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        <p><span>Ivana Alawi isn&rsquo;t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve and that&rsquo;s what makes her the Stream Queen that she is.</span></p>
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        <p style="text-align: center;"><span><strong>PHOTOGRAPHY</strong> BJ Pascual<br /><strong>STYLING&nbsp;</strong>Yanna Lopez</span></p>
        <p><span>&ldquo;This is me,&rdquo; Ivana Alawi quips after posing cheekily for her first layout featuring a statement ring from LVNA by Drake Dustin. She&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">was not pertaining to the jewelry but to her hair and pared-down makeup. She&rsquo;s the type to exude a natural glow even when garbed in flamboyant, 80s-inspired fashion and jewelry. What&rsquo;s noticeable with the 26-year-old is her subtlety &ndash; which is a far cry from the off-kilter and loud persona she personifies in her vlogs.</span></p>
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        <p><span>Later on, she admits that posing for fashion editorials is out of her comfort zone. Regardless, she allowed the creativity of the team to flow through her. &ldquo;Everyone is so easy to work with. </span><em>Ang gaan lang ng atmosphere</em><span>,&rdquo; she adds. She just returned from a much-needed vacation in Japan so her quietness could be a part of her vacation afterglow. Who can blame her? As the most followed and most watched YouTuber in the Philippines with over 16 million subscribers, being off-cam can be a huge relief when content fatigue kicks in.</span></p>
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Heart-cut diamond stacked rings, LVNA

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        <p><span>Born Mariam Sayed Sameer Marbella Al-Alawi, or simply Ivana Alawi, as she&rsquo;s more popularly known to the masses, started like any other aspiring actress on the scene: an extra. &ldquo;I really liked acting. Bonding time namin ng mom ko dati manood ng mga teleserye like </span><em>Pangako Sa &rsquo;Yo</em><span>. Before, I used to watch Marian Rivera and Kristine Hermosa [a lot],&rdquo; she cites. She debuted as a background character with no lines when she joined GMA Network back in 2015. Slowly, she worked her way up to have at least a smidge of dialogue that provided longer screen time. Her stint at her previous network notably included a top 22 placement for the cult favorite reality </span><span><em>artista</em> </span><span>search </span><em>Starstruck</em><span>.</span></p>
        <p><span>She&rsquo;s currently signed with ABS-CBN and just finished a primetime series with some of the country&rsquo;s most popular leading men like Sam Milby and Jake Ejercito. Consequently, her holiday season was filled with promotions for her movie with Vice Ganda called </span><em>Partners in Crime</em><span>. &ldquo;Dati pinapanood ko lang siya sa sinehan and now magkasama na kami sa movie.&rdquo; She reminisces with a smile and is thankful for the opportunity to be handpicked by Vice as a co-star in a Cathy Garcia-Molina comedy no less. The tandem was an instant hit, and the flick was reportedly the highest-grossing film, earning roughly 31 million pesos on the opening day of the Metro Manila Film Festival.</span></p>
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                <p><span>So, with all the fame and buzz surrounding Ivana, it&rsquo;s hard to believe that her big break didn&rsquo;t come from mainstream media &ndash;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">that TV and films had nothing to do with it. But maybe it had </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;"><em>everything</em> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">to do with it since her lull time between work and the big network switch gave her a chance to start a YouTube Channel. &ldquo;It really started &lsquo;cause I was traveling, and I felt like it was a good way for me to interact with my followers. It was the time my dad passed [away] and I was fixing stuff in Bahrain. I missed showbiz [work] so my sibling said why don&rsquo;t I try YouTube?&rdquo;</span></p>
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Colombian emerald diamond-paved cathedral rings; Colombian emerald and diamond drop earrings; Colombian emerald oval-cut diamond choker necklace; all LVNA

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        <p><span>Her cadence changes when we start talking about her vlogging venture. She begins to discuss her content passionately. She even admits to formulating what kind of videos to post while silently in the makeup chair. &ldquo;But back then, I wondered what I would do [on my channel]. Because I don&rsquo;t sing. I don&rsquo;t dance. &ldquo; she says humbly with a hint of self-deprecating humor. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to show on YouTube then I was advised by my sibling to just be myself and talk. &lsquo;Show them what you do every day.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s how everything really began.&rdquo;</span></p>
        <p><span>Ivana adamantly likes being very hands-on with her content. From concept to shooting to editing, the actress does it all by herself and would like to keep it that way. &ldquo;Vlogs allow me to be myself. When I start filming [for TV or movies], I slip into a character. Usually, I don&rsquo;t get to vlog when I&rsquo;m doing a series or a movie because I can&rsquo;t just get in and out of character.&rdquo;</span></p>
        <p><span>She adds, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very hands-on. I put a lot of time and effort into my vlogs. I don&rsquo;t have a team. It&rsquo;s usually just me. I enjoy being in control of my time. I just really enjoy vlogging,&rdquo; she explains.</span></p>
        <p><span>This may come as a shock to some who find it hard to believe that celebrities would put that much time and effort into editing a vlog rather than hiring a team to do it. After all, most stars would opt to have a crew to do the grind behind the camera. But for Ivana, her channel is her personal space and very much</span></p>
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        <p><span>an extension of herself. She&rsquo;s never been insincere in her videos, and her frankness, gameness, and ability to be 100% true to herself with no filters keep her fanbase glued to her content and what she has in store for the future.</span></p>
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Solid gold spoon with briolette-cut diamond on chain, LVNA. Hat, Mich Dulce. Dress, Ushi Sato

