And just like that, it’s the month of August, PV Community! Have you noticed that people are starting to share Mariah Carey and Jose Mari Chan memes? The Christmas spirit never gets old. So, I won’t be surprised if you’re already creating your wish lists. Perhaps something on this week’s beauty roundup will make the cut!

Ah, the excitement of new makeup and skincare just never gets old. When you think everything’s on the market already, brands surprise us with something to discover and fall in love with. Hmm, perhaps one (or more) of the recent releases below is the next product that will capture your beauty heart.

The Guerlain Shalimar was my first true grown-up perfume. It’s what started my love for deep, oriental fragrances in chic perfume bottles that I’d rather look at than drain. I reviewed it 10 years ago, in 2011, and while I never finished it I kept it close to me despite all the massive changes that encompassed my life in the last ten years.

In 2011, I’ve just been working on Project Vanity for three years. It’s not big yet and far from being a sustainable business back then, but it was growing steadily and getting some notice from people.

Your girl loves a luxury foundation. Although it’s not necessary for creating the perfect base, I do find that there is a difference in formulation and how much easier it is to blend and wear versus what you can get from the drugstore. That said, I’ve always invested in full-coverage, long-wearing foundations when I buy luxury brands, so I was surprised to find that Guerlain’s L’Essentiel Foundation (~P3,500) provides a happy medium that’s suited for every day. We’ve reviewed a fuller coverage Guerlain foundation before, so I was curious to see how different this take on ‘natural’ foundation would be. I tested it for two weeks, and here’s how it panned out:

What could be more fun than going beauty shopping? Why, shopping with gift certificates, of course! More than getting a straight-up discount, there’s something very satisfying about handing over a bunch of GCs to pay for your purchases. This is the experience that four Luxasia Philippines brands try to recreate with their first ever Beauty Shopping Wonderland in Mega Fashion Hall!

With the variety of paints, powders, and products available, playing with makeup can be quite a creative adventure. But sometimes, as with any art form (and makeup is definitely an art), it helps to get a little inspiration.  

Enter Beauty Discovery, the special pop-up in SM Makati created by luxe brands Shisedo, Guerlain, and Elizabeth Arden. The booth allows makeup lovers to try the brands' luxurious creations, and to serve as a guide, they had a Beauty Lookbook Workshop hosted and taught by PV’s very own Liz Lanuzo! The event happened last July 8 at SM Makati.