Do you remember the exact moment you became an adult? Mine was when, after my first ever pay check, I went grocery shopping. I was shocked by how much of my salary went to a basket of the cheapest basic grocery items I can find. I cried a little in the supermarket aisle because of this. I thought it would be easier! There should be a warning label for adulthood. Something they hand out the moment you pay your first bill or realize chips for dinner is a viable, if not entirely wise, option. Because the truth is, no one really prepares you for the bizarre, often lonely, sometimes liberating experience of being a grown-up. It just...happens. One day you’re in school with a packed lunch and a schedule, and the next you’re staring into your fridge wondering if crackers are enough to hold off your GERD.

Here are some hard truths about adulthood that no one warned me about, but I’ll warn you now.

When it comes to powders, I’ve always had a soft spot for baked formulas. There’s just something about their silky texture and luminous finish that makes them feel a little more special, a little more luxe and even at drugstore prices. So naturally, I had to try the Spotlight Sunbeam Powders(all under P500!) to see if they live up to their glowing promise.

White truffle. It's the kind of ingredient that instantly sounds expensive, and it is. This rare fungus, found mostly in Italy and only during specific seasons, has long been prized in fine dining. But recently, it’s found its way into skincare. Not as a gimmick, surprisingly, but as a genuinely useful active. And before you raise an eyebrow, let’s get into what makes this bougie-sounding ingredient actually worth considering.

I spend a lot of time lurking on Reddit, and one topic that comes up often is wealth disparity. It’s not surprising as this is, after all, one of the defining issues of our generation. The questions take different forms, but they usually boil down to this: what do rich people do than poor people don’t? There’s a certain obsession with decoding how to look rich, and just as urgently, how to avoid looking poor. I understand this. As someone who grew up financially challenged, there is definitely a pressure to break away from being perceived that way. Is that wrong?

I’m not rich, relatively, but I do sometimes hang out with rich people (being a member of two country clubs among other things). This is what I’ve observed rich people do differently. Do with this information what you will.

My mind has been all over the place recently because of some changes in my life and I'm having trouble keeping track of where I am. Obviously I know where my body is physically, but I feel like I'm in a constant state of flux where I can't just sit down and think. Too much stimuli is coming at me and I don’t have enough time to process everything. I play tennis, I go to the gym, but this just stops my mind from running for the time being.

Luckily I came across this post on Substack, and I found it so helpful I thought of sharing it here too.

Every time I start thinking about what beauty means to me now that I’m 37 and well into aging, I get overwhelmed by the task. I don’t feel like I’m old, still, but I acknowledge that my face and body have been changing over the years. I am surrounded by people who look considerably younger than their age because of botox and endless procedures, and they talk about it casually like what they’re having for dinner. That’s their prerogative and I’m genuinely happy that they’re achieving their goals. The side effect, however, is I am now desensitized to body modification culture.

Last year, I was seized by an incredibly strong desire to exhibit my paintings in an art gallery. I get this feeling fairly often. Sometimes I suddenly want to be in a band, or sing opera, or write a memoir and have it published by a respectable publishing house. Last year, I wanted to be An Artist. I was so sure I could make it happen!

Suddenly (and rather randomly), I was invited by an art curator to a show. I went, then attended a couple more openings. But nothing really came of it, mostly because I realized just how much work it takes—not just to make art consistently, but to network in that space and actually get into shows. Eventually, the burning desire faded into a small ember.

Acne is one of those things that manages to feel both like a teenage memory and a current crisis. We try the trendiest serums, the harshest scrubs, and even that one sketchy Pinterest hack we promised ourselves we’d never try again. (Calamansi is for juice and food, okay? Let’s leave it there.) If your acne treatment feels like a never-ending battle, maybe it’s not your skin that’s the problem, but how you’re treating it. Here are five common acne mistakes and the Oxecure product that gently (but effectively!) sets things right.

I didn’t know what to expect from Guerlain’s Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil Serum (P6,600 /30ml and P9,350 / 50ml). As someone who’s long been loyal to Japanese skincare—formulations that tend to be elegant, no-nonsense, and quietly effective—integrating a French luxury serum into my routine is fairly new to me. I imagined it would be a pleasant enough hydrating product, given the honey and royal jelly marketing, but nothing particularly transformative. I was wrong.

