TRESemmé Dry Shampoo + $500 Giveaway

This post brought to you by TRESemmé. All opinions are 100% mine.


Have you used a dry shampoo before? I have read a lot about them and have wondered how this new innovation could actually be a good alternative in cleaning your hair. I have been told by my stylist before that it is alright to skip using shampoo when I shower. When you're in a humid country such as where I am, the thought of not shampooing would give you an uncomfortable feeling as you begin to imagine about an oil slick on your head!
Dry shampoo is becoming popular nowadays. Below are the steps on how to properly use and get the most out of your TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo:
For best results, shake your TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo vigorously before use and in between spray bursts. Lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots. Spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head. Leave in for 1-2 minutes before styling. Use your fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly.
Remember: DO NOT SPRAY IT LIKE A HAIR SPRAY (ALL OVER AND CONTINUOUSLY). 
Since your TRESemmé Dry Shampoo comes in a spray bottle, there might be instances when the product gets clogged in the sprayer. If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.
What you need to know about TRESemmé dry shampoos:
TRESemmé has a complete line of dry shampoos that revive your style’s look and feel on days you skip a shampoo. These dry shampoos are uniquely formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor, the full line of dry shampoos rejuvenates hair without a drop of water. With a renewing burst of citrus extracts infused into every product, it leaves hair with a clean, fresh scent.
The full line includes:
o Strengthening Dry Shampoo: The formula, with B12 vitamins and keratin, helps strengthen hair and leaves it full of healthy body.
o Volumizing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with mineral clay and citrus, removes oil while injecting hair with salon-gorgeous volume.
o Smoothing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with Vitamin H & Silk Proteins, refreshes your straight style by removing excess oil, impurities and odor to ensure your smooth look lasts.
o Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo: The formula, with Witch Hazel, Citrus, and Aloe Vera, refreshes your hair by removing excess oil, impurities and odor while moisturizing hair.
Now, are you ready for the giveaway?
Beauty YouTuber Forever Yours Beauty has teamed up with TRESemmé and created a tutorial to teach us how to use TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo properly.

Everybody loves some free stuff. Watch the video above to know how to win a $500 gift certificate from Forever Yours Beauty.

Beauty bar is now in Davao!

I made a post a few days ago about Beauty Bar being online. Little did I know that Beauty Bar is also coming to my city and in fact, they opened their first Mindanao store here in our very own Abreeza Mall.

They had their opening last Saturday, September 24, 2011. My Burt's Bees Lip Balm is now easy to reach. I browsed their store shelves last night but I was actually more interested with the Burt's Bees products (specifically, the lip balm). Prices are the same with their online prices. But there is one thing that I did not see on their website: Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer. I thought at first that it was the lip balm but I also noticed it to be thinner than the lip balm photos I saw online. When I read the packaging, it was actually a lip shimmer and it costs more than the lip balm. The lip balm is priced at P325 while the lip shimmer is priced at P395.

Anyway, I did not (yet) buy anything from Beauty Bar. And I was in a hurry so I forgot to take a photo of their store (I might have no other proof that Beauty Bar is already at the ground floor of Abreeza Mall but you can take my word for it!). Beauty Bar, I will be back and I am going to buy my own Burt's Bees Lip Balm the next time I visit, that's a promise! (--,)

P.S. (oh yes, there is a "P.S.") Beauty Bar also carries Human Heart Nature Products. It's actually like their "product on the spotlight" because it's the first line of products that you can see upon entering the store. I was not able to make a mental note of their HHN product prices, it would have been good to compare the Robinsons Department Store prices versus the Beauty Bar prices. Robinsons Department Store inside Abreeza Mall also carries some limited stocks of Human Heart Nature Products.

Win a $500 Suiting Makeover!!!

This post brought to you by Express. All opinions are 100% mine.

