to go to six shows and I had backstage access. And I got to interview Alex Box and all the big makeup artists there! Aside from the work, I got to have a little vacation for myself, and it was this Devil Wears Prada fantasy.
Kristina: Paris was one of my first press trips as well! These adventures are a cool thing that I think people don't know about the job. And it's an amazing opportunity, especially when you're young and you could just go and explore a city, and it is a core memory. I'll never forget the first time I went to Paris.
Belle: Exactly. Every time I think about it, it's always a happy memory. And it's so funny because you're right–people don't know about it so much!
Kristina: In the States, there’s not a lot of knowledge about Filipino beauty brands, especially because they don’t ship here. I’d think the average Filipino American girl you talk to only knows Sunnies Face. I would love to know, what are some Filipino brands that you think more people should know about?
Belle: First of all, there's this brand called Issy and they have a lot of fun releases. They're good with bases. The Skin Tint is my favorite Filipino skin tint–you have to try it! It almost feels like a whipped version of the Laura Mercier Skin Tint. My shade is Hazel and Sienna.
The second one is this makeup brand built by a makeup artist called Strokes Beauty. They have the best contour sticks, and I finished mine to the nub, and that's how much I love it.
I also love Get Ready With Me. It was made by one of the OG YouTubers here in the Philippines, and it's a very new brand, but they're one of the brands that really listens to their audience. They have really good liquid blush and contour products.
There's this brand called Vice Cosmetics and it’s more on the very affordable end. It was founded by Vice Ganda and they actually have really good products! Their lip liners and stains are always out of stock. It never budges. Their skin tint is good. Their full coverage foundation is so good. Every time I wear it, people ask, “What foundation are you wearing?”
Kristina: Moving on from brands, I'd like to talk about beauty trends. Are there any beauty trends that you've noticed in the Philippines? I'm curious about how different it might be from the US especially since we're all on the internet and beauty is so global now. Here, everyone was talking about “mob wife beauty” with the dark eye shadow, red lips and red nails. “Clean Girl” was a thing for the longest time. Are there any trends that stand out to you that are local?
Belle: Out here, there are two kinds of beauty girls. The first one is your everyday beauty girl. She has a small makeup collection, but she's not into beauty trends. Their makeup would be cheek tint–we love cheek tint here in the Philippines!
On the other hand, the beauty girls here get really into beauty. The interesting thing is Filipino beauty girls are also getting a lot into Korean and Chinese makeup techniques. So they would contour the aegyo-sal, or eye bag area to make the eyes look bigger, rounder, and more protruded. And then there's philtrum contour. I've been getting so many requests to try this Chinese brand called Flower Knows! People are really into Asian beauty I guess because I they also love Asian dramas. They love K-Pop groups like New Jeans.
Filipino beauty girls are also getting a lot into Korean and Chinese makeup techniques.
Kristina: I feel like K-beauty trends have come over here as well, with the way that people like to do lip stains instead of super defined, overlined lip liner lips, which I feel like is very Instagram-y from 2016. It is just so fascinating to see the different beauty trends across cultures.
Who would you say are celebrities who drive beauty trends in the Philippines?
Belle: Honestly, it's still very much local celebrities. There's this celebrity who started her own beauty brand, her name is Andrea Brillantes. Her beauty brand is Lucky Beauty, and it's actually pretty good! She's one of the drivers for trends. It's crazy because I see this happen firsthand–I posted a video about Lucky Beauty yesterday. It was kind of slow. She reposted it, and then 10 minutes later the views doubled. It blew up! She's that powerful. She made this very thick, bushy brow mainstream because before she started doing it, it wouldn't be a thing!
Kristina: I love all of your series on TikTok, but one of my favorite series is when you try on blush shades and lipstick for morenas. Obviously, colorism is a huge thing in Filipino culture. I grew up with it here even in the States. Do you feel like attitudes toward colorism and skin whitening have evolved?
Belle: There's a saying here in the Philippines: Malayo na pero malayo pa. We've come far, but we still have a long way to go. With younger people, especially those who were born with the internet, they're more aware. With older people and people who aren't exposed so much, it's still a thing. The joke is, “you're dark!”—I think it's changing really, especially the way ads are no longer insane. I don't know if you've seen ads here, but they will really do a side-by-side of a fair girl and a morena girl, and the messaging is, morena is bad and fair is good. You'll get the job and you'll get the man and you'll get the bag if you're fair. And that's across billboards everywhere!
The funny thing is I grew up around that culture, but my mom is also morena and she never made me feel bad about being morena. So I feel like that was a really good foundation for me. She would never tell me, “Use this whitening soap,” or “Don't go in the sun.” I think that was a huge factor in how I developed my mindset early on as well.
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Kristina: I'm seeing a lot more morena creators talking about it and really embracing it. And I feel like just you creating these videos also just makes people talk about it more! The younger generation, you're right, is definitely more open and inclusive, but older generations are going to really hold onto their old beauty standards.
Belle: Some people don't agree on what morena is! I've never heard that until TikTok. I have a friend who is technically the same skin tone as me, but if you put her outside the Philippines, she could look ambiguous. We have the same foundation shade. People were saying, “You're not morena!” and they were really fighting about it and it was so confusing because I was like, I didn't know there's rules!
