What Beauty Looks Like for Filipinas Today
For these beauty insiders and content creators, ideals are shifting and so is the role of makeup.
Why do you get out of bed, get ready for the day, and decide to put on makeup? Is it because you want to cover blemishes you’re conscious about? Is it because your job requires you to? Or is it to impress your latest beau?
There are a myriad of possibilities as to why you may feel compelled to wear makeup. But perhaps, just like for many, there’s not much reason why. Maybe you simply want to because it makes you feel good—not for a 9-to-5, and definitely not for your partner. No longer just about pleasing the crowd, beauty is becoming more personal. So what is the pulse of Filipinas today on the discourse of beauty?
Allure Philippines asked beauty content creators, models, and insiders about evolving beauty ideals and the role makeup now plays in our lives.
Has the idea of a “perfect face” been replaced by a more expressive one?
It’s 2026, guys. I think we’re way past chasing perfection. And we’re more about expressing our true inner selves. And that’s really how I’ve seen the transformation in the beauty industry. And I’m so happy that everyone has started accepting themselves and showing what they’re proud of about themselves.
Alison Black, beauty queen
I think we’re moving more towards an expressive trend. People sometimes get bored with perfection. We want to see something expressive, different, and show who they are on the inside.
Bianca Ferro, beauty content creator and model
I feel like people are more in tune with their creativity, therefore expressing themselves more through makeup.
Tin Alli, digital marketer and entrepreneur
I think the idea of a perfect face—the perfect face is very subjective—so personally, I would prefer the expressive one.
Raffy So, makeup artist
I think it’s more of an expressive face, especially all the other makeup brands right now. They kind of look very similar, very the same, so I feel like more brands want to stand out, and that’s being more expressive, being more you.
Vic Perez, beauty content creator
I feel like it hasn’t been replaced because I feel like it’s always been there. I feel like space for expressiveness and for being yourself has always been there. Yes, sometimes beauty standards have perfection, but I feel like it was always there.
Bethany Talbot, model and content creator
Do you think makeup today is more about creating dimension than covering flaws?
BIANCA: Definitely, it’s more about creating dimension. Makeup doesn’t just exist to cover flaws; it exists to transform you into who you really are.
ALISON: I definitely think makeup is about creating more dimension now. I think we’re way past trying to cover flaws, acne, or whatever someone might be insecure about because it’s really about our individuality at the end of the day, and when you’re providing more dimension to your look, it’s really about your creativity and self-expression.
RAFFY: I think makeup today is more about creating dimension because the idea of perfect is very subjective, and I don’t think a perfect face exists. So I think makeup today is more about creating dimension rather than achieving perfection.
BETHANY: Definitely, I think it’s more about creating dimension. I know people look for makeup to somehow beautify themselves and to feel better about themselves, but I don’t think that’s necessarily about covering flaws. I think that’s just enhancing what you really have.
VIC: I think makeup today is more about creating dimension, because a lot of people have flaws to cover, but they want more makeup that will give them more dimension in a sense that you can change it up, change up your look, and have different makeup each day.
TIN: I definitely think there’s room for both, creating dimension and covering flaws. But I think we’re leaning more towards the dimension part since people want to enhance what they have, regardless of the flaws that society dictates.
Do you think people want makeup that performs, or makeup that transforms?
RAFFY: As a makeup artist who loves editorial makeup, but I think the practical answer is makeup that performs. For everyday makeup, I think it’s more practical to wear something skin-like, not super transformative, very natural.
VIC: For me, I think people want makeup that transforms because a lot of people, especially Filipinos nowadays, they love multi-use products. They want a foundation they can use in the morning, in the night, at the office, going out. So I think it’s like the mentality of getting more value for your money. So that’s why I think that they want makeup that transforms, so that you can use it day to night, in different areas.
ALISON: I think in beauty, we’re really in that movement of accepting ourselves, and instead of transformation, I think more consumers have been focusing on makeup that performs. It’s about the quality, it’s about how long it lasts, how good it lays on the skin, and I think that’s where we’re all headed.
BIANCA: I think people want makeup that transforms. People always want to feel beautiful by the end of their routine, and feel good about themselves.
BETHANY: Honestly, I think it depends. For everyday, I feel like I want makeup that really performs, as in that can last—especially with our weather now, ang init—so gusto natin ng something that performs. But for transformation, I feel like if you’re at an event where you want to transform yourself, you want to look your best.
TIN: I think people want makeup that performs because if it performs, it will automatically transform how you look and how you feel for the day.
What’s one beauty rule you think the industry should finally move away from?
BETHANY: Honestly, lahat ng rules. I don’t think beauty, makeup, anything should have rules. No matter if you’re a beauty expert or you’re just an everyday user, I believe that you can explore with makeup however you want to.
BIANCA: One beauty rule that I think the industry should finally move away from is that white equals beautiful. I think people of all skin tones and shades should embrace who they are naturally, and morena is beautiful.
RAFFY: One beauty rule that I think the industry should stay away from is that all morenas are warm, because in reality morenas come in a variety of undertones. You can be a morena neutral, morena cool, and morena warm.
TIN: One beauty rule I think we should abolish is ageism. We need to stop promoting youthful looks and promote looks in general without the idea of age, or being young as being more beautiful.
ALISON: I think the beauty rule or beauty standard that I think we should all move away from is being 100% polished. I think with social media, we all kind of entered a world where you have to be 1,000% perfect in your looks 24/7, and I think it’s time we go back to just being perfectly imperfect and just showing our true selves, whether it be in social media or in real life. Just being comfortable in our own skin.
VIC: One beauty rule I think the industry should pay more attention to is that they should make more products for dry skin like me. A lot of Filipino brands nowadays, they make a lot of products for oily skinned girls for the hot weather, but what about those girls like me who have dry skin, who don’t always want to wear matte makeup or matte setting spray? So I think that’s what should change in the industry now.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes. Beauty insiders and content creators in the Philippines describe a clear shift from perfection toward self-expression. Rather than chasing a uniform standard, Filipinas are using makeup to reflect individuality — a trend reinforced by makeup artists, models, and digital entrepreneurs active in the 2026 beauty landscape.
Most Filipina beauty professionals now frame makeup as a tool for creating dimension rather than concealing imperfections. The emphasis has shifted toward enhancing natural features and exploring looks — not conforming to a fixed standard of what a face should look like without visible flaws.
Opinions vary by use case. Everyday wear favors performance — longevity and skin-compatibility in tropical humidity. Event or editorial looks favor transformation. Multi-use products that bridge both are gaining ground, particularly among Filipina consumers seeking value across different contexts and times of day.
Filipina beauty insiders call out several: the equation of light skin with beauty, the assumption that morenas only have warm undertones, the lack of products formulated for dry skin, ageism in beauty marketing, and the pressure to appear flawlessly polished on social media at all times.
Beauty for Filipinas in 2026 is increasingly personal, expressive, and self-determined. Across skin tones, ages, and skin types, the focus has moved from pleasing external standards to reflecting inner identity — a shift described by beauty creators, queens, and makeup artists as both industry-wide and deeply personal.
