A love - perhaps even an obsession - with mattifying primers is understandable in a hot country like ours. A good primer can keep your skin matte and fresh-looking all day even with the humidity that's constantly pounding our makeup into shiny pulp! But hear me out: if you have dry or combination skin like I do, moisturizing, glow-enhancing primers can make a huge difference in how your skin looks even without makeup. They keep your moisturizer sealed while making skin look brighter instantly.

When we say ‘face or base products’ in cosmetics, we automatically think of different kinds of foundation, maybe primers and setting products for those who use them. However, this category actually includes a larger, oft-forgotten collection of products, including those that you do not necessarily put all over your face. These are bronzer, blush, contour and highlight.

Do you believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus? While the differences can sometimes feel very stark, the fact is that many of our needs are the same, including personal care. I mean, both have the same simplistic goal to get cleaned and look groomed. So why do brands insist on putting out separate product lines for men and women?

One of the breakthrough ingredients in Korean skincare for 2017, Centella Asiatica is also known as Gotu Kola or Pennyworth. It has been popping out as a main ingredient in many Korean road shop brands, including Innisfree and Etude House, which both have their own Cica (short for Centella Asiatica) lines. Many other popular Korean brands like Dear Klairs, CosRX and Leegeehaam (formerly Leejiham) also have their own Centella-centered skincare lines.

When talking about achieving a perfect base, chances are you think about what the best foundations and concealers are, and using a good setting powder. Maybe you also consider the right tools to use: brushes, Beauty Blenders, or a Silisponge? The truth is, there's even more to it than just layering full coverage.

Halloween is a pretty fun holiday! There’s no other time of the year when people can go all out, dressing up in crazy costumes or paying homage to their fandoms. It does get pretty intimidating though, especially since a crazier concept means crazier materials and some SFX know-how.

My training as a makeup artist involves SFX makeup. I thought only expensive brands have it and that I may even need to order abroad, but I'm so glad that there's a super affordable option locally!

How can another month basically be over? Slow down, 2017, we aren’t ready for it to be over! How about we talk about the crazy sales that even more of our favorite brands and sites are doing? From Althea’s Monthly WOW to Nuxe’s sassy steals, our wallets have never looked slimmer. Take a whiff at Kiehl’s Classic Holiday collection, and find out just how many minutes it took for Gigi Hadid’s Maybelline palette to sell out. Happy reading!

It might just be my age, but I find that my skin is drier and drier every year. That also goes for my lips. I rarely had chapped, flaky lips so it's a bit frustrating that I'm getting them more often now! I actually use an amazing overnight lip mask to help with that but during the day, my fave lip balm at the moment is the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (P1,387 at Sephora.ph).

At this point, any Philippine-based kikay lover worth her salt is likely familiar with the beauty haven that is BeautyMNL. While there are no shortage of online sellers and web-based shops to browse from, this particular store is well-loved for its formidable array of authentic luxury, mid-range, and drugstore goods plus beauty services, all in one place! They constantly offer GWPs, promos, and sales, too. They make it easy to score a good beauty deal so to test this theory, I challenged myself to shop for a full face of makeup with just P1,000 as my budget. Here's what I scored!

Make Up For Ever is at it again! In line with their branding as professional-quality cosmetics, they’ve recently launched the Make Up For Ever Artist Face Colors (P1,200). These are 5g pans of high-pigment, ultra-blendable highlight, sculpt, and blush face powders.

My idea of a low maintenance beauty routine is cutting down my skincare to four steps and taking 15 minutes tops for application. My boyfriend’s idea? Skincare activities that can be done once every couple of weeks and that will require low to zero physical effort on his part! We're working on it, but if you’re lucky enough to find a guy who believes in sunscreen, hold them close and consider me envious. For SO's that are as low maintenance as mine is though, here are six beauty activities that you can still do together to help him get used to the idea of taking care of his skin.

