MANILA -- The Philippine makeup industry just got bigger with the launch of yet another homegrown brand that budget-conscious Filipinas will surely love.

BLK Cosmetics is the brainchild of Anne Curtis and her partners, four ladies who are passionate about offering Filipinas a makeup line that is all about "uncomplicated beauty."

"BLK is short for black," said Stephanie Abellada, managing partner of BLK Cosmetics. "And when you think of the color black, you think about elegance [and] sophistication. But more importantly, black is the easy choice. It's uncomplicated."

"Not a lot of people know that Anne does her own makeup every day in 'Showtime.' So when we were planning this portfolio launch, we really wanted it to be uncomplicated [and] what a typical Pinay really needs," she added. "Our beauty philosophy is you don't need a lot of products to be beautiful."

For her part, Curtis, who also serves as the brand's creative director, said: "You know, one of the things my partners and I were talking about, there's always been such a wide gap between cosmetics. Like it's either you get super nice packaging, nice cosmetics, but the price point is a little bit... it's not that attainable. Or you have [something that is] affordable but the packaging and the cosmetics actually suffer."

"So we wanted BLK to be in between where the cosmetics don't actually suffer, the quality is amazing, the packaging is cute, and it's attainable to everyone."

The brand's initial lineup includes everything a Filipina would need to put on a full face of makeup in no time, including 15 lippies in varying shades and formulations.

These products boast of being easy to use, long-wearing and, best of all, affordable, with no item costing more than P500.

In addition, these products boast of being cruelty-free and is one of the few local brands that have an official cruelty-free certification from PETA.

Along with the rest of the BLK Cosmetics team, Curtis is out to prove that you don't have to break the bank or have a multitude of products in your arsenal to put a look together.

After all, going back to basics and letting one's natural beauty shine through is a trend that will never go out of style. -- ANC Cityscape