Skincare can be a bit daunting with all this talk about 10-step routines, but the truth is no one ever starts with 10 steps. A good routine starts with only a handful of products and the most basic of steps until you work your way up to figuring out your skin's individual needs. Only then do skin-specific steps like serums, ampoules, and acids come in.

It helps to figure out your skin type first. The four basic skin types that pertain to sebum production are normal, dry, oily, and combination.

The road to running my own company at 28 was an unexpected one. I always thought I’d be working a corporate job for most of my life and maybe finally running my own business when I retire. But things didn’t quite work out the way I planned! It’s challenging and often exhausting, but I honestly can’t imagine my life any other way - and it was all because of blogging.

What makes a luxe lipstick worth the splurge? With so many great options at the drugstore, the pressure is on for more expensive bullets to hit the mark. More than just pretty packaging and brand prestige, the formula ought to be mind-blowingly good.

If you're looking to purchase your first high-end lippie or a new addition to your collection, you need to check out the Estée Lauder Pure Color Love Lipstick (P1,275)! At an exclusive lipstick party, the brand launched 25 new lipsticks in four different finishes – ultra mattes, shimmer pearls, cooled chromes, and edgy crèmes. The PV team got right to swatching and playing with all of the shades, which are designed to be mixed and layered on for fun, new combinations.

As a PV girl who tries to be a smart spender, I almost never buy any products without looking for and extensively reading reviews about it first. It sucks to waste money on a dud product! However, there are times when no one seems to be talking about the product or brand I'm interested in and I have to go in blind to test them on my own. It's a shame because there are a lot of great brands that people don't know about simply because you don't see them on blogs or beauty websites. So today, we're sharing our favorite underrated brands and why you should consider checking them out! 

Pinays used to steer clear of applying any kind of oil on their faces. With the often hot and sticky weather plus oily skin being a common beauty concern, using facial oils didn't really make much sense! As more beauty gurus started including oils in their skincare routines and mixing them with their foundations though, that perception has definitely shifted to seeing oils in a more favorable light.

Whenever we get new assignments for Project Vanity, I always look forward to the makeup throw downs and challenges the most. So far, we’ve done micellar waters, makeup wipes, brow pencils, and tints to name a few. This time, I’ve been tasked to wear two full faces of makeup, reflect on how each one fares, and try to come up with an answer to this question: is it still worth splurging on high end makeup?

We’ve set some parameters for the comparison: all the products for the more affordable makeup look should be below P500 while the higher-end look is comprised of products worth P1,000 and above.

Despite my obsession with skincare, I've only had two actual facial treatments (complete with pricking) in my entire life. The first time was way back in high school, before I had any appreciation for the kind of effort you actually need to make for achieving and maintaining good skin. It was pricey for my student budget and I didn't see any improvements after, so I didn't feel encouraged to try it again.

Recently though, I was invited by O2 Laser Skin Center to try out their signature service: a Korean Facial Therapy! As images of Korean actors and pop stars flooded my head, I wondered how different the procedure would be from the usual treatments you can get at mall facial centers. Would it give me that coveted chok chok complexion?

If you have wavy, fine hair like mine then you know the infinite and often rather literal pain of detangling it while it's still wet. That's why the Wet Brush - a brush designed specifically for detangling wet hair - was such a game changer for me when I first tried it two years ago. It's been in my dresser ever since! I even got a smaller version for my tennis bag so I can brush my hair in peace after working out.

There’s something therapeutic and empowering about using something you made yourself. I know we PV girls are not lacking in our own DIY experiments but some DIY inspirations we've found online are frankly irresponsible and can put your health at risk. If you're looking for a cheap alternative or just wanting to have a bit fun, please PASS on these four ideas - and we'll tell you why!

Silka is one of the longest running and most successful local skincare brands in the country - in fact, they just celebrated their 15th anniversary last year! Though their popular formulations are already well-loved, their constant improvements to their products continue to win us over. Their lotions are a big hit with my fellow PV girls, and good contenders in the sunscreen battle. Meanwhile, their best-selling soaps also have a fan in their newest celebrity endorser, Yassi Pressman. 

Have you heard the good news? Club Clio is now available at SM Makati's beauty section! No need to travel all the way to Trinoma or Lucky Chinatown mall if you're a Southern gal because these hot K-beauty brands are now within easy reach. If you've never tried anything from Goodal, Peripera, or Clio and don't know what to get, you've come to the right place. I got to pick up items during the store’s grand opening, so I'm sharing my finds and giving the lowdown on which products have made their way to my regular makeup routine!

One of our favorite direct selling beauty brands, Mary Kay, celebrates its 17th year in the Philippines! It seems like only yesterday when I first started seeing catalogs of the brand. And now, the brand is stronger than ever with its crowd favorites and new products as well!

New skincare and makeup brands coming to the country are always big and exciting news here on Project Vanity. K-beauty brands in particular are unique and trending, thanks to their often cute packaging and never-before-heard-of special ingredients.

Stealthily going under our beauty radar is Korean brand, Deoproce. They've actually been available in SM Beauty and in select Watsons outlets for some time now, and is actually a brand under the Samsung Group! The brand name is a combination of "deo" for development, "pro" for professional, "c" for cosmetics, and "e" for energy.

Have you ever finished a lipstick bullet down to the very bottom? If so, you've probably dug in with a lip brush to get as much as you can. If you're a thrifty beauty nerd, then you would've scraped out what you can with a small knife. But how much, exactly, is left over when you're done with a lipstick tube? How does this amount vary compared to the stated number of grams on the label, what you see with your eyes, and what's down below the bullet?

Well, since I can be a tinge (just a little) bit OC about things like this, I found out thanks to my trusty digital scale!

Life is good, PV girls, it is so, so good! There’s loads to be excited for, starting with all the insane sales and promos to celebrate International Lipstick Day on July 29! We're looking forward to amping up our glow with cult-favorite Hourglass Cosmetics, which will be available in the Philippines very soon. You can also enjoy a little girl-bonding by taking advantage of a crazy brow deal for you and your girlfriend. Thank goodness it's payday weekend cos you won't want to miss out!