Here's something you may not know about Andrea Brillantes: She has a rare condition called congenital anosmia, which means she was born with no sense of smell. There is currently no known cause or cure for it.
The 18-year-old actress has been quite open about her condition, even talking about it a few times during interviews and on her personal social media accounts. What is interesting, however, is that it doesn't stop the young actress from wearing and collecting perfume.
"Pinanganak akong walang sense of smell, pero siyempre concerned pa rin ako sa maaamoy sakin ng mga tao bilang isang artista," Andrea shares on her YouTube channel. In fact, her favorite type of compliment is being told that she smells good, so she always carries a bottle of perfume in her bag!
FYI, two scents that we've spotted her using are Jo Malone London's Nectarine Blossom & Honey and Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb.
In an interview with Pikapika, Andrea revealed that even if she doesn't have a sense of smell, she usually opts for sweet scents when buying perfume or candles. She explains, "Gusto ko ng honey, milk, 'di ko alam kung anong amoy ng warm vanilla pero sabi nila matamis daw 'yun so parang ganoon. Gusto ko lang 'yung parang niyayakap ka ng chocolate. Sweet but warm."
Another aspect of congenital anosmia is its impact on one's sense of taste. According to the actress, it's probably the reason why she prefers eating very flavorful food. "Feeling ko kaya po ako mahilig sa malasa, kaya ako masagana kumain, mahilig ako sa fatty food, sa matatamis, baka kulang yung panlasa ko," she admits.
Andrea can also only actually "smell" one thing: rubbing alcohol. She says that it gives her the sensation of a smell, but only in high concentrations.
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This story originally appeared on Preview.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Candymag.com editors.
From The Candy Bulletin Community
