Something's been nibbling at my brain lately. I think about it during odd moments of the day, trying to resolve some inner conflict about what being beautiful means to me. I have always believed that being beautiful is important but - why? This all started when I saw the Dove ad.

The message is simple, yet powerful: we are more beautiful than we think. According to the video, how we perceive ourselves physically affect the way we handle our relationships, the jobs we take, pretty much every aspect of our lives. Taken at face value, that sounds exceedingly shallow. Being beautiful certainly shouldn't be our raison d'être and/or the delicate scale by which we measure our self-worth. There are far more important and valuable things to nurture, such as our unique set of skills and talents, our knowledge, our love, kindness, and empathy for others. 

But we live in a world where people judge us by our looks. That's a hard fact to swallow, but it also makes sense to me as a survival instinct. We judge a person's face and the way he or she dresses and that impression guides us in our relationship with that person moving forward. Guide, not control, alright.

What would you do if you received a rose from a cute stranger? Beautiful love stories, real or imagined, begin that way. I was having dinner with friends when I received a teal rose from a good-looking dude. It had a small tag that says it's from Jorgen. I don't know who he is but no matter - it made my day!

The guy proceeded to hand out these lovely roses to every girl around our dinner group. I don't know about you, but I believe in the power of fowers. :) Just look at their faces! I'm sure they felt as special as I did upon receiving the rose.

Oh boy do I have a treat for you! One lucky Project Vanity reader will win a Michael Kors pouch set from Estee Lauder. It's basically a small clutch full of Estee Lauder goodies! I love the design as it looks very classic and easy to match up with any outfit. ^_^ 

Basically, Estee Lauder would like help in reaching the 80,000 mark on their Facebook Page. Once this has been reached, all four blogger partners will raffle off an MK set each on their blogs. So let's make quick work out of it, yes? Like the EL Philippines page now!

Full mechanics

1. Like the Estee Lauder Philippines Facebook Page. Say hi on their page and let them know you came from Project Vanity. 

Are you feeling Christmas in the air? I sure am! It's not just the cool air in the evening - mornings are misty, more gentle. And the smell! The holiday season has a scent to it. I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy but if you agree please assure me I'm not. :P

Anyway! I just thought to share Smart's Christmas promos. With the “All I Want for Christmas is Bro” holiday promo you get a FREE eco bag with every holiday purchase of a Bro product. The bag is entirely environmentally friendly and a good place to stash away all your new holiday beauty products, shopping or wardrobe for travel! 

Smart is also holding a massive contest where 50 winners shall receive a much-coveted gadget. If you want to join the fun, do check out the contest mechanics. (You can view bigger images by opening them in a new tab)

It's been 20 years since Estee Lauder Companies launched their Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Since then, it has been active in more than 70 countries and has raised more than $35 million to fund 140 Breast Cancer Research Foundation grants for medical research. This 20th year alone supports 13 research grants across the globe. 

This year's campaign theme is Courage. Believe in a world without breast cancer. Know we’re here until it’s true. This year’s empowering message highlights Estee Lauder's commitment to defeating breast cancer through education and medical research and celebrates hjgjthe life and legacy of BCA Campaign Founder and Pink Ribbon co-creator, Mrs. Evelyn H. Lauder, who passed last year. 

(Do read that link, it's a story on her by the New York Times.)

To celebrate, there will be a big press event on October 9 - quite exciting because I know they will illuminate a local landmark in pink! They also have a featured product

I was never the pretty girl growing up. I wasn't rich, either, nor did I have a sparkling personality to offset the ugliness and the lack of beautiful expensive things in my life. What I did have going for me was my intelligence. I wasn't the brightest in my class but I was the only one who devoured fiction and dreamed of worlds beyond my own, adventures beyond my imagination. 

What I had was a strong sense of identity and purpose. I knew who I am, what kind of skills were at my disposal, and I knew what I wanted out of my life. Was I wrong about how I identified myself or my goals? I think that's  the single biggest potential blow to anyone's self-confidence: how sure, how secure can you be about your identity and purpose? Answer: you're only as sure as you allow yourself to be. No one else should help you with that but yourself.

My motto then (and even now) is this: no guts, no glory. Or put less dramatically, if you don't do something, then nothing happens. That's just common sense but I know a lot of people who are afraid to try something because they're not perfect enough. Can't sing in public because they miss a few notes. Can't speak in public because they lisp. Can't wear a mini-skirt because they have marks on their legs. Can't quit a full-time job they hate because they're not sure they can make it as a freelancer.

Well I have news for you, toots: you'll never be perfect enough. Work with what you have and just. Do. It.

Let’s see what I have in my wallet - I have some cash, coins, receipts, a couple of credit cards and a few discount and rewards cards. Hmm, I love the promos offered by my credit cards and I love earning rewards whenever I use my other cards to shop. Isn’t it just cool to get a little extra just for shopping? 

