National Lipstick Day might be behind us, but that doesn't mean our affection for lipsticks has dimmed. When we dive into conversations about lip wonders, it's almost impossible to bypass MAC Cosmetics. Their iconic lipsticks have held their place in beauty enthusiasts' hearts for years.

I’ve got something colorful for you guys today! If you're on the hunt for a lipstick that brings out the bold, vibrant, and confident side of you, then this launch is for you! Recently, Estée Lauder's introduced their revamped lipstick line - the Pure Color Lipstick (P1,950), and let me tell you, it's such a pretty tube of color.

Picture this: a room filled with the city's fashion-forward crowd, all eager to witness the unveiling of this new cosmetic gem. The venue, White Space Manila, transformed into a paradise of red and black ensembles, as celebrities, makeup artists, influencers, and beauty queens mingled, eager to see what this lipstick had in store for them.

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve personally done lip swatches on an entire lipstick collection. It’s a lot of work, guys! It’s easier to do a TikTok! However, this only goes to show how unreasonably excited I am to share about a new lipstick formula from one of my favorite local brands. It’s called the Happy Skin Lip Cloud Matte Lipstick (P599 for 3.8 grams) and - spoiler alert - I’m impressed.

Let me do a quick rundown!

You may have heard of the latest Pili Ani release from the Beauty News Roundup last May 10. This local brand is one I keep my eye on as I’ve previously tried some of their products with positive results so I’m quite excited to try out their new ones.

Gone are the days when the only purpose of lip products is to either apply color on the lips or to treat them. These days, we expect more than just a singular purpose from our lip product and a lot of beauty’s recent releases have been answering. These lip hybrids deliver a punch of color while also providing other benefits like a glossy finish, a hydrating boost, or both, or more. Here are 5 local lip products to try:

My earliest memory of makeup was watching my mother put on this gorgeous deep red on her lips as she got ready for Sunday mass. And like all children I thought my mother with her lipstick on must be the prettiest woman in the world.

Although my memory of lipstick only goes back twenty years, this iconic product has been glamming up the women (and men) of history for centuries.

Taking inspiration from cherry blossoms, MAC’s Spring 2021 offering is the Black Cherry Collection. Perfectly capturing the spirit of spring, cherry blossoms are no stranger to MAC’s limited edition collections. The collection contains a spectrum of products for the eyes, lips, and skin. For this review, I was able to try and test the Extra Dimension Blushes, Glow Play Lip Balms, and Matte Lipsticks. Here are my thoughts!

As a makeup artist, I’ve been exposed to several makeup application methodologies from the simple 10-minute glow look up to the complex prosthetics and artistic makeup I do during dance competitions. I’ve also done character makeup for theater and TV. When it comes to my personal style though, I like things done simply nowadays since going out feels like suiting up for battle. I still want to look presentable and put together, but I want less of a production number when half of my face is covered most of the time.

We all have go-to lip colors for certain occasions. I don’t know if it’s just me but I always have a shade in mind for a particular purpose and I’m glad to report that these shades have worked well for me every single time. Whether for work or when I’m attending events as a diplomat’s wife, my lip color was and will always be picked for a particular reason. They say fashion is a great way to send a message and I agree but that philosophy extends to my makeup, too. So not only am I intentional with the clothing I wear, I also choose shades that support my message - whatever it is for that day.

I first fell for Anne Curtis’ Wedding Lipsticks back in 2017 when it was first released. I promptly went out and bought a set because the whole concept was so timely for me; I also got married that same year. While I didn’t wear the lipsticks for my own bridal look, I recall enjoying Anne’s lipstick shades in Mon Amour and I Do on a daily basis.

I was able to interview Heart Evangelista-Escudero last 2016 when she launched her first ever makeup collaboration with Happy Skin. I came into that interview not expecting much - I have met and interviewed celebrities before, and while they were pleasant, they are usually very bland. They don’t like to say anything that might be even remotely misconstrued in a negative way. But Heart? Oh, she was fabulous! She was smart and eloquent and a joy to speak with. Read my interview here!

One of the more amusing side effects of the stay-at-home order is our collective renewed interest in K-dramas and, subsequently, Korean cuisine and K-beauty. The demand for the latter is so that a lot of us are blind buying our Korean products straight from the Land of the Morning Calm.

Collaborations have been the name of the game in the beauty industry lately, so a lot of people expected one when Detail Cosmetics (formerly Detail Makeover) teased an upcoming launch on Instagram. What took everyone by surprise, however, was how the collaboration was with 12 Filipino beauty gurus!

Called Powder Pout (P199), the newest lipstick line of Detail Cosmetics features 12 of the biggest names in the local beauty community scene with their respective signature lipstick shades. I have a lot of things to say about this collaboration, so let’s go straight into the review and lip swatches, shall we?

I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely living for the comeback of shiny lips. I spent most of the early naughts obsessing over finding the best lip gloss and wet-look lipstick (remember Watershine?), so I get instant nostalgia from a glassy pout. But what makes the 2020 trend resurrection so much better is how the current technology allows for us to get equal amounts of pigment and shine, where we used to have to top a lipstick with gloss to get a similar effect.

EB Advance, Ever Bilena’s more sophisticated sister, has an exciting new release called the EB Advance Power Paint Multi-Use Color Cream (P199 at Lazada). It comes in four wearable shades that are formulated to be used on the eyes, cheeks, and lips. Before we go on the full review though, I think it’s important to address the elephant in the room! Yes it looks almost exactly like the Glossier Cloud Paint, but that’s pretty much where the sameness end.

While K-Palette remains to be a crowd favorite in the kilay department, this universally-loved Japanese brand has also brought us some keepers on the lip and cheek front. And if you’re like me who still has a lot of reverence for classic bullet lipsticks, you’ll want to check out all four Pinay-friendly shades of the K-Palette Lasting Lip Tint Stick (P795 each at Beauty Box Corp. or P2,880 for the full 4-piece set).

Project Vanity writer Firas Abboud declared in his story, “Makeup knows no gender, so every makeup product is technically universal.” I can’t agree more! I think everyone should not be judged when they wear cosmetics, no matter how they identify, or their age, or how their body is. Everyone is allowed to be more beautiful in all the ways that make them feel so! I think that’s why local brand blk Cosmetics, Anne Curtis and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez’s brain child, hit a nerve when they launched the first Universal collection last year.

Since wearing a mask whenever stepping outside the house is a must, some of us have chosen to skip wearing lip colors. After all, no one gets to see it and wearing a lipstick underneath a mask can be quite messy! If you are one of those people, I feel you as I’m guilty of it too. But allow me to give you an excuse today, if you will.

If Issy & Co. Cosmetics is still not on your radar then you’re missing out. This Filipino brand - only less than a year old - is hitting its stride with amazing releases so far, and its newest collection with celebrity Alex Gonzaga is the brand putting pedal to the metal! In line with the brand’s promise of “beauty made easy,” this big release features three multifunctional and no-fuss products: highlighter slimsticks, créme blushes, and lip mousses. Here’s my review and swatches of the entire collection!

Happy Skin first came out with their Lip Mallow formula last February and reviews confirmed that it stays true to its “velvety air-whipped formula that wraps the lips in a weightless cloud of smooth color with a cushion-soft powder matte finish” promise. Just a couple of months after and we are getting six additional shades in the line. The bonus? These new ones are coffee-inspired and mostly nude tones that are perfect for every day.