Review: LOVE! Shiseido MA CHERIE (マシェリ) Haircare Set Review

Hello dear readers! Thank you for paitently waiting until I was sane again! Sorry for all the ramblings *sheepish* I was at a rather weird spot for quite some time, a bad mental state in which I actually thought my stupid randomess was brilliant to share.

Well, let me give you an apology in the form of a haircare review for a shampoo-conditioner-treatment set which I've been using for a few weeks now. And it's one of the prettiest sets from Shiseido yet!

 Ma Chérie Airfeel

Shiseido

As mentioned earlier, I've been using this set *MOSTLY the shampoo* for a bit of a time, about 2 weeks now. I know I've been harping about going organic in both hair and bath products as well as skincare and body products but I'm just a girl! Look at that royal details and all that pink-ness. I can't possible pass up Shiseido Ma Cherie!? Because you know why...

The Shiseido Macherie Set is responsible for the

  softest hair I could have ever imagined:

My hair, right after showering. Towel-dried. Look ma, no comb!

Yes, it is that outrageous and holy-moly amazing! It has given me so much:

• shiny-ness, 
• soft-ness, and 
• light-ness 

All in one go! Even if I said a year ago that I Stopped Using Shisedo Tsubaki, I think that I would pledge my allegiance with Ma Cherie Airfeel. It is different from Tsubaki, mainly because of the Camellia oil content that tsubaki has, a lot of concentrated oil in that one which even with my thin hair, Tusbaki can heavily pack on the hair (product build-up is real, you guys!).

So let's get to know these little Ma Cherie bottles more!

Shiseido Ma Chérie Airfeel Shampoo 

Hee hee! I am almost halfway done. Isn't this the cutest little translucent pink bottle you've ever seen? I love the details too! Very Majolica Majorca / Jill Stuart though not as golden and sparkly but almost there! My Airfeel Shampoo is a 200 ML bottle, which is not the full-sized version yet.

The shampoo is a translucent pink, runny liquid that smells like roses and melons. If used solo, the fragrance doesn't last as long. But together with the conditioner or the treatment, the fragrance lasts FOREVER. Haha! It lasts quite long!

This shampoo is pretty. I find that it is suitable for everyday use!

Shiseido Ma Chérie Air feel Conditioner

The conditioner bottle is more opaque pink and it still has the promo sticker on it because I don't really use it a lot (2x a week max!) and there's still a lot of product left in my bottle. This is also 200 ML same as the shampoo, and has the same gold embellishments that I love!

The conditioner is a bit heavy and creamy, with a very light pink color. It spreads fairly easily, and it is not as oily as a Tsubaki conditioner.

This is one of the very few conditioners that doesn't trigger my migraine! I usually don't apply conditioners because of the overwhelming, heavy texture they leave. My hair is already oily so I don't need much of it, just for maintenance purposes.

Shiseido Ma Chérie Moisture Treatment

Oh my glob! I have yet to use this! XDD
I haven't the chance to use this tube yet, because the shampoo + conditioner combo is enough for me. I think this will be useful once a month, twice at most.

But it looks so pretty as is! I am in love with the packaging, could you tell? XD


The Ma Cherie Airfeel is a hair care killer! Using it, I feel so much lighter, no heaviness even if I did use the conditioner. The shampoo itself feels clarifying, and the conditioner is very mild but does the job so well, its nothing short of amazing.

And for that, I give it 5 STARS:

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked the review!

Take care and stay healthy

Tag: Why do you wear makeup?

Hello! Finally, a skincare and makeup related post eh?
Got this Blog Tag from kmmyp on Google Reader :)

Recently, I've been attending Christmas parties left and right. And what usually happens with these kind of parties is more often than not you are obliged to dress up. Company parties, business party get-togethers, that kind of stuff. It did get me thinking that I still suck at putting makeup on.

(1) When did you begin loving make-up?
I started being interested in makeup mid 2009, when I was having a rough patch about myself and how I looked. I realized that I was the only one holding back on improving myself in the looks department. I used to think that only the inside counts. I still believe that now, but there's also no harm in making myself go the extra mile! I don't really love make-up per se, but it is an impressive tool in making me look decent for parties and formal events! Because on a daily basis, I put my sunscreen on and that's it.

