Baby's day out

It has been three consecutive weekends now that Gracie and I have been spending some bonding time. I never usually bring her when I go out but now that she's 16 years old, and I can already control her (or I can already control my temper?). She was diagnosed with Prader Willi Syndrome, aside from being diabetic, but I am not going to talk about that here. Lol!

So, for our third weekend, we went to Carlo Reyes Hair Salon at their Matina Branch. Gracie has been bugging me the whole week because she wanted to have a Foot Spa. It was her special request.

When we arrived at Carlo Reyes, I saw that they had an ongoing package for P349 which includes Hair Spa, Foot Spa, and Pedicure. I decided to get the package for Gracie because she also has problems with dandruff and Hair Spa is really good not just for your hair but for your scalp as well, and so, good for controlling your dandruff.

Massaging Gracie's Scalp using the Mondesa Scalp Massager.

And what would ate do while waiting for her sissy? Well, I had my own pampering as well: Hair Keratin. I previously had hair cellophane and highlights at another salon last December and then dyed my hair (on my own) two weeks after the treatment. My hair, since then, had been super hard to comb. It's not really a problem for me because I don't usually comb my hair. Hahaha! And I've cut my hair short since April. See my post here. 

RJ, the salon attendant assigned to me, did not empty the whole bottle.
He gave me the remaining Keratin before I left the salon.
I am gonna use it as a conditioner for the next 3 Sundays.
(--,)

Gracie was really curious about the heating cap.
She kept on asking what it is for.
And I just kept on answering her back.
Maybe next time I'll let her have her time with the heating cap.

Tada!
My hair after the treatment.
Tamed and sleek.

It was funny because Gracie thought that she had Rebonding after the treatment because her hair was straight due to blow-drying. She refused to tie her hair for the next two days because she said that her hair would turn curly and wavy again if her hair is tied. She did not realize (or refused to notice?) that it's back to the curly section right after her shower the day after her Hair Spa. Hahaha!

Also, as of this writing (approximately 5 days after the Hair Spa), Gracie's dandruff hasn't come back yet. I don't know what will happen on the following days but I guess the Hair Spa treatment really worked on her dandruff.

As for my hair, it's back to her normal untamed and not-so-sleek look but it the Keratin treatment really made my hair shinier. And when I comb my hair, using my fingers, it doesn't get tangled anymore. I'm thinking of making this Keratin a regular routine. =)

What's in the bag?

hbc GREAT @ 88 SALE

I purchased only 3 items from HBC's Great at 88 Sale. I haven't read about reviews about these products yet but since I'm in the process of searching for a shampoo that would suit my hair and wouldn't break me out in my forehead, back and scalp, I bought this Apple Shampoo and Conditioner from HBC. Each bottle regularly costs P102.00 and it's on sale for P88 only. The Body Recipe Eye Cream is for my sister, April, who is so irritating nowadays, she complains about almost everything! She asked me once to buy her this specific eye cream and when I heard about the sale, I headed right to HBC to buy this. Hahaha! The eye cream regularly costs P110.00 and I bought it at a discounted price of P88.00.

There are still a lot of nice products to try from HBC and they are on sale so you might want to head over at
SM City Davao or Lachmi to visit our local HBC stores.

Sale ends August 21.

If you haven't noticed it yet, I only bought 3 products on a sale day. Normally, I would have hoarded HBC's shelves specially when I'll be purchasing discounted items. I'm not really trying to save but I'm practicing to be a little practical. I no longer want to buy things which I don't need. ;-) It's a little heartbreaking to restrain myself from shopping but I hope I can manage...

Five days with my UDPP

Applying eyeshadow is a chore for me. I wear eyeglasses most of the time so I am not really into putting colors on my eyelids which would eventually be covered up by my glasses. But here comes my prize from The Hyphen Store giveaway and it dramatically changed my morning routine. I now include the joy of learning to add some colors to my eyes everyday before I go to work.

This is my day 5 look.

First of all, I am new into applying eyeshadow so please bear with my uneven application. Haha! Plus, I lack the proper blending tools. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion on my eyelids for all the photos used in this post. Also, please don't mind my eyebrows. =)

 Day 1. I used ELF duo cream eyeshadow. I was really excited to try my UDPP and for my first time, I also purchased a cream eyeshadow from ELF. The bottom eeewy  photo shows a very oily face. I did not retouch my make-up and just let it be. So, even after 12 long hours, the eyeshadow has stayed put on my face.  There was slight creasing but since I have naturally very oily skin and I did not retouch for 12 hours, it's quite expected. 

Day 2. I used Artmatic eyeshadow for this. By the way, the quad palette that I used for this is really old and should have been thrown away long ago. I have used this palette before but I have always been disappointed because the colors wouldn't show up. I'm glad that before I actually throw this palette to the trash, I have finally been satisfied that at least I have been able to use this palette decently. UDPP really works.

Day 3. This is actually for a our reunion night. I used Nichido eyeshadow, which, is also due to be thrown soon. If I only knew that eyeshadow primers could work wonders, I should have been able to hit the pan of my eyeshadow palettes. Well, I didn't even know that eyeshadow primers exist! View my previous review on Nichido eyeshadow here. There's really a big difference in using UDPP.

