Laureen Uy Prevails: On Style, Creativity, And Making Bold Choices

Laureen Uy by Aya Cabauatan for Preview.ph June 2022
Jacket and skirt, Neric Beltran, price available upon request; Jewelry/Accessories, Diamond choker, cross necklace, and rings, Mei Diamonds, price available upon request; Mazee PH earrings, Mazee Silver bike chain, price available upon request; Sunglasses, Moderno Official, P1,559, @moderno.official

Before the internet could coin the term "influencers," there were bloggers who dominated the fashion game on the internet. From the late 2000s to the early 2010s, bloggers had their respective domains where they documented their outfits and wrote just about anything under the sun.

Whether you subscribed to Blogger, WordPress, or Tumblr for your fashion digest, you've undoubtedly heard (or read) about Laureen Uy.

Laureen established her now-defunct blog Break My Style, in 2009 and her online shop, Stylebreak. In an old interview with Preview.ph, Laureen named her blog to "step out" of her comfort zone, experiment on clothes, and stand out.

Top and gloves, Neric Beltran, price available upon request; Skirt, Balmain, price available upon request; Earrings and rings, Mei Diamonds @meidiamondsjewelry

More than a decade and many social media platforms have passed since her blog's creation, but Laureen persists as one of the country's top fashion influencers. Her zest for bold fashion statements and beauty choices remains, despite moving to other social platforms like TikTok and YouTube. If you've been a solid follower for some time now, you'll know that she continues to communicate her love for fashion.

Laureen has had plenty of realizations as a blogger and now as a content creator. On this cover, she starred in a fashion editorial alongside fellow OG bloggers Camille Co and Patricia Prieto. "We started blogging when the internet was a new concept to people–back when Twitter and Instagram were just starting to get popular. Then, we only had magazines, Lookbook, Chictopia, and blogs to check when we wanted to learn about new trends."

With the current wave of social platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and a brand new Instagram, she shared that it was exciting for them to learn new things and create better content for their followers. Although she also admits that having so many platforms right now can be overwhelming. "As content creators, we're very active online, but you shouldn't be putting all your time and effort into creating content as experiencing something in real life is so much more important," Laureen mused.

Bold statement

Known for her tasteful and experimental style, Laureen finds it essential to go the extra mile in fashion.

"By being experimental with your style, you're expressing a little bit of yourself even without speaking. You're sharing a glimpse of yourself with how you look with the world. Personally, it's a very powerful thing that not many people realize," Laureen said.

During the previous lockdown, Laureen dressed in loungewear and found time to dress up for herself. "Even if I know nobody's going to see me. I was dressing up for myself because I feel better if I know I made a little effort getting ready for the day, whether for zoom meetings, online projects, or even if it's just filming a TikTok video!

She added that when things started to look up and normalize again, she still got excited to dress up and match her outfits with her face mask.

Fashion runs in Laureen's blood. Her siblings are renowned stylists, former Preview fashion editor Liz Uy, and former Preview creative director Vince Uy. They have been a constant source of inspiration for her, even as a young girl. "My family is a huge source of inspiration for me. Seeing my siblings and how much they love dressing up (I'm talking about when I was ten years old!), I've learned to appreciate fashion much more."

Laureen also shared that taking up integrated marketing communications because of her brother so she could intern at a fashion magazine. This experience had taught her to appreciate the effort of putting together [fashion] editorials.

On Laureen: Top worn as skirt, Helen Piece @helenpiece, P1,230; Trousers, Neric Beltran, price available upon request; Accessories/Jewelry, Mazee PH, price available upon request, @mazzeph

Indeed, her attention to detail and love for mixing colors and patterns came through with her TRESemmé House of Salon Lookbook with Camille Co and Patricia Prieto.

For this lookbook, Laureen took inspiration from the resurfacing Y2k fashion. "I love Y2k because of its playfulness. We love the 2000s era, and we're all for the Y2k comeback! You can think of so many styles when you hear Y2k, so we all fit in this trend even if we have different styles."

Both Laureen and Patricia are known to sport bold hair colors. "My hair is my favorite accessory," Laureen said, highlighting the importance of hair in building outfits.

In full color

Hair color maintenance can be a rigorous practice and an expensive one on top of that. But Laureen never shied from taking a risk and coloring her hair. "I feel like color gives me so much more confidence."

Laureen admitted coloring her hair all the time, "I am obsessed with hair colors and have tried a lot of intense colors already–blue, gray, purple, pink, etc. Some people think it's hard to maintain, but it's very easy if you use the right hair care products. I use shampoo, conditioner, and sometimes do leave-on conditioners."

TRESemmé has helped her in color maintenance, especially during the pandemic. The NEW TRESemmé Pro-Color Series comes in 2 variants: Blonde Brilliance and Color Radiance." For bleached, blonde, and ash tones, TRESemmé Blonde Brilliance is perfect because it has an Anti-Brass Purple Formula that will help preserve your blonder hair."

Celebrity hairstylist Lourd Ramos added that TRESemmé Blonde Brilliance specifically addresses removing the brassiness of the hair. "It definitely removes the yellow or orange tones that we hate," Lourd mentioned.

"For darker or bolder colors, TRESemmé Color Radiance has an Anti-Fade Color Complex so that your hair can last for up to 2x longer," Laureen mentioned why she trusts TRESemmé when it comes to hair care for colored hair.

Content creator Camille Co mentioned investing in the right hair products, especially when trying on colored hair. "For example, TRESEmmé Color Radiance has the Anti-Fade Color Complex, which is nice because you can enjoy your hair color much longer while maintaining its health."

Aside from the unique formula of each TRESemmé variant, both Blonde Brilliance and Color Radiance contain jojoba oil which keeps their hair smooth and soft even when you color your hair.

Laureen's advice to those who wish to color their hair but are afraid to take the risk is simple:

"If you never try, you'll never know the outcome! But, based on personal experience, once you've tried it–you'll never want to stop coloring your hair."

Shop the NEW TRESemmé Pro-Color Series, available in Blonde Brilliance and Color Radiance, in all Watsons stores nationwide or online via Shopee, Lazada, or UStore. For more details, follow TRESemme on Facebook.

***

Art Director: Bacs Arcebal, with Bea Malonzo
Production Manager: Cha Cabayao
Content Producer: Chelsey Brazal
Photographer: Aya Cabauatan, assisted by Patricia Cabauatan
Video Producer: Madz Barrido, John Luke Miraflor
Hairstylist: Lourd Ramos
Makeup Artists: Emm Magpantay and Mac Igarta
Stylists: Joy Bernardo, Jolo Bartolo, Stylized by Liz Uy, Cath Sobrevega, and Kristine Landingin
Nails: Her Tribe Nails
Set Design: PRPL STUDIO by Jes Dizon
Studio: Studio Justin Bella Alonte

Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!