Japanese luxury brand Kanebo is not new to the Philippine beauty scene; I remember writing about the brand's skincare and makeup products here in PV back in 2016. They're available at Rustan's Makati, Shangri-La, and Cebu, and these past few years, also online at the Rustan's website, Lazada, and Zalora. Now you can add BGC as the newest location to get your favorite Kanebo products!

My hair has always been one of the physical attributes I pay most attention to but only last year did I really learn how to care for it properly. I have also become more confident in exploring different styles and colors so my hair has been through a lot - to say the least.

I am fresh from my fifth dye job of the year so I decided to put the Saborino Shampoo Moist (P995 / 440ml) and the Saborino Treatment (Conditioner) Moist (P995 / 440ml) to the test!

Do you have that one product in your vanity that seems to be irreplaceable? That despite you trying out new ones every so often, you keep on coming back to it? For me, it is the Cure Natural Aqua Gel Gentle Exfoliator (P1,500 / 250g). It was in 2013 when I was first introduced to Cure and ever since then, I can no longer count how many bottles of it I have repurchased and downed. Yes, it has been almost 10 years but I still can’t stop gushing about it!

That was why I was so excited to try these Kracie products. This is my first time to try Japanese hair care! For a bit of context, I have wavy hair and have been doing the Curly Girl Method on and off for a year as I now have the freedom (thanks, mom!) to explore my newfound interest in dyeing my hair to match all those tumblr girl pictures I had saved in my phone from circa 2010.

Here’s the thing: A minimalist skincare routine can be just as effective as an elaborate one in achieving those glass skin goals. The key is to layer on the right combination of products together to target those daily skincare concerns. And the Japanese are experts at this practice, proving time and time again that even their drugstore brands deliver.

I’ve tried quite a lot of brow products over the years, and some of my former faves have since been replaced with newer releases. Even so, K-Palette’s Lasting Eyebrow Liner remains my pick for eyebrow pens! And I’m in good company, because even beauty and fashion icon Heart Evangelista packs it in her makeup kit.

Eyebrow tints have an added appeal to a busy working mom like me, so I was happy when K-Palette released their Lasting Eyebrow Tint. Who wouldn’t want to have gorgeous brows for five whole days?

Whenever Japanese beauty cult faves come up in the Project Vanity Community, Hada Labo always makes an appearance. The brand is a particular favorite among skincare enthusiasts, but until recently, we were dependent on Tokyo-bound friends and pasabuys to help us get our J-beauty fix. With Hada Labo’s arrival in the Philippines, we can now stock up on their best-selling products by visiting Watsons! 

So you find yourself in a shopping district in Tokyo or Osaka, and you duck into a MatsuKiyo or Tokyu Hands. Inside, you are confronted with hundreds, if not thousands of products to choose from. It’s easier to navigate if you have a list of products to look for - maybe you even got product photos so you can show them to non-English speaking shopkeepers! Having a list is definitely helpful but given the chance to explore this beauty wonderland, wouldn’t it be fun to have a completely new discovery?

Konnichiwa! Were you able to visit Japan in time for the cherry blossom festival this year? That’s personally on my bucket list of things to do when I travel but until then, I’m quite content with all the goodies that J-beauty offers! But before I go into that, we have an important announcement:

Over at the Project Vanity Community page, we often get requests for sunscreen recommendations. Everyone looks for the same qualities: no white cast, not sticky or heavy, and ideally without that distinctive sunscreen scent. By and large, Asian Beauty (AB) sunscreen formulas are the clear favorite, with most recos coming from Japanese and Korean skincare picks. Having so many options can be pretty overwhelming though, so let’s attempt to answer the billion dollar question: which sunscreen has the best formula?

I’m no makeup artist, but I do enjoy doing the occasional makeover! Since I’m still on a Japan high and we have a bunch of Canmake goodies, we decided to do a J-beauty makeover on my fellow PV girl slash (unwilling) model Stacie. Let’s start!

Often I feel lucky that Manila is so close to beauty manufacturing capitals like Japan, Korea, Thailand, and China. We get so many innovations here much earlier than the Western side of the world! One such newfangled concept is the recently released K-Palette Lasting Eyebrow Tint Pen (P845). This promises to deliver the same days-long (!) staying power of the ubiquitous peel-off brow tint, which K-Palette also started offering in 2017. The difference here is that you don’t need to let it “cure” for a few hours and there is absolutely no peeling involved. Interesting, right?

I recently went on a cross-region Japan trip with my two best friends, and had the time of my life exploring new cities. But what would a Japan trip be without invading my fave beauty stores? We’ve previously mapped where we get our beauty fix in Tokyo in the first version of this article, but there’s still so much to see! This guide lists more stores that you’re sure to find in most cities - be it all the way in Sapporo, or all the way down in Fukuoka.

One of this year’s biggest beauty trends is the approach to skincare as a form of self-care. Following a morning and night routine has become a necessity not just for the physical improvements but for the perceived mental and emotional benefits as well. With so many skincare products available, skincare regimens are not so basic anymore and sheet masks are often the favored “luxury addition” to give skin an extra boost. Thanks to Japanese beauty brand Lululun, a daily sheet masking ritual is definitely doable!

When CanmakePH announced that the Wink Glow Eyes line was now available locally, fellow PV writer Gett and I immediately drew up our wish lists and started planning for our purchase. The liquid eyeshadows placed #2 at the Cosme 2017 Mid-year Awards (Eyeshadow Category) and I wasn’t about to miss out on that. The product promises to be glossy, non-oily, and long-wearing all at the same time. It’s basically all the things I often look for in eye makeup, so I was beyond thrilled to try these new arrivals, plus a couple more products to complete the look!

This was a last-minute airport purchase as I was speed-walking to my departure gate at Narita. I had a few loose coins which I typically save for boxes of Royce chocolate as pasalubong, but this time I gave in and finally tried DHC! It's a popular skincare brand in Japan but they're especially famous for their cleansing oils that some say are better than Shu Uemura. I think that it does give Shu a run for its money!

Despite having known it for a while now, I still can't get over how Kanebo is over a hundred years old! Our editor Liz has even toured the Kanebo and Kao Museum, which traces the brand's history to its roots as a textile production company in 1887! The secret to the Japanese heritage brand's longevity lies in its ability to combine traditions that are known to work and trends that excite. For autumn of 2017, Kanebo is releasing a huge collection in the Philippines once more. And what's extra exciting is that it will beef up the local selection, as they only entered the Philippines in 2011!

Sparks flew the first time I experience Kate Tokyo in the summer of 2016. It was during a media event launching a line of eyeshadows and face bases that I found myself captivated with this J-beauty brand’s take on edgy makeup. More so, it was when I learned to do the life-changing vertical gradation eyeshadow technique that made my monolids look bigger and brighter! I’ve been doing my eye makeup that way every since.