Tony Moly has a bevy of latest releases, and I’m equally excited and giddy as you are to get up-close and personal with these products.

Tony Moly Shiny Foot Baby Skin Heel Patch – Php 178 & Luminous Pink Heart Makeup Starter – Php 58

Rich in jojoba, eucalyptus and tea tree oils plus the moisturising benefits of cocoa butter, Tony Moly Shiny Foot Baby Skin Heel Patch helps prevent dry, cracked heels, and keeps them soft and well-moisturised all day.

On the other hand, Tony Moly Luminous Pink Heart Makeup Starter works like a priming mask — with AHA, BHA and collagen to nourish and exfoliate the skin — prior to makeup application. The heart-shaped pink dot is the exfoliating part that removes dead skin cells, whilst the embossed side deeply moisturises the skin.

Tony Moly Berry Lovely girl Heart Lip Palette – Php 448

Tony Moly Berry Lovely girl Heart Lip Palette contains 5 luscious lip colours in pinks, nudes, reds and corals stashed in a pocket-sized transparent compact case with a tiny lip brush included. It reminds me of my old Barbie tinted lip gloss palette (yes, I’ve been very interested in makeup ever since).

Tony Moly Lovely Girl Eau de toilette 30ml – Php 748

Tony Moly Lovely Girl Eau de toilette has crisp floral top notes, making it ideal to wear during daytime. The scent minds me that of CK’s.

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar – Php 278

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar is rich in fruit extracts and Vitamin C that moisturises and hydrates chapped lips. It comes in 6 yummy flavours (stawberry, grape, orange, peach, cherry and apple). I got mine in Strawberry.

Inside

I tested it, and it’s just like an ordinary lip gloss sans the tint. Might as well give it to my younger cousin, since I’ve tons of lip glosses and balms already.

Tony Moly Backstage Eye Paint Pot – Php 448

Tony Moly Backstage Eye Paint Pot works as an eye shadow, liner or a highlighter. This high definition, long-wearing eye colour claims to be budge-proof and waterproof, and lasts the entire day. It comes with a small brush concealed on top of the lid for quick, instant touch-ups. I got mine in lavender with shimmers.

Tony Moly Berry Trendy Hair Wax – Php 178

Tony Moly Berry Trendy Hair Wax comes in different formulations, depending on the length and type of the hair. Each pot delivers a different hold and glossy finish. I got mine in a coral pink pot that’s perfect to those who have long, wavy hair. It has the weakest hold for a voluminous wave, if I’m mistaken, but gives off the best sheen. It has a yummy apple scent, hence I initially mistook it for a facial mask lol.

Inside

Albeit made specially for men, I use it ideally to keep those stubborn tutchangs at bay and nix those icky frizzes for neat and sleek hair styling.

Tony Moly Berry Trendy Style Hair Mist – Php 378

Tony Moly Berry Trendy Style Hair Mist is one of my current hair care-slash-styling favourites. It prevents split ends, effectively detangles my unkempt locks (prior to combing), calms down frizzes, and keeps my hair freshly scented with a hint of sweet berries. It also has UV filters that protect the hair from the drying and damaging rays of the sun. It’s a must-have hair care arsenal!

Many thanks to those who joined. To those who haven’t, here’s what’s in store for you (clue, the latter 2 giveaways have fewer entries, which means better chances of winning ):

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Majolica Majorca Majoromantica Perfume

L’Oreal Total Repair Night Essence, Repairing Treatment and Repairing Conditioner Gift Pack

L’Oreal White Perfect Transparent Rosy Whitening Day Cream

Garnier Light Complete Multi-action Whitening Cream Gift Pack

Each winner will also get a 20g sample jar of Asian Secrets Lulur Whitening Body Scrub.

Click here for the full mechanics. Please indicate the name of the giveaway you want to win, lest your entry will be considered invalid.

I will accept entries until Sept 29th, 11:59 pm. Winners will then be announced on September 30, 2011 via blog post, Twitter and Facebook. Winners will be drawn randomly.

I’ve been meaning to get my bushy brows fixed, and finally I just did!

I used to drop by the nearest hair salon to have my brows fixed, but I was never superbly satisfied at the results. I decided to deliberately let my brows grow fully, until I get them fixed back to shape. Knowing a salon solely dedicated into fixing brows (and lashes) nearby the area where I work, I made a quick stop to Browhaus.