Recently, a plastic surgeon friend of mine casually offered to do liposuction on my arms. For free. Honestly? I’ve never seriously considered lipo before, but that single offer sent me into a spiral. You see, my arms have always been a huge insecurity of mine. They're the first place I gain fat and the last place it ever seems to leave. Even when I’m leaner everywhere else, my arms just…well, they stay the same. Flabby. Wide.

There’s a specific kind of heartbreak that happens when you fall in love with a dress on Instagram, only to find out it costs more than your monthly Meralco bill. But this isn’t new. We all know the drill. A Filipino brand posts a beautiful, flowy piece that looks like it was designed for a slow, sun-drenched afternoon at the beach. You click through, imagine yourself wearing it to brunch or maybe a low-effort art exhibit. Then you see the price. P4,000? For linen? From here? Suddenly, you’re closing tabs and whispering sweet nothings to your Uniqlo wardrobe for always being emotionally and financially available.

So why does buying local hurt our wallets this much?

Do you really need color correctors? For a lot of us, they seem like one of those optional steps in makeup—like contouring your nose or doing five layers of skincare before foundation. But there are times when even our fullest coverage concealer isn’t enough to cancel out stubborn redness or those dark, purplish shadows under the eyes. That’s where color correcting comes in.

Let’s talk about peptides—those teeny-tiny molecules that have been quietly transforming our skincare shelves and even sneaking into our haircare routines. They may sound like something you'd hear in a biology class (and you'd be right), but these little chains of amino acids have some serious clout when it comes to keeping our skin bouncy and our hair thriving. If you’ve ever wondered what peptides actually do, or why more and more products are proudly flaunting them on their labels, I’ve got you!

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz around the Ever Bilena Matte Face Powder. Apparently, it’s one of the brand’s best-selling products. That alone got me quite curious about the powder, but what really pushed me to try it was how often I’d see it pop up on TikTok and even in real life. I’ve actually spotted a few women at the mall casually pulling it out of their bags for a quick retouch, like it’s just a regular part of their routine. At around P150, depending on the promo, it’s remarkably budget-friendly. I’ll admit, I had a few biases because of the price, but I figured, why not? Let’s see what all the fuss is about. Here’s how it went!

In a country where it's summer basically year-round, long-wearing makeup isn't a nice-to-have, it's a must. Between the constant humidity, our love for commutes and food trips, and the fact that we’re always on the move, it’s not surprising that we’ve developed a soft spot for products that multitask and last all day. Most Filipinos are not doing full glam on a daily basis, but we still want to look fresh, polished, and put-together, without having to reapply every few hours.

I know, I know. Vitamin C has been around forever and you’ve probably heard it hyped up a million times by now. But there’s a reason it’s still everyone’s favorite brightening ingredient! The thing is, even though it’s been a staple in our skincare routines for years, the science behind it keeps evolving. Brands are finding smarter ways to make it more stable, less irritating, and generally better for all skin types.

So, let’s take a little refresher on why Vitamin C is still that girl, and then I’ll tell you about some new stuff from Hello Glow that I think you might want to check out.

I wore red lipstick the other day to go to the grocery. Not a tinted balm, not a sheer gloss pretending to be effort—a proper red. Matte, bold, the kind that says, “I have Opinions and I read ingredient lists for fun.” No one asked me to wear it. I wasn’t meeting anyone. In fact, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t run into a soul I knew, and if I did, they’d probably be wearing pajamas and tsinelas. And yet, there I was in aisle four, selecting oat milk like I was in a Vogue spread.

If you’ve been watching the local beauty scene lately (as I always do!), you might’ve noticed something interesting. Some homegrown brands are launching products like it’s a race — every month, sometimes even multiple drops in one season. Brow pencils this week, lip oils next week, and oh look, a “summer must-have” serum before you even finish your last one. Whew!

So what gives? Is it because we’ve suddenly become the innovation capital of the world? Well, not quite. It’s not like we manufacture many beauty products here in the Philippines; I’d say offhand that 80-85% of products are formulated and made abroad, with direction from the brands here, but yes with technology and capacity so far only available in other countries. Let’s discuss what’s going on.

You know it’s full-on summer in the Philippines when you’re already getting scorched by the sun at 7 AM. I usually play tennis outdoors at 6 AM, but next time, I’ll be switching to an indoor court—at least during the height of summer. It’s just so much kinder to the skin and hair, and honestly, I’d rather not start my day feeling like I’ve been roasted to a crisp.

That said, I wanted to share a few products I’ve been absolutely loving this season. They’ve been helping me feel pretty and put-together even when the weather’s doing the most.