I have so many new finds that I'm just bursting to share with you guys! That said, however, I don't want Project Vanity to be a blog that just keeps pushing you to buy things you may not even need. This whole beauty thing is not about getting the hottest products in the market. More than anything, it's about finding, out of the hundreds of products out there, the one that works for you. That's the bottomline.

So yeah, that's why I write about the things I love. :) One of my new favorites is the VMV Hypoallergenics Skintangible SPF30 (P1,050). This for me is the ideal tinted moisturizer/ BB cream. It makes my skin look healthy ang glowing, with SPF30 to boot!

Texture and oil control. If you love the Armada Face Cover 30 then you'll definitely love Skinangible with the same sun screen properties plus a skin-enhancing tint. It has the same light texture that dries down quickly and doesn't feel sticky. It also would not exacerbate oiliness - in fact, in my case (combination skin), this product helps with oil control!

Hi Ms. Liz! I'm currently having a problem with my skin. My face is always oily all over but recently, aside from being oily, it's also flaky. It's flaky in small amounts, but they're found all over my face... so in effect, my face appears to be rough. I put moisturizer before my foundation, however, this doesn't seem to help the flaky appearance. The texture of my face is so gross to look at.

This is a big nuisance for me especially since we'll be having our yearbook photoshoot soon. I'm a high school student so can you give me quick remedies that is within the budget of a teenager?  - Chloe

Hi Chloe! Yes, moisturizer can't do much to help skin that is already peeling. Flaky skin is dead skin so you can't revive it with moisturizer. The best remedy is to remove all the flakes first before attempting to hydrate your skin.

Now I'm going to suggest a quick fix so simple you don't even have to spend anything.

Have you guys seen the Preview September cover? It features fashion bloggers Tricia Gosingtian, Laureen Uy, and Camille Co. When I saw it, I was like, whoa! Whoa. 

I think these girls deserve to be on the cover - they are intensely influential and it's only fitting that a magazine steeped in the hottest trends would recognize that. I mean, not just by featuring them inside the pages but by putting them right up there in front! 

This cover makes blogging mainstream here in the Philippines. For real this time.

I have a LOT of lip products lined up for review so I'm trying to schedule them apart. Still, expect to see a parade of posts from balms to lipsticks in the next couple of weeks! So! Today I'll talk about a nice everyday lip and cheek tint: the Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in Peach (P328).

The color in the bottle reminds me so much of the Benefit Cha Cha Tint but don't be fooled - they're two completely different colors. Cherry Peach is a milky peach shade that's flattering on fair to medium tones. It gives just the right touch of color, while keeping lips moisturized and shiny.

What I love about the product

• It doesn't streak. You get ample time to blend it because the color doesn't sink in immediately, unlike other stains where you only have a few seconds to work the product onto your skin.
• The color is a nice creamy peach - not overly pigmented but not faint either. You might want to apply a thick layer on your lips to really get the color going.

It's the start of the work week and I'm feeling fine! Maybe mostly because I've stocked a week's worth of my, er, hyper juice. You know that Nescafe iced coffee in cans? It keeps me charged without making me dizzy like the usual coffee. Amazing. Anyway here are some videos I started my day with - two of my favorite songs from college. 

I love Sarah Bettens because she's a great song writer and her voice is just incredibly raw. She always writes about things that are almost in your hands - almost there but not quite. I think discontent is a human body part. We're all always discontented, it's lodged right up there near our appendix. The key to being happy is accepting that it will always be there and appreciating that other things in our life are working just fine.

Last night I held a blogger event for Zen Zest. After weeks of planning, everything finally came in place! I'm so happy about the turn out and it does look like everyone had a nice time. Whew. I was so worried and nervous the day before so I am super relieved that everything went well. I'll blog about it once I have photos, as usual. For now I have a blurry Twitpic from my Blackberry. 

Sorry about that. Anyway, before I rush off to my meetings for the day, I want to talk about the new love of my makeup life: the Charm Travel Pointed Foundation Brush (P399). I'm absolutely infatuated with it because it works much like fingers would when it comes to applying makeup. If like me you love using your fingers for applying face makeup but hate how the stuff sticks to your digits (and everything else you touch) then this is for you!

