I didn’t know what to expect when we received a very understated invitation from NARS Cosmetics to their holiday collection launch. All I knew was their theme was disco, as the collection was named Studio 54.

Sam Gallardo, NARS brand manager, kicked things off by reminding us what NARS was all about. More than beauty, NARS is all about crossing boundaries, defying rules, and inclusivity. As their founder Francois Nars once said, “I like beauty to be a bit edgy, not typical. For me, the only rule is looking good.” Sam shares that they wanted this attitude to be more relatable, so they decided to get local brand ambassadors who embody the brand.

‘Twas the night before Christmas… No, wait. It’s still November but it sure does feel like the holidays are here already! It’s a happy weekend indeed because this week’s beauty roundup will put you in the best mood. We’ve got the sparkly scoop on MAC’s Christmas drop as well as the arrival of ABH in the country. And despite being #cancelled, we were surprised to hear that Jaclyn Hill is relaunching her cosmetics line! Local beauty fans will also love the newest baby of one of our fave home-grown brands, so better read on to find out more!

I’m a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to makeup. I started using a tinted moisturizer (with SPF) and lip balm in high school, but I didn’t buy my first lipstick until I had already started working. Part of my challenge was a limited budget, but the other was that there weren’t really any brands that had a teen-friendly style and price tag. I think that this combination is what makes Careline such an appealing brand for me even though I’m so much older now - the colors are trendy, the products are current, and the quality has honestly been very impressive.

Sharam sharam, sharam sharam... Only 90’s kids will get the reference, but that Donna Cruz song’s catchy portion has been stuck in my head since I received the Avon Anew Reversalist collection. The ageless beauty is the brand’s ambassador, and her flawless skin is definitely something to behold. The Anew Reversalist line is a brand best-seller and customer favorite, so I’ve taken on the two-week challenge to see if it can help my papery dry skin achieve even a fraction of Donna’s enduring awra.

I have a naturally round and fleshy face. I honestly feel it looks fine in person, but it renders much, much larger on camera. I know I shouldn’t care, but it’s difficult not to care when people are always so surprised to see me in person not being as large as they thought I was! This is why contouring is a key part of my makeup routine. Thank goodness it doesn’t take a lot of time, especially with products like the Revlon Photoready Insta-Sculpt Duo (P775 for 7.6 grams on Lazada)!

Dear Dahlia is a fairly new Korean brand that quickly gained Instagram fame for its trademark marble-and-gold aesthetic. Beyond the dreamy packaging design, this brand strives for timeless beauty backed up by an ethical commitment to promote vegan, cruelty-free, “8-free” formulations. While I’ve often thought that having a vegan thrust means a compromise with quality, I was pretty pleased to see this brand didn’t fail to deliver!

It’s that time of the year again when beauty brands make a special effort to relieve us of our money via tempting holiday releases. Blk Cosmetics certainly rose to the occasion with new products, lippie shades, and—for the first time ever—MINIS! Let’s take a look at their complete lineup for the holidays, themed Little Luxuries.

What do a wing tip, a bunch of lipsticks, and a crazy eyeshadow palette have in common? This beauty roundup! We’re welcoming the month of November with some crazy launches that’ll have you seeing stars! We’ve got the latest on Glossier’s new makeup baby as well as to Maybelline’s newest lippie craze and Huda Beauty’s sold out palette.

Pink Sugar just seems to hit all the right notes with their product mix, affordable price point, and excellent quality. They offer great value for money, so you’ll often find their products making their way into our favorites! If you haven’t tried anything from them yet and are on the lookout for good budget buys, consider adding these picks to your collection:

Last weekend, I accompanied 20 winners (and their plus ones) to enjoy 3 days and 2 nights at the Shangri-La Boracay, courtesy of Watsons. I honestly used to think that no one ever really won at raffles just because I’ve never known anyone who did, and some of the winners felt the same way. They couldn’t believe the news that they had won the Share the Sun promo that was held last March. I think that’s partly because of how easy it is to actually join the raffle; there are no stubs to fill out or hold on to. You just get an automatic entry just by using a Watsons Card when you shop at their stores!

