When direct selling in the Philippines is mentioned, Natasha is one of the top brands that comes to mind. From its humble beginnings as a mall boutique, the brand has evolved by transforming its business into a powerhouse that now has an extensive reach overseas. Making it to 25 years is no small feat for any endeavor, so to celebrate its ongoing success, Natasha celebrated its silver anniversary with a concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last August 25. “Natasha 25 Tayo! Ikaw Ang Star!” featured celebrity endorsers, fashion shows, and a major announcement that looks to take the company into an exciting new direction!

Stress is a daily experience for most of us. The expectations and work load at school, work, and even at home can get so out of hand. Even just getting around from place to place causes so much anxiety because of traffic and limited transportation options!

How do you deal with it? I personally find that doing little things for myself keeps me from going bonkers from all the pressure. Sure, I love caring for my family, accomplishing work goals, and making my writing deadlines at Project Vanity (I love you, Den) but I still crave a little time alone to myself regularly, doing something I like just for me, you know?

While one can reasonably expect for a homegrown brand to celebrate its roots, it's quite a statement for a global powerhouse to fête the Filipino! Last month, Kiehl’s commemorated National Independence Day with a pop-up store at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium. The theme was ‘Kiehl’s Loves the Philippines,’ during which they showed an exhibit of the brand’s history as well as interactive stations that celebrate Filipino cultural icons.

I had a lot of not-so-positive misconceptions about going to the Chinese mainland for the first time last month. I thought it was going to be dirty, noisy, and full of rude people, but that was certainly not the case! I found Shanghai to be a beautiful city that was as mighty as it was poetic. I loved the food, the painfully fashionable Chinese wandering the streets, and the amazing architecture. The Bund, a waterfront area facing the Huangpu River and looking out to the Lujiazui skyline, is a sight to see at night. I wasn't able to explore the city very long but one thing is for sure: I will definitely visit Shanghai again!

I started reading Project Vanity roughly two years ago. At the time, I wasn't an active subscriber - I would only drop by the site every so often but what really hooked me in was the Project Vanity Facebook page and community.  The community posts were interesting and engaging, and I enjoyed Liz's GRWM vids. Occasionally, I would open the links to articles shared from the PV website, but it was only a year or so ago that I found myself opening it habitually.

The BDJ Beauty Bootcamp has been a much-anticipated annual event for kikays to discover new brands, deepen their beauty knowledge, shop exclusive deals, and meetup with fellow Bellas. This year was extra special to us as Project Vanity co-presented the event with Belle de Jour, and it was a Sunday packed with fun activities at the Glorietta Activity Center. If you weren't able to make it and wonder what you missed, here’s a recap of what went down.

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.

“YASSS, QUEEN!” is such a liberally used expression of admiration at this point, but there are a select few people who just own the title and can't be called anything less. It’s partly in the way they carry themselves, with unapologetic confidence and grace, and how they command the room with the sheer magnitude of their presence. You know who I’m talking about: breathing the same air as Beyonce, Gal Gadot, or RuPaul would leave me stunned and speechless. Whether you're a fan or not, it's hard not to feel the same way with Kris Aquino, who has the poise worthy of a true royal. After all, she's Queen of All Media!

Beauty for me is more than just about vanity or discovering new products. It's also about community, because there's nothing more beautiful than women coming together to share their prettifying secrets! That's why when Belle de Jour CEO Darlyn Ty floated the idea of co-presenting an event last year, I knew we had to do it. 

Is it just me or did January fly by so fast? One minute we’re celebrating the new year, the next we’re nearly at the end of the first month! I feel like the ink hasn’t even dried on our resolutions list, yet here we are. How have you been sticking to yours? Whether you chose to do a full beauty overhaul or just have a few improvements in mind, Watsons reminds us to celebrate the 2018 version of ourselves - this year’s Happy New You!

If I can summarize my 2017 in one word, it would be courage. This is the year that the Project Vanity Team and I went out of my comfort zone (such as it were) to go for new things we had never considered before. Project Vanity is more than a blog, as I like to say - it's a community this year more than ever, with the birth of the Project Vanity Community Page on FB and regular live videos that also tie with in-store exclusives and events! 

There are many exciting innovations in skincare today to the point that you can see an immediate effect overnight. This is why it's easy to pass over heritage brands like Cetaphil but I would like to argue the opposite: Cetaphil is, in fact, more relevant than ever for us skincare junkies. It has stood the test of time for 70 years because it's more than just your average skincare line. Cetaphil's philosophy centers around therapeutic skincare - skincare that is formulated specifically for people with compromised skin.

Despite having known it for a while now, I still can't get over how Kanebo is over a hundred years old! Our editor Liz has even toured the Kanebo and Kao Museum, which traces the brand's history to its roots as a textile production company in 1887! The secret to the Japanese heritage brand's longevity lies in its ability to combine traditions that are known to work and trends that excite. For autumn of 2017, Kanebo is releasing a huge collection in the Philippines once more. And what's extra exciting is that it will beef up the local selection, as they only entered the Philippines in 2011!

As a member of several beauty communities, I’ve noticed the different stages in a person’s dedication to beauty. It begins with a casual interest in cute products, followed by a more serious commitment like building a collection, and succeeded by being more aware of things like the ingredients that go into the products. If you’re part of the latter group, you might even find yourself questioning if all those other ingredients absolutely have to be in there.

Make Up For Ever is at it again! In line with their branding as professional-quality cosmetics, they’ve recently launched the Make Up For Ever Artist Face Colors (P1,200). These are 5g pans of high-pigment, ultra-blendable highlight, sculpt, and blush face powders.

Thanks to the rising popularity of beauty drinks and supplements, you've probably heard of the important role that collagen plays in keeping our skin looking young, soft, and smooth. Honestly, I thought that was all I needed to know about collagen but I recently discovered that there's more to it! At the Watsons Collagen event, I got the opportunity to learn more about what it is and how it works, in the most fun way possible!

Empowering women through their products is at the core of Elizabeth Arden's beauty philosophy. After all, the founder's mantra was, "To be beautiful is the birthright of every woman." To keep up with the women in today's digital age, the company launched in 2015 a campaign titled "From the Desk of Liz Arden". While only a fictional character, #LizArden connects the brand with its customers, with help from other beauty bigwigs like models, designers, makeup artists to name a few.

Last July, Rustan’s The Beauty Source held its biggest event of the year: Rustan's Beauty Addict. For one day a year for five years running, the beauty department of the luxury store gets transformed into a wonderland of food, freebies, and promos!

H&M is a retail brand we’ve all come to know and love since they first launched in the Philippines. From fashion to home décor, a trip to H&M is always a thrill. And now, beauty lovers have more reasons to head to their counters! As we reported on BNR last month, H&M Beauty is dropping in store this Friday, September 15.

The massive H&M Beauty line will first be available at the flagship SM Mega Fashion Hall branch but will soon reach other locations such as Robinsons Place Manila, SM North Edsa, Festival Mall, Ayala Center Cebu, SM Mall of Asia, and Greenbelt 4.

Have you ever been so busy that you forgot to take care of yourself? Whether it's for school projects, work deadlines, or just managing your personal life, there are days when it feels like you barely have the time to breathe. In my case, it usually means about 4 hours of sleep, late and unhealthy meals, and a complete neglect of my skincare routine. As a result, I pretty much look as awful as I feel!