I turned 44 recently. I was joking to everyone that I’m now a middle-aged woman. Some people told me I’ve been one when I turned 35. Some argued middle age starts at 40. So I looked it up and both the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster said middle age is from 45 to 65. Hooray! At 44, I’m apparently still a young adult!

Since I think the ladies and gentlemen in the Project Vanity community are young folks (like me haha), you might be wondering what it feels like to be a woman in her 40s.

My friend, AJ,posted on Facebook a throwback photo from our college days and, boy, I didn’t realize I looked so different back then. No wonder a former high school classmate said she heard a rumor saying I must’ve had stuff done to my face. Well, I did. I got braces to straighten my teeth, a dermatologist to address my cystic acne, a hairstylist to give me fabulous cuts and colors, and the best skin care products and makeup.

My sons love to watch “Cobra Kai” on Netflix. It’s a sequel to the Karate Kid movies in the 80s. It’s still the same protagonist and antagonist, Larusso and Lawrence, but there’s a twist. It looks like they’ve changed roles and it’s hard to root for anyone since everyone seems to be the bad guy and the good guy all at once.

Anyway, remember Karate Kid was in the 80s. So my middle son asked me who was older: me or Danny Larusso. I said, “Oh, he’s much older than me. He’s 58. I’m 43.”

“Woah, Mama! I thought you were older. Your eye bags make you look like you’re 60!”

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.

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.

Taylor Swift very recently surprised me and everyone the world over with an indie album made while she was in quarantine. Not only was Folklore completely unannounced until 24 hours before it dropped, but Taylor also debuted a different sound and look. Gone was the dip-dyed blue hair of 2019. Even that classic red lip thing that I like - kaput. Instead, we have a bare-faced Taylor, with a mop of unruly blonde curls, clad in an old nightgown, a gingham shift, or a bulky cardigan.

When Project Vanity ‘s editor-in-chief told me she was sending over a bottle of the new Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum (P2,850/20ml | P4,350/30ml | P6,200/50ml at Lazada), I had to check if it was my birthday. It wasn’t but, boy, did it feel like it! This famed fountain of youth is a staple on vanity tables the world over for 38 years. It’s the ultimate in anti-aging simply because it works. As its name says, Advanced Night Repair, or ANR, repairs the skin overnight. Women have been claiming to wake up to skin that looks more even and radiant, their fine lines and wrinkles smoothened out.

While the rest of the pandemic world became obsessed with watching their plants blossom and bloom, I was fascinated with watching my armpit hair grow.

It was exciting, to be honest. I know that sounds pathetic but these are strange times and in all my 43 years, my underarm hair has always been ruthlessly ripped out, regularly, unfailingly for 30 years. So to see my armpits not hair-free is an event! And I made sure to watch.