Instagram love & challenge~

I think i've fleetingly mentioned that i am now on Instagram, finally!
If you are on Instagram, you can follow me. I do post on instagram regularly, especially nail related stuff.

Speaking of nail related stuff, i had initially thought of posting swatches of the polishes that i have. I think that would be a better & interesting way of counting my polishes. Since i'll still be using tags for my posts i decided to just stick with 1 tag as i count my polishes but then thought of just inviting people to also do the same. Not only will they be able to swatch each polish on their stash day by day but also allow us instagrammers to see swatches of different polishes!

Isn't that fun or what?!

So, please join in on the fun!

This is a good way to open up those polishes that had been sitting unloved on your stash. You might be able to find some hidden jewels there just waiting to be found.

You can easily check me in on Webstagram for an easy follow.

Let's spread the polish love in the instaworld!
hihihi

Hope to see your swatches.
Have a happy evening!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Mont Bleu Glass Nail Files~

As a nail art enthusiast, taking care of my nails is something that i make a point of doing. I have been wearing tips for the past couple of weeks just because my real nails had been chipping like crazy!

My nails are doing good now, thank goodness! I am sporting a very beautiful gray polish as i am typing it & im just so happy that my nails are longer & healthier than before.

Now, let me ask you all a question, when the time comes that you just want to go back to nubbins, how do you shorten your nails? I bet that most of you would say "i simply clip my nails using my clippers." I do that too! What if i tell you that THAT is the reason why my nails chip like crazy?

I'm not really a pro but personally i find that when i cut my nails the tendency is that my nails would chip little by little over the edge. It's like simply cutting it without filing it afterward makes the edges rough so the end result would be chipping. So i make sure that i have a couple of nail files on my stash. But buying nail files every now & then is just simply tiring & it costs money too.

There's no way for you to clean disposable nail files (that's why we call it disposable,no?hehehe) to prolong its life much as we want to. We just have to resign ourselves to the fact that it would just find its way on to the bin & us to the store again to buy more.
*sigh*

But that was before!
Now we have glass nail files that we can keep forever! How nice is that?

A glass nail file, also known as crystal nail file – is an ideal nail care tool for your natural or artificial nails, yet is not so common, as other nail care tools. Professionals in beauty salons use glass nail files for manicure and pedicure procedures as well as individuals use glass nail files for their needs in everyday life.

You just need to own one & you're set for life! hahaha!
I love that concept!

Don't they look pretty?
Me wanna own all of them! hihihi
But it would be pointless since one would just be enough for me but who could resist these colorful & cute assortment?

You can check out these cute files over at Mont Bleu.
They have a great selection of these glass nail files like the handpainted glass nail files or the ones with swarovski crystals on them, simple or luxury-styled ones even the no-frills clear glass nail file.

They even offer promotional glass nail files perfect for advertisement.
How clever!

OMG!
Now i want to really own one too.
I'd use this in public just for everyone to see! hahaha!

Do you own a glass nail file?
I think this is a good investment,no? No need to buy nail files again & again. As long as you take good care of your nail file then you won't ever need anything anymore.


Aside from glass nail files, Mont Bleu also offers hand made jewelries. Now these, i have to check!
*heads on over to Mont Bleu*

Okaaayyyyy, im off to exploring the website now & i have to say that i am liking their product selections.
Maybe there's something i can get as christmas gifts... for myself!
hahaha!
Well, im back to browsing.

Hope you all are having a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

accessorizing yourself the SM way~

Ohhh... it's already Oct 30!
Just a few more days until the final unveiling of new SM accessories ambassadors.

After the sneak peek that i gave you last week about one of their new ambassador.. here is another one.

There are 2 more ambassadors that are waiting to be unveiled & i'll be giving you the sneak peek of them after a couple more days. But for now, why not check out SM Accessories fan page & join in their contest.

You might get a chance to be 1 of the 10 lucky winners to wear premium items from SM accessories. Yay for that!

So better check out their page to know the mechanics.

Stay tuned for the next teasers~
Have a happy day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Hortaleza MD Illuminous Plus Facial Soap

note:
I'm warning you in advanced that i have lots of pictures of my face in this post. I don't usually do this but this soap had convinced me otherwise, so to provide you with pictures that you can use to judge for yourself. this is embarrassing as f*ck for me but i'm doing this for the love of you all.
XD

I tested out a new soap, although i love my Orange Peel & L-Glutathione Soap to death, just because im quite curious to see how other soaps would fare after my finding "THE ONE" soap.

I'll not lie & tell you that i found a better soap than my favorite but i will tell you,people, something... this soap is the only soap that made people compliment me on my skin.

