Nothing Makes You Prettier Than Happiness

"Nothing makes you prettier than happiness," says Heart Evangelista in her beauty book This Is Me, Love Marie. If this is true, Heart must be feeling absolutely amazing because she is looking the most beautiful she has ever been! I would know, I have been one of her biggest fans since her role as Missy on G-Mik in 1999! Last Sunday, the first ever Filipino celebrity beauty book was launched in National Bookstore Glorietta 1 and to no surprise, Heart's fans, makeup artists, friends and hubby, Chiz Escudero all came to support her and get their books signed.

Growing up, I found myself looking to Heart for the latest trends in beauty—long stick-straight hair with a slight side part to match hers when I was 16, The Body Shop's strawberry Lip balm for my first year in college because, of course, she used it too, seashells in my hair and bronzer all over as she rocked the sun-kissed goddess look with Jericho by her side in the early 2000s and now, still following in her lead, I (try to) pull off the classic, clean, hair-pulled-back, red lips, and contoured cheeks look that she so effortlessly nails. So you can only imagine how excited I was to hear about this beauty book that Heart describes as "like writing in my diary." Heart reveals her very own secret beauty hacks, things she's learned from makeup artists throughout her 17 years in showbiz and of course, writes about how true beauty all boils down to being true to yourself, confident and "always wearing your invisible crown."

After reading the book from cover to cover (about 9 times) now, here are my favorite things about the book and last weekend's launch.

 1  The chapters are clear and cover everything you need to know about everyday makeup.

 The chapters include- Eyes, Lips, Face, Skin Care, Being your own makeup artist, a Beauty Lookbook (Heart’s favorite looks for different occasions), and never before seen pictures of Heart taken during the shoot.

 2  The doodles and titles are actually handwritten by Heart herself!

According to the editors of the book, Heart was very hands-on and specific about how she wanted the book to look and what went in the pages. One of my favorite pages is the makeup brush tutorial section where she doodled the brushes herself!

 3  We are all guilty of taking a few sneaky selfies here and there when no one is looking, and Heart is just like us!

She even gives tips on finding the right light and angle for your face.  

 4  I've always wanted to see one of her hand painted bags up close.

During the Launch, Heart used her hand painted black Hermes Kelly! Her sister showed up as well with another one of her hand painted creations slung across her shoulder (it was the tan canvas Hermes Her bag, BTW). They look just as lovely in person as they do on her Instagram!

 5  My favorite part of the whole launch was the Question and Answer portion for the media.

Heart's silly and light disposition was so contagious! Always smiling from ear-to-ear and grateful for every blessing that comes her way. I have realized that with a heart like Heart's, beauty truly radiates beyond any makeup product or skin care regimen <3

This Is Me, Love Marie is now available at all bookstores and newsstands nationwide. Grab your copy for only P295.