An Editorial Conversation: The Golden Age Of Print In Beauty

More than once in your life, you’ve probably romanticized the hustle of the girl who lands a job in her dream publication—and we all have to thank the chick flick movies of the early 2000s for that. If not the films, then it’s probably the glorious gloss of past print magazines that’s reeled you in, as they were practically our bibles for all things fashion and beauty. The only drawback, if we may say, was the exclusivity of the industry—but let’s be honest, it didn’t make it any less enticing.

So what went down two decades ago if you were a beauty editor in print? What was it like to witness the golden era of print publication and to work in it? Here, an exclusive with the names who’ve actually lived the dream—or are actually still living in it. No holds barred, they take us through the ins and outs of the job, through time and change, from the magic of print magazines to the onset of the digital boom.

A Beauty Legend

“[The print industry] was an era when it was really just us editors of magazines and dailies who were present—the influencers of today weren’t present yet,” shares Agoo Bengzon, the former beauty editor of Preview and the current beauty director of MEGA Magazine. It is a known fact that this was the time when the community was intimate and small, so it is no joke when they say that everyone knew everyone. Was it a bad thing? Not necessarily, but a lot of things, such as the tricks of the trade, were kept in the dark, especially if you weren’t a part of this said community.

Aside from the fact that circles were kept tight, production moved slightly differently since resources—both for piquing one’s imagination to communicating ideas—were limited. Pre-production meetings consisted of pegs or references that were somewhat abstract compared to the extensive concept decks that editorial teams present nowadays, thanks in large part to the digital tools at hand.

If you think about it, the editors back then exercised creativity on a whole new level. Bengzon recalls a beauty editorial that involved submerging the model’s body from the neck down, buried in the sand because, well, photo manipulation wasn’t a thing of the past. Despite the limitations, it didn’t stop the editorial teams from getting a little crazy if deemed necessary. In fact, it allowed them to exercise their creativity muscles in ways unimaginable.

Since we’re on the topic of productions, we just had to ask the beauty editor if there’s an old cover she would consider her all-time favorite, to which she responded with Preview’s September issue back in 2005. Plastered on the cover was none other than the fashion jetsetter herself and now fashion influencer, Heart Evangelista, shot by esteemed photographer, Pat Dy, who was able to capture her classical and delicate beauty, in a way that still fits in today’s current flow of trends.

When it came to post-production, you’d probably expect the process to last at least a month because AI and Photoshop weren’t exactly their best friends yet. Surprisingly, though, Bengzon reveals that including both conceptualizing and shooting, it would only take a week or two to complete the task. As for graveyard shifts during closing days, the beauty editor was quite diligent with her time management to avoid going home late, and let’s just say, she’s so real for that.

As for the pretty side of the job, we’re all aware of how exciting it is when you’re invited to beauty events, and we can’t deny that these are the occasions we’d love to indulge in when the opportunity arises. Technically speaking, these affairs had the same beat we have today, but since they kept it pretty limited before, getting access was more controlled, hence the small yet chic parties The Devil Wears Prada had in their scenes.

Keep in mind that all these are just an accumulation of Bengzon’s experience with print in beauty for the past two decades. Was it much of a difference from how it is now? Well, if you look closely, the major difference is that there was more space for creativity in beauty back then, as they really had to stretch their brains, and well… exclusivity was at its peak since most of the affairs were kept in a hush-hush without social media hovering over their shoulders.

Hello There, Andy Sachs

Onto the next era of print, we’re now in the point of time where beauty and print meet the digital age, and we get to see this through Kate Paras-Santiago, the former fashion editor of Chalk magazine back in 2017, and the current fashion and beauty editor of Metro.Style. Her entryway into the industry started with a daring email sent to top stylist Pam Quiñones (now fashion director of Vogue Philippines) to see if she could be her intern, and lo and behold, she got the gig—we’re taking note of this application move for future purposes.

Being an intern is a rite of passage, and it will really make you go through it all. From steaming clothes, taping shoes, and assisting in fashion shows to pulling out and returning clothes, these tiresome errands are the building blocks of any publication babe out there. On top of that, the idea of working in publication wasn’t all that common, so you can imagine Paras’ worries when she began her path to print.

