This 2015, I can count with my two hands the number of times I wore an eyeliner. Not that I have fallen out love with it, I just had to skip the use of it due to time constraints in my daily prep time. But that doesn't mean I stopped from accumulating some in my stash! I still bought a few and got some as gifts from friends. And yes, 2016 will be a year of eyeliners for me! Hehehe. :)

If you are a long-time reader, you probably know that I already have found my HG eyeliner. It will always be my go-to eyeliner because: (1) it is easy to use, (2) it has great pigmentation, (3) it stays on for long time, and (4) it is affordable. But still, I cannot stop myself from trying new ones. It would be great to have best in different kinds, right?

I got the Laura Mercier Graphic Eyeliner as a gift from my good friend, Kira. Honestly, I was not excited to use it because of the felt tip brush. I am not a fan of felt tip brushes. We just don't work well together! But when I badly needed to use an eyeliner to cover up the bands of my false lashes and I don't have anything near me but the loot Kira gave, I gave it a try. After all, I only have to cover the bands with it so I had no way of messing with the felt tip brush.

I loved it on the first use. It gave an intense, shiny black color that stayed on pretty well. And the brush was not that hard to use after all.

Then  I decided to use it the next day. Just it alone, without eyeshadow and false lashes. Just the Laura Mercier Graphic Liquid Eyeliner and some coats of mascara. And that use was the basis of this review.

Merry Christmas!

How are you? I hope you are having a blast this holiday season. Time flies. In just a few days, we will be greeting 2015 goodbye and will be welcoming the new year. May our 2016 be more than awesome! Leave the pains and sorrows behind and bring along the glorious ones as we say hi to a brand new year! Do you already a list to bring along? I do, too! And one of which is my new hair style and color courtesy of Cedar Salon.

I seldom go to a salon for hair color or hair treatment. Given that I have extremely thin hair, I find that changing my hair color and applying hair treatment by myself works. But if course, I only have to work on one-tone kind of color and easy to apply treatments. For the longest time, I have settled with plain boring dark brown shade. I thought I would forever sport this hair color until I was introduced to Metallic Hair Color trends by Jake, Senior Stylist of Cedar Salon.

This is how my hair looked before the magic happened -- plain and boring.

Being a teacher limits me to go bold and wild on hair styles and colors though I badly want to sport one. Thus, the only instruction I gave was to make my hair look thicker than it actually is. I left everything to Jake, actually. I remember telling him to do whatever he wants even if it would later on require me to wear wigs at work. He laughed at my thought and assured me that he would give the drama and the extra kick my hair needs in a very subtle way. 

The magic started with my hair dyed with a shade lighter as the base. The color still plays around dark brown with a slight hint of red. Sorry, I wasn't able to ask the details of the color used.

Then Jake divided my hair into sections. A different color was applied in different sections that gave the dramatic but still very subtle ombré effect.

I know you know how coloring can damage the hair. I actually expected my hair too look dull and dry after the intense coloring process. But no. For some reasons, the condition of my hair even became much better. All thanks to Milbon Linkage Meu treatment! 

Milbon Linkage Meu is a 3-step deep conditioning treatment that gives standout smooth hair. It has amino oil that smoothen the hair, a veil that seals in the moisture and a collagen that locks everything in. Truth be told, my hair still feels smooth and soft even weeks after treatment!

And after the color and the treatment and some snips here and there, my hair was fully transformed. Jake gave my hair some volume by layering the back part.

For additional drama, he gave me side bangs that accentuate my jaws. There are some peekaboo colors on the bangs too!

I love my new do. It is very subtle but still with noticeable statement which makes the entire look even more dramatic. That is the beauty of Schwarzkopf’s Igora Royale Metallic Collection. It gives the hair a new dimension with shimmering reflective tones.

As post treatment and to protect the color, I use the Schwarzkopf Hair Therapy Color Freeze line. It helps in keeping the color and making the hair look shiny and healthy.

This is how my (2nd day) hair looks under daylight. The colors are still intact. The condition is maintained.

Will I come back? Definitely. Even if I have the brave the traffic from my place to San Juan. I have highly recommended Cedar Salon to my friends who would want to treat their hair to some pampering time I am just not sure if they have booked their schedules already. :)

CEDAR SALON

200 A Wilson St., Addition Hills, San Juan

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CedarSalon

Twitter/Instagram: @CedarSalon

It is your turn, what will you bring along to 2016? :)

While I am lounging in a hotel room for a much needed staycation also known as I-am-trying-and-planning-to-do-my-MA-paper, I caught myself browsing through the folders in my laptop and found some photos I took but never got a chance to post. Since there's no MA-worthy knowledge flowing in my system right now, I decided to work with those photos, hence, this post and some more posts in the future.

