Reader Question: Serums? Moisturizers? Which comes first?

There are so many facial care brands out there that encourage us to buy their complete line of products so as to maximize/build up on their promised effects. I get a little confused with the order in which I should apply each product. What should come first, so that my skin can absorb them all more effectively?

I know it starts with toner, but what's next? Serum? Spot Corrector? Eye cream? Cream? How confusing.

Oh, and if there are primers (for the face or for the eye area) involved, do I just add it on top of everything or is there a product I can skip and replace with primer instead? - Matromao

Hi Matromao! Thanks for the question. As a general rule (as one of the commenters said in your forum thread), it's best to apply the lightest/runniest-textured product first before sealing everything in with a heavy moisturizer.  I apply my skincare in the following order after toner: serum, moisturizer, and then eye cream. Eye cream is last because I don't want to get any residue of it on the rest of my face.

If I'm using acne-drying products or a separate spot corrector, I just apply that directly on top of skin after the toner, and don't apply anything else on that area afterwards.

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Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Lilac Rose

"Shimmer" is a word that has a lot of negative baggage in terms of cosmetics. Especially here in the Philippines, girls run the opposite direction when they hear about shimmer in face products! Well, it's hard to blame them when everyone is so oily and sweaty all the time here. Nonetheless I personally like a bit of shimmer on my face. I like how my complexion looks brighter overall, more skin-like and fresh. 

Now I've said this before and I can go to my grave saying it: nobody does shimmer like Bobbi Brown. It's sooo fine, subtle, and twinkly when it needs to be! It's never vulgar or cheap-looking, but more importantly, it doesn't make skin look like a disco ball.

I'm currently loving the limited edition Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Lilac Rose (P2,400). This looks like blush at first glance, but it's really more of a skin illuminator and highlighter than anything else! It's a sheer golden pink shade that makes the skin look flawless and fresh. Seriously. Illuminators like this are the cosmetic world's best obvious secret.

I've had Bobbi's Shimmer Brick in Bronze for about two years now so this is more of the same, except it's considerably less pigmented. It can be a veeeeeery subtle blush if you layer it with a blush brush.

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It's him!

Sooo remember me writing about Jorgen and Christine? The love that never even happened? Well, here they are now in present day. ^_^ Watch their story unfold as they cross paths years after college. The first episode is here, while the second will be up this weekend - will share that as well.

What do you think, will Christine have the confidence to finally make a move on the guy that got away?

This is a sponsored post.

Reader question: How to find the perfect pink lipstick

Hi! I've read so much about finding the perfect red lipstick for your skin tone, and thanks to this blog I now have 3 :) Anyway, I wanted to ask how to find the perfect shade of pink for your lips. You see, I was never really a pink girl and I feel funny wearing pink, especially the baby-pink clothes that make me feel like a walking ball of cotton candy, BUT I like the way it looks on other people's lips. I like the understated pink that kind of brightens your face and makes you look fresh, but the last few tubes of pink lipstick that I've bought tend to make me look uh... anemic and I feel more awkward wearing fuchsia/ hot pink shades more than I do wearing red... So, uh, any tips? I would greatly appreciate it :D

My skin's fair, with warm undertones. :) and the red that looks best on me would be the tomato-red kind of shade, if that helps. Thanks! - April

Hi April! Thanks for the question! Now not to brag, but I have enough lipsticks to know that finding the perfect shade isn't about our skintones. It's not a rigid "baby pink is only good with beige skin" formula. More than anything, the right lipstick is about our personality, preferences - our style. Look at Nikki Minaj. Anyone would have told her that a pale neon pink won't work for her skintone, but now it's her signature color!

That said, I do have a few tips to make it easier for you to find your flattering pink shade. I will also include recommendations of some of my favorite pinks.

Fair but yellowish skin typically look good with peachy, cotton candy, and baby pinks. The warmer you are, the more brown your pink has, the better. Medium skin looks better with bright pink that has a brown base, plummy pink, or a straight up true pink, while darker morenas would benefit from reddish, purply, or deep pinks. Again, this isn't a strict guideline, but it can quickly narrow down your choices.

