For the skincare-obsessed there are, shall we say, rites of passage: first active, first “luxury” product, first “exotic” ingredient, and, perhaps as a result of all those other firsts, first time you over-exfoliate. Despite having been warned by several PV articles and every last K-beauty blog I could find, that “first” recently happened to me: my oily, naturally “chok-chok” skin became dry as a bone almost overnight, causing my cheeks to flake and my skin (which is naturally as white and pale as paper) to look dull and almost…is it possible for skin to look brittle?

As a teen with a student's allowance, I loved haunting department store makeup sections for beauty finds that fit into my limited budget. That's how I discovered Ever Bilena’s “little sister”, Careline Cosmetics. The cutesy packaging and affordable price made it the perfect jump-off point for a beginner’s makeup adventure! I've long since moved on to more "grown up" brands so it was exciting to get reacquainted with Careline, now looking better than ever.

It's a gloomy day today and I am in the middle of packing for a trip. There are so many last minute things to do! I thought I'd take a break though by talking about some of my favorite highlighters at the moment - these are the ones that never fail to brighten my skin and my day. Here are my top five!

Eye makeup can take your look to level 11, and lashes play a huge role in that. There are a few considerations to making your lashes look like falsies. Let’s start from the roots all the way to the tips!

It's no wonder that Simple Skincare has a cult following in the UK. The focus on clean formulation and the belief that “what is left out is as important as what is put in” resounds in anyone who wants to avoid artificial colors and fragrances in their products. Of course, they also make sure to adhere to maintaining hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and pH-balanced formulations across all their products.

It’s a struggle to find an affordable foundation that won’t let you down. We expect high-end foundations to perform well, so it's exciting is when we find a drugstore option that delivers awesome results. Luckily, we now have a lot of inexpensive options that can put high-end foundations to shame!  

While skincare challenges like trying 10-step skincare, 7-skin method, and everyday masking are fun and sometimes worth the effort, there are also days when we just can't be bothered with our regular routine. When we're dead-ass tired from a very long day and desperately want to go to bed, our skincare regimen gets shortened to just a few products. We still want good skin, after all, and dread waking up to find a nasty breakout so even the smallest effort can make a difference. 

When the Pink Sugar Our Lil Secret Concealer came out a few years ago, makeup fans went nuts for its crazy coverage and staying power. It was a once-in-a-blue-moon drugstore concealer that actually can match high-end ones, for a change. At P299, it's one of the "secret" gems at Watsons and SM Beauty stores.

Pink Sugar's Laveen and Rohit Mirpuri knew that they had a winner in their hands and of course, wanted to expand the line based on what their customers are asking for.

While I love all kinds of cosmetics, I confess that one item in particular still intimidates me: nail polish. I can wing my liner and draw on a sharp red lip with practiced precision but having to paint on polish reveals my lack of left-hand coordination (odd for a guitarist). Having someone else do it helps, but only so much: I inevitably get into an accident with my still-wet nails and end up either having to redo the whole thing or just giving up. And if my manicure manages to last all the way until the “dry” stage, my lifestyle (which includes handbag-digging, keyboard-smashing, and guitar string-plucking, among other things) means that they often chip and crack within a day, if not - and this is no exaggeration - within a few hours.

As a potter, designer, and author, Jonathan Adler has all the right tools to take you to an exotic destination through cosmetics. In fact, the Clinique + Jonathan Adler collection is inspired by his three favorite holiday hotspots: Palm Beach, Florida; Capri, Italy; and Santorini, Greece!

Lots to get through for this week, PV girls! When it comes to making a bold statement, Nicki Minaj is a woman who knows how draw in a crowd, so when the Anaconda Queen goes nude, people turn heads. For this week’s roundup we’ve got everything you need from ColourPop’s newest brow products to the fabulous ad campaign of the Balmain x L’Oreal Collection! Feast your eyes on Kat Von D’s up and coming highlighter, and get excited for Pink Sugar’s concealers! It’s a wild roundup this week!

