I don't buy that many beauty things anymore due to the nature of my job. I get to try products for free plus I research thoroughly before dropping the dough on something I like! I often know what I want and what to avoid so I don't make that many mistakes when I finally commit to a purchase. Chalk it up to nine years of trying out hundreds upon hundreds of beauty products - I have high standards, but I also understand that what works for you might not work for me and vice versa.

Have you ever found yourself in a makeup emergency? I’ve certainly had days when I regretted going out without makeup on and itched to slap my face with some color! While it’s true that the best look to wear is confidence, it wouldn’t hurt to know you’ve got options when you’re truly stuck in a makeup crisis. If your makeup bag and the next drugstore are nowhere near, you might be surprised with what 500 pesos can do at your neighborhood convenience store. I certainly was with this Convenience Store Beauty Challenge! I raided a nearby 7-Eleven to see what they've got.

If looking good makes you feel good, why not take the chance to do good as well? Beauty brands have been going beyond helping us to look the best version of ourselves and are using their influential platforms to support charitable causes and social change movements. Want your peso to travel the extra mile? Consider purchasing from these six brands that give back.

In recent years, Pinays have become more and more kilay-conscious. It used to be that the general pulse for minimum makeup was face powder and lip gloss but now, many women swear that they'd never leave home without drawing their brows on. I feel naked without them is an oft-heard sentiment, followed by the overused but appropriate #kilayislife.

This rings particularly true for those with less than perfect eyebrows, a.k.a. 99% of the population. We try our best to copy the on-fleek looks we see in YouTube videos and on Instagram but the truth is, technique is only one part of the solution. It's also important to know which is the right type of brow product for your particular condition. Today, we tackle the most common eyebrow problems and the best ways to fill them in!

I'm a liquid foundation gal. It does take a few extra minutes to apply, but the pay-off is worth it since it looks so much more like skin than pan foundation. It wears better throughout the day too! Recently I've been picking up the Estee Lauder Double Wear Makeup (P2,400 for 30ml) more than my other liquid foundations. It makes my skin look amazing plus it stays on my oily combination skin all freakin' day!

Who doesn't want long and lush lashes? It's an easy way to look more youthful and awake, not to mention they make your eyes look bigger even while wearing glasses. It's no surprise that lash serums, lash lifting procedures, and lash growing DIYs are getting a lot of attention. For a quicker albeit temporary solution though, there's always the option of using mascara!

Several foreign brand mascaras have already made their home in our kits, but how about local ones? Do they perform as well as they promise? Let's find out and shine the spotlight on mascaras from five local brands: Features & Shades, Ever Bilena Advance, Celeteque, Fashion 21, and Happy Skin.

I say this with all honesty: the thing I love most about my job as PV's managing editor is working with an amazing group of women whom I'm happy to count as friends. The sort of hard part? These same beauty-crazy girls are such enablers! When your job requires you to know about each new makeup and skincare release, you are going to want to buy a lot of things. If your co-workers happen to be anything like mine, you'll probably go broke within the first week.

Highlighting is one of those makeup tricks that takes so little work but creates a huge impact on your finished look. Placed in strategic areas, it can make your skin look real good and your expression brighter, more well-rested! Highlighting used to be something only makeup artists do. However, along with contouring, it has become so accessible that even beginners and the laziest makeup junkies can get on board.

Quick question: what do you get when you cross a haute couture fashion house with one of the biggest makeup shops in the world? The answer: a giant golden teddy bear! I know, it sounds completely random, because, well, it is. This week, we finally found the solution to our underwear shopping woes and with one quick click and how Kat Von D is teasing us (and our brows) to no end. Ready for a quick read? It’s a doozy!

Aimee Song recently confessed in a video that she feels sad, alone, and unfulfilled despite her unbelievably glamorous life. Yes, that Aimee Song with 4.6 million Instagram followers and hundreds of thousands worth of sponsorship deals in her stylish purse. That Aimee Song who probably barely pays for anything anymore, and who shot that video in a luxurious hotel room in Paris while being paid to be front row at Fashion Week. She has, at least through the glossy window of social media, the best life anybody could ask for. But she's not happy. 

