Alright, lip lovers, gather 'round because we've got some lip-smacking goodness to talk about today! Say hi to the Barenbliss Ceramoist Glow Lip Serum (P299 / 3.5g), the new kid on the block that's here to make your pout feel like a million bucks. With a promise of vitamin E, nourishing oils like jojoba and macadamia, and a dash of ceramide, this lip treatment is made to take your lips from drab to fab with a glossy finish. So, get your gloss game on and let's dive into this juicy review!

We all know that this December rush comes with a wave of events and Christmas parties, and so do we really have time to squeeze in some extensive holiday shopping? Being the busy bees that we are, Burt’s Bees has made picking out gifts easier by releasing a collection of sustainable gift choices for everyone - naughty or nice!

You may have heard of the latest Pili Ani release from the Beauty News Roundup last May 10. This local brand is one I keep my eye on as I’ve previously tried some of their products with positive results so I’m quite excited to try out their new ones.

Just as we care for the skin on our face and body, our lips shouldn’t be taken for granted even if they are covered with masks. In fact, I’ve noticed that mask-wearing sometimes parches and dries out my lips and throat. Hence, even without statement lips, I’ve appreciated lip balms more as this helps to hydrate. I’m always on the lookout for lip balms that actually do its job of moisturizing the lips rather than just coat it with a waxy coating which doesn’t do much.

Do you still wear full coverage lipstick? I do, but rarely. Most days it’s a tinted lip balm for me or a lipstick, smudged onto the lips, then set with a balm after. I reserve a full color only on days when I’m going out to dressy thing but otherwise it feels overdone. Do you agree? Or is it just me? The pandemic has really changed so many things!

Ladies and gentlemen, typhoon season has officially arrived and perhaps like me your lips are feeling the strain. Cooler weather is a good respite from the deep of the summer but you best believe that my lips dry up like prunes once things take a wetter turn. So, allow me to present four lip balms that I’ve always found reliable! Let me know of your favorites too!

Makeup trends during the pandemic I feel were at extremes: either we go bright and loud, or sheer and barely there. I’ve been on both sides. Sometimes I just want to look completely different because I can, and sometimes I feel like it’s too much makeup for the day’s minor occasions. On those days, I go for sheer makeup that looks like I just woke up with it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely living for the comeback of shiny lips. I spent most of the early naughts obsessing over finding the best lip gloss and wet-look lipstick (remember Watershine?), so I get instant nostalgia from a glassy pout. But what makes the 2020 trend resurrection so much better is how the current technology allows for us to get equal amounts of pigment and shine, where we used to have to top a lipstick with gloss to get a similar effect.

While K-Palette remains to be a crowd favorite in the kilay department, this universally-loved Japanese brand has also brought us some keepers on the lip and cheek front. And if you’re like me who still has a lot of reverence for classic bullet lipsticks, you’ll want to check out all four Pinay-friendly shades of the K-Palette Lasting Lip Tint Stick (P795 each at Beauty Box Corp. or P2,880 for the full 4-piece set).

I am a self-confessed lipstick lover but I found myself reaching for a different type of lip product lately. Even with 16 lip balms currently in rotation, I’m afraid I have a couple more ready for checkout! There’s something comforting about slathering moisture all over my perpetually dry lips as I usually get flaky bits that hurt and bleed when accidentally peeled. I’ve grouped the balms according to “function” for ease. Let’s discuss!

The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask (P950 for 20 grams) has been around a few years now following the massive success of the Laneige Sleeping Mask. It was the first overnight lip treatment I’ve heard of - not the say it’s the first, of course, but it seems to be one of the first products in this category that became popular. ANYWAY. I just want to rave about this little pot of goodness, because it’s been keeping my lips alive these days.

I’ve tried hundreds and hundreds of lip products in my career as a beauty blogger and editor these last 12 years. You only need to look at all the lip swatch photos and reviews I and the PV Team have published in the past to see that trends in color and formulations come and go; what’s hot right now might roll on for a few years, and then not be seen again until its turn on the line has come.

What I’ve noticed though is that there is one thing that never goes out of style - comfort.

She’s a fighter, a mother, a queen, and she’s bouncing back! While the last year has been challenging for the Queen of All Media, Kris Aquino is all about maintaining positivity in her life and, of course, serving up a heaping helping of LOVE LOVE LOVE. Along with the good vibes comes curated additions to the ever-expanding Kris Life Kit line, her hands-on collaboration with Ever Bilena. So pucker up for the Kris Tinted Lip Balms!

When it comes to beauty products, it’s lipstick that always makes me go weak in the knees. I had a phase of obsessing over 70s pale nude matte lips a la Anna Karina in Une Femme est une Femme. I’ve tried to recreate Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s dark glossy lips moment. I double take whenever I spot a lip in bright tangerines, Peggy Carter reds, and anything rosey, regardless of color nuance or finish.

The intense heat we’re experiencing this summer has made my lips drier than usual. Although I love wearing matte lip products, it’s just too uncomfortable to wear now because even with a balm underneath, my lips still dry out like a raisin. I’ve been reaching for tinted lip balms more instead, as the fuss-free application gives me juicy moisture and a hint of color at the same time! Whether you want just a sheer tint or full-on pigmentation, we’ve got great recos for every kind of budget.

I am a self-confessed lipstick lover. From mattes to crème, liquid to powder, I will (and have attempted to) try them all. And while I do my best to take care of my lips with proper lip balm prep and staying hydrated, I have had dry and chapped lips for as long as I can remember. Thankfully, most of the recent lipstick launches focused on introducing moisturizing ingredients to their formulas via oils and butters. If you’re in the same predicament as I am, this is good news! Here are five favorite moisturizing formulas so you can kiss the lipstick hater in you goodbye.

Although our tropical country doesn’t get to experience the variation of having four seasons, our early mornings and late nights have been chillier than usual! The rare gift of Philippine #sweaterweather is upon us, and we can slide into our comfy jumpers and knits even out of Baguio. While it certainly feels good to take a break from the heat, cold weather actually dries out our skin way faster than the hot summer sun. Dry, flaky skin doesn’t have to be the new normal though, and we’ve written about how to SOS (save our skin) from dying from the cold. But did you know that you should give your pretty pout some extra TLC, too?

Is the Revlon Kiss Plumping Lip Creme (P375 for 7 grams) a lip gloss or a lip balm? The answer, for me, is both. I was pleasantly surprised by these new gloss balms from Revlon. Off the bat, I thought they looked like a basic lip gloss, but I found them more interesting due to the fact that they feel more like an ultra glossy lip balm than anything else!

The very first product of In Her Element when it launched almost two years ago is the Nourish & Cleanse Balm. It was a multi-purpose balm that you can apply all over your body but we had to discontinue it since we wanted to focus on new products down the road. Some months back though, a friend of mine shared that her friend LOVED our balm in the harsh Australian winter since it was the only thing that kept her lips alive. That’s when I had the idea of making a more portable version of the balm - something people can travel with or just casually throw in their bags everyday!

It might just be my age, but I find that my skin is drier and drier every year. That also goes for my lips. I rarely had chapped, flaky lips so it's a bit frustrating that I'm getting them more often now! I actually use an amazing overnight lip mask to help with that but during the day, my fave lip balm at the moment is the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (P1,387 at Sephora.ph).