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.

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.

Two months of isolation have left me sorely in need of a haircut and a good wax. While we ladies might emerge from quarantine with slightly longer hair, the men are starting to look downright shaggy.

Most guys go to the barbershop every three weeks to refresh their ‘do and to have their facial hair professionally landscaped. We show how three guys dealt with a 12-week barbershop ban in different ways!

Many beauty lovers temporarily put the makeup away in favor of renewed vigor for baking and skincare when summer 2020 was “canceldt” due to the pandemic. Admittedly, I went down the same path, in addition to doubling my efforts in balcony vegetable gardening! Even during the intense heat and lagkit though, my dry skin is still a high-maintenance piece of work that gets exacerbated by the frequent baths and hand washing. Here’s what works for me - my current hot-weather skincare routine that’s preventing my face from getting as leathery as the backs of my hands.

It’s tough for beauty businesses to keep going during the pandemic, but Ellana Cosmetics was fast to adapt and create a new line of products despite drastic limitations during the lockdown. They were actually able to come out with new soaps and sanitizers in April! I’ll review those next time, but today I’d like to show you the new Ellana Mood Mask Washable Face Mask (P199) which is currently available in their website.

In one sense, quarantine has been “easy.” But in another sense, it hasn’t been. Here I will once again acknowledge my special circumstances: I am mentally ill, and my condition comes with depressive and anxious episodes. But even if I wasn’t a “clinical case,” the COVID-19 situation has produced feelings of fear and powerlessness - of being able to only watch through a screen as the world as we know falls apart - that have been incredibly difficult to push past.

It is a fact that beauty products are not essential to survival. But is survival enough if we can do more? One of the things that makes us human is the ability to have a story in our head about how things could be, and the desire to make it true in the real world. We like to hope for better days and dream of better selves. As shallow as it sounds, a beauty routine actually helps with that.

Hey PV girls! We hope you’re all keeping safe during this enhanced community quarantine. Just a friendly reminder to eat healthily, take care of your mental health, wash your hands, and #StayHome. If you need to shop for essential skincare and beauty needs during this ECQ, here’s a list of beauty stores that are still open online and delivering.

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.