MANILA, Philippines - The people in Celeste Tuviera’s life had always assumed that just like her father Tony, she would end up in the entertainment industry. But she knew even early on that hers was a road that was slightly different. After graduating from the De La Salle University, Celeste immediately flew out to Santa Monica in Los Angeles to enroll at the acclaimed Vidal Sasoon Academy. She was the only Filipino there out of 14 other students.
From the time she began pursuing her love for hairstyling, she knew that she was right where she ought to be. She recalls, “I was never absent or late. I really went out of my way to take down notes, collate them and keep them organized that my classmates even offered to pay me to get a copy of them!” During her free time, Celeste would even volunteer to assist her teachers so that she could gain more practice. She is the only Filipino today to have had extensive training at the Vidal Sasoon Academy extending to two International Masters in London.
Celeste reflects on her experience, “They (Vidal Sasoon) are the founders of the hairdressing science. At the academy, I’ve learned that first you have to know the basics, fundamentals and rules. Once you have mastered that, then you can begin to have fun, work from any point in the process and still come out with the consistent results.” Aside from know-how, Celeste also shares that she had been able to study under some of the industry’s best — fashion historian Caroline Cox and esteemed hairstylist Mark Hays, to name a few. Her yearly trips to London for seminars and short courses at the academy have helped her to stay current, allowing her first dibs in every season’s key looks in hairstyling. She explains, “I will keep going and learning as long as I can. The worst thing that you can do to yourself is to become complacent and to start believing that you are good. I am relentless that way.”
Over 10 years of continuous training had certainly helped Celeste become the go-to hairstylist among the entertainment industry’s biggest names. Her resume is one of the most impressive in the hair artistry business with clients like Regine Velasquez, Piolo Pascual, Angel Locsin and KC Concepcion, all of whom have collaborated with her on a number of films, photo shoots and music videos.
Her very own salon, Symmetria, is what one might consider to be a destination salon in Manila, where you are assured that Celeste herself will tend to your locks. “I am very hands-on in all the services that are offered in the salon — whether it be color, cut, extensions. At Symmetria, we see to it to that we are able to offer world-class standards in hairdressing.”
Though she has already reached higher ground, Celeste insists that she is first and foremost a fan of her chosen craft. She advises, “To go far in your chosen craft, you have to find your hero and that will lead you to the right direction. At the end of the day, I am a fan of the art, the science, the commitment and the passion that go into hairdressing.”
Celeste ends the interview by sharing her best trade secrets: “Respect people. Respect their work. I understand that people have the right to their own opinions.”