Confusing,huh? I'll tell you why later...

Now question...
How many of you know about glycerin soaps?
You know those "clear soaps" that you mostly see on bath sets, they are just simple glycerin soaps.

Glycerin is a humectant, clear liquid that is a by-product of the soap-making process. Humectant means that it attracts moisture to your skin. Soaps were produced before by combining oils & lye, the end result of it would be soap & glycerin. It is also sweet & is also use for baking & cooking purposes too! Au naturel~

As i made my research i read several claims that other soap manufacturers would strip the glycerin off of the soap. The reason is that these manufacturers also sells lotions,creams or moisturizers together with the soap. Again, glycerin is humectant which means that it will attract moisture on your skin so you won't need anything else to moisturize your skin because your skin will be hydrated anyways.

So i guess this is the reason why most companies who manufactures facial soaps/washes also have moisturizers that they sell together with it,huh? Not saying that you should stop using moisturizers just because you are using glycerin soap,mind you, if your skin is naturally dry then you have to apply moisturizers. (how many "moisturizers" did i use back there?!haha)

Since glycerin soaps contain natural oils it is better in removing oils too. Remember the idea behind OCM? That only oils can take oils off? Well, i'd recommend using glycerin soaps better than OCM!

Glycerin Soaps doesn't lather much. Why?
It doesn't contain sodium laureth or sulfate or any of those agents that makes shampoos & soaps bubbles like detergents. The said chemicals actually dry out the skin. I'm pretty sure that you know what i'm talking about. The reason why we love using facial wash is because you feel squeaky clean after usage. The natural oils are stripped off the skin, that's why.

So now that we got that little info out of the way then we can go straight to the product itself.

Illuminous Soap is specially formulated for lightening blemishes & dark spots. I guess since it contains arbutin so you can use this to address hyper pigmentation as well.

The ingredients list..

It has what they call as TinyWhite (which is combination of Glutathione & Arbutin) which i think is formulated for skin lightening purpose.

By the way, did you know that Arbutin is better than Hydroquinone?
Hydrquinone can cause skin darkening in some cases, on which is a lot worse because there's no way for you to reverse the effect of it, based on what i read. So you have to be wary when using hydroquinone. Do your research first before it's too late.

So it's good that they used a safer alternative for their skin lightening soap,no?

I'm sorry but i seem to have deleted the picture of the product accidentally while i was cleaning out my HD so i just took a picture of the soap when i washed my face a few minutes ago. hehehe

I have been using this for a month now & i can already see the effect. Not only me, even the people around me has seen a subtle glow. My cheek area has that natural flush that i almost look like i had a blusher on.

Tsk!
I hate this part.. where i have to show pictures of my face...
-_-"
but i know it has to be done...
I just never feel comfortable posting pics of my bare face though.. Im sure you could understand no matter how good people say your skin is, posting your pic on the net for every one to see is like being caught naked in a public place over & over. lol!
Plus the fact that i have to scrutinize each & every picture that i'll be posting that i'm sick & tired of my face already after deciding what i'll be choosing. XD

Well then, here goes nothing...

Remember the picture that i posted before when i did my review on the Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Powder? I'll be providing you with the full on pictures of it so you can see for yourself...

My skin is almost clear & blemish-free already except for the zit on my cheek, but im already happy nonetheless so i posted it as reference. Take note of the redness on my cheeks & it may not be too obvious here but there are some pigmentation on the apples of my cheek. Click the 2nd picture for a better view...

Now, I'll be showing you a picture of my face just this morning (October 29,2012) right after taking a shower.

Of course, my skin will be really clean because i just took a bath. I took a picture right after bathing so that you can clearly see if there still any pigmentation left. You can click it for a better view.. i can already vouch that my skin is clear & there are no underlying pigmentation unlike the pictures that i took before.

Now, here is a picture that i took just a few minutes ago... same day of course with the picture on top.

The rosy glow on my cheeks may not be obvious but it's there, believe me! People kept on telling me how naturally flush my cheeks are. 

I really hate this part because it feels like i am complimenting myself because im not really the type of person who do so, but just trust me in on this. I went to a party yesterday, i did not put on any make-up at all but i saw that my cheeks are flushed already. I have washed my face but it's just there. No need for any powders or anything! I even stopped using my Benetint days ago because i don't see the use of it.

This is the main reason why i like using products that are made locally!

They are specifically made for filipina skin so you know that what you are using is something that would agree on your skin. yay for local products~!

It's really liberating to finally free myself from using make-up!