…and I didn’t regret doing that! It was really refreshing to be seated on a soft reclining chair, whilst a skillful brow technician meticulously fixed my brows. I decided to have them threaded to make things (like pain) quicker.  Unlike the usual threading sessions I experienced during the past, this one lasted a little longer than expected. The technician diligently checked all angles, and removed even the ingrown hair left after threading — the latter is something I’ve never experienced in a typical hair salon.

Of course, expect some pain whilst threading, but for me it’s really bearable. She asked me to pull my skin above the cheek area on the side, depending on the area she’s gonna thread, in order to make the session less painful.  She even put some cream (I think she called it “Ice Cream”) atop of the threaded part after. It felt so cool and relaxing, as if I didn’t have my brows plucked from its roots.

Overall, I was very satisfied on how she [brow tech] groomed my brows. The shape and fullness thereafter is just right. Thank heavens that my brows are naturally full and almost in shape; she simply removed the excess, and didn’t have a hard time!

Am I going back? Hell yeah! I’m so happy with my perfectly groomed brows. It’s a Php 580 well spent! Apart from the brow and lash services they offer, they also have brow and lash care products that really pique my interest. I’m thinking of getting the post depilatory cream (Php 1,200) or the x’ed out cream (Php 1,650), as they’re perfect for hair removal in general.

Browhaus is located on the 2/f The Piazza at Serendra, as well as at Greenbelt 5.

www.browhaus.com

ECHOstore is one of my favourite local stores in the metro that sells organic brands at reasonable prices. It’s been a haven for most local organic brands such as Giga, ZEN, Human ♥ Nature and Ilog Maria to name a few; not to mention, the store houses its own brand of organic products under its namesake.

I frequent their branch in Serendra whenever I have the time to pass by the area from work in search of interesting finds. That’s where I got my Burner lip balm, among other things.

Sharing with you is my ECHOstore mini-haul from my last trip. I’m sure you’d be surprised on how much each of these products cost.  

ECHOstore Body Basics Spa in a Bottle

ECHOstore’s own line of organic products never fails to amaze me. My first purchase was a pocket hand sanitiser in yummy grapefruit scent, which I religiously used and recently emptied.

As for ECHOstore Body Basics Spa in a Bottle, I can really attest to its calming and relaxing scent! I know, it can be very addictive! The product name is kinda bemusing at first, but you’d get what exactly it is once you tried it yourself. It’s like an oil concentrate from a concoction herbal ingredients such as virgin coconut oil, peppermint, orange, musk and lavender.

It’s a great reliever for congestion, stress, nausea and dizziness.

To use: spray a small amount on a palm of the hand. Rub oil gently with two hands. Cup hands to the nose and mouth area. Take a deep breath. Oil can be rubbed on the nape area and temples of the head for stress relief.

I believe it can also double as a massage oil. Also available in balm or cream variant.

Price: Php 125 for a 50ml bottle.

Ilog Maria Honey & Propolis Shampoo

I’ve been a fan of Ilog Maria for many years. I usually have their products delivered right to my doorstep (via shipping), coming straight from their honeybee farm in Silang, Cavite.  They have a variety of organic products to choose from; most are honey-based, of course.

Finally, there’s a one-stop shop for Ilog Maria products here in Manila, and one of which is in ECHOstore. I got curious about Ilog Maria Honey & Propolis Shampoo, so I gave it a try. One of the things I like about the shampoo is its high peppermint concentration that really feels good on the scalp. I love the pleasantly cool after-feel the peppermint leaves. However, I don’t find the shampoo sudsy enough, which is common for most all-natural, organic products. It requires me to apply an ample amount in order to cleanse entirely my super long hair.

Price: Php 155 for a 125ml bottle.

For bulk orders, it would be better and much cheaper to have it delivered from the farm, since the original price is almost half the retail.

Indigo Jar of Hope First Aid Gel

I got a small jar of Indigo Jar of Hope First Aid Gel out of curiosity. Although it has a steeper price tag as compared to other local organic brands available in the store, this nifty product justifies it all by proving its versatility in relieving burnouts, stress, insomnia, fussiness, insect bites, motion sickness, inflammation, rashes, cuts, wounds, chicken pox, diaper rash baby acne and, uhm, sore nipples.  So yea, it can be used by both babies and adults!

