The Flawless endorser down south

In 2004, Lorna Tolentino became the official face of Flawless. When the skin clinic continued to grow by leaps and bounds, however, Flawless lady boss Rubby Sy saw the need to get more celebrity endorsers and got the services of major talents Judy Ann Santos and Richard Gutierrez.

Somewhere along the way, StarStruck winners Yasmien Kurdi and Mark Herras also became Flawless endorsers. In May 2009, Alyssa Alano and this writer completed the list.

But wait, there’s one more. Unknown to Flawless clients in Metro Manila, there’s another endorser tucked down south. Her name is Bea Villegas. Turning 21 this April 28, she takes care of clients in the Flawless branches in Cebu and Iloilo.

Bea actually has celebrity relations: Nadia Montenegro, who used to be called the Brooke Shields of the Philippines, is her cousin. Based in Cebu, she once hosted a game show in the local ABS-CBN station there, while pursuing a degree in Legal Management at the University of San Carlos (she plans to take up law soon). From there, she also began having her own radio programs.

In 2007, Flawless decided to put up clinics in the Visayas (Iloilo and Cebu) and the company people knew they needed an endorser from that part of the Philippines. Since Bea comes from a prominent family in Cebu, the Flawless officials were acquainted with some of the Villegas kids and approached one of the girls to be their endorser. This pretty teenager, however, turned out to be quite shy and didn’t want to commit herself to that kind of a responsibility. But she had a sister, the more outgoing Bea. Maybe they’d want to try her out. One look at Bea and Flawless grabbed the replacement.

Folks from Manila cannot miss Bea Villegas’ photos prominently displayed in the Flawless clinics in Cebu and Iloilo (both under the SM roofs) if they decide to take their Holy Week/summer break in those two fabulous destinations.

So what are her favorite procedures in Flawless? “Since Cebuanos are lucky to have great beaches and resorts that are there all-year round, I’d say laser hair removal,” she admits. “You can strut your stuff even in the skimpiest of bikinis and you’d be confident that your arms, legs — everything — is smooth and free of unwanted body hair.”

According to Bea, Flawless’ hair removal is hassle-free — you’re done in 10 minutes (distributed in four or five sessions) and minus the pain. The skin clinic also offers a lifetime package of laser hair removal and this is a great deal, especially for women with stubborn (unwanted) body hair.

Another one of her favorite treatments is the facial with seaweed mask. Although genetically she has good skin, she’ll be the first to admit that she also had to battle with pimple and acne scars that are gone now, thanks to Flawless’ skinlite cream.

Although she is still very young, she believes that she should already start taking care of her skin even this early — especially since she lives in Cebu where the heat can be oppressive. “I took my cue from the Japanese who believe that no matter how young you are, you should be taking good care of your skin to prevent premature skin aging,” she advises people of her generation.

Thanks Bea for the tip. I doubt if people in my batch (particularly the men) knew that. I honestly didn’t and I only began taking care of my skin since the time Flawless egged me on not very long ago.

But I’ve always known that you can learn a lot from young people — Bea in particular — since she is a very bright girl. 

 The first time we met was in very late July of 2007. Lorna and I flew to Iloilo to cut the ceremonial ribbon during the Flawless opening there (Mark and Yasmien arrived ahead of us). It was raining very hard that time and the trip from the then new airport to SM was long and everyone in our group (Flawless head doctor, Mitch Cruz, GMA news reporter Nelson Canlas, etc.) was flustered. The very warm and friendly crowd that had gathered outside the clinic was also thick and we had difficulty getting inside. But the minute we got in, we were greeted by the very warm smile of Bea, who was later introduced to us as the Flawless endorser for the Visayas.

The next time we saw each other was in mid-December of that year — during the opening of Flawless Cebu. That was her turf and she helped me buy pasalubong. The truth is, I have family there, but we have our own lives and I didn’t want to bother them with my little trivial needs — like where to get Villalonga chicharon (they have at the SM supermarket — Bea tipped me off and was kind enough to accompany me there).

During the Sinulog of 2009, we both rode the Flawless float and during lunch break in one of the restaurants where we had our meal, she had a small pack of Cebu lechon brought in for all of us Manileños to taste. No need to feel guilty, we assured each other — Flawless was there to trim off (with photo-gen, then a very new machine) whatever fat we may accumulate.

Together on the float for almost seven hours, Bea and I were able to swap stories and I got to discover her inner beauty. By Sinulog of 2010, I was already sharing with her family concerns. I knew I could trust her and she is such a nice, sweet girl. One thing I can assure you about her, she is flawless inside and out.