My absolute favorite perfume right now is the Aerin Gardenia Rattan. I never knew I loved the delightful smell of gardenias nor the honesty of rattan, but they're seemingly made for each other in this Aerin masterpiece. It was meant to capture the perfect summer's day in a bottle and I think it did a really good job! I have dozens of scents in my closet right now, but I am addicted to Gardenia Rattan because it puts me in such a good mood.

If you’ve been following the news, you may have heard that the courts have ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $110 million to a woman who claims she developed ovarian cancer as a result of applying talc-based products to her genital area. Both the brand and its talc manufacturer Imerys have been considered negligent as they failed to include a warning about the cancer risk related to the use of talc-based products.

The story led to quite a bit of panic, and many people quickly threw out their J&J baby powder products. If you don't have a baby or sport the polbo-tint look, surely none of this affects you, right? Wrong.

Banila Co is one of our favorite Korean brands here on PV. From taking on their 7-day sheet masking challenge to discussing how their best-selling Clean It Zero works as a gentle makeup remover, there’s been plenty for us to explore about K-beauty with the brand. We actually learned quite a few tips from their brand ambassador Cho Heena and we’re constantly fangirling over their celebrity frontrunner, K-Pop idol Taeyeon! The hype is real so we definitely don't want anyone to miss the opportunity to try out their awesome products. Lucky you if you're a QC girl, because the brand has opened a store in Trinoma!

We feature a lot of budget-friendly stories and products here on PV because we believe in making smart beauty buys and stretching our peso as far as possible. We love discovering drugstore dupes, whip up our own DIYs, and even challenge ourselves to do P500 faces. But not all penny-pinching habits are equal. Some of the may even turn out to be very expensive in the long run! Here are six common scenarios that you should watch out for.

Building a beauty empire out of a blog is no longer an impossible dream, thanks to entrepreneurs like Emily Weiss who paved the way for the rest of us. Into The Gloss is one of my favorite websites from years ago and I'm glad that its offshoot beauty brand, Glossier, has become an international sensation as well.

We regularly feature a lot of Japanese, Korean, and of course, local beauty products here on PV. Personally, those are the ones that excite me the most! Asian Beauty (or AB) has been growing in popularity because, well, there are so many affordable yet effective product options. I also feel they are better suited to the needs of Asian skin, with formulations that are often lightweight and designed to be layered on top of each other.

I’ve tried and enjoyed picks from Japanese, Korean, and Pinoy brands but I couldn’t help but get curious when I learned that Taiwanese beauty was going to be the next big thing.

As one of the most popular and sought-after makeup artists today, Jigs Mayuga is undeniably a hero in the eyes of many budding makeup artists. And, like many heroes, he comes with quite a unique origin story. In a world full of “self-taught” beauty gurus and “natural talent,” Jigs stands out as an artist who openly sought out a more formal route, enrolling as a student of the Center for Aesthetic Studies’ (CAS) pioneer batch in 2004.

Thirteen years later, the student is now a teacher and more importantly a partner who will be directly involved in ensuring that the quality of education is of the highest standards.

So, I just recently realized that the Lunasol Pressed Face Color I included in our Staff Picks last time is actually an illuminating powder. Yep, such a fail, I know! For those of you who like me did not know the difference, a highlighter is generally applied on a concentrated area to emphasize certain features such as the cheekbones, nose bridge, and bow of the lips. On the other hand, an illuminator is used to create a lit-from-within look so it's usually applied to a larger area or even the whole face.

Makeup, makeup, and more makeup! This week’s roundup has got to be one of the most exciting ones yet as big things are coming to our shores and new-ins are having us do the happy dance. Known for her rose gold packaged goods, Charlotte Tilbury is stepping into the liquid lippie arena (to much praise and delight) with 10 new lipsticks that we never knew we needed. Claudia Schiffer is back in all her gorgeous glory as she unveils a collaboration that is as super as she is, and Maybelline has got us slaying our brow game ASAP. Did we mention that one of our favorite teeny bopper brands has gotten a huge (and very millennial) makeover? Who’s ready for some jelly?