Nancy Leonard

All posts tagged Nancy Leonard

Miss Diamond of the World 2016 | She’s no diamond in the rough

Posted by Norman on October 7, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Christine Joy Picardal wins Miss Diamond of the World in Algeria


Christine Joy Picardal went to Algiers with a mission. She was chosen to represent the Philippines in the first international beauty pageant that was held in the North African country of Algeria and won.

Last night, this La Union native has just been crowned Miss Diamond of the World 2016 at the Sofitel Algiers. There was very little noise of her participation in the said competition. But now that she has proven herself worthy of the victory, a warm welcome awaits upon her return to the country soon.

Christine’s achievement proves that the Filipina is indeed world-class. After Miss United Continents 2016 Jeslyn Santos, Miss Global 2016 1st Runner-Up Camille Hirro, Mister Universal Ambassador 2016 2nd Runner-Up/ Mister Southeast Asia International 2016 Andrea Biondo, Man of the Year 2016 Karan Singhdole and Miss Asia 2016 Trixia Maria Marana, plus the Top 10 Finish of Nancy Leonard in Miss Tourism Queen International 2016, this definitely adds up to the growing list of excellent finishes for the year. And I have a good feeling there will be more in the bigger events up ahead.

Congratulations to you, Tine!

Congratulations, Christine!

The Strong Filipinas Of September

Posted by Norman on September 27, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , .

Miss United Continents 2016

Miss Global 2016

Miss Tourism Queen International 2016


What is the common denominator among the three (3) international beauty pageants which crowned its 2016 winners all in a matter of three days?

Miss Philippines, of course!

First, there is Miss United Continents 2016 in Guayaquil, Ecuador won by our very own Jeslyn Santos. In the process, she became the first Asian and Filipino to finish on top in the same.

And then there is Miss Global 2016 held at the PICC Plenary Hall last Saturday. Angela Bonilla of Ecuador may have clinched the title, but her 1st Runner-Up (and closest pursuer) is Miss Philippines Camille Hirro.

Thirdly, the Miss Tourism Queen International 2016 finals was held last night in Wenzhou, China. Anu Namshir (who also took part in Miss World 2015 in Sanya) was chosen as the winner. Miss Philippines Nancy Leonard made it to the Top 10 and was given the Best in Long Gown award afterwards.

These three results speak a lot about the strong participation of the country in the global pageant stage. And the titles are not even categorized in the big league.

Wait till you see what Jennifer Hammond, Nicole Cordoves and Kylie Verzosa will do this October. 😉

Anu Namshir of Mongolia takes Miss Tourism Queen International 2016

Posted by Norman on September 26, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , .

Anu Namshir of Mongolia was crowned MTQI2016

MTQI2016 Anu Namshir (center) with her court

MTQI2016 Anu Namshir of Mongolia

MTQI2016 1st Runner-Up Caro Lilian Verle of Belgium

MTQI2016 2nd Runner-Up Darya Koleychik of Belarus

MTQI2016 3rd Runner-Up Joanna Agnieszka Jochemczyk of Poland

MTQI2016 4th Runner-Up Pitchanok Jimchoo of Thailand

Miss Philippines Nancy Leonard (in red) reached the Top 10 and was named Best in Long Gown


Anu Namshir of Mongolia was crowned Miss Tourism Queen International 2016 tonight in Wenzhou, China. She defeated 27 other candidates for the title. Her court includes 1st Runner-Up Caro Lilian Verle of Belgium, 2nd Runner-Up Darya Koleychik of Belarus, 3rd Runner-Up Joanna Agnieszka Jochemczyk of Poland and 4th Runner-Up Pitchanok Jitchoo of Thailand.

Miss Philippines Nancy Leonard made it to the Top 10 of the finals and was awarded Best in Long Gown (courtesy of Designer Edwin Uy) before the announcement of top winners.

Congratulations to everyone! 🙂

When Raymond shoots Queens

Posted by Norman on September 22, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , .


To say that Raymond Saldaña has an eye for beauty would be an understatement. He has shot a lot of our national titleholders and always meeting our exacting standards. Take for example the latest string of photos he released with Maxine Medina, Kylie Verzosa, Nicole Cordoves, Jennifer Hammond and even Miss Tourism Queen International Philippines 2016 Nancy Leonard. He definitely captured them at their best. And every single time that a new photograph emerges, we are in awe of the final prints.