The gel inside

Its main ingredient is the blue chamomile essential oil, which contains Azulene‘s healing properties. I use this gel as an initial treatment for insect bites and breakouts. Once I had a breakout (due to extreme stress), and this was my “life saviour” in keeping those nasty red zitties at bay. It dries fast and is easily absorbed by the skin sans the greasiness thereafter.

Price: Php 510 for a 30ml jar.

ZEN Palawan Kelp Organic Body Scrub

ZEN Palawan Kelp Organic Body Scrub has got to be one of the best [organic] body scrubs I’ve ever tried, and I’m not exaggerating.

I’ve been curious about ZEN, which stands for “Zestful”, “Energetic” and “Natural”, ever since I saw them flocking most stands in leading department stores, yet I never tried taking one home until recently.

The reason why I bought this variant is because: first, it’s made out of kelp (a huge sea algae) found in Palawan; and second, it looks like Cookies ‘n Cream from afar (hahahaha!).

Inside

It has a creamy consistency like that of lotion. The apricot seeds are finely milled and evenly distributed, making it less abrasive than the usual (except if rubbed vigorously).  I’m surprised that it doesn’t smell fishy at all. It kinda smells herbal in a nice way. The kelp isn’t slimy to touch. It’s rather an interesting twist to run-of-the-mill body scrubs found in the market today.

Price: Php 150 for a 100g jar.

Anyhoos, here’s the second week of my Grand August Giveaway. Get the chance to win either one of the following:

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate

I would’ve given this serum a year ago. But due to unforeseen circumstances, I kept it on hold. Bottle is still sealed for freshness!

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concencrate is a replenishing elixir of Pure Essential Oils and Distilled Bonatics to visibly rejuvenate stressed skin by morning. I underwent a 15-day challenge using this product.

L’Oreal Total Repair Night Essence, Repairing Treatment & Conditioner

L’Oreal Total Hair Repair is infused with Cement-Ceramide that promises to repair the top 5 hair problems — hair fall (due to breakage), dryness, dullness, roughness and split ends.

The L’Oreal Total Hair Repair gift pack includes the conditioner, repairing treatment and night essence for deep conditioning and extra hair nourishment.

Majolica Majorca Majoromantica Perfume

Part of the Fake Sleeping collection, Majolica Majorca Majoromantica is a limited edition  fruity-floral perfume. I already made a review here.

Whilst it’s my current favourite, I decided to let go of one of my bottles so I can share the magical scent to you!

L’Oreal White Perfect Moisturising Day Cream

L’Oreal White Perfect Moisturising Day Cream is packed with Melanin Vanish, a technological-breakthrough formula that helps reduce dark spots and visibly brightens the skin. Tourmaline Gemstone helps stimulate skin micro-circulation, giving your skin a more rosy white glow. It’s also packed with SPF 17 to protect your skin against UV-induced darkening which triggers the appearance of brown spots.

Garnier Light Complete Multi-Action Whitening Cream

Garnier Light Complete Multi-action Whitening Cream acts on dullness, dark spots, excess oil and acne marks for visibly fairer and clearer skin.

The gift pack consists of 20 and 40ml tubes.

Mechanics:

As a Facebook User: Please “Like” the All The Vanity page in Facebook! Share this post through your own wall tagging the All The Vanity page. Update: Please post the same on the All The Vanity wall so I can better keep track of your entries.

As a blogger: Re-post one of the following giveaways you want to win,  linking the post to http://www.allthevanity.com/?p=2117. Leave a comment containing the link of your blog post so I can view it myself. One post = one raffle entry!

As a Twitter follower: Simply “Follow” All The Vanity in Twitter, and post the following:

“@allthevanity I want to win (name of the giveaway you wanna win) in All The Vanity! http://www.allthevanity.com/?p=2117“

As a commenter: If you don’t have any of the aforementioned, you can simply comment by answering the following question:

“Why do you want to win (name of the giveaway you wanna win)?”

Please leave a valid e-mail address, so I can contact you directly as well.

–

Each corresponds to one raffle entry. Entries are valid until Sept 29th, 11:59 pm. Winners will then be announced on September 30, 2011 via blog post, Twitter and Facebook. I will randomly pick the winners.