I adore the permeating scent of spiced pumpkin, vanilla, and cinnamon inside coffee shops this time of the year. I'm not into sugary coffees so I usually pass on the holiday drinks, but the smell - it's when I know that Christmas is approaching. The Body Shop has just whipped up that mouthwatering scent and put it in their pre-holiday collection called Vanilla Pumpkin, which is already out in stores now.

Glowy yet natural-looking skin might take a village of products to achieve, but for those in the know, the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Highlight 01 makes it practically effortless. The highlighter is described as “an ultra-smooth baked face powder that provides natural color with soft matte radiance”. This is the lone highlighter shade in the line.

The fact that it's "matte" yet "radiant" at the same time is what makes this unique formula the recipient of many raves from the beauty community. Priced at P1,750 for 7.5g (Rustan's Beauty), this highlighter isn't a practical option for many so I had to ask: is it possible to look glowy without having to break the bank?

Smashbox Cosmetics is one of those well-loved makeup brands that have been consistently producing hit after hit since they first launched in 1996. Born out of the famous Smashbox Studios in LA, Smashbox is known for their long-lasting makeup, their cult-fave Photo Finish Primers, and their amazing collaborations.

Speaking of collaborations, Smashbox just dropped three makeup products with great partnerships that we’re sure to love here in the Philippines! Their Cover Shot Eye Palettes (P1,500 each) are brought to life in campaigns by Pretty Little Liars star, Shay Mitchell. Each palette contains two base shades (top part of palette) and six blendable accent colors to play up your look and mood.

You've seen our beauty budgets, our most expensive buys, and our recent splurges but a true PV girl lives for cheap finds that we'd gladly pay more for (though of course, we'd rather not!). We're actually pretty kuripot at heart, so nothing compares to thrill of discovering a product that performs really well at a price that our wallets won't complain about. If you're itching to just add an inexpensive item to your cart, consider these #ragrets-free choices!

Sale season is hitting us hard this week, PV girls! Following the crazy Sephora sale that happened last week, your favorite brands are coming out with more steals and deals, and this week’s roundup will have you running to the mall with your bonus! We’re also talking about Cover Girl’s big change and statement, new additions to the ColourPop family, and our Fenty holiday wish list. Happy reading!

Since joining the Project Vanity team last year, the amount of beauty products in my stash has doubled in size. With the combination of my voracious need for new lipstick and constantly chatting with fellow PV girls who are enablers (I’m looking at you, Kim, haha!), I suddenly had more than what I need!

It’s not such a bad thing because I’m happy to try out new stuff but my responsible side screams at my makeup junkie side to calm TF down with the hoarding. So I’ve taken it upon myself to only buy the products that I need and not just want (goodbye for now, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution, sob).

I love myself a pretty, natural flush that takes no time to apply. That's why I keep a few cream blushes on hand, just in case I need to step out quick without looking like a zombie. You guys may remember my review of the Glossier Cloud Paint, which I liked a lot, but there's something similar and locally available: the Inglot AMC Face Blush (P1,195 /15ml) and the Face and Body Illuminator (P1,195 / 15ml).

Sheet masks may be in the limelight right now but if you have oily or combination skin, then a clay mask can be a great addition to your skincare regimen. While sheet masks are mostly designed to infuse the skin with moisture, clay masks work to draw out impurities and help reduce oiliness.

Early this year, the internet went abuzz when L’Oreal released a line of pure clay masks that got rave raviews. We at PV hoped that the brand would bring them here in the PH, and our prayers were answered!

When I first started doing my own makeup, I thought that all good concealers were expensive and far beyond the means of my student budget. Even now, I have to content myself with reading about the NARS Radiant Creamy concealer, MAC Pro Longwear concealer, YSL Touché Eclat Radiance pen concealer, and the Tarte Double Duty Shape Tape concealer. I'm sure those are all amazing and I'd love to add them to my collection someday, but right now, my needs require me to use concealer almost all the time and it would be impractical for me to splurge on something I use every day.