 Which suits do you love? A certain body type looks good on some particular cuts of suits. In my line of work (I'm a lawyer), a suit is my staple work outfit. A colleague even advised me to keep at least one suit in my office and another one in my car just in case of an emergency court visit.
In choosing women's suits, I always pick the one which I could use from day to night. It is best to wear something you could proudly strut even beyond office hours. Since I've started from my job, I was drawn to picking suits with neutral colors, particularly black, because  I know that I can pair it with just about everything in my closet. I looked at the collection from the Express line and I was amazed at the variety of the colors of their suits. I always wanted to pull a red suit, little did I know that they also have jackets, pants, and pencil skirts in purple and green! I like it that they were brave to venture into new colors to break the monotony of neutral suits in the corporate world. With Express, you won't sacrifice fashion for your career! You can even redefine fashion in your profession.

WIN A $500 SUITING MAKEOVER!
Hover to Express sweepstakes to get a chance on winning a $500 suiting makeover from Express! Enter everyday to increase your chance of winning! Contest runs until 11:59:59 p.m. ET on 10/31/11 and open to all residents of USA and Canada.
Which brand of suits do you like most?

Beauty Bar now ONLINE

I've read about Burt's Bees, Smashbox, Youngblood, but haven't seen those in our local department store or specialty boutique shelfs here in my city. I've read about Beauty Bar and been to one Beauty Bar shop in Manila and they carry a lot of products that women (and female, in general) would surely love.

Beauty Bar has 13 stores in Manila, Pampanga and Cebu. For the cities and provinces not mentioned, don't be sad because BEAUTY BAR IS NOW ONLINE and you can now shop for your favorite items with just a click away. Plus, you can also conveniently pay thru Visa, Mastercard, and...........GCASH! I know a lot of netizens are into GCASH as a great alternative for those who do not have credit cards.

Log in now to shop.beautybar.com.ph to get you beauty fix!

Heart Kristel's Giveaway

Want ELF Studio Line products? Enter now! There will be 2 winners for this giveaway. Giveaway ends on September 23, 2011.

Calorie Counter

Worried about your weight?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're an insecure teenager, you're just conscious about your health that's why you're counting calories and taking time to review the sugar content of that soda you're about to sip. 

Right now, I'm on the process of trying to gain weight after I shed 4 kilos due to my recent asthma attacks. My ideal meal consists of rice and fish/meat. I eat vegetables but not regularly. I usually have fish two out of three meals a day. I am allergic to chicken but I eat a little amount from time to time. I am not a fan of softdrinks and I'd rather choose water over iced tea (really!). I am a candidate for diabetes (blame it on genetics and lifestyle) even without soda and juices because I put 2 sachets of sugar for my cup of coffee and I love sweets and desserts.

I can safely say that I have not been fat in my 26 years of existence (although sometimes I feel fat, I have never considered myself as being really fat). I might get fat in the future, considering that I could become a mother someday, or I might not become as active as I am today, but I do not worry about it. I used to be pear-shaped: my butt was considerably HUGE for my small bust. I had huge thighs which I attributed to my dance trainings. I used to count calories for vanity's sake. But after all these years, I've learned to accept my body and I've learned to live not for vanity but for health. I don't starve myself - I EAT. And I eat appropriately. I exercise and nothing beats exercise. Last year, I tried yoga and it actually helped me get to the shape that I wanted.

Sugar is not at all bad but we all know that too much of a good thing is bad enough. Minimize your sugar intake or at least, sacrifice some to get some. As I said earlier, I love sweets. I love desserts: leche flan, buko salad, and anything with cream and condensed milk on their ingredients list. But I have learned to cut back on softdrinks (regular, light or zero) and artificial juices. I eat real fruits.

Losing, maintaining, or gaining weight is a decision. You won't get what you want if you don't want it wholeheartedly. And when I say wholeheartedly, you have to decide on it, make it as your goal, and work for it. Let me share with you Del Monte Fit 'n Right Calorie Counter to help you start making your decision. Good luck!

