When I first started seeing anti-pollution skin care products a few years back, I thought it was just another skincare gimmick - yet another “concern” concocted by the beauty biz to get people to buy new must-have products. I dismissed it as a marketing shtick targeting the urban consumer. After all, shouldn’t I care more about how smog affects my lungs and other vital organs? I already had a reliable skincare routine, so proper cleansing should remove all the grime my skin accumulates through the day.

With December fast approaching, it definitely feels like the holiday season is upon us! Have you prepped your party looks yet? Before going full on with the holiday glam, we’re taking a look at five fall makeup trends that can be easily incorporated to our FOTD repertoire. And one of the easiest ways to spice it up for our theoretical fall season? Focus on the eyes!

After the boom of clay masks late last year, I thought that sheet masks would soon lose their popularity among skincare enthusiasts. But. I. was. dead. wrong. I’ve noticed so many new sheet masks cropping on up on Watsons’ shelves, and it made me realize that what started as a K-beauty trend has found a permanent spot in our routines. It makes sense though: it’s an easy and often affordable way to indulge in 15 to 20 minutes of pampering and me-time. With so many new variants to choose from though, which one do you start with? I tried out a few so you know what to try for your next self-care sesh!

When I was first started out using makeup, I would always check out the Wet n Wild counter because it was easy to find and had budget-friendly prices. Drugstore makeup may have a reputation for having poor quality products but Wet n Wild has always impressed me with the performance of their products. Even now that I’m better versed with beauty, I keep an eye out for WnW’s latest releases and find new faves to add to my collection! The quality is comparable to high-end makeup, and it’s cruelty-free, too! If you’ve never tried anything from the brand, you’ve been missing out, so I’ve put together a wishlist of my Wet n Wild favorites that you shouldn’t sleep on.

K-beauty has given rise to some pretty strange and interesting trends like applying 7 layers of toner, dunking your face in ice water to set makeup, and the use of bubble cosmetics. The last one particularly sounds like pure skincaretainment, which simply uses carbonization to create a fun and fizzy experience. But does it actually do anything for your skin?

Ellana Cosmetics has been part of my life for almost a decade now. I remember discovering it when I was still in college (around 2008-2009) and falling in love with the fact that their mineral foundation was so pigmented and long-wearing for the price. It’s the foundation I wore on my graduation! I’ve tried so many of their products since then, and eventually, I got to meet the founder Theresa Carbonel-Buenaflor and her husband, Diego around five years ago. We’ve worked together but most important to me is that we’ve become friends who randomly hang out to catch up.

Bobbi Brown is your best bet when it comes to high quality neutrals and classic looks. We’ve done a lot of rave reviews about their products, including their Luxe Lip Colors which remain a favorite even to this day. One would think that 30 satin shades is a good number to pick from, but these tubes are so successful that Bobbi Brown added three more lines under the House of Luxe Lip Color!

Cha-ching! Welcome to sweldo weekend! We hope you saved a bit of your paycheck because this week’s roundup is about to get spendy. Tom Ford Beauty has a new foundation that’s basically flawless in a bottle, and you’ll want check out AERIN and Estee Lauder for the perfect gift set… for yourself! We’ve also got Happy Skin’s fuss-free holiday makeup collection and deets on the Filipina VS Angel who recently shared her beauty secrets with Vogue!

In the last three years, many rumors and conjecture have spawned over superfamous brands allegedly private-labeling their products, to the shock of many a beauty addict. But what is private-labeling and why are people mad about it?

I am absolutely weak for minis (see Exhibits 1, 2, and 3). Since I like lugging my beauty essentials around, collecting travel-sized skincare and makeup has always been my happy pill. Recently, I swooned over the new shades of blk Cosmetics #blktravels when I spotted them on Instagram. Paris, Los Angeles, New York, and London are bold additions to their initial collection of MLBBs and more classic hues.

Ever since trying the TIA’M My Signature Red Serum for the post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation story, I’ve been in awe of how much brighter my complexion became in just a week! While the product is marketed as a vitamin C serum, I think that the high niacinamide content was part of what made it so effective. Niacinamide is an ingredient becoming more popular among skincare enthusiasts, and for good reason. It offers a multitude of benefits like anti-aging and oil control, so if you’re looking to add an active to your routine, this rising superstar may be one to consider!

After all the initial rush of collecting lipsticks, eyeshadow palettes, and foundations tides over, makeup lovers soon find themselves in need of the right tools to apply them. Just like most beginners, I started by buying brush sets which had most if not everything I need to do a full face of makeup. At first, it seemed enough to have a brush each for foundation, eyeshadow, and blush. However as I learned more about makeup application and better understood which of my features I actually wanted to emphasize, I realized that rather than splurging on a collection of 20+++ brushes, it’s actually more sulit to invest on premium quality individual brushes!

Around this time last year I was giving a talk at a Belle De Jour event. I can’t remember what the topic was exactly, but it’s somewhere along the lines of mistakes I made that brought me where I am today. (Note to self: I must share that here too!) There was a Q&A portion after the talk. Somebody asked: how does a person know what their dream is?

At 25, I’m still considered “young” by many standards. However, over the past year I’ve begun to notice the beginnings of “signs of aging,” no doubt exacerbated by my sleepless nights and hectic schedule (#millennialhustlelife). Considering my mother is famous for having been asked to show ID in bars all the way into her thirties, looking older than my actual age is admittedly an insecurity of mine, one made worse due to the fact that tons of people do actually assume my age as (much) older. True story: In a recent Facebook Live I did for work, when I asked viewers to guess my age, their average estimate was 33!

Hey there PV reader! How’s your weekend so far? We hope it’s fabulous but if it isn’t, well, have we got the goods! We’re talking about a popular drugstore beauty brand going cruelty-free and something that will make you blush like the Queen of All Media! Plus, we’re talking about Bretman Rock’s latest (and pride-filled) collab and unlimited free shipping on your fave beauty site!

I was about 7 when I noticed that my body’s skin was a bit different from others. The skin on my upper arms and my legs look like they perpetually have goosebumps - they have raised bumps that feel coarse. The hair follicles appear redder than my actual skin color, too, so it sometimes looks like I have pimples over the rest of my body. They don’t itch or feel like anything really; they’re just there to make me feel conscious about wearing sleeveless tops and exposing my legs. I’ve since learned that there’s a name for my condition, and that it’s actually pretty common!

We at PV are big fans of Happy Skin’s nail polishes! Made with nourishing ingredients like hydrolyzed keratin and almond oil, the chip-resistant gel formula delivers long wear without the need for UV lamps. They always hit the right spot when it comes to color selection, as well! Time and again, we were wowed from the initial release, to the collabs with Sanrio, Havaianas, and KC Concepcion.

There was a time when I was all about micellar water cleansing, but after a few years of that I just got tired of using two separate makeup removers for my face. Before, I’d swipe on micellar water or wipe to remove foundation and eyebrows, then use a biphase (oil + micellar water) remover for my waterproof eye makeup. I liked this routine since my skin felt cleaner afterwards as opposed to using oil. I also liked that I didn’t turn my face into old makeup soup - you know what I mean! It’s when your mascara is on your lips and your lipstick is on your eyes na because you used an oil cleanser and massaged it all over.