This year has played host to a few successful beauty brand debuts - and it's only August! This time, let's take a break from Asia and give the floor to an intriguing French brand that has been around since 1959.

Saw this big store-to-be last weekend when I visited SM Southmall

Yves Rocher has different skincare lines for myriad concerns (aging, blemishing, even slimming among other things) as well as everyday natural makeup for the uncomplicated woman. Yves Rocher sets itself apart from other brands by being in charge of harvesting natural ingredients used in their beauty products, manufacturing them, and distributing them. That is how the brand can maintain the quality they claim while keeping the prices down. Yes, it's not super expensive!

Haven't been to a SuperSale Bazaar in a while, actually! But I'm going because Ferretti and our sister brand, Simply Felice, will be there. You guys know I love Ferretti, but you MUST also check out Simply Felice. It's our clothing brand that is only currently available in the Gaisano Mall of Davao, but we're debuting it in Manila tomorrow.

The clothes at Simply Felice fun, girly, and affordable at an average price of P700, but they're not the sort you'll find just anywhere. Of course, the accessories are also worth a gander - they're of the same quality and styles as this necklace I scored last week.

But I guess I better show you some of the pieces you'll see tomorrow. All of them come in very limited quantities so if you like anything, you should go ASAP. ;)

Yesterday, I dropped by Tony Moly's recently opened branch in Megamall. I wasn't able to attend the press launch last Tuesday due to work but Foz, their marketing person, kindly set aside my press kit for me anyway.

The kit included a bunch of goodies, but I also bought this Baby Doll BB Foundation (P398) because it looked super promising when I swatched it in the store. So yeah, here's my Tony Moly loot! It'll take a bit of time to review them but I'll add my first impressions here for your reference when you visit the store. ;)

The Baby Doll BB Foundation is supposed to control oil. I tried it on half my face and it's light, it dried quickly enough. It's the only foundation at Tony Moly that can match medium skin like mine - everything else is too light. The cute bunny bottle is a face mist, I haven't tried it yet. It's called Pocket Bunny Sleek Mist. The tomato jar is their best-selling Tomatox Brightening Mask that instantly brightens skin (I swatched it on the back of my hand, it does).

Good morning! It's a little dark, misty, and cold outside. I'm glad I don't have to go out today - oops, it just started raining hard right this moment! Time to make mushroom soup! I can live on that stuff indefinitely.

Rambling aside, I just want to announce the Commenter of the Month for July. She is Camille Mendoza. I love her insightful comments and her bouncy energy. I also appreciate that she's active on the Project Vanity Facebook Page. Congrats Camille! Please email me your shipping address. :)

Now, for July, I have another cool gift for the CoM: a set of my super favorite Colour Collection makeup! She will be getting the Gluta White BB Cream, three Color Intense Lipsticks (Tea Rose is among them - it is absolutely amazing! One of my best lipsticks), and a Triple Effect Mascara (one of the best mascaras I own. I use this all the time).

MAC will be releasing its Semi-Precious Collection in the Philippines this July! Semi-Precious is inspired by gems (bronzite, black tourmaline, gold pyrite, and lilac lepidolite) that are not quite diamonds, but just as glamorous and glitzy. It mostly features MAC's mineralized blushes, skinfinishes, and foundation, but I think the stars of the show are the split fiber brushes.

Heads up! SM Manila is having a grand accessories sale today. The event is called RED SALE. It will be held at the upper ground floor of SM Manila, today until June 26. Fashionable items for men and ladies are up to 50% off and as low as P50. There are handbags, scarves, necklaces, and other pieces on the racks. It's excellent time to stock up on scarves and hats now that the rainy season is here!

You should definitely visit if you're in the area. Check out the items on sale after the jump!

Hola! Sorry this was really late. It's been extra hectic lately. Like super. Anyway, the Commenter of the Month for May is Issa Chavez! She commented on almost every post I published last month. Dedication ka, 'te! Hope you like your Pond's Gold Radiance set.

Now, are you ready for the new Commenter of the Month gift? It's from one of my favorite brands ever. ;)

There were a lot of beautiful looks sent in, but in the end I had to pick one winner. Her name is Radz Bolambao. She sent in not one, but six FOTDs! I like that she maximized all her makeup and came up with flattering looks that anyone can cop with affordable products. I also like that her looks ranged from bare to smokey, with different themes.

Here's all of her six looks, and the link to the page where she detailed all the products she used. I highly recommend checking out all of them and maybe you can be inspired just as I was! As they would say, effort ang lola mo!

