The Details Behind Anne Curtis’ Beauty Look for Her Preview September 2025 Cover
Her trusted makeup artist, Robbie Piñera, spills the beans.
by Kyla Villena
Published on Sep 8, 2025
Over the past 30 years, Preview has captured countless evolutions in fashion and culture—and for more than two-thirds of that time, Anne Curtis has been evolving right alongside it. Just four years after her first Preview cover in December 2004, Anne was set to shoot a campaign for her own clothing line. What could have been a production nightmare instead became a turning point: It introduced her to the glam team she has since collaborated with for over 17 years.
“Back then, it was the clothing line Freeway. I'm not sure if you're familiar with it,” makeup artist Robbie Piñera recalled. “There was a makeup artist who was supposedly booked for that day, but he couldn't make it.” The campaign was directed by none other than Vince Uy, lensed by Mark Nicdao, and Robbie was asked to come in as a replacement. “I did the makeup for that campaign, and Raymond Santiago did the hair. Since that campaign shoot, when it went up sa EDSA nang naka-billboard, and until now, magkakasama pa rin kaming tatlo.”
As Anne continued gracing the covers of Preview throughout the years, so did Robbie and Raymond’s mastery of beauty, having been the creative duo behind many of the celebrity’s iconic looks.
The hand-in-hand welcoming of transformations—from bold lips and a pixie cut, to graphically lined eyes and pink tresses—made Anne Curtis a Philippine household name synonymous with Preview. She stands at the forefront of Preview’s September cover, and still behind her are Robbie and Raymond, who showcased their unmistakable skills through the shoot.
Preview spoke with Robbie in-between layouts to explore how he interpreted the beauty direction in a way that is “very Anne Curtis.”
Muted and Monochromatic
The conversation took place in the dressing room. The team just reached the halfway mark—Robbie was preparing for an upcoming glam change, while his assistant Viel Navarro stayed in the studio to oversee. With much energy and perseverance, Anne and Bomba Ding were taking on layout three of five, dancing the Tinikling in front of BJ Pascual's camera.
The cover star’s generational face was adorned by muted tones and shades of brown, all strategically placed to bring out the innate Filipino softness and to enhance the beauty she already has.
By this time, Raymond has transformed Anne’s hair from Maganda’s long waves flowing down the hips when she was in Antonina, messy braids wrapped in gold as a Viajero in Kelvin Morales, to a braided crown enveloped in a scarf as she gracefully moved in Renz Reyes. Throughout these hair changes, the beauty look remained the same given the concept’s penchant for all things natural.
“With so many looks that we've done in the past, especially when it comes to mga endorsements or her engagements as a celebrity, there would only be very limited and specific requests for a look, which are very pang-commercial,” Robbie tells Preview. With regards to the current look Anne had on, he said, “I love that it feels raw, but very fresh.”
He added that the muted and monochromatic tones felt familiar, since the signature look he had created for Anne is simply centered on her natural self. “I don't try to alter one's face or change it, I just try to bring it out using products and techniques where even the tiniest detail can make a huge difference—without piling on makeup.”
A Mythical Moment
Sitting on the opposite end of the beauty spectrum was the beauty look Anne was about to change into. The next layout would have her become a personification of Koyu No Tebulul, a T’boli folk song about a bird—that cannot be catched—resting on a tree (it was also the song used in the cover story’s video!). Her hair would be tied low and sleek with a long braided ponytail, and she would be in a Jaggy Glarino creation.
She would then become the Ibong Adarna in Axel Que, with her hair morphing into a sculpture of its own, still taken care of by the masterful Raymond. The equally talented Robbie was then gearing up for glam that sat beyond his and Anne’s comfort zone. “The second look is very new to me. It's not our usual look. I'm not sure if we’ve tried it before, but I'm excited to do it.” And do it, he did.
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Shades of pink adorned the cover star’s eyelids, spilling all the way up to her temples and down to her cheekbones. It was as if she was torn out of a page from the storybooks and legends that Preview aimed to pay homage to. Robbie sees editorial shoots as an opportunity to try new things. “Maybe it might work or maybe hindi mag-work, at least we know and we've tried it—but so far, so good.” He added, “What's nice about Anne is that even if it doesn't work, she will try to make it work.” With a face like hers, how hard can it be?
Working with Anne for more than a decade now, Robbie has become a true witness to her professionalism and openness to explore. “That's very important for a celebrity,” he explained. “10 years ago, we weren't doing the same makeup as we do now.”
Taking a moment to step back and see the big picture, Robbie recalled the previous Preview covers they have worked on together. “If you look at the history of her covers with Preview, it was always just glam, it was always very made-up. It's very celebrity-like.” Evolving with the times, he saw the current September cover as a medium that honored who Anne was as a celebrity, but spotlighted her authentic and grounded nature at the same time.
“Raw and homegrown,” he described it. “We’re using a lot of Filipino elements, which I appreciate because I think it's about time to showcase what the Filipino has to offer.”
It is not only Anne, but also Robbie and Raymond, who embody the world-class talents that Filipinos have.
Kyla Villena loves a good lip gloss and a trip to the art gallery. She is Preview's beauty girl, who doubles as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.