warning: this post contains self-indulgent photos.
it is no secret that i am a stickler to habits. and that includes hair stylists (i wrote in a previous entry about my search for a hair stylist to whom i can remain loyal). i have been a very avid customer of basement salon since 2007, a few times in rockwell and a ton of other times in shangri-la.
my stylist of choice is cris in shang because he never lets me down. when i always thought my stick straight hair would never account for anything more than a droopy mass of sad, pathetic boredom, which lived years and years and years as a one-length plain heap of lifelessness that fell unhappily below my shoulders with renegade baby hair always escaping from unexpected places, he was able to provide structure and gave it natural body and volume. i was very hesitant to try layers and bangs for reasons stated in the same previous entry above, but i’m glad i trusted someone who obviously knew better.
no products, blow out or camera tricks in the “after” photos! just an expert haircut and air dry c/o our trusty electric fan!
before:
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the health benefits of grapes and wine have been some of the best-known and, should we say best-loved facts of nutrition, but do you know that they also have beauty benefits when applied to skin?
in a january issue of a fashion magazine, i read that hollywood stars have now taken to pouring glasses of wine into their baths. it has been shown that grapes, the main ingredient in wine, when applied to skin, more especially if you soak in it, aids in blood circulation and promotes a youthful, healthy glow. the sediments, those fine solid particles that settle at the bottom of your glass, can be used to buff and polish your body which, together with its antioxidant properties, nourish the skin to keep it smooth and supple.
what goes best with the softness johnson’s body care helps you achieve? a soft look collection that perfectly complements your smooth and supple skin.
so j&j teamed up with fashion retailer bayo to give you some of the most luxurious, most alluring pieces. the only softer you can get is a birthday suit.
in a launch last month at the hip encore super club in the fort, taguig, we were privileged to get a first look at the soft look collection from j&j and bayo.
all photos and prices from female network:
johnson & johnson treated bloggers to some summer education-cum-frolic last month: a day trip to the very exclusive anvaya cove in bataan where neutrogena and the philippine dermatological society schooled us on skin safety.
just arrived in the country last night. i missed the philippines but i miss fiji now… nevertheless, i’m happy to be back!
the first thing we did when i got here? eat crispy pata and tokwa’t baboy, naturally!
and before the stores closed for the holidays this week, i was able to accompany my cousin to makati and squeeze in some minor shopping.
when i love something, i have to know where it came from, how it came about and what caused its existence. yes, i am a nerd, now bully me in the playground during recess if you can.
everybody who knows me well knows i can’t go out sans mascara. so it is but natural to look up its history. do read on because this involves how maybelline started and how max factor revolutionized makeup. it also has ancient spirits and crocodile dung… yes, that’s what i said. you decide whether this last one is fact or fallacy.
elizabeth taylor as cleopatra
here i am again in search of the best shampoo and conditioner in town! and my latest find comes from the purist company of australia.
started in 1987, the purist company’s hair care range made from all natural ingredients have been around long before organic hair products were all the rage. in 1998, the body and skin care range was added to their growing family.
… bob hairstyle, that is.
i’ve been contemplating on shearing my hair short because i’ve just been too lazy on the upkeep. as i looked around online for short hairstyles, i saw an interesting piece on the history of the bob. and how tough a time did the bob go through in history? according to the article: Preachers warned parishioners that “a bobbed woman is a disgraced woman.â€Â Men divorced their wives over bobbed hair.
first there was daisy…
i have always loved marc jacobs’ daisy. i have very predictable taste in fragrance and daisy is something my friends have figured i would love from the start.
launched in 2007, daisy was the subject of a widespread marketing campaign that drew a wave of mj fans and fragrance junkies to the counters to see what all the fuss was about. the first line of business, as it happened, was to see if the bottle was indeed as pretty in reality as it was on the ads. given how ads typically exaggerate the qualities of a product, the bottle is, surprisingly, just as pretty when you see it with your own eyes. what i do find strange is that it is called “daisy” when daisies don’t smell anything like it. daisies smell like nothing at all, as a matter of fact, fragrance-free like plastic. i guess it’s the thought of daisies they want to evoke. buttery blooms that dot rolling meadows on a bright, sunny day. and that’s just the feeling you get when you wear it.
though i am way past the target market of late teens-early twenties, the bracket doesn’t stop me from appreciating its youthfulness. it’s sweet but not cloying, it has a translucent nature to it that does not overpower your senses. it is fresh and quite bubbly, comfortable enough for all day, everyday wear. it has nothing to thrill anyone about, nothing specifically different, to the point of perhaps being unoriginal, but i guess that’s also why i am drawn to it. i have never been extremely daring with my fragrance choices, sticking mostly to smells that wouldn’t put anyone off even if i know it is unlikely that someone will single me out with a compliment. daisy, to me, simply has stability to it. it’s something that won’t let me down. as it turns out though, people still do tell me i smell nice despite its lack of uniqueness. it is just too pleasant to ignore. i’d say it has the same merits as dolce & gabbana light blue. that is, you’d probably smell similar to many other women but it doesn’t bother you because it’s just too nice. it’s like the perfume equivalent of a very refreshing soda drink: very effervescent and attractive, but not alluringly sexy and serious like champagne. it’s good as a first designer fragrance for young girls as well as a reliable staple for an old-timer like me. i could imagine giving the fragrance to my daughter when she comes of age and i could imagine myself using it during retirement. that’s how universally appealing it is.
i got a bottle of it as a christmas present last month. eau de toilette comes in 50ml and 100ml. there was also a limited edition edp, a variant i would have preferred since edt doesn’t last too long, but we missed the very last stock here by a day or two. i like the edt bottle better though, it’s a throwback into the 70′s flower power which i like. i don’t find black and gold fitting for its sunny vibe. not even the exclusive silver one.
