Lessons We Learned from Project Vanity’s The New Rules of Beauty Women’s Month Summit

Attention, everyone: class is now in session! Project Vanity held its Women’s Month Summit last Saturday, and you could feel the buzz the moment you walked in. It felt like the first day of school, but make it fashion. Everyone showed up in their best school chic outfits, from pleated skirts to crisp button-downs, ready to take notes on the New Rules of Beauty. There was an easy excitement in the air, like we were all in on something meaningful and fun at the same time.

With a stellar line-up of speakers leading the “class,” each session felt more like a conversation than a lecture. The topics went beyond the usual beauty talk and touched on confidence, identity, and how we choose to present ourselves today. You could see people nodding, taking photos, and really engaging with what was being shared. It was the kind of afternoon that left you feeling inspired, a little more thoughtful, and genuinely excited about what beauty means now.

Liz Lanuzo opens The New Rules of Beauty Summit

Liz Lanuzo, Project Vanity founder and editor-in-chief, opened the festivities with an inspiring keynote. As the community celebrates 18 years of Project Vanity, Liz reminded us to always keep going, to rise to challenges anew, and to keep redefining the rules as we continue to evolve and go for our goals and dreams. Hers for the year involves her music, what could ours be?

The cutest Project Vanity merch

Brand booths: Celeteque and Avon

From L-R: Dr. Jennie Francisco-Diaz, Mae Layug, Liz Lanuzo, Claire Ongcangco, Janlee Dungca

The panel that followed introduced three formidable women representing different points-of-view in the beauty industry: Dr. Jennie Francisco-Diaz (Doc Jennie) of Skin101 is a board-certified dermatologist, Mae Layug is a key beauty influencer and the founder of GRWM Cosmetics, and Claire Ongcangco is the co-founder and CEO of the beauty and wellness platform, Parlon. Hosted by Carol Ramoran Hamilton and moderated by Janlee Dungca, today’s concepts of beauty and self-care were the main topics.

The New Rules of Beauty: What We’re Leaving Behind and What We’re Living With

Claire explained that there are too many choices in beauty products and self-care services available nowadays as seen in the Parlon app. She advised not to feel pressured about beauty or self-care because if it becomes too complicated and hard to absorb, it’s not beauty or self-care anymore. Personally, Claire is a fan of using sheet masks and beauty gadgets for her self-care routine. She did point out that it’s possible to still feel dissatisfied even if you bought all the treatments or makeup available, but referenced Liz’s reminder that “we should find joy in everything and we should be happy in doing things.” So it’s okay to experience what we call “tiis-ganda” as long as we are happy and satisfied. 

Mae’s personal view on beauty is very true to GRWM’s motto of inclusivity and personalization. This referred not only to products that the brand put out, but also to the message that their Goal-Getters (GRWM’s community) have the freedom to find the product that perfectly matches their need. The options available when GRWM releases a product like the Face Card for example, can be overwhelming but Mae suggested developing an established routine and knowing what works for you. This also acts as prevention against “budol” with whatever makeup or skincare ingredient is trending on social media.

Another suggestion Mae shared was to find a beauty creator or influencer with the same skin type or skin tone. This can help prevent you from chasing every single trend because you would have an idea of what might possibly work or not work for you.

Doc Jennie as a dermatologist focused on viewing aging in a positive light. She advised defining aging as defining who you are and focusing on the way you feel. Age is just a number may sound cliché but she believes you don’t have to look your age. Janlee referenced Liz’s keynote that there’s no shame in feeling complimented for looking your age the same way you feel complimented for looking younger than your age.

Since looking natural is king nowadays, Doc Jennie also advised “finding treatments that are undetectable but are definitely undeniable”. This would make people focus on complimenting the better version of yourself since they can’t detect what you did to make you look and feel good. Aside from using skincare, Doc Jennie’s own natural simple routine is using tinted sunblock, professionally done brows, lashes, and lipstick.

The second part of the afternoon was makeup artist Chuchie Ledesma’s Makeup Masterclass. She did a quick tutorial on how to achieve a natural, no-makeup makeup look perfect for every day. 

Chuchie is known for Korean-style makeup and she shared that she mostly adapts the techniques, not the colors especially when it comes to Morena skin. There are some techniques that she also does not use due to the differences in Korean and Filipino faces such as emphasizing the aegyo-sal and using tone up products.

K-beauty trained MUA Chuchie Ledesma holds a Makeup Masterclass

Tip #1: Prep is Key

Chuchie used products from the Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration skincare line for cleansing and skin prep. She prefers using her hands for application since this allows her to feel which parts of the face are dry and rough as well as feel the temperature of the face, which must be cooled down if a bit warm so the makeup will stay on longer.

Tip #2: Less is More

For base application, Chuchie suggests applying a thin layer on face areas where the base tends to slide. This is especially recommended for those with dry skin and around the laugh lines; by applying less, there would also be less product settling in the lines. She also recommends using powder products to set parts of the face to prevent a thick powdery look before spraying with the Celeteque Hydrolized Moisturizing Mist and pressing with a clean puff. This sandwiching technique makes it look like skin.

Chuchie demonstrates how to use a spatula

Tip #3: Color Placement Matters

From her K-beauty training, Chuchie learned that focusing color on the center helps narrow the face. Blush is strategically tapped onto the apples of the cheeks, nearer the nose while contour is patted onto the outer perimeter of the face. She used Too Cool for School’s best-selling Art Class by Rodin Contour Palette in the demo.

Tip #4: Try Vertical Highlights

When skin prep is done right, you don’t need as much highlighting. But if you really want to have that extra glow, try to do a vertical highlighter placement instead of the product going out into the contoured area. Doing this helps contain the color and glow onto the center of the face. GRWM Cosmetics has great highlighter options for this.

Delicate and precise application by Chuchie

Tip #5: Go for Softer, Blurred Lips

Solid looking lips tend to look more mature according to Chuchie’s K-beauty mentors. She demonstrated how to apply the Avon Lipstick in Cherry Pink by first swatching on the back of her hand before using a cotton bud to layer the product onto the lips. Start from the center of the lips before going out and then using the other side of the cotton bud to blur out the edges.

From L-R: Winners of Best-Dressed, Most Active and Engaging

The New Rules of Beauty Summit was surely an afternoon well-spent for attendees with all the lessons and insights gained from both the talk and the makeup demo. There’s always something new to learn from each other and the Project Vanity community continues to show their curiosity and confidence as questions kept coming after every segment.

Photobooth by Sculptra, Project Vanity’s Recommendations Wall

The different brand booths set up also provided great extensions for learning and Commune’s snacks and coffee gave that much needed pick-me-up for the super packed afternoon. Congratulations Liz and Team Project Vanity! Happy 18th Anniversary!

Team PV

The Project Vanity New Rules of Beauty Women’s Month Summit was made possible with the support our amazing sponsor brands: Celeteque DermoScience, Sculptra, Skin101, GRWM Cosmetics, Too Cool for School, Beauty Box Corp., Avon, Trizie Wellness, Pastel, Sola, Naked White Collagen, and Parlon. Thank you for helping empower the community as we discover and define our new rules of beauty. To our venue partner, KMC Solutions, thank you once again for giving us the space to continue the conversation. In giving us the room, you also gave us the opportunity to hear and be heard.