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.

Setting powders and finishing powders - is there actually a difference between the two, or are they just fancy marketing words to make you buy more product? The answer is actually a resounding “yes”! There is a difference between the two but some brands may use the terms interchangeably, so it’s understandably a bit difficult to figure out which is which. Setting powders and finishing powders can be both in loose or in pressed form, can be white-colored or tinted, and typically offer little to no coverage at all. The difference is in how they are used.

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:

While most people associate “peak winter” with the Christmas holidays, the best time to experience the cold season is actually at the beginning of the year. Between January to March, the weather strikes a perfect balance: cold enough for frost to form but milder than pre-solstice temperatures. This is the perfect time to travel to temperate countries if you want to experience the season. With skiing and snow festivals on the horizon, there’s tons of winter fun to be had before spring sets in! Except, if you’re a tropical tourist like me, there may be more to worry about than the price of the plane ticket.

Happy weekend, everybody! This roundup has a little bit of everything that happened this week - both good and bad. Teviant has just opened the doors to their first physical store, ColourPop’s newest product has the internet buzzing, and Avon’s latest venture is taking inspiration from the Hallyu wave. We also sadly report on the tragic passing of Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe. Read on for all the details.

As #adulting rears its ugly head, I attend a more diversified set of events. From the casual meetups with friends and low-key backstage work commitments, to the more dressy blog events and formal wedding parties, I put effort into looking good. I’ve noticed that I do very different faces for each of these events, so I tend to edit my kit accordingly. If you find yourself scrambling to do different looks with just a single kit, consider adapting this method of keeping three kinds of kikay kits.

When K-beauty first started gaining popularity a few years back, I was one of the many who became obsessed with the idea of glass skin. Also known as chok chok, this look is all about a complexion that’s bright, smooth, and glowy! One look at any K-idol is enough to understand why this became such a craze. While you can cheat a little with strategically placed concealer and a lot of highlighter, skincare is the real foundation to this look.

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.

January flew by so fast, we missed announcing the Commenter for Month. Congratulations to Valerie (valkyree), who wins the December gift set! Please email den [at] projectvanity.com for details on how you can claim your prize. ^_^

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!

Wait, how is it the middle of January already?! With the days whizzing by, it’s a wonder how the beauty world is making sure to keep up with new launches and campaigns. For this week, we’re taking you on a trip down memory lane with an official makeup announcement from Mattel, Lush’s newest eco-friendly skincare, and deets on the local beauty product that Shay Mitchell used for her makeup looks in MNL. We’re also celebrating Benefit’s amazing step towards more inclusive beauty campaigns and the coupon craze taking over Sephora. Happy reading!

At the start of every new year, we look forward to seeing what trends will become popular. Glossy lips? Baby bangs? More foodmetics? All sorts of makeup in Living Coral? Trends come and go and only time will tell which ones would come to define the year ahead. What we know for sure is that we’re saying goodbye to 2018 and its beauty hypes that were just not worth it.

When you barely have a minute to put your face together, swiping on a favorite lipstick is a fast and easy way to elevate your look. If you’ve ever been told that you look pale or sickly because you skipped your usual full face of makeup, putting on lipstick literally brings color back to your face. But what happens if you’re too busy to reapply throughout the day? We discovered that Pink Sugar’s Sugar Tint Lip & Cheek Tints (P349 each) is a great solution to this problem!

Since discovering the Miss Hana (花娜小姐) gel pencil liner during my last Taipei visit, I knew that Cosmed/Watsons/Ximending and I had unfinished business. Armed with a week’s worth of research and P3000 (converted to NTD1765), I set off for my Taiwan trip with the aim of trying out more of their makeup products. You might be wondering: what about Dr. Morita, My Beauty Diary, My Scheming, Naruko, and 23.5N? The skincare brands are slowly making their way to our shores, so we decided to focus on makeup instead! So if you ever find yourself in Taipei, Kaohsiung, or any of Taiwan’s beautiful cities, consider picking up these local finds.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed my preferences in makeup shifting. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’ve been working for a while, and so (ideally) better understand the value of money. Or perhaps it was the rude awakening that was destashing two train-cases worth of barely-used drugstore makeup. Whatever the reason, I find that beyond K-Pop related fangirling, I’m harder to excite in the cosmetics department, having shifted my “collector” tendencies to skincare products and generally sticking to (and using up) the same makeup staples and shades.

I consider myself to be PV’s resident gadget girl, as I like to bite the bullet and try out different gadgets as part of my quest for better skin. I recently wrote about my gadget collection and declared that the most indispensable is my Clarisonic Mia, as I find that having thoroughly cleansed skin is of utmost importance. I was very curious about trying the Foreo Luna though, but what I didn’t expect was that it would displace the Mia as my new favorite!

Hello weekend! Finally, a couple of days dedicated to binge watching our fave shows, eating way too much food, and catching up with friends, family, and the world of beauty! This week’s roundup has got the scoop on a K-beauty collab that’ll have the kid in you freaking out, makeup and skincare perfect for the gym (#fitnessgoals2019), and the launch of the Boy De Chanel campaign featuring one of our favorite oppas! We’ve also got the lowdown on why Kendall Jenner is being dragged online and Pat McGrath’s new… mascara!

We often talk about “painful” beauty treatments but there’s another aspect of pain that no one really tackles: long wait times! I consider myself a Patient Patty when it comes to waiting during treatments (my parents are doctors and I’m used to waiting around the clinics), especially since I frequently have my hair bleached and colored and that takes aaaaalllll damn day.

When I first went to Korea to study makeup, I expected to be swamped by K-Beauty brands, idol endorsements, and their collectibles. And while that was certainly true, I honestly didn’t expect for luxury Western brands to have a place of respect among my friends and makeup instructors.

For Koreans, beauty brands follow a pretty tight market classification - a pecking order, if you will. They tend to look at consumers in terms of age, and will cater very specifically to each group. Koreans have a word 대 (dae) which means “generation” and pertains to the age bracket that a person falls under: teens, twenties, and so on.