Sarah Lahbati Is All for Capturing Life’s Most Precious Moments, Including Her Battle Scars

If there’s one thing about Sarah Lahbati that’s worth noting, it’s that she’s perfectly secure with herself—and by herself, we mean the side of her that she already knows and the side that she has yet to discover. She enjoys the process of figuring things out at her own pace and celebrating them with open arms. This especially rings true when talking about Sarah as a wife to Richard Gutierrez and as a mother to their two boys, Zion and Kai. Not to mention, she’s an actress, a social media star, and one of the most influential style icons in the local fashion scene.

Sarah Lahbati for Preview.ph February 2022

Without qualms, our multi-hyphenate Preview cover girl and HUAWEI ambassador lets us in on the bits of her life that are not often caught on cam: from discovering her personal style while growing up to making peace with the changes in her body after giving birth.

Growing Up with Fashion

Just looking at Sarah’s Instagram feed brimming with OOTDs—an athleisure ‘fit one day, then sleek urban casual the next—one can easily tell that she has a massive closet that’s to die for. Her affinity for fashion started at an early age. Growing up, she’d raid her mom's closet and mix and match clothes for fun.

“I have clear memories of me as a young girl going through my mom’s closet and begging her to lend me her clothes. She had those padded blazers Princess Diana would wear that I would obsess over, or this gorgeous orange silk corset that she gifted me when I turned 16,” she recalls. “I’ve always had fun playing dress-up.”

Sarah was never one to shy away from experimenting with clothes. While she doesn’t box herself to just one particular aesthetic, the way she carries her chosen outfit of the day always oozes with confidence that doesn’t seek validation from others. “I really just have fun with fashion,” she says. “I enjoy wearing beautiful pieces and putting an outfit together, but I also take pleasure in just being comfortable in sweats the next day, on like a day off.”

She finds inspiration everywhere—be it a song, a movie, or even a ‘90s model. But it’s especially evident when she’s traveling the world.

“My style is one way of expressing myself. It evolves with me as I continually grow into the woman that I am.”

Wearing Her Battle Scars

It was only recently when Sarah made headlines for her empowering Instagram post that showed off her stretch marks. "I’m tired of hiding my stretch marks. I’m not perfect. No one is. What’s funny is it took me a while to accept that," she captioned the post.

Just like many first-time moms, Sarah struggled with her body image after she gave birth to Zion. But as a public figure, the pressure to “bounce back” has never felt more perturbing.

“I’ve put so much pressure on myself to regain my body back—[which] just made me feel lonely,” she shares. “I wish I knew that it was okay to completely surrender to the present moment, to really enjoy the process of being a new mother rather than rushing.”

While it took her some time to embrace the changes in her body, the process has helped her to really realize what she’s capable of, the miracles she has brought into this world, and how to confidently flaunt her battle scars.

“I’m now happy to be in a place where I feel completely like myself, where I feel okay with showing my stretch marks. I see every new day as an opportunity to grow,” Sarah says. And when asked about what advice she can offer to moms who are going through the same thing, she underscored the importance of healing without rushing and loving oneself a little more each day.

“Sometimes, we’re our worst enemy, but we learn along the way, and what matters is how much we love and how loved we are,” she explains.

Cherishing Life’s Moments

As a hands-on mom and career woman, Sarah seems perpetually booked and busy. Still, there’s no shortage of selfies and OOTD shots on her ‘gram. She makes it a point to capture fleeting moments with her family by taking as many photos as she can using her smartphone.

“Having handy phones like the HUAWEI P50 Pro and the beautiful HUAWEI P50 Pocket to document moments in my life has truly been a bliss,” she says.

With these new additions to the HUAWEI P Series that feature cutting-edge camera features, Sarah continues to celebrate her personal style and document her most precious moments. In fact, this month’s Preview cover—shot using the HUAWEI P50 Pro—is a testament to her vibrant life that is anything but boring.

“When I shoot behind-the-scenes photos at work or take photos of my kids that are constantly running around, I love how the HUAWEI P50 Pro’s True-Focus Fast Capture feature records the moments with ease,” she shares.

Sarah also likes how the phone’s True-Form Dual-Matrix Camera helps produce sharp selfies, landscapes, and portraits, as well as how its elegant colorways Cocoa Gold and Golden Black complement her style.

The HUAWEI P50 Pocket, on the other hand, is the everyday smartphone she can’t help but rave about.

“When I run errands, I like not having to carry a heavy bag so I can move around faster,” she shares. “Having such a lightweight, foldable phone that I can fit in my pocket truly helps.”

With its chic foldable, compact design, colorways, and AI features, you’re going to want to experience this device yourself, too. What’s more, it comes with a screen ring just below its rear camera. From checking your notifs to receiving calls, and even taking quick selfies, the little round cover screen makes it easy to live your digital life as you please.

Co-designed by the Dutch haute couture icon Iris van Herpen, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket embodies aesthetic excellence that’s bound to elevate one’s look, no matter their style.

“I recommend the HUAWEI P50 Pro and P50 Pocket to anyone [who] loves capturing beautiful images and videos, and wants [to experience] new technology that can make [life in the new normal convenient],” says Sarah.

Watch the behind-the-scenes video of Sarah's Preview cover shoot below:

Pushing Forward

Sarah Lahbati walks her talk; that’s what makes her a well-loved local celebrity and fashion icon. She advocates for self-love and takes it very seriously, even if that means embracing her own flaws and wearing her own battle scars with pride.

“Self-care is not only eating nutritious meals and working out,” she highlights. “It’s also making sure I find time for myself throughout my day to do something that will make me feel good in the midst of homeschooling and working.”

Be it something as simple as organizing her closet or putting a cute outfit together, she finds solace in doing ordinary things with extraordinary passion and dedication.

“I want to keep working on reaching my goals while balancing being a mother and wife,” she shares. “I’m excited and grateful to continuously be able to collaborate and creatively work on the things that I love.”

Ultimately, Sarah is all about cherishing big and small moments. While they’re not always pretty and picture-perfect, they made her into who she is today—a style star, a wife, a mother, and a self-made woman who doesn’t need validation from others.

The HUAWEI P50 Pro and HUAWEI P50 Pocket are available online at https://consumer.huawei.com/ph and HUAWEI’s partner stores nationwide. For more information and updates, follow HUAWEI Mobile on Facebook.

Art Director: Bacs Arcebal

Production Manager: Cha Cabayao

Content Producer: Deb Austria

Photographer: Koji Arboleda, assisted by Gabriel Villareal and Wilson Ang

Makeup Artist: Robbie Piñera

Hair Stylist: Raymond Santiago

Fashion Stylists: Maita Baello and Melville Sy, assisted by Alvin Navarro

Set Design: Ginger Event Styling

Studio: Studio JBA Photography

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