Ahtisa Manalo | Photography by Seven Barretto

Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ahtisa Manalo turned 28 on May 25, 2025 and marked her special day by sharing photos from her birthday shoot.

Ahtisa's birthday photo shoot showcases her fun-loving side, serving a glammed-up look different from her regal beauty queen looks.  

In a Metro.Style interview, Ahtisa's go-to stylist, Patty Yap, shared that the photo shoot's concept came from Ahtisa herself. "The peg she sent had a very young, fun, cutesy, party vibe. So I told her, let’s go with a Barbiecore look instead. After all, she’s known as the 'Pambansang Manika,' so let’s go all out! It was also the perfect time to welcome her sweet girl era. She channeled her inner Barbie—someone young, playful, and unapologetically sweet," Patty said. 

Patty further shared that, considering Ahtisa's packed schedule these days, this shoot was organized last-minute, and the team only had two days to prepare for it. Still, the whole team—including photographer Seven Barretto, makeup artist Mickey See, and hairstylist Renz Pangilinan—was able to bring out the birthday glow from the Miss Universe Philippines 2025 titleholder seemingly effortlessly. Ahtisa also gave a shout-out to her friends and core team—Ali Halley, Tin, Bianca, and Nati—for helping her pull off this shoot. 

In a layout, Ahtisa wore a mellow yellow ensemble with champagne-colored ankle-strapped platform heels and posed with pink and white balloons. "The yellow crop top and ostrich feather skirt were custom-made by Debbie Co. I chose pastel yellow because it really suits Ahtisa. It brings out her skin tone and gives a sweet, soft look. Plus, the balloons were pink, so the pastel yellow paired well. If you notice, those are also the colors of her gowns in MUPH, pink and yellow, so I just connected everything," Patty explained. 

In keeping with the party vibe of the shoot, in the other layout, Ahtisa was photographed with a white cake with candy sprinkles; the birthday girl was dressed up in a red glitzy dress, with her hair styled in a bun. 

"For the other layout, she wore a red glittered dress from Whoppy Clothing," Patty shared. "I chose that one because I liked the cut, the embellishment, and the glitter fabric. It felt fun and playful. And since it was her birthday, she definitely had to wear something red."

For both layouts, Ahtisa rocked bangs since the team wanted her to have a different look for this shoot. She doesn't typically go for this kind of fun, statement-making hairstyle, but it was a good choice to balance out her soft and light makeup. Overall, Ahtisa showed she can be both elegant and carefree while staying true to her facets as a beauty queen and a girl boss. 

Check out more photos from Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ma. Ahtisa Manalo's 28th birthday photo shoot below:

Ahtisa Manalo will represent the Philippines at Miss Universe 2025, happening on November 21, 2025, in Thailand.

Related: 10 Things About Miss Universe Philippines 2025 Ma. Ahtisa Manalo

Photos by Seven Barretto