There’s something therapeutic and empowering about using something you made yourself. I know we PV girls are not lacking in our own DIY experiments but some DIY inspirations we've found online are frankly irresponsible and can put your health at risk. If you're looking for a cheap alternative or just wanting to have a bit fun, please PASS on these four ideas - and we'll tell you why!

Silka is one of the longest running and most successful local skincare brands in the country - in fact, they just celebrated their 15th anniversary last year! Though their popular formulations are already well-loved, their constant improvements to their products continue to win us over. Their lotions are a big hit with my fellow PV girls, and good contenders in the sunscreen battle. Meanwhile, their best-selling soaps also have a fan in their newest celebrity endorser, Yassi Pressman. 

Have you heard the good news? Club Clio is now available at SM Makati's beauty section! No need to travel all the way to Trinoma or Lucky Chinatown mall if you're a Southern gal because these hot K-beauty brands are now within easy reach. If you've never tried anything from Goodal, Peripera, or Clio and don't know what to get, you've come to the right place. I got to pick up items during the store’s grand opening, so I'm sharing my finds and giving the lowdown on which products have made their way to my regular makeup routine!

One of our favorite direct selling beauty brands, Mary Kay, celebrates its 17th year in the Philippines! It seems like only yesterday when I first started seeing catalogs of the brand. And now, the brand is stronger than ever with its crowd favorites and new products as well!

New skincare and makeup brands coming to the country are always big and exciting news here on Project Vanity. K-beauty brands in particular are unique and trending, thanks to their often cute packaging and never-before-heard-of special ingredients.

Stealthily going under our beauty radar is Korean brand, Deoproce. They've actually been available in SM Beauty and in select Watsons outlets for some time now, and is actually a brand under the Samsung Group! The brand name is a combination of "deo" for development, "pro" for professional, "c" for cosmetics, and "e" for energy.

Have you ever finished a lipstick bullet down to the very bottom? If so, you've probably dug in with a lip brush to get as much as you can. If you're a thrifty beauty nerd, then you would've scraped out what you can with a small knife. But how much, exactly, is left over when you're done with a lipstick tube? How does this amount vary compared to the stated number of grams on the label, what you see with your eyes, and what's down below the bullet?

Well, since I can be a tinge (just a little) bit OC about things like this, I found out thanks to my trusty digital scale!

Life is good, PV girls, it is so, so good! There’s loads to be excited for, starting with all the insane sales and promos to celebrate International Lipstick Day on July 29! We're looking forward to amping up our glow with cult-favorite Hourglass Cosmetics, which will be available in the Philippines very soon. You can also enjoy a little girl-bonding by taking advantage of a crazy brow deal for you and your girlfriend. Thank goodness it's payday weekend cos you won't want to miss out!

I don't buy that many beauty things anymore due to the nature of my job. I get to try products for free plus I research thoroughly before dropping the dough on something I like! I often know what I want and what to avoid so I don't make that many mistakes when I finally commit to a purchase. Chalk it up to nine years of trying out hundreds upon hundreds of beauty products - I have high standards, but I also understand that what works for you might not work for me and vice versa.

Have you ever found yourself in a makeup emergency? I’ve certainly had days when I regretted going out without makeup on and itched to slap my face with some color! While it’s true that the best look to wear is confidence, it wouldn’t hurt to know you’ve got options when you’re truly stuck in a makeup crisis. If your makeup bag and the next drugstore are nowhere near, you might be surprised with what 500 pesos can do at your neighborhood convenience store. I certainly was with this Convenience Store Beauty Challenge! I raided a nearby 7-Eleven to see what they've got.

If looking good makes you feel good, why not take the chance to do good as well? Beauty brands have been going beyond helping us to look the best version of ourselves and are using their influential platforms to support charitable causes and social change movements. Want your peso to travel the extra mile? Consider purchasing from these six brands that give back.

In recent years, Pinays have become more and more kilay-conscious. It used to be that the general pulse for minimum makeup was face powder and lip gloss but now, many women swear that they'd never leave home without drawing their brows on. I feel naked without them is an oft-heard sentiment, followed by the overused but appropriate #kilayislife.

This rings particularly true for those with less than perfect eyebrows, a.k.a. 99% of the population. We try our best to copy the on-fleek looks we see in YouTube videos and on Instagram but the truth is, technique is only one part of the solution. It's also important to know which is the right type of brow product for your particular condition. Today, we tackle the most common eyebrow problems and the best ways to fill them in!

I'm a liquid foundation gal. It does take a few extra minutes to apply, but the pay-off is worth it since it looks so much more like skin than pan foundation. It wears better throughout the day too! Recently I've been picking up the Estee Lauder Double Wear Makeup (P2,400 for 30ml) more than my other liquid foundations. It makes my skin look amazing plus it stays on my oily combination skin all freakin' day!

Who doesn't want long and lush lashes? It's an easy way to look more youthful and awake, not to mention they make your eyes look bigger even while wearing glasses. It's no surprise that lash serums, lash lifting procedures, and lash growing DIYs are getting a lot of attention. For a quicker albeit temporary solution though, there's always the option of using mascara!

Several foreign brand mascaras have already made their home in our kits, but how about local ones? Do they perform as well as they promise? Let's find out and shine the spotlight on mascaras from five local brands: Features & Shades, Ever Bilena Advance, Celeteque, Fashion 21, and Happy Skin.

I say this with all honesty: the thing I love most about my job as PV's managing editor is working with an amazing group of women whom I'm happy to count as friends. The sort of hard part? These same beauty-crazy girls are such enablers! When your job requires you to know about each new makeup and skincare release, you are going to want to buy a lot of things. If your co-workers happen to be anything like mine, you'll probably go broke within the first week.

Highlighting is one of those makeup tricks that takes so little work but creates a huge impact on your finished look. Placed in strategic areas, it can make your skin look real good and your expression brighter, more well-rested! Highlighting used to be something only makeup artists do. However, along with contouring, it has become so accessible that even beginners and the laziest makeup junkies can get on board.

Quick question: what do you get when you cross a haute couture fashion house with one of the biggest makeup shops in the world? The answer: a giant golden teddy bear! I know, it sounds completely random, because, well, it is. This week, we finally found the solution to our underwear shopping woes and with one quick click and how Kat Von D is teasing us (and our brows) to no end. Ready for a quick read? It’s a doozy!

Aimee Song recently confessed in a video that she feels sad, alone, and unfulfilled despite her unbelievably glamorous life. Yes, that Aimee Song with 4.6 million Instagram followers and hundreds of thousands worth of sponsorship deals in her stylish purse. That Aimee Song who probably barely pays for anything anymore, and who shot that video in a luxurious hotel room in Paris while being paid to be front row at Fashion Week. She has, at least through the glossy window of social media, the best life anybody could ask for. But she's not happy. 

The word "retinoid" is casually thrown around these days when it comes to acne treatment. This is a pretty potent ingredient though, so I put my pharma training to good use and did quite a bit of reading on what retinoids are and how they work. If you've been thinking of adding them to your routine, read this lowdown before you commit!