Her career took off when she applied for the fashion assistant position at Chalk magazine, where she got promoted to fashion editor. While her background mostly consisted of fashion, Paras’ beauty journey began when she was offered the role of beauty editor at Metro magazine—before everything went online.

It would be best to say that during this time, many people were paying attention to titles such as Preview, MEGA, Total Girl, Candy, and Metro—making the idea of print more appealing. And once you’re knee-deep in the world of publication, very very rare opportunities like chit-chatting with Jo Malone CBE herself when she visited Manila or meeting the founder of Benefit Cosmetics tend to happen—both of which Paras herself actually experienced—and no, we are definitely not jealous at all!

Since we’re on the topic of the perks, you must know that Paras’ era was the height of the flights, courtesy of press trips. Editors were often flown out of the country to cover fashion week, hold photoshoots, and even attend product launches quite regularly—keep in mind that back then, you must’ve been someone to be at these events.

So how was beauty in print before? It still had the same tone as Bengzon in her time. Creativity was practiced with heavy imagination, and that gave them that edge of fantasy on each spread. The pages were filled with concepts that brought new perceptions of beauty to life, even if they weren’t exactly friendly or sensible to wear on a daily basis. Paras reminisced about the time when they had to splash on foundation and loose powder in one go. Can you imagine how nerve-wracking that was?

Alas, things had to change, and people who went through this time of print went through the toughest transition—the beginning of the digital age. As for the beauty editor, she admitted that the resistance was real, which is a common reaction when a new system is being introduced. “Anything foreign often meets some form of resistance, so yes, I did find difficulty having to be an online editor before, but eventually, I got the hang of it and got used to the fast pace,” shares Paras.

We saw it start around the early 2010s, but it hit full force when the pandemic happened. Everyone went into hibernation mode, and we were all tuned in online. You might ask, what were the major changes? Well, picture this with us: Producing a print issue usually takes an entire month of production, and that includes the work hours of the art department and the writers, up until the editors. So imagine all of that being narrowed down to cramped timelines because you have to churn out articles daily, and we’re not just talking about one article; everything depends on the urgency to publish. Goodbye to integrity, and hello to page views.

The ever-changing world of digital makes it harder for writers and editors to understand the formula to hack the job. We truly live by the saying, “Leave everything you know behind and always welcome the new, because that is how fast things turn around nowadays.” Take it from the beauty editor herself: “There is never a “perfect formula” because our industry and the dynamics of the job are always changing, so it’s important to be able to adapt, grow, and be willing to start all over again, even if it means having to become a student again after 16 years of being on the job,” says Paras.

An example of this would be the current situation in the beauty industry. One must always keep their eyes on social media because of the dizzying pace it has, and this includes both the realms of makeup and skincare—and beyond. Before, we’d know about the latest makeup trends via print, but now we quickly move on to the next to avoid being left behind. A great way to sum this up, as Paras puts it, is that their era had the luxury of time.

Xoxo, Digibabes

Time is not a hard concept to grasp, but it can be hard to manage when you’re thrown into it quite suddenly. On the flip side, if you’re familiar with technology, then you have an advantage. Elisa Aquino, the former beauty editor of Wonder magazine, experienced print in beauty on the cusp of the digital invasion. At the age of 19, the beauty girl was able to score a gig as an editorial intern for a publishing company that made her go through the ropes of both digital and print. Talk about perfect timing.

So how did one jumpstart their career with technology on their side and right at their fingertips? Well, with your new smartphone in hand and Tumblr just a tap away, you were basically the next big thing in your circle of friends. She was also smart for using that as her portfolio to secure her internship in the first place, but of course, the struggle to build it was very evident since she was still starting. “Social media was only starting to emerge, and the term “influencer” did not yet exist,” says Aquino. “You created for yourself and not necessarily an audience.”

On the other hand, another beauty editor found her way into the industry by going the extra mile, a.k.a. calling and emailing every possible publication out there. While the effort was very evident, it is common to not receive any reply—that is, until Christine Dychiao, the blogger behind Manila Fashion Observer, gave this now well-known editor the break she deserves. After receiving passes to a show at Philippine Fashion Week (which was huge, back in the day, FYI), she brought a friend with her to take photos of her to use for her first unofficial story online. This true story was told by none other than Belle Rodolfo herself, who is currently the beauty editor of L’Officiel and one of the country’s top beauty creators.

