To many, Jennylyn Mercado is the truest survivor and star to come from the original reality-based show StarStruck, produced by her home network, GMA 7.

For the majority who witnessed her quest to “dream, believe and survive,” she is indeed the last woman standing from the original StarStruck quartet, which included Mark Herras, Rainier Castillo and Yasmien Kurdi.

With her singing voice and charm, she dreamed of becoming a star. She believed that with hard work, determination and by improving her innate talents and adding more skills through workshops and projects, she could blossom into one of the best actresses of her batch and generation. And yes, she is the truest survivor in every sense of the word, having faced personal and career battles, heartbreaks and hardships. Through it all, she emerged triumphant — scarred but always beautiful, inside and out. That is why it is no surprise that she is the Kapuso Network’s Ultimate Star!

Her most impressive body of work includes films such as Rosario and Blue Moon, for which she received an URIAN Best Supporting Actress nomination, and Best Actress trophies for English Only, Please and Walang TV. On television, Mercado was the original Lira in Encantadia and brought a new level of authenticity to her roles in Rhodora X, My Faithful Husband and Descendants of the Sun.

Mercado is now Mrs. Jennylyn Anne Ho, happily married with kids to Abelardo Dennis Florencio Trillo Ho (the full name of Kapuso drama king Dennis Trillo) and continues to shine like the Ultimate Star that she is.

Allure and beauty

Just recently, Mercado was warmly welcomed by Beautéderm Corporation as its newest addition to its growing family of crème de la crème endorsers.

Of course, the gorgeous president and chief executive officer, Rhea “Rei” Anicoche-Tan, was the “punong abala,” as we say in the vernacular, for the event honoring Mercado, which took place in the ballroom of the new Solaire North in Quezon City.

The ballroom was tastefully decorated with imported flowers. The members of the entertainment media and other guests arrived in outfits in various hues of white and were pleasantly surprised by the ballroom’s elegance and sophistication. Adding more oomph to the launch was a sumptuous luncheon, complete with a live acoustic duo providing easy listening tunes.

Best entrance ever

On cue, Tan arrived in the ballroom in a knockout emerald green cocktail dress, blooming and shining like the star she truly is. She made time to say her sincerest hellos and took a group photo with everyone present at the event. That special gesture by Tan made her guests feel comfortable, as though they were not strangers but friends important to her.

She also accompanied Mercado’s entrance. Looking at them together, with the actress dolled up in a shimmering golden dress, they walked like siblings on the red carpet. The dynamic duo surprised everyone with a duet of a classic Carpenters’ song.

Beauty in three bottles

Mercado is the face and ambassador of the Cristaux Serums, which come in three variants. The first is the Retinol serum, which helps fade dark and age spots, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improves overall skin texture, stimulates collagen production and maintains hydration. The second is the Cristaux Vitamin C serum, which lightens dark spots, decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and moisturizes the skin. The third is the Cristaux Hydra-Beauty serum, which helps keep skin hydrated and has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Mercado vouched for the efficacy of the serums. She said, “Ate Rei sent me the products a while back because I can’t just endorse a product without trying it. I included the serums in my skincare routine right away, and I was really happy with the effect.”

She added, ‘I have very sensitive skin — I have rosacea and psoriasis, which I’ve been managing with medicine and creams, but in fairness, I had no reactions with the serums.”

The lovely and glowing Mercado shared some of her Beautéderm rituals: “I use the Vitamin C Serum in the morning and the niacinamide at night. For the Retinol, I use it as needed for dark spots since I’m always under the sun because I love motorsports.”

Truly worth admiring is the fact that both Mercado and Tan never hide their ages – Mercado is 37, and the Beautéderm president is 43. In person, thanks to the products and, of course, a lifestyle that incorporates balanced meals, exercise and a commitment to wellness, happiness, positivity, gratefulness and kindness, the glow and beauty of these two, as well as the rest of the Beautéderm believers and supporters, are testaments to being beautiful inside and out.

Tan said: “It is important to me that my brand ambassadors honestly use the products and swear by them. Matatalino at maiingat na ang market ngayon, especially when it comes to skin care.  . To them, quality and efficacy are a must just as having endorsers who truly love the products they represent.”

She added: “I’ve been waiting for Jennylyn to join us for such a long time now. There was a time she was too busy with work and then when we tried again, she got pregnant so we had to postpone her launch all over again.

“But overall, I would say it’s because I’ve seen that she’s not just beautiful inside but also a truly kind-hearted and beautiful person within.  She’s a big celebrity, but she will eat in the pantry with the staff and will always be concerned about them. She treats everyone here like family and that’s what I really look for in the end.”

The reason she continues to sign up celebrity endorsers, Tan explained in conclusion, is: “I have almost 100 celebrities endorsing my products, so people always ask me why I keep signing more and more. Modesty aside, I am in a good place with the business already. I have more than I could ever need. But if I can help more actors and more people find work and thrive alongside Beautéderm, so long as they’re like Jennylyn, I’ll keep doing what I can and provide people with beauty products they can use and trust.”