The first time I ever traveled abroad was to Tokyo. It made me fall in love with exploring new cultures, trying new food, and just meeting some amazing people. Of course, beauty shopping is high up in my list of things to do whenever I go to any country. Japan in particular is a paradise for beauty lovers since it is always innovating and setting the trend for others to follow!

Since many of us are cautious about going out these days, physical shopping trips tend to be planned more carefully than during the pre-pandemic era. But that doesn't mean discarding your beauty routine and limiting yourself to grocery supply runs. One way of still being able to stock up on your kikay caboodle is by visiting a one-stop shop that offers choice products from all over the world. It's time to stop, LOOK, and shop!

The Project Vanity annual anniversary event is something I look forward to, and I can’t wait for the day that we can celebrate in person again. I miss the talks, the catching up, and of course doing all it in our best pink looks. But that doesn’t mean that we’re skipping our kit this year! In fact, we have our most luxurious one yet, as we partner with Estée Lauder, MAC, Bobbi Brown, and Clinique for the first time to bring you some of my best finds for statement yet stress-free beauty.

We're looking for inspiring stories to share on Project Vanity's 13th anniversary month. The chosen stories will win P13,000 worth of gifts from our brand partners. Send your story to liz@projectvanity.com by March 6, Saturday to be reviewed or fill out the form below. We can't wait to read about your nominees!

When we say that Project Vanity is the source for your daily dose of beauty, we mean it! In this year alone, we have published over 200 stories so far, and we still have so much more to share. It’s honestly not easy work but we love what we do because of commenters like Monalisa Bio, who regularly shared her thoughts and insights after reading each story. Thank you for the support and for making Project Vanity part of your daily habit, Monalisa! You are our Commenter of the Month. Please email me at den[at]projectvanity[dot]com to claim your prize.

Sending out a big THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to keeping the comments section active! We really appreciate the feedback and the chance to hear your own tips and recos. It was hard to pick a favorite for Commenter of the Month, but we were most inspired by Riz who shared about how Project Vanity (and In Her Element) helped her to achieve better skin. Congratulations, Riz, and thank you for making us part of your journey to better skin!

Project Vanity has been running the Commenter of the Month giveaway for as long as I can remember. In fact, the very first time I met Liz was when I won CoM seven years ago! I had been a regular reader for some time at the point, and I enjoyed being able to contribute to the discussion and interacting with other readers in the comments section. That’s why I really appreciated how Shasta shared her comparison of the 3CE Multi Pots to the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouges. Thank you for giving a detailed review, Shasta - you are our Commenter of the Month! Please email me at den@projectvanity.com about claiming your prize.

Why are your comments important to us? As much as we devote ourselves to researching all our articles extensively and going into great detail in our reviews, there’s always something new learn. We love it when our readers share their own knowledge and experiences, especially when they try out something that we recommended. So congratulations to Jobelle Mercado, who updated us to say that she found her new HG after reading our story! We’re so glad to know that sunflower oil also worked for you.

Konnichiwa! Were you able to visit Japan in time for the cherry blossom festival this year? That’s personally on my bucket list of things to do when I travel but until then, I’m quite content with all the goodies that J-beauty offers! But before I go into that, we have an important announcement:

You guys might know that I started Project Vanity while I was still in college. It was a simple review blog featuring the best makeup that my public school allowance can buy - i.e. not much! I was a different person back then, being utterly self-conscious and secretly ashamed that I looked like the way I did. Now, I am myself. I run a pretty good business with an amazing team, living a dream that didn’t even cross my mind whenever I thought about my future, 11 years ago.

The first quarter of the year is always the most busy as we set our plans in motion and gear up for the big event that everyone in the PV community looks forward to - the Project Vanity Anniversary! We’ve still ironing out all the details but I can tell you that the new format we’re preparing is one that you should definitely be excited for. Make sure to sign up for our email alert over at the Events page so you’ll be notified as soon as we drop the deets!

January flew by so fast, we missed announcing the Commenter for Month. Congratulations to Valerie (valkyree), who wins the December gift set! Please email den [at] projectvanity.com for details on how you can claim your prize. ^_^

When the new PV team was first assembled two years ago, I was surprised to see many familiar names. Pretty much everyone, including myself, had “met” Liz through Project Vanity. We were all active commenters so it was really nice to meet the real people we’d interacted with online.

One of the biggest news that shook the local beauty scene last year was the announcement that CosRX was coming to Watsons. The Korean brand has a devoted and growing following among skincare enthusiasts, and we were thrilled we could finally stock up on favorites without having to wait for our online orders. Now, we can expect to enjoy the same instant gratification with Neogen and Dear Klairs!

Stop and drop everything you’re doing right now for this important announcement: Urban Decay is now available at Sephora PH! Yes, we too had to slap ourselves to make sure we weren’t dreaming.

When it comes to enjoying art in everyday life, there’s nothing quite like makeup. Using brushes, mixing colors, and creating beauty is an artistic process, and for many makeup users, it’s also a form of self-expression. Even if there are restrictions on what you can wear to work or school, you can own your beauty with a choice lipstick or bold eye look!

The SM Beauty section is decidedly one of PV's top shopping destinations, having both premium and budget brands to choose from. Just in time to celebrate SM's 60th anniversary, they recently welcomed everyone to your new #SMBeautyPlayground!

I must confess that I get a high from scoring an awesome beauty bargain! This is the main reason I keep coming back to The Face Shop (TFS) stores. They put at least one product on a 1 + 1 promo every month, and it draws me in every time. They’re generous with GWPs, they have a rewards program tied up with Bench, and their character collaborations have wowed us again and again. Of course, their skin care and makeup offerings perform really well for the price!

My earliest memory of Project Vanity was writing one or two paragraphs on how why I started a beauty blog. This was in 2008. I put it up on a platform that no longer exists (unfortunately) and I remember feeling a bit ashamed about it back then. I know, why would I? It's just that I've always felt I was too, well, smart to like makeup. Why should I care about what I look like when there are other important things in life?

Then I spent the next ten years figuring that out. I learned that makeup (and beauty products in general) isn't just about outward beauty, but also a shield, sometimes, or a sword. It can also be used as a way to express ourselves. It can also be a serious hobby or even a professional pursuit, if we're passionate enough about it. Makeup empowers us to speak out, without words, even if it only involves red lipstick. It inspires us to literally be more by arming ourselves with confidence on days when it's absent.