MANILA, Philippines - Manila’s fashion and beauty editors wield considerable influence over what’s hot and what’s not in the local scene. I came across a congregation of editors, worshipping at the altar of hairstylist Alex Carbonell who opened a new salon under the Bench Family called Bench Lab by Alex Carbonell at Greenbelt 5 (tel. 501-3062/ 501-3064), getting their hair did. Preview EIC Pauline Juan trimmed off her luxe locks for a softer, much shorter haircut. “Agoo convinced me,” she says.
She’s referring, naturally, to Preview’s beauty editor Agoo Bengzon who asked Alex to give her plenty of layers on a shoulder-grazing ‘do. “Alex colored my hair, too,” says Agoo. “I liked how my hair was super shiny and bouncy right after.”
Under Alex’s hands, Town & Country’s fashion editor Rorie Carlos got soft bangs and sweet layers. “Alex expertly tamed overly layered hair in the snip of a haircut and then applied Schwarzkopf’s Essensity Intense Curing Mask to nourish my colored, dehydrated locks, making my hair more manageable,” explains Rorie.
Alex refined Meg EIC Peewee Reyes’ blunt bob with a razor sharp cut.
Based on the number of people getting the chop, shorter is the way to go, folks. Expect to see similar looks in your fave fashion rags. — Bea J. Ledesma