I’m not new to the world of luxury foundations but I’ve never heard of a self-refreshing foundation before. So when Shiseido launched the Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Foundation with SPF 35 PA++++, my interest was piqued! This foundation features ActiveForce Technology which is supposed to enable the foundation to “resist humidity, respond to heat, rebound from facial movement, absorb oil, and diffuse light for a just-applied look”. It sounds like a great match for my oily skin and the tropical climate, so I decided to test it out!

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s a gold rush in the drugstore foundation category. All the drugstore brands are trying to become The Chosen One for bases; everybody is trying to outdo each other when it comes to quality, shade range (hurrah for inclusivity), packaging, and value. Revlon’s new Candid line holds no punches in this regard. They’ve recently come out with 31 shades from light to very deep - their most comprehensive selection yet - of which 12 are available here in the Philippines. It comes in cute millennial pink packaging to boot!

Let’s take a look at the Candid line and see what I think about this intriguing collection.

Setting powders and finishing powders - is there actually a difference between the two, or are they just fancy marketing words to make you buy more product? The answer is actually a resounding “yes”! There is a difference between the two but some brands may use the terms interchangeably, so it’s understandably a bit difficult to figure out which is which. Setting powders and finishing powders can be both in loose or in pressed form, can be white-colored or tinted, and typically offer little to no coverage at all. The difference is in how they are used.

We’re no strangers to the caliber of Ellana Cosmetics, which is why we’re always in the middle of surprised and not surprised when they launch new material. This time, they’re expanding to more complexion products, hitting the sweet spot of quality and accessibility (as usual). We got to test a bunch of new products: from setting powders, to setting sprays, to makeup removers. Plus! New Lip in Luxe shades in new packaging. How do these people do it???

Let’s see how they fare.

Not to be outdone by other countries, we Pinays have our fair share of beauty secrets and hacks we swear by. One of our fave budget beauty tips is using baby powder or talcum powder. For many of us, it was a kind of initiation into becoming dalaga, being the only kind of "makeup" that strict high schools allowed for wear. Affordable, multipurpose, and effective, it's something that still finds its way into our kits!

In the words of the wise men of Bowling for Soup, high school never ends. I started to believe it when my cringe-worthy high school days haunted me back in the form of the Pond's Magic Powder BB. This bottle of powder had been making rounds online as a super cheap yet effective oil-control powder so I made sure to pick up a bottle during my Bangkok trip last year. You can find this at any neighborhood 7-Eleven in Thailand but in the PH, availability is limited to online sellers.

With so many makeup tips and tricks popping up nowadays, it can feel a little overwhelming sometimes. Some may even make you even cringe with how crazy and over-the-top they are - remember the one about using a knife as a guide to contour? No thanks! I'd rather stick to safe options, particularly when they look like they can actually work. So I decided to actually find out! I picked out three top hacks that promise to help my foundation look more fleek, using products that most beauty junkies would already have in their stash.Is it a real HACK or just WHACK?

As a dry-skinned gal, I didn't think I needed to set my look with powder until I began to notice the foundation on my nose would disappear after just a few hours of wear. It would happen even though I was using a long-wear formula and my face hadn't oiled up much! I've learned to apply a bit of setting powder after since then, and it has honestly made a difference in how much longer my makeup lasts!

If you're a newbie at this like I am, it's good to know that there are great budget options available. But what if you want to invest in something that's HG quality? Well, that's where the rest of the PV team chimed in!

Graduating from baby powder was a rite of passage for most of us. It signaled the end of our pubescent years and marked the beginning of our kikay era. But do you ever wonder what sets actual powder makeup apart from the one we've been using since childhood? Can baby powders do just as good a job in setting makeup? I tested three different baby powders to find out!

A lot of us might fondly recall using baby powder as the first "makeup" product we’ve ever used. Before I discovered the world of oil-control primers and long-wearing powders, I would shake out a small amount onto my palm (dispensing just the right amount was a special skill!) and smooth the powder all over my face to deal with my super oily skin. It made my face look chalk white but at least I wasn't as shiny!