It's #GIRLPOWER all month long, ladies! International Women’s Day may have been last March 8, but I say we celebrate being women all day, every single day! To make the month of March even more special for us, a ton of our favorite brands are bringing in sales and new drops! Speaking of celebrating women, Maybelline’s newest IT girl is absolutely gorgeous and we're living for the eye look that debuted on the Oscars red carpet recently. Benefit may have just brought out the perfect cheek palette. Happy reading!

Fans of Korean skincare are probably very familiar with the sheet mask. This supercharged K-beauty innovation basically acts a concentrated “booster shot” for the skin, delivering a potent dose of active ingredients in the form of a saturated cotton or hydrogel mask. Skincare junkies swear by them, and any pretty unnie worth her salt probably has a preferred brand. Here at PV, our editor-in-chief Liz swears by Leaders, while the other ladies prefer more familiar labels like Etude House, The Face Shop, and Skinfood. Personally, I am solidly #TeamInnisfree.

Or, well, I was. Until a KPop group shook up my life, and my skincare routine.

The term "skincare" usually makes us think of the best ways and products to keep our faces clear, smooth and shine-free but that's obviously just a small portion of our skin! It would be very expensive to use toners and serums for the rest of our body though, so the next best thing is to make sure you get a good lotion for every day use. Apart from the ability to moisturize, many now offer other benefits, and you can pretty much get them at any budget. Here are our top picks!

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.

Hi, I’m Gett and I easily fall into the trap of hype marketing, minimal packaging, and soft matte lip products. Even with my day job as an ahensya slave and my daily exposure to different marketing tactics, I am only but a human with measly wants and needs. These days, I need a lippie that feels comfortable but still looks matte. I’m at this point in my life where I’d rather reapply lipstick than have to wear a drying formula that stays put all day long.

Believe it or not, we PV girls comfortably wear the mantle (pashmina?) of the The Real Titas of Manila. Head Tita Liz is soundly asleep by 9pm, and our team meetups usually involve lunching at Mary Grace. Instead of late night walwal parties, we sip sangria with extended pinky fingers or have Korean BBQ night at my house. 

Like any self-respecting Tita, our purses contain a lot more than just makeup. Being a Tita means you've got you sh*t together, so you're never left in a bind. We all have different priorities though, so here's our different takes on what should be in a Tita survival kit!

Late last year, I came across the news of a Malaysian woman getting severe allergy from using a fake Nature Republic 92% Aloe Gel. To say that I was scared shitless that my favorite moisturizer was getting counterfeited may sound like an exaggeration but that’s exactly how I feel about Korean cosmetics getting faked. It’s already difficult enough to try not to buy fake US cosmetics; counterfeit Korean cosmetics are much harder to recognize!

Hello, summer! Can you girls believe it? It’s finally March, which means beach trips, summer hangouts, and more importantly, a ton of summer launches from our favorite brands! This week’s sizzling roundup has everything you need to know about Bretman Rock’s latest collab, MAC on Lazada (it's the real deal), Happy Skin’s new skincare lines, and something rosy and romantic from Urban Decay. Let’s get cracking!

Let's get one thing straight: anybody can live a fulfilling and happy life without a luxurious jar of Creme De La Mer or a sexy bottle of Tom Ford perfume. Luxury beauty is not necessary for day-to-day survival nor can it dramatically change your life - never mind the price tag, they are not magical spells from a wizard's grimoire. That goes the same for organic beauty and essential oils by the way, so let's not get too excited.

So what's the point of luxury beauty then? Why should we buy them?

Hair can do SO MUCH for one’s appearance, yet it is the hardest for me to put some effort into. I studied it a bit as part of my makeup artist training, and though I know how style hair, I rarely touch my own. See, I have crazy hair fall, so doing anything more than breathing puts me in anxiety over additional loss of strands.

While the products we apply to our hair and scalp do matter, it's important to revisit the tools we use, too. Thankfully, two new awesome hair tools have made their way to the Philippines, and they’re making hairstyling so much easier!

I've tried many brush soaps before but honestly, I always end up using Joy dishwashing fluid when I run out of the soap. Sometimes not even then! Joy isn't sexy nor professional-sounding when it comes to cleaning makeup brushes, but it does the job efficiently and cheaply. Other alternatives are Dove soap and baby shampoo but I always have Joy so I never bother to stock the other two.

