I’m on a high from SEVENTEEN’s concert last weekend - it was AMAZING! I have been crazy for Korean pop idols for almost a decade, and seeing them perform knife-like choreography while singing AND maintaining perfect hair and makeup at the same time amazes me. K-idols are one of the reasons why I got into makeup and skincare (and particularly K-beauty) in the first place. Most of them are brand endorsers and while we PV girls have been known to buy into these endorsements, I really wanted to find out what they actually use. So, I have been on the lookout for backstage clips, shows, and news to see what products are in these idols’ kits. I’ve managed to hunt down five lip products that idols have been spotted using - and they’re all under P500!

Rejoice, Mainenatics! MAC Cosmetics has finally unveiled their lipstick collaboration with Maine Mendoza. Welcome @MaineDCM: a muted peachy beige shade with a Matte finish. She chose this shade because she wanted an MLBB that will flatter Pinay skin tones. 

Editor’s Note: Before Buwan ng Wika ends, we want to celebrate a Filipino language that has risen in popularity in recent years - Swardspeak! More popularly known as Bekinese or Bekimon, this gay lingo has also become common in the beauty world, especially with the arrival of the Vice Ganda brand. A glossary of terms has been included below for those who are not familiar with the terminology. We hope you enjoy this article as much as we did producing it!

Here's a fact of life: women don't buy lipstick because they need one. They buy because of the way it makes them feel. We tend to pick up our bullet of the day because of our mood or even according to who we want to be like; is it chic and elegant, sexy and hot, smart and practical? The permutations are endless, which is why lipstick is one of the easiest beauty products to sell even in an already crowded market. We can't have too much of it because we assign a unique and personal value to each of our carefully chosen shades.

Remember back in 2016 when Heart Evangelista-Escudero collaborated with Happy Skin for a limited edition collection? The mini lippies and liners were such a hit that they've relaunched the two bestselling lip liners as full-sized matte lippies!

This is the first time ever that Happy Skin has relaunched a limited edition collection, which goes to show just how amazing these two shades are! And like the other matte lippies of Happy Skin, these new arrivals are packed with Cupuaçu Butter to provide hydration and a bit of sun protection as well. The #HappySkinxLoveMarie Moisturizing Matte Lippie (P649) comes in the shades Heartthrob (deep red) and Skinny Dipping (peachy nude).

Are you the kind of person who hates retouching lipstick during the day? Do you hate the feeling of greasy or waxy lips as you eat your food? If your answer to both questions is yes, then you're in luck with Revlon's Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor (P575). This is designed to be food-proof, water-proof and pretty much resistant to anything you throw at it until you remove it. It's not exactly a new concept (remember the Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge Waterproof Liquid Lip Color?) but it comes at an affordable price point and lots of shades to choose from.

I have been hearing great things about the Colourette Colourtints from the Project Vanity team and community. Pigmented, blendable, and with strong lasting power – for P249 each, they definitely sound like a steal! Recently, the Colourette team launched new formulations of this cult favorite to be even better. The original Matte shades now have an even richer pigmentation, and they introduced a new Fresh version for fans that prefer a lightweight, my-lips-but-better tint.

I had a lot of not-so-positive misconceptions about going to the Chinese mainland for the first time last month. I thought it was going to be dirty, noisy, and full of rude people, but that was certainly not the case! I found Shanghai to be a beautiful city that was as mighty as it was poetic. I loved the food, the painfully fashionable Chinese wandering the streets, and the amazing architecture. The Bund, a waterfront area facing the Huangpu River and looking out to the Lujiazui skyline, is a sight to see at night. I wasn't able to explore the city very long but one thing is for sure: I will definitely visit Shanghai again!

While comparisons to similar celeb-preneur labels such as Kylie Cosmetics and Jeffree Star abound, there’s no denying that Vice Cosmetics - much like its famously unkabogable founder - is a brand all its own. Formulated based on the #GandaForAll philosophy, Vice Cosmetics’ debut launch promised luxury quality at mass-market friendly prices, and featured true-matte shades that were simultaneously trendy and wearable. Still, while this first launch definitely brought fashion-forward mattes to the mainstream market, there was a conscious effort to “tone down” on the hues and finishes: to be “relatable” instead of reflecting Vice Ganda’s trademark edgy style.

