Miss Earth United States, Corrin Stellakis

UNITED STATES – Corrin Stellakis
Age: 19
Height: 174 cm
Measurements: 81 cm – 60 cm – 86 cm
Hometown: Bridgeport
Profession: Communication and Social Interaction Student

My Hair Recommendation: maybe I’m just biased but I would like to see her with her hair down. No curls for a change! I think she can pull this look off, she just needs to shake up her style a bit as having her hair up is or in curls something that is always expected from her.
My Makeup Recommendation: contouring on the nose area would do her wonders. She sometimes have unflattering angles and she should learn those that work best for her so that her makeup would enhance what is already there.
My Assessment: With the current performance of the US in the competition, I see another possible elemental finish for Corrin. She interviews well and she knows her eco-stuff and that counts a lot later during the closed-door interviews. She has all the qualities of a possible winner and I am glad that she is getting much time on the spotlight.

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The Strongest Asians in Miss International 2016

Asia has a number of strong girls in this year’s Miss International competition and it would not be surprising to find a number of Asians dominating the semifinals’ list.
Here are several most likely names that will appear as winner on the finals night…

Indonesia, Felice Hwang – her sweet disposition is a far contrast to her fierce photoshoots. I believe Indonesia has a strong contender in Felice and I would not be surprised to see her in the top 5. It does not hurt that she seems to be a favorite of the Japanese sponsors of the pageant.
Malaysia, Olivia Nicholas – her being a lawyer has worked well for her especially during the Women’s Forum where she gave a strong speech on women’s issues discussion & debate. I see a possible semi-finalist placement for her and she should work her way up to make top 5. If my recollection is correct, she might be the first Malaysian woman to make top 5 since the 1990’s if she continues to show a strong performance.
Philippines, Kylie Verzosa – she is easily Asia’s top crown contender based on the MI prototype: doll-like features and sweet disposition. While she may be flying under the radar lately, we cannot discount the fact that she came in prepared and it would be a shock not to see her make top 5, major crown contender for her…
Vietnam, Pham Ngoc Phuong Linh – surprisingly a possible top 10 placer. She has a good command of English which is an asset during the Women’s Forum & Debate. Among the current Vietnamese ladies competing in the competition, she seems to be the one most favored by foreign fans to have the strongest chance in breaking into the top 5.

Other girl that I am keeping my eyes on are Junna Yamagata, Kelly Yeuk Lam Chan of Hong Kong and Stephanie Karam of Lebanon. Junna. despite being from the host country. would be a great addition to the semis. Kelly could be a spoiler with her classic Chinese good looks while we cannot discount the fire of Mexican-Lebanese Stephanie. Hopefully this year, a top 12 would be selected instead of the usual top 10.

Klaudia & Grace: ME2016 Darkhorses from “Non-Sash Factor” Countries

I am officially in love with these two lovely ladies of Miss Earth 2016! Grace has the rare quality of you wanting her to win despite being an underdog in the competition. Klaudia on the other hand can win you over with her sincerity and warmth. 

The Miss Earth pageant has traditionally been crowning “non-sash factor” countries in its colorful 15 year history. So I am quite pleased to see that these two ladies doing well so far in the competition. Each of these two represent two distinct types of beauty, an ebony goddess and a blonde stunner. Both of which I haven’t seen winning in ME for quite sometime now. Let’s forget the sash they are wearing and how ‘strong sash factor’ bears an effect on fans, if we assess these two on merits alone, they could easily be the next winners of the pageant. And why not, so far as we have seen on their performance, they truly deserve to win.

Forget the medal tally, forget the fan-hype… at the end of the day it is the beauty of heart and the willingness to do the dirty job that wins the title of Miss Earth. Will these two be the top girls in the competition? Well I would gladly hope to see them among the four ladies to be crowned on October 29th…

Miss Earth Candidates Wears the Traditional Mascota

The Philippines has a rich cultural ties with Spain and several Miss Earth candidates gotten a taste of that. Thru the galleon trade the Philippines, via Mexico, shared trade with Spain and Europe. Hence several similarities in culture, language and dress; this is something that the Philippines share with the Hispanic world.


