It's my birthday today. I was going to keep it a secret, because I have this wistful desire to be greeted only by people who know when my birthday is without Facebook telling them when. But that's unfair isn't it? Everyone is too busy, too souped up with tons of other more important information than my birthday.

So, thank you in advance for the greetings! I appreciate that you took the time to acknowledge the day I popped out of my mum's belly - literally. Cesarean section. (If you ask me you should greet my mother instead, she got the tough end of the stick that day - not me! Level unlocked for her! I'm the first-born.)

When my clients and business contacts first find out I'm only this age, they ask me "You're so young! How are you able to pull this off?" That's not verbatim but I know that's what they want to know. I'm not rich or famous, okay, but I would like to think that I enjoy a modest amount of success at 25. 

I learned a few things along the way. Here's my advice on how to be where you want to be. (Cliches may or may not be included.)

Do what you love best. Do it now. One of the scariest things I've done so far was quitting my first (and only) full-time job after only eight months. I was only 22, I haven't paid my dues, I didn't know if I could make it as a freelancer since I wasn't acquainted with many people who could give me projects then. But I felt nothing towards my desk job. I had to drag my feet to the office everyday!

Now I like a lot of things, but there is one thing that I'm passionate about: writing. I'm a good writer. I'm not gonna win any Pulitzers but I sure as hell know how to write copy and engaging blog posts!

Hi guys! If you've been following my Facebook page and Twitter, you may have seen the announcement for my weekly advice column. Every Saturday, I'll be giving young women advice on how to deal with their love and career problems. I'm not saying I can fix your life. But I sure am hoping that I can help you look at (or solve) your problems from a different perspective.

You may be wondering why I'm doing this, and why here. Frankly I just want to take a break from writing about makeup all the time. Haha. But seriously.I've been through a lot and I've always dealt with my problems in a freakishly calm and rational manner. More girls should do that. All the movies, TV shows, even books are telling women my age to be melodramatic and to feel entitled about certain things in their lives. That should never be the case. I'm just here to tell you exactly that.

I decided to put this advice column on Project Vanity because it's basically in the same spirit: I want to help women accept their problems and then deal with them. Whether it's a pimple before a big night or a big fight with your asshole boyfriend, I want you to know that we can talk about it. :)

Okay? Okay! So here's the first letter from someone we shall call the Girl with the Temper.

I'm 22 going on 23, so I consider myself a pretty mature person. However, a recurring problem in my current relationship is my short fuse. I can be really patient with other people. As a matter of fact, I had a tutoring stint with grade school children and not once did I get angry even though I used to dislike children.

However, when it comes to my boyfriend, all my patience goes out the window.

Hi guys! How was your loooong (still not done) weekend? I'm out of town, and we plan to hit Baguio tomorrow. Right now though we're just chilling - literally - in a hotel here in Pangasinan. It's too hot outside! 

While I have some lazy time, I thought I'd answer some reader questions over at the Ask Liz! Forum. I regularly answer all questions there if I know how, of course. Hehe. However, I found this set of questions particularly interesting so I thought I would dedicate a whole post on them. Here goes!

Hi, I'm getting married next year, and being a girl who depends on makeup to feel pretty and much more confident, I'm being obsessed looking for HMUAs for my special day. The problem is, aside from extremely high prices plus out-of town charge, I'm scared that they might not get what look am I going for, and I might become a bridezilla.

I am considering to do my own makeup for my wedding. I'd rather splurge on foundation + lipstick + blush and do it myself. Should I or shouldn't I? - Bridezilla

I think you should DIY! That is, if you're confident about your makeup skills and/or open to taking some makeup classes. Bridal makeup is fairly easy if you ask me. It's your basic natural look with waterproof or almost waterproof makeup. You can watch tons of YouTube videos for tips and techniques!

Even the Duchess of Cambridge is a DIY wedding makeup kind of girl

I think that it's a better investment to spend your P10,000-15,000 on good makeup or makeup classes because at least you're upgrading your skills and collection, things that you can use again. You can only use a MUA's service only during that event.

Here are some products I would actually use on my own wedding:

Cinema Secrets Foundation Palette #2 is a photogenic foundation/concealer duo, but personally it can look thick if you don't apply it properly.

We all know makeup testers can be home to bacteria and diseases, but of course sometimes we need to try them first before purchasing. I wonder: what do you do to avoid risking your health when you want to test products in the store? Thanks! -Leng

Hi Leng! Thanks for your great question! A lot of girls can be careless when it comes to swatching makeup before buying them. They're not aware that it's not safe or even if they are, they disregard the issue because they really want to test the makeup before they buy it. I can understand that; I mean, who wants to buy something that's been untested? 

So here's my main rule for testing makeup on the counters: don't put anything on your face unless you know it's been sanitized.