Reinventing young celebs

Makeovers are always fun and interesting. The challenge of being able to look different (and hopefully better) is nothing short of fascinating. It’s when one actually sees how the magic of makeup works and how stylish clothes make a world of difference in the finished product.

But it’s not that easy. The makeovers we see on the pages of magazines are not just about makeup and clothes either. Take Madonna, the ultimate makeover queen, for instance. When she makes herself over (which she has done a million times), her makeup artist, stylist, publicist, and image consultant all rack their brains for that perfect look which should be in line with her packaging and imaging. The makeover actually becomes a grueling process of approvals and disapprovals in the hope of finding that one look which sits perfectly with her true character.

By now you must have already realized that the makeover’s challenge is more for the people behind the scenes — In our case, people behind the camera. In Young Star Magazine’s February issue, multiply that challenge 39 times! Yup 39, because we had to makeover no less than 39 people — actors, models, VJs, campus heartthrobs, to teen achievers.

What made the challenge even more fun is the fact that we attempted to change their looks based on Hollywood characters... just to give the makeover an interesting and refreshing feel. And you know what? By the end of each person’s shoot, he/she did look like his/her Hollywood counterpart!

Collaborating with photographer Francis Abraham and the Propaganda makeup team, Young Star Magazine’s creative team (creative director Marlon Rivera and stylists Luis Espiritu and Anna Cruz) completed the entire 12-page spread in just three days. The people in the spread were oh-so-excited and impressed with how they ended up looking exactly like their characters.

Actress Rica Peralejo, for instance, was made to look like Tinkerbell. Her pixie look was just perfect for the character. Actor Patrick Garcia with his sharp stare and rebellious aura put on a white shirt and faded jeans and, voila, you’ve got your local version of James Dean! His sister, actress and model Chesca Garcia, was made to look like a geisha.

Upcoming actor and crush ng bayan Christian Vasquez was beaten up and styled like Tyler Durden in The Fight Club. He laughs, "It’s the first time I was actually messed up in a shoot rather than made to look good." MTV VJ Belinda Panelo impressed everyone during the shoot with her cat-like movements as she was garbed in a tight leather jumpsuit. Yup, you guessed right, she played Catwoman. MTV VJ KC Montero was supposed to play Indiana Jones but ended up looking like Crocodile Dundee.

MYX VJs Ed Feist and Paul Hammond posed with Gameplan’s Carlo Ledesma and model Luke Mucklin and formed The Outsiders. MYX VJ Michi Valeriano, Gameplan’s Tricia Chiongbian, MBA commentator George Rocha, and model Peaches Aberin, on the other hand, formed The Joy Luck Club, complete with their cheong-sams.

Young Star columnist Marco Lobregat couldn’t have done a better job at playing Le Stat in Interview With A Vampire. While young model and personality Pilar Valdes was so Mary as she played Mary in There’s Something About Mary, complete with the platinum-blond hair! E! host Claudine Trillo, you must admit, already looks like Uma Thurman. What more after she was made to look like Emma Peel in The Avengers? Model Maike Evers captured Jane Austen’s Emma’s subtle yet naughty smile.

Model and young writer Stephanie Zubiri was Joan of Arc, U designer Katrina Tantoco was in her South Pacific mode, fresh face and International School junior Jenny Rockett was Cher in Clueless, Host JC Gonzales was Charlie Chaplin, model Kyla was Madonna, STAR’s first-ever Face Of The Year Anna Palabyab was Arwen in The Lord Of The Rings, young model and writer Raya Mananquil played an African queen, Ateneo heartthrob Paolo Teodoro was Neo in Matrix, La Salle hottie Paolo Villavicencio was Ferris Bueller, model and TechnoMarin’s Ciara Sevilla did a Cleopatra, Bodyshots winner Michelle Schultze gave Catherine Zeta Jones a run for her money, Atenean cutie John Yulo went anime, model Nafsika Drossou had breakfast at Tiffany’s, Carlos Rufino strutted his stuff as Li Mu Bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, commercial sensation Franco "Jasper" Mabanta was Peter Pan — whew, there’s so much more!

At the end of the three-day photo session, everyone in the shoot had his or her hour of looking different. All agree it was so much fun. JC Gonzales shares, "It’s something new and different. Young Star Magazine always comes up with surprises!"

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Young Star Magazine’s February issue is now available in all leading bookstores. To subscribe, call 892-18-54. For comments and suggestions, e-mail youngstarmag@hotmail.com or write to Young Star Magazine, 6/F JAKA Bldg. 6780, Ayala Avenue, Makati 1200.