For winners, please contact me via e-mail within the next fifteen days after the date of announcement. Failure to do so will forfeit your winnings. Hence, I will conduct another raffle for such unclaimed prize/s.

Moreover, each winner will receive a 20g sample of Asian Secrets for you to try.

Just recently, I received an extra special package containing this:

Inside

Kerastase Paris brings its first VIP program in the Asia Pacific, Societe de Kerastase. Members are entitled to complete exclusive experience with professional hair diagnosis and personalised hair care treatments, along with private events and members-only privileges. In addition, VIPs have the opportunity to indulge in lavish treats during their birthday and other special occasions.

Société de Kérastase is open to everyone who purchases a Kérastase product or salon hair treatment from Kérastase partner establishments. One point is earned for every P100 purchase. Officially become a member of the Société with 100 points (Php 10,000 worth of purchases) earned within a year.

I’m so thankful that Kerastase gave me this wonderful present. Now, I’m getting really excited trying this out in the near future! I’m planning to get some major hair pampering very soon, preferably a few weeks after my impending beach trip. I’m in dire need of a haircut, and probably a colour change. The last time I got my hair colour fixed and highlighted was in March at Basement Salon in Shangri-la. I really love what Roli Paraoan, my hairstylist then, did to my “wrecked” locks. Here’s to going back to the same salon for another fabulous treatment!

I wonder which ‘do should I sport next (aside from natural unkempt, hobo state ):

Something Sleek Straight

Something wavy & volume-heavy

Something cutesy curly

I’m thinking of getting either the second or the third one!

Société de Kérastase Brochure

The Société de Kérastase program is now available at the following Kérastase partner salons: Basement Salon in Eastwood, Rockwell, and Shangrila, David’s Salon in Congressional, ATC, Ever Gotesco, Filinvest, Greenbelt, Olongapo, Prestige Podium, Robinsons Lipa, Robinsons Otis, Bacoor, Batangas City, City Main, Clark, Fairview I, Makati, SM MOA 1 and 2, SM North The Anex, Sucat BF, Urdaneta, QC Pavilion, and SM Cebu, Emphasis in Manila Peninsula and Rockwell, Hairwatch Salon in Manila Polo Club, Jesi Mendez in Robinsons Ermita, Philosophy Salon in Davao, Regine’s in Alabang and Makati, and Kerastase Institute by ESA in Makati.

http://www.societedekerastase.com/

The Body Shop is celebrating its 15 years with a big bang on discounts up to 70% off!

I’m a great fan of their lip and cheek stain, and I learnt that it’s on sale at 40% off. Plus, if you’re a Love Your Body member, I’m pretty sure you’ve already found out what’s in store for this weekend:

Get one product at a regular price, and get your next product at Php 15 (of equal or lesser value). I believe this is valid on selected makeup items, and is only good this weekend. I’mma watch out for another promo come next week.

The first time I’ve heard about Human Nature was from a former colleague of mine who apparently knew someone who sells them. I, being the curious cat as always, tried googling for a website. Gladly, they have one. As soon as I found out that they’re one of the local organic products available in the market, I became much more interested.

Only recently, I’ve become more concerned about the environment that I’d rather prefer owning all-natural, organic products–from food and dietary supplements to bug sprays and cleaning agents. I usually frequent Healthy Options in search for these things. However, I couldn’t afford to do groceries for organic meat and veggies on a regular basis nor grab organic cleaning agents or skincare products randomly, since they all tend to be really expensive. I’m so glad that EchoStore came to life as it put up its branches in Podium and Serendra, where can I easily purchase a local organic product without worrying about costing an arm and a leg. Human Nature is one of them.

There’s always a thought, or rather a stigma, that organic products carry a hefty price tag. That’s why, it never fails to surprise me that local organic products such as Human Nature are super affordable! But, being affordable doesn’t mean being “substandard”, as Human Nature proudly belts BFAD accreditation, amongst others.

Even my mom, who is not really into expensive brands (except if I give her one ), has started hoarding their products that I lost track already as to how many she possesses!

That’s why I’m really glad and honoured to be invited by them last week, as I got to know the brand up-close and personal. I really tried catching up, but unfortunately the presentation was halfway done when I arrived. But, thank God, coz I got all the information I need in a CD!

