New Year Nails - Green With Envy

I usually spend the holidays with my family.  However, this new year's eve, I decided to stay in the Metro as I do not want to be stuck in traffic because I still have to go to work that evening.  My friend and I actually spent the weekend at my aunt's place.

This is why I am green with envy of you folks who get to spend New Year's eve with your families.   As my own special way of celebrating New Year's eve, I decided to glam my nails.

I chose green because this is what 2013's color is going to be.  The only new stuff that I picked up for my self is this Charm Bracelet.  I do hope that it brings me all the charm and luck this year.  Oh 2013, please be good to me.

Green Nails 

Materials Used from top left: Sally Hansen Mega Shine top ,  OMG Emerald Base, Bobbie Glittery Coat, Sally Hansen Insta Dry Silver Sweep as Stamping Polish, Konad Stamper, Konad Scraper, M64 Design Plate, Stud Wheel From Watson's

Can't help staring at my nails.  Let me brag  some more by saying the pictures don't do them justice LOL

I also did my friend's digits

This sparkly polish looks like Dorothy's slippers from The Wizard of Oz but in green!

First time to actually do a full nail set using this design

I'm loving this Snake (looks like poo from this angle) Charm Bracelet

Snoe Hair Heroes Extreme - Yay or Nay?

One of the reasons I started this blog is to profess my love affair with Snoe products.  I super love the Hair Heroes Intense.   However, my hair somehow got desensitized from it so it was time for me to introduce a new product to my hair.  Enter a new Hero - Snoe Hair Heroes Extreme.

Snoe Hair Heroes Extreme

Consistency is same with Hair Heroes Intens

Snoe says this is a hair 911 treatment.  Is your hair calling for help? Repair, toughen, restore and save even the most distressed hair with Hair Heroes Extreme infused Emu Oil + Acai Berry.  This powerful cleansing conditioner nourishes your tresses, making dry or damaged hair look, feel, and behave like never before!  It also increases hair's resistance to breakage while healing, protecting and preventing further damage.  It also increases hair's resistance to breakage while healing, protecting and preventing further damage.  The result is astonishing straigh, satin smooth and healty hair!

Cleansing Conditioner

After Shampoo Conditioning Rinse

Deep Treatment Mask

Leave On Treatment

Straightening Balm

Zero Sulfates

Ingredients:

• Wheat Oil: Anti-inflammatory, rejuvenates skin cells and produces up to 80% in healthy hair growth.  Increases the synthesis of DNA in the epidermis - stimulating skin regeneration, hair follicle development, and the proliferation of the cells around the hair follicle.
• Acai berry: Contains  the most powerful anti - oxidants that nourish your hair with essential nutrients that are vital to the health of your hair.
• Sun Flower Oil:  Split-end protection, restores damaged hair, providing remarkable shine to dull hair.  It will penetrate hair shaft to help produce protein and aid in regaining your hair's natural oil and moisture.
• Panthenol Pro-Vit B5:  Nourishes the hair and helps prevent damage from overheating and drying.
• Wheat Protein:  Anti hair breakage efficacy by more than 80%, anti-inflammatory, moisturizes.
• Moringa Extract:  Protects hair against environmental stress/pollution
• Strengthening effect on hair fiber: hair strength: +38%
• Conditioning/repairing effect: Improvement of hair surface: +64%
• UV Protection: protection of hair keratin quality after UV radiation: +64%
• Indian Sienna:  Improves hair surface, rendering hair softer and brighter.  Aids in making your current color maintain its vibrant sheen.

What I love about this conditioner is that it smells so good.  It has a faint bubblegum smell.  I used it as a shaving lotion and it worked so well. No nicks at all!  I was even amazed at how my legs did not itch days after my initial shave.  Now, that's really something new.

How did it fare on my hair?  I did not like it.  I've gone halfway through the bottle to give it a fair review.   My hair felt stiff while wet.  I was expecting it to be a lot softer once dry.  However I was mistaken.  I could not even air dry my hair without getting frizzy ends.  Hair Heroes Intense makes my mane soft and almost frizz free.  However, I would still get falling hairs.  However, with the Hair Heroes Extreme, hair is stiffer because I guess that's the wheat protein in it strengthening each strand.  The bright side to this however is that I would get less hair fall.

