Magazine editors—be they the fashion or beauty kind—have long held our fascination. Think of Andy Sachs and how we ogled over her cardigan-to-couture transformation in The Devil Wears Prada, or coincidentally, Andie Anderson from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and her escapades as a writer for Composure. Such films portrayed the magazine industry as a rarified world of VIP events, runway shows, and an unending stream of beauty loot and champagne, which to some degree, was also true of the local publishing industry. Such iconic imagery of an editor—one clad in designer clothes whilst presiding over it all in her swanky corner office—has been so ingrained into our consciousness that we sometimes forget these films came out more than a decade ago. Needless to say, a whole lot has changed since then.
An Inevitable Evolution
For the most part, print media has been the dominant way in which people consume beauty and fashion news. In its heyday, there were hundreds of titles reporting on the latest trends and innovations in the industry, with women hanging onto every word. Then in the 1990s the Internet went mainstream, and suddenly the world was at our fingertips. People started blogging and magazines started publishing their content online, which readers could access for free. And while the printed page will always have its allure, the convenience and accessibility of the digital world soon took hold.
“During my time as editor, I witnessed how everything shifted to digital. The change was, indeed, inevitable. All of a sudden, I belonged to the group that was referred to as traditional media,” recalls Hector Reyes, the former beauty editor and editor-in-chief of Sense&Style magazine. Agoo Bengzon, who worked as the beauty editor of Preview magazine in the 2000s when it was in print, remembers her experience with much fondness. “Every month, we had a pre-production meeting where we pitched stories for each of our sections. My job was to come up with a lineup that would be attuned to the beauty trends as well as the upcoming launches. [I also had to] attend events, and produce one beauty editorial a month.” And then there was the annual Beauty Awards, where Agoo excitedly “road tested each and every product.” With her expertise honed through years of being exposed to almost everything that came to market, Agoo was able to give readers a shortlist of the best products to try. She is currently the beauty director of MEGA.
I miss the time when it took a huge amount of effort to produce a magazine each and every month, making sure every photo and every word in every page was perfect.—Rorie Carlos Manzano
Another beauty editor who worked at around the same time was Nicole R. Vagner of Cosmopolitan Philippines. She reminisces about how fun and rewarding her job was. “Being in the creative field was new back then and I had the privilege of working with like-minded people who were at the top of their game. We were all learning from each other and pushing each other to produce the best content and shoots.”
This was also the era veteran editor Rorie Carlos Manzano, who worked as fashion editor of Preview and Marie Claire, as well as fashion and beauty director of Town&Country, Martha Stewart Philippines, and Hola!, made her mark. “What I loved most was working with so many creative people, brainstorming, and executing hundreds of shoots with them. I miss the time when it took a huge amount of effort to produce a magazine each and every month, making sure every photo and every word in every page was perfect. ”
And while some of these publications have since transitioned to digital, it seems the work has merely evolved. Another of Preview’s past beauty editors, Nicole Arcano, who came in when digital was on the rise, shares how she held a lot of the same responsibilities as her predecessors, with the added layer of managing the magazine’s social media and website.
Arcano attributes the success of digital media to a mix of “accessibility, convenience, and on the journalist’s side, creativity and knowing what your audience wants to see.” She appreciates that digital media “has more tangible data—such as high page views and positive engagement–that helps us editors gauge what would be successful more objectively.” She shares that the editors often have ideas on what stories will resonate based on their gut feel, and the data would be a way to gauge whether the article is “popular” or not. But at the end of the day, both are integral. “Data and the team’s creativity have to work hand in hand to keep the brand alive.”
(Clockwise from top left): A portrait of Hector Reyes for a Manila Bulletin feature; Hector at the Sense&Style office; portraits of Nicole Arcano, Nicole’s 2019 Beauty Awards story for Preview; the previous Preview team with Agoo Bengzon and Rorie Manzano; a portrait of Rorie in black and white.
The Rise of Social Media
And while the shift to digital has democratized the way information is shared and consumed, it was nothing compared to the sea change that social media would bring. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok, became places where people started spending most of their time. And where the people go, so do the journalists.
Regular folk like you and me started having their own accounts, giving everyone a venue to gush about their favorite products or do makeup tutorials. It was interactive, and spontaneous, and felt exciting and fun. Eventually, some people got so good at producing content that they started to do this professionally, and thus the “influencer” was born, giving editors a bit of a competition for people’s increasingly limited attention spans.
This hugely personal approach to beauty was the opposite of what a few old-school beauty editors have been accustomed to, some of whom had been instructed not to be associated with any brands. Nicole Vagner recalls that during her time at Cosmopolitan: “We weren’t supposed to write or express our personal opinions about any of the products because we were speaking on behalf of the magazine and it was important to appear unbiased.” It was only when she started blogging later on that she began consciously noticing that her readers were looking for more of her own thoughts. “That’s when I realized that things were shifting and that I had to start being more transparent and insert my personal take on things.”