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        <p><span>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re starting out, you have many ideas. </span><em>Ang dami mo pang hindi nagagawa</em><span>. But now, it&rsquo;s harder to think of content,&rdquo; she tells me. With all the pranks and challenges she&rsquo;s accomplished &ndash; including trying to stay in a swimming pool for 24 hours and going incognito as a homeless person for a day &ndash; it&rsquo;s practically impossible to think about the next talk-worthy gimmick. However, Ivana isn&rsquo;t the type to run out of ideas. At the heart of it all, she has her family to brainstorm with. &ldquo;Ever since I was a kid, I would do all sorts of things to annoy my family! I was a little prankster!&rdquo;</span></p>
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Diamond and Burmese ruby heart brooch pendant; diamond and white gold tennis necklace; both LVNA

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        <p><span>Speaking of family, any avid subscriber of her YouTube channel would easily notice how her mother and siblings are very much involved with her content. Since her father passed, Ivana has been more open about her life in her vlogs with her sister Mona, a child actress in her own right and has quite the following on YouTube as well with almost 2.2 million followers; her mom Fatima aka Mama Alawi; her older sister and Ivana Skin CMO Amira; and brother Hash who&rsquo;s also a social media influencer and YouTuber himself with 2.3 million subscribers. I haven&rsquo;t even talked about their Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Kumu numbers. But it&rsquo;s safe to say that each member of the Alawi clan has social media clout. Think of them as the local Kardashians sans the inter-sibling rivalry and all the added drama.</span></p>
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        <p><span>This tight-knit dynamic keeps her grounded, too. &ldquo;They always remind me of who I am and where I came from.&rdquo; Incidentally, they&rsquo;re also the main driving force even behind her business venture Ivana Skin, which celebrated its first-year anniversary this February 11. &ldquo;Mona and I would DIY our skincare when we were younger! It was our way to bond as sisters, and we&rsquo;re really close.&rdquo; And just like any digital creator, she launched her full line of soaps, body milk, and skin-rejuvenating kit through a vlog aptly titled </span><em>MY NEWEST BABY REVEAL</em><span>. Clickbait but appropriate.</span></p>
        <p><span>In the video, Ivana disclosed painstakingly working on the logo (which mimics her butterfly tattoo), the packaging, and of course the formula for each product which took almost two years to get right. While her family remained as her supportive pool of product testers, her sister Mona discloses how Ivana took the task to heart and how ecstatic she became when she found the perfect formula. As of writing, the full product range is sold out (no surprises there); with a face like Ivana, who can blame anyone for aspiring to look like her?</span></p>
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Garnet, blue topaz, and white diamond constellation earrings, LVNA. Dress, Martin Bautista

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        <p><span>Of course, a part of her charm, and the elephant in the room, is her sex appeal. But Ivana tells me this is no big deal. She&rsquo;s not trying hard to prove anything or be anything but herself. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just comfortable in my own skin, I don&rsquo;t mind showing skin as long as there&rsquo;s no nudity,&rdquo; she tells me. But even in terms of body weight and other image issues, the actress is equally unbothered and has a positive mindset when it comes to weight gain. She even jokes about this in her vlogs (especially those </span><em>mukbangs</em><span>) and retorts at showbiz reporters who call out her additional pounds. Not that it triggers her one bit.</span></p>
        <p><span>This is refreshing to hear from a star whose career is partly built on her looks. With society clamoring for thinness </span><span><em>again</em> </span><span>(thank you, TikTok and Instagram) and the rise of K-beauty&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">standards as part of the Hallyu wave, it&rsquo;s unavoidable for a woman to feel insecure about her looks &ndash; most especially her weight. Dial that up to 100, and imagine being a celebrity with a million eyes on you. The scrutiny must be insufferable. But for Ivana, body positivity is just something she grew up embracing with her family.</span></p>
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        <p><span>Another thing her family has taught her is to reward herself when she rightfully deserves it. Prior to being an LVNA by Drake Dustin Ambassador, Ivana actually bought a diamond ring from the brand as a gift to herself. She shares the same mindset when it comes to designer bags and admits to having a growing collection of designer items. When asked if she&rsquo;d ever sell these designer pieces for more closet space, she shakes her head. &ldquo;They have sentimental value to me. I&rsquo;d rather give them to my family!&rdquo;</span></p>
        <p><span>&ldquo;So, what&rsquo;s your favorite look from today?&rdquo; I ask her as we wrap up. &ldquo;The first one because it&rsquo;s more me...And the second with the golden spoon </span><em>kasi kakaiba siya</em><span>,&rdquo; she says with a playful smirk forming on her face. I could only imagine how she&rsquo;ll turn this shoot into content, but I guess we have to wait and see what spin Ivana has.</span></p>
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Gold floral diamond-paved ring, LVNA

<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>PRODUCERS</strong> Yanna Lopez and Loris Pe&ntilde;a</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>CREATIVE DIRECTION</strong> Loris Pe&ntilde;a</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>MAKEUP</strong> Jelly Eugenio</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>HAIR</strong> Aryan Buccat</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>VIDEO DIRECTOR</strong> Miko Reyes</p>

Ivana Alawi Is the Queen of Hearts

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