[My mom] would never tell me, “Use this whitening soap,” or “Don't go in the sun.” I think that was a huge factor in how I developed my mindset early on.
Kristina: Either way, I feel like the conversation is what's important, and just putting it on social media, having people react to it, and having people feel really seen. What you do so well is you really fill a white space of content where it's missing for Filipino girls who want to know how a lipstick or a blush will look on their face. Because most of the time, the model is white.
The beauty space is so competitive, especially in content creation. How would you say that you were able to really find your voice and success?
Belle: Comparison is the thief of joy. It is a cliche, but at the beginning, I think with everybody, with every creative, you kind of mirror or pattern yourself after people you admire, you watch and eventually you find your own voice. At the end of the day, I realized I was talking to a bunch of 21 year olds–they were so worried about how am I going to sustain my content creation? I feel like I don't have a personality like Alix Earl. I'm like, you don't have to have a personality like her! You just have to have yours. I feel like that really helped me grow: Whenever I'm more myself and whenever I share more of what makes me different–my background, my work, my opinions–it works.
Kristina: You definitely inspire me–just the way that you talk about such a range of topics from career to life and love and relationships. It’s so easy to get caught up in what's trending or what other videos people are doing. I can't believe that Alix Earl has made it to the Philippines! That is so wild to me. Something I personally struggle with is flip flopping back and forth between how “professional” I should be especially as somebody who does this full-time. Is it brand-safe for me to say my opinions?
Belle: I was really shy about being on camera and I was so precious about it. I hated it. Then, during the pandemic, I took yoga teacher training. When you're teaching yoga, you have to speak to a crowd. We were practicing teaching and I was so shy and I was so monotonous. My teacher asked, what's holding you back? I was so shy–I feel like I hated hearing this out of my own voice. She told me, “sometimes you just need to get over yourself.” And really that rewired my brain. People are there to learn yoga and not to hear you speak, so you have to think about the message you're bringing them instead of how self conscious you are. Most of the time, people aren't aware of how conscious you are.
Kristina: Yeah, they’re not as judgmental of you as you are to yourself. I feel like that's rewired my brain that will help me so much! One of my favorite series of yours is your Double Income No Kids Queer Couple series. I feel like you and Deng are just so cute. I love that you share a lot of your life. How would you say that you are able to balance being authentic but then still having boundaries?
Belle: I knew that I wanted to talk about important topics, let's say, gay marriage. I would inject some of my experience, but I wouldn't tell them actual problems that me and my partner would have. Because you're sharing your opinions about important topics to the entire internet, they feel like they think they know you. But, I'm not really revealing a lot of details. I think that the vlogs helped me share more personal stuff because it's just literally a day in our life. I really committed to that series because when I started doing it, I would get young girls in the mall come up to me and say, oh my gosh, you inspired me to come out to my parents. And I'm like, crying in the mall on a Sunday morning.
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Kristina: There's not a lot of queer visibility, I would say, especially in the Philippines, especially in Filipino media. I feel like it makes sense to me that someone would be so moved by your TikTok because they don't know where else to see examples of queer love for them!
Belle: And anything, especially female queer relationships in the Filipino media, it's always either taboo or it's dramatized. The context is always one is in the closet and it's always a struggle. Is there no normal love story?
Kristina: I feel like even queer stories in movies and everything, it's always about coming out or the pain of being in the closet. Just show people in love living real, regular lives. That's why I especially love that series of yours.
Young girls in the mall come up to me and say, “Oh my gosh, you inspired me to come out to my parents.”
Kristina: Okay, I'd love to ask one last question. You test a lot of products, but what are some makeup and skincare products that you are using in your rotation right now? Because your skin is like goals.
Belle: There is this number one treatment that I use that I've always used from the beginning. It's called the Pixi Glow Peel Pads. It's insane because here, you can't get anything more than 20% acid, so we can't have the [Drunk Elephant] TLC baby facial here. It's the closest thing I have. It's so good. Every time life goes bad, I do my Pixi, and I'm fine again. Another thing is my Issy skin tint. It just makes your skin look so healthy. I'm looking at my mostly used pile right now–the primer from Get Ready With Me. It's a very grippy vibe. I'm also using a lot of Laura Mercier setting powder! It never runs out. I also love the Hourglass Palette, the ambient edit lighting edit. And last I have this MAC Extra Dimension Skin Finish Highlighter–it's probably six years old and I'm only beginning to hit the pan now, and I use it every day. That’s lasted me!
Kristina: I definitely have my products that are questionable in terms of in expiration date! There's this one, the Chanel highlighter. It's the Baume Essential Perlescent. It’s literally the most amazing highlighter that I've ever used and I never want to use anything else! Maybe it’s time for a new one?
Belle: Chanel products last forever!
Kristina: Yes!! Belle, thank you so much for chatting with me. I just really appreciate you and I admire you and I want to meet in person someday!
Belle: I enjoyed this chat so much, but if you ever come to the Philippines, I will bring you out to the beauty girlies!
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With Love,
Kristina