I am super duper mega excited for Friday! I will giving a beauty talk to Adamson University students as part of the Colour Collection Tour. I am just this close to bursting with all the things I want to share to the students, not only when it comes to makeup and fashion, but how to cultivate their self-confidence and hopefully go into a career they love.

It's really more of me sharing my story. I was a reclusive college kid pretty much, and now I'm in PR and marketing. Makeup plays a big role in my life beyond the fact that I write about it almost everyday. It helped me find the courage to face a future that I wasn't sure would happen to me. 

The purple bus!

It is not a secret that I love lipsticks and other lip products. I think that it's the easiest, most accessible, and most prettifying thing a woman can wear. Thus, I've been steadily collecting lip stuff in the past couple of years, and I think I've amassed enough for a fun guessing game! Are you ready? :D

Snaps is challenging you to a battle of educated guesses and dumb luck. The game is super simple: just guess how many lip products (lip stick, stain, tint, balm, gloss - so technically not just lipsticks) are inside this box. 

If you guess correctly, you win this Avon loot! (thanks Avon team!) 

Contest mechanics

1. Follow Project Vanity on Facebook and me on Twitter.

2. Share the contest over both platforms! The more players, the merrier. Don't forget to tag me and please make sure it's public. :)

It's been a month since I started using the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrate. And how was it? Amazing, really. It helped my skin get that nice glow and smoothness, feats that few other products can do consistently. Unfortunately, I had breakouts in between from trying out new products, so I feel that the ANR hasn't given me its best shot yet. 

Here are my pics and weekly reviews! Check them out to compare.

Announcement of Week 2 winners! I also have good news. :) Since it's Valentine's Day today, there will be a special draw for those who will register today. There will be 14 winners for the Valentine's Draw - yes, 14! The Valentine's gift will also have 14 items in total.

Before we get to that, here are the winners as drawn for the second week of February!

The winner for last January is Aidisan. She has commented on almost, well, everything! She has also been reading this blog since last year so I want to say thank you. :)

And now, for the February gift!

I am giving away a Concealer Kit from Cinema Secrets. It has five shades that you can mix and match to get your perfect concealer and foundation shade.

Hear ye, hear ye! If you're a true-blue makeup enthusiast or a practicing professional, you must visit these upcoming beauty events. You'll get to revel in new products, techniques, and looks that I'm sure you can use for yourself and/or your clients.

Don't miss them!

What's happening: See Kanebo's new line of cosmetics, product preview, private sale and event only specials.

It appears I made a mistake. Instead of one winner weekly for my Asian Secrets giveaway, there will actually be five! So hurray! We've drawn the winners for Week 1 yesterday.

Here they are after the cut!

Sunday fun day! I am bringing Snaps later to a dog meet in Bonifacio High Street. I hope it's fun. Anyway, I just want to share a contest that Benefit Cosmetics Philippines is running as part of their grand launch on February 7!

The prizes at stake are pretty major - P10,000 worth of Benefit goodies, the chance to model at the grand launch in Greenbelt 5, and a meet & greet + makeover + photoshoot with Maggie and Annie Ford Danielson, the daughters of Jean Ford, founder of Benefit Cosmetics.

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Cool right? So join! But if you just want to be part of Benefit's official and exclusive launch at Greenbelt 5 this February 7, I am giving away two passes to one lucky girl. That's right - you can get the chance to attend a fun event and inhale Benefit for an evening. The mechanics are super duper simple:

Okay, here's something I've been looking forward to since last year! Colour Collection, one of my favorite "dark horse" cosmetic brands (read my reviews here) has invited me to do a university tour. Along with Bianca Valerio and Ning Hilario of Meg Magazine, I'll be visiting a Manila campus to talk about - what else - beauty!

We're still finalizing the schedule at the moment, but I'll definitely update you when I have the date and school. In the meantime, you can catch the first leg of the Colour Collection University Tour: The Colour Collection mobile store will be at UP Diliman from February 1 to 3. It will be located at the College of Arts and Letters.

This time, I have two people that I want to say thanks to. They always comment, and they offer useful - and sometimes funny - tidbits about the stuff I write about. :P So, for the Commenter of the Month for December, I have Iko Hanajima, who will get the VMV Hypoallergenics gift certificate. Nicole Eniego will also get something, I just haven't decided yet! But it'll be fun. 

And now, for the January gift!

The winner will get a P2,500 gift certificate from FReSH Fragrance bar. FReSH has an extensive selection of premium imported scents—from luxury designer brands to retail favorites, as well as the latest from sports, fashion, and entertainment superstars. 

Jen Gerodias-Diaz was driving when she spotted a factory that manufactured soaps. She was looking for gifts to give to her friends that Christmas, so she thought of handing out personalized soaps. “They loved it!” she said. That’s when her mind started churning out ideas for what would be one of the rising beauty brands right now: Snoe Beauty Inc.

Running a business isn’t new to Jen. She already owns several pawn shops and gas stations but she wanted to indulge her kikay side this time. With the help of her sister-in-law, Gen Enriquez-Gerodias, the tag team conceptualized Snoe (pronounced as sno-wee).

Christmas celebrations will start tomorrow, so you should be done with your gift shopping by now. In case you aren't though, troop to VMV Hypoallergenics to get rescued! They have gorgeous holiday sets available, like this one:  

There are tons of sets out there but I think VMV trumps them all. The packaging is gorgeous - boxes come with tissue and some fluff inside, neatly tied with a grosgrain ribbon accented with mistletoe - plus you get products that your recipient will probably love. It looks expensive (but it's not since one set is on averge P1,500). It's already wrapped. The products of VMV are amazing. 

Everybody wins!

The set I have here is called Merry Goin' Round.

I’m thinking of getting a new camera lately. The one I’m using now is an oooooold, old model that’s about five years old! It does take good photos though, no? My beauty blog wouldn’t be anything without such a trusty and amazing gadget.

Yesterday, I dropped by Market! Market! to pick up a lovely gift from Etude House. We agreed that I was to pick it up today, but since I was in the area yesterday, I thought I'd take a chance and just see if the package was already available. And it was! I know that sounds like a small thing but it was a very pleasant surprise for busy bee me.

I got the Wanna Be Collection as illustrated by Annika Wester. The packaging is, to put it mildly, absolutely gorgeous! The illustrations are ace but the matte, thick cartons really add to that expensive feeling. I can't bear to throw the boxes away!

The Etude Girl illustrations by Annika Wester

Saturday, and I finally have time to settle down and pick the commenter of the month for November. :D She is Jean Melgar. She's been reading Project Vanity for years now, I think, and I'm glad to give her the Clinique set as a hearty thank you. 

And now, for the December gift!

Ta-dah! The commenter of the month for December will get a VMV Hypoallergenics facial of her choice.