I  could not really attest to its straightening balm powers.  I rarely use heat on my hair.  The one time that I had to flat iron it, I used this as a balm.  It was OK, nothing groundbreaking though.  I, however love the smell!

If I could make a recommendation to Snoe, I wish that they just do away with the pump.  I find it inconvenient to use.  I  actually just replace the pump with a regular flip top cap.

As with the rest of the Hair Heroes , this one comes in a pump bottle.  You can actually lock the pump.   

Would I repurchase this? Hmm, let's just say that I will try Hair Heroes Amplify before going back to this

one.  I think that I still need this to alternate with my regular Hair Heoes Intense. 

Holy Grail Verdict:

Effectiveness:  2/5  Less hairfall but texture was rough.

Price:  3/5 499 Php for a bottle

Availability: 4/5 Snoe kiosks are sprouting almost everywhere.  Check their Facebook page 

http://www.facebook.com/SnoeBeauty?fref=ts

Stay lovely and have a very happy new year!

Salon Beauvoir - You Brought Out the Believer in me

I have received the best Christmas present as of yet.  I was picked as one of the winners for Salon Beauvoir's Holiday Blow Out Promo.  My prize was a hair cut and hair spa package for two.

I was munching on some food from our Christmas party buffet when I decided to check my Facebook wall for updates.  Lo and Behold when i saw this post:

 

 

 

Salon Beauvoir Holiday Beauty Blowout

I was very ecstatic when I won.  However, truth be told I was queasy about redeeming my win.  You see, because of the state of my hair, I have developed an aversion tovisiting salons.  As a matter of fact, the only person that I trust to cut my hair was Mang Oscar from across the street.   I really avoid going to salons for hair treatments because of the snotty assistants and stylists.  They would jokingly mock my hair and make a big spectacle out of my frizzies.  This is why I actually had second thoughts if I wanted to redeem my prize or not.  I even wished that I could  have gotten the mythic oil instead of the hair spa treatment.

The salon boasted of plush seats and exquisite interiors.  I was all smiles here but deep inside I was apprehensive.

Boy, oh boy was I wrong.  When we first stepped into the salon, I was of course apprehensive.  The interiors were so nice and had an air of old French boudoir.  One of the stylists (Sam, I believe), even apologized for not being able to greet us at the front door.  

I brought my friend with me to share the salon experience with.  We were made to wait about 5 minutes in the lounge area where a bowl of mints was waiting.  My stylist, Chris then lead me to the shampoo area.  I was bracing myself for the criticisms that I would receive once the stylist wet and lathered shampoo on my hair.  However, none came.  He was even considerate enough and asked me if I was sitting comfortably.  After rinsing,  he then tightly wrapped a towel around my head to dry it.

How do I look?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

My tag along for the promo.

We were then served with complementary glass f raspberry iced tea each.  There were other options but we chose this.  The L'Oreal hair treatment was then generously applied on my hair.  A heat cap covered it for about 20 to 30 mins.  I was thoroughly enjoying the experience to the point that I could not remember anymore if my hair was rinsed after or not.  Miss Monette cut my hair afterwards.

Then, my most dreaded part was next.  I asked Chris if it would be possible to just skip the blow drying process.  I requested if we could just air dry it.  I warned him that as soon as a blower touches my hair, the strands would tend to frizz.  He assured me that he could dry it without making it frizzy. I figured, what the heck, I'm already there so I gave it a shot.

I was used to seeing a lion's mane on my head when my hair is being blowdried.  I kept my head low to try to be inconspicuous as I did not want to look at the mirror.  However, Chris was a miracle worker!  He maneuvered his boar hair brush and paddle comb expertly through my tresses.  He was able to dry my hair thoroughly.  HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO STRAIGHTEN MY ROOTS WITHOUT FLAT IRONING it!  I've been having my hair rebonded for years and never did it come close to this smooth during the blow drying process. 

Miss Monette cut my hair.  Chris miraculously dried it.

