You’ve heard of her, you’ve seen her in the headlines, and you’ll get to know her more. In the run-up to this year’s Miss Universe race, Maria Mika Maxine Medina does feel the pressure. Following reigning Miss Universe Pia Alonzo-Wurtzbach is tough, but when queens face challenges they somehow do it with a light smile. “[Pia] told me that she’ll always be there to guide me and cheer me on. She told me to just be strong and to be myself,” shares Maxine. “I really want to do this and I am ready for the next six months.”
The six months Maxine is pertaining to is the intensive training she’ll undergo to get her ready for the big one: the Miss Universe Pageant 2016. Before she does transform into a queen poised for the crown, we stripped her back a little bit. Preen gets to know the 25-year-old interior design graduate and what she’s gained from her experience so far.
#1 Her first reaction to joining Bb. Pilipinas was a resounding “Nooo!”
“Ayaw ko talaga. I was asked to join four years ago and I didn’t want to do it. I just felt it wasn’t for me. It just so happened that in the past few months, I didn’t have commercial commitments anymore and the opportunity to join was still there.”
#2 Her favorite designer is Rhett Eala
“I have walked for so many designers as a model in the past few years. But my favorite is Rhett so that’s why I asked him to make my gowns for the competition.”
#3 She wants to be a host
“It’s been my long-time dream and it’s what I see myself doing after the competition.”
#4 She’s not into makeup very much
“Before the pageant, I really didn’t know how to do makeup. All I had with me all the time is a lip balm.”
#5 She didn’t like her name Maxine growing up
“I felt it sounded too manly. I preferred being called Mika. But then, people would be confused on how to pronounce it, so I went [with] Maxine eventually.”
#6 Her favorite movie is A Walk to Remember
“It reminds me so much of being young and how we thought love was.”
#7 Maroon is her favorite shade of lipstick
“I used to like just a simple pink shade. But now that I have to wear a lot of makeup, I go for darker colors.”
#8 She’s scared of the criticism
“It’s one of the major reasons why I didn’t want to join when they we’re telling me to do it. But now that I am here, I have to own up to it. I understand [that] whatever happens, may masasabi pa rin sila. It’s part of what Pia told me.”
#9 She used to wake up at 1 p.m.
“My schedule used to be lax. I would wake up at 11 a.m. or 12 noon, even 1! Now, I wake up every day at 6 a.m. because of the shoots, interviews, and other stuff.”
#10 She’s ready for anything
“I am prepared for the next six months that will help me be ready for December. But whatever happens then, I already have a plan come January 2017. I just don’t want to reveal it just yet.”
Photos by Paolo Tabuena
Styling Jacque De Borja
Makeup by Don De Jesus for MAC Cosmetics
Hair by Jay Aquino