Several ladies (Mexico, Macau, Suriname, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan to name a few) traveled to Zamboanga to sample eco-tourist spots that the region has to offer. Aside from tree planting activities, they were treated to local food and culture. Wearing the Mascota de Zamboanga (which is the highlight of the La Hermosa festivities) they had some photoshoot in those lavish traditional costumes. Zamboanga is one of the remaining places where the mix-Spanish language, Chavacano is spoken. 

Mascota is a formal gown worn by ladies during the Spanish colonial period. The dress is characterized by its fit bodice and an ornately embroidered panuelo draped around the shoulders.
There are six essential parts of the mascota: corpiño (chemise), candongga (panuelo), renggue (upper body), sobre falda (tapis), cola (the lower body) and enaguas (inner lining).


SOURCE:
http://mindanaotimes.net/wanderlust-fusion-of-past-and-present-in-mascota-de-zamboanga/

My Miss Grand International 2016 Favorites

It’s almost time again for the new grand winner to be named, and here are the names I believe to be frontrunners for the title.

Madison Anderson Berrios – if the pageant is to crown a strategic winner, that would be Puerto Rico. Madison is the perfect girl who comes from the Latina market (which the pageant seems to favor) and at the same time have roots in the US which could be beneficial to MGI long-term. But she is not without merits, far from it. Madison has a drop dead gorgeous face, a body to die for, ramp skills that would put even veterans to shame and has good command of English. In addition to the fact that the pageant might want to crown its first blonde winner.
Debora Paola Medina – she is the girl everyone is expecting to win…and why not she is after all Miss Venezuela. Tall, leggy and seemingly perfect… Deborah might just be the ticket that would bring the MGI brand to the La Quinta Venezuela house, cementing its status as an international brand of renown. This Miss Venezuela 2014 semifinalist definitely can make a huge shake up in the competition.
Ariska Putri Pertiwi – she is the strongest international contender from the Puteri Indonesia batch of winners this year and would have been better sent to bigger pageants. Ariska has the appeal and charm to win the first title for Asia. The only downside is the fact that the pageant seems to prefer Latina viewers who could bring in a huge market for the pageant. Indonesia might not have that pull yet but I am hoping that Ariska would be able to break thru that and come out victorious.

Other possible spoilers are:
Pankhuri Gidwani – smart, well-read and very articulate, she might revenge the incredibly low placement of Vartika last year. IMHO, she is the most facially strong among the winners from India this year. I won’t be surprised to see her as a possible winner.
Supaporn Malisorn – she may be the ray of sunshine that could brighten Thailand’s mood should she win the title. Is it possible for her to win? Definitely! And I would rather see her crowned outside of Thailand to avoid having questions on her win if she is crowned on her native country.

PhotoCollage of the Day: Aleksa Gavrilovic by Sofyan Hendik

I know there is a scarcity of testosterone on my blog these past couple of weeks and we owe it to the numerous female pageants going on simultaneously. So to quench your thirst for a hunk to heat up your #ManicMonday, here are several photos of Mister Universal Ambassador 2016 Aleksa Gavrilovic taken by my photographer friend, Sofyan Hendik… Enjoy!

Aleksa is currently back in Europe for several prior commitment but will be back to Indonesia come January/February of 2017 to assume his duties and responsibilities as winner…

Miss Earth Venezuela, Stephanie De Zorzi

VENEZUELA – Stephanie De Zorzi
Age: 23
Height: 175 cm
Measurements: 84 cm – 64 cm – 92 cm
Hometown: Aragua
Profession: Model

My Hair Recommendation: I really prefer her with brown hair, the red hair she currently sports is too bright. I would love to see her in curls that she sported when she won Miss Tierra Venezuela in 2013, those Veronica Lake curls really look amazing on her.
My Makeup Recommendation: I would like to see her in a more natural makeup, her brows are at times too thick and although she can pull red lips very well, I hope she tries to sport a more natural lip color in glossy browns, nudes and peach with strong focus on her eyes. I think her eyes are her biggest assets.
My Assessment: I have her in my list as a possible Miss Earth or at least an elemental crown. I am absolutely sure that she will place high in the competition.

Here is a bonus video of her doing her pasarela….

