Getting Unready with Heart Evangelista: On Overcoming Her Bullies and Embracing Her Insecurities

Her curated Instagram feed shows a picture-perfect life, but behind it is a woman who has always worked hard for her power — and still looks good doing it. We get unready with Heart Evangelista, actress, artist, philanthropist, and international fashion influencer, who tells us about the origins of her signature look, the importance of self-love, and what makes her happy.

Heart Evangelista seems to be living one glamorous day after the next, but each one begins with the simplest routine.

“I say a prayer because being grateful for what you already have actually made you happier,” Heart says.

With this attitude of gratitude, she navigates her day, which starts in the kitchen, chatting with her husband, Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero. Because of the nature of their work, they each lead busy lives. Heart shares that because they’re such a rare occurrence, she treasures these moments even more. 

“It’s just really simple, but also very meaningful,” she adds.

“When I was young, I was very much of an artist like I am today, but I was a bit extreme, so I didn’t like to brush my hair. I was six or seven years old, and my dad was so upset that I didn’t. I remember my sister getting a nice haircut, so I thought, ‘Okay, I don’t mind getting a trim.’ What I didn’t know was that they’d chop my hair boy-cut. And I love long hair.”

“I think that’s why I just kept my hair long and black. That has always been my look since the day I began working,” Heart shares.

The actress cares for her long, lustrous locks by observing a daily hair care routine that incorporates precious me-time. For Heart, showering is not just cleansing — it’s therapy. “Just taking a shower for me is therapeutic, so I make it a point to take my time putting the treatments I need on my body and shampooing and conditioning my hair. Because of my work, I do my hair every day. It’s important for me to bring back the healthy stuff that is destroyed by heat and replenish that with conditioner.”

She adds, “After shampooing, I like to apply a nice leave-on conditioner, and that’s when I soak and scrub. After I do everything, that’s when I rinse my hair.”

To get healthy, beautiful hair, add Cream Silk Triple Keratin Ultimate Repair & Shine Serum Conditioner to your hair care routine. It softens and nourishes hair with essential oils that penetrate hair to the core.

Feeling out of place is something Heart is very familiar with. “I grew up with a lot of insecurities, especially because I was always the weird one. I was always bullied in school,” she shares, adding that this continued when she joined showbiz. In her line of work, there's constant pressure from beauty standards and gender norms — on top of the usual demands.

“Everybody’s very critical about how you look, how tall you are, are your eyes big enough and great for drama. I remember somebody telling me that I was too chinita and I wouldn’t be able to work on drama scenes because my eyes weren’t big. I felt so bad about that.”

“Then I realized I was the only chinita during my time. I remember my dad told me, ‘You are unique. You are exactly the way you are for a reason.’ As the years went by, that’s when I started to embrace my uniqueness and my individuality.”

For Heart, being yourself and being confident is the most powerful weapon a woman can have.

If she could have any superpower to boost self-confidence, Heart would like to make more people love themselves. She says, “If you love yourself, I think it would make such a big difference with how you deal with your problems in life. It actually dictates how people treat you. I think it would be a cool power to plant love in each person’s heart so that they can love themselves a little bit more.”

She encourages women to find someone to look up to and to inspire them to be confident in themselves. “You can be beside a major supermodel, and you will still shine.”

Heart strongly advocates “being your own kind of beautiful.” She shares, “I think perfection is personal. Of course, nobody’s perfect. What makes you pretty doesn’t necessarily have to be defined in an exact context. The more outspoken, the more one celebrates their individuality, and the more original you are — that’s what makes you beautiful. Stop making yourself look like somebody else. Embrace your flaws, insecurities, and majorly highlight the parts you feel will make you feel good. It’s also about helping each other and being inspired by one another. It’s just empowering.”

It’s no secret that Heart has a generous spirit. Right now, she is focused on sharing compassion and positivity through her different passions—from adopting rescue dogs to advocating for mental health.

“One thing that I like to talk about is how important it is to nurture your soul. I like talking about it on my YouTube channel because many people suffer from depression and anxiety. I suffer from both. It’s important to talk about mental health.”

Apart from this, she is also passionate about fashion. “Fashion may seem pompous or snooty or shallow for some people, but fashion is so powerful because, in a way, it unites people from all over the world. It inspires a person to feel differently instantly. It helps. It’s a building block for your confidence, and it’s self-expression.”

While we’re used to seeing Heart all dressed up, she’s not shy about showing us her more unfiltered side — hair undone and all.

“Today, when I remove my styled hair, I will still feel good about it,” Heart confidently shares. “Hair is our crowning glory, and I feel that my hair has taken me somewhere.”

While most people are used to seeing Heart looking her best, she believes it’s important to show people her different sides on her social media channels. “I love curating my Instagram. I love it looking like a magazine. But I do post pictures of me without makeup on, and I would love to do that more often. I am very active in my daily life in my stories. I think it’s important that people see you.”

“I also do a lot of those things on my YouTube channel. I show my face without makeup and with breakouts. I think it’s important because when I am having a bad day, I look at all these Hollywood actors and think, ‘Oh, she’s the same!’ So, we all must relate to each other and help each other.”

With many women looking up to Heart Evangelista, whether it’s for her sense of style, artistry, or beauty, it’s refreshing to know how much she wants to impart love and inspiration to others. Are you inspired by Heart’s rules to happiness and confidence? What makes you confident?