This blog feature is just my small way of saying thanks to the man who has always made us happy.

Keep it up, Raymond! 😉

Serpentina for Nancy Leonard in Miss Tourism Queen International 2016

Posted by Norman on September 19, 2016
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Nancy’s Edwin Uy evening gown for MTQI2016


What will Nancy Leonard wear in the Evening Gown competition of Miss Tourism Queen International 2016? Well, Designer Edwin Uy came up with a red masterpiece described as follows:

The gown of Nancy Leonard is a red serpentine gown embellished with lace, Japanese cut beads and Swarovski crystals. This is a modern interpretation of a classic European cut that shows more silhouette of Nancy’s sexy body.

The design fits the features of Nancy who is a Spanish mestiza. The red color of the gown highlights the beautiful skin of Nancy to make her look more radiant, plus China’s preference for red colors will surely make her noticeable even more.

Your thoughts, dear readers? 😉

Jeslyn & Nancy | Guayaquil & Wenzhou

Posted by Norman on September 15, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , .

Jeslyn & Nancy in swimsuits (Photo credit for Nancy: Raymond Saldaña)

Jeslyn enjoying the host hotel in Guayaquil

Nancy wearing Edwin Uy during the gown photoshoot


Two Filipinas are in the thick of international competition abroad right now, and I have a feeling that both of them are being noticed very well by the host organizers based on the number of photos being posted in the respective Facebook pages.

Jeslyn Santos – Miss Filipinas in Guayaquil’s Miss United Continents 2016 – and Nancy Leonard for Wenzhou’s Miss Tourism Queen International 2016 are giving it their absolute best. Their pageants may not have the glitz and glamour of Miss Universe, but you still have to give a hand to the hosts for keeping things together and delivering a credible run of pre-pageant proceedings so far.

I know that both ladies want to win their respective assignments to justify their selections as representatives of our country. Let’s follow their separate roads to victory. The cheers and mora support will definitely uplift their spirits even more.

Jeslyn during one of the pre-pageant activities

Nancy with fellow MTQI candidates


Good luck, ladies! 😀

Nancy Leonard | MTQI2016-ready

Posted by Norman on September 2, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Miss Tourism Queen International Philippines 2016 Nancy Leonard (right) with MTQI National Director Roanne Refrea

Left to right: Roanne Refrea, Nancy Leonard, Ovette Ricalde and Mrs. Annie Refrea

Nancy and Roanne

Nancy amswering questions from members of the Press

MTQI Philippines 2016 Nancy Leonard

Ready as she can ever be, Nancy is!


Miss Tourism Queen International 2016 Nancy Leonard beautifully showed up during the Meet-and-Greet with members of the Press at the Yatai Ramen Restaurant inside Seaside Dampa in Macapagal Blvd lunchtime yesterday. Along with Ovette Ricalde of Megastar Productions and MTQI National Director Roanne Refrea (you will remember her as Miss Tourism Philippines 2015), she showed her battle-ready charm for the upcoming competition of Miss Tourism Queen International 2016 to be held in Wen Zhou, China from September 12-26.

“I’m deeply honored and thankful to Queen of the Philippines Foundation Inc. for giving me this most cherished dream of mine that is to compete in an international pageant and represent the Philippines. Rest assured that I will give my very best to do well at the 2016 Miss Tourism Queen International and bring home the crown, thank you for all the trust and support especially to Tita Annie Refrea and Miss Roanne Refrea for their words of encouragement and advises.” Nancy said.

Nancy will be wearing Edwin Uy for the international competition, and she is visibly excited over finally representing (and wearing the Philippine sash) us abroad.

Shots of the Edwin Uy creation Nancy will wear in the competition


Queen of the Philippines Foundation Inc. and La Unica Events Management and Production Inc in collaboration with Megastar Productions will now take charge of organizing Queen of the Philippines for Miss Tourism Queen International and will hold a national pageant search for our next representative come 2017.

Wenzhou-bound Nancy Leonard: She will finally get her mission this year

Posted by Norman on August 17, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , .

