It’s no secret that Innisfree’s Green Tea skincare line is one of the brand’s most popular and enduring collections. Versatile and moisturizing Jeju Green Tea has been a fan favorite since its launch back in 2008, and the creme de la creme has always been the Green Tea Seed Serum for its potent balancing and hydrating properties.

Something you probably already know: Mae Layug is a famous local YouTuber who has over half a million followers. She films mostly beauty reviews, but also covers health, shopping hauls, and snippets from her personal life.

Despite the name, COMMONLABS. is a Kbeauty brand that has a decidedly uncommon approach to skincare. When you visit their website, they describe their products as skin kinetics trainers that “stimulate healthy and balanced movement of the skin cells”. The approach is that of working from the core to ensure that skin is healthy on a fundamental level. And they focus on formulations that can battle pollutants and stress.

Most of us are stuck indoors for the rest of summer, yes, but the tropical fun doesn't have to be shoved to the side and forgotten, yes? blk Cosmetics' Wondermelon Edit captures summer fun all year round with a skincare collection that feels as refreshing as it looks! The products contain watermelon seed oil that refreshes and hydrates. Here's the report of what I've tried!

I am no stranger to Kojie San body care products. As someone who’s prone to ashy ankles and elbows, I was blown away by the sight of what the OG Lightening Soap did to even out the color of Liz’s knees. So this convert has been using it ever since to manage those patchy problem areas.

“She prepared for a summer vacation that didn’t come.” Sounds familiar, right? It’s a common 2020 tale. I’m sure that, even just within the beauty community, there were many kikay plans (trends to cop, bright and shiny purchases, and scheduled services, etc.) that had to be postponed when we all had to stay at home.

Blurring primers have the stellar reputation of being the oily-skinned beauty lover’s best kept secret. But those who have dull complexions don’t need any more mattifying. It’s that healthy glow we can’t get enough of!

Enter the radiance primer. It’s the base that brings life to the lackluster. It can highlight healthy skin, even subtly correct problem areas, and create a beautiful, glowy effect with not a lot of effort. I’ve got four options for you today depending on the glow you’re looking for.

The weather’s getting hotter these days, and staying fresh is becoming a bigger priority. But with our busy schedules, we tend to rush through the bathing ritual without giving it much thought. After all, smelling malinis is a must.

But bathing doesn't have to be a joyless practice we take for granted. It can be both therapeutic and fun. So it’s exciting to experience a new iteration of a family favorite, the Safeguard Detox Foaming Body Wash (P449 for 500ml pump bottle, P309 for 400ml refill pack), just in time for the season. And BTW, it's the first ever foaming body wash in the Philippines!

It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenging period of adjustment for everyone. For the first half of last year, I was so completely resigned to staying in that I pretty much dropped most of my beauty habits, save for my nightly skincare routine. But as the months went by, I slowly began to miss my old self-care rituals. So much so that I’ve started them back up even whilst I remain stuck indoors.

As a beauty lover, there’s a lot of emphasis on carefully curating your beauty collection by investing in high-quality makeup and finding the best formulas. And while you might already have products that work like a charm, using them with just the right tools can take the experience to greater heights. Trust me. These five brushes are total game-changers!

Rejuvenating sets are by no means a new invention. Even before I began paying more attention to skincare, I remember seeing them in bazaars and tiangges during the early aughts. They’ve gained quite a reputation for making quick work of skin brightening, but they’ve also gotten a bad name for being too harsh to the point of burning the skin. However, not all rejuv sets are created equal. Some place emphasis on giving users a safer, more pleasant experience. And guess what? I’ve gotten to try this new gen version first hand!

If you’re an avid deal-browser on Shopee, odds are you’ve seen Sace Lady around. This Chinese makeup brand is often on sale, and the prices are sure to pique the beauty bargain hunter’s interest. So to kick things up a notch, I created a complete one-brand FOTD that cost less than P800 after sale discounts and vouchers were applied. And now I’m here to answer the age-old question: Sulit ba?

Prior to the pandemic, I was admittedly not all that concerned about how long-wearing my lipsticks were. I didn’t mind repeatedly re-applying, and I even found the process fun. But with the need to constantly keep the mask on when outside, except for stopping to eat or drink, the search for a mask-proof lippie gets high on the priority list. So let’s turn to a line with an impressive reputation, the Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipsticks (P299).

Since I started writing for Project Vanity many years ago, I have learned to adopt a multi-step skincare regimen. There was even a point where I challenged myself to a 10-step Korean routine! And yes, I totally get the sensorial appeal of each luxurious step. But I will always have just as much appreciation for the straightforward but efficient skincare routine. Now after having tried five of Japanese brand BCL’s high-performance products, I have no doubt that they have the simplified skincare routine down pat.

Since lockdown started, I can proudly say that I was able to put in a lot more effort into skincare. When restrictions eased up, I was even able to gradually go back to wearing makeup. But a manicure - self-applied, of course - only happened exactly once in the last eight months. The housework scattered throughout the day and all the frequent hand-washing didn’t exactly leave me with a lot of downtime to painstakingly wait for each layer to set and dry. But Luxx Lash is giving my used and abused nails some hope.

It was the bold claim of a mask-proof glossy lip that intrigued me enough to want to try a Korean brand that has been getting consistent buzz within the local beauty community. Bet I got an eyebrow raise with that one. Rom&nd is the brainchild of Kbeauty guru, Saerom Min. (With the “Rom” taken from her name + a stylized version of “and”.) The brand features makeup with minimalist packaging that manages to represent color range well, peppered with some trendy collabs in between.

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.

When it comes down to it, we have to accept that the new normal makes acne management a little trickier. The hulas mode of the daily commute and exposure to the elements have always been challenging, but we now also have the threat of maskne to contend with.

It’s about time for a refresher on how to treat acne, and we’ve got some solid tips to take to heart!

Is there a star ingredient that you always look for when shopping for skincare products? As soon as I heard about the hydrating capabilities of Hyaluronic Acid (HA), I wanted it in as many of my skincare steps as possible. I find that specifically having Hyaluron in my serum gives me a more potent hydration boost (and gets me one step closer to my glass skin goals). So I'm thrilled to share that the #1 serum sold in the US is finally coming to the Philippines on October 21!

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.