Pink Sugar just seems to hit all the right notes with their product mix, affordable price point, and excellent quality. They offer great value for money, so you’ll often find their products making their way into our favorites! If you haven’t tried anything from them yet and are on the lookout for good budget buys, consider adding these picks to your collection:

Last weekend, I accompanied 20 winners (and their plus ones) to enjoy 3 days and 2 nights at the Shangri-La Boracay, courtesy of Watsons. I honestly used to think that no one ever really won at raffles just because I’ve never known anyone who did, and some of the winners felt the same way. They couldn’t believe the news that they had won the Share the Sun promo that was held last March. I think that’s partly because of how easy it is to actually join the raffle; there are no stubs to fill out or hold on to. You just get an automatic entry just by using a Watsons Card when you shop at their stores!

I’ve been wanting to try Colourpop products since Angeli wrote about her brand must-haves last year, so when they announced a sitewide sale a few months back, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. So, some of the PV girls and I pooled all our orders together for a sizable Colourpop haul! Though we had enough orders to qualify for the free international shipping, Liz generously offered to lend us her My Shipping Box account so the package would be shipped faster and directly to our address instead of the post office.

Do you have to pay a lot of money for good makeup? Well, if you asked me this seven years ago, I’d have to give you the bad news and say that yes you do, most of the time. There were such limited options back then from local brands, and imported brands cost a pretty penny - even affordable ones required international shipping and taxes factored in the price. But now, there are so, so many amazing products available in the home front! It’s good because it empowers Filipinas with the beauty equipment they need to conquer their day with confidence - no matter the budget!

You’ve probably seen this Thai cosmetics brand making the rounds on Youtube and online beauty communities. 4U2 has actually been in Watsons for as long as I can remember, with their packaging and marketing designed to appeal to teens. The brand has since upgraded their look, and the renewed interest has led to speculation that their cream blushes might be dupes for the popular 3CE Multi Pots. I’ll cut to the chase and tell you now that they are NOT.

Yesterday I posted a photo of me on Instagram where I thought my face looked ugly. I only had concealer and eyebrows on, and the photo captured me on my wrong side with bad lighting on top of that. If you know me, I almost never do this. I’d rather “throw” away what could be considered a good or at least interesting photo if my face so much as looked like it was wrong (to me). I have hundreds of photos I could have posted in my travels and my daily life that simply didn’t get shared because of this.

If you check on Instagram, there are 405 million posts for #selfie! I think everyone with a phone camera has taken a one at least once, and it’s totally normal behavior. Maybe you loved your #MOTD or felt particularly #GGSS (Gandang Ganda Sa Sarili) that day. Whatever the reason is, I’m sure you’d want to put your best face forward so you may have tried some photo editing apps. Whether it’s just for color correction, making the photo look more ~aesthetic~, or even change your look up, tinkering with photo apps can be a lot of fun. Some can even completely transform your look. Let’s take a peek at some of the more popular options! 

I recently went to Amsterdam and promptly freaked out when I realized that the city had a Charlotte Tilbury at de Bijenkorf Mall. I had long been a fan of the brand, especially when famed makeup artist and former Tom Ford Beauty director Charlotte Tilbury talks about her products with such passion. The video tutorials and general hype towards the makeup just added fuel to the fire.

In just a few short years, the Philippines went from having just a couple of Etude House stores to having more Korean brand and product options than we can keep up with! If all the oppas visiting the country doesn’t convince you (looking at you, Park Seo Jun and Lee Dong Wook), maybe this will: even the big names in Western beauty brands are getting into the K-beauty craze! The latest to ride the Hallyu wave is none other than Avon, a well-loved beauty brand that secured its spot in our kikay kits and dressers long before Watsons even became a thing. 

I grew up watching a lot K-beauty YouTubers. Everything I know about makeup and skincare, I learned from them (and Project Vanity, of course!). One of my top beauty idols is Hye-Min Park or Pony Syndrome, who is hands down the most famous makeup artist of the K-beauty world! She works with the biggest K-pop idols like 2NE1 and Wonder Girls, and has even released a few books. And then three years ago, she launched Pony Effect, her very own makeup line. 

Tolerated, but not accepted. While this year’s #PrideMarch was more successful than ever, the Philippines as a country has a long way to go before truly becoming a safe space for the LGBTQI community. Just recently, there was news about a trans woman who experienced discrimination in a Quezon City mall. Gretchen Custodio Diez just wanted to use the female restroom, but was humiliated and arrested. 

My dear friends, the Sephora PH Beauty Pass Sale is upon us, and we must now gird our wallets for the battle of their lives! Okay, seriously, in case you missed it, Sephora PH is going on a sitewide sale from September 4. Gold and Black Members get 20% off, while White Members get 15% off. If you’re wondering what to get from the sale, here are my top 10 favorite Sephora finds that need a spot in your kit!

For many beauty lovers, the temptation to sneak a peek inside a Watsons store is often hard to resist! Considering all the makeup and skincare finds we’ve scored there, Watsons is definitely the place to be when you want to “look good” but that’s only half of its value proposition. The brand also delivers on its promise to help customers “feel great” with products and campaigns that promote health and wellness, including how to stay protected from stress, germs, and the changing weather. We got to sit down for a short Q&A with Joyce Pring and Kris Lumagui to talk about how they keep their skin healthy and radiant even during this gloomy rainy season.

Even when shopping online, people have different approaches. Some prefer to look at a brand category and check out what’s new from there, while others simply browse the featured products on the home page. The budget-conscious might head straight for the Sales tab, or simply check their carts to see if what they like is on promo.

If you’ve been a regular reader of Project Vanity, you’ve probably seen that we now have a podcast! I’ve been very excited since Liz and Den first announced it to the team as it’s something that I’ve long wanted for us to do. The topics have been very interesting but my favorite one so far is Episode 4, which discusses skin whitening. 

There’s better than basic, and then there’s outta this world! When Ever Bilena first introduced the revamped Careline collection dubbed as the “Careline Girl Gang” with Andrea Brillantes two years ago, we were wowed by how the company embraced a trendier, edgier look for their teen-centric line. “Pa-tweetums” is now a thing of the past, and the brand did not shy away from bold eye makeup, blingy highlighter, and metallic/non-traditional lip colors.

So you find yourself in a shopping district in Tokyo or Osaka, and you duck into a MatsuKiyo or Tokyu Hands. Inside, you are confronted with hundreds, if not thousands of products to choose from. It’s easier to navigate if you have a list of products to look for - maybe you even got product photos so you can show them to non-English speaking shopkeepers! Having a list is definitely helpful but given the chance to explore this beauty wonderland, wouldn’t it be fun to have a completely new discovery?

Have you listened to the Project Vanity Podcast yet? ICYMI, Project Vanity has made it easier to learn about beauty via this new medium! If you don’t get the chance to read PV as much as you’d like, this is a great option to get your beauty fix while you’re on the go. Tune in as you do your skincare routine, or make the most of being stuck in traffic by listening in. 

When the #blkUniversal Collection was first announced, expectations were immediately set high. After all, it promised “Universally Flattering Shades”, “Multi-Use Essentials”, “Longwearing Formula”, and “On-the-Go Cosmetics”. Alluringly packaged in the trendy minimalist aesthetic, I found myself virtually lining up soon as they launched online. 

With #Pridemonth over, many brands and publications are back to business as usual. While any step towards a more inclusive society is a good one, the current social climate for LGBTQ persons in the Philippines is one that remains lukewarm at best. In an editorial piece by Rappler’s Bonz Magsambol, Filipino LGBTQ netizens question the authenticity of the country’s sentiments: “Tolerated, but not accepted”.