Bare face, everyday, all day

Apparently, eating choco bars and drinking almond milk are but a few of my hobbies that take up my time

 The first was on 2011. This was heavy makeup for me. Consisting of a face base, loose powder, blush, eyeliner, and eyeshadow! The second picture was just recently taken (last week's company Christmas party) and I realized that this was pretty light, compared to the makeup jobs some of my coworker had XDD But I like it enough because it changes my face without having to go to a dramatic transformation.

(2) How do you feel without make-up?
I feel absolutely fine. I wear no makeup on a daily basis except for a very pigmented lip balm.

(3) What do you like about make-up?
I'm not huge into it but I would like to be. It's nice to learn useful stuff like this, as event makeup artistry is a lucrative freelance job for some people! On a personal note, I like it when eyeliners define my eyes. I like it when the skin on my face looks really smooth and fine with a face base. I like it when my cheeks have a peachy color. You know, the whole shebang.

(4) What are your three of your holy grail make-up items?

 Majolica Majorca Eyliner, The Face Shop Liptint, Majolica Majorca Face base

If you're feeling like jumping on this nifty bandwagon, feel free to do so! If you have time, comment on this post with your responses or leave a link to your blog below so I can read yours, too :D

Life: Christmas is a time for Devastation, Donuts, Drunk faces and Christmas Trees

I've been putting off recognizing December like an old friend I don't want to particularly acknowledge right now. It's one of my favorite months, yet for some reason this year's take on December kinda sucks. 

Pablo's Path of Destuction

Particularly this typhoon that hit Northern Davao pretty hard. It really sucks you guys, and there's not enough rice and packed viands I could donate for people whose homes, family members and livelihood have been taken away. Aside from food, our household is now pulling out various items that typhoon survivors can use: used but still sturdy and clean foam beddings, extra jackets, shoes, towels, toiletries, container bags, and more food. And lots and lots of water.

To think that our city is just a couple hours drive away, we only experienced rainshowers (though heavy), and quite a bit of urban flooding. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do if it gets worse. I think I am  ill-prepared.

This just in:
Devastation II a.k.a the Paquiao-Marquez Fight. :Oh, Did a tree just fall down--OHMYGODTHATWASPAQUIAOWTF!". But that's all said and done. Good fight. GG. But suddenly everybody's all up on their high horses about the fight. And don't you just get that feeling of bile rising up your stomach everytime someone forcefully chimes in with yet another two cents on a boxing match. Kesyo he lost because of his religion, or lack thereof, his political career, next album, his other distractions and I'm all like, "Dude, shut up! Your comments are irrelevant! Are you a sports analyst? No? Then talk to a fucking punching bag! Shit!"

Christmas Decors

At home, it is our tradition to always have a Christmas tree setup. Doesn't really mean anything but we love it because it is so pretty and festive and reminds us to always be cheery and bright!

And for the first time ever......... I was the one who bought our family tree! A huge first for me. I feel so matuuuuuure. I like being able to buy it myself so I get the chance to pick sprightly decors according to what I feel like having! And boy was it colorful! I also bought a very sprightly faux pine!

Donuts

Birthdays are celebrated with a lot of sweets, right? I mean, it's pretty obvious, nobody gets a sour bag of limes to celebrate happy occasions. But instead of cakes, we opted for a crowd-pleaser: Krispy Kreme's Holiday Assortments. I love that little custard filled white donut.

Family meals are so wonderful, don't you think? A lot of us are suckers for desserts; That's why they were invented, because we need an excuse to eat sweets despite us being full from the main course XD
More celebrations underway with one of my co-workers s and I am on the my tipsy way to ...

Drunktown

This is my face when drunk and relaxed. I tend to feel sleepy when I'm already tipsy. In the past I wasn't like this. When I was tipsy, I resorted to laughing and goofing around. But I'd prefer feeling sleepy; this prevents me from doing weird things that drunk people regret in the morning!

Well that's that folks! I'm sorry I've been rambling so much these past few days!

Life: Canon 15 Years - What's Your Canon Story?

It is wonderful to capture a smile, but all the more when you witness that single smile bloom to a wide, happy grin! This is the very reason why I delved into videography together with my friends: to frame special memories as they happen 30 or 60 times per second ;)

History:
Two of my (many) hobbies are photography and videography. Surprise, surprise. I have special memories that surface when I look back at my introduction to photography when I was 14 years old. What I proudly thought were artistic photos taken using my sister's Vivitar film camera--the prehistoric camera that you need to rewind counterclockwise before the shutter button can activate anything--were anything but.

