This is a reality even for Nicole Morales, founder of The Beauty Edit, a local beauty subscription website that educates and empowers beauty enthusiasts through its engaging events and stories. In an interview with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Nicole shares the challenges of leading a business while juggling motherhood—and how she navigates both by finding beauty in the simplest things in life.

For Nicole, Mother’s Day isn’t about the usual flowers or cards. It’s something quieter—and deeper. “It’s a pause,” she says. “A moment to zoom out from the blur of daily life and take stock of the weight, joy, and everyday heroism of motherhood.”

That ethos—the idea that real beauty and value often lie in what’s unseen—runs through everything she touches. From the way she parents to the way she curates products for The Beauty Edit, Nicole champions honesty, nuance, and the unseen labor that makes life beautiful.

Nicole’s first Mother’s Day memory isn’t from a glamorous brunch or an over-the-top celebration. It’s from five years ago, in the thick of the pandemic.

“I was breastfeeding full-time, quietly building the beginnings of The Beauty Edit, and trying to find clarity in the chaos,” she recalls. “But in that little pocket of time, with my six-month-old looking up at me, there was joy. There was hope. There was purpose.”

It’s no coincidence that those themes—hope, care, and clarity—became the foundation of The Beauty Edit.

“I wanted to make space for real women and real life,” she explains. “Motherhood shaped that mission. It made me more intentional. I started asking: Who are we really serving? What matters to them? And how can beauty be a form of care, not pressure?”

Motherhood has undeniably shaped Nicole’s view of beauty. “It stripped away the performance,” she says. “I used to think full routines were signs of discipline. Now I know beauty is more forgiving than that. Some days it’s red lipstick; other days it’s SPF and surviving. Both are valid.”

And while she doesn’t plan to hand down a set of beauty rules to her daughter, she hopes to pass down something more lasting: a philosophy.

“I want her to see that beauty isn’t about fixing or hiding. It’s about caring for yourself, enjoying the process, and not taking it too seriously.”

That perspective shows up in her parenting, her work, and even her product picks. Asked for the one product every mom deserves, she doesn’t hesitate:

“Something that makes you feel instantly pulled together. A really good lip product or a perfume you can claim as your own. One swipe or spritz—and you're back to yourself.”

At the heart of The Beauty Edit is a community that reflects Nicole’s own journey—women who wear many hats and are looking for beauty that meets them where they are. Through content, events, and curated boxes, she aims to give women—especially mothers—a reason to pause and feel seen.

“Mothers bring so much honesty and perspective to our space,” she says. “They remind us that beauty isn’t always glossy—and that’s what makes it real.”

This Mother’s Day, Nicole and her team are celebrating all kinds of caretakers with The Beauty Edit Box Vol. 16: The Motherload.

“They say ‘motherlode’ when you strike gold. We say Motherload—because this box is stacked,” Nicole says, smiling. “Not just with treasures, but with meaning. It’s a tribute to the women who hold it all—schedules, group chats, emotional labor—and still find ways to show up with love.”

It’s not just for moms, she clarifies. “It’s for anyone who’s ever carried the weight of care—friends who mother us, women who hold space, and those who quietly keep everything moving.”

Inside the box are carefully selected beauty resets—products meant to feel like breathers, not to-do lists. “We asked ourselves, ‘What do we reach for on the hard days?’ That’s what we put in.”

As a founder and mother, Nicole knows the push-pull all too well. Her advice to moms wanting to pursue entrepreneurship is grounded in grace.

“You don’t have to have it all figured out. Start where you are. Be clear about your why—it’ll get you through the hard days.”

And most of all, she says, give yourself permission to grow at your own pace.

“Sometimes choosing your child over a deadline is the success story. That’s what building something on your own terms looks like.”

For Nicole, motherhood isn’t just part of her story—it’s the soul of it.