This brush is dense enough to blend foundation and concealer seamlessly. It's also just the right size for tighter areas like under the eyes and around the nose.

As a huge fan of the Shu cleansing oil, I was v.v. excited about their latest and supposedly greatest skin purifier: the Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil. Well I'm not going to beat around the bush. I love. This stuff.

So how is this different from Shu's other cleansing oils?  

• It's way lighter than usual and you need much less to remove a full face of makeup. 
• It rinses off completely and doesn't leave a film on the face.
• It can dissolve stubborn mascara quickly. Waterproof mascara just takes more work but Ultime8 can indeed remove it.

Hi Liz! I am currently looking for the best hand & nail cream since my hands are easily dried up due to our office aircon and frequent use of alcohol for hygiene purposes. In addition, my cuticles are very dry that's why I always have a nail cutter in by bag to avoid having wounds in my hands. Lately, I've been using Bobbie Cuticle Oil but I don't use them often because its too messy to use. Hope you will help me with this problem. - Tin

Hi Tin! I've been having this problem lately, as well. I play with my dog a lot so I find myself washing my hands several times every couple of hours! My hands looked like prunes, until I started getting wise and paying more attention to them. 

That said, I love, love, LOVE the Vitacreme B12 Body Milk. It's a heavy cream product that revives dried-up skin like no other. This is the best moisturizer I've tried, especially for hands and nails! I just massage a pea-sized amount and wait for it to work its magic. 

Downside is, it's almost P2,500 for a tube. 0_0 Fortunately there are cheaper alternatives.

I didn't want to review the Majolica Majorca Brow and Lash Colorist in BR555 (P595) initially because it looked weird on me when I tried it on. What this does is it tints eyebrows (and lashes if you're so inclined), turning them into a reddish-brownish color. It's cool if you dye your hair but if, like me, you choose to remain in your natural brown-black hair, then this looks odd when worn by itself.

However! I am very happy to report that I've found a way to make this look utterly fantastic on me. :P Lol. Sorry I'm just excited. I received a lot of compliments on my brows since I started using this just last week. It gives me Preview magazine-worthy kilay, and here's how!

The VMV Hypollergenics Red Better Flare-up Balm (P1,890) is a skin-saver. Whenever I get itchy from allergies or any random irritation, I just apply this and voila! Itchiness gone. I also sometimes get rashes on my neck and hands and this works wonders to calm them down and eventually heal them.

That sounds too good to be true I know, but I've been using this for months now and it has never failed me so far. Promise!

From what I understand, the Flare-up Balm is full of anti-inflammatory and microbe-busting ingredients. It's made for rosacea sufferers, but according to the website, it's also "ideal for irritations, inflammations, redness, bites, itching, rashes + microbial infections from allergic/irritant reactions; seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, atopic/contact dermatitis + some other medically-managed conditions." 

A lot of girls have been asking me about this much-hyped product from Revlon. So good news - the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain is now available in the Philippines! It retails for P575 in major drugstores and department stores. :)

Just got mine the other day so I can't do a full review yet, but off the bat I can tell you that this is a great lip product. It is such a HUGE improvement on the Just Bitten Lip Stain + Balm from last year, which came with a felt tip applicator and balm on the other end. This time, the Just Bitten stain is a balm that leaves a deep, lasting, and even color on the lips.

Yesterday Snaps and I were part of a photoshoot for Purple Groom. It was fun, super! I'll post BTS photos once I've post-processed everything. For now here's what I had on. I really like this look - in fact I bought the blazer and skirt together to match! Again, both are from SM, this time the ladies wear section. Lol. Am I a walking billboard for SM or what? I am not connected to them in any way, I just really like shopping there.