Nancy Leonard is Wenzhou-bound for MTQI2016



All is not lost for Nancy Leonard’s dreams of representing the country in an international beauty competition abroad. She has now been officially announced in the FB page of Miss Tourism Queen International as the Philippine bet in this year’s finals to be held in Wenzhou, China from September 12-28. And the Zamboangueña lass could not be happier with the positive turn of events in her pageant career.

With the new franchise holder of MTQI in the country (to be revealed by September 1), Nancy has been appointed as the wearer of the country’s sash and hopefully become the 2nd big winner after Justine Gabionza many years back.

Will this be the year of vindication for her? I hope so because she fully deserves it.

Watch out for the Presscon announcing her appointment a couple of weeks from now! 🙂

Sunday “Superbods” Special: Who could win tonight?

Posted by Norman on April 10, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

 

I’m putting my bets on the six finalists above to win Century Tuna Superbods Nat10n tonight

 
Tonight at the Palace Pool Club at the Fort, the winners of Century Tuna Superbods Nat10n 2016 will be known. Among the 26 finalists (13 men and 13 women), I have finally decided to put my bets on six (6) of them to have the highest chances of being proclaimed tonight.

Among the male contenders, I short-listed Ali Khatibi, Clint Bondad and Culver Padilla as potential top placers. And from the ladies, my choices have come down to Nancy Leonard, Natalia Lalonde and Olivia Medina.

 

Ali, Clint and Culver are my choices among the men

 
It’s not easy trimming down the participants to just a small percentage of the complete line-up. So my forecast is primarily based on what these individuals can offer to the brand for the next twelve (12) months at least. I believe that it is important for Century Tuna to gain extended mileage and public reach beyond good looks and the finals night itself. Evolution is the name of the game now. If health and wellness are prime considerations, then better pick the ones who live and breathe the lifestyle or the ones who can use the as platform to spread awareness outside of the usual target markets.

 

Nancy, Natalia and Olivia could take it all the way among the ladies

 
Watch the live stream of the finals tonight. It can be accessed on the Facebook page of Century Tuna Superbods Nat10n starting at 8:30PM.

For those going to Palace Pool Club, see you there! 😀

On the Spotlight: The Century Tuna Superbods Nat10n Finalists

Posted by Norman on March 18, 2016
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

 

Male Superbods 1-6

 
 

Male Superbods 7-12

 
 

Female Superbods 1-6

 
 

Female Superbods 7-12

 
Last Wednesday night at Valkyrie in BGC, the finalists of Century Superbod Nat10n were presented to the Press in a launch that underscored the new channels that the organizers are aiming to maximize with the 10th year search. Instead of holding most of the important events out of town or in Boracay usually, they opted to center the eye of the competition here in Manila where the general public will get a closer feel of the action. In fact, the finals will be held inside the Palace Pool Club on April 10. While more of an uppity venue, it will still encourage more media and guest attendance to spread better awareness of the event.

The 2016 finalists (photos of the entries from the Filipino Community in the US still to follow) are:

The Men:
Jerome Tan, Ryan Sy, Culver Padilla, Erie Obsena, Ifran Khan, Jose Pio Luz III, Tom Esconde, Cedric Roxas, Shawn Stansbury, Ali Khatibi, Clint Bondad, Ameen Sardouk

The Women:
Olivia Medina, Carmela Fernandez, Ambra Gutierrez, Nancy Leonard, Princess Abella, Maria Martinez, Cassie Umali, Mirtle Gimenez, Kaara Tan, Carla Meneses, Anja Peter, Tanya Hyde.

Truth be told, I personally assessed each one of them. And I am leaned more on individuals who possess more all-around capture of the product’s target market. After all, this is not a bodybuilding contest but more of looking for the most fit and charming image models who best represent what Century Tuna is all about. I picked four (4) pairs as potential winners.

Here now are my favorites in random order:

 

Clint Bondad and Ambra Gutierrez

 

 

Ali Khatibi and Nancy Leonard

 
 

Culver Padilla and Olivia Medina

 

 

Ryan Sy and Princess Abella

 
Let’s see who will matter most to the judges come finals night. 😉

(All photos are courtesy of Edmund Chua of Fabmanilaph)