Beauty Roundup: Covergirl’s Breakup With Gen Z, Happy Skin Cafe, Teviant's New SM Makati Store, and More
If there's a theme this week, it's beauty brands happily wandering out of their lane, and we are so here for it. Happy Skin just opened an actual cafe where your iced latte comes with skincare actives, Teviant is setting up shop in Makati (with the founder himself in attendance), and one of the world's most-followed celebrity makeup artists is bottling his signature red carpet skin. Plus, CoverGirl makes a plot twist of a pivot, and we found out what's really in Alex Gonzaga's shower. Let's get into it!
Happy Skin's newest launch is a cafe, and yes, there's niacinamide in your drink
Thirteen years after making skin-caring makeup a whole category here, Happy Skin is taking the "beauty from within" thing very literally. The Happy Skin Cafe is now open at the 2nd Floor of Robinsons Magnolia, serving viral-worthy sips and snacks infused with real skin-caring ingredients. We're talking active boosters like Niacinamide, Collagen Peptide, Hyaluronic Acid, and Whey Protein mixed right into your order.
It's a fun, on-brand next chapter for a brand that built its name on the promise that beauty products can care for you while they perform. There's exclusive merch on site too, so expect this to be all over your feed very soon. If your barkada's next meetup needs a venue, may we suggest a matcha with a side of collagen?
Teviant heard you, Makati
Fresh off the Lipulence launch we covered last week, Teviant is opening its newest store at SM Makati on July 11, 2:00 PM, and the brand says the location was chosen based on comments from the community about where they'd like to see Teviant next. We love a brand that actually reads the comments section.
Here's the extra reason to drop by: founder and Ultimate Beauty Master Albert Kurniawan himself will be at the opening, so early birds get the chance to meet the celebrity makeup artist behind the Italian-made line. If you've been wanting to swatch Lipulence in person or get shade-matched by the pros, clear your Saturday afternoon.
Hung Vanngo bottles the red carpet
International launch alert: celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo, the man behind some of the most-screenshotted red carpet faces of the past decade, is releasing the Hung Vanngo Beauty Red Carpet Skin Luminous Foundation in 38 shades. It's a weightless serum foundation with medium-to-full buildable coverage and a soft-focus natural blur finish, designed to enhance every complexion rather than mask it. Camera-ready skin, no filters needed, as the brand puts it.
The foundation launches online on July 13 at HungVanngoBeauty.com, Sephora, and Sephora Canada, then hits stores on July 20, alongside the new Evolving Face Brush for that seamless, airbrushed application. No local availability yet, so this one's for your pasabuy radar, but given how quickly Hung Vanngo Beauty launches have been selling through, we wouldn't wait too long to make arrangements.
CoverGirl breaks up with Gen Z
In one of the more interesting strategy stories this week from Bloomberg, CoverGirl is officially done chasing Gen Z and Gen Alpha. According to a new Bloomberg Businessweek feature by Sabela Ojea, the Coty-owned brand is betting instead on the women who actually grew up with it, now in their 40s, 50s, and early 60s, to help bring the brand back to what it should be. Expect older models in campaigns and prices staying under $10.
Coty's consumer beauty division president Gordon von Bretten was refreshingly candid about it, saying CoverGirl made the mistake of seeing indie brands winning over young consumers and deciding "we need to do that too." It's a fascinating counter-move in an industry obsessed with youth, and honestly, a validating one for anyone who's felt that beauty marketing forgot about them after 40. We'll be watching how this plays out.
SPOTTED: The Thai haircare hiding in Alex Gonzaga's shower
Alex Gonzaga's recent house tour was mostly about the home she's building for her growing family, but eagle-eyed viewers zeroed in on something else: the shampoo in her shower. It turned out to be Khaokho Talaypu, the #1 Herbal Shampoo Brand from Thailand, specifically its anti-hairfall Organic Leech Lime & Centella Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner. "Ang bango niya sa buhok. At the same time, talagang nalilinis siya," Alex shared in her vlog, adding that it's the one to grab if your hair is fine or feels like it's thinning fast. Fun detail: husband Mikee Morada apparently skips his own shampoo stash to use hers
The formula pairs Leech Lime (kaffir lime), which is rich in citronellic acid to deeply cleanse the scalp, balance oil, and strengthen hair at the roots, with Centella to soothe and help stimulate hair follicles. It's made without 13 harmful chemicals and is safe for pregnant and lactating women, which is exactly why it fits Alex's more ingredient-conscious pregnancy routine. The shampoo comes in 80ml (P189), 180ml (P240), 320ml (P399), and 450ml (P599), while the conditioner comes in 70ml (P189), 160ml (P240), 280ml (P399), and 450ml (P599). There's also a 10ml+10ml sachet duo (P119) if you want to try before you commit. Shop it at Khaokho Talaypu's official stores on Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, and Watsons online, or in-store at Watsons, Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, and 7-Eleven branches nationwide.
And that's it for this week's Beauty News Roundup!
