Hi everyone! I thought I’d bring back my Ask Liz column - it’s been a while since I’ve tackled reader questions, so I’m excited to get back to it. I received this question via Instagram from Billie. I answered her immediately, but I thought that I’d get into more detail here! Let’s read her message.

I’m so excited for this week’s beauty roundup, PV Community! When I was listing down the releases to feature, I instantly noticed that they’re all from Filipino brands. Ah, what a time to be alive! Filipino beauty is thriving and we are given the opportunity to support and champion it in our own way.

I’ve been writing about beauty long enough to remember those ancient times when wearing sunscreen outside of a beach setting was almost unheard of. We’d whisper about the fussy few who’d do it but never really imagine slathering on this (previously) uncomfortable product on a daily basis. Look at us now. Sunscreen has become a religion, almost, and I for one have definitely reaped the benefits of using it regularly in the last decade.

I’ve been following Bobbi Brown’s career for over a decade now. I admire her because she truly revolutionized the beauty industry, which is a distinction few can claim despite all the countless brands and launches in the market right now. She made nude and natural-looking lipsticks in the 90s when everyone else had neon or deep shades. However, it was her belief that makeup should make us look exactly like ourselves - just prettier and more powerful - that defines her career as a makeup artist and entrepreneur.

How are you all doing, PV Community? Sorry if I’ve been MIA for the past few weeks. I’ve missed you all. There will be quite some catching up to do. After all, there’s always something new to discover in the world of beauty. Don’t you just love that?

Reading labels on the packaging of health, wellness, and beauty products helps you make informed decisions. That's because a label can tell you what ingredients are contained in the product, how to use it effectively, and how caring it is for the environment.

Many retailers are now more conscious of their roles as more than purveyors of products but also as stewards of making greener choices. All over the world, retailers like Watsons are making efforts to be more sustainable and engaging their customers to live more sustainably through the products they choose, or through using reusable bags, or participating in recovery and recycling efforts by the retailer or the community.

I’ve been with my husband for eight years now and despite my repeated appeals for him to start using skincare, the only thing he would ever deign to put on his face is the In Her Element Low pH Rose Radiant Cleanser. I can’t blame him, it’s an amazing cleanser - one I use every day too - but I wish he would use more! He has great skin due to good genes so he doesn’t care all that much. Every time I say this, I roll my eyes because life is unfair.

As a beauty enthusiast, I must have seen thousands of Tiktoks or YouTube videos talking about numerous dupes for popular, often more expensive products. We grew up in a society wherein most of the time expensive means better but with the current advancements in the beauty industry this has started to change as more and more products turn out to perform comparably well or even at par with popular brands.

Here are a few much-loved beauty products and their corresponding dupes – tried and tested by yours truly.

I’ve been following Happy Skin since the very beginning. You can say what you want about the brand, but they’re a leader when it comes to the Filipino beauty scene! They’re always releasing new formulas and on top of that, they also constantly improve upon what they’ve done before. I appreciate that level of commitment to making their customers happy.

I used to think blush did not add anything to my makeup looks. Now that I have learned that there are actually different types of blush and a variety of ways to use it, I wish I could take back all the years I spent being blush-less!

As with many things in life, makeup is a socially learned concept that depends on where you are and is affected by current trends. When I started my makeup journey in 2017, the round blush placement was what was in and I just could not nail it which made me decide that blush just was not for me.

Hello Glow is back with another skincare set! As I said in my previous review of their Acne Defense Set, these kits are fantastic for those who are skincare beginners on a tight budget. It’s just so much more convenient to have everything as a set, and in a travel-friendly size at that for those constantly on the go.

The Hello Glow Blemish Miracle Set (P275) contains four products that aim to exfoliate and brighten skin with acids. It has an Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) in the form of citric acid, and Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) in the form of salicylic acid. If you’re wondering what’s different between this and their Acne Defense Set, the Blemish Miracle has a higher concentration of salicylic acid and of course has that boost of AHA for deeper exfoliation.

If you’re not too familiar with Chemical Exfoliants, they sound downright terrifying. It certainly doesn’t help that they’re also known as Acids, conjuring to mind old Filipino movies and teleseryes with old-school physically abusive contrabidas! But those in the know cherish how their favorite acid exfoliant formulas are capable of being super effective yet surprisingly gentle. And I feel exactly the same way about the Puffy Pod (P995 for a jar of 60 pads).

“Oh, we have one gentleman here,” said Dr. Rica Cruz while looking at me, in the middle of her talk about women sexual empowerment. Taken by surprise, I responded, “Yes! Power to all the women!”

Project Vanity celebrated its 14th Anniversary last August 27 at the Rockwell Club in Makati, and it was an afternoon filled with beauty, stories and most importantly, conversations. Now, in true beauty roundup fashion, I’d like to go through them one by one.

Do you ever compare yourself with your peers and wonder why they seem to be doing better than you? Do you feel like you’re not hitting your goal posts in your life, no matter how hard you work and how many sacrifices you have to make every single day? I do. I feel that way sometimes. It’s not easy to admit because I’m supposed to be already self-aware and self-actualized, but I’m very much human, and my self-esteem is not always at 100%.

Hello, PV Community! Okay, we’re just a day away from September and I could already feel the holiday spirit. Are you excited for all the holiday sets and collections? Advent calendars? Deals and promos? I know I am! Speaking of excitement, I hope you’re excited for this week’s beauty roundup!

I get asked a lot by my mom and tita friends about skincare I can recommend to their tweens and teens. For young skin, I always tell them not to use anything too harsh, with too many strong actives; their skin is still quite resilient and can heal fast. Most of the time they really just need something for maintenance so building that habit is important in the beginning. A simple routine that’s comfortable and affordable is important, otherwise they can’t maintain the habit. You know what they say - the best skincare is the one you actually like to use!

As a city girl with island girl roots, the sunkissed look is my version of the “no makeup” makeup look and bronzers are a necessity to achieving it. Yet, there seems to be very few local options to choose from as the majority of brands tend to push out contour products instead.

Lucky for me and my fellow bronzer-biased babes, Issy & Co. ended their trilogy of launches with their final release called Ode to the Sand. It comes in the form of fou bronzers and I’m excited to get into it!

Hello, PV Community! How are you? Will I be seeing you this coming Saturday at 1pm? It’s Project Vanity’s 14th Anniversary and you’re invited! You can get your ticket here, by the way. Looking forward to meeting you! Anyway, time for another round of what’s new in beauty.

Self-care became a beauty buzzword these past few years. Because of the pandemic, our collective focus shifted towards our physical and mental well-being. What may have been perceived as indulgence before has become a seeming necessity. Taking care of ourselves is essential after all!