These days, buying beauty products online can be a tricky business. Whether you’re online shopping for something you haven’t tried before, or attempting to get the best bang for your buck at your favorite brand, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options (or fall into a hole of looking at swatches to determine whether that shadow will really work with your eyes). Throw in the fact that star products tend to sell out faster than ever these days, and it’s enough to make you want to slam your laptop shut.

While K-Palette remains to be a crowd favorite in the kilay department, this universally-loved Japanese brand has also brought us some keepers on the lip and cheek front. And if you’re like me who still has a lot of reverence for classic bullet lipsticks, you’ll want to check out all four Pinay-friendly shades of the K-Palette Lasting Lip Tint Stick (P795 each at Beauty Box Corp. or P2,880 for the full 4-piece set).

Taylor Swift very recently surprised me and everyone the world over with an indie album made while she was in quarantine. Not only was Folklore completely unannounced until 24 hours before it dropped, but Taylor also debuted a different sound and look. Gone was the dip-dyed blue hair of 2019. Even that classic red lip thing that I like - kaput. Instead, we have a bare-faced Taylor, with a mop of unruly blonde curls, clad in an old nightgown, a gingham shift, or a bulky cardigan.

Skincare is a huge part of my beauty routine. Beyond the basics, I feel that it’s important that my chosen products contain active ingredients as part of my quest on how to get smooth skin on my face! On the other hand, my body care routine is kind of boring. I use moisturizing and scented body washes in the shower, but I don’t get any added skin benefits. If I were a billionaire I would buy face care for body use, but sadly I don’t have that kind of money!

It's 2020 yet I still know so many guys who think that having a skincare routine is for women. They tell me that all they do is wash their faces with soap. Little do they know that that's a skincare routine in itself! Guys, you're lucky if soap alone works for you. However, if you have skin concerns, then you might want to consider expanding your skincare routine.

Yes, skincare can be very intimidating. Sometimes, I think guys are apprehensive not just because they think having a skincare routine is for women, but also because they do not know where to start.

Yes, skincare can be very intimidating. Sometimes, I think guys are apprehensive not just because they think having a skincare routine is for women, but also because they do not know where to start.

As the old saying goes, “Your hair is your crowning glory.” So naturally, we want to take very good care of our hair by cleansing it well and using conditioner to keep it in tip-top shape. We even style it, use heated tools, or have it colored, permed or rebonded. These things can damage hair but even little things like too much sun exposure can be damaging too.

When Project Vanity ‘s editor-in-chief told me she was sending over a bottle of the new Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum (P2,850/20ml | P4,350/30ml | P6,200/50ml at Lazada), I had to check if it was my birthday. It wasn’t but, boy, did it feel like it! This famed fountain of youth is a staple on vanity tables the world over for 38 years. It’s the ultimate in anti-aging simply because it works. As its name says, Advanced Night Repair, or ANR, repairs the skin overnight. Women have been claiming to wake up to skin that looks more even and radiant, their fine lines and wrinkles smoothened out.

“I see the reason why you wear makeup. It is to attract guys, right?” That’s exactly what my mom said when she found out I wear makeup. You know, why is it that when we - girls and guys - have makeup on, it’s always assumed that its purpose is to attract someone else? Can’t we wear makeup for ourselves? Anyway, I think it was sweet of my mom to assume that guys are attracted to me whenever I have makeup on. Little does she know, it’s the opposite.

Recently, I noticed my skin changed dramatically. My previously oily, acne-prone skin is now a lot more sensitive than it used to be. The dry skin on my face was red, flaky and itchy! On my body, I started to develop itchy rashes on and off. To make matters worse, I recently found out that sensitive skin is also more vulnerable to germs because of a weaker skin barrier. This pushed me to switch my routine towards more gentle products and mild soaps.

Since puberty has come and gone, I have heaved a sigh of relief that my skin is no longer as erratic as it was during those tumultuous years. Most of the pimples I experience as an adult can be chalked up to bouts of pre-period hormones, purging, or product incompatibility. And because age comes with wisdom, I’ve already assembled a Dream Team of products that help manage those tricky times a little better.

While the rest of the pandemic world became obsessed with watching their plants blossom and bloom, I was fascinated with watching my armpit hair grow.

It was exciting, to be honest. I know that sounds pathetic but these are strange times and in all my 43 years, my underarm hair has always been ruthlessly ripped out, regularly, unfailingly for 30 years. So to see my armpits not hair-free is an event! And I made sure to watch.

Staying at home all day doesn’t mean that we should stop looking pretty. In fact there are more meetings now than before (how is that even possible?) so there’s a constant need to look presentable on a webcam! If you’re looking to do a complete look without spending a lot on extra products, allow me to present a solution that’s multifunctional and affordable.

Project Vanity writer Firas Abboud declared in his story, “Makeup knows no gender, so every makeup product is technically universal.” I can’t agree more! I think everyone should not be judged when they wear cosmetics, no matter how they identify, or their age, or how their body is. Everyone is allowed to be more beautiful in all the ways that make them feel so! I think that’s why local brand blk Cosmetics, Anne Curtis and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez’s brain child, hit a nerve when they launched the first Universal collection last year.

Since wearing a mask whenever stepping outside the house is a must, some of us have chosen to skip wearing lip colors. After all, no one gets to see it and wearing a lipstick underneath a mask can be quite messy! If you are one of those people, I feel you as I’m guilty of it too. But allow me to give you an excuse today, if you will.