The Heart of the matter

MANILA, Philippines - Heart Evangelista would be the first to balk at the thought of anyone calling her just a pretty face. She will protest that looking good is not the only thing she takes pride in.

She wants people to know that she can also shine in the kitchen.

“ My goal is to master a whole meal,” she explains. “I want to entertain friends the best way I can when they visit me at home.”

Let it not be said that Heart was remiss in what she deems are her duties as a lady. She takes pride in her specialties: Croquetas, corn with garlic.

“I may not be very good at cooking, but I can make pizza, pasta and cake,” she says.

Heart has stayed long enough in the kitchen to trust her instincts.

She can sense when something is wrong with a dish.

“I do a lot of tasting,” she reveals. “I can tell when something is lacking in a certain dish. So I add a pinch of this or a pinch of that.”

She is as conscious of what she puts in food as much as she is with what she serves on the table.

“I go to the grocery,” she says. “I count calories. No amount of work-out will make you attain your ideal weight unless you watch what you eat.”

So she avoids rice and eats a balanced diet.

“I’ve always believed true beauty starts from within. When we want a beautiful body, we have to start by eating healthy. If we want beautiful skin, we need to feed it with the right products,” she says.

Factor in a happy disposition that cushions the stress of daily life and you get a clear picture of Heart’s beauty secret.

“Your job can kill you,” she relates. “I work, work, work and when I can take a break, I get away.”

When she gets away from work, Heart steers clear of the heavy makeup she is so used to wearing in front of the cameras.

Less makeup, red lipstick and the right skin care products will do.

Figures why Heart agreed to be the face of Olay Natural White.

“It has a great combination of vitamins to keep our skin nourished and give us that healthy glow,” she explains.

That healthy glow also comes from something money can’t buy: Peace.

Ian Dy, her on-and-off boyfriend for two years, has made Heart return to a simpler world where walking the dog together is joy enough.

 “I don’t have to wear high heels all the time,” the fashionista reveals.

Dinner with friends — another source of joy — can be as laidback as can be. So is another favorite pastime: Watching a movie.

After keeping a high profile the whole day long, care of showbiz, peace and quiet is what Heart craves for more than anything else.

Figures why Heart would rather pass up projects pairing her off again with Richard Gutierrez after their well-received GMA series Full House wrapped up.

“People might get to love our team-up so much, we’d end up being typecast,” she explains.

It’ s just as well, therefore, that she’s on her own as one of the mainstays of GMA’s new noontime show, Party Pilipinas. Who knows? The show, which also features singers like Regine Velasquez and Jay-R, might inspire Heart revive her singing career, which she has put on hold for years.

And people will again see Heart, not as part of a loveteam, but as herself.

For Heart, it’s time to move on, not just in her personal life, but in her career as well.