The Wedding Guest

Eyes: 4U2 Glitz No. 06 in Gold tones, The Face Shop in Blue,
Dior Eyeliner in Black, NYC Duet Eyeliner in Mockingbird
Face: James Cooper Cream Foundation No. 03, James Cooper Matte Loose Powder in 03
Eyebrows: Nichido Eyeshadow in Soft Black
Lips: Avon Cinnamon

Yes, those eyebags are real and they won't go away even if I have 12 hours of sleep every night. I've come to accept it as one of those things that I cannot change. I hope I don't sound so bitter. Hahaha! The photo above was taken close to my face, with full flash, thus the color difference in my face and shoulders. Wahahaha! I swear it didn't look too harsh on person but I admit that the foundation was not my actual shade. I didn't use any concealer hoping that the foundation would cover my blemishes and I was actually impressed although some of my acne breakouts are showing.

My first time to try James Cooper make-up and I was a little disappointed that I didn't quite get the exact shade for my skin tone because I was in a hurry in picking the foundation. The cream foundation No. 03 was lighter than my skin tone. But I am not that sad because James Cooper cream foundation comes in 6 shades and if I want to buy again, I know that I should choose one among the remaining shades.

with beau (--,)
Dress: L&M
Belt: a broken neck piece turned into a belt

There are a lot of firsts for this post. Aside from James Cooper, I also used 4U2 cosmetics for the first time. I was blown away by their gold eyeshadow and so I bought the Glitz Duo Palette and used it for this event. Thorough reviews will be done on a different post.

I hope you noticed how my eyebrows have behaved. (--,)

Fanny Serrano + Nichido

Products in the Spotlight: Fanny Serrano Angled Liner Brush and Nichido Eyeshadow in Soft Black

 

PRICES: Both are less than $2 each

I was looking for tools to tame my eyebrows. After my eyebrow threading session at F Salon while I was in Manila, I thought that my bad-eyebrow-days are over. But they're far from being over!!! My eyebrows are growing fast and they're growing in all directions! Grrr! I am an avid Evera brown eyebrow pencil user (This costs only P30!!!) but since my haircolor is now turning to it's original black color, I want to sport black brows.

I was originally looking for a deep gray shade of eyeshadow color and I want the cheap affordable one. Luckily, the Nichido lady gave me this "soft black" eyeshadow color. I swear at first I thought this was gray. =D

As for the liner bursh, I had a hard time choosing which brush to buy. I carefully studied the brushes from Elf's studio line, Marrionaud's dual-ended liner and mascara brush, and even those eyebrow brushes with no brand until I eventually picked this brush from Fanny Serrano. I chose Fanny Serrano because I opened its packaging (with the Watsons attendant's permission and assistance, of course) and it was not too soft but not too hard either. Too bad I was not able to feel that of Marionnaud's because of its packaging security measures.

Below are the swatches I took this morning:

One stroke
Two strokes
A lot more strokes =)

I already used this Nichido+Fanny Serrano combo for my eyebrows today but my eyebrows still need some primping. Nevertheless, I'm happy with how my eyebrows look from a far. =)

Watch this

Oh My Dior!

***My very first palette from Christian Dior***

The palette consists of the following:
4 eyeshadows
1 concealer
1 powder
1 blush
4 lipstick/lipgloss
1 powder/blush brush
1 eyeliner
1 lipliner
1 dual-ended lip brush
1 dual-ended eyeshadow applicator
1 mascara (not in photo)

Trying the palette for the first time.

First view: I am in love with the mascara! I don't have swatches yet and I'm breaking out so I don't have photos wearing this palette. Also, I love the dark eyeshadows. The powder is too light for my skin tone but I use it to set the concealer. The concealer's shade is perfect for me but I need to learn how to apply it correctly. Currently, I have problems with the concealer application. If you have tips on how to apply concealer, kindly help me out! =)

This palette was one of my boyfie's pasalubong. So, basically, I got it for free. I got so excited when I received it. Hehehe!

