I'd like to think that what one of my all-time favourite actresses, Audrey Hepburn, said remains relevant.

She once said that "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries or the way she combs her hair".

If that's not true, I'd be devastated.

Especially after having to interview two gorgeous women this week - one woman the same age as me, the other only six years older.

And I look nowhere as young.

When Madam Betty Yu and I walked out of the beauty salon, where she had just done her hair before the photo shoot, heads turned.

Men literally stopped and stared.

My only (self-induced) consolation was: She's a beauty queen.

But speaking to Ms Masako Mizutani a few days later further dented my confidence. She turns 44 in September, I turn the same next week.

And boy, do I feel haggard.

Ms Mizutani says that even after she became a wife and a mother, "it's a woman's duty to take care of your own beauty".

Okay, I get that. But where will we find time - five hours each day to be exact - to spend on a beauty regime?

I can think of better ways to use that time. Like spending time with the children, going for a movie with my husband or watching my favourite Korean soaps or Hong Kong dramas.

Even playing mahjong with my friends.

But as my editor (who, by the way, has a beautiful wife!) asked: Shouldn't a woman keep herself beautiful so that her husband would not stray?

He isn't entirely off the mark, but you see, I'd like to think that my husband will be happier if I took care of him and our children. Right, dear?

The last time I wore a dress was my maternity dress - 12 years ago. My children have no idea how their mother looks in a dress. Or, as I always joke: The only dresses I own are my nightdresses.

I don't wear make-up as it takes up too much time and effort. I get my hair cut every three to four weeks because I can't stand the mess that is my unruly, natural curls.

The last time I went for a facial was three nights before my wedding day in June 1995.

But I have never felt inadequate.

Renowned local designer Hayden Ng, who has worked with scores of beautiful women, explains that there are different stages in a woman's life.

"When they get married, priorities shift. When they have children, the priorities shift again. Change is constant," he says.

Age is just a number. There is no such thing as an "old" woman. What matters more is how you live life.

For me, beauty is really not about looking like the next Mrs World or being able to hit the pool in a bikini.

Wives and mothers must start to embrace life.

We don't know how long we'll live. Life can be short, really too short. I have lost two friends in just under two years - one when she was 36, another when she was 40.

That said, I have also learnt to pamper myself in recent years, albeit slightly differently.

Once a month, we - the Husband and both kids - make time to go for our regular session at the spa. We still get to bond.

Isn't bonding as beautiful as looks?

This article was first published in The New Paper.