The quest for beauty will probably continue to be that—a quest. Our individual differences dictate that there is no true and proven way to achieve beauty. But as they say, a destination is best defined by the journey taken.

And in that journey, it gives us comfort to either learn from others along the way or be assured of the efforts we make.

For my part, here’s how I maintain my looks. Remember that the advice below comes from a 43-year-old woman who’s a personality development consultant of the School of Fashion & the Arts.

1. My beauty regimen:

a. Morning: When I wake up, I do my stretching exercises and wash my face with a mild facial wash. After my bath, I apply Ever Bilena Spa-VCO9, an EVO-based lotion, on my arms and legs, so my skin will not dry up too fast.

Through the day, I use a moisturizing spritz for my face since women my age are prone to dry skin, which equals itchiness and redness. The best I’ve been using so far is Hype-Ardent Toner spritz.

b. Evening: After washing my face, I spritz my face and apply Murad Essential-C Daily Renewal Complex cream on my face and neck.

2. Tried and tested beauty tips:

My skin is allergic to most bar soaps, but I use Olay Age Defy beauty bar for my body since it works like a body wash. Other than that, I use body washes.

Doing aerobic exercises at least thrice a week definitely makes you feel younger and more energetic.

3. My definition of “beauty.”

I’ve seen a woman once. She just had on a white shirt, jeans and flat shoes, and wore no makeup (except maybe for sunscreen and gloss); but she had great posture, looked confident and had the most infectious smile and laugh. Now that’s beautiful.

4. My beauty advice for young readers:

Study your face and decide on what feature you want people to remember you by—then enhance it through either makeup or extra caring. Until you reach age 19, your body and skin are still adjusting to your physiological growth, so don’t have anything done on them. Your smile and having a great personality are your best accessories—use them. Just follow the general rules of hygiene and health, and you’ll be fine.

What others say

Moreover, I encouraged nine of the country’s most amazingly beautiful women to share, not only their basic beauty regimen, but some of their secrets as well, for staying and looking young.

LOU BUNYI-PAREJA, 41, freelance make-up artist at Emphasis salon

1. My beauty regimen:

1. Morning —Sunblock and eye cream, hair treatment at least once a month and lotion for body

b.   Evening —Facial wash and night cream

2. Tried and tested beauty tips:

Drink a lot of water and exercise.

Make sure to remove makeup before going to bed no matter how tired you are. Vaseline is a cheap eye and makeup remover. It’s also great for fixing chapped, scaly lips. Never use bar soap on your face. Instead, use makeup remover and facial wash.

Use sunblock everyday.

“Hair is the crown of beauty,” so look after your hair and do the treatments and styling. To improve your hair’s shine, mayonnaise your hair. Apply 1/2 cup of mayonnaise to your dry hair, work in really well, cover your head with a plastic wrap, and let it set for about 15 minutes.

Don’t stress yourself!

3. My definition of beauty:

Beauty is only skin deep. When someone makes me smile, s/he is beautiful to me.

4. My beauty advice for young readers:

Age is just a number. Taking care of yourself and your skin is the key to keeping young. Start your beauty regimen now and always feel beautiful. If you look good, you will feel good!

GEM PADILLA-THOMAS, 42, beauty queen and triathlete

1. My skin beauty regimen is the usual:

Cleanse, tone and moisturize.

I only have my morning moisturizer and evening moisturizer. And I never go out without sunscreen.

2. Tried and tested beauty tips:

The only beauty tip I can offer is to wear sunscreen.

3. My own definition of beauty:

Beauty is an overused adjective. Beauty to me is relative, so I think everyone is beautiful in her own way. I can’t find any beauty from those women who only value outer appearance and forget the importance of substance.  There’s a special kind of beauty in people who have kindness, intelligence and heart.

4. My beauty advice for young readers:

Make time to do things that make you happy. I choose running. Running has given me a reason to test my limits. It also gave me a new understanding of pain and has helped me redefine the meaning of “insurmountable.”

Don’t be discouraged to explore new things just because you are no spring chicken. The only way to determine your capabilities is to try. Listen to your body, start small, enjoy your sport, and if you train hard, learn to recover. If some moron says that you are too old to try, don’t believe it.

Getting older is inevitable so enjoy your body while you can. And as the song’s ending goes, “But trust me on the sunscreen.”

PATTY BETITA, 42, Image consultant and model trainer

1. My beauty regimen:

I discovered virgin coconut oil many years ago and have since then used it as my moisturizer. Once a week I go to Facial Care Center for all my treatments, from firming facials, diamond peel, Refirme, Laser tone and facial masks. I’ve been endorsing the brand since 1996 and I’m happy it has taken good care of me.

a. Morning—I do the usual CTM (cleanse, tone and moisturize) every day.  I’ve also added Shisho BB cream from the Body Shop in my beauty kit. I also use its Shiso white eye serum, which keeps my eye area firm since I am prone to eye bags.

b. Evening—I use night cream and serum and make sure I don’t forget to moisturize my neck, arms and hands.

2. Tried and tested beauty tips:

I’m a fan of the Body Shop’s body butters. At present, I use the Vanilla duo cream. It really keeps my skin smooth and velvety.

I go to Emphasis salon for my hair treatments, and Posh Nails for my “mani-peds.” I have a whole body-and-foot massage once a week.

I drink lots of water and take green tea and wheatgrass drink every day. I also take lemongrass tea with lemon and ginger after meals.

Moisturize, use sunblock and drink lots of water morning and evening! Eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly. Always keep a positive outlook in life. Be happy and laugh a lot, it’s infectious!

3. My definition of beauty:

Beauty is more than just what you see on the surface. I consider a person beautiful if she has peace of mind, is kind to people, knows how to share her blessings, knows how to take care of herself and her loved ones, and above all, honors God. With all these, you see a happy, contented, beautiful person, inside and out.

4. My beauty advice for young readers:

For wardrobe, comfort is key. Wear age appropriate outfits.

The best make up for me is the “no-makeup look.” Have a regular skin care regimen.

To be continued next week:Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez,Bea Recto-Agnir, Mirza Sison-Wisniewski, Desiree Verdadero-Abesamis, Suyin Chi-Sia, Issa Gonzales-Agana