I was not expecting my hair to be super flat and smooth at all.  Heck, I was only expecting it to smell fragrant.   I had low expectations as I know how damaged and brittle my hair is.  However, Chris and Monette have proven me wrong.  Not only were they good with their techniques, but their customer service skills are impeccable.  Chris would ask me and remind me to speak up if I was getting uncomfortable with the temperature of the blow drier.  I told him that he could abuse it as much as he wanted to as I was used to it.  No pain no gain!  He was very professional.  He asked me where I used to have my hair done without being condescending  or being too forward in selling me their services.

Miss Monette on the other hand was such an angel! She told me she could revive my hair.  I like how she was able to phrase her recommendations constructively when she said she was challenged by my hair.  Miss Monette even showed us pictures of her celebrity clients.   It was very timely because as it turns out, they have a promo on hair rebonding 70 percent off the price.  She said that my hair would cost around 4000 Php.  That is already a steal! I would definitely go back to the salon on January to have my hair rebonded.

After blow drying my hair straight, Chris then asked me to put Kerastase Elixir on my hair to give it a bit of sheen.  Actually, I've been lemming to try these elixirs as I read they're really good.  It is a good thing that Salon Beauvoir carries them.  They even had testers of all the 4 variants on the counter.  I was really impressed by this.  Imagine, each bottle costs around 2000 Php and here I had the liberty of trying any of them on.

Kerastase Elixirs available at the salon.  Clients may try them first before testing.

I thought that this day could not get any better.  Imagine my glee when Miss Monette told me that one of my favorite beauty bloggers, Iya from Missplpify.Blogspot.Com was due to arrive any moment for an appointment.  My friend and I waited for her.  We also met her very good friend and photographer, Henri Villegas.  Here I am with the very pretty Iya! Major fan moment

Moi, Miss Monette, Henri

 

 

Holy Grail Verdict:

Effectiveness: 7/5   I was not expecting my hair to cooperate after being blow dried.  Technique and service skills are impeccable.  I'm definitely switching salons!

 
Price: 3/5  This is a high end salon so expect to pay a bit extra.  Hair spa and cut we got was worth 1000 Php each.

Availability:  3/5 This is very accessible in Makati.  This is just close to the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

 Salon Beauvoir

7912 Upper G/F, Somerset  Olympia , Makati Ave.

904 5154

Candy Cane Chapstick - Successful Attempt at Christmas

So everyone's outside busy dancing and participating in the games prepared by the family for tonight's Christmas party.  I used to be a constant participant in these games no matter what age I was in.  I was never shy (as long as the price is right LOL!).

However, for tonight, I'm taking advantage of the fast internet connection here in the city.   The spirit of Christmas is slowly creeping to me as I look at the kids dancing to the tune of "Gangnam Style".  Christmas really is a time for fun and bonding for the whole family.  Even though I was not really geared for Christmas, I am glad that I was given a simple token to feel the spirit of the season by.

I'm talking about Chapstick in Candy Cane.

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.Com

 

Just like a regular Chapstick, the balm has a clear finish

This balm is actually part of the Holiday Chapstick Collection.  What I love about this is that it indeed tastes and smells like candy canes.  It's been years since I've last had a candy cane.  Can you already tell how big of deal Christmas is for us? LOL!  Applying this balm makes me nostalgic and really brings Christmas to me.   Another plus factor is that it instantly freshens the breath.  Of course you're not supposed to bite this off but the scent of the balm emanates from your lips once applied.  

I have spearmint and candy cane varaints of Chapstick.  They both work great.  Candy Cane has a much sweeter effect that spearmint.  However the sweetness still does not take away the freshening quality of this balm.   The minty feel stays on the lips for approximately 20 minutes.

The finish of this balm is also very smooth.  My lips do not feel waxy either even hours after this has been applied.  I've been slathering this on 30 minutes after initial application of my Revlon Just Bitten lip stain.

