By ANA KRISTINE B. VALENZUELA
She may be your next-door television aswang. But no need to be afraid of Daiana Menezes.
She's juts here to do what she likes to do, to pursue her dreams even after several rejections.
“I got declined many times. I got told by several agencies I was not their type,” says Daiana Menezes, relating her start as a model in her home country Brazil. “People didn’t really accept me as a model because I was too short compared to the average model in Brazil. I am only 5’7 and most of the models are 5’10.” But rejection somehow opened windows of opportunities for the Brazilian beauty.
Daiana found another audience. “There was this other agency which does international work and they got me for Thailand,” she says. The agency said her features-- rosy, white skin, and sharp nose--fit well for the Asian market. Thus, she began working as a model in several countries—Hong Kong, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. In 2006, she landed a shampoo commercial here in the Philippines.
“It was in 2007 that I decided I do not want to be modeling anymore. Adjust, get used to the place, and then leave--I got really tired of doing that. So when I got the chance to get a regular job here in the Philippines, I grabbed it. I love the country that’s why I decided to settle here. Eat Bulaga just came along,” she says, referring to the noon time show which made her popular.
She settled in Manila and had an easy time adjusting to the Philippine way of life. “Here in the Philippines, you have a mix of the Latin culture. You arealso kind of Americanized in a way, so it is easy for me to adjust here, ” says Daiana, adding that the Philippines is like Brazil in Asia. “I super feel at home. I could not even say na grabe ang traffic dito. Every country has its problems, ‘di ba?”
Apart from her hosting gig in Eat Bulaga, Daiana also plays as Vic Sotto’s leading lady in the TV5 sitcom Ang Darling Kong Aswang. She has nothing but praises for the comedian. “He is the most professional person I have ever worked with. He really knows when he has to joke, when he has to work,” she says. “Plus he doesn’t mix personal life with work. People don’t know that. People think that once you’re there, you’re going to get involved with him. No, it doesn’t work that way. He is such a professional guy on the set. Trabaho muna tayo.”
As for rumors that she’s the cause of a rift between lovebirds Vic and Pia Guanio, Daiana just look at them on a positive light. “I’m thankful about that issue because it will increase our ratings. Vic and I are just acting in the show but people think we are already having a relationship. So, wow, effective pala yung ginagawa namin sa show. I just take it as a compliment. Maybe people are thinking what we are doing is for real because we have good chemistry,” she says. “Plus, Pia is a good friend of mine. Pia was the one who recommended me to play the role of wife to Vic because she trusts me. We’re still friends.”
Daiana adds, “Vic teaches me a lot -- how to act, how to do the scene, position myself in front of the camera, every little detail -- which I think I wouldn’t learn if I was working with somebody else. He is a teacher.”
Even with all the intrigues, Daiana says that she doesn't miss anything back home, apart from her family.
“My dad, even if he was really well-off, he didn’t give me whatever I wanted. He made me work for it. That’s why when I first got here, I didn’t have a hard time working for what I wanted. Hindi naman mahirap. I’m used to taking a taxi for work. I make ipon. So I was able to buy two cars and my own place. In two and a half years, I have almost everything a 23-year-old person would want to achieve in life. So super blessed talaga ako,” she says.
Those agencies back home must be scratching their heads.
How to be a beautiful vamp
Do you work out?
I don’t go to the gym. I cannot afford to go to the gym because I have work and it wouldn’t be consistent and I’m tamad. I’m honestly really tamad to work out. But I control what I eat when I see that I’m gaining weight.
Beauty secrets?
The only thing I do is to remove my makeup before I sleep. Even if I get home really late and I’m so tired from work, I do that. And I really try to sleep, because if you get a good night’s sleep, you are going to look fresh the next day. But once you lose your sleep, you are going to lose years of your life.
Beauty regimen?
Water lang talaga. I remove my makeup with makeup remover. I use Dermaline soaps when I shower. I use their feminine wash. I’m Caucasian and our skin mature earlier than that of Asians. What I do is I go weekly to Dermaline and have my treatments there--facial masks and laser hair removal,
Beauty product you cannot live without?
I use Dermaline soaps a lot, like gluthathione soap. I would never leave home without mascara. Even if I don’t have any makeup on, you will always see my pilikmata--I make an effort to do so. I don’t even wear fake eyelashes. I really put on maraming mascara.
Who does your hair?
I’d rather do my hair than let a hairstylist do it because I know my hair better. Working as a model for five years has taught me how to fix my hair and do my makeup. I’m very particular with it, let me do it na lang. In Eat Bulaga, each of us do our own makeup. One time, when I was modeling for a fashion show, a hairstylist used an electric curler to curl my hair. But pinaso ako sa shoulders. I wanted to cry. So now, either I really know the hairstylist or I would just do my hairstyling.
Beauty Advice?
Don’t expose yourself to the sun without any sunblock, because you would get pimples, wrinkles, and freckles.
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