Skincare selection is a uniquely personal experience. Our skin types and mileages vary, and we also have specific issues that we would like to take care of. Take myself for example. I have dry, dehydrated skin with an oily t-zone. I also have the beginnings of fine lines and wrinkles that are seemingly typical for a 35-year-old. While I will be okay with the basic moisturizer, I will certainly benefit from the targeted application of a serum or two. Thankfully, there are brands such as Kiehl’s Philippines who have long made the commitment to do their utmost for customer care.

In times of massive uncertainty and change such as the one we live in now, economists have noticed a behavior called the Lipstick Effect. This describes how consumers still tend to buy small luxury items (like premium cosmetics and trips to the cinema) during recessions or when they personally do not have much cash. Makeup doesn’t stop being a mood booster when things go south, so we don’t stop trying to be beautiful despite our situation.

I consider myself really lucky to have found a guy who not just accepts the fact that I love makeup, but who is also interested in it. No, my boyfriend doesn’t wear makeup, but he always asks me about my makeup purchases and encourages me to post makeup looks.

One afternoon, I decided to surprise him with a challenge. I asked him if he’s willing to do my makeup. To my delight, for someone who has zero experience with makeup, he was so quick to say yes!

With my face skin care good and done, I want to expand my routine Down There. Got to say, the marketing gods definitely agree! I keep getting ads for Mink, an intimate skincare company “made with passion, spunk, and a little bit of mischief”. They have several products formulated especially for taking care of boobs, butt and bikini line.

Q: My maskne is out of control! I didn’t have pimples before on my chin and jawline area, but since I started wearing a mask, I’ve started to get these pimples that just won’t seem to go away. What can I do to get rid of these? - Kristina

A: Hi Kristina! That’s a question that’s been frequently asked of me and a big percent of my patients now come in for consult for that reason. What’s being called “maskne” is actually a kind of acne we identify as Acne Mechanica, caused by friction from repetitive rubbing of masks against the skin and obstruction of the pilosebaceous unit, leading to congested pores.

Quarantine may have us all locked indoors but that doesn’t mean beauty’s dead and gone. In fact, being locked up at home with no access to salons and beauty clinics have given birth to interesting new looks. And who says we’re hiding away? With social media as our platform, we can show off our quarantine-created looks!

Queer Eye’s resident grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness warned, “Don’t try new lewks during quarentine!” Yes, let’s all notice he spelled quarantine wrong and also let his his well-intentioned advice go unheeded. “Quarentine lewks” are really the most interesting beauty trend these days.

Don’t you just wish you could go to the salon to have great hair everyday? Well, achieving salon-ready hair at home is easier than you think. We asked Francis Guintu of Culture Salon Manila in BGC for some tips on how to achieve salon-looking hair in your own home without your favorite hairstylist’s help!

By now we know that non-cosmetic face masks are here to stay. Now while there may be a lot of frustration about the fact that we can’t show off our carefully painted faces while outdoors, we don’t have to be completely drab about it! We can definitely use our face masks to express ourselves and our personal style. Luckily, local mask manufacturers have stepped up their game, and we’ve found the prettiest ones for you.

EB Advance, Ever Bilena’s more sophisticated sister, has an exciting new release called the EB Advance Power Paint Multi-Use Color Cream (P199 at Lazada). It comes in four wearable shades that are formulated to be used on the eyes, cheeks, and lips. Before we go on the full review though, I think it’s important to address the elephant in the room! Yes it looks almost exactly like the Glossier Cloud Paint, but that’s pretty much where the sameness end.

These days, buying beauty products online can be a tricky business. Whether you’re online shopping for something you haven’t tried before, or attempting to get the best bang for your buck at your favorite brand, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options (or fall into a hole of looking at swatches to determine whether that shadow will really work with your eyes). Throw in the fact that star products tend to sell out faster than ever these days, and it’s enough to make you want to slam your laptop shut.