Overall, I'm really loving this balm.  It has definitely brought Christmas to me! I would actually love to collect all the lip balms from this Holiday Collection.  Santa, I can't say I've been good this year but if you could please give me Chocolate Truffle, Apple Cider and Peppermint Chapsticks, I'd really appreciate it. :-)

Holy Grail Verdict:

Effectiveness:  5/5

Availability: 4/5 I'm not quite sure how much longer this will be available as I believe this is part of Chapstick's limited edition line.

Price: 5/5 105 Php - how could you go wrong?

   

Black Christmas

So I've been melancholic this past week because I do not have moolah to splurge on Christmas items.  However, attending Christmas parties with the family made me realize that Christmas really is not SOLELY about receiving or giving gifts.  It is enjoying your time with your loved ones and really celebrating the birthday of Jesus (if you're a Catholic).  Of course, it would super fab if I get to receive freebies and give them as well.  However, being the budding blogger that I am, I have to make do with coercing people to follow me before sponsors can take notice of my blog.  Hahahah.

So today we are spending Christmas party at my brother in law's place.   It is really good to spend the holidays here as they really go all out in terms of the music and the food.  Heck,who knew that Vilma Santos once sang "I saw mommy kissing Santa Klaws" (really that's how it sounded like).

Anywho, off to the post of the day.  I don't have any product to review just yet, so let's focus on my outfit for today.

I was actually quite iffy when I chose this black number as I did not want to look like Wednesday Adams on Christmas.  However, I'd like to believe that it turned out quite good.  I just paired it with the statement necklace that my sister gave me.

Standing in front of our gate, excuse the squinty eyes as this was taken at 1pm earlier

Loving this statement necklace and my hair!

I'm lovin my CMG box type snakeskin  bag.  I really wanted to have something green - hence the sanitizer holder.

How about you guys, how was your Christmas!  Also, allow me to live vicariously through you and show me the gifts you received

Christmas Outfit

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope everyone is having a grand time with their loved ones.  My family and I attended evening Mass and had dinner at home.  We also exchanged gifts as part of Christmas tradition.  I actually knew what I was getting even before it was given to me as I helped pick it out.

This is just going to be a short post on what I wore to Church.

Missy and Me Wishing You a Merry Christmas

The necklace was given by my sister.  Red bubble dress from Market Market.  Melissa Disney Glam Shoes

I really wanted to have a green headband.  However I could not find anything festive enough.  I resorted to blinging my nails instead.

Holiday Nails

Konadicure - Christmas Nails

OK now I know it is almost Christmas.  Just look at the throng of people here at the bus terminal.  I've been queuing for a ticket for almost an hour already and I have not come anywhere near the teller window just yet.  So to entertain myself, let me admire yet again my holiday nails.

Hohoho Merry Christmas!!!

Deck the halls with these digits!

These nails are actually a last minute decision.  I did not really plan on blinging my nails.  However, when I got around to testing my Orly Glitz polish, I got carried away.

Hope everyone is having a grand time!

Headbands - Feel the Spirit of the Season without Breaking the Bank

 OK, so Christmas is only a few days away.  That is  if the world survives "doomsday" tomorrow.  I really have not yet felt the giddiness the season usually brings me.  I  remember that before, I used to count down the days until Dec 24.  But now, it's just blah.  I guess I have been really impacted by the Youtube holiday haul videos that I have been watching lately.  Honestly speaking, I drool at the sight of the loot these people get for Christmas. As for moi, I'm not really expecting to receive anything this season.  Ahuhuhu

So to cheer myself up and feel the joy of the season, I decided to do a post on how to feel the holiday cheers without breaking the bank.

So for today until the 25th, I'll try to do posts on feeling the special joy of the season without having to spend an arm and a leg.

First off - Christmassify my look  (ugh that's not even a word) .  I'm not talking about full on red and green outfit. I'm talking about something sparkly that would make me feel special even if I have not bought any new clothes or shoes this season.

Adding sparkle and Christmas spirit to my look through my headbands.   I love headbands.  But I would wear the same headband on a daily basis until the elastic becomes loose.  While strolling at the mall yesterday, I chanced by these adorable yet inexpensive headbands!

