I’m really not a fan of Philippine summer heat (although I love a tan) because of the damage and discomfort that it brings to our skin. Although I love find and applying sunscreen for my face, I usually neglect my body. There are even days where I skip sunscreen - I know, burn me at the stake!

Luxurious yet practical, silk has been regarded as the textile of choice for everything from loungewear to formal garb. It has a visually appealing natural sheen, a pleasant texture that is cool to the touch, and a breathability that brings comfort as well as effortless style. As it turns out, this elegant cloth has other applications, as well! Phrases like “silky smooth” and “soft as silk” show how much we associate this fabric with great skin and hair. In fact, several popular bath and body products have silk in their brand names: Cream Silk, Sunsilk, and Silka!

When it comes to French beauty, we tend to think of a low maintenance and effortless chic look - just bright, clear skin with a touch of red lipstick! The IG feeds of French beauty influencers Mathilde Lacombe, Betty Autier, Louise Follain, Jeanne Damas, and makeup artist Violette give us serious #wokeuplikethis goals. How they look so put together without needing to do much lies in the French beauty philosophy of investing in good skincare. Fortunately, many of those pharmacy brands are now available in the Philippines! Here’s a quick list of what you should check out and the cult favorite products for effortlessly beautiful skin.

My first bout with tretinoin was not a good one. In fact, it caused me my first trip to the dermatologist. I was in middle school and suffering from acne. And since I was a teen who didn’t know any better and would pick at my pimples, I ended up with many dark scars or hyperpigmentation! I would constantly look for quick ways to get rid of the marks. Out of curiosity, I tried using Maxi Peel’s #3 Exfoliant Solution (because I was a badass - don’t be like me) after seeing ads about it.

Do you think of yourself as an influencer? You don’t need to have a blog or even an Instagram account. If you enjoy talking to others about the products you love, you already are! Sometimes it’s as easy as offering to share a face mask - that’s how I got my tita hooked on the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. She so loved how it soothed her skin that she immediately bought her own tube when we got home from the beach. When I next talked to her about a month after, she told me that everyone in her office had purchased their own tubes as well!

Snail secretion filtrate is a popular ingredient in a lot of Korean skincare. The snail’s mucin (aka, the slimy trail they leave behind) contains ingredients like hyaluronic acid and humectants, and is scientifically proven to have anti-aging benefits. It is also an ancient remedy for burns and wounds as it helps skin repair itself. Apparently, brands like AmorePacific harvest the mucin by “letting snails crawl around a mesh net in a darkened room for half an hour, and then transferred back into their natural habitat to rest.”

With so many face masks in the market, it’s become daunting to find the best face mask for me. There are just so many options, at different price points, with Western brands catching up on the trend started by Asian brands. I think it’s a welcome development, as we benefit from different beauty philosophies and gain access to a wider array of formulations. I recently had a good experience with Olay’s Power Duo, so I was eager to see what their just-released Magnemasks Infusion face mask sheets could do for my skin.

Having extremely oily skin with a lot of skin concerns, finding the best skin care products for my particular needs has been a challenge. I’d like to have bright, smooth and glowing skin with less visible pores but the best facial treatments often cost a pretty penny. That’s why I was intrigued by the claims of Olay’s Power Duo, which aims to help achieve all my concerns using the White Radiance Light Perfecting Essence (P1,299 for 30ml) and the Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream (P1,899 for 50g), at a price that’s not too heavy on the pocket.

When I first stumbled across Face Republic on my social media feeds, I thought I was looking at Nature Republic and Innisfree. My initial confusion came from the similar names and branding, but after reading more about this new player, I learned that it offers the unique premise of creating Korean skincare products that have been specially designed for Filipino skin. The brand’s CEO Yohan Kim explains that the temperate climate in Korea means that their skincare products are designed for drier weather, so formulations can feel too heavy and greasy on Pinays.

For many Filipinas, this particular body part has been the focus of many insecurities. From color and texture, to the presence of hair or odor, maintaining “nice” underarms is something that we’ve admittedly obsessed over at some point of our beauty-loving lives. We’re more aware about not needing to conform to traditional standards for beauty now, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop caring about our kili-kili completely! It still needs proper care and maintenance for basic hygiene, so I’ve put together a guide to tackle every pit concern. Let’s go!