Editors who started their careers later on may have less of an adjustment to how their professional and personal lives may interact (and intersect) on the little screens. For one, it has become nearly impossible to completely separate the two, with readers perhaps expecting to see some consistency between what a beauty journalist talks about at work, and how she is living her life. Secondly, having an online presence may even open up new opportunities for both the writer and the magazine. If you inherently like creating and telling stories, the hardest step [in transitioning to digital] would be learning how a platform works and what engages people in that platform. But if you have something to say, translating content will be easier and more authentic.—Belle Rodolfo
“I think social media and digitization have really pushed people from my industry to think of better ways to tell one’s stories. It’s definitely made it easier to personally connect with readers, even to share parts of my life with them, but it also allows readers to have a conversation with the platform and the editor,” declares Belle Rodolfo, beauty editor of L’Officiel Philippines, who herself has expanded to become one of the most reputable Filipino beauty content creators today. Nowadays, she says, they are even encouraged to collaborate and partner with brands, as long as they are transparent about it to their readers. Brands can either have projects with the editor or with the title specifically. “All in all, it becomes a win-win situation for everyone as it’s a practice that nourishes relationships with brands and people that one also works with for the magazine.”
From the perspective of cosmetics companies, the presence of social media is also a great addition to their arsenal of marketing tools. Sam Gallardo, formerly the brand manager of NARS, shares, “With the digital space, it’s relatively easier to reach your desired audience… you can get creative, too.” In fact, the introduction of photos and videos on social media can help people see their products in action and further communicate their brand’s DNA. “Beauty products are high touch–we want to see it on our skin. With digital happening, we can now simulate the color of a product on our lips, the proof of it being long-wearing can be through an IG post of an influencer, and the formula can be seen through a makeup artist on Tiktok.” She now handles Ultherapy, which has arguably become one of the most popular treatments among the social-savvy set, too.
Given how much of an impact social media has on branding and marketing, most, if not all publications are also present on multiple platforms. Thus, from merely thinking of how a story would work on the printed page, beauty editors now have to consider how it will play out online, and on the apps. But for L’Officiel’s Belle, sometimes it’s all the same. “If you inherently like creating and telling stories, the hardest step would be learning how a platform works and what engages people in that platform. But if you have something to say, translating content will be easier and more authentic.”
But there is still something to be said about the good old days when we weren’t glued to our phone screens. Agoo recalls that back then, she “enjoyed attending events and launches, savoring every moment without having to worry about taking stellar pictures or tagging accounts and using the correct hashtags.” Sense&Style’s Hector also recalls how he would encourage his writers to go out into the world, and “experience beauty firsthand,” trying out new salons, treatments, and the like. He reckons this was the best way for his writers to learn, and really be able to share the experience with their readers.
(Clockwise from top right): A portrait of Belle Rodolfo; Belle’s beauty editors for L’Officiel Philippines for the March 2021 issue shot by Andrea Beldua and another shot by Koji Arboleda; Sam Gallardo (rightmost in photo) at a beauty event with NARS training manager Tamara Pineda and marketing manager Phoebe Aguilar; Nicole Romero Vagner in Cote d’ Azur; Nicole creating makeup swatches behind the scenes; illustrations of Agoo Bengzon; Agoo with L’Occitane founder Olivier Baussan.
Once a Beauty Editor, Always a Beauty Editor
Despite massive industry-wide transformations, it seems editors are still the same beauty aficionados and creative visionaries they’ve always been, albeit with new tools and a few new tricks up their sleeves. Hector Reyes believes, “To stay relevant in this digital age, we need to adapt to the changes and remain open to all possibilities. Regardless of the platform, the readers will always be interested in something that can be beneficial to them.”
To Rorie, a good beauty editor is “someone who can multitask, write well, and is knowledgeable, not only about the latest beauty trends and launches but also the history of skincare and makeup. It’s important to be passionate, organized, and learn how to cultivate relationships with brands early on.” She advises aspiring editors to “write, write, and write some more. Readers want to be able to relate to you and the photo, and words will help them connect with what you’re featuring.” [True beauty journalists] are intelligent, product- and ingredient-obsessed, and relentless in searching for what’s next and telling the story.
With everyone being a self-professed expert online, it’s both easy and hard to rise above the sea of content. But true beauty fans will always be able to tell the difference between an expert and a content ‘publisher.’—Sam Gallardo
Sam believes that despite the new developments in media nowadays, there is a core responsibility that has to be maintained. “It’s having accountability with content—well-researched, well-staged, well-written pieces are still a must regardless if it is online or offline.” And despite how fast it is to put something out now, she feels that true beauty journalists are still a rare breed. “They are intelligent, product- and ingredient-obsessed, and relentless in searching for what’s next and telling the story. With everyone being a self-professed expert online, it’s both easy and hard to rise above the sea of content. But true beauty fans will always be able to tell the difference between an expert and a content ‘publisher.’”
There’s also the issue of beauty not merely being skin deep. The industry that’s built on looks it seems, is really not that superficial. “Beauty is heavily linked to self-perception, which has a huge impact on how we all live our lives. With that in mind, I think it’s my job as a beauty journalist to serve people’s self-perception and live positively by giving them reasonable things to aspire to and providing the correct information that they deserve in order to make their own choices,” shares Nicole Arcano.
At the end of the day, being a beauty editor is still about responsible journalism, engaging storytelling, and an intense love and passion for the job, and for people. Perhaps our skins wouldn’t be as hydrated or as protected from sun exposure if the editors of years past weren’t talking about it every chance they got. Thus, whether one is flipping the pages, or scrolling through one’s screens, beauty writing touches lives. And with the beauty industry, nay, the world, constantly in flux, it has become even more imperative for editors to help readers make better decisions—just like the great friend they’ve always been, and always will be.
