I remember purchasing my first daily sunblock five years ago. I had just learned that I needed sun protection not just for beach trips, but every single day. Since I was just 16 at the time, I looked for a mild formulation that would suit my adolescent skin and chanced upon YADAH’s Oh My Sun Block SPF35 PA++. Because it was lightweight and slightly moisturizing without the sticky feel, it was easier for me to get into the habit of wearing sunscreen daily.

Happy July! Yes, it’s a new month and we have a beauty roundup filled with exciting launches, fresh faces, and more limited edition collections. And we literally have a little of everything: from Urban Decay to Vice Cosmetics, BTS, and Jaclyn Hill. Better grab a snack ‘cause we’re bringing the tea!

As PV’s resident beauty gadgets girl, I have a mini collection of beauty devices that have helped my super oily skin keep clear of acne. To be honest, I’d probably purchase more, if not for the prohibitive price tags on these electronics. I’ve always stuck with established high-end brands like Foreo and Clarisonic so I had to wonder: would cheaper ones work as well as my favorites? 

While many bloggers have released their own makeup lines or collaborations, it’s not often that they venture into scents. It is an especially bold move to do so locally! Vv and Co. is a relatively new brand by local bloggers and real-life sisters Vern and Verniece Enciso. The brand currently offers three perfumes: Vern, Verniece, and Cat, the product of a collaboration with fellow blogger Cat Arambulo-Antonio. The bottles have a premium look and feel, and each scent contains 30ml.

Have you ever heard of the old Hollywood trick of using soap on eyebrows? It may sound crazy but many professional makeup artists (both local and international) swear by this beauty hack for fixing brows into place! In fact, it has made such a huge comeback into the beauty scene that there are now several local brands that offer brow soaps in little tins that can fit into your makeup kit. But if it’s literally just soap, we can probably recreate the same effect using regular soap from the grocery, right? So, I decided to try it and find out!

People tell me that I’m lucky to have dry skin because I don’t have to worry about getting pimples or having a shiny face. Both are certainly true, but dry skin has it own concerns, too. Your skin can look either red and irritated, or gray and sickly due to dullness. Extra dry spots can cause skin to look flaky and you can’t cover that with makeup because of the weird texture. Dry skin is also more prone to getting wrinkles and fine lines; just imagine how super matte lipsticks make every single one of your lip lines look more visible!

Have you ever looked at your lipstick collection and noticed a pattern? There’s probably one shade that you purchase more frequently than others. Some people can’t live without their 50 shades of red, while I personally can’t get enough of plums and MLBB pinks. My fellow PV girls are well-aware of this and give me a nudge when they spot something they know I’d like!