Summer season may be almost over, but the sun never goes away. You need protection 365 days a year! If you haven't gotten into this habit yet because you hate the thick, tacky feel, there’s hope yet. Brands are coming out with more lightweight sunscreen options across different price points, so you can get UV protection that feels comfortable on your skin as well as your wallet! Here are 10 of our top picks.

We love connecting to the PV Community through our Facebook group, where members ask for advice and swap recommendations. Many of the questions we get are about which skin care product would work best for them. This is a tough question to answer; how can we make skincare recommendations for others who may have vastly different skin and preferences compared to ours? This depends on so many factors!

However, I’ve realized that there are two major considerations when choosing skin care: skin type (dry, oily, combination, normal) and skin concern (acne, redness, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, etc). It can add to the confusion of what kind of product you should use so when it comes down to choosing, which one really matters more?

Kiehl's has long been a well-loved skincare brand. They are on the pricier side, but you certainly get your money's worth if you find something your skin adores! I’ve been a fan of their Super Multi-Corrective Cream, and their Power Serums are popular with the PV community as well.

Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products that claim medicinal or drug-like benefits. Skin Doctors Beetox cream claims to “instantly help to activate you skin cells to reduce the appearance of: wrinkles, fine lines, sagging skin and aging.” It was only at this point that I realized that Beetox was a play on ‘bee’ and ‘botox’!!! I had first thought it was to do with toxins and bee venom, haha.

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!

If you've ever considered cutting down on your skincare routine to lessen your environmental impact or to simply minimize your expenses, the Original MakeUp Eraser Makeup Remover Cloth (P999) is probably the most popular option. Featuring a soft polyester blend, the cloth promises to erase all traces of makeup - waterproof mascara included - with just water!

At this point in its trendy life, Korean skincare has already established a reputation for being elaborate, famously going into the 10-step territory to recreate that 5-star face care experience at home. It's fascinating for the die-hard skincare junkies but honestly intimidating for beginners and the budget-conscious. After all, there's a very real investment of time, effort, and money into all those steps, but it doesn't mean that being anything less than "extra" means lower quality care. Ra&Gowoori is a K-beauty brand that promises high-quality formulations for the more straightforward set, and it was recently launched in the Philippines.

Fresh has been around for a while (since 1991 to be precise), but I only got to try the brand when it finally became available at Sephora Philippines last year. I swiftly fell in love with the its focus on naturally-derived active ingredients that are not just mere afterthoughts; I can see how clean and tight the formulations are. Fillers are used sparingly - the price tag reflects that - which means that you get exactly what is promised.

In an era where chok chok beauty dominates social media and glass skin has become the golden standard, more and more people are joining the skincare craze. As much as we want to try out every product that catches our eye though, we all know that building a skincare routine can really burn a hole in our pockets! Though there’s not much we can do about the product prices (except maybe pray for sales), there are other ways in making sure we make informed investments!

Can you even imagine what it was like before Happy Skin Cosmetics? This brand revolutionized the local beauty scene when it successfully introduced the concept of makeup with skincare benefits, offering stellar formulations to address specifically Pinay concerns. So it came as a pleasant (though not completely unexpected!) surprise to find out that the next logical step for them was to create a dedicated skincare line, Happy Skin Beauty!

Fans of Korean skincare are probably very familiar with the sheet mask. This supercharged K-beauty innovation basically acts a concentrated “booster shot” for the skin, delivering a potent dose of active ingredients in the form of a saturated cotton or hydrogel mask. Skincare junkies swear by them, and any pretty unnie worth her salt probably has a preferred brand. Here at PV, our editor-in-chief Liz swears by Leaders, while the other ladies prefer more familiar labels like Etude House, The Face Shop, and Skinfood. Personally, I am solidly #TeamInnisfree.

Or, well, I was. Until a KPop group shook up my life, and my skincare routine.

The term "skincare" usually makes us think of the best ways and products to keep our faces clear, smooth and shine-free but that's obviously just a small portion of our skin! It would be very expensive to use toners and serums for the rest of our body though, so the next best thing is to make sure you get a good lotion for every day use. Apart from the ability to moisturize, many now offer other benefits, and you can pretty much get them at any budget. Here are our top picks!

Layering skincare has its benefits, but how does one pull it off on super oily skin? I know - it sounds heavy, thick, and icky factoring in the humid climate and our overactive oil glands, but it is possible! The key lies in using gel-type skincare.

Unlike traditional creams, gel formulas are usually water-based and more lightweight. This allows for the product to get absorbed by the skin quickly, and doesn’t leave any sticky residue. Gel formulations aren’t just for moisturizers either - you can choose this option even for your facial cleansers, sunscreen, and masks. While you don't necessarily need to have a multiple step regimen, using gel products can make wearing skincare more comfortable for oily-skinned gals as well as those who don't like the feeling of heavy skincare. Need some recos? Here are some of our favorite gel products for different budgets!

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!

Today’s beauty throwdown features one of my makeup removing staples – the cleansing balm! In case you’re new to the party, a cleansing balm is basically an oil-based makeup remover in solid form. It can also be used as the first step in the double cleansing routine, but the solid formula makes it more travel-friendly. You only need a pea-sized amount to remove an entire face’s worth of makeup, so even a small jar can go a long way!

So how effective are they? Let’s find out as we whip out three popular cleansing balms and test them on waterproof and long-wearing makeup.

Cure is a Japanese brand that's most famous for their Natural Aqua Gel, a gentle exfoliator that's already at cult status. Many brands have tried to create something just like it, however, I find it's still the best at thoroughly exfoliating without damaging the skin! What many might now know is that there is one other product under the brand, a "secret" moisturizer that's formulated for oily to combination skin: the Cure Water Treatment Cream (P1,500).

I never fail to stalk the beauty aisles whenever I'm in Tokyo. It's, ehem, research for Project Vanity and In Her Element, okay? Last fall, I spotted an interesting development in Japan's beauty scene called "hot cleansing gels". I have never seen or heard of this concept before, but there's a whole shelf just full of them in Tokyu Hands! I chose the one that looked pretty popular (it had the Cosme #1 sticker) and didn't cost as much as the others at P1,880 yen.

Whenever people see how many lip balms and ointments I own, I get odd looks - most likely because I only have one pair of lips and can’t possibly go through all of my stash successfully. But my secret love affair with lip balms is not baseless. Not only do I buy them because they look pretty on the vanity (kidding); I have Sahara-dry all year round lips! Aside from being in an air-conditioned room almost all day every day because of work, I have a bad habit of constantly chewing on my lips, especially while I'm thinking. My lips are often chapped and flaky, so I've definitely dependent on lip balm to save them!

Ultraviolet might be the color of the year but anyone interested in skincare knows that UV rays aren’t cool. When it comes to proper skin care, proper SPF is the commandment no one can break. Any PV girl worth her salt knows never to skip SPF; our editors Liz and Den would probably disown us if we ever violate this basic skin care rule!

Still, I would have to ‘fess up and admit to several things I might be neglecting when it comes to sun protection. Yes, it’s totally possible to be a skincare junkie yet still forget to cover all our SPF bases! 

When I was a teenager, my mom warned me to never aggravate or pop a pimple if it's on my nose. She told me that the daughter of a friend of a friend (not a typo) was prohibited by a doctor to never get "the triangle of death” on her face infected if she didn't want to die. To me, it sounded a lot like an urban legend: it evoked images of the Bermuda triangle in my head, and the third-degree anecdotal “proof” seemed pretty dubious. Still, being an obedient daughter, I did avoid picking at pimples whenever they grew in this so-called “danger area” because it seemed better to be safe than sorry.