I am already confident enough to go out & brave the big bad world with just a tube of lipstick on my bag.

hehehe

Now, i don't want you all to get excited over it. Please finish reading this post first ok? hehehe

There are still some things that i want you to take note of about this soap.

Yes, it's glycerin & it's humectant... but please be advised that this is not pure glycerin soap so you may still need moisturizer after usage. If you just want a simple glycerin soap then feel free to try out their Puressence facial soap of the same line.

In my case, i felt a need for a little moisture so i use a tiny bit of Watsons Collagen gel or L'oreal Youth Code Essence the first few times that i use it. Now i can get away with not using any but i still apply my essence or gel as much as i can.

Hortaleza MD products are recommended for people ages 18+.

I'm not really a professional so i can't go into details about each & every ingredients in their products so use at your own discretion. Please don't ask me if it's ok to use it if you are 15.. because i am using it now & i am 28 yrs old already. So the experience that i have over using this is because of my developed & "not-so-young" skin anymore.

A pretty bird told me that HBC is coming up with an anti-acne product specially designed for teens next year.  You might want to wait up for that...

My skin has been acting up again because of hormones but i'm happy to report to you all that i don't have any zits! yay for that!

PROS:

• locally available (at your HBC stores)
• very wallet-friendly (P65 only!)
• it worked for me (hello, rosy skin!)

CONS:

• might not be available internationally

Will i recommend it?
Well,i'll let you judge that one after seeing my pictures.

^_~

This is already very cheap but if you want to maximize your money's worth then you can cut this up in smaller pieces. Glycerin soaps tend to melt faster than ordinary soaps so just cut a small piece, then store the bigger piece for later use.

If you will be asking me the ultimate question of "which is better, illuminous or orange peel soap?", i would not really know what my answer will be.

I don't want to be called biased because Orange Peel cured me of my acne, but Illuminous gave my clear skin a more refined & rosy glow so i can't really say. I don't know how Illuminous would fare on acne though because i used this with clear skin. So please don't subject me to a life or death option. hahaha!

Hortaleza MD Soaps are available in different variants:

• Acnesol (for pimple control) P65
• Puressence (mild skin care) P60
• Total Solution (skin exfoliating) P60
• Illuminous (skin lightening) P65

I have tried Acnesol for a few times but since im not a fan of tea tree oil so i'm just not enamored to it.hihihi

But please try out their other variants for your different needs. 

I stand by with what i believe that every skin is different. 

What works for me might not work for you so you have to keep your options open to different choices.

I might not be able to cover everything on this post so feel free to shoot me any questions on the comment box.

Hope you all are enjoying your day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.

Glamworks Permanent Hair Dye Color in Medium Brown

I tried coloring my hair once again after several failed attempts.

I know that it's really hard for me to change the hair color unless i have it bleached but you can't blame a woman for trying especially if there are already several white hairs peeking every now & then.

I'll not go into the woes of aging.
You'll just know what im saying about once you start seeing the natural signs of aging coming at you slowly but surely.

On we go to the product review...
I saw this when i was walking along the aisle of Watsons & was surprised with how cheap it was. It's only Php49, which is more or less $1. I even told my self that with this price, it sure will just ruin my hair. It may end up making my hair all brittle & dry & will smell as bad as... the durian fruit. hehehe

Y'all know how i hate the smell of hair colorants.

Well,i'll tell you first hand that this product is not as bad as what i thought it was. Just read on to know what i think about it...

It comes in 3 shades... black, dark brown & medium brown.

Feel free to read the description & ingredients.
Just click it to enlarge the image

This is what's included in the kit.
The solution & 2 plastic gloves.

The pack contains the shampoo & the fixative, separated inside so when you pour it in your palm.
When you squeeze it on your palm you'll end up with 2 products & you'll have to mix them together before you start massaging it on your hair.

Directions:

Since this is a shampoo, there will be bubbles on it.
I think the process is just like how bubble hair dyes pretty much work except that this one needs more work because this is not foamy to start with so you'll have to massage it more than bubble hair dyes.

They provided a picture at the back..though it's not really helpful to start with because how the heck can that color be dark?

Sorry,i don't have before pictures, but anyway it's not hard to imagine how my hair looks like prior to application because i told you that i have a jet black hair (which is a pain to color without having it bleached).

Here's the after picture...

Hmm... well, there's a tinge of brown somehow, methinks.. or am i just fooling my eyes?
Ok, another picture taken outside...

uh... yeah, i think there's a teeny tinge of brown.. somehow.

The effect is not that obvious on me because i said that my natural hair color is really very dark but i believe that there is a slight color change. For a product that is only Php49 each, this is more effective than Etude's Bubble hair dye imo.

