“Oh, we have one gentleman here,” said Dr. Rica Cruz while looking at me, in the middle of her talk about women sexual empowerment. Taken by surprise, I responded, “Yes! Power to all the women!”

Project Vanity celebrated its 14th Anniversary last August 27 at the Rockwell Club in Makati, and it was an afternoon filled with beauty, stories and most importantly, conversations. Now, in true beauty roundup fashion, I’d like to go through them one by one.

In the late 1990s, I discovered makeup reviews, looks, and trends from newspapers and magazines. Over time, you could see the shift from print to blogs and social media. The key opinion leaders used to be newspaper or magazine columnists, but that changed with the rise of bloggers and content creators.

I wanted to take my love for makeup to the next level by taking a makeup artistry course. Formal makeup training felt like I had to learn about makeup again. I noticed the differences between learning through makeup school and online, and here’s a few that you might find useful. Let’s go!

We are all coping with the pandemic differently, and our own way of doing so is valid. In the context of makeup, some of us have decided to take a break from makeup and that’s completely fine.

Now, if you’re thinking about wearing makeup again but are needing that extra push, then here are ten reasons why you should start wearing makeup again!

I remember it like it was just yesterday. I came home to all of my makeup scattered and broken on the floor. My mom standing over them, waiting for me to explain myself.

I was recently in a video call with some of my friends. We were catching up and sharing what kept us busy aside from work. When it was my turn to speak, a friend of mine preempted me saying, “I’m sure it’s makeup again.” Well, in his defense, he wasn’t wrong. Makeup really did keep me busy and continues to keep me busy, but what bothered me was his tone and facial expression.