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.

“I see the reason why you wear makeup. It is to attract guys, right?” That’s exactly what my mom said when she found out I wear makeup. You know, why is it that when we - girls and guys - have makeup on, it’s always assumed that its purpose is to attract someone else? Can’t we wear makeup for ourselves? Anyway, I think it was sweet of my mom to assume that guys are attracted to me whenever I have makeup on. Little does she know, it’s the opposite.

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.

Since wearing a mask whenever stepping outside the house is a must, some of us have chosen to skip wearing lip colors. After all, no one gets to see it and wearing a lipstick underneath a mask can be quite messy! If you are one of those people, I feel you as I’m guilty of it too. But allow me to give you an excuse today, if you will.

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.

Last week, my younger brother asked for my help in taking his photo for a school project. After showing him what I felt was the best shot, he told me that his skin doesn’t look so good. I offered to do his makeup for the photo, because I knew that all he needed was a bit of concealer and powder. My brother declined. He said that he is simply not comfortable with wearing makeup. When I asked if it’s because he thinks makeup is just for girls, he said no.

We don’t want to jinx it, but F-Beauty may just be the next big trend you’ll hear the global beauty community buzzing about. Earlier this year, Nylon published an article heralding the entry of Filipino Beauty to the global stage. Nylon’s fearless forecast? Filipino Beauty, or F-Beauty in short, is on its way to achieving K-Beauty status.

Since puberty I’ve had to deal with painful, cystic acne and the deep pitted scars they’d leave in their wake. It was a long journey but these days I wake up with clear skin - a vast improvement from just a few years ago. I still have some scars but they’re on their way out. I even stopped wearing foundation recently!

The difference between then and now was a PCOS diagnosis, and learning to avoid foods that trigger it.

If you clicked on this then, like me, you probably enjoy looking through someone’s kikay kit. Some people might call it nosy; I call it curiosity! After all, isn’t it fun to discover someone’s favorite products through their makeup bags? It’s also quite exciting when you find out that someone owns a product you also love.

There’s so much happening in the world that it feels like the sixth year of 2020 rather than the sixth month. We all have our own ways of coping. The way I do it is by remembering that I still have power. I can’t control what goes on externally but I have a choice on how it affects me and what I’m going to do about it.

From a beauty perspective, one of the ways I exercise choice is through my purchases. Through everything that happened this year, let’s not forget that SMEs are the hardest hit businesses. We all know and love Ellana, Colourette, Pink Sugar and our own In Her Element but here’s a list of local small businesses with products that you might have overlooked!

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.

Self-care is a tricky subject to talk about because it means different things to different people. No one else can be an expert on self-care except the self giving and receiving the care, so it’s a little bit of an airtight loop. Only you know if it is working or not.

When quarantine started all over the world, there are two opposing camps that emerged: one that encourages hyper productivity (learn the skill you’ve always wanted to learn! Start that side hustle you’ve always wanted to have!) and one that says “fuck productivity, just slow down and take all the time you need to heal mentally”.

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.

I started a group chat with fellow beauty entrepreneurs about a year ago, and it’s usually what we use to coordinate lunches and sometimes discuss the retail landscape as well as challenges in the industry. We have had very different conversations though once the lockdown bore down on all of us - we were in distress. With malls closed down and even Lazada and Shopee non-operational (except for essential products), plus limited delivery service, it has so far been a three-week nightmare.

You’ve probably bought a product based on how attractive its packaging looked. I know I have! Sometimes I feel conned when the product itself turns out to be bad, and its only saving grace is the cute design that initially lured me into purchasing. Indeed, the beauty industry is very competitive and they have to do whatever it takes to keep their customers interested.

There are products that are bad, and then there are ones that we can not in good conscience recommend to anybody with a face. We don't hate anybody that much (or at all)! Here are five things that should be on your hit list.

ICYMI, homegrown brand V&M Naturals has announced that they will be taking a break from production until further notice. Their many fans immediately shared their messages of support on the Instagram post, and started getting backups for their backups! Now, this is the kind of hoarding that I can support (please don’t buy out all the alcohol and face masks - other people need to protect themselves, too) but apart from the CPC+G Oil that Angeli (and everyone else) keeps raving about, I had absolutely no idea what to get from V&M!

With super hip releases like multisticks and silicone-y lipsticks, it can be easy to forget that Ever Bilena Cosmetics is actually a decades-old company. They’ve done an amazing job of keeping on the pulse of beauty trends, and making them easily accessible to Filipinos at affordable prices. And yes, this includes using vegan and cruelty-free formulas!