Since this is just a shampoo, you would have to deeply condition your hair afterwards so you have to buy a good hair mask together with it. One more thing, it says that it's ammonia-free but i still smell the scent of ammonia. If you weren't bothered with the scent of ammonia when you use bubble hair dyes then you won't have any problem with it.

PROS:

• really affordable - Php49 only
• locally available
• easy to use

CONS:

• limited shades (3 shades only)
• there's a lingering scent of ammonia (of course!)
• could leave your hair dry (so you have to condition after)

I want to really say that it works because i think it does it's just that since it's hard to show you the effect, i'll leave it up to you. I would suggest that you try this if you are on a budget though. What's there to lose?

By the way, i used 2 packs on my hair because i have a really long hair. I applied this on dry hair though. I've been reading the whole pack to see if there is a mention about the application but i can't find any mention so i just decided to apply it on dry hair. Maybe it will work better on wet hair?

Make sure that you check the ingredients list to see if there is any/one of the ingredients that you are allergic to.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave it on the comment box & i'll get back to you asap.

Hope you all will have a great weekend!
Jaa ne~
^_^

Ebalay Nail Polish in A01

Swatch time again~
Im down to my last Ebalay polish.. it's A01.

I layered this over a black polish to show the effect so i'll let you judge this by yourself.

This is how it looks like when light shifts...

The duochrome effect is not that obvious unlike other Ebalay polishes but still very pretty!


You can get this at KKCenterhk.com or go straight to this LINK. You can use the code BLGA124TH10 for a 10% off.

Hope you all are enjoying your day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.

love accessories?

SM is cooking up something for you,fashionistas!

Here is a teaser...

Who do you think is that?
Care to guess?

We'll all know them on the big date!

Enjoy the day!
Jaa ne~
^_^

Spotted: OMG Strobe & Disco Ball~

Whip out your pumps because you will be ready to party as your nails don on the newest flaky & glitter polishes that OMG! (my favorite local polish brand) has released.

Love the shade names!

It just means that they are meant to be together..hehe
Here are some swatches:

Left: Disco Ball underneath a burgundy base polish
Right: Disco Ball & Strobe together under a black base.

It's so hard to capture the beauty of Strobe just because the flakes are really unique by itself so here are a couple of pictures for you to judge.

Since the bottle shot of Strobe is just a plain base so i decided to swatch it aside my other flakies too. Left one is Sally Hansen Glass Slipper then Essie Shine of the times. They look alike on the bottle but not when swatched.

Strobe is more like a bronzed, rustic flakes that makes it really unique!

You have to get these 2 polishes! I'm sure you'll love them!
I bought them at Hortaleza for only P18...really cheap!!!

Hope you'll have a great day!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Weekend Nails: The heart of pink!

 A really short tutorial post for my weekend nail~

I'll let the pictures do the talking this time!

Hope you'll able to try this nail art
^_^

Have a happy weekend!
Jaa ne~!
^_^

Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder Review

I can't remember when was the last time i opened my traincase & played with my make-up. Yesterday, i just had this sudden urge to put on make-up & it was fun!

I wanted to don bright eye make-up but i remember that i don't have any mascara or even lash glue to complete the look so i just decided to opt for the safe choice which is to go neutral.

This also gave me a chance to fully use my new Physician's Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder sent by Tamera.

Y'all know that im not a foundation user. I'd rather just use a finishing powder as my base instead of a full-on foundation so this was perfect since this is a loose powder. You can use it alone or over make-up. I decided to use it as my face base. I'd let you decide how the coverage would fare for it.

Let's get to know it first...
Just click it to read the description.

It claims to be:

• Oil-free
• Fragrance-free
• Talc-free
• Hypoallergenic
• Non-comedogenic
• Dermatologist approved

That sounds nice,no?

On to the packaging...

Housed in a big plastic container with a dome-shaped top unlike other ordinary loose powder container. I like that the cap fits exactly as i hate to have powder or my brush rolling inside my bag just because the cap is loose.

It includes a free mini kabuki brush, that is completely awful & useless. Do yourself a favor & buy your own mini kabuki brush. The product might be hypoallergenic, but im not sure about the brush! LOL! I got rid of the brush asap & replaced it with my very own mini kabuki brush.

It includes a brush holder to keep it in place. Yay for that!
You see that circular plastic at the side? That's when you get to use the powder as the brush holder act as the lid to the product.

I just hope that the tab won't break off after plenty of lifting & bending!

Then, on to the product.
Mine is in Translucent Medium & i have to say that it suits my skin pretty well!

