I'm sure some of you have already guessed what I'm giving away to the best commenter this January. It's the complete Charm Vegan Brush Set (P2,500)! I love this set, and I use these brushes on a daily basis. My favorite one is the pointed domed smudger brush - really good for detail eyeshadow work. The concealer and powder brushes are also standouts in this collection. 

You can check my full review here, or if you would like to purchase, here's the order link.  ;)

Okay, same mechanics as before! Every month, I'll pick a commenter on my blog. She must be able to leave useful comments, such as sharing feedback about a product I reviewed.

I scanned all my posts this 2012 - roughly 600 of them - to get a feel of how my year has been. Mostly it was a blur. Things that happened in January feel like they happened only last week! I wish I am just exaggerating to make my life sound more important than it actually isn't, but true story, I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's 2013 tomorrow.

In a little over a month (February 7) I will be turning 25. Quarter of a century. I don't feel old, but I don't feel young anymore. It's around this point when people start thinking about what they want to do with their lives. I've already figured out what I want to do with my life, barring unexpected changes. The so-called mid-life crisis shall be lost on me (or am I speaking too soon?).

Anyway, here's a quick trip down my memory lane. Some of the fun things I did in 2012!

Organized and hosted a Pinkbox party early January. It's my first event for Pinkbox! <3 I love Ms Nelly! She's my peg in life. I also enjoy working on Pinkbox because it's...so pink! But seriously, I love the people there, and how the brand keeps on coming up with new creative things for us girls to wear. (Photos grabbed from Angela). 

I met Maggie and Annie, daughters of Jean and Jane Ford (founders of Benefit Cosmetics) on my birthday. They were so awesome! And nice! And tall haha.

News alert! Clinique is finally re-opening a counter in Mall of Asia this December 8. They will be located beside MAC, in the same row where Forever 21 is. :) To celebrate the opening month, they are giving a new door gift, free (one per client) for a single receipt purchase of at least P1,995. This is valid for opening day only on December 8. Starting December 9 to 31, this exclusive gift will be available for a minimum purchase of P3,000.

If you're at a loss about what to try from Clinique, you can try the Moisture Surge (best moisturizer for me!), Airbrush Concealer, Pore Refining Solutions Foundation (will be reviewing soon), and their popular Chubby Sticks. :) Those are just a few, there's a lot to love from this brand. You can check all my past reviews for reference.

You can also looks into the special Clinique Holiday Sets for 2012. They're a great way to get a lot of stuff for a fraction of the cost - great for first time Clinique users as well as those who need to restock their faves. :) Do note however that you can't buy the set then avail of the free door gift.

Here's detailed info with prices!

Taste of Honey

A sweet treat for lips.  Cult favorite Black Honey is a shade any woman can wear, yet somehow looks different on everyone. 

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. 

I've been excited about Sample Room since early October, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise until their big launch today. I hoped for the website to be ready for users first so you can check it ASAP! It will go live after lunch according to the SR team!

So wait - what is Sample Room? It's a beauty sampling website, but nothing like the subscription boxes that came before it. It's a different concept where users can choose their own samples at no cost other than the shipping fee. Yes, you don't need to pay a monthly fee to avail of samples and yes you can choose whatever you can afford with your free points. :)

To get the points, all you need to do is write a review for the samples you received.

Hi folks! I finally have the commenter of the month for October. She is Lian Palermo! I super appreciate that she comments on my posts almost as quickly as I publish them. That's not an easy feat considering I don't often post within a set time. Love it.  Congratulations, Lian! Please email me your full name, address, and contact number.

And now, for this month's gift. :) I will be giving away Snoe Beauty products to the lucky Commenter of the Month.

Jen Gerodias-Diaz, the owner of Snoe, was so kind to let me choose literally anything I want to give away. So I dropped by their store in Market! Market! and shopped for their latest and best items just for this. :D Hope you like what I chose! Of course I got the Hair Heroes and the Oatmeal soap, two of my super duper favorite finds from the brand. Then I added the Poudre Phenomenon, a medium-coverage loose powder that has SPF30 and acai berry. I just got my own pot last Saturday and I've been using it since then.

