One of my all-time favorite lip looks is the classic red lip. Whether it’s inspired by Taylor Swift circa 2016 or that quintessential French vibe, this bold look continues to be a major beauty trend this 2020. Despite its seemingly intimidating color, there’s always that one shade of red that can fit into your makeup collection and personal preference. We’ve previously tackled how to find your perfect red lipstick but with so many new products in the market these days, we decided to update our red lippie recos – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

MAC never fails to release daring Holiday Collections, and the Starring You for Holiday 2019 is no exception. Perfect for standing out with glittery pouts and galaxy eyes, the collection features eye, lip, lash, and cheek products that make you the star. I got to try some seriously majestic pieces which I’m excited to use here and there whenever I want to make an impact.

Issy & Co. is a new local makeup brand that you’ve probably seen around on Instagram or from their celebrity endorser Alex Gonzaga. Apart from the star power though, I was particularly drawn to their minimalist packaging and thoughtful approach to beauty. Not only are they cruelty-free, gluten-free, paraben-free, their formulas are also vegan! 

I rarely ever finish lipsticks. I can’t even remember the last lipstick I used down to the base, which is why mini lipsticks delight me endlessly. Recently though I’ve come by two absolutely gorgeous lipsticks that deserve a spotlight here on Project Vanity, and a permanent place in my actual makeup vanity (which is btw a perpetual mess, the very definition of chaos, so favorites must ALWAYS in front and center!). These would be the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipsticks in Rose Tea and Boldface (P1,900 on Lazada)- the ultimate MLBB and the ultimate red lipstick for me, respectively.

As a 90s kid, I was thrilled to find lip gloss returning as a beauty trend in 2019. After seeing too many dry and cracking lip looks in the years that matte lipstick reigned supreme, I’m ready for juicy, shiny pouts to be back in business. And local brands are picking up the trend, too. Here are five local lip glosses under P600 that explore the different ways you can wear a super shiny lip!

Confession: During the height of the liquid lipsticks craze, I owned over 50 tubes of liquid lipsticks from more than 15 different brands. I was obsessed with the matte liquid lip, until tints and velvets later came into the picture. These days, I reserve wearing liquid lipsticks for special events. While they are generally more dependable and longer wearing, they also often have the most drying formulas.

I was at Happy Skin’s first event: their brand launch six years ago. I remember the invite only had the logo and a few words, so the entire time until the launch I thought that it was about a skincare line! But I was in for a massive surprise: Rissa Mananquil-Trillo and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez launched makeup that was designed to care for the skin. It was a simple idea but a groundbreaking one at that time. None of us knew it then, but Happy Skin was on a journey to become one of the best beauty brands in the country. It paved the way for the rest of us who only ever had wild dreams of our own breakout brand. For that, I am forever grateful to Happy Skin.

She’s one of the most sought-after choreographers in the country, guiding the biggest stars on how to rock the dancefloor. And with her distinctive and somewhat quirky style, it’s not hard to see why Georcelle Dapat-Sy (aka, Teacher Georcelle) was tapped by BYS Cosmetics to collaborate on a daring new line of lipsticks. There’s a new MOVE in town that you’re gonna want to try!

The Colourette Velvetints were a hit for me when they first launched in 2018. There were three well-curated shades in a multipurpose formula that’s pigmented, comfortable, blendable, and affordable at P299 - I still have Birthday Cake on regular rotation! Colourette recently added nine more shades to the line with an improved formula and relaunched packaging so I was really excited to try these. Now at P349 each for 3.5ml of product (they used to be 3g), is it worth getting your hands on the new #VeryVelvet Velvetints? 

When I first started buying my own makeup, I bought some of my very first lipsticks from Maybelline. I have been a fan of their Creamy Matte line for years now, and still reach for Maybelline faves like Clay Crush, Nude Nuance, and Touch of Spice despite owning over a hundred lipsticks! And it’s not hard to understand why.

Revlon lipsticks have been around since the 1940s and have played a role in the history of cosmetics ever since. This isn’t a brand that likes to rest on its laurels, however, and so they’ve come up with tons of unique formulas and shades in the past 80 years. I’ve tried quite a few of them myself, which is why today I am sharing some of my top picks - these are the exact Revlon lipsticks I currently love to use!

Third time’s the charm, they say, but for Heart Evangelista Escudero and Happy Skin, this third collection feels like icing on the cake! Their first collaboration was back in 2016, when Liz got to interview Heart and even take a peek into her makeup kit. That first collection was such a bestseller, they decided to launch two of the mini lipsticks in full-size last year. I was able to meet Heart then, and found out her choice for the perfect lippies – classic all the way in reds and nudes. This time around, Happy Skin x Love Marie promises to let us get more creative with our lippies as Heart does with her art because, as she says, “Your lips, your canvas!”

She’s a fighter, a mother, a queen, and she’s bouncing back! While the last year has been challenging for the Queen of All Media, Kris Aquino is all about maintaining positivity in her life and, of course, serving up a heaping helping of LOVE LOVE LOVE. Along with the good vibes comes curated additions to the ever-expanding Kris Life Kit line, her hands-on collaboration with Ever Bilena. So pucker up for the Kris Tinted Lip Balms!

Any beauty lover worth their salt knows that a lipstick isn’t just a lipstick. Applying color to your lips can be a comforting ritual, a confidence boost, a status symbol, and even carry a little piece of history! In honor of World Lipstick Day on July 29, we’re exploring our fascination with the legendary lippies that continue to be favorites years and even decades after they were first launched. They’ve proven to have offer such classic and iconic that generations of beauty lovers continue to covet them time and time again. Read our lips: these top picks are wishlist-worthy for a reason!

Velvet matte lipsticks were popularized by South Korea first, but that didn’t stop Western brands from coming up with their own version in the last year or so. The promise of comfortable, intense color that hugs the lips in a velvety embrace is a tempting apple just within reach. I’ve tried a few of them but I’ve never really gotten into the trend, as I always go back to bullet lipstick. Is this new one from Revlon different?

Have you ever looked at your lipstick collection and noticed a pattern? There’s probably one shade that you purchase more frequently than others. Some people can’t live without their 50 shades of red, while I personally can’t get enough of plums and MLBB pinks. My fellow PV girls are well-aware of this and give me a nudge when they spot something they know I’d like!

Love Marie Ongpauco Escudero is a woman of many hats. She is the actress Heart Evangelista. Beloved wife to Sorsogon Governor Chiz Escudero. Creative Director of local fashion brand Kamiseta. And now, the first Filipino artist collaborator of international brand, L’Oreal Paris. From “exhibiting” her colorful paintings on Hermes bags, Love Marie’s art now graces five limited edition L’Oreal Color Riche Matte lipsticks!

When Human Heart Nature launched their Made to Bloom Lipsticks earlier this year, I immediately added it to my beauty shopping list and brought home one of the pretty floral tubes. I was honestly excited to see a local brand’s take on the nude matte lip, especially since they claim that the shades are morena-friendly. It seemed like a fitting update to their makeup line, since finding that My Lips But Better (MLBB) nude shade is crucial to building a lipstick wardrobe.

With the recent coronation of a new Binibining Pilipinas, Catriona Gray has passed on the title to Gazini Ganados. Of course, Queen Cat continues to reign supreme as Miss Universe (and over our hearts)! Serving look after killer look, Catriona inspired us to take a closer look at the intricacies of pageant makeup. Her bold red lip had the local beauty community scrambling to find out what lipstick she has used, and it’s what led me to visit an unassuming little compound in Quezon City.