The product is indeed fragrance-free.
I hate it when i opened my loose powder then the scent of it just comes straight to your nose, punching you senseless! That goes to Coty Finishing Powder!

It's really very light & disappears on the skin as soon as you blend it in.
See for yourself.

I think one is really meant to be used a finishing powder but if your skin is good then you can also use it alone. My skin had improved ever since my acne days so i can now go out without any make-up at all & not feel embarrassed so i use this as my foundation.

My skin is far from flawless but i think this powder was able to at least even out my tone. Here's a picture of my bare face vs with it on.

I got uneven skin tone with mainly redness on the cheeks but this powder was able to do a decent job of covering up my red patches. One more thing that i like about this is that it doesn't look like you put on pounds & pounds of powder on your face because it looks dewy! Wow for that!

It blends so well on my skin that it makes my skin look almost flawless!
It's not cakey & doesn't feel heavy which is really really like!

Now, the downside, i tried applying it alone (no moisturizers, primers beforehand) & it made my skin itch a bit. I was testing it out to see if it is indeed non-comedogenic & i didn't break out. So happy with it being really non-comedogenic but the itchiness sorta bothers me.

I applied it like how i usually apply make-up (complete with essence, gel & primer underneath) & i still felt a little itch. It might be because im not used to applying anything on my face anymore? Well,it doesn't break me out at least but the itch still bothers me.

Another thing that i don't like about it is that it doesn't have oil-control. tsk! I have to have oil films with me all the time. I have a combination/oily skin so i definitely need products that has oil control. This one would be great for normal to dry skin.

I still use this every time i go out but since i don't go out that much so i don't expect any break outs from this anyway.

Now, let's summarize everything!
PROS:

• non-comedogenic/hypoallergenic
• fragrance-free
• talc-free
• dermatologist approved
• provides a light coverage which can easily pass as a foundation
• feels light
• skin looks dewy
• not cakey
• dual-purpose: foundation & finishing powder
• the applicator (brush) is separated to the product

CONS:

• made my skin itch but didn't break me out
• bulky packaging
• doesn't have oil control

Will i recommend it?

Yeah,sure!

It looks nice on my skin & everything so i would recommend it. About the "itchy" issue for me, maybe it's just me because i know how sensitive my skin is so maybe it's just me but since i didn't experience any break-out so this one is still a nice product.

Where can you buy it?

You can purchase it at Tamera Online for $14 (it's on sale!). It ships within the country so you can be sure that you'll get it.

Have you tried anything from Physician's Formula?

What finishing powders/foundation are you currently using now?

Hope y'all will have a great day!

Jaa ne~!
^_^

ps:
Product sent as sample. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post. Opinion shared is personal view & is no way influenced by the company. Use at your own discretion.

Weekend Nail:Colors of Fall~

Thanks for the birthday greetings!
I was bowled over with the greetings that i received not only on my facebook but also on my email. Thank you, ladies. I feel so loved~

I decided to do a nail art to celebrate my birthday.
So this is my birthday/fall nail art. hihihi

After a long time of not being able to do a nail art tutorial, i'll be posting one..finally!

This design from from a japanese nail art magazine that i saw.. i just can't quite remember if it's Nail Up or Nail Max though.

This is a freehand design & it's not that complicated as it looks though. Here is a step by step guide of how to do both of the designs.

Let's start with the black one first~

1. On a black base, make a line by using dots. Start in the middle so that you\ll be able to get the line straight.
2. Then draw an aztec flower using diamond shapes next to each other. Click the image to make it larger for a closer look.
3. Fill it with your desired color.
4. Then draw a dotted line at the bottom of the flower.
5. To fill in the space at the sides, you can add diamond dots like in the picture.
6. Finally, using a yellow or gold polish, add dots like in the picture, also the center of the flower.

Then on to the other design...

1. Like in the 1st design, you start it with a dotted line.
2. Draw a thin W under the line, this will serve as your guide so make sure that it looks even. Start at the middle.
3. Add the triangles on each V, making sure that it won't touch the W that you made. Be precise.
4. Draw a thick W under your first W.
5. Refer to the 2nd pic of this post for the flower. Do the same steps that you did, but this time in reverse. Start with a thick W.
6. Then the thin W.
7. Don;t forget the triangles~
8. Put wide V's at the sides so that it won't look bare.
9. Finally, put a dot at the center of the flower!

See... not that difficult!
It just takes time & practice but it's definitely something that you can do!

By the way, i already have an instagram!
Yay to that!
Add me if you want to @thiamere

Hope you all like it!
Have a happy day~
Jaa ne~!
^_^