Folio blazer / Blanc et Noir skirt / Wacoal corset / Forever 21 necklace / Pinkbox bangle and ring / Charles & Keith heels

...And here I am about to be run over by a cab. I don't know how fashion bloggers do it! 0_0

I wish that women would remove their nail polish as soon as it starts chipping obviously. I think that leaving cracked and fading nail polish on looks shabby; if you can't maintain it, don't wear it. Just keep your nails au naturale if you don't have time to touch it up!

Hmm, I should make a tutorial on touching up nail polish. For the meantime, I just want to share my current favorite polish eraser: the Etude House Nail Remover #3 Sensitive Nail (P278)!

This is all new to me. It's acetone-free and also supposedly infused with orange oil. It's oily and smells like tangerine, if that's any indication.

As promised, here's my hamburger steak recipe! I like to eat it with buttered potatoes or green beans with carrots. Since I didn't have any carrots, I just blanched the green beans and called it a day. I also included my recipe for gravy. I hate to share this - don't mean to brag, people really like my gravy lol - but I decided not to be selfish. :P

Let's get crackin'.

First I make the hamburger patty. Here are the ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo ground beef (preferably lean)
• Minced garlic and about half a small onion. Make sure everything is finely chopped!
• 1 egg

I am in a major rush today so I won't be able to post a review, but do watch out for a recipe tutorial tomorrow! I'll show you how I make my hamburger steak and mushroom gravy. ;) For now I have photos of what I wore yesterday!

SM dress / Forever 21 belt / Pinkbox ring and headband / Ferretti pumps / Nine West satchel

Everyone was asking about where I got the dress! It's from SM and it was only P750 if I remember correctly. It's from the Teens Wear section hahahahaha.

Last night, it was so cool that I slept without the airconditioner on. I think it's my first time to do that this year (barring blackouts)! I wish the weather would stay this way, you know, rainy and cold but not overly so.

Anyway, it's that time of the month! Here are the products that I really liked last July. :)

Beautiful tinted lips should be your bare minimum when you going it. There are so many nice tinted balms at an affordable price so there's no excuse to have bloodless-looking puckers! One great colored lip balm slash lipstick that you can find in drugstores is the LipIce Color Lip Balm. I love it because it's super moisturizing and quite pigmented to boot. It does have a waxy smell and taste but thankfully, it dissipates.

Have you always wanted to build your own eyeshadow palette without spending for a MAC or Shu Uemura one? Well, you'll love the Artdeco Eyeshadows and Custom Palette System then.

Whoever formulates and makes K-Palette cosmetics should get a medal. Seriously. All their products are amazing! Well the ones I've tried so far that is. Remember their Real Lasting Eyeliner? The Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow pen? These are staples for me!

It's no surprise that ended up loving their under-eye makeup as well. The K-Palette Zero Kuma Concealer (P895) is a heavy coverage, heavy duty concealer that can zap the darkest eye bags. It comes in three variants, three shades with different skincare and color-correcting purposes. You can also use them for skin discoloration and blemishes!

Here are my thoughts on this gem of a concealer. 

What I love about the product

• Coverage is opaque yet very smooth - perfect for really dark eye bags. It looks like skin when blended properly; no cakiness here.
• It is water and oil-resistant. You can cry with this and it won't budge. It's also great for girls with oily under-eyes.

Hi Miss Liz,

Can you suggest some good blemish removers? I have these acne marks/scars and it takes a while to lighten them. I just rely on my whitening moisturizer (Olay's) but i don't know if that works. Any suggestions from affordable to high-end products are welcome in my book, since when it comes to my skin care I'm willing to spend. But if it's affordable and works that'll be great! :) - Diana

Hi Diana! What you can do to lighten your blemishes faster is to use sunscreen everyday, preferably something with SPF30 above. Why? Because blemishes are basically caused by hyperpigmentation or too much melanin in the area. That happens when skin is wounded or scarred - the skin tries to repair the damaged spot by producing more melanin. 

To keep the area from darkening more, use a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB rays. The sun triggers our skin to produce pigment so we need to deflect its damaging rays with SPF products. Here are sunscreens I like:

Clinique Derma White City Block Anti-Pollution SPF40 PA+++