A lot of things might change in the world of beauty but one thing remains the same: investing in a good base is still one of the best things you can do for your makeup routine. Yes there are many affordable brands out there that make good foundation, concealer, and powder, but if we’re talking about great then one needs to get a little spendy.

NARS, for me, still makes some of the greatest bases in the world. Their Light Reflecting Foundation is one of my holy grails since first use, and of course you can’t go wrong with their Soft Matte Concealer and Radiant Creamy Concealer as well!

Barenbliss first caught the attention of Filipinos through a series of viral TikTok videos. The transformations were so dramatic, the results so immediate, that it seemed too good to be true. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first - could any product really smooth skin in just three seconds, or was this just the magic of video editing? That skepticism lasted until I tried Barenbliss for myself.

Lightweight, sheer, oil-free and natural are what I look for in a tinted moisturizer. So many brands both international and local are promising these things, and I am glad that the local make-up scene has so many options! The first time I heard about Issy & Co. Active Skin Tint was from Miss Bea via her Youtube Channel. She compared this with a skin tint from another brand and she didn’t really like the coverage. I was curious, so I’m glad to finally try it out.

Following the influx of lip, cheek, and multi-use product releases, Issy & Co.’s latest collection - Skin On the Go - was a breath of fresh air that the beauty community needed. While I’m not complaining about the aforementioned influx since I’m always excited over new makeup, finding out about Issy & Co’s Active Skin Tints and Weightless Loose Powders took my excitement to a whole new level.

Project Vanity writer Firas Abboud declared in his story, “Makeup knows no gender, so every makeup product is technically universal.” I can’t agree more! I think everyone should not be judged when they wear cosmetics, no matter how they identify, or their age, or how their body is. Everyone is allowed to be more beautiful in all the ways that make them feel so! I think that’s why local brand blk Cosmetics, Anne Curtis and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez’s brain child, hit a nerve when they launched the first Universal collection last year.

I’m not new to the world of luxury foundations but I’ve never heard of a self-refreshing foundation before. So when Shiseido launched the Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation with SPF 35 PA++++, my interest was piqued! This foundation features ActiveForce Technology which is supposed to enable the foundation to “resist humidity, respond to heat, rebound from facial movement, absorb oil, and diffuse light for a just-applied look”. It sounds like a great match for my oily skin and the tropical climate, so I decided to test it out!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s a gold rush in the drugstore foundation category. All the drugstore brands are trying to become The Chosen One for bases; everybody is trying to outdo each other when it comes to quality, shade range (hurrah for inclusivity), packaging, and value. Revlon’s new Candid line holds no punches in this regard. They’ve recently come out with 31 shades from light to very deep - their most comprehensive selection yet - of which 12 are available here in the Philippines. It comes in cute millennial pink packaging to boot!

Let’s take a look at the Candid line and see what I think about this intriguing collection.

Setting powders and finishing powders - is there actually a difference between the two, or are they just fancy marketing words to make you buy more product? The answer is actually a resounding “yes”! There is a difference between the two but some brands may use the terms interchangeably, so it’s understandably a bit difficult to figure out which is which. Setting powders and finishing powders can be both in loose or in pressed form, can be white-colored or tinted, and typically offer little to no coverage at all. The difference is in how they are used.

Often, at the drugstore beauty counter, a “good bargain” is just a bargain more than it is actually good. Many of us settle for mediocre products because they’re cheap and they work well enough. Often we would pay for these with a shrug. “It’s alright,” we tell ourselves. Once in a while though, something seriously good comes along and we are reminded why we should keep our standards even when faced with all manner of cheap temptations. That’s how I felt when I tried the Pink Sugar Our Lil’ Secret All Day Matte Powder, which is only P349 for 10 grams of product.

Have you found your HG pressed powder yed? I personally have a few favorites, but I still am always on the lookout for promising options with affordable price tags. I mean, it’s the one item in my makeup arsenal that I keep hitting pan on! Finding a good formula is a challenge for my sensitive combination skin though because what works for my oily T-zone (nose and forehead) usually emphasizes texture on my drier U-zone (cheeks, jawline, and chin).

I always come with a positive mindset whenever I try new products. In the decade that I've tested hundreds of products for Project Vanity, I've come to understand that each has its pros and cons and that what works for some may not work for me (that rolls the other way round too). Beauty, I love to say, is so personal. We buy things for different reasons and not all of them is based purely on how effective the product is.

That said, I didn't initially intend to write this review of some Glossier products I picked up online. There are other things for me to write about but Den our Managing Editor convinced me it should be out there. So why not? 

In the words of the wise men of Bowling for Soup, high school never ends. I started to believe it when my cringe-worthy high school days haunted me back in the form of the Pond's Magic Powder BB. This bottle of powder had been making rounds online as a super cheap yet effective oil-control powder so I made sure to pick up a bottle during my Bangkok trip last year. You can find this at any neighborhood 7-Eleven in Thailand but in the PH, availability is limited to online sellers.

'Tis the season to get dolled up! And with all the Christmas parties popping up this holiday season, we don’t want our faces to look as shiny as the lechon on our plates. Getting a good mattifying powder is key to keeping makeup on fleek even if a party lasts all night long. As an oily-skinned gal on a budget, I tend to keep a lookout for products to help me stay matte so I got very excited with the release of Ever Bilena's Advance Supreme Whitening Compact Powder. At just P249 (introductory price), I don’t need to bust my holiday bonus just to get a good mattifying compact powder!

I have a (well-documented) bias towards high-end bases. Drugstore foundation, concealer, and powders can do the thankless job of creating flawless skin, surely, but luxury bases belong to another planet. The shade selection, pigmentation, finish, and staying power of expensive base makeup (upwards P1,500) are remarkably better than what you can find for say, less than 500 bucks.

A lot of us might fondly recall using baby powder as the first "makeup" product we’ve ever used. Before I discovered the world of oil-control primers and long-wearing powders, I would shake out a small amount onto my palm (dispensing just the right amount was a special skill!) and smooth the powder all over my face to deal with my super oily skin. It made my face look chalk white but at least I wasn't as shiny!