Two of the hottest beauty trends right now are glassy skin and glossy lips. Yes, we’re all about the shine this summer! It keeps your pout luscious yet lightweight - a great match for the hot weather. And since we’ve already showed you how to get glass skin, today we’re sharing seven lip glosses to complete your look – all under P500!

Living in a tropical country means having to deal with hot weather almost year-round, and for some of us, that means opting for sleeveless tops whenever possible. Bare skin helps to make us feel cooler, but it can also make us feel a bit conscious about the state of underarms! 

I don't this necessarily means you need to remove hair, wear deodorant/antiperspirant, or have flawless white armpits - you do you, girl! I think that making sure to keep the area clean and free from bad odors is mostly all that anyone needs. But for those who do feel a bit more fussy about their underarms, please don't use calamansi to whiten them - you may cause more harm than good! Instead, check out these tips on how the PV girls care for their kili-kili!

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.

Welcome to the weekend, PV girls! It’s time for another beauty roundup, and boy, do we have some seriously chikka-worthy stuff for you all! The local beauty scene is hot with news of another exciting celebrity collab, while Sephora shopping carts are quickly being cleared for checkout. If you’re a fan of 80’s music, fashion and makeup, there’s a drugstore collection that’s sure to make you look and feel like a Jem and the Holograms member. We’ve also got a FENTY Beauty birthday treat care of Rihanna and the latest updates on the drama unfolding at Deciem. You're going to need to take a seat 'cause this one will be a doozy!

Layering skincare has its benefits, but how does one pull it off on super oily skin? I know - it sounds heavy, thick, and icky factoring in the humid climate and our overactive oil glands, but it is possible! The key lies in using gel-type skincare.

Unlike traditional creams, gel formulas are usually water-based and more lightweight. This allows for the product to get absorbed by the skin quickly, and doesn’t leave any sticky residue. Gel formulations aren’t just for moisturizers either - you can choose this option even for your facial cleansers, sunscreen, and masks. While you don't necessarily need to have a multiple step regimen, using gel products can make wearing skincare more comfortable for oily-skinned gals as well as those who don't like the feeling of heavy skincare. Need some recos? Here are some of our favorite gel products for different budgets!

For all my love of skincare and the calming ritual it creates, there are days when I only have the time and energy to wash my face and nothing else. Neglect plus the stress I'm feeling inevitably shows up on my complexion: dull and dry, rough and red, and if I'm really unlucky, a surprise pimple or two. I know that I can get it back on the chok-chok track once I get my routine going again but who doesn't want a quick-fix savior? That's what a mask can do - jumpstart your way to better skin!

Brown is probably one of the most useful colors in makeup artistry. It allows us to contour our features, add contrast in strategic areas, and can be used pretty much anywhere from our scalp to our toes. Happy Skin was onto something when they created their new Eye Can Do It 3-Way Palette (P699 at happyskincosmetics.com) as this contains two versatile shades of brown that glide and blend easily on skin. Let's take a closer look!

Today’s beauty throwdown features one of my makeup removing staples – the cleansing balm! In case you’re new to the party, a cleansing balm is basically an oil-based makeup remover in solid form. It can also be used as the first step in the double cleansing routine, but the solid formula makes it more travel-friendly. You only need a pea-sized amount to remove an entire face’s worth of makeup, so even a small jar can go a long way!

So how effective are they? Let’s find out as we whip out three popular cleansing balms and test them on waterproof and long-wearing makeup.

Loose pigments are what I could class as ‘intermediate’ cosmetics. They’re intensely versatile, but can get pretty intimidating and require some practice to learn – which isn’t to say today isn’t the day to start trying!

Loose pigments are worth adding to your arsenal, especially if you love doing looks that require great color payoff. I personally love using loose pigments, and I’ve amassed a mini vault of Ellana Minerals Loose Multipurpose Pigments (P299 each, ellanacosmetics.com). As a professional makeup artist, having these in my kit allows me to do more creative looks but even a regular makeup junkie can benefit from adding loose mineral pigments in her collection. Want show-stopping highlights or richly-pigmented eyeshadow looks? Loose pigments are the way to go!