It's always a happy occasion when your skin meets a skincare brand that suits it well. Being hiyang with a brand is no small thing! Kiehl's is one such brand for my skin and I feel extra rewarded in using their products for the following reasons.

The brand first came to my attention when Liz reviewed the Drunk Elephant Sukari Babyfacial. Drunk Elephant was available at Sephora Philippines then and the Babyfacial was one of their bestsellers.

Founded by Tiffany Masterson in 2013, the brand took its name from the myth that elephants get drunk from the fallen fermented marula fruit. This is because Virgin Marula Oil is an ingredient featured in many of Drunk Elephant’s products!

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!

Have you ever found your perfect foundation shade match only to find it changing color halfway through the day? After you’ve bought it full-sized? This has happened to me a couple of times already and here in the Philippines, beauty brands don’t really allow us to exchange them for a better shade. I’ve learned my lesson since so I’m extra careful with choosing my base products. Aside from swatching, sampling, and extensive research on reviews, it is also best to watch out for that dreaded color change brought about by oxidation.

Serums are usually counted beyond basic skincare and that’s because they have targeted benefits that add on to a routine. These concentrated boosters are often priced higher but Ever Bilena Plus recently released affordable serums for only P395 each. Let’s see how they fare on my skin!

Japan's No.1 sunscreen brand Anessa just got an upgrade in packaging and formula, so I'm here to check it out! They switched to a blue logo and outer packaging, which btw is partially made of bio-based plastic. This is produced from "renewable biomass sources that reduce carbon dioxide emissions"*. In working towards their goal of a SUNstainable world, they also removed coral-damaging ingredients such as Octinoxate and Microplastic beads from their formula.

You may have heard of the latest Pili Ani release from the Beauty News Roundup last May 10. This local brand is one I keep my eye on as I’ve previously tried some of their products with positive results so I’m quite excited to try out their new ones.

Gone are the days when the only purpose of lip products is to either apply color on the lips or to treat them. These days, we expect more than just a singular purpose from our lip product and a lot of beauty’s recent releases have been answering. These lip hybrids deliver a punch of color while also providing other benefits like a glossy finish, a hydrating boost, or both, or more. Here are 5 local lip products to try:

Kiehl’s fans rejoiced in 2020 when the brand finally launched their LazMall Store to provide greater online access to Kiehl's products from the comfort of our homes. They featured curated sets from celebrities then but I also shared my personal favorites as I have quite a few from the brand.

The year, Kiehl's topped in Lazada for the Super Brand Opening and their Super Brand Day in 2021. For this year's Super Brand Day on May 25, Kiehl’s has lined up pretty exciting things for us!

I've always kept myself updated on new Happy Skin releases, be it skincare or makeup. Two of their recent ones really piqued my interest: a sunscreen primer and a tinted moisturizer. I know I need both but realistically speaking, how will they fare in my daily routine? These can be used separately or together, so let's see.

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!

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?

Dear Beauté Himawari shampoos and conditioners are always well-loved here at Project Vanity. Liz featured the hair combo on her new finds way back in 2015 and the launch of the Volume & Repair variant in 2016 showed great results. A travel-size sample set was even included in the Project Vanity J-Beauty Kit!

Now a new variant was recently released and it’s especially formulated for mature hair: the Dear Beauté Himawari Smooth & Repair Shampoo and Conditioner (P745/500ml each).

Makeup brands always go all out during the holidays and this year, MAC’s is certainly one to look forward to. With gorgeous sets in hypnotic optical-illusion packaging, the Hypnotizing Holiday Collection dares you to “be your own masterful makeup MACgician!”

Here I am again with my search for mask proof makeup. This time around, the focus is on lips and I’m happy to find a product from one of my favorite local brands, Happy Skin! The Kiss & Bloom Glossy Tints (P349) are part of the Generation Happy Skin line up. It was mid-2020 when these products were first launched and included in the Here to Bloom collection with the shades Tanned and Crimson. Four new shades have been added since then: Blossom, Bud, Calm, and Sunny. The shades are sold separately but you can also get all four in the Generation Happy Skin Glossy Tint Set (P1,396).

The Shiseido Ultimune serum has been my go-to serum since 2014. I like how it consistently makes my skin clear and glowy. Even with an award-winning formula already (200 awards worldwide and counting!), Shiseido still strives to improve the Ultimune - thus coming out with the Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate version 3.0 (P6,000/50ml) this 2021.

Wondering if plant-powered haircare routine is for you? Throughout the month, people shared their actual experiences of using Herbal Essences. Read on to discover the multisensorial benefits of bringing plant power to the shower.

The blk Sunkissed Collection is inspired by the different shades of the sunset, mostly warm colors that will give you a "post-vacation glow, minus the sunburn." From this new collection, I was drawn towards the new shades of the Creamy All-Over Paints since I had a good impression with the Glow shade included in the Blk Bridal Collection. These new releases are marketed as mask-proof and multi-use for the face, eyes, and lips so here's how they fared IRL.

My skin has reached that certain point where I feel like I need a little help from anti-aging products, particularly in terms of lifting and firming. Gravity has taken its sweet time and my skin isn’t as bouncy as before – I can actually pinpoint sagging areas already. These exact concerns are what the SNAILWHITE Gold Age Renewal line aim to address so I’m happy to test out and see if the line can be my new anti-aging secret.

The ongoing pandemic has made alcohol and sanitizers essential to our lives. It’s something that we always need to have on hand to help protect us as we go about our day. Making sure we have our stash full is now more convenient as beauty brands release their own versions. We can shop for our beauty products and sanitizing essentials in one stop!