Make Up YCIAR CASTILLO
Hair JET BABAS
Videography ANDREW APUYA
Style BC STYLE STUDIO
Special thanks to Koket, Miss Selfridge, River Island, Sune,
There’s an old adage that goes: You can’t choose your family but you can choose your friends. It seems meant to offer those born into particularly heinous folk some consolation — that you can always leave the fold to find your own people.
Siblings Jessica and Sky Yang have no use for this adage. They are each other’s family and best friend. Two peas in a pod, thick as thieves, joined at the hip — you get the picture. They do everything together. They work together, they travel together, and they hang out together.
“We’re like twins,” Sky quips, noting that the five-year age gap hardly ever matters to them.“We think alike as well.”
“I feel so lucky to have him. I really, really do. Sometimes I feel like I don’t need friends anymore,”Jessica shares in earnest.
Hearing them speak so highly about each other makes you want to adjust your sibling goals. Jessica and Sky are so close, they have their own hashtag on Instagram. Scroll through #jesskymoment and you’ll see snapshots of sibling harmony at its finest.
“It’s fun!” Jessica says, “People can see how close we are. Some people even message us that we are the sibling peg for them and their inspiration and that it’s so nice that we’re close to each other. I’m proud of it.”
When their family left Taiwan and moved to the Philippines, Jessica and Sky were still in school. Both grew up with Mandarin as their first language, but have since learned to converse in English. Jessica even throws in a diba and sayang here and there when she speaks — a mark of the truly Filipinized.
Sky recalls the time they first arrived in the Philippines. “I only knew how to say ‘No’ and ‘Me’ in English,” he chuckles, adding that he’s still working on his Filipino. He does, however, use the local term chu-chu as he talks about how they used to snitch on each other when they were kids.
Like every sibling relationship, Jessica and Sky went through their fair share of squabbles. “She’s a bully. She’s been bullying me since I was young,” Sky claims merrily. His expression turns mischievous as he remembers some of their worst fights. “I was really young and she was really big,” he begins, “and I did this to her throat.” Sky grins as he holds up his thumb and index finger, making an upward, jabbing motion.
This elicits a loud laugh from Jessica. “It’s the worst when we fight in the car because the space is so small,” she chimes in. When Jessica picked a fight with her brother back then, she used to always make sure she had enough room to run away. One can only imagine the kind of mayhem that would ensue with two kids roughhousing in the car. According to Jessica, there was biting involved.
“We’d fight for car seats,” Sky continues, recounting a time when they both called shotgun, with Jessica narrowly beating him to the seat. Jessica had slammed the car door, not realizing that Sky’s thumb was in the way. “The nail just came off,” he says, still looking a little awed by the injury.
The siblings treat each other like equals, but there are still times when Jessica’s big sister instinct kicks in. When Sky was just a little kid, Jessica would secretly check up on him in school, passing by during recess to make sure he was doing okay. Even now that they’re older, she still feels protective of him. “But he takes care of me more,” she’s quick to add. She admits that he’s more mature than her and that she often seeks his guidance.
“He gives good advice.”
One of their fondest memories together is the trip they took to Europe last year — one month, four countries, just the two of them. “It was one of the best times.” Sky’s face lights up, “Seeing a new world together with my sister.”
When planning the itinerary, Sky suggested that they visit England to see Stonehenge. Jessica wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but once he told her about its history and theories of alien involvement (a shared passion of theirs), she was sold. “I was like, ‘Damn, we have to go there!’ ” she exclaims, laughing.
When asked about what’s next after modelling, the pair say that they might try going into music. They both sing and play instruments — she plays the ukelele and he plays the guitar. Video snippets are up on their Instagram accounts, with their duets properly tagged #jesskymoment of course. They’ve been getting good feedback so far, with followers asking for full-length videos. Sky likes to downplay it, claiming he’s not as good as he wants to be yet, but Jessica gushes about his talent. “Amazing,” she calls it, talking about the time Sky composed two songs for her as a condition to buying him a limited edition guitar.
The secret sauce to their relationship is mutual respect, as far as Jessica is concerned. They are supportive of each other and always balance each other out, being able to read each other’s moods and adjust accordingly. Sky believes it’s also about being patient and just going with it. “I don’t like arguments so I just chill out, you know,” he smiles and shrugs. “Whatever she wants.”
“I always imagine how boring my life would be without him,” muses Jessica. Her brother has so many interests that she learns a lot from, and she’s grateful to have someone to share and connect with.
Sky’s favorite part about having a sibling is always having someone by his side. “When we have problems, we got each other’s backs. We really look after each other. You don’t feel you’re alone.”
That’s the thing about siblings. Through the car fights and biting and dead fingernails, you have a travel buddy, duet partner, and sounding board. You have someone to watch over you, keep you in check, and laugh at all your jokes. With siblings, you have friends for life.
What is your beauty routine?
Jessica: Cleaning is the most important for me. When I remove my make up, I actually remove that three times. Even if you can’t see anything, I make sure it’s super clean. I put eye cream and moisturizer on my neck because I have combination skin and it sometimes gets too oily when I put too much product when I sleep. In the morning, BB cream or CC cream from Origins. It brightens your skin and I use it like sunblock already and base for my makeup. (wear makeup everyday) Yeah I cannot NOT wear make up. I feel naked.
Sky: Sleep and water. Drink lots of water and sleep a lot. And don’t use too much products. If I don’t have shoots, I don’t put anything on my face.
When do you feel the most beautiful?
Jessica: I feel most beautiful at the end of the day, every day. You’re tired but when you look at yourself you feel good and think “Oh this is what I did today. Mission accomplished.” At that time, your make up is all subtle: a bit gone but it’s still there. It’s kind of natural, a relaxing kind of pretty.
Sky: When I eat right and when I work out right. When I feel the burn. When my muscles ache, I feel good. When you dress right too.
What is a Calyxta man/woman?
Jessica: Confident. Showing her character and personality. Adventurous.
Sky: Just being himself. Comfortable.