A Day in the Life: Under the Lights with Model Cassandra Chan

The Filipino model puts the Pond’s Serum Burst Cream Detox to the test under three kinds of lights.

By the time model Cassandra Chan gets in front of the camera, she has already lived several lives that day: early call time, makeup chair, fittings, and conversations between takes. It is the kind of packed schedule that comes with the job, though she is quick to put it into perspective. 

“I get to live the life I dreamed of when I was younger,” she says. Before modeling, Chan was a ballet dancer and teacher; she still sees the career shift as a kind of “side quest,” and credits divine providence for where it has led her.

For one shoot day, Chan brings that outlook to a simple question: how does skin look as the light changes? From studio strobes to outdoor daylight, then fluorescent light at wrap, she puts her skincare base and makeup through three distinct settings.

The first step happens in the glam chair. Before makeup, Chan applies the Pond’s Bright Miracle Serum Day Cream Detox, a lightweight cream that is formulated as a moisturizer, serum, and primer. Steph Macapagal, Pond’s content lead, says, “What makes it versatile is that you can wear it on its own for a soft, barefaced glow, or use it underneath makeup as a smooth, seamless base.” 

She adds that the skincare base is designed for oily and combination skin, combining niacinamide, Pro-Gluta, and a detox serum to prime, tone, and blur the look of skin with a soft powder finish or what they call a “soft filter.” Macapagal adds, “A soft filter is about bringing that fresh, glowing look you see on screen into real life. It’s about enhancing your natural skin so it looks fresh, smooth, and naturally radiant.”

For the 31-year-old model, skincare is not separate from makeup; it is what makes makeup feel easier. “What I put on my skin, and even how much sleep I get the night before, has a huge impact on how my makeup sits throughout the day,” she says. When skin feels cared for, she adds, “everything else, including makeup, just works better.”

Under the set’s diffused lighting of photographer Lorenzo Corro, Chan checks how her base reads up close and on camera. She notes how her makeup appears even, while the finish still allows her natural texture to come through. That distinction is meaningful to Cassandra, who has been acne-prone since middle school and once let a breakout or visible texture dictate how she felt about herself. “It was a constant battle for years,” she reflects. “Unlearning that negative mindset wasn’t easy, but it was absolutely worth the effort.” Now, she says that she tries to meet her skin with more kindness.

Outside, the light is less controlled. It catches texture, tone, and movement. Between shaded areas and direct light at three in the afternoon, Chan walks, glides, and gestures for the camera in ways that recall her ballet training. At one point, she jokingly asks the team, “Do I still look fresh?”

Before heading back to the studio, she says, “This is a whole when you know, you know. Sunlight can really test skin, and if your makeup can hold up outside, you’ve got a keeper.”

At wrap, the strobe lights are down, and the fluorescent lights remain, perhaps the least forgiving setting of all as Cassandra notes how the light revealed shadows in parts of her face. After a full day on set, she observes that her skin retains a subtle glow with a more matte, powder-soft finish. Pond’s attributes this to its formulation: 12-hour oil control, which the model says is a practical promise for a day built around cameras, movement, and changing environments.

For Chan, the three-light test lands on a simple conclusion: skin does not always need to be flawless to carry a look. “Confidence always shines through more than perfection,” she says.

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by CHRISTINA ZABAT. Featuring CASSANDRA CHAN. Photographs by LORENZO CORRO and AUDREY ADARME of YELLOW STUDIO. Video by MICO ONGKEKO of YELLOW STUDIO. Art direction by LARA CASTAÑEDA. Styling by BRYAN LAROZA. Hair and Makeup by WANWAN PODADERA AMARILLO of NIX INSTITUTE OF BEAUTY. Produced by BELLA MARISTELA. Project implemented by CHLOE MADLANGBAYAN. Creative services manager IAN URMAZA. Account manager IAH VILLANUEVA.