My photos were absolute crap, as you may have expected, but I was very happy whenever I got the chance to take it out and I always carefully saved my negatives (wow, I haven't used this term for so long) in an airtight ziploc bag, as well as my to-be-developed (!) rolls of film.

Covering a tearjerker prenup at the beach! The bride is relaxing

Now:
Now, I am a part of a new videography team. Solid Black Videos is composed mainly of four very close friends who love photography, videography and visual arts; In the picture above, that is Magsy, Mike, yours truly (Canon is obviously my best friend!) and Dan, at the right. We've known each other for pretty much a decade and together we embarked on a profound experience of capturing on video happy brides and grooms, local artists, and a lot of special events. We do all this and more using our Canon DSLR and digital cameras.

Videography is always more than just a profit-oriented business. It is a hobby, honed each time a camera is held. We're now even venturing into filmmaking. Hey, we're pushing the team's envelope here! Hahaha!

Goofing around while adjusting camera settings in a wedding shoot

Our team, Solid Black Videos, has but a good few videos under our belt and we have a lot of learning to do, and there's a lot of fun in store for us! Using Canon cameras have enabled us to be as creative as we can and to make people happy through presenting high-definition videos. There is no other camera we trust most. No other than Canon.

MTV Shoot with Davao's best local artist for the month of November - Photo grabbed from www.facebook.com/annemendozamusic

Canon has long been my constant companion and trustworthy friend to all my creative endeavors. I have one picture that I've held dearly. It was even used as my first profile in this BLOG! This is me back in 2009 at a cosplay event:

Grim face. Because adjusting f-Stops are srs bzns.

My journey with Canon just doesn't end there! In fact, I have an IXUS 220 HS Canon digital camera inside my bag all the time, my just in case camera. And it is so battlescarred like you wouldn't believe. :D

Do you have a Canon story you'd like to share? Any special experiences that you can tell with words and pictures? Join the "What's Your Canon Story?" online contest and win a Canon IXUS 125 HS by sharing your 500-word narrative with 1 to 3 photos to let Canon know how it has has affected your life in a positive way.

http://15years.canon.com.ph

Life: "Those days when you just feel shitty"

It's been 2 months too late in updating this blog.
And this update is not even a beauty post. Wait, no, why am I feeling apologetic? This is a personal blog after all. Continuous typing begins now.

It's DECEMBER. The month where suicidal tendencies rise as high as obnoxiously ostentatious department store Christmas trees. The year is ending, and it's time to reflect on things that has been bothering me for quite sometime.

I've failed myself a couple of times in the span of my blog absence. You'd think that it takes a long time to make one stupid mistake up after another but noooo! I actually have the capacity to disappoint my family, my friends and myself in one go. I am grand slamming it up in the Not Impressed department.

I told myself midway this year: STOP BEING ANAL!!! Shit, I even penciled in my activities from June to December. What?! Who plans like that? ANAL RETENTIVE SHITHEADS LIKE ME THATS WHO. When I plan my life like that I get so irritated at life when there are curveballs---wow I can't even adapt like a normal human being! And I feel like I'm about to shit flames when plans get cancelled lol insane lang?

So I made a promise to myself to get rid of my organizer, get rid of any notion that life happens according to my scheduler. Because it doesn't. Get better at curveballs, Aicha. Love it. Live it. Shit happens. But don't say no to someone gifting you cute planner though!

On a non-related topic: I am so scared of showing skin. I have no clue why but, maaaan, everyday I dress like a cross between a manly girl and a young boy. It gets especially worse because in the recent years I developed an aversion to tops that hug my body. You know wai?

I am a fatso! Heya! The owner of this body is repulsed at herself, what more other people? I think I should just spare them from looking at my developing fats!

I want my skinny ass back. ;u;

But I am really beautiful though. Evidence: (quite a "determined to be disappointed" face there, eh.)

Am actually proud of myself for posting up a camwhore photo of myself. Don't remember taking one since June of this year. My resolution is to do more camwhores whether I like it or not.

I detest camwhoring quite a lot. Ironic as fuck. I especially hate solo camwhore ones! Whenever someone takes my picture I always NEED to have someone with me, too. I hate camwhore photos because I feel uselessly vain. There are a lot of vain people I know. I'm beautiful yes, I have good things; but I am human still! I still retain my weird insecurities about my caterpillar eyebrows and flat hair and thick lips to even venture into creating an entire Facebook album dedicated to my face.