Day 4. I bought a new palette for this look, still from ELF. But this time, it's the ELF Bright Eye Edition consisting of 12 powder eyeshadows. I opted for a "no make-up look" for this day and I was also a little worried about using a new palette which I haven't tried yet. I used the nude/mute colors so the photo doesn't really show much colors on my eyelids. I just played it up a bit by using my NYC Duo pencil in Mockingbird for my lower lash line. Also, I was quite impressed with ELF's eyeliner, which, by the way, is included in their Bright Eye Edition palette. I used it thinly on my upper lash line. I'm impressed that the tip of the eyeliner did not easily lose its shape and it also provides a decent color.

Day 5. I'd like to believe that I'm getting better at applying my eyeshadow. Hahaha! For this day, I used a mascara! I don't like using mascara. Anyway, I have really been enjoying my eyeshadow routine, thanks to Urban Decay Primer Potion. For this day, I again used my ELF Bright Eye Edition Palette. I wanted to have a bold eye make-up for this day but also something wearable for court and client meetings.

Overall, I am happy to have discovered this eyeshadow primer from Urban Decay. I have read so much about Urban Decay eyeshadows and I have not read a single negative review about it. Girls are just raving so much good things about it. Urban Decay is not available locally (as far as I know) and their official website only ships to USA and Canada. It is available in Amazon (through Sephora) but they don't ship to the Philippines. 

Don't be too disappointed just yet, The Hyphen Store carries some Urban Decay products, which, by the way, sells fast like hotcakes. Like the The Hyphen Store on Facebook by clicking here. Or, visit their multiply site at www.thehyphenstore.multiply.com. They carry brands which are hard to order here in the Philippines. Check their site now, this might be your lucky day!

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did!

Up For Grabs!

I really get excited when an Urban Decay Palette is one of the prizes in a GIVEAWAY!!! =)

Open internationally. There will be three winners for this giveaway. Click the image above to go to the giveaway details. The winner will be chosen on September 1, 2011.

Have fun ladies!!! =)

Up for Grabs!

Proudly from Davao!

I don't know a lot of bloggers in my own city but the first of the very few bloggers that I've come to know is Julie, whose blog is so much more than your average beauty blog. She's not just a beauty blogger, she is also a beautiful blogger! =)

Now, Julz is having a thank you giveaway until August 22, 2011. Click the image above to enter her giveaway!

Up for Grabs!

Who wants to get naked? I mean, who wants a Naked Palette? (I DO!) Hahaha!

Here's what I discovered recently from a law student in Florida:

See that Urban Decay Naked Palette? It's the top prize for this giveaway. Click the image to join! You have until September 5, 2011.

Up for Grabs!

I'll be posting a lot of giveaways today... Just because.. Uhmmm, just because my client wouldn't be around til 3pm and I guess I'll just have to busy myself for a while. Hahaha!

Anyway, I hope my readers wouldn't be bored with my giveaway posts. If you don't want to enter, well, you can simply ignore them.

The title of all future featured giveaway posts will be "UP FOR GRABS." So, stay tuned.

Voguely Van Jelly Bean Shoes

Up for grabs!

The chunky shoes shown in th photo above will be raffled this August 5, 2011. The giveaway is open internationally. Click the photo to go the the giveaway details.

What's in the bag?

Last Saturday afternoon, I went with my sister Gracie to SM City Davao and I finally had the chance to absorb their new beauty section. SM City Davao is undergoing renovation and the beauty section is one of the very noticeable improvement. The products are already sorted and arranged by brand, and quite noticeable also is the addition of new brands such as Elf, Etude House, Tonymoly, and others in addition to  Nichido, Loreal, Ever Bilena, etc. And for Watsons, their products are sorted and arranged by function: for the face, body, nails, hair, what else? Oh, yes, there is a Men's Care section somewhere in the corner. Haha!

Elf Duo Cream Eyeshadow P129.75
Elf Eyeshadow Brush P129.75
Watsons Acne Clip P35.75
Finess Oil Control Sheet P31.75
Wish Nail File Buffer P39.00
Bobbie Cuticle Pusher P60.00

I've chosen to talk to the Elf saleslady because of her very nice uniform. =) And she was very accommodating and her name's Ivy. She initially showed me the powder eyeshadow that cost P399. It was a bargain! But I did not need too many colors that time. I swatched their powder eyeshadows and was not very impressed (I only used my fingers, maybe that's why I wasn't too impressed). I asked for their cream eyeshadows and then Ivy opened about three duo eyeshadow testers until I finally found the one I liked. By the way, Ivy made me use their eyeshadow brush tester and that's when I said, WOW! I'm definitely going to purchase this eyeshadow brush. Hehe!

For the Finess Oil Control Sheet, I chose that one because that's the pack with the lowest price. I've tried Clean and Clear, etc. and I was just thinking if the lowest-price oil control sheet could do its job. Well, I think I'll find out soon.

I bought the Wish Nail File out of curiosity. The packaging says: Use the gray to give the shiny finish. Shiny finish on nails? I did not quite get it. So, I purchased it to see what it really means. After trying the gray side on my nail, I don't think there was any difference. What shiny finish are you talking about? Huh? Then I read the instructions again: Step 1: Use the pink side on your nail bed to refine it and remove edges. Step 2: Use white side to semi-shine. Step 3: Use gray to give the shiny finish. So, I used it again doing steps 1, 2 and 3 and viola! Indeed, my fingernail was shiny. But then, I don't think anybody will notice if your fingernails are shiny. The most important thing is that THEY ARE CLEAN. And, this is not a nail file, after all. It's a nail buffer. Duh!

The last item is the Bobbie Cuticle Pusher inspired by Miss Cory Pott's review. Besides, my pusher is already 48 years old! I definitely need a new one.