JESSIE GLOVA THE SHOWGIRL

BEST IN SHOW

DREAMS do come true, as Clint Holton P. Potestas learns from a Cebuano who’s now an icon in the beauty industry.

“Hala, na wala gyud imong kilay, Mommy, (Your eyebrows have disappeared)” a surprised Rogelie Catacutan, 2011 Aliwan Festival Queen, beams. It sounds like she is not very familiar with the miracle of stage make-up, observing Jessie Glova (in sward speak, “Mommy Jessie”) concealing his natural eyebrows with liquid foundation to draw another set – Tina Turner-ish: sharp, thin, emphatic.

“Ah, so you can make a better set of eyebrows,” Rogelie figures out by herself. It is her first of the three-day make-up training session with Jessie, and she is very much awed with how he can transform himself into a theatrical figure instantly – or to be very exact, a drag queen.
Hours before I arrived, he was in his working clothes: dropped and draped crotch harem pants, a cotton t-shirt, Roman sandals, and a scarf wrapped around his neck.
Constricting clothes in the afternoon would only make him uncomfortable, especially now that he has newly launched the Jessie Glova Style Salon that solves your need for change: haircut, nail paint, hair color, hair extensions, all secrets of a celebrity makeover.
Still on the second floor of Pacific Square Condominium in Panagdait, Mabolo where the Jessie Glova Make-Up Studio is also located, the salon is distinctive in all-white vintage Victorian interior.
It is a dream come true, a benchmark among the many lines he has invested in. Under a self-titled label, his own cosmetic brand is distributed in select stores nationwide.
Then he built a career in personal coaching in cosmetology and skin care and introduced Hollywood’s air-brush make-up (say, the Photoshop of beauty methods).
The Top Brand recognition he received at the Technowave Celebrity Forum in Manila last Sept. 15 has fortified his staying power in the industry. The Wedding Digest, a sister publication of Reader’s Digest, awards the country’s premiere brands based on trusted surveys, research, and nomination.
“I don’t know really. It’s just so overwhelming. Well, I felt very honored that my contribution and hard work has been recognized by a prestigious award-giving group,” he recalls the time he knew about the news on-line. “And I’ll take this as a challenge in providing first class quality services and another challenge for me as a make-up artist on how to keep up, and I am seeing it as another level of great responsibility in setting high standard in make-up artistry and salon management.”

“Since time immemorial,” he laughs when asked about how long he has been mastering make-up. Self-taught in the beginning, but he managed to complete a proficiency course in Advance Make-up at Sophys-tique and Make-up For Ever in Singapore.

But before nudging elbows with celebrities (Tessa Valdes, Rajo Laurel, Pops Fernandez no less), he was known as “Jessie the Performer.” He held this title from 1995 to 1998 when he was a mainstay performer in a group called The Gems at Rounds Bar and Bird Cage, now defunct entertainment pubs. His Whitney Houston impersonation in a live rendition of Will Always Love You was a hit, seconded by his version Jennifer Holiday’s And I’m Telling You.

In those years, he was a regular during Ms. Gay pageants in Mandaue. “I joined pageants even if I oftentimes lose but would end up with Best in Talent. Then, I was offered: join, lose again, and take home P300 or just perform and get paid at P500. So there, I decided to take the 500 peso performance,” he laughs even louder.
“You know, it was the age when I didn’t want to listen to my parents,” Jessie, who is now in his 30s, recalls with a sudden change of his tone. “So I made use of my talent to support my education.”

While completing his studies in Business Administration at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, he joined the Dramatics, the institution’s organization that granted scholarships to stage enthusiasts, before moving to another school group, Adelante.
“I was an Adelante member when Val San Diego was searching for male dancers. I
auditioned and thankfully, he accepted me. His wife Luz taught me ballet,” Jessie goes on. “Aside from choreography, I helped in the hair and make-up preparation.”
Unlike before, he has assistants to help him prim his clothes, weave his wigs, and more often, make him laugh. But posted with a probability that he’d go back to square one, he’s quite optimistic – exactly how he rose to fame. “Believe that dreams do come true.”
Does it not sound like a Disney princess’ pragmatism?