We had potted aloe vera plants on our window sill while I was growing up. Aside from providing succulent décor, we would often use the plant itself for various skin, hair, and medicinal purposes. It was our family’s equivalent to Windex in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and hummus in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. For us, it was the solution to burns, scratches, pimples, scars, thinning hair, and more! We would simply pluck a leaf from the plant, squeeze it on the affected area, and let it do the job.

It seems that scientists have been showing interest in this miracle plant, as well. Recent studies* have shown that aloe vera and cape aloe extracts have skin-healing and barrier-strengthening properties.

As a teenager, I had extremely oily skin. I swear, I could have given all the oil wells in the Middle East a run for their money for all the excess sebum my skin would produce! In my 20’s, my skin started to normalize: no longer quite as oily but more of a combination type. When I recently hit my late 20’s though, I noticed that my skin would be itchy, red, and peeling all the time. I would apply moisturizer on the dry spots, but would have to deal with them again the following day. This left me feeling very confused. I had a nightly skincare routine but why was I still having so many problems with my skin? After doing a lot of research, I discovered that my symptoms were signs of my ceramide level slowly dropping.

Sparks flew the first time I experience Kate Tokyo in the summer of 2016. It was during a media event launching a line of eyeshadows and face bases that I found myself captivated with this J-beauty brand’s take on edgy makeup. More so, it was when I learned to do the life-changing vertical gradation eyeshadow technique that made my monolids look bigger and brighter! I’ve been doing my eye makeup that way every since.

Some of you may know that I started beauty blogging while I was in college almost ten years ago. I was a poor student in UP Manila, but I had some income from freelance writing gigs so I could buy makeup here and there. Still, I'd save up all my allowance and eat the cheapest lunch everyday just so I can shop for things to review! I started with drugstore brands but eventually worked up to pricier but better products.

I remember that one of the very first "expensive" things I bought was a Prestige palette in Beauty Bar. I remember going inside the store so many times, exploring and swatching everything, before deciding on that 750-peso face and eye palette.

Honestly, it's getting harder and harder for me to blog. There are so many moving parts in our business that keeps my whole day booked! There are events, products, and even our own line which is now available in retail. It's a lot of work but I love what I do every single day. I don't want to stop writing because it is a huge chunk of who I am and it's how I built this up from nothing. So I'm not going to overthink it; I will keep on writing about the products I use, and it will have been worth it if you enjoyed reading it.

There was a point earlier this year when I resigned myself to bad skin forever. I was sleeping past midnight, subsisting on fast and junk food, living a sedentary lifestyle, and just really stressed out because CURSE ADULTING THAT’S WHY. I got my hands on some cult favorite skincare that I thought would solve my problems but all it did was break me out in the most horrible way. It was a nightmare, and my previous skincare routine could no longer undo the damage and catch up with my crappy lifestyle.

After weeks of ugly suffering, I told myself that it was time to reclaim my skin and wounded self-esteem.

As a dry-skinned gal, I didn't think I needed to set my look with powder until I began to notice the foundation on my nose would disappear after just a few hours of wear. It would happen even though I was using a long-wear formula and my face hadn't oiled up much! I've learned to apply a bit of setting powder after since then, and it has honestly made a difference in how much longer my makeup lasts!

If you're a newbie at this like I am, it's good to know that there are great budget options available. But what if you want to invest in something that's HG quality? Well, that's where the rest of the PV team chimed in!

Last July, Rustan’s The Beauty Source held its biggest event of the year: Rustan's Beauty Addict. For one day a year for five years running, the beauty department of the luxury store gets transformed into a wonderland of food, freebies, and promos!

Hoarding is one of the occupational hazards of a self-confessed beauty addict. Still, while it is common, it can become wasteful when you consider all that money spent on products that were used only a few times then set aside. However, these personal care items are called that for a reason - they've touched your face, hands, mouth, and even eyes! Why would anyone (barring close friends and family who don't have laway-swapping issues) want your pre-loved cosmetics?

Hello, Autumn! Okay, while the Philippines might not have an actual “fall season,” we can still live vicariously through our makeup looks and all the amazing products that are coming out. #WorkWithWhatYouveGot, right?

