I remember feeling impressed rather than shocked when I found out that Kim had kept all her empties from the past two years. Although it's hard to rival SIX GIANT BAGS of boxes and packaging, she is not the lone hoarder in the PV team. Now that she's finally gotten rid of her stash of junk, I think it's time the rest of us come clean. In this edition of the PV girls' staff picks, we 'fess up on our own empties collections, how we store them, and why we just can't seem to let go!

One of the reasons I enjoy watching K-dramas so much is because they give me #skingoals; both male and female actors always seem to have smooth, glowing complexions! I've always been more of a skincare addict than a makeup junkie, so the Korean beauty concept of glass skin definitely appealed to me. In a jiffy, makeup can be used to mimic the look but I wanted something that was a bit more permanent. Was it at all possible to get my skin to look like glass, without needing a K-idol budget?

The very first sunscreen I ever purchased was a Kojie San sunblock. It came in a little white and orange bottle, and I picked it up from a convenience store when I realized I didn't have any sun protection for my beach trip. Not gonna lie - that formula turned out to be greasy and scented but I cared more about preventing sun damage than being comfortable!

The brand is best known for its amazing kojic acid soap for lightening skin (I love using this as a body exfoliant!), so it only makes sense that they also offer products that protect skin from sun damage. No one likes a sticky, heavy sunscreen, and so I was happy to see that Kojie San has made great improvements in their formulas since I last tried them.

When it comes to enjoying art in everyday life, there’s nothing quite like makeup. Using brushes, mixing colors, and creating beauty is an artistic process, and for many makeup users, it’s also a form of self-expression. Even if there are restrictions on what you can wear to work or school, you can own your beauty with a choice lipstick or bold eye look!

Have you ever experienced falling in love with makeup in a very real, heartbeat-skipping sort of way? I've been a fan for a long time but something about luxury lipsticks just stop my heart. Now, I honestly don't get excited over lip products because I'm more of a face base fan, but when the sleek black box stamped with Tom Ford in gold lettering arrived for the PV team, I knew this was going to be a very different experience.

It’s been a while since I last put something on my face without thoroughly researching about it first, so when I received the Two in One Poreless Power Liquid (P990) from The Skincare Curator for review, I felt pretty lost and clueless about what I was getting into! The product is the newest drop from my fave Korean skincare brand CosRX, so there weren’t any reviews for me to reference. How do I fit it into my routine? Would it replace my existing BHA? Heck, what type of skincare product is it even? I’ve been testing it and comparing my notes with that of other reviews. Here’s what I’ve learned so far!

It seems like one of the marks of motherhood is to carry around a large bag anywhere and everywhere you go. This bag is very different from the kind a tita carries because it contains all the things a parent needs to stay sane while out with her kids. For as long as I can remember, my mom carried such a bag. Even today, she prides herself for being a Girl Scout who is "laging handa" with a treasure trove of hygiene basics, kikay kits, and multi-tools tucked into her giant purse. Honestly, I hated digging through her purse when she'd ask me to find something because there was just SO MUCH STUFF but it also gave me my first ever lessons in self-care. 

What kind of makeup do you love most? Some people collect eyeshadow palettes, while others are lipstick queens who might own the same shade in different brands and finishes! For me, it has always been about perfecting my face base. I love foundation formulas that I barely tell apart from my skin, both in appearance and feel, so when I first saw rave reviews on Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation, I added it on my list of must-try makeup.

Who's not guilty of indulging in a little retail therapy when they need some cheering up? I used to love stopping by the Watsons store that was on my route home from work, and picking up some random cheap item: a brow pencil, a lip balm, maybe a bottle of nail polish. Nothing wrong with that but the thrill was often short-lived. I'm a bit wiser about my spending habits these days, so while I still love browsing at Watsons, I've learned to shop for items that actually support my goals for self-care!

When we think about "multi-tasking makeup", what usually comes to mind are full face palettes and lip & cheek tints. These are definitely great space savers that give more bang for your buck, but I think the true workhorse of any kit is the concealer. To demonstrate just how flexible this one product is, I asked my fellow PV girls to share their favorite concealer hack using Pink Sugar's Our Lil' Secret Concealer. At just P349, this pocket-friendly tube can do more than just brighten the undereye area and cover light blemishes! Here it is in action.

