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Conversations Behind the Counter: Ceje from BYS (Glow Guide Diaries #1)

 


In my latest Soft Saturday Diaries, I mentioned that I dropped by the BYS pop-up shop at SM Makati. I had a very interesting time there, talking to one of the, what I would call, Glow Guides — women who don’t just sell makeup, but help you glow from the inside out. Her name is Ceje. 




I regularly see BYS at Watsons in a small gondola. This is the first time I've seen so many BYS products in one place! 

I was immediately drawn to these stick blushes and bronzers

My loyal Glow Ladies know that I have been experimenting with BYS makeup for the past month. I used to be an Estee Lauder Group girl. I used Clinique skincare daily. My makeup consisted of Bobbi Brown, MAC, Estee Lauder, and other high-end brands. However, years of autoimmune medication have wrecked havoc on my body, leaving me with a number of skin issues. At first it was chronic urticaria then painful cystic acne, and now the remnants of papulopustular rosacea.


Clinique skincare wasn't working for me anymore. Bobbi wasn't either. I find myself coughing when I applied one of their products. The formula must have changed and I noticed that they added a strong fragrance now.  My friend told me about BYS and she said that I should try it. Her pitch was it's cruelty-free.  


I went to their website and saw that they are hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, and that they are committed to helping the environment by constantly re-thinking about their packaging and the materials that they use. 


I was sold. 


From high-end luxury to something more down-to-earth but thoughtful, my BYS journey mirrors the soft, luxe life I’m building — intentional, kinder, and tuned in to what truly works for me.


My first ever BYS product is the eyeliner. Well, actually two - eyeliner and concealer.  I have yet to share with you my thoughts on the concealer. 


The eyeliner works so well. Just look at this eye look that I wore for a whole day of shopping.



I took this photo when I got home. I told my friend I didn't want to remove my eye makeup because it still looked so good!

I couldn't remove it with my regular makeup cleansing foam, but I can easily remove it with these makeup remover wipes. 

The next product I got was the Cloudskin Foundation. Now that didn't work out very well. 


The product that did work well was the Queen Bee palette.


I have waxed poetic about this palette several times across several posts already, so I will spare you, my regular Glow Ladies. If you're new here, here's my review of the Queen Bee Palette. 


Our Glow Guide for the day, Ceje


She greeted me with a warm smile as I admired the rows of BYS products behind her. “May I take a photo?” I asked. She said yes, and just like that, a beautiful conversation bloomed.


She suggested some lip products, but I told her that I already have a lot of lip products. I asked for some contouring products. I saw a palette, but only needed a contouring powder or bronzer. And maybe a highlighter. 



I told her that I have very sensitive skin, and pointed to the rashes on my face. I told her that it's allergies, not acne. It's rosacea. She mentioned that she has a client who had severe darkening on her face because of acne and proceeded to tell me her story and what products she recommended to her. This got me interested. She's one of those women who deserve to be called a Glow Guide. She's interested in her clients' stories, and not just to make a sale. She genuinely wanted to give them the best products for their specific concern. 


We talked more and I told her that I'm a blogger and would it be okay to talk more with her and to feature her in my blog. 

Me, Ceje, and Irish. Thank you, Irish, for taking the photo

Ceje (pronounced CJ) said that BYS has a makeup line for sensitive skin called Be Free:


I use the concealer from this line and I can't wait to share with you my experience with it. As for the other products, Unfortunately, I can't use them as I'm sticking to my NARS foundation. Most of these are matte and I can't wear matte because I have very dry skin. 

If you have rosacea, you might want to give this a try. The concealer doesn't make me flare.


Ceje also mentioned that they are getting younger and younger clients. And that most of them, teenagers, are looking for retinol. In my many years of experience in the beauty and skincare industry, all professionals and dermatologists I spoke to said the same thing - retinol is for mature skin. Like women in their 40s and above. 30s, if you're showing signs of aging. Retinol is very potent. Even I have second thoughts about using it. I don't currently have it in my skincare. 

Ceje and her team discourage young ladies from using retinol. 

Lady E's Pro Tips


Start taking care of your skin young with moisturizers that are suited for your skin type. 

Be mindful of what you eat. Garbage in, garbage out. 

Get a good night's sleep. Always. Non-negotiable. 

Hydrate with water. NOT flavored drinks that are loaded with sugar. Just water.  You don’t need to chase perfect skin. Just nurture the skin you’re in.

One Last Tip from Ceje

Kids shouldn't start makeup early. From her own experience, she has a niece who started applying makeup at 10 and had an allergic reaction. So, please, young ladies. You'll have many, many years to experiment and have fun with makeup. Just not right now. Wait until your skin is ready for it. If you force it now, either you'll get an allergic reaction like Ceje's niece, or your face will refuse makeup forever. 

Lady E's Tips for Tweens and Younger Ladies


On my trip to Anko last Saturday, I found some kids' makeup. These are formulated for younger skin. If your child really needs to apply makeup for a school event, I suggest you get this kind of makeup. It's gentler on their young, sensitive skin. 

Remove the makeup after the event. Don't let it linger and never let them sleep with makeup on. 

Some tweens like to experiment with makeup. For them, my suggestion is a lip balm, maybe one of those fun flavored lip balms. And a tinted gloss. That's it. Very young ladies don't need blush or eye shadow, and especially not foundation! I only started using face powders in sophomore high when my skin started to become oily, and to protect my face from all the pollution in my daily commute. And even then, I used the J&J powders formulated for teenage skin. 

I hope you learned a lot in today’s Conversations Behind the Counter.

Whether you’re new to skincare or simply exploring local gems, remember: behind every counter is a guide, a story, and maybe, just maybe, the next product that will help you glow.
Stay tuned for our next conversation — and until then, stay soft, stay radiant. 🌸










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