From super bright and nostalgic eyeshadow palettes that remind us of our childhood, to the most gigantic shade range expansion by Tom Ford, we’ve got your eyes, lips, and nails covered! Grab a cuppa, and read up on a new way to get your caffeine fix and how Maybelline may just be bringing out their most epic mascara yet. Oh, and did we mention Kylie’s new Lip Kits? You’re welcome, PV girls!

We've raved about the Ellana Cosmetics foundations so many times before and even now, their crazy good powders still have a place in our vanities. But did you know that they also have killer liquid lipsticks?

Ellana Mineral Cosmetics Lip in Luxe Matte Liquid Lipsticks have one of the best wear-it-and-forget-it formulas we've ever tried. Once set, they're completely smudge-proof and transfer-proof. In fact, we tested them on a swimming trip and they passed with flying colors! What's even more exciting is that Ellana has just released five new shades, bringing your color options to eight in total.

H&M is a retail brand we’ve all come to know and love since they first launched in the Philippines. From fashion to home décor, a trip to H&M is always a thrill. And now, beauty lovers have more reasons to head to their counters! As we reported on BNR last month, H&M Beauty is dropping in store this Friday, September 15.

The massive H&M Beauty line will first be available at the flagship SM Mega Fashion Hall branch but will soon reach other locations such as Robinsons Place Manila, SM North Edsa, Festival Mall, Ayala Center Cebu, SM Mall of Asia, and Greenbelt 4.

I first learned about Kanebo from my mom way back when I was grade school. Watching her use it as I grew up, it was also the brand I sought when I started buying my own makeup. The price was out of range for my student budget though so I gravitated towards the more affordable Kate Tokyo (it was simply known as "Kate" then). Kate Tokyo doesn’t get as much attention as other Kanebo brands like Lunasol and Impress but it's like Kanebo’s chic, trendier sister! It offers the same high quality expected of a Japanese heritage brand but at a price that's on the pocket. This season, Kate Tokyo is releasing some new products and improving on their existing ones as well. Let's explore!

Tom Ford Beauty is coming to the Philippines on October 6, in Rustan's Makati. If you've always wanted to experience the brand full stop then you must visit the soft launch! There are bigger plans early next year (*wink*) but by next month, you'll be able to try on the brand's famous perfumes, Lips & Boys Lipstick, Lip Color, Patent Finish Lip Color, and selected pieces from the Soleil Collection.

A daily sheet masking habit can be good for your skin, especially when preparing for a special occasion. It’s not quite wallet-friendly though, since each individually-packed mask can range from P65 for the Watsons Collagen Face Masks to P248 for a Leaders The Gold 24 Secret Mask. In looking for a cheaper alternative earlier this year, I tried a DIY lotion face mask that cost roughly six pesos: it was that cheap because all you have to buy is the multi-layered cotton pad which you can use with whatever moisturizing toner or Japanese lotion that you already have.

When I hit puberty and first started getting into skincare, the two things I immediately started obsessing over were moisturizer and eye cream. It made sense to start early, since dark circles run on my paternal side of the family while puffiness and dry skin run on my mother’s side. While I know from experience that good moisturizers have taken my skin from nightmarish dry patches to chok chok bliss, I have often found myself questioning my faith in eye cream. I've tried many different brands and often have several products in circulation because I have no clear favorites. Mostly I wonder, do they actually work? I decided to finally find out! 

As the granddaughter of the luxury mega-brand namesake’s Estée Lauder, Aerin Lauder knows a thing or two about class and beauty. She has held various key positions in Estée Lauder since 1992, and decided to start her own brand twenty years later.

A working mother of two, Aerin Lauder believes that living beautifully should be effortless. With this in mind, she curated a collection of nine feminine and luxurious fragrances and body products for AERIN Beauty.

A working mother of two, Aerin Lauder believes that living beautifully should be effortless. With this in mind, she curated a collection of nine feminine and luxurious fragrances and body products for AERIN Beauty.

I was a young teen when I purchased my very first makeup brushes: a cheap travel set I'd spotted in the department store. The handles were thin and flimsy, and the bristles scratched my face and left a patchy application. I wasn't ecstatic about my purchase but I remember feeling proud of myself for getting them. To me, they signaled that I was serious about makeup and learning how to properly apply it to my face.