Have you ever experienced falling in love with makeup in a very real, heartbeat-skipping sort of way? I've been a fan for a long time but something about luxury lipsticks just stop my heart. Now, I honestly don't get excited over lip products because I'm more of a face base fan, but when the sleek black box stamped with Tom Ford in gold lettering arrived for the PV team, I knew this was going to be a very different experience.

Lip liners are underrated makeup products here in Asia. It’s a shame, though, as many miss out its abilities to define the shape of our lips and help keep our lipstick in place. If you haven't yet, you should consider adding lip liners to your arsenal because Ever Bilena recently released a new collection of Matte Lip Liners with very budget-friendly prices!

When the PV team received the invite for the launch of the Laura Mercier Velour Extreme Matte Lippies and found the venue was at Yes Please, BGC, we were pretty shocked, to say the least. Laura Mercier has long been a staple for the Titas of Manila, so it was a little jarring to experience the new products in a blacked out, neon-lit bar.

Hi, I’m Gett and I easily fall into the trap of hype marketing, minimal packaging, and soft matte lip products. Even with my day job as an ahensya slave and my daily exposure to different marketing tactics, I am only but a human with measly wants and needs. These days, I need a lippie that feels comfortable but still looks matte. I’m at this point in my life where I’d rather reapply lipstick than have to wear a drying formula that stays put all day long.

Two of the hottest beauty trends right now are glassy skin and glossy lips. Yes, we’re all about the shine this summer! It keeps your pout luscious yet lightweight - a great match for the hot weather. And since we’ve already showed you how to get glass skin, today we’re sharing seven lip glosses to complete your look – all under P500!

Whenever people see how many lip balms and ointments I own, I get odd looks - most likely because I only have one pair of lips and can’t possibly go through all of my stash successfully. But my secret love affair with lip balms is not baseless. Not only do I buy them because they look pretty on the vanity (kidding); I have Sahara-dry all year round lips! Aside from being in an air-conditioned room almost all day every day because of work, I have a bad habit of constantly chewing on my lips, especially while I'm thinking. My lips are often chapped and flaky, so I've definitely dependent on lip balm to save them!

I was a little surprised to learn that Eye of Horus is actually an indie brand. We’ve featured them extensively on the site and are always blown away by the quality of the items, so it’s easy to assume that there’s a gigantic team of chemists and researchers slaving away to perfect their powerhouse collection of eye enhancers.

But no! The secret to Eye of Horus is the hands-on mother-daughter tandem of Heather and Holly Spierings, who make it their duty to know all about the exotic and health-beneficial oils that they incorporate into the products.

I’ll be honest: I began this assignment with extreme prejudice against a metallic lip, cursing my editor (jk) and the laze-enabling weather. But after a little experimentation, I’m happy to report that I can now consider the metallic lip as a bonafide option in my lip arsenal, thanks to the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolors (P575).

If there’s one makeup product I’m guilty of hoarding, it would be lipsticks. From all the different kinds to shades beyond the basic five, I can’t seem to stop collecting and trying out the latest! Today’s focus is the reliable bullet matte lipstick. If you’re looking for the long-wearing, super pigmented kind, look no further than the matte ones. We’ve previously featured seven to try under P500 as well as the PV staff favorites. This next batch we’re trying out will hopefully show us just how far the supposedly drying matte lipsticks have come. Let's go!

The holidays are fast approaching and you know what that means - parties and get-togethers will be keeping your social calendar jam-packed and busy! For me, it’s the time of year when I whip out my bright and glittery makeup because it suits the festive holiday spirit. This time, I'll be putting down my usual lippies to give way to something more fun, like some metallic bling from J.Cat Beauty's Flash Metal Metallic Matte Lip (P329).

I am tired of dry, crusty, flaky, uncomfortable lip products that make me want to take of all of my makeup in the middle of the day. I think the makeup community has been collectively sold on the liquid lipstick hype that some of us have forgotten what it’s like not to have to perform 70 lip preparation steps in order to appease the liquid lipstick gods. That’s why traditional bullets, like the American-made Milani Color Statement Lipsticks (P300 from Lannel Boutique), are a breath of fresh air!