MANILA, Philippines — Desiree Tordecilla’s next goal is to get the Filipino woman in red. Red lipstick, that is.

She may have said it in half-jest, but this Philippine-born executive of the cult American makeup brand Stila says there’s a way for Filipinas stuck in makeup rut to update their look, and possibly even adopt one of the season’s biggest trends: Red, lacquered lips.

“Your mind is trained to see yourself in a certain way,” she explained on her first visit to the country since her family migrated to the US in 1972 when she was only two.

Now Stila’s vice president for global sales, artistry and international marketing, Tordecilla was here to introduce the brand, long-awaited by makeup lovers, at Rustan’s, the exclusive local distributor.

“It’s like when you get a new haircut. At first you get shocked,” she said of wearing red lipstick for the first time.

“You say, ‘It’s not me,’ or ‘It’s too bright.’ But we say, ‘Go and continue shopping,’ because it takes about an hour to adjust and condition your mind to look at yourself in a new way. Look at yourself in the mirror while you shop. It either grows on you or not. But nine out of 10 [women end up liking what they see]. It’s a matter of training your mind to see yourself in a different way.”

A dusky beauty with long, wavy black hair, she herself wore a red-orange lipstick called Carver—an apparent pick-me-up after the airline she flew in lost her suitcase.

Makeup lessons

Tordecilla, however, added Stila’s philosophy is that makeup should be as individual as one’s signature (the brand name comes from the Italian word “stilare,” meaning “to pen,” like a signature).

So nothing wrong with wearing the same look day in, day out, as long as you look like yourself, “only prettier.” “We say, beauty is always in,” she said. “It’s just like having different eye shapes—it’s about how you apply [your eye makeup] and how much you apply.”

The Stila approach consists of “makeup lessons” by trained makeup artists and sales personnel. Tordecilla refused to call it a makeover. It’s a step-by-step method to get a customer not only to learn how to use her makeup but also to feel comfortable in it, and one that, she said, is only possible in a high-end setup like Rustan’s.

One of the US’ Top 5 makeup brands, according to Tordecilla (the others being MAC, NARS, Smashbox and Benefit), Stila was founded in 1994 by Hollywood makeup artist Jeanine Lobell, the same year she married “E.R.” actor Anthony Edwards.

It was an instant hit. Its bright, playful palette, girly illustrations and unique recycled-paper packaging—Stila was eco-chic long before it was chic to be so—were lapped up by women. Its bestsellers from the beginning, like the Lip Glaze which comes in a click pen (Stila was the first to use this, claimed Tordecilla), have remained even after Lobell left the company.

Challenging past

“Celebrity makeup artists and beauty editors endorse us without us paying them,” Tordecilla said. “They just love us. It’s a cult thing.”

Celebrity fans include Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie, who uses the Illuminating Liquid Foundation and the Smudge Pot gel eye makeup in black, “the only thing she uses in her concerts.” Others include Cameron Diaz, Katherine Heigl, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kristin Davis and Kate Hudson.

Kitten, a neutral eye makeup shade, is constantly picked No. 1 by US beauty rags every year.

Stila, however, had a challenging past, going from a cult indie brand through several ownerships, including what Tordecilla described as the “dark, [Estee] Lauder days,” when it was owned by the cosmetics conglomerate, acquiring the company from Lobell in 1999. Developing new products had to go through so much red tape—by the time it got approved, some other brand had already beaten them to it “or the trend was over.”

“So the first thing we did after Lauder sold us was how to do the smoky eye,” Tordecilla recalled. They created The Talking Palette, a four-pan eye shadow palette with a voice-recorded step-by-step instruction on how to do smoky eye makeup.

It has since done various palettes, including one that teaches the user how to get the right shade of red for the lips. The company also claimed to be the first to use minerals, in its powder foundation, in 1996, though without fanfare.

Last April, Stila regained its independence when it was bought by a private equity firm. This jumpstarted the ongoing global reach of the brand.

Herself a 19-year veteran of the cosmetics industry, seven years of them at MAC and the last 10 at Stila, Tordecilla clarified the latter’s market isn’t in fact as young as what people think. Perhaps, she said, it had to do with the youngish girly illustrations that have become the brand’s signature.

Truth is, the average Stila woman is 35, who works, and loves trends and fashion.

“It’s for everybody,” she stressed. “Since Jeanine was a working mom, she wanted it to be unintimidating and user-friendly. Many products are multitasking.”

Its makeup primer and complementary finishing powder have time-release hyaluronic acid that supplies moisture to the skin when needed, and willow bark, which controls oil production.

For the Asian market, Stila has developed waterproof makeup suited for the humid weather, including eyeliners that don’t smudge or transfer in the heat.