I’ve been experiencing bad breakouts on my forehead for a while now, and as the cause is hormonal, I’m trying to just manage it as best as I can. Finding products that help to control my acne and dry up existing pimples hasn’t been easy—I’ve had to experiment with so many products before finding ones that work and also fit into my student budget. Zapping zits is more than just applying a pimple gel though; you really need to fight acne with every step of your skincare, so here’s my favorite go-to products so far, under a P1,000 price tag!

Don't let the name intimidate you. While the use of acids for chemical exfoliation is best reserved for skincare geeks, there is an acid that even beginners can safely add to their regimen! Hyaluronic acid is an ingredient often found in skincare products, and it's common enough that most of us have probably tried it already. Besides, did you know that it's already inside our bodies?

When I first started doing my own makeup, I thought that all good concealers were expensive and far beyond the means of my student budget. Even now, I have to content myself with reading about the NARS Radiant Creamy concealer, MAC Pro Longwear concealer, YSL Touché Eclat Radiance pen concealer, and the Tarte Double Duty Shape Tape concealer. I'm sure those are all amazing and I'd love to add them to my collection someday, but right now, my needs require me to use concealer almost all the time and it would be impractical for me to splurge on something I use every day.

If you’ve been following the news, you may have heard that the courts have ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $110 million to a woman who claims she developed ovarian cancer as a result of applying talc-based products to her genital area. Both the brand and its talc manufacturer Imerys have been considered negligent as they failed to include a warning about the cancer risk related to the use of talc-based products.

The story led to quite a bit of panic, and many people quickly threw out their J&J baby powder products. If you don't have a baby or sport the polbo-tint look, surely none of this affects you, right? Wrong.

The word "retinoid" is casually thrown around these days when it comes to acne treatment. This is a pretty potent ingredient though, so I put my pharma training to good use and did quite a bit of reading on what retinoids are and how they work. If you've been thinking of adding them to your routine, read this lowdown before you commit!

I’ve long been intrigued by BYS Cosmetics. I see them in the beauty section all the time but the sleek black packaging has always made me think that their products are more for professional makeup artists! In a way, I wasn’t entirely wrong - the Australian drugstore brand promises exceptional quality and value for money, and in terms of professional usage, they’ve actually partnered up with the Center for Aesthetic Studies, a respected makeup school in Manila. The brand does not test on animals and when I finally looked it up, I was surprised to see that their prices are actually reasonable even for my student budget. 

Here's a roundup of their top five best-sellers, and what they look like on my morena skin + dark hair!