I’ve not come across a Filipino brand mascara that I love, until this one. I know, so dramatic, but I was really pleasantly surprised when I finally tried the Spotlight Second Skin Mascara with Castor Oil (P385 for 8g).

About me: I have really high standards when it comes to mascara. I usually go for Japanese or American mascaras because they deliver the curl, the volume, the length, the staying power. But they are a bit more expensive than I would like to spend for an everyday I’m-just-going-to-the-grocery mascara, with Maybelline at P499 and up depending where you buy it. Enter Spotlight.

Looking for mascara that can help my eyes look bright and awake is my latest makeup obsession. I've been looking at different makeup brands including the famous Heroine Make from Japan. I've heard a lot of good things about their mascaras: great at providing curl, length, and volume though a bit hard to remove. Did you know that they have other complementary lash products too like the KissMe Heroine Make Curl Keep Mascara Base? Here’s my review!

I’ve been keeping this secret for over a year and finally, I can shout it out to the world! Heroine Make, the world-famous mascara brand from Japan, is back in the Philippines! They make one of my HG mascaras, Long & Curl, so I’m glad that I don’t have to wait for my next Japan or Hong Kong trip to get my hands on it again.

People always ask me if I’ve tried or want to try the lash lift procedure. We’ve had writers on Project Vanity do a review before, but I personally think it’s not for me. I prefer to rely on really, really good mascaras instead! I know the power of long, voluminous lashes in framing my eyes, so I rarely skip mascara (only on gym day).

I first heard about the Maybelline Sky High Mascara about a year ago, but I couldn’t get my hands on it because it wasn’t available in the Philippines. Finally, it’s here! I bought it from Lazada for P499 from the Maybelline Flagship Store.

Now that we’re on masks all the time, eye makeup has never been more relevant. These days I don’t step out of the house without at least some eyebrows and mascara on. Forget the base - these two products are all I need to look presentable! Anyway my favorite mascara find last year is the Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift Mascara (P379 on Lazada). THIS IS SO GOOD. It’s the best AND most affordable drugstore mascara I’ve found to date. I’m already on my second tube!

While lipstick is the number one makeup product I cannot live without, mascara is definitely number two. There’s just something so fabulous about applying a coat of mascara. Personally, I feel like I’m about to take over the world whenever I’d wiggle the wand between my lashes. Applying mascara for me is an instant pick-me-upper!

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.

My oily skin has always plagued my makeup game. Creasing bases, transferring foundations, fading colors, the general icky oil pool – I could go on and on why I’d prefer to be dry-skinned if I could choose my skin type! One particular drawback that I hate about being oily is (accidentally) smudging my mascaras. The point of having curled and coated lashes is to make my eyes look more awake, but panda eyes from my oily lids causing my mascara to smudge make me look like I put on dark circles. No thanks!  

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I like my eyes, but my eyelashes can be a pain. Like the hair on my head, my lashes are naturally rebond-straight, somewhat fine, and do what they want, which usually involves clumping together when curled or after more than one coat of mascara. On top of this, I have an odd eye shape: a tapering eyelid crease creates a “hood” which tends to swallow up my lashes. Because of this, putting on mascara can be a nerve-racking experience, as I’m constantly running the risk of getting product all over my lids.

"There’s more than meets the eye” surely holds true for the clear mascara. Compared to its pigmented sibling that we frequently rely on to create thicker and lengthier lashes, the colorless gel doesn’t seem to be able to do much and so is often considered as an unimportant. The truth is, it is this simplicity that actually makes it a super versatile beauty product!  

Despite the many jokes made about them throughout my life, I am far from insecure about my “tiny” eyes. I’ve embraced their slightly mataray look and almond shape, which make rocking the trendy K-Beauty “puppy eye” a relative piece of cake.

My one struggle with them, however, has to be my eyelashes. They are very fine, stick straight, and too short to curl. They also tend to get swallowed up by the slight fold in my eyelid, creating a “curtain” effect that makes my eyes look constantly half-closed.

Who doesn't want long and lush lashes? It's an easy way to look more youthful and awake, not to mention they make your eyes look bigger even while wearing glasses. It's no surprise that lash serums, lash lifting procedures, and lash growing DIYs are getting a lot of attention. For a quicker albeit temporary solution though, there's always the option of using mascara!

Several foreign brand mascaras have already made their home in our kits, but how about local ones? Do they perform as well as they promise? Let's find out and shine the spotlight on mascaras from five local brands: Features & Shades, Ever Bilena Advance, Celeteque, Fashion 21, and Happy Skin.