Human Nature Blogger’s Event in Pictures

Luckily, I still caught Reby discussing how Human Nature All-Natural Deodorant can cut your risk of getting breast cancer.

A lot of Human Nature skin care, body care and hair care products

Human Nature’s cosmetics line: Love Minerals. This will soon be available in Beauty Bar.

Definitely fall in love on these yummy lipsticks!

Stashed: Butterfly Beauty Pouch (Php 99), a couple of Love Minerals Passion Fruit Hydrating Mineral Lipsticks (Php 225 each), Feminine Wash (Php 59.75/50 ml) and Women’s Deo (Php 84.75/50ml). I personally love their feminine wash, and have been using it for so long already.

About Human Nature

You can read their story here.
About Human Nature

I was extremely excited as soon as it arrived at my very doorstep (coz this is the first package that did not require me to ask and pick it up from the guard LOL). Who wouldn’t be? It’s Kerastase after all–one of the best hair care brands I’ve ever tried!

I’m a sucker for pretty packaging, so I took a quick snap of it as soon as I brought it with me to my room. Much to my surprise, I got my dream product inside!

Ta-dah! Kerastase Chroma Sensitive Cleansing Balm

I’ve been searching for the “right” product as soon as I got my hair coloured and highlighted a month ago. My old hair colour turned out to be a disaster, so I asked for Basement Salon‘s hairstylist, Roli Paraoan, to help me with my hair woes. I’m so glad that he did a great job with my hair colour, that’s why I’ve been trying my very best to preserve its pristine condition.

So I guess, here’s my answer. I’m destined to be with Kerastase Chroma Sensitive. It has hair cleansing and colour preserving properties that can be used alternatively with my everyday shampoo (+ masque).  It’s sulfate, paraben and silicone free, which makes it one of the gentlest products in the Kerastase line.

Here’s what it says about the product:

Chroma Sensitive boasts of its Colour-Protect System, created by the L’Oreal Advanced Research laboratories. A concentrate of mildness and care that offers maximum respect for colour-treated hair. It consists of a quarter of a low-foaming cleansing base, reduced in tensio-active agents and 3/4 of a caring base, rich in antioxidant Vitamin E.

It has a lightweight, creamy consistency comparable to a hair masque. I’m not a fan of the smell though, but it’s just me. Maybe I’ve already got used to Oleo Relax line’s sweeet scent. Of course, the deliriously excited kid in me made me hit the shower and try the product in a jiffy! For a shampoo alternative, it doesn’t lather much. But, need not to worry, coz it’s especially developed using newfangled cleansing ingredients  which do not create that much lather volume but cleanse the hair effectively.

I applied it like a hair masque. Rinsing wasn’t so much of a problem, perhaps as long as I steer clear of putting way too much product on my locks lest it may weigh it down. Immediately, I noticed that my hair feels much softer without having to use a conditioner! I can’t still say whether it actually retains my hair colour or not since I just used it once.

Price: Php 1,425 for a 200 ml bottle.

PS: You can also try the Hair Colour Sealing Treatment (using Kerastase Pixelist) which starts at Php 1,500 and is available at salons (try Bench Fix Lab in Glorietta 4, Makati).

I’m so happy that finally got this after, well, many years of searching. I couldn’t find it anymore in the Philippines, so when I saw it sitting prettily on the counter, I immediately grabbed ahold of it without hesitation.

Well, this is not really something new, as the old formulation (Rosebud Salve) dates you back to 1895. I’m so interested in getting Smith’s Rosebud Salve because of its versatile properties.

It’s not just your ordinary lip balm. It claims to help ease burns (sunburn and chemical burns on the scalp), itchiness, dryness and other skin irritations (such as wind burn, insect bits and zits). It can also help you relieve hemorrhoids diaper rash psoriasis and alopecia. Not only that, it also works as a spa-like treatment (for softer skin), eye makeup remover, cuticle softener and frizz fighter.

I got mine in Minted Rose instead of the original formula (by mistake, but doesn’t matter anyhow ). I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m expecting it to be cool and minty, which reminds me of my then Agent Provocateur Lip Balm.

Price is at 15 SGD. You can get it at Sephora in ION Orchard, Orchard Road, Singapore. You can visit this page for to check out the product raves.