While there are obvious perks to being able to swatch and test products in person, I find myself doing most of my beauty shopping online. There are no busy crowds, no hovering sales people, and no traffic or parking issues to deal with. I like the option of being able to easily canvass and compare for the best prices, and most especially enjoy being able to quickly research for blog reviews before adding items to my cart! We've already listed our fave online stores to purchase from but there's one marketplace that we've become (mildly?) addicted to: Shopee!

Believe it or not, we PV girls comfortably wear the mantle (pashmina?) of the The Real Titas of Manila. Head Tita Liz is soundly asleep by 9pm, and our team meetups usually involve lunching at Mary Grace. Instead of late night walwal parties, we sip sangria with extended pinky fingers or have Korean BBQ night at my house. 

Like any self-respecting Tita, our purses contain a lot more than just makeup. Being a Tita means you've got you sh*t together, so you're never left in a bind. We all have different priorities though, so here's our different takes on what should be in a Tita survival kit!

Living in a tropical country means having to deal with hot weather almost year-round, and for some of us, that means opting for sleeveless tops whenever possible. Bare skin helps to make us feel cooler, but it can also make us feel a bit conscious about the state of underarms! 

I don't this necessarily means you need to remove hair, wear deodorant/antiperspirant, or have flawless white armpits - you do you, girl! I think that making sure to keep the area clean and free from bad odors is mostly all that anyone needs. But for those who do feel a bit more fussy about their underarms, please don't use calamansi to whiten them - you may cause more harm than good! Instead, check out these tips on how the PV girls care for their kili-kili!

For all my love of skincare and the calming ritual it creates, there are days when I only have the time and energy to wash my face and nothing else. Neglect plus the stress I'm feeling inevitably shows up on my complexion: dull and dry, rough and red, and if I'm really unlucky, a surprise pimple or two. I know that I can get it back on the chok-chok track once I get my routine going again but who doesn't want a quick-fix savior? That's what a mask can do - jumpstart your way to better skin!

I recently read that contrary to popular psychology, it takes about 66 days to form a new habit instead of just 21. It sounds like a long time but I find this mildly reassuring as we've already reached the half month point and I'm still struggling to stick to my resolutions! Having a support group for encouragement goes a long way to helping me stay the course, so my fellow PV girls and I decided to share our beauty goals for this year. Here's what we've decided to focus on for 2018.

Working at Project Vanity means I have to stay updated about the newest products and latest trends, and I think it's amazing that there's always more for me to learn about! Because of this constant exposure, I've become a lot meticulous about adding to my beauty stash and I feel that it's really paying off. Together with the other PV girls, we've discovered quite a few HGs in the past year! We've raved about some of them in posts here on PV and on the Facebook group but we're still so #shookt about how good these finds are so we're recapping them here together with the disappointments that landed in our trash.

If there’s one beauty product that changed my life in 2017, it would be chemical exfoliants! I have acids to thank for helping me get this much closer to my chok chok skin goals. My skin has never been so clear and smooth. Even my husband has gotten hooked on skincare ever since I made him try using acids!

I’ve been preaching the gospel of chemical exfoliation to anyone who’s been willing to listen, and as excited as many have been to finally get into it, there’s always this one hurdle: how do you use acids? So once and for all, let’s finally answer all those questions and get you started!

I got horribly sick the week before Christmas. Weak and stuck in bed with a high fever, doing my skincare routine was simply out of the question and my skin began acting up. Pimples appeared on my forehead, nose, and chin while a scaly rash spread over my left cheek. By the time I was well enough to get into the groove again, I looked like a hot mess and didn’t have much time to fix my skin before attending various holiday parties.

As you read this, I’ll probably be at the mall making a mad dash to finish all my Christmas shopping. Yes, I have once again procrastinated on buying gifts as I have done all the years before, and I finally figured out why: I simply have no idea what to get for some people on my list!

The easiest people to shop for were all my friends who are into beauty as well. My plan was simple: if I want it, they probably would, too! But there are many different types of beauty addictions so if you want to really curate according to what they’re into, here’s a quick easy guide to follow.

Don't you just wish Santa was a real person? Beauty is a fun hobby but collecting products can often cost a pretty penny! As beauty addicts, there are always an item or two (though usually more) on our wish list because they're splurges we still have to save up for. We've been pretty nice this year so in case Santa exists and gets great beauty prices at the North Pole, here's what we're hoping to find under our Christmas trees!