Cosmo's Executive Editor Drops The Inside Scoop On Our Covers, Crushes, And Hottest Summer Moments

If the past few months felt like a blur, hard same. But the good kind—the kind where your camera roll's full, your calendar's even fuller, and your iced coffee's basically spilling over from all the chaos. That might have something to do with me making the leap from Associate to Executive Editor (!), and while nothing's really changed, I do catch myself saying "actionable insights" and "strategy" a lot more now.

But amid all the flurry, what stood out most for me was finding the Cosmo community everywhere I turned. We danced all night with you at the Cosmo Summer Party, swapped sunscreen recos at our Beauty Club sesh, and I even saw you tuning in (and taking photos of my slides about sex, LOL) during my talk at Cosmobeauté.

Beyond the events, the way you showed up for our stories and covers felt like we were in each other's Close Friends list—reacting to the same posts, hyping each other up, and in on the same inside jokes. That just confirmed what we already knew: you get it, and you're in it with us.

It's wild to think we're already halfway through the year. (Seriously, how?!) But when we look back at everything that's happened these past three months, it all makes sense. 

We wrapped up April with the second-ever Cosmo Lifestyle Awards, where we spotlighted products, experiences, and services that help us live more intentionally (and stylishly, of course). This year, we also took it further with a special feature that broke down our top picks across five lifestyle pillars—Style & Living, Food & Drink, Travel & Transpo, Health & Wellness, and Career & Money—with honest reviews, Cosmo POVs, and real-girl recos.

When we were gathering everything for the shoot, I realized how many of my own go-tos had made it to the final list. It honestly didn't take much debating—this is the Cosmo lifestyle because it's something we all actually live.

We unlocked a new character for our cover: Filipino-American streaming superstar Rachell Marie "Rae" Hofstetter a.k.a. Valkyrae, a true multi-hyphenate. It was her first-ever cover with us (!), and talking to her team—based in LA—really reminded me how universal the Cosmo Girl experience is. Her fans show up for her no matter where she is in the world. The Pinoy pride? So real.

Then, in June, we dropped a powerhouse cover with Sarah Geronimo, who's all in on her flow state. She literally put the "Tala" in cover star. (See what I did there?) And she showed us that what we see now isn't just the polished reflection of a pop star—it's the depth beneath the surface.

We actually shot Sarah way back in February, but her story? Totally timeless—just like she's always been. Talking to her felt surreal because I grew up watching her as Laida Magtalas, and now, seeing her evolve, I realize that character reflects my own publishing journey too—moving to New York, chasing new chapters, and growing in my own career.

In June, we held our first Cosmo Beauty Club session of the year—focused on one non-negotiable: sunscreen. Over 100 members signed up via our Facebook Group, and 15 Beauty Besties joined us for a hands-on test sesh featuring four hyped local SPFs.

We also brought in a board-certified derm Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas (a.k.a. our skin fairy godmother) to answer all your sunscreen Qs—and streamed it live on TikTok, of course. It was a fun, glowy reminder that Cosmo's digital-first community hits different when we show up in person.

Cosmopolitan Philippines proudly partnered with the first-ever Cosmobeauté Philippines, Asia's biggest B2B beauty trade show coming to our shores for the first time.

I got on stage to talk—or, honestly, passionately yap for 30 minutes—about what it really takes to create beauty content that cuts through the noise in today's digital-first world. TL;DR: Beyond algorithms and trends, content that's personal, relatable, and real will always find its way onto people's feeds. Because at the end of the day, it's not about chasing numbers—it's about making a real connection.

We brought the Cosmo Campus Playground to ADMU, DLSU, Miriam, and UST—and turned regular school days into skincare-powered fun with booths and games. (My personal fave was the Whac-A-Mole Breakout Battle, LOL.) With help from NIVEA, students got to play games, win prizes, and try out glow-boosting products. There were photo spots, the Cosmo Beauty Cart, and tons of freebies.