Inexpensive Headbands I got from Market Market.  I got 3 headbands even if I only have 1 head LOL

The detail on this is very good.  Priced at 150 Php or around 3 USD

I love the sparkly details

This may look so simple in the picture.  But this actually has  a sparkly effect.  I love how it glitters against my hair.  Priced at 50 Php or 1 USD

Pièce De Résistance -  A red sparkly number. Priced at 50 Php or 3 USD.  I think I'll wear this on Christmas eve  during the evening Mass.  I love how eye sparkly this gets under the Christmas lights.  This also reminds me of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of OZ.

How about you? What are your plans for the holiday?

Orly Glitz - Feel Festive without Breaking the Bank

Christmas is only a week away yet I don't really feel like it's almost here.  I guess because we don't really have decorations at home and I have not bought gifts yet.  Call that mundane but yeah, these things add to the spirit of the season.  What I'm actually looking forward to is my paycheck which comes days after Christmas.


Anyway, to boost my festive mood, I have decided to stamp my nails again.  This time, I used Orly Glitz as stamping polish.  I bought this months ago but this is just my first time to use it. I actually felt buyer's remorse right after I stepped away from the cashier as I was not in love with it.  I kept it away for a long time and while I was rummaging through my things last time, I remembered I have this lying around. 

Glitz appears to be somehow translucent and opaque at the same time.  I guess this is because of the silver specks in it.  I wish the effect would really be translucent and foil like a la Romantique.

This polish only works well if partnered with a really dark base.  I thought this would be as good as China Glaze Romantique polishes.  I was obviously wrong.

On the plus side, I like how Orly noted that people have a hard time unscrewing the polish cap as it may get slippery.  This polish actually has a rubber covered cap to prevent your hands from slipping when you're trying to unscrew it.

I would still use this but only on a dark base.  

Orly Glitz as Stamping Polish

Do my nails look Christmassy enough?

Design still gets transferred to the nails. However I feel that China Glaze Romantique works much much better.

Other materials used:

Random Metallic Plum Polish

Konad M63 Plate (Image from Swatchandlearn.com)

 

Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

 

In fairness, this works with stamping. However, the designs are not as crisp as compared to China Glaze Romantique.  Looking closely at the bottle, there are actually miniscule specks of silver under the gold tone.  Of course, once the excess polish is scraped off the image plate, what's left would be a combination of gold base and silver specks.  The result would be images that are not so crisp and defined.

I am actually loving this post as this goes to show that I don't really have to have excessive Christmas hauls to feel festive.  I'm even planning on posting ways how we can celebrate Christmas and be in the festive mood without breaking the bank.

Whatd'ya think?


Holy Grail Verdict:

Effectiveness:   3/5

Price:  3/5 Around 350 Php at all leading department stores in the Philippines

Availability: 4/5

Bonnet Hair Dryer Attachment - Easy Way to Distribute Heat Evenly

I love curling my hair.   As I've posted in my previous entry, I use heat less curls.  My hair needs a minimum of 4 hours to set in these.  As I've mentioned before, I veer away from heat styling because of the havoc it has wreaked on my hair.  However, there are those times that I really am in a jiffy and do not have enough time to set my hair in curlers.  

This is where this weird looking contraption comes in handy.  It's called a bonnet hair dryer attachment.  Ok let's get through this very quickly.  Let me warn you dear readers, that I have not been possessed by aliens.  I look weird because I am wearing a hood dryer attachment on my head.  

Hood Dryer Attachment.  Messy Background but you get the drift.    

The bonnet attachment is made of shiny and waterproof material.  The waterproof fabric, same as what umbrellas are made of, prevents the heat from seeping through the nozzle and bonnet. Aesthetically speaking, Its fabric is almost the same as what astronauts' suits are made of! LOL!  It has a nozzle where the warm air will travel through from the blow dryer to the bonnet.   The bonnet wraps your head with warm/hot air to dry your hair and to set it faster.  

Using this bonnet attachment allows me to distribute heat evenly through my hair.  This also lessens the heat damage caused by the hot air as the warm air does not get concentrated on one area only.  I think this is much better than directly drying your hair with just a blow dryer. Another good thing that ladies may love about this is that you can actually dry your hair using a blower - hands free! 