The Korean beauty craze is continuing to go and grow, thanks to more brands finally making their way to our side of the world. In fact, SM Beauty is taking us several steps closer to our glass skin goals (and our favorite oppa) by bringing together the best K-beauty brands under one roof!

Confession: During the height of the liquid lipsticks craze, I owned over 50 tubes of liquid lipsticks from more than 15 different brands. I was obsessed with the matte liquid lip, until tints and velvets later came into the picture. These days, I reserve wearing liquid lipsticks for special events. While they are generally more dependable and longer wearing, they also often have the most drying formulas.

Wearing SPF daily is Beauty Rule #1 here on PV, and we’re borderline obsessive about it! Sunscreen is the best anti-aging product, and of course it’s important for preventing skin cancer. As necessary as this step is, applying sunscreen can feel like a chore when there are several more steps to get your face ready. So some people may find using tinted sunscreen as an alternative solution – quick, easy, and perks up your look in no time. The fact that it offers light coverage plus sun protection makes it a busy gal’s go-to, especially when you literally just have five minutes to do your routine. But is it actually enough to protect your skin from sun damage?

Halloween has literally come and gone, and already our favorite beauty brands are busting out their holiday collections! This week’s roundup has got the scoop on Happy Skin’s new (and super cute) look, some amazing mini treats from blk (it’s going to be a sparkly Christmas), and CoverGirl’s new brand ambassador. Put on your Santa hats - it’s about to get festive!

Growing up in a conservative environment, I wasn't taught much about my body. All I knew about breasts were that they start to grow when a woman hits puberty, that you should wear a bra when they do, and that they were a food source for babies. There were no other explanations or discussions, so I had a lot of unanswered questions when I began to notice the changes in my body. No one was willing to talk to me because boobs were and often still are treated as a taboo topic in the Philippines.

I was at Happy Skin’s first event: their brand launch six years ago. I remember the invite only had the logo and a few words, so the entire time until the launch I thought that it was about a skincare line! But I was in for a massive surprise: Rissa Mananquil-Trillo and Jacqe Yuengtian-Gutierrez launched makeup that was designed to care for the skin. It was a simple idea but a groundbreaking one at that time. None of us knew it then, but Happy Skin was on a journey to become one of the best beauty brands in the country. It paved the way for the rest of us who only ever had wild dreams of our own breakout brand. For that, I am forever grateful to Happy Skin.

I care about how my hair looks more than I care to admit. I agonize over bad hair cuts more than bad skin or makeup #FOTDs! But because I don’t have the time to bother with hair tools and styling products, I prefer to get wash-and-wear hair styles that require very little maintenance. My straight hair is usually in a lob (long bob) with slight layers at the end, and I just use a normal shampoo and conditioner. 

ICYMI, Project Vanity now has a Store tab with a curated collection of products we love! One of the things that I remember Liz being really excited about is an antiperspirant made especially for the face, called the Neat 3B Face Saver Gel (P850 for 50g, Project Vanity store). The parent brand is Neat Feat, a New Zealand company that focuses on a wide range of antiperspirant toiletries. The Face Saver Gel is labeled as a “facial antiperspirant” and because of its promise to reduce sweat, athletes and people in hot climates are encouraged to use this product.

I’ve been wanting to try Colourpop products since Angeli wrote about her brand must-haves last year, so when they announced a sitewide sale a few months back, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. So, some of the PV girls and I pooled all our orders together for a sizable Colourpop haul! Though we had enough orders to qualify for the free international shipping, Liz generously offered to lend us her My Shipping Box account so the package would be shipped faster and directly to our address instead of the post office.

Happy weekend, PV fam! It feels so good to be back into the swing of things, and with Halloween just around the corner, the festivities of the Ber months have truly started! This week’s beauty roundup has got the latest in Victoria Beckham’s newest baby (we’re talking makeup here, btw) as well as Shu Uemura’s limited edition Pokémon collection (got get ‘em all). Glossier is celebrating their 5th birthday with a special gift for us all, and Marc Jacob’s liquid eyeliner is just the treat we wanted.