Oh, by the way, the title of this post is taken from one of my readers, Oh My Dior! =)

Watson's Beauty Hunt Loot Bag

One of those winning moments...

ONE Naturales Lip Balm in Coco-Coconut
Hair Treats Hair Shine Color Edition
Hair Treats Hair Shine Natural Fusion
Cyleinia Soap in Black Pearl (mini)

I discovered Watsons Beauty Hunt online game while I was blog hopping over at Ask Me Whats. 

I claimed my prize from Watsons SM Davao Branch and their manager, Anna, was very kind and accommodating. The loot bag contains five items but you can only see four in the image above. The other item not shown in the photo is DeoNat Mineral Deodorant Stick in Mangosteen.

Watsons Beauty Hunt has already ended but.......... there's a new game at Watsons that you might be interested in. The game is called WATSONS BEAUTY DASH and it features products from Neutrogena, Ponds, Vaseline Men, Purederm, Vitacreme B12, and Erth Origins.

You could be the next lucky winner! Go to Watsons now!

"Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful." -Xena, the warrior princess, as Ms. Amphipolis

"It is my opinion that our beauty obsessed culture is actually making people less happy." If you want to get discouraged, you can read the article here.


Why do some people hate beauty? Is it because they compare themselves with those "beautiful" people and feel like they're really unreachable? And that this world is so unfair because those beauty queens are just so flawless and sexy and desirable while she remains a poor unfortunate soul with pimples and flabby tummy....


Growing up, I was not confident with my looks. I was very thin, auburn, and I had big eyes. Right now, I'm still thin, I'm still dark-skinned, and I still have these big eyes plus the dark circles and eye bags that are evidences of my investments throughout these years. But I've totally taken a perspective different from how I viewed beauty when I was much younger.


I was a little disappointed when I read the article quoted above. Is it really true that the beauty-obsessed culture is making people less happy? I hope not. I remember Dove's beauty campaign a few years ago and I was a little moved by Dove's campaign on showing Beauty at a different light. Admit it, some (or many?) of us think that the only beautiful persons are those with white or fair skin, long straight hair, naturally red lips, and the ever-coveted Coca-Cola Body.

Sometimes, girls just depend so much on make-up and conceal their natural beauty. I love make-up, I love using them, but don't necessarily believe that I only look good with make up. I have my "naked" days and even if I am not qualified as a magazine cover girl, I still love the skin I'm in. Flawed, scarred, pimpled -  I am far from being perfect. But I am confident with myself. I don't hate beautiful people, I am one of them, we are all beautiful.

My necessary distraction

I bought these goodies during our family's recent trip to Abreeza. I actually let my dad pay for these. Haha!

I was only able to use these goodies a few days after I bought it. Usually, I open my loot as soon as I arrive home. This time, it's different. Busy much?

I first swatched the eyeshadow while I was making a brief about libel for a client at home. Sometimes, work just creeps even after office hours and I'm just thankful that I have this unopened package to distract me for a while before I go insane.

Applied on its own.

This eyeshadow is highly pigmented and I did not regret picking this up after minutes of debating with my dad what color to choose. Well, my father didn't want me to buy make-up but we were already inside The Face Shop and I just had to convince him that I needed a blue eyeshadow.

I've read a lot about The Face Shop's eyeshadow and I initially wanted to buy the GOLD one. I can't remember the exact code (TFS uses alphanumeric codes for their eyeshadows) but I know it costs less than P300. Unfortunately, the gold eyeshadow is out of stock. The blue eyeshadow that I eventually picked also costs less than P300 and I also bought some eyeshadow applicators at around P80.00. Not bad. =)

I'm happy with this eyeshadow and used it everyday for two straight weeks. I combined it with other shades from my Elf Bright Eye Edition.

I have only used one eyeshadow from The Face Shop and I was happy about it. It wouldn't hurt if I buy another one. Hehehe! They eyeshadow that I've tried did not disappoint me. Plus, the price is very reasonable. I think there's a very good chance that I will purchase again from The Face Shop.