The word "retinoid" is casually thrown around these days when it comes to acne treatment. This is a pretty potent ingredient though, so I put my pharma training to good use and did quite a bit of reading on what retinoids are and how they work. If you've been thinking of adding them to your routine, read this lowdown before you commit!

Is it just me or is digging for affordable makeup gems the official sport of the Project Vanity staff? We've featured quite a good bit of Budget Beauty stories here, and sharing drugstore finds is also a hot topic in the Project Vanity Facebook Community over on Facebook! So we decided to look into one of the brands that Pinay beauty bargain lovers often gush about: SanSan Cosmetics.

My last haul for a P1,000 look proved to be a trove of neat finds, so it’s only fitting to check out other products from this budget-friendly local brand. Here’s a review of six things I got to try this time around!

I very rarely talk about hair products because so few of them actually work for my super picky hair. Just to give you a picture: I have fine, fine strands prone to breakage and hair fall, and on top of that I have developed an oily scalp over the years. I manage it with a good cleansing routine and lightweight hair styling products, but it's a delicate balance. One wrong hair product and it could take my hair and scalp weeks to recuperate!

With the variety of paints, powders, and products available, playing with makeup can be quite a creative adventure. But sometimes, as with any art form (and makeup is definitely an art), it helps to get a little inspiration.  

Enter Beauty Discovery, the special pop-up in SM Makati created by luxe brands Shisedo, Guerlain, and Elizabeth Arden. The booth allows makeup lovers to try the brands' luxurious creations, and to serve as a guide, they had a Beauty Lookbook Workshop hosted and taught by PV’s very own Liz Lanuzo! The event happened last July 8 at SM Makati.  

With the beauty industry constantly producing new products at breakneck speed, we're very much spoiled for choice. Sometimes though, the feeling of having so many options can be overwhelming. I think this is especially true when it comes to lipsticks. Color options are a beautiful nightmare in and of itself but finishes compound that situation tenfold.

To beauty shopaholics like us, having a favorite is key to narrowing down the “financial blackholes” we can potentially sink into. Unfortunately, bankruptcy by lipstick is just not a socially acceptable incapacity (yet.) Today, we’re going to break down the world of lipsticks and hopefully help you, dear reader, edit your lipstick wardrobe and stick to pieces you'll actually use.

I've always wanted a ring light but I can not make myself spend P6,000 for it. I can put it down as a company expense, sure, but I already have a Glamcor Multimedia Extreme (bought from Suesh) that cost upwards P20,000 so didn't want to spend a whole bunch of money on another lighting situation! Besides, I don't have a lot of extra space in my studio slash office anymore. I just can't commit to a ring light at the moment.

When I first started to experiment with J- and K-beauty, I had a difficult time finding products that fit me. See, while Western makeup was all about mattifying, the cult of chok-chok meant that most products geared towards a more Asian aesthetic added “dewiness” to the skin. Unfortunately for me, that meant a greasy disaster on my oily skin.

Lurking around in Facebook groups as well as the comment sections of PV, I’ve noticed that a common favorite perfume among gals is Dolce&Gabbana’s D&G Light Blue Eau de Toilette. It’s really not hard to see why. D&G Light Blue is a fresh, citrusy fragrance that goes well with the tropical climate we have. The lemon and green apple notes are such a hit among Pinays and all over the world, too! Now, sixteen years after the launch of this cult favorite, Dolce&Gabbana has finally added a new permanent fragrance to the line: D&G Light Blue Eau Intense Eau de Parfum.

Until recently, I have only used micellar water as my makeup remover. It worked for me, so I never thought to try any other types. When I finally got to try a cleansing balm though, I became an instant convert! I loved how easily it removed the makeup from my face, without needing to make several passes with a cotton pad.