I got this hood dyer attachment from Market Market for around 250 Php.  

How I use it is I put all my curlers inside the hood.  I make sure that the sides of the contraption just sit above my ears so the bonnet does not slide down.  I don't want to put my ears inside the bonnet either as it could get pretty warm.

I then insert my hair dryer through the elastic opening at the end.  Once the blower is turned on, the air will travel through the nozzle to the bonnet.

The nozzle comes with an elastic end.  This is where you will put your hair dryer through.

You can adjust the tightness of the hood to the size of your head.  Make sure that the sides of the hood rest above your ears lest you want burnt ears!

To ensure that my hair inside the curlers are 100% dry, it is best to dry your hair inside this hooded attachment for at least 20 mins.  

Thumbs Up Factors:

*  Product is very easy to use.  

*  Inexpensive

*  You can work with your make up and do other stuff as your hair can dry hands free!

*  Heat damage can be minimized as the air is evenly distributed through the hair 

*  Drying time can be minimized as air is evenly distributed

Thumbs Down  Factors:

*  For my type of hair (coarse and damaged) I really don't like the texture blow drying leaves on my hair.  It's not just because of this contraption but this goes to blow drying in general.  I only use this attachment during emergency cases.

*  This contraption looks weird and funny. 

Holy Grail Verdict: 

Effectiveness: 5/5 It does what it claims 

Price: 5/5 249 Php, for those budding cosmetologists and hard core beauty junkies, this is a good investment

Availability: 2/5  I've only seen Market Market sell these attachments. I have not seen any other malls carry this product.  Interested ladies may get theirs from any local beauty supply stores.

Simple Joys

In the quest of finding our Holy Grails, we sometimes tend to overlook the little things in life that bring us smiles.  That's why from time to time, I'll post pictures of the things that I am grateful for.  These are simple reminders for me to stop and smell the roses.  These may also be things I'm lemming for or get inspired by.

Enjoy!!!

Kitty Flats from Cosettes Closet

Crochet hat from SM Women's Accessories

Weekend Cosplayers

Cinderella's Coach at the Podium

Giga Tea Tree Cream Massage Rub - Yay or Nay?

Hello friends. The weekend is almost there so just hang on.  My BF and I went to Megamall to pick up Snoe  Hair Heroes Extreme.  Along the way was the GIGA store so I decided to pick up an item that I've been lemming from there.

Presenting - Giga Tea  Tree Cream

GIGA Tea Tree Cream Massage Rub

GIGA  stands for God is Good. Always.  Indeed He is.  I am not sure about this balm though. Although  I have yet to test this on the road, I already have mixed feelings about this.   The original variant of this is called No Pain Massage Rub.   What I love it is that it has that super minty cool feeling that really alleviates my headache, occasional muscle cramp and dysmenorhea.  It also is my smelling balm when I board a bus because I get nauseous when traveling.  I also got by the very hot summer months this year because I would apply this on my chest and back and when the air from the fan would hit my skin, there would be that cool feeling.  It used to be my Holy Grail Travel Companion until I got sick and tired of its smell.

This is why I decided to give the Tea Tree Massage rub a try.  I figured I love the original variant, so why not try another type right?  Wrong.  I am quite disappointed that it does not have that well known minty feel. I made the mistake of only smelling it and not applying it on the skin.  Had I done that, I would have known that this is not minty cool at all.  

For now, the only redeeming factor that this cream has is its smell.  It strangely smells of patchouli although the label does not indicate that it does.  What it actually has are VCO, Beeswax, Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, Lemongrass Oil, Aloe Vera Extract.    

Ingredients 

Consistency is balmy and texture is smooth.  This does not feel sticky at all.

Even though I am not super excited about this, I am still willing to continue using this.  It's only 95 Php so it's really not that much big of a deal.  I'll tell you how it fares when I take it on the real road test.  I'll be going to the province this weekend so I'll be able to see how this works.

Holy Grail Verdict:

Effectiveness: 3/5 

Price: 5/5 95 Php

Availability: 4/5 Available at all GIGA or SESOU kiosks