Smokey eye makeup has been a go-to look for me. With complimenting colors and some blending here and there, this kind of look will sure not fail. So whenever I get a new palette to play with, expect me to whip up a smokey look. The POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life was no exception, of course.


For your reference, this is the palette I used for this. Of course, you may use whatever you have that have similar shades to these!


How did I achieve the look?

Oh yes, we are going to talk about a topic that we, girls, usually keep as a secret -- monthly period. We dread those days of the month, don't we? There are days when I would secretly wish I was born a boy. No monthly periods, no monthly hormonal changes, no monthly breakouts. But no, I was not and no, I do not see myself as a boy. So I was left with no choice but to bear with our monthly thing.

Somehow, I consider myself lucky in this. I have little to normal flow and I don't experience muscle cramps whenever I have my period. So basically, nothing in my usual routine changes except that I have to work with a pad down under me, which bothers me until now after almost 20 years.

I don't ask much from sanitary pads. As long as it doesn't give me rashes and it can control side leaks, I am good with it. Seriously, I haven't found a brand that makes it to my requirements. The pads I am using is sensitive enough to not cause me itchy and red rashes but it sucks in controlling the 2nd day flow. I just bear with it by making sure to check and change pads every 1.5 hours.

Such a hassle, right? So you cannot blame me if my world tumbled when I used Whisper Skin Love.


Whisper and I had a not-so-good past so I veered away from it. I was a bit hesitant to try Whisper Skin Love because of that past but the good stories I hear about Skin Love made me change my mind. 


When my period came, I gave Whisper Skin Love Day/Night a spin right on the first day. No leaks, no irritating itchy skin even after 4 hour. It was perfect, honestly. Of course, I didn't easily give in.

On the second day, also known as the day with the heaviest flow, I have concluded that, indeed, Whisper Skin Love is love. It was able to handle the flow without any traces of leaks. It did not give me rashes or bumps even if I wore it for almost 5 hours. These pads made it to my requirements!

So what does it have to boot? The gel technology in its pads that, even at 1/3 the thickness of other pads, guarantees 3x more absorbency. It keeps the wetness at the bottom of the pads and away from the skin which ensures that you are free from leaks and stains.



Its ultra slim feature makes it light and comfortable to wear too. It doesn't show up even on my tight pants, a huge plus, of course.

The Japanese-designed Air Dry Cushion Topsheet allows 2x air flow and makes the pads gentle to the skin.This feature of Whisper Skin Love guarantees a more breathable experience.


 

Whisper Skin Love (Php69.00/pack of 8) may be pricier than the usual pads but given the way it works, it is worth it! Indeed, I found love. A love that I will sure treasure as long as I have my monthly period!

Say yes to good night sleep because Whisper Skin Love is also available in All Night pads (32cm)!

I got Whisper Skin Love from Sample Room! The last time I checked, there are still samples available. So hurry and sign up at www.sampleroom.ph to try Whisper Skin Love for free!

Cheers to comfortable and stain-free monthly period!

With Christmas just around the corner, have you started buying gifts? I hope it is not yet too late to share with you possible gift ideas for your makeup enthusiasts friends and family! Maybelline is holding a Crazy Sale where almost 200 of its products are on discount!

The sale started last November 13 and will run until December 31, 2105. I visited a Maybelline counter last weekend and there are still a lot of stocks available!

So what to get from Maybelline? Here are some of my favorites:

White SuperFresh (Php299 Php250) -- keeps the face matter for about 12 hours! This works great as a setting powder too.

Rebel Bouquet in Reb07 (Php299 Php250) -- my everyday red-pink shade.

Velvet Matte in Mat12 (Php349 Php250) -- pinkish nude shade that doesn't wash me off!

Hypercurl Volum' Express (Php199 Php150) -- can you find a great mascara in this price? Hands down, one of the best mascaras!

Eye Studio Gel Liner (Php399 Php350) -- an affordable gel liner that works as great as high end ones! Even Lisa Eldridge loves this!

I stocked on my must-haves and I know you will too! You will regret to miss this crazy sale! Here are some more items on sale:

Maybelline and I will be giving away a set of Maybelline Crazy Sale cult products to one lucky IG follower. It is so simple to join! Just follow @jesroque and @maybellineph on Instagram and repost this photo with the hashtag #MaybellineCrazySale and #MaybellinexMakeUpLove so I can track your posts. :)

Good luck! Happy shopping!