Having a Zoom Makeup Kit at the ready eliminates the stress in deciding what makeup to put on for your online meetings. Trust me, I’ve been there. There was a time when I was informed about a meeting just three minutes prior. I wasted the entire three minutes rummaging through my lipstick stash. And yes, I ended up attending the meeting with no makeup on.

At the start of the quarantine way back in March, I was joking to my friends, “I wash my hands so much now, my nail polish just can’t stand a chance!”

Not quite a germophobe but wary of germ-caused illnesses, I’ve always been a fan of hand washing, but I have never ever washed my hands so often in my life. So bye-bye, nail polish. Within weeks, I discovered I’ve changed many of my beauty rituals.

Q: My maskne is out of control! I didn’t have pimples before on my chin and jawline area, but since I started wearing a mask, I’ve started to get these pimples that just won’t seem to go away. What can I do to get rid of these? - Kristina

A: Hi Kristina! That’s a question that’s been frequently asked of me and a big percent of my patients now come in for consult for that reason. What’s being called “maskne” is actually a kind of acne we identify as Acne Mechanica, caused by friction from repetitive rubbing of masks against the skin and obstruction of the pilosebaceous unit, leading to congested pores.

Quarantine may have us all locked indoors but that doesn’t mean beauty’s dead and gone. In fact, being locked up at home with no access to salons and beauty clinics have given birth to interesting new looks. And who says we’re hiding away? With social media as our platform, we can show off our quarantine-created looks!

Queer Eye’s resident grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness warned, “Don’t try new lewks during quarentine!” Yes, let’s all notice he spelled quarantine wrong and also let his his well-intentioned advice go unheeded. “Quarentine lewks” are really the most interesting beauty trend these days.

By now we know that non-cosmetic face masks are here to stay. Now while there may be a lot of frustration about the fact that we can’t show off our carefully painted faces while outdoors, we don’t have to be completely drab about it! We can definitely use our face masks to express ourselves and our personal style. Luckily, local mask manufacturers have stepped up their game, and we’ve found the prettiest ones for you.

I was browsing through Instagram last week when I saw local haute couture designer Mak Tumang post about his mask collection. I was interested because I’ve been following his work for years - before taking Catriona Grey to the finish line as Miss Universe 2018 with her famous Mayon Gown (also known as Lava Gown), he has been making stunning bridal and couture gowns for his dedicated clients. I love his obvious attention to detail and appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into each piece. I can’t afford a Mak Tumang gown, but it’s free to look! I think of his pieces as wearable art because of the vision he incorporates into his work.

While Manila is on lockdown, we have everyday heroes fighting against a deadly virus in their scrubs and PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment). Some, like Medical Technologist Elle Zamora, go the extra mile with her beautiful makeup looks and show-stopping natural curls. I was inspired by her when I saw her post on a Facebook group the other day and thought that you should hear her story as well! This is what her life as a medical frontliner is like, and how she copes with brutal 12-hour shifts and stress about COVID-19.