More than a woman
MANILA, Philippines - When she enters the room, her presence easily commands attention. What with her arresting features — an alluring face complemented by a whistle-bait figure, statuesque and stunning at 5’9”. She is a former beauty queen and a top model after all. No wonder Maria Rafaela “Mafae” Belasco makes heads turn wherever she goes.
In 1998, Mafae (nee Verdadero) was working in hotels around Sydney, Australia when her friends encouraged her to join the Miss Philippines-Australia pageant. The New South Wales University graduate says, “My Tourism and Hospitality Management course helped me learn the different aspects of running a hotel business. I became a waitress, housekeeper, receptionist, banquets officer and a bartender. Bartending was my most favorite among them.”
With her natural beauty and undeniable charm, Mafae won that pageant and soon found herself back in Manila modeling for popular designer Renee Salud. Mafae adds that her aunt Desiree Verdadero-Abesamis, herself a beauty pageant titlist (Bb. Pilipinas-Universe 1984), was instrumental in her modeling career. “My aunt guided me and helped me win my second title — Bb. Pilipinas-World 2003,” narrates Mafae, who finished among the Top 5 contestants of the Miss World pageant held in Sanya, China. “After the pageant, I continued modeling and finished my reign. After that, I got married to the man of my dreams,” gushes Mafae.
The man of her dreams is, of course, her husband of almost five years, cager Nic Belasco. “As a wife, I am very caring. I make sure that my husband has everything he needs,” adds Mafae. “My husband’s job is physically and mentally challenging so when he is home, I just want him to relax and to not stress on unnecessary things.”
She reveals that mothering has changed her views on life. “My children inspire me to wake up every morning. They give me joy,” says this mother of four kids — Nico, nine; Mike, seven; Moses, four; and Nicole Faith, one. “I want my children to be happy, healthy and feel loved so I put myself and my needs only second to them.” Mafae furthers that she treasures their family bonding moments when they would spend a lot of time playing video games, play in the park and watch movies together.
Although she has her hands full with motherly duties, that doesn’t mean that Mafae has no time for herself. She also makes sure that she looks as gorgeous as ever. “Makeup helps boost a woman’s confidence in so many ways. Not all women are blessed with great skin so makeup therefore helps them give that smooth glow. It also enhances a woman’s face by highlighting and contouring,” says Mafae, who also believes that “natural look” is always the way to go. “But if a woman feels that she has to apply makeup to feel beautiful, then so be it. Makeup is there to help women feel confident.”
Mafae loves the fact that there is a local brand who caters specifically to the needs of these women. She shares: “I love Ever Bilena because the quality of the products is very reliable. I love the way the products make me feel when I’m applying them. I especially like the customer service that Ever Bilena provides its clients.”
Some of the makeup company’s products that are staples in Mafae’s kit are the Pro Leg Makeup, Foundation and Body Spray. As a model who needs to look her best in front of the camera, Mafae finds the leg makeup very useful as it hides unwanted lines and gives a quick drying matte finish. “It benefits my skin tone. It enables me to have smoother-looking skin because the color of my legs is even out.”
She says that the foundation, on the other hand, helps her to achieve that feeling of “not having makeup at all” because it was very light on her skin. Mafae also stresses the importance of sporting a particular scent. “Smelling good gives a woman more character and charisma. She will be known as a woman who takes care of herself and keeps others pondering on what scent she’s wearing,” muses Mafae. Like her, Ever Bilena also acknowledges this so it offers Pink Water Body Spray, which has the ultimate sweet and gentle fragrance reminiscent of a lush and alluring bouquet of your favorite blooms.
Although she seems to have it all, Mafae admits that she still wants to do a lot of things. She shares that she wants to try her hand in cooking and teaching Bikram yoga. “I still want to achieve a lot more in life. I want to be able to see my children grow into successful people. I want to travel the world,” she says.