The common denominator between these two is that they welcomed the inclusion of the digital landscape rather than resisting it in the first place. It’s definitely one way to secure a spot before things get crowded in the industry!

Fast forward to their time in the industry, Rodolfo emphasized the need for a plethora of visuals from the vast sea of social media to supplement stories, since shooting every article wasn’t the most cost-efficient thing to do. It’s why there seems to be more authenticity in digital compared to print and its meticulous production. Speaking of print, the beauty editor did express that making editorials now doesn’t make it easier; in fact, the standards are much higher because anyone can produce an article that is considered visually beautiful. It really begs the question, “What falls under the category of a beautiful editorial in this day and age?” “If you do it now, it has to be worthwhile and it has to be different,” says Rodolfo.

As someone who was exposed to the differences between print and digital, Aquino saw the difference between the standards of the past and present. Since it was the height of technology, the effect it had on beauty was that Photoshop was overused, or, in other words, there was no room for imperfections. This was concerning if you’re a young girl finding her way through the chaos that is called social media, where almost everything is beautified to the max.

The merit of this unfortunate issue was that as trends move, behavior and perspective move as well. Since we’ve grown tired of unrealistic standards of beauty, fellow editors and writers have transitioned to a more inclusive direction—well, some have. In the words of Aquino, “So much has changed in the past few years. There is no one-size-fits-all standard of beauty.”

This sentiment was echoed by Rodolfo’s own observation, also voicing out the lack of inclusivity since Western beauty was more standard-forward. That isn’t directly saying that the editorials of the past lacked beauty in their visuals, but there was a scarcity of representation that wasn’t so uplifting for those who were exposed to it at an early age. Thankfully, the shift today is pretty evident since we are now welcoming a beautiful range of people and their matchless appearances.

It’s definitely refreshing to see this unfold over the years, and the culture behind beauty editorial teams has progressed significantly. During her time at Wonder, Aquino was able to practice honesty in her work, giving her articles a relatable edge thanks to her vulnerability. Not only that, but she also used the platform to advocate for different communities and personalities through the beauty spreads she produced.

The beat of inclusivity also influenced the movement of speech, promoting a rather candid beauty community as time passed. Ultimately, it did affect the publication industry since Rodolfo talked about how beauty writing before was more censored and safe, like not writing a product if you don’t like it—as simple as that! This is practiced in many media publications, but with the rise of personal content, she expressed that there is more freedom now compared to before since it champions one’s review, and brands do lend an ear to various reviews if their product is being talked about in the beauty hemisphere. She adds, “Beauty content creator culture has been so encouraging in being more upfront about one’s personal experience, and all the more now brands are more understanding of that.”

Hot Take For To Go, Please!

If there are a few things we’d highlight from this editorial conversation, it would be creativity, integrity, and authenticity. Let’s go through each one, shall we?

In Bengzon’s time, they had the privilege to exercise their creativity without the help of the visual aids we have today, making them the trailblazers of the industry. Most of them relied on their imagination and their vision, which enabled them to produce fantasies that were not common at the time. Because of what they did before, they have become the standard of fashion artistry that we refer to to this day.

Where does integrity come into play in all this? During Paras’ time, they had to learn how to balance catering to both the audience of print and digital, and eventually, go purely digital—which can be detrimental for a publication. A writer’s integrity is the hardest to hold onto when you have put numbers at the top of the list, and we have seen many writers struggle with the mere thought of page views. It begs the question: Why do we still write? Well, we’ll let you ponder on that question for now.

Our last point is what we’d call the light at the end of the tunnel, and that is the rise of authenticity. From heavily editing photos to create an illusion of perfection to becoming an instrument of inclusivity and representation, it undoubtedly took a while for us to reach this part of the print in beauty, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Collage by Dannah Valdezco. Women holding magazine by © Antoni Shkraba. Sky by © LevaNevsky. Gold vintage frame by © Krimkate via canva.com