I lost my job during the pandemic. And let me tell you, taking care of my skin and putting on makeup were the last things I wanted to do.

Skincare and makeup is always a fun time for me. I’m always happy when I “make myself pretty” even for no reason and despite the amount of time it takes to finish. I feel glad whenever I get to use the makeup products I worked hard to earn the money for. It’s double the serotonin boost for me when I could get ready while a new episode of my favorite show or the latest upload of a YouTuber I follow is playing in the background. I call it “my happy alone time”.

Another week flew by and you know what that means - a fresh set of what’s new in the beauty world. I don’t know about you, but I always get excited about anything and everything beauty. It’s a wonderful feeling when you see a world you love so much thriving.

Ready Set Glow is the local makeup brand to watch. I love that it is adventurous with color and unafraid of coming out with fun formulations for the true makeup fan. They’ve been releasing new products non-stop since 2020 from eyebrow cushions to jewel-toned eyeliner, and most recently they came out with a mask-proof lip color. Are you looking for one right now? This may be the one!

Okay, February’s almost over. Can you believe it? Now, before the month of love officially ends, let’s talk about what’s new in beauty that I’m sure you’ll love. Oh, who am I kidding? Regardless of the month, there’s always something new to love in the beauty world!

Global superstar singer and rapper and Blackpink member Lisa has recently collaborated with MAC, launching her first-ever full MAC collection featuring her favorite products. Inspired by what Lisa loves most and with hues designed by Lisa herself, this limited-edition collection is the superstar’s most personal collaboration yet.

Do you have products that you always just buy without fail every time you run out? These are your ol’ reliables, the ones that you can’t quite live properly without. They’re more than just holy grails at this point; they’re already sewn into the fabric of your life! Beauty products come and go through my desk but these five have proven themselves indispensable over the years.

When I dived into the perfume-collecting rabbit hole, I discovered some homegrown perfume brands with a more affordable price range. They smell really good and are, to me, comparable already with imported brands. It’s great to know that we have some very talented noses right here in the Philippines. One of these brands is called Maison Phillipe.

How’s it going, PV Community? We hope you’re all doing well! As for the beauty industry, it’s doing good - great, even! What makes us say that, you might ask? Well, just take a look at all the latest beauty releases that’s set to make our hearts skip a beat.

Anyone who loves browsing aisles of beauty products know from experience that it’s fun to discover and test new products. When we would look around physical stores, it was easier to scrutinize whether the products are real or not. Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, however, our choice of shopping channel quickly and heavily shifted from retail to e-commerce.

Happy Valentine’s Day, PV Community! I know this is cliché, but Valentine’s Day doesn’t really have to be about the romantic type of love. You can celebrate different kinds of love - self, platonic, family, and more. Here at Project Vanity, we’re all about love for beauty, and it’s time to show some love for the latest in beauty!

During most of my childhood I had pin straight hair that needed little to no management. Then right before high school, my curls happened! My hair started growing out curly to my surprise. I would try to hide with wide headbands and ponytails because people said it was buhaghag. In high school I was regularly rebonding my hair during the summers. By the time I was in college, my hair was fried, so I chose to stop getting my hair treated. College was more than five years ago at this point and while my hair is more alive, I wasn’t completely sold on how it looked. I knew I had curly hair; I just didn’t know what to do with it.

It’s the month of love, PV Community, and I wish you a February filled with just that. I hope you get to celebrate love, regardless of its form and kind, more than ever this month. Speaking of celebrating love, let’s talk about what’s new in beauty - one thing I know we all love.

I am of the opinion that facial oils are severely underrated. They can feel so… extra - and, therefore, not for everybody. Since they’re primarily occlusive in nature, oils work best when they’re not just used as a one-and-done skincare step. Rather, they best function as a final moisture “sealant” to go over your serum and moisturizer. That’s why some might feel that they’re excessive.

I started practicing yoga in 2012 – from the humble beginning of joining a yoga event up to enrolling in a studio for cross-training in pole and getting my first yoga teacher certification in 2014. I was in the middle of a yoga teacher training course when the lockdown happened. From the face-to-face sessions with manual adjusting that we were used to for many years, we had to continue through video conference and focus on verbal cues.

Remember the Dermaction sunscreen I reviewed last March? I ended up finishing the tube! It’s a really good formula that I especially enjoyed at the beach since it’s water-resistant. Dermaction is actually popular for their sunscreen line, but did you know that they have other products as well? Let’s explore everything!

I know it’s no surprise how time flies, but my, oh, my! January’s almost over! Since we’re about to welcome the month of love, I’m curious to know what beauty product you’ve been loving this month. If you haven’t been loving anything lately, then perhaps one of the products below might be for you.

Purple blush has been around long before TikTok made it viral: there was even an article on using purple blush here at Project Vanity back in 2017. And since I haven’t tried it before (and am currently in a cream blush phase), I thought why not jump on the bandwagon today?

Picture this: The year was 2016. Bold brows, matte foundation, and really matte lips were all the rage. Of course, I was into it - and there’s nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that I did not really care about skincare.

Yes, this self-confessed skincare addict used to be someone who cared more about hiding her imperfections than taking care of her skin.

Are you feeling demotivated and less confident these days? You’re not alone. I think some of it has to do with how everything felt so normal in December - there were gatherings with family and friends, and we felt like our old self again - but January dashed that feeling on the rocks. Many got sick and isolated at home, and the outside world felt like we’re in the first couple of months of the pandemic. Again, like a bad B-movie on loop. Anyone would be wrecked; I know I am.