I see it everyday; I don't need an album to validate over and over that yes indeed ladies and gents this is my face. But I need to do it so I will have a lot of practice with how to present myself in photos. But I think I need to put on gunk like make-up so the next time I see myself in the mirror and in pictures I'd be all: "Hayyy girl dang u so interestin' lookin'..."

To Myself: Next year, I want you to do the things you won't be able to do anymore. Dye your hair chocolate. Ombre it up with blue. Get piercings. But you won't because you're too safe and too square.

Next post won't be as crazy as this one I promise.
I will review a great deal about this chinese sweet tea I'm drinking. It's supposed to CLEAR YOUR SKIN by detoxifying those stuff inside your body and promote better digestion. Pretty cheap, too!
Stay tuned for that!

Until my next emotional breakdown.
Thanks for reading!

Craft: Natural Style DIY Lace Trim Ballet Flats

Review: Glam Works Nose Pore Strip is the Best Pore Strips!

Hi everyone! September never stays this cold where I come from, and you know I'm not one for complaining... Oopsie that was actually a line from a song from Taking Back Sunday! But it's pretty apt, since we've been experiencing cold, wet weather for two months now, and even until the budding month of September. And it's even unfortunate that a storm has ravaged the northern part of our country tremendously some few weeks ago. I was, and am really saddened about the calamity.

Due to the weather, I've been staying at home more and more when the rain clouds are out and about. But during the cooler days Greencross and I enjoy walking to feel the cool breeze. We just walk around wherever, just like in the olden days when walking was a form of entertainment. There are times when we end up in the mall. And then I discover something new just like this product.

Glam Works Nose Pore Strips were sold in Watsons where we ended up one day, and I've been meaning to search for a good nose pack since I guess scrubbing my nose to get the dirt out isn't really working as much as I'd like to. I've been using some nosepacks and nose strips for a while but they don't seem to cut it. Don't you just hate it when you look at your face up close and you see an ugly blackhead-peppered nose? Eww!

Yes, it is gross, and it's hard to keep them away. I got the nose pore strips and when I arrived home I tried it. You will believe me when I say the Glam Works strips are pretty awesome in removing A LOT of dirt inside the pores.

WARNING!

If you're in for a
really bad
picture
of
BLACKHEADS
and
WHITEHEADS

I warned you! kthnxbai.

That was pretty revolting, but I was ecstatic when I saw the results. I followed the directions:

1. Wash face
2. Wet the part of the nose where you're going to place the strip
3. Open a packet and separate the plastic from the white strip
4. Leave for 15-20 mins
5. Pull strip by starting at the tip of your nose.

And viola, a strip full of disgusting whiteheads and blackheads! It hurts like a sucker when you pull it off, and if you have sensitive skin the patch of skin on your nose may turn pinkish or reddish. (my skin is sensitive to tactile pressure as I have a weird skin disorder called Dermatographic urticaria which is not a big deal health-wise, but can be really weird! After the pore strips my skin raised up LOL)

But other than that I would definitely say that this is by far the best nosepack! I will be using this once a week (not a fan of the pain of pulling the strip and red skin lol)

If you find yourself having fair weather and you'd like to walk around, make sure it is in the general direction of a mall with Watsons store! You can find this product and you will love it like I do.

Thanks for reading!
Take care of yourself!

Style: Trying out Zakka Clothes & Why I Don't Like Fashion Trends

I don't have a sense of fashion.
But I do have a sense of style.

But I'm pretty sure I don't look good at all!

I am just really lost on today's fashion. I don't normally dress up for anything, but I am so sick and tired of being in jeans all the time.  But I don't want to be just following trends because most of today's trends are really... ugly. I often feel lost in clothing boutiques when I try to find something that I will find nice. I can't find it.

There is this movement called ZAKKA STYLE that stemmed from Japan. A quick google image would suffice to impress the earthy nature and the quaintness of it all. A related clothing style for Zakka is the Natural Style that I've come to grow and love.

We all have that certain taste that defies logic sometimes. For me, it's layering clothes. I am amazed at how put-together a layered outfit looks when done right.  I have very little interest in clothes, but I want to choose clothes that reflect the level of comfort I want to feel. And I love to feel comfortable even if it means I look really boring. I've found some sources of inspiration that somehow gives me that "AHA!" moments.

