I know that In Her Element, my company’s proudly Filipino-made skincare brand, has been quiet for a while. Honestly, it’s been a struggle for us post-pandemic as we deal with mounting costs of raw materials and manufacturing. We’re a very small brand and I felt lost about what to do with it for a while. So I decided to go back to just making things for the pure joy of it. That’s who I am, and that is who I’ve always been. Today, I’m excited to finally share with you one of those things!

The In Her Element Fresh Start Scrub Wash (P385/ 40 grams in Shopee / Lazada) is a low pH powder facial wash that’s formulated to gently exfoliate skin. If you’re dealing with oily skin, rough texture and clogged pores, this one is for you!

I love going to bazaars all over the world and exploring what each stall has inside. I can spend HOURS just turning over every trinket, and particularly enjoy hauling home my favorites so I can wear them ASAP. It’s the kind of place where you can find something truly unique, especially from small business that don’t have as much capital to be in retail full-time, but still have a lot to offer!

Have you ever found your perfect foundation shade match only to find it changing color halfway through the day? After you’ve bought it full-sized? This has happened to me a couple of times already and here in the Philippines, beauty brands don’t really allow us to exchange them for a better shade. I’ve learned my lesson since so I’m extra careful with choosing my base products. Aside from swatching, sampling, and extensive research on reviews, it is also best to watch out for that dreaded color change brought about by oxidation.

I am of the opinion that facial oils are severely underrated. They can feel so… extra - and, therefore, not for everybody. Since they’re primarily occlusive in nature, oils work best when they’re not just used as a one-and-done skincare step. Rather, they best function as a final moisture “sealant” to go over your serum and moisturizer. That’s why some might feel that they’re excessive.

During my teen years in the early aughts, most of the scented beauty products like skincare and body care were typically floral-scented. You could say that it was the bouquet heyday. Fruity fragrances were often marketed towards kids and pre-teens, while gourmand scents had a not so low-key boudoir association. (Remember Jessica Simpson’s Dessert Beauty? Because I sure do!)

Like I always say, it makes me happy that we have so many local beauty options and this week is just further proof of that. For this beauty roundup, we’re talking local releases that cover makeup, hair, and skin, and new sunscreens from Anessa!

Retinol, aside from sunscreens, is one of the best age management ingredients out there. I first got onto the bandwagon with this beautiful sleeping oil from a luxury brand. It’s fantastic - my skin did get smoother and plumper because of the retinol - but man was it expensive! I also found out that my skincare brand’s small but loyal group clamored for a retinol product that really works for their skin, without being too expensive.

This whole pandemic year (and counting) has stressed us out not only from the inside, but outside as well. Our skin breaks out more easily into acne, rashes, and other irritations that it could withstand previously. If you’re looking for an effective ampoule to soothe your skin ASAP, then I’d like you to meet the latest product from my skincare brand: the In Her Element Super Soother 100% Centella Asiatica Extract (P575 / 30ml at inherelement.ph).

The year 2020 has brought us many problems, and one of them is maskne. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that it’s been such a drag! No matter how perfect my skincare routine is, just wearing masks so often for long periods of time causes pimples to form up where the masks rubs on it. Of course, there’s the extra humidity because of our breath and sweat, so my skin gets irritated easily. Dermatologist Nikki Paderna wrote about maskne in her PV column and her tips have helped me deal with it!

I’ve tried hundreds and hundreds of lip products in my career as a beauty blogger and editor these last 12 years. You only need to look at all the lip swatch photos and reviews I and the PV Team have published in the past to see that trends in color and formulations come and go; what’s hot right now might roll on for a few years, and then not be seen again until its turn on the line has come.

What I’ve noticed though is that there is one thing that never goes out of style - comfort.

It’s been three years since I founded In Her Element Skincare. In those three years, everybody kept asking me: “Why not makeup? I thought you’d do makeup!” This is understandable because I am a makeup geek and it has always been my first love in this industry, and what got me in to begin with. Skincare though has always been a bit of a challenge for me, because Fact #1 I am lazy when it comes to applying skincare and Fact #2, I’ve always loved expensive brands that’s painful on the wallet to repurchase. So, I thought I’d take it in my own hands to create something that would fit my budget and my needs!

One of the best parts of my job is being able to create new beauty products from nothing more than a bunch of ideas. Writing about them is one thing but making something new is a whole different ball game! It’s easy to say that a product must be this and this to be perfect. However, there are so many other things to consider like cost of goods, the minimum order, how talented the chemist and how capable the manufacturer is, availability of ingredients, and packaging. Gosh, packaging. You have to think about aesthetics versus functionality and even how the product reacts to the container over time.

As someone with dry skin, I always thought that moisturizing would be the key step in my skincare routine. For many years, I would slather thick and heavy creams all over my face in the hope that they would get rid of my dry patches and ashy gray complexion. And then I learned about the existence of acids. I researched about chemical exfoliation feverishly because “acid” sounded so intimidatingly potent and I was afraid of burning my skin like Liz did when she did a chemical peel. The treatment worked for her but I didn’t want to deal with the downtime!

Skincare isn’t just about vanity. It’s about spending a few minutes of your day taking care of yourself and your needs, stepping back from the things you do for others and focusing on those that only you can do for yourself. It’s peace and space that you get to carve out; getting good skin in the process is a great result, too!

The very first product of In Her Element when it launched almost two years ago is the Nourish & Cleanse Balm. It was a multi-purpose balm that you can apply all over your body but we had to discontinue it since we wanted to focus on new products down the road. Some months back though, a friend of mine shared that her friend LOVED our balm in the harsh Australian winter since it was the only thing that kept her lips alive. That’s when I had the idea of making a more portable version of the balm - something people can travel with or just casually throw in their bags everyday!

It was in my many travels to Japan that I first heard about “petal skin”. I’ve observed that the Japanese prefer matte yet bouncy skin that’s supple to the touch, as they don’t like a lot of shine or shimmer on their complexion. I’ve since tried to duplicate the petal skin effect in the way I apply my makeup, but then I thought: what if I could achieve it with my skincare routine?

Blemishes have always been my #1 arch nemesis. Even well into my adulthood, I'm still prone to pimples that leave nasty marks on my face for weeks. This year though was the year that I got into acid exfoliators in skincare. I must admit that I used to prefer physical exfoliators, but because of acid-lovers in the Project Vanity Team, I was finally convinced! Acids turn over skin faster compared to physical exfoliators. Blemishes that takes six weeks to disappear can now go away in three to four weeks - how's that for miraculous?

The acids that I've been using though are pretty expensive, so as usual, I had to find a way to make my favorite high-end products more affordable. That's why we created the latest product from In Her Element: the Glow Job 5% Glycolic Gel Cream (P775 for 30ml).

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.

Eye cream is like sunscreen. You don't know you need it, until you notice your skin showing the abuse! Your skin responds to the stress you place upon it, your habits, the environment you move in, and the food you eat. You can't expect it to be the same forever - you can only manage the natural aging process. It's beautiful and I believe that everybody should own it, but that doesn't mean you should not care enough to manage your skin as it ages.

Now one of the most requested products from us is eye cream. We did surveys and focused group discussions, and we learned Project Vanity community (you!) wanted something that can multi-task at a good price point.