Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi is marking a new milestone as an entrepreneur after her cosmetics brand, ASUL, officially opened its first physical retail space at Beauty Bar in Central Square BGC, Makati.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, the beauty queen said seeing her brand in stores is a dream she has envisioned since she first began developing the brand.
“This is just so exciting because I honestly have been dreaming of having my first retail collaboration since I’ve been conceptualizing the brand. For the first one to be in a Beauty Bar, it’s such a big deal,” she said.
Following the positive response to ASUL's online store, Celeste said she is eager to continue expanding the brand's product lineup beyond its current lip products.
“I’m just very excited to see what’s next for ASUL. Thank you for the support of the people that have been using the product and genuinely really really like it. It really means a lot to me,” she added.
The beauty queen shared that every product release undergoes careful planning which she personally oversees.
“We are already working on the next collection. I do like, personally, to take my time because I’m very particular with the formulation and packaging and we always ensure that the products are really well thought out before we give it to the consumers,” she stated.
She added that more product launches are already in the plan: “Definitely there’s going to be more launches, products. I really want to expand to more than lip (products).”
credit: ASUL
As her business continues to grow, Celeste admitted that balancing entrepreneurship with her upcoming role as a first-time mother has not been easy.
The beauty queen is currently expecting her first child with partner Jonathan Sterling. As they prepare to welcome their son, Sergio, the couple have also been busy managing their respective ventures.
“To be honest, it is not easy to handle everything,” Celeste admitted. “All I want to do is to stay in bed and do nothing. Just in bed and lay with my pregnancy pillow and I just don't want to move.”
Celeste credited Jonathan and the ASUL team for helping her navigate both business and pregnancy, allowing her to remain involved in the company's major decisions while taking things at a slower pace.
“It’s really hard to do everything, but to be honest I'm just so lucky to have Jonny but also the ASUL team because they really truly handle a lot, more than what they should,” she said.
“They also are very understanding on the phase that I'm going through. I’m always there to help and to make big decisions and to make the company work but I'm lucky to have a beautiful team because they are very hardworking. They really work every single day and they really go out of their way to make ASUL successful,” she continued.
Beyond building a business, Celeste said working on her brand also became a new source of purpose after representing the Philippines at Miss Universe.
“It gave me a different focus. I started conceptualizing after Miss Universe. It gave me another focus, another purpose. At the beginning, I was spending a lot of time conceptualizing the right products and what we’ll launch and the branding and also building an amazing team, so it gave me purpose,” she said during the media huddle.
She recalled how it was born from her desire to create beauty products that are simple, practical, and comfortable enough for everyday use.
“I think, for me, even when I started ASUL, I was looking for something that can be good for the skin as well. Besides today, I don't usually wear makeup because I don't feel heavy products on my face especially after Miss Universe. So, I just wanted to create something that we can use everyday and just put it in the bag and that is easy to apply and give you a natural look,” she explained.
Celeste added: “I’m very hands on but lately I'm focusing on my pregnancy but luckily I have an amazing team.”