Hey, PV Community! How’s it going? I don’t mean to shock you, but the first quarter of 2022 is about to come an end. I know, I know - where did the time go, right? Speaking of time, it’s time for another roundup of what’s new in beauty.

I used to think of acne as a punishment for me not being careful enough with my skin, not being more mindful of what I expose it to. But overtime I realized it’s just a natural function of skin to let me know what’s not working out in my routine. Often it’s also because of my hormones or stress, which I can’t do too much about. I’ve accepted it as a part of myself - not a flaw, but a built-in feature that I don’t have to hate.

We all have our go-to shopping platforms, right? What I noticed is that we visit different e-commerce websites based on what we’re looking for. There’s a place we go to for appliances, a place for cheap abubots, and then a place for more high-quality items we KNOW will be authentic. That last one for me is Zalora.

People always ask me if I’ve tried or want to try the lash lift procedure. We’ve had writers on Project Vanity do a review before, but I personally think it’s not for me. I prefer to rely on really, really good mascaras instead! I know the power of long, voluminous lashes in framing my eyes, so I rarely skip mascara (only on gym day).

I first heard about the Maybelline Sky High Mascara about a year ago, but I couldn’t get my hands on it because it wasn’t available in the Philippines. Finally, it’s here! I bought it from Lazada for P499 from the Maybelline Flagship Store.

Multinational consumer goods company Unilever Philippines teams up with top health and beauty retailer Watsons and social enterprise Plastic Bank in the efforts to protect and preserve the environment.

Through Watsons, Unilever launched Gift for Good in 2021, offering shoppers sustainable beauty products, including the hair and skin product brand Love, Beauty, and Planet.

This pandemic deemed many of our cosmetic products useless, like colorful eyeshadow palettes or loose pigments that we may have bought on a whim or for that one party we needed to attend. Not everyone has the energy or time to play with makeup and post on social media, or wants to donate the palettes because it’s a limited-edition item. It’s an even bigger problem when they’re about to expire.

Allow me to share some ideas on how you can utilize those rainbow palettes so they won’t entirely go to waste!

Kérastase is a haircare brand that I’ve had great experience with so far. It addressed my post-partum hair fall a couple of years back with the Kérastase Genesis Anti-Hair fall line while I’ve used up a couple of bottles of the Kérastase Discipline Oléo-Relax Hair Oil. It is one of their best-sellers after all!

I was shopping in Landers BGC when I spotted the E45 Cream (P575 for 350 grams) on the shelves. I’ve not heard of it before, but looking at the claims in the front and ingredients in the back immediately convinced me to try it. I’ve been suffering from dry skin on my hands and feet, and needed something that can fix the issue fast. Normal heavy creams and lotions aren’t doing it for me as I always wash my hands and neglect my feet.

I take a few pills every single day for my maintenance medication, so believe me when I say that I prefer my vitamins to be more interesting than the bitter tablets I have no choice but to take. I love gummy vitamins because I can pretend they’re just candy while still getting the benefits! I love fruit flavors too.

Wellspring Gummy Vitamins is the newest player in town and they’re now available in Watsons. There are five variants available. Let’s check them out!

For International Women’s Day, Watsons released results from a regional ‘Women’s Confidence Survey in Asia’. Two major findings are: 1) Almost 50% of women feel unconfident; 2) Mentoring support and seminars on stress management & career success are the top support women need.

Trusted health and wellness partner Watsons continues to provide Filipinos with a wider range of products while staying true to its brand promise of looking good, doing good, and feeling great through its sustainability efforts.

I remember when I had just started writing for Project Vanity and attended a MAC workshop that featured the Lightful C collection. It was actually the first time I realized that this MUA staple makeup brand also carried a skincare range! And it’s one that focuses on highlighting the skin’s radiance for a rosy glow, even before any base makeup takes place.

Well, the Lightful line just got a major “tone up” that sees the series expanding to a total of seven skincare products and three types of base makeup. Say hello to the Lightful C3 collection!

How’s it going, PV Community? To all the working girls out there, are you reporting back to the office already? I’ll be doing so soon, and one thing that excites me about it is that I’ll get to curate an office makeup bag again. Now, perhaps a product on this week’s beauty roundup list will make the cut.

Celebrity beauty brands are all over the place these days, with many of them seeming like they’re just merch, or a second thought sent out into the void by celebrities who simply can’t have too much money. But I find Rare Beauty to be an exception. I see Selena Gomez with regular updates on socials and seeming very involved in her own brand (this is not as common as it should be). Of course there is a team running it day-to-day, but somehow it feels like the brand has a soul. At least to me.

Beauty brands are stepping up these days in incorporating treatment with their makeup. Issy and Co’s Hydragloss (P209) has made waves in being a lip treatment and lip color in one cute tube. Let’s test it out!

The Hydragloss colors I have are Jell-Oh, H.O.T. and Punch. They appear super pigmented on the tube, making one think of fruity summer colors. Upon smelling, there was no fragrance or “flavor” that I would usually get in some lip glosses. I swatched them on my arm and it was surprising that I didn’t get a sticky texture. It glides more syrupy and didn’t leave an overt residue when wiped off with a tissue.

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.