I have a confession: I enjoy watching blackhead extraction videos. It’s just so satisfying to see them get popped out of pores! It’s a different case, though, when I visit my derma to have this procedure done on myself (don’t DIY - you might cause more damage). It can hurt a lot, and sometimes my nose gets so irritated that I have to stop myself from sneezing on my derma.

As an oily skinned gal, I’m more prone to getting clogs in my skin so I’ve learned to put up with extractions as a necessary evil. But when I heard about the grit method and that many people swore it worked for them, I just had to try it for myself!

I had one of the worst breakouts of my life three years ago. There I was, trying out some high-end, cult favorite skincare and fully expecting to look like Kendall Jenner after 30 days. To my heartbreak, my skin broke out in clumps of tiny, angry, itchy bumps instead! After a few months and trying some similar products, I realized that what I had at the time was actually fungal acne.

Kiehl’s is one of those skincare brands that my skin just seems to love. I’ve tried a few of their cult favorite serums as well as some then new releases), and my experience has been good thus far. Sam also did the Kiehl’s Let Us Change Your Skin Challenge with quite satisfactory results. The brand has been around since 1851, after all, and has many fans worldwide!

It’s February, I’m in love! Happy love month, PV fam! This week’s beauty roundup will have you falling head over heels with beauty all over again. We’ve got the latest scoop on Selena Gomez’s new beauty line (we know!!!) as well as Millie Bobby Brown’s sweet 16 surprise. We’re also gushing over Pat McGrath’s newest drop, and Huda Kattan’s skincare. Happy reading!

Whether you have dry skin or oily skin, applying moisturizer is an essential step of any skincare routine. However, this can be tricky to do in a humid country, as many formulas can feel too heavy and sticky, especially when it’s hot. Gel formulas are a great alternative to the traditional cream formula, but did you know that there’s an even more lightweight option?

I wish I could talk more people into trying menstrual cups. They’ve made my periods considerably easier to manage and more comfortable, hands down! I do understand that the idea of using one can seem daunting, and that you probably have a lot of questions. Let’s try to answer some of those Qs then! 

Do you still remember your first ever foundation? I do! I had read about a local brand called Ellana Minerals right here on PV, when Liz first started raving about them 10 years ago. That was the decade when mineral makeup was all the rage abroad, but Filipinos didn’t yet have the wonders of online shopping, and Ellana allowed us to enjoy the trend without having to spend a fortune on shipping fees! I treasured the tiny pot of loose mineral foundation and mini kabuki brush that I got from them, so much so that I still keep both in my vanity; the case is empty but the brush still works.

One of my favorite things to watch on YouTube are makeup collection videos. While it’s fascinating to know what beauty gurus have in their collection (and get ideas for products I might want to check out next), these days I’m more interested in the way they organize their stash! My personal favorite is a video that shows how drag queen Kimberly Clark arranges her collection. It’s so satisfying how everything has its own place and how it makes it easier to navigate through a big collection. I also love how she shares that tips she got from the KonMari method, and even DIY-ed some shelves for extra storage!

Is it just me, or was January a crazy month? But you know what they say: there’s nowhere to go but up. Which is why we’re going to try and bring you good vibes with this week’s beauty roundup to perk up your spirits and get you excited for February! We’re talking about Happy Skin’s newest launch and blk’s insane stack of goodies, which are both testing our #nobuy resolutions. We’ve also got the latest from FENTY (yes, there’s more) and Glow Recipe’s baby step towards more “makeup-like” products!  

Are you a skincare junkie? How many skincare products do you currently have in your stash? I recently took stock of mine and found that I currently have 20 in rotation. It’s a lot more than I’d like, but in my defense, it took some trial and error for me to find the ones I like best. I’m finishing these purchases, then plan to edit down to only keeping my HGs! My downsized shelf will be composed of just 10 key pieces; that may still seem like a lot for some but it’s the routine that works for my oily-acne prone skin type.

Thanks to Project Vanity, I’ve had the chance to try out a lot of different skincare products but K-beauty has a special place in my heart! Learning about Korean skincare gave me my first brush with the Asian beauty philosophy, and it has truly been a game-changer for my routines. From chemical exfoliants and 7-skin application, to straight brows and just-bitten lips, so much of my beauty routine is Korean inspired! So I was really excited to learn that a new K-beauty brand just arrived in town.

I’ve wanted a tattoo ever since I was little, but even when I could already afford to get one, it took me a while to actually take the leap. After all, it was going to be a permanent mark on my body, so I needed to be sure about all the details. Where should I have it done? How much would it cost? Most importantly: how can I do it all safely?

We know that skin care is for everyone. But based on stories shared by members of the Project Vanity community, it seems like getting the men in our lives to use skin care is quite a challenge! It's especially difficult to get them to use sunscreen because of common complaints like “it feels sticky” and “it requires too much effort”. 

Kung Hei Fat Choi! We’ve got some great news to ring in the start of the lunar year! NARS offers a timely new collection while Revlon has unveiled a new celebrity face to front the brand. Haute couture meets beauty, and K-beauty gets a sugar rush. We’ve also got our eye on Sabrina’s makeup spell book, and the PONY x Morphe release that just dropped!

When I first heard of bakuchiol, I thought it was yet another skincare ingredient slash marketing ploy carefully crafted to draw in the “all-natural” consumer group. A plant extract that acts like retinol without side effects? It sounds too good to be true, and conveniently fits the bill for those looking for “clean” and vegan product alternatives.

With cosmetics becoming more accessible and more affordable, many beauty lovers have found themselves with collections bigger than they can use up before expiry. Hauls are fun, to be sure, but it’s also important to be wary of when our love for beauty and shopping at are unhealthy levels that negatively affect our finances and the planet. 

I have a confession to make: last year, I started teaching myself to buy less makeup. I unfollowed a lot of cosmetic brands on social media, and stopped consuming makeup content from videos to blogs, and even newsletters. When I see a sale, I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and walk away. I still love makeup and that’s not gonna change, but I needed to stop an unhealthy shopping addiction that had me buying waaaay more than I need. What snapped me back to reality was seeing a drawer full of expired makeup that I hadn’t even used more than thrice. So this 2020, my New Year resolution is to stay committed to #ProjectPan and doing a low buy!

I was never really self-conscious about my teeth until I fell in love with orange lipsticks. The coral hues lend warmth to my pale skin, but they also highlight how yellow my teeth are! It’s just the natural color of my teeth, a dentist had told me previously, but I couldn’t help wishing for whiter teeth. I know that there’s a DIY hack involving baking soda and lemon juice, but the dentist warned me against doing it as the abrasive nature of both ingredients can strip the protective enamel from the teeth and make it more sensitive or prone to ngilo.

The last year of the last decade saw me having a baby. I knew this meant changes to my lifestyle, and I had to bid goodbye to my tried and tested routines. I cut out a lot of products during my pregnancy, and became conscious about avoiding certain ingredients. After I gave birth, I found myself with drier skin than usual ,and with significantly less time to devote to a skincare regimen.

There’s nothing like blush to instantly wake our face up and give it a fresh vibe. Cheek tints have become especially popular here in the Philippines because they’re so convenient to use, but honestly I don’t use them often simply because of the limited colors available! I personally love nude and coral pink blushes for my skin tone, and I can usually find these type of colors in powder blushes.