 

Arna Yr: The Grand Controversy Continues

The controversy just won’t end. After posting a ‘clarification video’ on her Instagram, Miss Grand Iceland Arna Yr has suddenly withdrawn from the pageant, leaving a revealing post on her Facebook account… 

Ég ætla að standa uppi fyrir sjálfri mér, öllum konum og íslensku þjóðinni.
Ég ætla ekki að láta segja mér að ég hafi of mikla fitu utaná mér til þess að vera flott uppi á sviði.
Ég er hætt. Ég ætla ekki upp á svið í fegurðarsamkeppninni Miss Grand International.
Yndislegt fólk hafði samband við mig sem ætlar að koma mér heim á morgun, ég er farin af hótelinu og verð annarsstaðar í nótt.
Ég skildi eftir bréf til eigandans og útskýrði hversu fáránleg skilaboð þetta eru.
“If you are going to held an international beauty pageant you at least have to be able to see the international beauty” sagði ég við eiganda keppninnar.
Þetta var ekki misskilningur heldur var mér sagt að segja það og ég sé hrikalega eftir því.
Takk kærlega fyrir stuðninginn! Ég fer heim sem sigurvegari og stoltasti íslendingur í heimi.
P.s. Hælarnir lagðir á hilluna! 😂🇮🇸

I’m going to stand up for myself, all the women and the Icelandic nation. I’m not going to let me say that I have too much fat externally me to be cool on stage.
I stopped. I’m not a range of beauty contest Miss Grand International. Lovely people contacted me who is going to bring me home in the morning, I left the hotel and the price the rest of the night.
I left a letter to the owner and explained how ridiculous this is a message.
“If you are going to do an international beauty pageant you at least have to be able to see the international beauty” I said to the owner of the competition.
This was not a misunderstanding but I was told to say that I’m terribly sorry.
Thanks so much for your support! I go home as a winner and proud Icelander most in the world.
P.S. Pins placed on the shelf! 
– Miss Iceland, Arna Yr.

The controversy first started when she was allegedly called fat by the MGI owner and went to social media to decry the statement. Hours after, she posted a video explaining the issue and now she has left the pageant 2 days before the finals. Allegations that she was asked to lie on the video has now surfaced and in Arna’s message, she clearly illustrates that she was told to apologize on the video.

Arna Yr, Miss Grand Iceland: Told to be “Too Fat”

Controversy!
This news article is posted on a news portal in Iceland. And to be fair and accurate, we are posting this verbatim thru translation by Google.

Arna Yri ordered to diet for the final evening beauty contest in Las Vegas!
Beauty queen Arna Yr Jonsdottir claims to have received a message from the owner of a beauty contest that she is currently involved in Las Vegas, that she was too fat and needed to lose weight for the final night.
Arna Yr reports on this communication via Snapchat but she is preparing for the contest Miss Grand International 2016 taking place in Las Vegas this weekend and into Tuesday when the final evening takes place.
She claims to have been told to eat breakfast, have a salad for lunch and drink water at dinner. She says she received this request as “the contest owner liked by her and wants her to get that far.”
If the pageant owner really truly wants me to lose this so called weight then he doesn‘t deserve to have me in the top ten, top five or something,” said Arna Yr.
Arna Yr, chosen Miss Iceland in 2015, says she does not take this into herself personally, but it’s a bit difficult to put all your time and effort into this and then receive a message like that from the pageant holder.
She asks why she was taken into the pageant if she were considered to be obese. She would had never entered to the game if she knew this to be so.
“I have no desire to do my best in the field in which they have not understood me,” said Arna Yr. “All I can do is take my makeup finish touch up, put it back on, put a smile on my face, go down strong, show that I’m cool as I am,” said Arna Yr.
“This is confirmed to be the last competition I will participate in. I will not put myself up on this again,” said Arna Yr.

The Icelandic beauty took to Snapchat and was seen in tears.
We will be awaiting an official statement from the MGI management on this issue

SOURCE:
http://www.visir.is/ornu-yri-skipad-ad-grenna-sig-fyrir-lokakvold-fegurdarsamkeppni-i-las-vegas/article/2016161029652 

UPDATE!
The issue has been cleared out and Arna says it was a miscommunication due to limited English of the MGI staff. 
The news article from visir.com also have been removed since…

Below is an Instagram video she uploaded earlier…