Disappointment

I've recently made a post regarding Shine Moist Henna Wax. Since I had some delayed concerns - should have thought about it before buying, actually - I wanted to contact the company so I went on their website to try and contact their HK email (both e-addresses): both bounced back.  Should I take that as a warning?

That was extremely disappointing, especially since I've already had a second purchase - a bottle, this time - and now have to think about whether to chuck it or not.

*sigh*

Review: Vitress Hair Polish (Sun Polish)

Vitress Hair Polish (Sun Protect)

Ever since my dye job, I've had drier hair than usual. So I looked into my stash and found this! It's an old bottle of Vitress, as you can see. It's a white cream that comes in a screw cap tube. Anyway, while this claims to protect your hair from the sun, I doubt it could be adequate protection, because you don't need to cover your hair that much unless you want your hair greasy (and sunscreens only really work if you're slathered in it).

You don't need a generous amount, but there's no need to scrimp either. This is small, cheap and travel friendly so it's nice to bring around. I might buy a new tube sometime in the future, but I'm looking into oils and other methods of correcting the dryness. Don't be fooled into buying this because of its "sun protect" label, but don't be afraid of trying it out either.

The white ideal: origins?

I've recently had a chat with some friends of mine where we ended up talking about the Filipina desire to have light skin; hence the ubiquity of whitening products. While I do admit that a large part of this desire to be fair probably came from the colonial mindset of Filipinos, I believe that this want has been a part of our culture, and others', for a long time.

For example, our East Asian neighbours also express an ideal of a woman with pale skin. This is probably because the white or pale skin indicated wealth as these women did not need to be out in the sun. Incidentally, current trends seem to promote an "Asian fairness" instead of a Caucasian type.

I believe that in the Philippine's past, further than the Spaniards, the fairer sex of the tribes of the Philippines probably aspired to be - well - fairer than the rest. I do think though, that during that time, they would have found Caucasian skin alien instead of appealing. I wonder if there is any proof that that is so, or otherwise?

Whatever the reason for this preference, I do not believe it will be going away soon.

Review: Pacific Rim

This movie came out yesterday (Thursday, July 11). Like the nerd I am, I watched it immediately. This movie, directed by G. del Torro, is actually the first mecha movie I've liked (sorry Transformers, you sucked). Giant robots controlled by humans and glowing aliens - my inner geek was pleased. In addition, hot guy (with pan de sal!) mollified my girl-perving.

However, my inner nerd actually cringed at this -because like most hollywood movies, the science was unsound.

My advice, suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. While it's no Avengers, this is one movie to watch on the big screen. I wouldn't probably watch this again (or crave watching it) but it is a visual spectacle, especially for those who like mecha.

Rating: 8/10

Nescafe (Instant) Cappuccino

Have you tried the new Nescafe Cappuccino drink? It's only P8!

Nescafe Cappuccino sachet

 One of the things I like about this product is that it has choco sprinkles attached!

Nescafe Cappuccino sachet (back view)

 Anyway, it says on the sachet that it's 25.5g, but according to the Nescafe Philippines Website, a serving is only around 18g (+200 ml water). I don't know if would taste as good when diluted into the recommended dose, since i used around 8 oz. (240 ml). At this dose, I do like the taste of the Nescafe Cappuccino.

Nescafe Cappuccino with Sprinkles

Yes, the product does froth, and the choco sprinkles added to my enjoyment of the drink. You could probably use this and serve it to guests in a nicer cup :)) It is a sweet drink, with 12.5 g CHO (9.7g sugars) in a serving (and the sachet is good for 1 1/2!) and contains a lot of coffee creamer.

While I wouldn't recommend drinking this regularly, I will buy this again as an occasional cheap treat. Because I love coffee.

Review: Shine Moist Henna Wax Color Treatment in Cyclamen

 Hi Guys! Remember that a few weeks ago, I went and colored my hair? Well, red is a total b*tch to maintain. So, aside from special shampoo and conditioner, a great way to preserve your color is to give it a cellophane treatment! But I don't want to go to a salon, since - well - poorness after the original salon visit. So I bought this instead. This costs P215 for a 100ml container. I heard that you could get it at HBC stores for less than P200, but they weren't in stock and I needed it ASAP.

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY!!!

Shine Moist Henna Wax Color Treatment in Cyclamen (100ml Box)

Now, red hair is really difficult to maintain. I'm not 100% sure why, but the color I came out of the salon with wasn't the color I had 1 week after after 2 washings. Here's how my hair looked pre-treatment:

Red Hair Pre-Treatment

Red Hair Pre-Treatment

This is how my hair looks when I use the webcam. you can see a lot of purple in there. My color is actually a bit more red in the sunlight, but looks like this without natural light. I went into the store and the saleslady recommended Cyclamen.

Shine Moist Henna Wax Color Treatment in Cyclamen (Container w/ Gloves)

A good thing about the small size product is that it comes with gloves. If you open the container, the wax-to-cream-like product is a bright purple color. I forgot to take pictures and didn't remember until I took the gloves on. Anyway, I used a tinting brush to apply it on my hair in sections. It was a bit messy, so I suggest you line your floor with newspaper, or take out anything you don't want getting stained. I then placed myself under a steamer for 20 minutes before rinsing it off.

Cyclamen and Pre-treatment Hair

Post-treatment Hair

It was difficult to rinse off; As you can see, I missed a spot. My hair turned out a bit darker than expected. :( Though it did still glowed rather nicely in the sun but less girl-on-fire and more girl-drank-wine. It still looked quite nice after a few washes. It looked like this after a few washings:

In some light

But I liked it so much I did it again!

It's definitely a bit darker and more purple than my original color, but it's brings out the best in the original color, I think. It's very flattering! When I wash it out, it ends up a bit darker at the ends for some reason. I'm going to try it in Ruby next, but I think Cyclamen works for me very well.

Sigh. I love my red hair, even if I hate maintenance. I have a lot of this to look forward to; Then I'll have to make the decision on whether to re-dye it once my roots grow out... 

Yays

• Inexpensive compared to a salon visit
• Makes my hair smooth and shiny
• Gives a nice glaze
• Smells nice

Nays

• Super messy, I mean really messy
• Rubs off when wet - yes, anytime it gets wet
• Irritates my skin - I break out if I don't rinse it out well (even after the initial wash)

Hays

• Sleep with a towel on your pillowcase if you don't want stains on your sheets
• Don't let anything touch your hair if it's wet unless you want it to get stained
• Wash your hair seperately
• Wash your hands everytime you touch your wet hair

Note: I did this even before the original treatment so the tips may only apply for dyed red hair only

Okays

• For people with red hair, or those with lighter hair who want red-ish purple hair. If you have black hair and want a red tint, I'm not sure how well this will show up.

Buy Again? Yes. Because I have made a commitment to red hair!!!

I may try adding this to my conditioner so I don't have to reapply every other week.