MAC's biggest collections always come during the holiday season. Their limited edition sets are legendary, and the holiday selections usually have an unforgettable theme. This 2012, we have Glamour Daze, which impersonates the aura of couture, the drama of the dressing room, and the glamour of getting ready to step out for the holidays. It's all about a soft color haze around the eyes and gilded skin matched with sweet lips.

There was a big party to celebrate this collection. Whitespace was positively bursting with celebrities, the press, and of course your usual beauty blogger gang. :P I really enjoyed the swingin' music and the general ambiance that was so artfully created with Glamour Daze installations and models clad in their pastel uniforms.

Hi guys! The folks at CACI 6750 have chosen the two winners who will get to try the Glow and Defy Facial for free! They are Jas Lucero and Raych Ramos. Congrats guys! I will be emailing you shortly.

For the second and final week of my CACI giveaway, we will choose three winners who will receive the Refresh Facial.

The Refresh Facial is a great way to sample the MD Dermatics products as it relies fully on them and doesn't use a machine. First is cleansing, using C-Cleanse for oily and acne prone skin, Gentle Wash for dry and sensitive skin. Next is the facial massage, followed by the Soothing Splash toner (for all skin types). After this, we use PeelPlus to gently exfoliate the skin. After exfoliation comes the masque - Cucumber gel masque to sooth and calm those with acne or inflammation, Collagen Nutrient masque for those with anti-aging concerns. So basically it's a facial that's customized per patient based on skin type and skin concern. The final step is to moisturize: oxygen therapy cream for those with oily skin and ultra skin revitalizer for those with dry skin or daycalm soothing moisturizer. 

Here are the super easy contest mechanics!

1. FACEBOOK ENTRIES: Like CACI 6750 on Facebook. Make sure to leave a message on their Wall just saying hi and that you got there via Project Vanity! (So we know that you did like the page ;P )
2. TWITTER ENTRIES: Follow me on Twitter (@lizlan). Tweet "Want skin that glows? Join this #projectvanity contest to win a fab facial from @lizlan http://goo.gl/HgKnM"

Hi guys! I finally have a name. It was a difficult decision as many of you were commenting almost everyday, so what I did was, I put all the names in a bowl and picked one randomly. So! The winner is Jaja. Please email me  your full name, address, and contact number.

For October I have a big prize to the lucky commenter of the month. Avon kindly sponsored all these goodies for this giveaway! I was actually just asking for a set of lipsticks and maybe a couple of blushes, but they pulled out all the stops for this massive set of some of the best Avon pieces.

The winner will be getting nineteen products:

Hi girls! It's a glorious Friday morning and I'm excited! I've been several shades of lazy and busy to go out lately so I've stored up all my appointments for this day. Call it streamlining operations - if there's anything I dislike, it's wasting time when there's a smoother way to accomplish things.

Anyway, I just want to tell you about an upcoming workshop by Estee Lauder. They are bringing in their Director of Global Makeup Artistry, Blair Patterson, to conduct the class! It will be held on October 13, 4:30pm at the Lubang function room of EDSA Shangri-La. Sounds fab right?

All you need to do is reserve and pay the P3,000 workshop fee, which is in reality consummable GCs at Estee Lauder.

Fall isn't just a season, at least, not when it comes to the fashion and beauty industry. Fall is a change in the overall mood of women, perhaps brought about by the colder weather and longer nights. We adjust our routines and with it our clothing and beauty products. That's why even if there's no autumn in our country, we're still affected by the global fashion zeitgeist during this time of year.

So! Today I want to talk about the Guerlain Fall 2012 Collection which is now available in the Philippines. Everything is beautifully packaged in gleaming bullets and compacts, and the color selection is just wonderfully rich and seductive.

There are two themes: Femme Fatale, which is all about fiery passion in deep red and chocolate colors. In contrast, Femme d' Amour is more romantic and angelic, with rose and dainty pinks in the color story. I found a nice video where Guerlain's National Makeup Artist Marcus Monson showed how we can achieve the looks. Which one are you today? ;)

Here are more photos and pricing info on the featured products!