While K-Palette remains to be a crowd favorite in the kilay department, this universally-loved Japanese brand has also brought us some keepers on the lip and cheek front. And if you’re like me who still has a lot of reverence for classic bullet lipsticks, you’ll want to check out all four Pinay-friendly shades of the K-Palette Lasting Lip Tint Stick (P795 each at Beauty Box Corp. or P2,880 for the full 4-piece set).

Taylor Swift very recently surprised me and everyone the world over with an indie album made while she was in quarantine. Not only was Folklore completely unannounced until 24 hours before it dropped, but Taylor also debuted a different sound and look. Gone was the dip-dyed blue hair of 2019. Even that classic red lip thing that I like - kaput. Instead, we have a bare-faced Taylor, with a mop of unruly blonde curls, clad in an old nightgown, a gingham shift, or a bulky cardigan.

Skincare is a huge part of my beauty routine. Beyond the basics, I feel that it’s important that my chosen products contain active ingredients as part of my quest on how to get smooth skin on my face! On the other hand, my body care routine is kind of boring. I use moisturizing and scented body washes in the shower, but I don’t get any added skin benefits. If I were a billionaire I would buy face care for body use, but sadly I don’t have that kind of money!

It's 2020 yet I still know so many guys who think that having a skincare routine is for women. They tell me that all they do is wash their faces with soap. Little do they know that that's a skincare routine in itself! Guys, you're lucky if soap alone works for you. However, if you have skin concerns, then you might want to consider expanding your skincare routine.

Yes, skincare can be very intimidating. Sometimes, I think guys are apprehensive not just because they think having a skincare routine is for women, but also because they do not know where to start.

Yes, skincare can be very intimidating. Sometimes, I think guys are apprehensive not just because they think having a skincare routine is for women, but also because they do not know where to start.

As the old saying goes, “Your hair is your crowning glory.” So naturally, we want to take very good care of our hair by cleansing it well and using conditioner to keep it in tip-top shape. We even style it, use heated tools, or have it colored, permed or rebonded. These things can damage hair but even little things like too much sun exposure can be damaging too.

When Project Vanity ‘s editor-in-chief told me she was sending over a bottle of the new Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex Serum (P2,850/20ml | P4,350/30ml | P6,200/50ml at Lazada), I had to check if it was my birthday. It wasn’t but, boy, did it feel like it! This famed fountain of youth is a staple on vanity tables the world over for 38 years. It’s the ultimate in anti-aging simply because it works. As its name says, Advanced Night Repair, or ANR, repairs the skin overnight. Women have been claiming to wake up to skin that looks more even and radiant, their fine lines and wrinkles smoothened out.

“I see the reason why you wear makeup. It is to attract guys, right?” That’s exactly what my mom said when she found out I wear makeup. You know, why is it that when we - girls and guys - have makeup on, it’s always assumed that its purpose is to attract someone else? Can’t we wear makeup for ourselves? Anyway, I think it was sweet of my mom to assume that guys are attracted to me whenever I have makeup on. Little does she know, it’s the opposite.

Recently, I noticed my skin changed dramatically. My previously oily, acne-prone skin is now a lot more sensitive than it used to be. The dry skin on my face was red, flaky and itchy! On my body, I started to develop itchy rashes on and off. To make matters worse, I recently found out that sensitive skin is also more vulnerable to germs because of a weaker skin barrier. This pushed me to switch my routine towards more gentle products and mild soaps.

Since puberty has come and gone, I have heaved a sigh of relief that my skin is no longer as erratic as it was during those tumultuous years. Most of the pimples I experience as an adult can be chalked up to bouts of pre-period hormones, purging, or product incompatibility. And because age comes with wisdom, I’ve already assembled a Dream Team of products that help manage those tricky times a little better.

While the rest of the pandemic world became obsessed with watching their plants blossom and bloom, I was fascinated with watching my armpit hair grow.

It was exciting, to be honest. I know that sounds pathetic but these are strange times and in all my 43 years, my underarm hair has always been ruthlessly ripped out, regularly, unfailingly for 30 years. So to see my armpits not hair-free is an event! And I made sure to watch.