Have you listened to the Project Vanity Podcast yet? ICYMI, Project Vanity has made it easier to learn about beauty via this new medium! If you don’t get the chance to read PV as much as you’d like, this is a great option to get your beauty fix while you’re on the go. Tune in as you do your skincare routine, or make the most of being stuck in traffic by listening in. 

When the #blkUniversal Collection was first announced, expectations were immediately set high. After all, it promised “Universally Flattering Shades”, “Multi-Use Essentials”, “Longwearing Formula”, and “On-the-Go Cosmetics”. Alluringly packaged in the trendy minimalist aesthetic, I found myself virtually lining up soon as they launched online. 

We were legit shookt when Vice Cosmetics started teasing what looked like a brow kit on social media. It was high time the local brand took on brows! Still, I felt it was a tad ambitious to start off with a retractable microbrow pencil and a brow gel as both are regarded as relatively more advanced and premium tools for makeup enthusiasts. I was truly curious with what the brand would come up with, considering their affordable product price range.

With #Pridemonth over, many brands and publications are back to business as usual. While any step towards a more inclusive society is a good one, the current social climate for LGBTQ persons in the Philippines is one that remains lukewarm at best. In an editorial piece by Rappler’s Bonz Magsambol, Filipino LGBTQ netizens question the authenticity of the country’s sentiments: “Tolerated, but not accepted”.

Happy weekend, PV fam, and welcome to another roundup of hot and fresh beauty news! Don’t let the gloomy weather get you down: we’ve got the lowdown on Happy Skin’s latest collection with Heart Evangelista, and juicy deets on Benefit’s new baby. 50 is the number to beat with ABH’s and FENTY’s expansive shade lines, while MannyMUA is playing with color for his summer release. Cozy up with us!

As PV’s resident acid addict, I honestly never thought I’d get into physical exfoliation again. But after getting recurrent forehead pimples in the past few months, I finally realized that my facial wash wasn’t enough to fully remove my sunscreen. I started incorporating an oil remover into my daily routine even on no-makeup days in an effort to remove the sunscreen better. Though I had been washing my face correctly, I was a little bit shocked to learn that there were impurities that even my most trusted cleansing products couldn’t remove.

Every once in a while, MAC Cosmetics hosts an exclusive presentation featuring celebrities, the country’s top beauty editors, and celebrity makeup artists. More than just a product launch, MAC’s Trend Presentations are an important learning avenue for the country’s tastemakers in terms of forecasting. For Autumn/Winter 2019, concepts like modernism, art deco, suprematism, and romanticism dominated the preview. Some of these looks are a bit too avant garde for everyday life, but as Miranda Priestly points out, the looks we wear everyday are inspired by the runway - one way or another.

She’s a fighter, a mother, a queen, and she’s bouncing back! While the last year has been challenging for the Queen of All Media, Kris Aquino is all about maintaining positivity in her life and, of course, serving up a heaping helping of LOVE LOVE LOVE. Along with the good vibes comes curated additions to the ever-expanding Kris Life Kit line, her hands-on collaboration with Ever Bilena. So pucker up for the Kris Tinted Lip Balms!

I’ve been an avid fan and collector of liquid blushes since NARS released their version in 2017. I’ve tried a bunch of options from Glossier, Inglot, and Peri Pera, but I always come back to NARS for its longevity and luxe feel. Imagine my surprise to find ads of Nee Cara Liquid Blush (P260 for 15g, at Shopee) that look so much like the NARS blushes, down to the shade range. Now imagine the electric charge in the air when my editor proposed to compare the two, plus the liquid blushes from O.TWO.O (P300 for 15g at Shopee), a Chinese company that also sells liquid blushes in the same packaging and shade range! And so I tested the three formulas to investigate how similar they are and why the Nee Cara and O.TWO.O blushes look the same.

Any beauty lover worth their salt knows that a lipstick isn’t just a lipstick. Applying color to your lips can be a comforting ritual, a confidence boost, a status symbol, and even carry a little piece of history! In honor of World Lipstick Day on July 29, we’re exploring our fascination with the legendary lippies that continue to be favorites years and even decades after they were first launched. They’ve proven to have offer such classic and iconic that generations of beauty lovers continue to covet them time and time again. Read our lips: these top picks are wishlist-worthy for a reason!

Another month bites the dust, and with it comes the rise of fresh, hot beauty news. This week’s roundup has got the latest on Kylie Jenner (possibly) expanding her makeup empire to include nails and fragrances, Jaclyn Hill’s semi-return to the beauty world after her failed lippies, as well as Charlotte Tilbury’s latest sparkling beauties. And get ready to stay naked with Urban Decay’s latest drop!

I usually listen to music on my commute home, but this time I opted to download Episode 2 of the Project Vanity Podcast on my Spotify. While I don’t usually follow podcasts, this particular episode caught my interest because it appeals to my inner beauty journalist! I was particularly excited with this episode because  I wanted to know what insights Colourette Cosmetics owner Nina Dizon could share about running a beauty business. Can you believe that she started as a 19-year-old student?! Listen to her story here:

Velvet matte lipsticks were popularized by South Korea first, but that didn’t stop Western brands from coming up with their own version in the last year or so. The promise of comfortable, intense color that hugs the lips in a velvety embrace is a tempting apple just within reach. I’ve tried a few of them but I’ve never really gotten into the trend, as I always go back to bullet lipstick. Is this new one from Revlon different?

When you live outside of Metro Manila, there are very few places to get your beauty fix. Back in my home province, there are only two standalone makeup kiosks inside malls. SkinPotions is one of them, so I’ve been curious about what this local beauty brand has to offer. When they recently came out with an Aladdin collection, I just had to try it because Jasmine is my favorite Disney princess! Will this make me look as fabulous as Prince Ali?

Just when we thought that the K-beauty base hype has died down, something new and shiny came along and piqued our curiosity. The spotlight is on Banila Co’s recently released Covericious Power Fit line, which promises long wear, buildable coverage, and high skin adherence. What really intrigued me is that these beauty bases are formulated with hydrolized collagen for additional hydrating properties that cling better to the skin than regular collagen. As someone with dry skin that’s prone to flaking, I definitely needed to test that out!

The skin I have now is different from the skin I’ve had even just three years ago. Before, my face always seemed to be on the brink of breaking out especially around my chin area. Even if I don’t use a new product or change anything in my routine, pimples would just come out - randomly it seemed! I wasn’t even particularly oily (I have combi skin) and I was also hyper aware of my skin due to the nature of my job as a beauty writer. I thought ALL my breakouts were just hormonal and went about my life tiptoeing around and hoping not to anger the skincare gods.

It may have been a rainy week but the beauty world has been heating up! This week gives us a peek into Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories and at a hot new release from Charlotte Tilbury. Our girl Riri just dropped something new at FENTY, and we so wish it was part of the ongoing Sephora PH makeup sale! Beauty tech is also making advances with the launch of Pond’s AI skincare consultant.

I got excited when I first heard that Project Vanity was going to do its own podcast. Having a podcast would not only helps us connect to a bigger audience, this new platform allows for a continuity of discussion different from the flow of our written stories. Each episode builds upon educated yet candid beauty discussions that feel like a chat between friends. They also allow the community to literally hear from Liz, and from other luminaries in the local beauty scene!

More than just serving as overnight relief, it’s now common to wear acne patches even during the day. We now have patch options that are thin and almost invisible, with some claiming to even be wearable under makeup! If you feel self-conscious about an angry red bump, covering it with an acne patch before applying a face base allows it to heal better compared to direct contact with makeup. But will it actually work? 

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.