I've searched high and low for Natural style which comprises of clothes that are already in my closet. I really don't want to shop for clothes anymore. My cabinet is really tiny (and inside my wardrobe is a bookshelf, so there's not a lot of space allotted for clothes hahah!) so once I do look for certain pieces of clothing, I make sure that it is made of high-quality and can withstand plenty of uses.

There's a picture I saved on my Dropbox that gave me that AHA! moment. It is this:

From the Mina Perhonen collection seen here

For me, it is pretty quirky! So I loved it immediately. It's not the usual outfit you see around here. I mean, it's hard to wear this in the middle of the day. But I'm glad that my place of work is SOOO COLD. And also, lately, there's a lot of cool clouds in the sky with splatters of rain. I guess I can get away with it so I tried this style with the clothes I currently have!

My Take:

I like that I tried my best in staying true to the colors. It was so fun to wear this, I could almost sleep in it! Soooo comfy! :D Not bad~

I find that Natural Style is being who you are. The organic you. Not being apprehensive if people will think you're being ridiculous. It may seem so for them because it's really not what's everyone is wearing, so you kinda "stick out" a bit. But it's not the attention I want or their criticisms. I want to feel comfortable... and that's it.

I didn't even mind if I got a comment, "Oh, you're covered all over..." so maybe they find my clothes dowdy / not really pretty. And that's a-OK! I don't feel that I'm super pretty in this as well, just very comfy :D

I hope I can scrounge up for more styles that I can use. It's wonderful to feel comfortable in your own skin and in the clothes you wear!

Places: PaperRockScissors the Perfect Craft Store in Davao

Listening to: "It's Time" - Imagined Dragons

Hello everyone! This post is not exactly skin-care related, but I'd like to share something else tonight. Yes, it's a craft shop :) kind of weird, but you know my recently-aquired love for crafting and sewing, right?

However nice Davao City is and its how accommodating its stores and establishments may be, hobby shops are definitely NOT dime a dozen from where I am. I can barely find things I want. National chains for school supplies and crafting items are not much help.

But maybe that's my fault: I don't get out a lot. Well if I didn't go out last night for a dinner at Zabadani Cafe (Grilled Syrian Chicken is just too yummy to pass up!), I would never know that what I needed was right under my nose!

A recently-opened shop called Paper Rock Scissors is one of my recent finds. Located just a minute away from where I work is the hobby shop of my dreams! It is so quaint and pretty and houses a lot of craft items, scrapbooking materials, rubber stamps and so much more.
 

When I got there, I was surprised at the amount of wonderful things to look at! Everything was begging to be bought. Not only their items, their containers and notices are so bright and pretty, too!

I enjoyed browsing around the store as their knickknacks distracted me one after the other. I couldn't stop ahhing~ and ohhhing~ at each little thing inside. It was so colorful, it made me happy! And you know me, when I am hyper I just can't stop myself.

Paper Rock Scissors service menu!

Just outside their main entrance, a random basket of fruit greets you!

I bought something. One of the items in my crafting wishlist~

I commend the owner for setting up this little shop. I also love that when I talked about wanting to modpodge some cute scrapbooking paper, she understood, and she even taught me her secret to DIY modpodge. That definitely is a plus in my books. She sure knows her craft. I feel relieved, you know! I was like "Finally, a store that understands..."

DIY ribbon-tied boxes

Aaaaa! The pastel colors make me want to weep in their loveliness~

Items ranging from ribbons to stamps are the popular must-buys of Paper Rock Scissors. Not a lot of stores carry these, especially ones that you can PERSONALIZE! You can ask about their rubber stamp personalizing at the store. The owner is really friendly and knows her craft! (Pun definitely intended :p )

I love these little jars with the modpodge'd canister covers

So cute! These are cardboard-type crafting paper! Finalllyyyyyy~

I've been interested in purchasing Washi Tape. Not a lot of store knows this, but the owner pointed me to the jar full of washi tapes :) This is an adhesive tape which is made of fabric. I am floored that washi tape is now in Davao!

If you have time, go and visit Paper Rock Scissors at Damosa right along Mamay Road. It's just about fronting Nikkei Jin Kai school. The store has also a Facebook page www.facebook.com/paperrockscissors.ph


I hope they'll stock more on