Go Bare (Click the link for product details)

Peaches n' Cream look

Last Friday, I was invited by SM and OMD Media to talk about their newest campaign. They just launched the Redhead Model Search, and they're inviting everyone to join! They will be choosing the three new faces of Redhead, SM's clothing line for spunky young women. So if you're 15-25 y/o with the "k" and the guts to be one of the future top models in the country, I highly recommend you compete. This might be your big chance at the spotlight!

Can you strut it?

Flaunt it?

And pose like you mean it? Then join The Redhead Model Search now! Here are the detailed mechanics for your perusal:

Yes, our local Forever 21 now carries Love & Beauty cosmetics! I visited SM Megamall last Friday and found them in the accessories section with their own stand. There were blushes, eyeshadows, lip glosses, nail polish, sets, and tools for makeup newbies who are just starting to experiment. The products were reasonably priced at less than P500, too.

I really wanted to try the Smokey and Natural Palettes that come in these huge-ass cardboard boxes, but I don't want to blow P400+ on something I haven't even swatched. :/ I mean yeah it's not expensive but it would be so annoying to find out at home that the palette is a dud (if ever). Hopefully F21 provides testers soon! It wouldn't make sense to allow everyone to try on shoes, clothes, and accessories, but not makeup.

Head's up! Paul & Joe, the French-Japanese cosmetics brand, is releasing their latest collection next week at their Rustan's counters. It's called L'Horizon Bleu, inspired by that tropical and romantic place where the sea meets the sky. If you've ever stared off towards the sea's horizon, then you've probably seen the rich colors of swirling blues and sunsets that P&J has in this collection.

The ‘Twin Fish’ Bronzer (P2,250) is perfect for creating that light, glowing, sun-kissed look you want

Fabulous new Eye Colors (P1,250) give you a real sense of the movement of the waves. Choose from 3 fascinating shades. L-R: Adrift, Le Midi, Tranquility

Contest time! I thought of doing something more fun than the usual like-comment game. You see, I'm running out of FOTD inspirations, and perhaps you can help me and others who'd like to try out new looks! So, all you need to do is post your best FOTD (face of the day) on my Facebook page, and then I'll pick the best. I'll try to copy it too. :D

So here's what's up for grabs:

It's super easy to join!

Mechanics

1. Do your best FOTD and post it on the Project Vanity Facebook Wall. Don't forget to list down the products you used.

Tony Moly, the Korean cosmetic brand similar to Etude House and The Face Shop, quietly opened its first branch last April 30 in SM Fairview. I've never tried anything from the brand because I'm not so interested in Korean makeup, but I've read promising reviews of some of Tony Moly's very affordable products. 

Photos from Timeless Confection. Read her full blog post, she has more shots!

Tony Moly has the usual Korean fare: BB creams, face masks, skincare, perky makeup. Overall, I can't wait for a nearby branch to open so I can buy a couple of stuff for myself. Here's a list of future branches and their tentative opening months

Hi girls, hope you can grab Manila Bulletin's Style Weekend issue today! Aside from its the excellent cover story on our homegrown international supermodels, there's a great article on BB creams by Pierra Labrador. A couple of weeks back, she asked me for a quote about my fave BB creams, to which I wrote down an 890-word treatise. MY GOODNESS. 

What can I say, I got carried away. Pierra expertly cut it down to some two paragraphs. Whew. Here's the ish, plus my quote. :D Hope you like it!

Hi everyone! Sorry this is late, as I've been thinking long and hard about the prize I'm giving to the second commenter of the month. :D But I'm getting ahead of myself! I'd like to announce the commenter of the month for April.

And she's...Mia Estrella! She's been commenting frequently on my blog since August of last year. I always appreciate her insightful comments. I'll be contacting her for her shipping details so she can get her gift.

Now, for the commenter of the month prize for May!

Hi girls! Here's another contest courtesy of GoodSkin Labs, the makers of the awesome Smooth-365 serum, Eyliplex-2, and Tri-Aktiline Deep Wrinkle Filler. Get a chance to win one Tri-Aktiline Total Face Moisturizer and any GoodSkin Labs product of your choice (pssst...go for Smooth-365 if you win). Just answer this: 

Here are the mechanics!

• Answer the question, "What extra skincare step do you take during the summer?" in the comments below.
• Like the Project Vanity Facebook Page (if you haven't already) and the GoodSkin Labs Facebook Page.

Terms and conditions

• Contest ends on April 30.