Beyond beautiful

MANILA, Philippines - For 30 years now, Cream Silk has nurtured the long luscious locks of the Filipina. And to commemorate its pearl anniversary, the famed hair care brand celebrates Filipino women who have broken the glass ceiling — and gone “beyond beautiful!”

For Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism 2013 Joanna Cindy Miranda and Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago, “beyond beautiful” has a special meaning. Both girls are heartbreakingly lovely, with their long graceful limbs, eager smiles, effortless charm and real heart. The similarities end there, however; Bea and Cindy are as unique in their own right.

Cindy is the epitome of a Filipina. Her quiet smile and earnest, soft-spoken depth speak volumes of her personality. She runs her fingers through her straight and shiny night-black hair as she muses about the future of the country — and how she, as a beauty queen, may be of assistance. Quiet as she is, though, Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism 2013 has an iron backbone: she moved to Manila from the province alone, determined to win the crown. Cindy nurtured her childhood dreams — dreams that, once achieved, would help her affect much good in the country and for her countrymen.

Bea, meanwhile, was a model and marketing professional who grew up in Toronto. Eager for adventure, she backpacked around the world and disembarked in her home country, where her effervescence and enthusiasm landed her in front of the pageant’s panel of judges — and with the Bb. Pilipinas-International 2013 title, and eventually won the Miss International 2013 crown. Bea is extroverted, funny and utterly charming, gifted with endearingly boyish insouciance. Her long bouncy curls bob up and down as she recounts adventures while backpacking, building homes for the marginalized, and even white-water rapid rafting. Quick to laughter, Bea will make anyone smile with her carefree sassiness.

Both Cindy and Bea have one major thing in common: they both want to use their beauty titles to do good. Winning their respective crowns wasn’t just testament to how beautiful they were physically. Queens, after all, must have the whole package: beauty, brains, charm and generosity of spirit. They lament that people often deride pageant winners as being pretty songbirds — nice to look at but without much substance. “It’s not the prettiest girl who wins,” Bea promises. “It’s the whole package. You’re in front of all these people who want you to mess up, you’re in a swimsuit — you have to think on your feet, you have to be quick, you have to be charming.”

Ever thoughtful, Cindy explains why Filipinas are consistent winners of international beauty pageants: “We’re warm to people. We have personality… we win because of how we carry ourselves, how we talk to people. It’s natural for us to smile, to be friendly. We like people to feel happy.” Bea agrees wholeheartedly, “Filipinas have been making it to the top! We’re naturally charming. You can’t train a girl to be charming. It has to come naturally. Filipina pageant winners are showing the world how Filipinas are — it’s not just about beauty. It’s our whole identity.”

There is no doubt that Filipinas are some of the most beautiful women in the world. “Other nationalities try to imitate Asians,” Cindy observes. More importantly, both believe that Filipinas are beyond beautiful. “We’re unstoppable!” the girls titter — but they are serious in spite of the levity.

Cream Silk will celebrate the exceptional beauty of the modern Filipina on March 26 through its annual anniversary ball “Cream Silk at 30: Celebrating the Beyond Beautiful Filipina.” Women at the top of their game will be honored by the award-winning brand as it celebrates true achievement and true power — in other words, true beauty.