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Bobbi Brown Extra Hand Cream

How often do you use hand cream? I admit I can be pretty lazy most days. I usually put off using hand cream until my hands can't take the dryness anymore - by that time, they're already so wrinkly and hard! Yuck. That's a bad bad habit because the hands, other than the neck, betray our age sooner than we'd like. That's why it pays in the long run to use a specialized moisturizer for them.

I've recently been enjoying the Bobbi Brown Extra Hand Cream (P1,700). It's a 50ml tube of moisture-boosting cream that contains shea butter and clary sage to improve our hands' moisture barrier, glucosamine to gently exfoliate, and licorice extract to help lessen discoloration.

This is a very heavy cream - a little goes a long way, and it indeed helps soften super dry hands instantly. It's like you coated your skin in this cocoon of smoothing, reviving oil! This actually has avocado and corn kernel oil for that purpose.

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FOTD: Twilight eyes with Bobbi Brown

I hereby declare the next five days as Bobbi Brown Week at Project Vanity. Seriously, I have quite a few Bobbi products piling up (they're all fantastic) so I want to release the reviews in one themed week. I'll be featuring one Bobbi product everyday for the next five days, so stay tuned for those posts. ;)

To start off the series, here's an FOTD-slash-review of the Bobbi Brown Twilight Night Shimmer Ink. This is unfortunately limited edition from the Desert Twilight collection last year. However, I think that the brand has something similar in the cream eyeshadow line. I'm sure you can also find dupes in other brands if you're on a budget. ;)

Now Twilight Night is actually a gel eyeliner, but the twinkly dusky color is so pretty that it deserves to be used as a cream eyeshadow.

A dark cream base can make eyeshadows really pop up, plus the uber fine shimmer in this particular product adds more dimension and light to the eyes. I dabbed a layer of it on my lids using just my fingers.

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Wink x Project Vanity Contest: Bye bye to body hair!

This summer, it's imperative to be hair-free whether or not you're hitting the beach. It only makes sense to wear more shorts and sleeveless tops because this heat. Is. Psychotic! Make sure you're showcasing your skin the best way possible by keeping it smooth and zero-fuzz. DIY is great but then, there's Wink. ;)

I'm giving away three sessions of ANY one service you want from Wink Laser & Wax Studio. All you need to do is:

1. Tell me what you want to try from Wink in the comments below (after checking the menu). Remember to be specific when lettting me know your preferred service. Please leave your Twitter name so I know who you are when I check entries.

2. Follow/Tweet the brand using the Rafflecopter app. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So there you go! Good luck and enjoy browsing!

Capsule review and FOTD: Artdeco Butterfly Dreams

Whimsical and ethereal, the new Artdeco Butterfly Dreams Collection is sure to appeal to girls with a soft spot for pastels. There's a beautiful selection of nail polishes and lipsticks that flatter Asian skin, as well as new eye definition products such as a felt tip eyeliner and a volumizing mascara.

Pretty eh? I'll be reviewing a couple of products fully in the future (that blush definitely deserves a whole post of its own), but for now I'll be sharing quick reviews and a look I did using the collection. 

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Shiseido Spring Products

Running out of clever introductions here so I thought I'd get right to the point. :P Today I want to talk about a few Shiseido stuff I received a couple of months ago. They are expensive, true, but if you don't mind then they are definitely worth the splurge. 

When I first saw the Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in RD299 I thought, boring. Gold, violet, and white? Surely there are more interesting, exciting combinations out there! But I should know that it's not smart to judge an eyeshadow palette by how it looks in the pan. I guess I better show you!

Absolutely lovely, yes?

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Commenter of the Month for March and April gift

Sorry this took a while! But I'm sure you'll love what I managed to secure as the prize. First things first - the commenter of the month for March is none other than Khristine. She wins a Bobbi Brown lip gloss and eyeshadow from the brand's newest Lilac and Rose Collection. Congratulations, Khristine! Please email me your address.

For this month, I am giving away a mini Pinkbox Dream Mirror worth P3,500. It's a double-sided table top accessory organizer! It's actually pretty big! You can even store your favorite lipsticks and blushes on one side and then place your bracelet, rings, and necklaces on the other. <3

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