I buy a lot of basics. Our monthly grocery bill is around P8,000 (for two people 0_0) and the gas, maybe at P4,000. It would be awesome if I get something for my basic purchases. 

Well, I just found out about this really good news while I was passing by EDSA – there’s a credit card that gives up to 5% cash rebates on my essential spending – that means I can get cash rebates from my supermarket, gas and drugstore purchases! That’s great savings!

This is a little late I know but I thought I'd share my two cents anyway. The protest train has come and gone, Belo has apologized and taken down the ads. But I thought this is a worthy point of discussion, particularly about irony and hypocrisy.

Last Sunday, Belo Men has released a new campaign promoting their whitening range for guys. Three ads came out showing a conyo guy who is supposedly 10% lighter and thus 100% more sosyal and attractive. 

The knee-jerk reaction is that the ads are racist and promotes social stratification. But you know what? I think they're funny (while wrongly promoting social stratification, though definitely not racist)! The ads are tasteless but what Belo has here is self-deprecating sarcasm. Notice how the guy has a Kia - an old, far from sosy car. That's your giveaway. If there were only two ads or if his car is say, an Audi, I would think that Belo is being an asshole. But they're just trying to be funny, even going so far as to poke fun at their target market and even themselves.

Okay let's backtrack. From the car ad, we see a good looking guy throwing his keys at a valet in a swanky place. But he speaks in over-the-top conyoese and drives an old Kia, which means that he's not rich but that he's trying to climb the social grapevine.

Here's whats been happening in the beauty industry! For your information. ;)

Be Part Of The Beauty Buzz with Pond's

Visit the “Pond’s Institute” Manila booth at the SM Mall of Asia’s Main Mall Atrium and be one of the privileged ladies to experience beauty and technology when you join Pond’s beauty activities from June 15 to July 4. Get a free skin analysis and a derma consultation every Saturday and Sunday. 

Fair-skinned girls are lucky in the sense that they can pull off a wider range of colors. Anything from pastels to jewel tones look good on fair skin! But, the basics first! If you have fair skin, here are a few tips on how to enhance it with makeup.  

1. Wear pink! Pink is a bright and cheery color that anyone can pull off. If you wear coordinating blush, lips, and nails, the pink will bring out your skin’s cooler (lighter) tones. If you have warm/yellow undertones, go for warm shades like hot pink and fuchsia. If you have cool undertones, go for blue-based and/or pastel pinks.

Hi girls! I just want to share the news about MAC's latest collection - Hey Sailor! The first branches to sell it are Glorietta and Shangri-La this Saturday, and I will be in Makati to check it out personally. Exciting! Hope to see you there ha. For now, here's some information about the collection and the local selling dates.

Set sail this summer with a colour and bronzing collection designed to drop anchor in the most sophisticated Port of Call. Decked out in stylishly sailor-striped packaging, a fabulous flotilla of Small Eye Shadows, Lipsticks, Lipglass, Powder Blushes, Pigments, Powerpoint Eye Pencils, Pro Longwear Lip Pencils, Nail Lacquers and Zoom Waterfast Lash.

I've always thought of makeup as very much like candy. They're bright, colorful, and cheery - just without the calories! Personally I get the same amount of joy when gobbling candy and applying makeup. Does that make me crazy? *enter: mental image of Liz stuffing candy in her mouth with makeup piled in heaps around her* Um, I hope not!

Anyways, I would just like to present Majolica Majorca's latest collection: Psychedelicious! It's like a vivid candy fantasy brough to life in the form of makeup goodies. There are new products like a shimmery, fragrant body powder and a brow mascara. Check 'em out!

Every year, Shu Uemura gives it their all for the Holiday Collection. It's a culmination of everything that the brand stands for - whimsical, colorful, and bold beauty to tickle the imagination. Here's a quick look at a few years' worth of campaigns!

2009 saw a collaboration with designer Tsumori Chisato, 2010 with artist Aya Takano, and 2011 with famed film director Wong Kar Wai

This year, Shu Uemura will be working with one of the biggest names in fashion: none other than the great Karl Lagerfeld himself!

For two decades Karl has been using Shu Uemura eye shadows to illustrate his fashion sketches.

The new BAYO campaign is getting some buzz on Facebook and Twitter. There's a photo going around that explains the new campaign. Read!

Bigger photo here

Okay okay, save yourself the eye strain and just read the pertinent paragraph, the first one:

What's your mix? This is just all about MIXING and MATCHING. Nationalities, moods, personalities, and of course your fashion pieces. Call it biased, but the mixing and matching of different nationalities with Filipino blood is almost a sure formula for someone beautiful and world class. We always have that fighting chance to make it in the world arena of almost all aspects. Be it Fashion. Music. Science and Sports. Having Filipino lineage is definitely something to be proud of.

Let's not overreact and call the people behind the campaign racist etc. I think that they just communicated their message poorly with rambling and inane copy (if the above is indeed the official press release).