It was a day devoted to passion. Philippine STAR lifestyle columnist Mons Romulo invited a group of successful working women — all of whom have followed their passion — to “The Downy #Instaswitch Experience,” an event that introduced them to a product called Passion.
At a lavish condominium in Bonifacio Global City, where clusters of the flower most commonly associated with passion — red roses — were arranged on tables with rocks and steel wire to connote strength, a group of friends started arriving, notable not only for their glamour but also their level of accomplishment.
“These are women who are passionate about what they do: their jobs, their families,” Romulo said. “They don’t just stay at home but are all successful working women. They’re business-minded; they start things. They’re leaders.”
These leaders all happened to come from the fields of fashion, business and the media.
Guests included Kaye Tinga, an advocate for children’s and women’s rights; lawyer Joanna Suarez, a businesswoman who’s a staunch supporter of small-enterprise businesses in Quezon province. Kai Lim is married to Bench’s Bryan Lim yet still wanted to start her own business — she’s one of the owners of Cura V, a lifestyle store in Rockwell.
Famous faces from TV broadcasting included ABS-CBN reporter Marie Lozano; Gretchen Fullido, news anchor for Star Patrol on ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol; Shawn Yao, news anchor for ABC-5; and sportscaster, television and event host Patricia Hizon.
Editors from the print media were Joanna Rae Ramirez, People Asia editor-in-chief (EIC) and Philippine STAR Allure section editor and columnist; also from the STAR was columnist and blogger Leah Puyat; Myrza Sison, editorial director of Summit Media and EIC of Cosmopolitan Philippines; and Sari Yap, EIC of Mega magazine and EVP of Mega Magazine & Publishing, Inc.
From the world of fashion was designer Patrice Ramos Diaz and jewelry designer Nicole Whisenhunt.
Margarita Fores of Cibo, a woman legendary for her passion for food, catered the delicious lunch for this influential group of friends.
After lunch, Mons and Downy’s country brand manager Nicole Villarojo introduced the glamorous assemblage to another kind of passion. Among Downy’s Parfum Collection, a range of fabric conditioners whose sophisticated scents are comparable to pricey designer perfumes, Passion is currently the bestseller in the Philippines, according to Nicole.
We all know what passion feels like and even tastes like, but what does passion smell like?
Surprisingly sweet and sensual, as it turns out.
“Passion was inspired by the patisseries of France, and it is actually the sweetest scent compared with the others,” says Nicole. “Apparently, Filipinos are very fond of candy-like scents.”
Nicole says that most Pinoys who use Downy are familiar with the AntiBac or the classic Sunrise Fresh variants, but the Parfum Collection is gaining in popularity, with its scent selection of floral Innocence, oriental Mystique, and citrusy Happiness crafted by real perfumers in the vein of fine fragrances.
“P&G is one of biggest perfumers in the world,” she says. “We have noses that work for the brand and they are the same perfumers that work on our fine fragrances such as Dolce & Gabbana, Lacoste and Gucci.”
When washing your clothes with Downy, perfume microcapsules are deposited in the fabric. “When you rub your clothes, they burst and the scent is released,” she says. “It lasts so long because of the touch-release mechanism.”
Recently, Downy revamped its entire lineup by using dual perfumes, and adding a second perfumed microcapsule to the formula. Talk about more bang for your buck: instead of just one scent, two kinds of perfume emanate from your clothes — a nuanced fragrance ready to be released with a simple rub.
After lunch, Mons and Nicole passed around two kinds of napkins — a white one sprayed with cologne and a red one washed with Downy Passion.
The ladies had fun comparing the two, rubbing their napkins together to test Downy’s “rub-and-sniff” technology, and reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
“This one smells better,” Shawn Yao, one of Esquire Philippines’ “Women We Love” for August 2012, said about the red napkin.
“Mmm… that’s all I can say,” said Myrza Sison.
Asked what scent Passion reminded them of, Leah Puyat volunteered, “Salted caramel.”
Kai Lim noted, “It’s more feminine.”
Patricia Hizon, communication director of the Philippine Pop Music Festival who’s married to basketball player Vince Hizon, said that Downy was a boon to working moms. “Not only are we working women but most — if not all of us — are mothers, too, so not only are we looking for these types of products for ourselves but for our children. So it’s really nice you mentioned there’s a citrusy variant — it makes us excited for our children who, we were just talking about, are really growing up active. So maybe the more we hug them, the more our little boys will smell better. It’s the summer scent for children.”
Asked about her Downy experience, Leah Puyat said it was “eye-opening. It’s a whole spectrum because you get the refreshing scent, and you get the richer and bolder scent. It’s an indulgence, a way to inject a very pleasurable and sensual feeling.”
Since the order of the day was passion, Mons talked about hers: “My passions are my three kids and my favorite charities (the Child Protection Network, Pink for Life foundation). Working to help uplift the lives of the less fortunate has helped me see how blessed I am. I also have a passion to write so that I can hopefully be a positive influence on others.”
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The Downy Parfum Collection is available at supermarkets and department stores nationwide.