at any rate, daisy edt did rake in most of the fragrance awards in 2008. i guess even the award-giving bodies were smitten by the bottle.
from sephora: Enter the world of Daisy: fresh and feminine with a playful innocence. At the heart of Daisy is a floral with vintage edge: violet. Sophisticated, with a touch of whimsy, violet captures the eclectic, vintage flavor of Marc Jacobs’ feminine, edgy designs.
then came lola…
right, i am a sap for delectable ads. that’s why i trooped to the department store as soon as i saw lola in the papers last year.
why, of course the bottle looks bizarrely over-the-top, that’s the whole point! what is marc jacobs if not a fire-starter? like daisy, lola in person does justice to its photos, from the voluminous vinyl petals to the gold rope detail. the moment i saw it, i wanted to get it for the very superficial reason that it would look fantastic on our antique dresser. since the whole idea isn’t the visual appeal, i tried to maintain a more or less unaffected perspective when i zoned in to smell the perfume.
marketed as daisy’s “slightly vampy older sister”, one doesn’t have to be a fragrance connoisseur to tell that it is indeed what it positions itself to be. i should say that since i am more into the fresh, clean scents, i was a little whacked taking a sniff off the bat. but the initial power doesn’t drench you as it mellows into its sweetness. it is darker and headier than daisy, its musk and vanilla notes more pronounced. the depth makes it perfect for more formal occasions, though i wouldn’t discount it from everyday wear — if you are in a more temperate climate or if you work daily in a centralized environment. where i live, tropical fiji, i couldn’t think of any daytime outdoor occasion i am to attend for which this may be appropriate. maybe the melbourne cup or a garden wedding in a renaissance mansion, but i am only wishing these would happen to me. on the other hand, i would love to wear such a scent to the resorts or the port when we go there for cocktails or dinner. it is sensually whimsical, as exquisite as the drinks they serve with a lot of pomp (like the bottle!). it is definitely a very contemporary fragrance for evening and i could foresee this sell almost as much as its little sister, daisy.
from sephora: The long-lasting, day-and-night scent opens with pink peppercorn, pear, and ruby red grapefruit. Blooming midnotes of rose, fuschia peony, and geranium make a feminine statement. Layers of vanilla, warm tonka bean, and creamy musk create a sensous drydown.
yes, i’m still at it. it’s a new decade, but i still have my old obsessions. the maddening search for the best volumizing hair product. i’ve tried everything from gugo to rogaine. while each product in this spectrum have certain advantages, no one product has singularly nailed it for me (e.g., gugo is great, but it’s messy. rogaine worked when i needed hair regrowth bouncing back from an illness, but once i had all my healthy hair back, it did nothing for volume).
pussycat dolls on each other's hair... in a good way.
hair thickening product is my holy grail.
so i scoured the wonderful world of the wide web for the best volumizing products on the e-market. and i found some very promising… well, promises.
the best thing about modern volumizing products? they don’t only create the illusion of thick hair, they actually increase the diameter of each hair strand. or at least they claim so…
jf lazartigue hair volume tonique
jean-francois lazartigue is a leading hair treatment professional in france. having created numerous innovative products that combine beauty and science, his brand sounds like something a doctor prescribes that a beautician’s advice. which i like a lot.
product claims: Hair Volume Tonic hardens and increases the diameter of each hair as it dries by coating it with a clear film… * Synthetic resin protects and gives body and resilience * Cystein gel reinforces the keratin chain (the backbone of the hair) * Chitin, a protective and antistatic agent extracted from seas shells, acts as a substitute for natural keratin * Light silicone oil gives shine and makes untangling easier.
visit j.f. lazartigue.
nick chavez plump n’ thick leave-in thickening creme
i am not a fan of leave-in creme formula. they tend to get greasy, make your scalp feel humid and weigh hair down like a bunch of bricks, but this seems like a wonderful exception. from beverly hills hairstylist to the stars, nick chavez. he introduced a line of volumizing hair treatments called “plump n’ thick”, a brand name that sounds so fleshy and juicy, you want to bite into it.
product claims: Nick Chavez’ Leave-In Thickening Creme Conditioner is a truly unique conditioner for all hair types that maximizes your hair’s body and fullness creating richer, thicker, fatter hair. Special thickening agents have been added to super hydrate and expand the cuticle.
visit nick chavez.
phytovolume actif maximizing volume spray
phyto brand from paris has been a long-time celeb favorite, phytovolume actif being one of the best-loved. its founder, patrick ales, was hairstylist to such classic beauties as jacqueline kennedy and catherine deneuve. today, his hair products pride themselves in using only the most effective natural ingredients that help maintain the health of hair.
product claims: Volumizer Spray with Keratin amino acids. Phytovolume Actif coats the hair and helps increase the diameter of each strand, thus giving the hair overall extra body. It also helps hold your hair style.
visit phyto.
jonathan product create volume thickening foam
i am partial to joanathan product because a) i used to watch blow-out and i think he’s a great salon manager and b) jonathan antin is robin antin’s brother which consequently got him involved in the styling of the pussycat dolls. and don’t they all have smoking hot, thick and bouncy hair? see photo above.
product claims: Create Volume uses a rich sugar foam to boost volume while lemongrass essential water adds shine and provides antioxidant protection. Sweet almond protein encourages strength and health, botanical extracts nourish, thermal and UV filters prevent damage and color loss and anti-humectant technology ensures gorgeous style in any weather.
visit jonathan product.
with the technology now in haircare, bad hair days ought to be a thing of the past. that is, if we could get our hands on these products…
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