I first encountered the brand Esfolio a couple of years when I was given a bunch of their sheet masks as pasalubong from Korea. After using a couple of masks that I felt lukewarm about and knowing that the brand wasn't available locally, it slipped to the back of my mind.

Fast forward to 2018, Esfolio arrived at our shores and the local beauty community was abuzz with talk about their affordable but quality products. This brought back those old memories, and so I decided to find out more about why people are raving about Esfolio.

Reading Tellie’s generational beauty brand guide struck me a lot because I saw how effective the Korean marketing strategy was on me. I used to like wandering around The Face Shop when I was younger, and desperately wanted to get that ink lippie that Suzy Bae was endorsing at the time. Now, I feel like I’ve graduated with her and have come a long way to a rosy, Lancome lippie-wearing path.

But I guess we never really outgrow our “bias”. If Frankie has BTS and Stacie has Seventeen, Gett has GOT7!

When I first got into acids, I immediately zeroed in on the BHA-based products because of my oily, acne-prone skin. But over time and after using products like the In Her Element Glow Job, I’ve learned my skin can benefit from AHAs, too. Glycolic acid is the most commonly used AHA for both professional and at-home treatments alike because it quickly delivers visible results. If you haven’t tried it yet, read on to know more about why you should add glycolic acid into your skincare routine.

Since discovering the wonders of hydrating toners, my skin has actually become quite normal compared to its previously dry and dull state. I love how they’re so easy to apply and feel lightweight on my skin, so I can move on to the next step much faster. The truth is, I often just slap several layers of toner on rather than apply moisturizer after because I’m lazy like that. Since the weather has become a bit chilly, I find that I now need to apply moisturizer again. I’m so used to my easy cleanser-acid-toner routine though, so I’ve been trying to look for ways to get back to it without sacrificing hydration.

Here at PV, we’re no strangers to the wonders of acids in skincare, and so I was very very hyped about the Althea Milk Peel Cream Mask that boasts about “containing both AHA and BHA extracts” and “transforms from a clay to a whipped cream lather, whisking away dead skin cells to prevent flakiness. It’s also formulated with casein protein from milk to revitalize and moisturize the skin.” I’m supposed to have “radiantly smooth, healthy skin that's bouncy to the touch”. Here’s how it fared on my sensitive skin:

We’ve reviewed and raved about Kracie Hadabisei All-In-One masks before, so we looked forward to trying their newly-released 3D masks! These new designs promise improved fit and boosted “suppleness” effects, so I took them along to my recent Japan trip to see if they could save my skin from the cold weather.

The right skincare routine will vary depending on your skin type, but one thing is sure: whether you have oily, dry, or normal skin, you still need to moisturize! If you have oily skin, it may seem unnecessary or too much, but using the right moisturizer can actually help minimize your skin’s oil production. Finding “The One” can take some effort but it’s not impossible, as long as you know the basic guidelines on how to shop for moisturizer!

When I first started to get serious with my skincare routine, one of the brands that would constantly pop up in my searches is Dear Klair’s. This Korean brand’s approach to skincare is “simple, but enough” and they encourage a gentle skincare routine that’s fuss-free yet effective. It seemed the complete opposite of the popular Korean 10-step process.

Whenever Althea releases exclusives, I’m always excited because they seem to marry function, form, and price points well. I was especially excited to try their new sunscreen because I didn’t want to use up my Banila Co. Hello Sunny Hydrating Sun Essence that quickly, but also hated Biore’s formulations. It all seemed perfect: petal finish, less than P500, feels like a moisturizer (and not a powder), has a cute bottle, plus it has a bunch of good reviews, too. My experience was a little different.

If you asked me what my favorite luxury brand is, I would answer Estée Lauder in a heartbeat! The Advanced Night Repair wonderfully balances my oily skin, the Double Wear foundation is one of my favorite foundations ever, and the Pure Color Love lipsticks are the perfect luxury lipsticks to start with. The bar has been set pretty high so when I started my trial of the Estée Lauder Perfectionist Pro Rapid Firm+Lift Treatment, I honestly wondered if it would live up to my expectations.