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.

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.

Last January, our K-beauty chinggus were heartbroken when Laneige Philippines started holding massive sales and, eventually, closed all branches. We thought they’d be gone forever, but Laneige is officially back in SM Makati, The Beauty Source!

My patron singer Santa Mariah, along with Tita Whitney, once sang that there can be miracles when you believe. TBQH, I immediately ignore any product that claims to be miraculous. But thanks to all the persuasive marketing and my insecurity of having adult acne, I volunteered my face to try the Some By Mi AHA BHA PHA Miracle Toner.

K-Beauty has taken over the local beauty scene with so many Korean brands that have washed up in Philippine shores. There is one brand, however, that many have been pining to see here and now it has finally arrived. Innisfree just opened its first branch at SM Mall of Asia and boy, is it huge!

K-beauty has given rise to some pretty strange and interesting trends like applying 7 layers of toner, dunking your face in ice water to set makeup, and the use of bubble cosmetics. The last one particularly sounds like pure skincaretainment, which simply uses carbonization to create a fun and fizzy experience. But does it actually do anything for your skin?

It’s no secret that, here at Project Vanity, we love a good masking sesh! From sheet masks challenges to trying different types of clay and everything in between, the PV girls are always down for a good at-home spa day. There’s one problem with this, though: I often don’t have the 10 or so minutes to spare for the mask treatments. After a long day of working and attending music school, it’s a small victory that I even manage my current five-step skincare routine daily! But what if there was a mask that works in mere seconds?

I’m on a high from SEVENTEEN’s concert last weekend - it was AMAZING! I have been crazy for Korean pop idols for almost a decade, and seeing them perform knife-like choreography while singing AND maintaining perfect hair and makeup at the same time amazes me. K-idols are one of the reasons why I got into makeup and skincare (and particularly K-beauty) in the first place. Most of them are brand endorsers and while we PV girls have been known to buy into these endorsements, I really wanted to find out what they actually use. So, I have been on the lookout for backstage clips, shows, and news to see what products are in these idols’ kits. I’ve managed to hunt down five lip products that idols have been spotted using - and they’re all under P500!

One of the biggest news that shook the local beauty scene last year was the announcement that CosRX was coming to Watsons. The Korean brand has a devoted and growing following among skincare enthusiasts, and we were thrilled we could finally stock up on favorites without having to wait for our online orders. Now, we can expect to enjoy the same instant gratification with Neogen and Dear Klairs!

I’ve taken my oily skin for granted and it has bit me in the backside, hard. I feel like I’m going back to my teenage years with the way my skin is now. While I’m still trying to find the right routine for me, I learned a little bit more about my skin at the Leaders Grand Launch.

At the launch event, one of the activities offered was a skin consultation. I sat opposite the attendant, confident I’d hear the usual feedback. But as the attendee began interpreting the results, I felt my stomach knot up. And it wasn’t the coffee I had downed earlier in the day - it was dread.

We here at PV have all the feels for our fave sheet masks. I personally love using them at night, particularly after a very long and challenging day. It’s such a hassle-free and cost-effective way to relax, care for my skin, and have a spa experience right at home! I even gift them to friends and relatives because I feel like it’s something everyone could and should enjoy. When it comes down to it though, is it actually helpful to incorporate sheet masks into your skin care routine?

One of the reasons I enjoy watching K-dramas so much is because they give me #skingoals; both male and female actors always seem to have smooth, glowing complexions! I've always been more of a skincare addict than a makeup junkie, so the Korean beauty concept of glass skin definitely appealed to me. In a jiffy, makeup can be used to mimic the look but I wanted something that was a bit more permanent. Was it at all possible to get my skin to look like glass, without needing a K-idol budget?

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.

Late last year, I came across the news of a Malaysian woman getting severe allergy from using a fake Nature Republic 92% Aloe Gel. To say that I was scared shitless that my favorite moisturizer was getting counterfeited may sound like an exaggeration but that’s exactly how I feel about Korean cosmetics getting faked. It’s already difficult enough to try not to buy fake US cosmetics; counterfeit Korean cosmetics are much harder to recognize!

If you've ever watched a K-drama or seen photos of K-idols, you probably noticed how incredibly smooth and flawless their skin looks. No pores, blemishes, or uneven coloring - they're almost too perfect to be real! The glass skin trend is pretty common among Korean stars though, and this ‘’dewy skin made dewier" look has become the ultimate #skingoals for many. 

I got horribly sick the week before Christmas. Weak and stuck in bed with a high fever, doing my skincare routine was simply out of the question and my skin began acting up. Pimples appeared on my forehead, nose, and chin while a scaly rash spread over my left cheek. By the time I was well enough to get into the groove again, I looked like a hot mess and didn’t have much time to fix my skin before attending various holiday parties.

People travel to soul-search, take a break from work, and to immerse themselves in a new culture. Why not travel for beauty? Seoul has been touted as the new beauty capital of the world, and it's not hard to see why. K-beauty is on the cutting edge of advancements in beauty, and shopping directly from brand stores (as opposed to online!) makes it possible to do a 10-step routine even on a budget. Beauty shopping is high on the list for any SoKor itinerary but there are a lot more kikay activities available that you shouldn't miss out on!

While I've already reviewed the different product lines of Collagen by Watsons products, I wanted to dedicate a post to my unexpected new HG: the White Regeneration Instant Finishing Cream. Adding this product to my routine has brought me a lot closer to achieving that coveted chok chok glow, and budget-friendly price tag just blows my mind!