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.

Review: Quizno's + Dakasi

As I am writing this right now, I am trying to drink a Dakasi Bubble Milk Tea. While the servers were cheerful and accomodating - plus points for using forceps to give me tissue - the waiting time was long and the milk tea was very disappointing. They used powdered milk, and boy, did it taste like it. Rather than milk tea, it tasted like a powdered milk drink with pearls. I don't think I'll be able to finish this drink, which is quite a shame as it costs P100. Wish I had bought from Serenitea instead.

On a longer note, I visited Quiznos in Shangri-la Mall!

Quiznos Storefront: Shangri-la

It's a bit small and located at the basement, near the food court, so it's easy to miss if you don't normally stop by that level.

Inside Quiznos: Shangri-la

We came at a slow hour, so it was mostly empty.

Quiznos Sub Sizes

Quiznos' subway sandwiches come in 5", 8", and 11". It's nice to have a visible guide as to how big your order is. Also, they show you their actual bread sizes if you ask. ^^

Ordering at Quiznos

 The menu they've mounted is hard to read. Better read the one on the table.

5" Classic Italian

I ordered a 5" classic Italian for P125- I think. It was much taller than I expected.

5" Classic Italian - Sideways 

And it was really yummy! Unfortunately, it didn't fill up this sloth >.< Wish I got a larger size. I think the 5" is still a snack size. the 8" would be perfect for a meal and 11" for super-hungry times.

Quiznos Trash

Their subs come in these speech bubble shaped trays (I like the fact that you have something to hold on to). You're supposed to drop the contents in the hole after eating and leave tray. Unfortunately, in the Philippines, most people just leave their trays on the tables.

Quiznos Snacks

While I didn't buy any sides, you can buy these as additions to your meal, like in the more familiar Subway. While my sub was delicious, it was a bit pricey - especially since Subway often has promos. I like the subs here more though and will probably eat here again if I have the chance.

Review: Kiehl's 5 Sample Set or the Forehead Diaries 2

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY

So as I said before, I passed by Kiehl's at Shangri-la Mall due to a post I saw over at animetrics. I went into the store and told and NR saleslady that I wanted to try their 5 minute consultation + sample set. The lady made me fill out a form, took two patch(?) tests - one for my forehead and one for my cheeks to tell my skin type - and gave me these five samples:

5 samples + form

 The entire thing took 2 minutes. Store experience: meh.

Now to procede with the review proper...

I originally wanted to post it on facebook for the contest but decided to put it here instead. No big products for me then :'(

In order of application:

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser (Sample Size - Front)

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser (Sample Size - Back)

The active ingredient of this product is 1.5% salicylic acid. It actually has this minty medicinal scent, due to the camphor and menthol, sort of like Salonpas. It's blue, and maybe since I'm scrimping, but it doesn't lather as well as most cleansers. I wouldn't exactly call it a gel because it runs almost like water. I like the "coolness" I smell with this cleanser, but it doesn't feel cool around anywhere except when i hit the sides of my mouth. I like that it doesn't leave my skin feeling dry afterwards - no stinging sensation even with the salicylic acid concentration. This is one of the products I liked in the set.

Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion (Sample Size - Front)

Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion (Sample Size - Back)

I think the water and alcohol are supposed to be the cleaners here? There is some witch hazel, which could help the skin, but it's written after the camphor and menthol. There is also Sodium PCA, which probably keeps it from being too harsh. This one is also blue and smells like Salonpas. This is a liquid, and tends to spill, so I might have lost most of it prematurely (I got only 5 washes :( ). It's not a fault of the product, it's mine and the packaging. But for some reason (and in addition to that), even with my usual application, I end up popping zits when I use this toner, so I'm not really fond of it.

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Moisturizer (Sample Size - Front)

Kiehl's Blue Herbal Moisturizer (Sample Size - Back)

The moisturizer had a milder same camphor - mint scent, but was actually a white-to-blue-grean-cream-to-gel. It absorbed easily into my skin and mattefied it a little bit. I didn't end up looking like an oil slick at noon, which is a plus (then again, my standards are rather low when it comes to moisturizers). While I think this would work as a great day moisturizer - in conjunction with sunblock (because it has salicylic acid!), for my oily skin, I feel that I need something else at night.

Acne Blemish Control Daily Skin- Clearing Treatment (Sample Size - Front)

Acne Blemish Control Daily Skin- Clearing Treatment (Sample Size - Back)

This was a white cream, and in fact was heaviest on the skin of the 5 samples -it doesn't really sink. Strangely enough, the smell reminds me of playing cards. While it didn't sting me for the first uses, one day, I felt the burn (sting) post-usage once -I used this twice a day before and reduced it to once a day after- and had no problems after that.

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (Sample Size - Front)

Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (Sample Size - Back)

 I can't really write much about this. Why? The sample contained only 1.5 ml. Even with maximum scrimpage (sunblock is something I don't really scrimp on - even if i'm an intermittent user at best), I ended up having just enough for two doses (day use only). This sunblock wasn't greasy and it's formula is thinner than, say, Armada sunblock (but thicker than Kanebo or Shiseido). Because I do like to touch my face, I found that I could still feel it, but it didn't seem to break me out, but that could be due to the treatment.


The Forehead Diaries 2

In the beginning:

Day 0

There was some expected irritation (redness), but it went away very quickly and was less likely after each wash. No new zits the next day though.

Day 1

By Day 3, I had run out of both the toner and the sunblock. You can see that some of the zits have disappeared, some of the bigger ones bled out though. (A different camera was used here, sorry).

Day 3: without flash

With flash, you can see that the acne treatment does leave a bit of a whitish cast:

Day 3: with flash

Then, it began to sting and got a bit red post application. Acne treatment dialled back to once a day after. While I did see some improvement to the older scars in this area, just a bit farther a way, unseen, a new cluster popped up.

Day 4

And finally... on the last day.

Day 6

By this time I only had enough for one last wash and decided to end this round. Also, my pictures need refinement. I'm not sure if this is doing more harm than good because the pics don't really capture the real deal >.< wah. Might have to abort TFD for a while. Sads.

The Final Verdict

Though it did help heal existing pimple scars, it didn't really help prevent new ones from forming, so I wouldn't recommend using these 4? 3? products exclusively. If you had mild acne, these may be enough for you. Sadly, my face is suck.

The Cleanser: I think this would make a nice summer cleanser: It's a nice scent to smell when it's hot. And the non-irritating salicylic acid content is a plus for acne prone skin.

The Toner: Aside from the fact that I liked the smell of camphor-mint, it really didn't do much for me.

The Moisturizer: It was light, and the fact that it was dual purpose (with the same salicylic acid content) makes me think it's a possible day moisturizer.

The Treatment: This is probably a good bet for sensitive acne-prone skin since it doesn't sting or dry when used once a day. However, that probably means you'll probably see its effects only during the long term (whereas twice a day use will irritate your skin).

The Sunblock: What sunblock??

The biggest detriment to Kiehl's purchasing? The price. I'm pretty sure you could get something with salicylic acid for cheaper - but there is a bonus for buying such as scent, packaging, irritation and comedogenicity. If I had the money, I'd probably go for the cleanser and the moisturizer, but until then... goodbye Kiehl's sample!