The delicate tinkling of crystal glass filled the air as I walked into the sophisticated space of the Tory Burch boutique in Powerplant. The room was aflutter with an intoxicating blend of fragrances and the excited chatter of fellow beauty editors and influencers, all gathered for a special brunch event hosted by Nicole Limos Morales of The Beauty Edit. A plush invitation had promised the revelation of something magical, and I was ready to be swept away.

I am no newbie when it comes to eyelash extensions. I’ve already tried a number of different lash salons in the Metro, even the expensive ones, but everything seemed to just have left an okay mark on me - until I got to try Tokyo Glam’s Glam Lash.

It's always a happy occasion when your skin meets a skincare brand that suits it well. Being hiyang with a brand is no small thing! Kiehl's is one such brand for my skin and I feel extra rewarded in using their products for the following reasons.

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!

“Oh, we have one gentleman here,” said Dr. Rica Cruz while looking at me, in the middle of her talk about women sexual empowerment. Taken by surprise, I responded, “Yes! Power to all the women!”

Project Vanity celebrated its 14th Anniversary last August 27 at the Rockwell Club in Makati, and it was an afternoon filled with beauty, stories and most importantly, conversations. Now, in true beauty roundup fashion, I’d like to go through them one by one.

When I wrote “It's okay to be ugly. What's not okay is to give up on yourself.” last December, I didn’t expect it would resonate with people as much as it did. That’s why when we were thinking of the theme for this year’s 12th Anniversary, we wanted to explore this idea more. In a world where it is impossible to be perfect, what are the ways in which we can empower ourselves?

11 years strong - what a crazy feat! Whenever I think about how far Project Vanity has come, my heart swells with pride and joy. I’ve been a PV reader since 2012 and a writer since 2016. I’ve seen firsthand how much the content has evolved and how big the community has grown. I feel very grateful that I found this space that Liz built on the internet many moons ago. Project Vanity to me has always been a fun, safe space to celebrate beauty with smart and passionate women.

You guys might know that I started Project Vanity while I was still in college. It was a simple review blog featuring the best makeup that my public school allowance can buy - i.e. not much! I was a different person back then, being utterly self-conscious and secretly ashamed that I looked like the way I did. Now, I am myself. I run a pretty good business with an amazing team, living a dream that didn’t even cross my mind whenever I thought about my future, 11 years ago.

My earliest memory of Project Vanity was writing one or two paragraphs on how why I started a beauty blog. This was in 2008. I put it up on a platform that no longer exists (unfortunately) and I remember feeling a bit ashamed about it back then. I know, why would I? It's just that I've always felt I was too, well, smart to like makeup. Why should I care about what I look like when there are other important things in life?

Then I spent the next ten years figuring that out. I learned that makeup (and beauty products in general) isn't just about outward beauty, but also a shield, sometimes, or a sword. It can also be used as a way to express ourselves. It can also be a serious hobby or even a professional pursuit, if we're passionate enough about it. Makeup empowers us to speak out, without words, even if it only involves red lipstick. It inspires us to literally be more by arming ourselves with confidence on days when it's absent.

Beauty for me is more than just about vanity or discovering new products. It's also about community, because there's nothing more beautiful than women coming together to share their prettifying secrets! That's why when Belle de Jour CEO Darlyn Ty floated the idea of co-presenting an event last year, I knew we had to do it. 

If I can summarize my 2017 in one word, it would be courage. This is the year that the Project Vanity Team and I went out of my comfort zone (such as it were) to go for new things we had never considered before. Project Vanity is more than a blog, as I like to say - it's a community this year more than ever, with the birth of the Project Vanity Community Page on FB and regular live videos that also tie with in-store exclusives and events! 

Eye makeup is probably my favorite part in my routine. The endless color combinations and creating that perfect brow never fails to excite me, so I've spent most of my adult life trying out every look I can think of. I've written dozens of posts and tutorials on it; I've held so many workshops to teach what I've learned through the years! I'm excited to announce that I have a new class, this time with pro brand INGLOT. This is happening in SM Megamall on October 22, 1-3PM! (SIGN UP PAGE HERE)