That’s why, I didn’t mind checking out Dashing Diva‘s newly-opened branch in Eastwood Mall, since my pedis were indeed in dire need of pampering. The nail salon caught my attention with its lovely rose pink interior. I heart!

I tried one of the lavish treatments available called Spoiled Diva Pedi for Php 600. Really expensive, eh? Wait till you know what’s in store for you!

First, the technician put some lathering foot bath and had my footsies soaked for a while. It was kinda daunting esp that the water was really hot! Never mind, I thought, for as long as I could still bear the heat.

Then,  she [technician] brought out some plastic wrap. I had no idea what she’s gonna do with it, until she put some solution on my soles and covered both of my feet with the plastic wrap. I was a bit weirded out. I figured out later on that the solution was to make my soles (and calluses) softer. After wrapping, she started cleaning. I felt bad for her at that moment. lolol.

After the painstaking task, she grabbed some contraption  from her stuff, which appeared to be a microdermabrasion wand (like Clarisonic). It felt so amazing that I forgot to steal a snap on it, because it was the first time my feet ever experienced something suuper vain like that! It felt soothing as the pads ran through my legs, with the microbeads gently sloughing the dead skin cells off of it.

The spoiled brat diva treatment didn’t stop there, my now exfoliated feet underwent another exfoliating treatment–using sugar scrub this time around! I oh-so-loved it… It almost brought me to slumber.

Of course, the mega pampering wouldn’t be complete without the massage. Caught up some zzz’s for a lil bit.

Finally, it was time to have my toenails polished. I chose Dashing Diva nail polish in Flamingo Fay, which is a lovely baby pink color. After polishing, the technician put some quick-dry oil,  carefully[!] assisted me into donning my slippers on, and led the way to the drying station (which was exactly the front desk) where my nails were set to a breeze for quicker drying process.

All in all, I felt bewildered yet uber spoiled and pampered! I would love to take a few pics on the nail salon’s interior, but one of the technicians admonished me from doing so. But, here’s a stolen shot before I asked for permission

Pardon for the warm, yellow tinged picture. To be honest, I would really love the place more should there be La-Z-Boys, or any kind of reclining chair. Sitting erectly for 40 minutes or more ain’t that really comfy on the back.

First of all, the mission was to be Stunning for a Steal. To make sense, we need to look gorgeous without spending a goldmine! Recession is putting a dent to our pockets and budgets these days, so we need to cut some slack off from (over)buying expensive beauty products without compromising quality. This is where these three fab products come to the picture.

*Nail Technician hand-painting my nails*

Whilst waiting for the queue to have my facial first, I decided to bypass the steps and immediately headed to the Nail Spa station, where I had my nail art done. I’ve been a great patron of Nail Spa in Shangri-la Mall since I landed my first job. This is actually my first time to pimp my manos for some nail art fun. I chose something bluish amidst my pink and red ensemble I was wearing then, since I’m a typical blouse and jeans girl–blue denim jeans to be exact.

I was surprised to see that they actually hand-painted the nails one-by-one, sans using any stencil. Wow, that’s creativity + talent going on there. The nail art tools she used actually pique my curiosity. She told me those came from US. Hmmm…

*Here’s what my nails look like after. What’s great about it is that it’s still hasn’t chipped off amidst long hours of typing.*

Then, I had a luxe facial using Garnier Light products, which promises to bring a visibly fairer and more radiant skin I can measure. It uses natural products such as pure lemon essence and long dan essence that help remove dullness and effectively diminish dark spots whilst whitening the skin. I indulged myself lying around 20 minutes of uber-relaxing facial–the massage was so relaxing that I felt like dozing off! My once tensed skin felt de-stressed thereafter. What I love more was the smell of Garnier products, they smell really, really good that I want to eat it!

*Lots of Garnier skin care products used for the facial*

After some skin pampering, I headed straight to Matrix booth to have my hair done. The hairstylist asked me how do I usually wear my hair on a typical day. I told her, I just let it alone, silky straight. With a eureka moment from her, she resolved into giving my locks some lovely curls. Okay, another Marimar moment has yet to come!

I totally love the smell of the hairspray, unlike others that smell like solvent. Surprisingly, it strongly held my locks all day long, even when I tied my hair into a bun going home.

*MUA doing makeup using Maybelline products*

Finally, here comes the makeup! I had my makeup done courtesy of Maybelline. The MUA gave me a natural look, using mostly Maybelline clear smooth mineral makeup! First, using MAC 187 brush, he gently dabbed on liquid foundation as base (which doubles as a concealer). Then, he buffed on some  powder-foundation to neutralize the color, making my base match my skin tone better. He accentuated my eyes using neutral colored eye shadows, eye liner pencil and mascara. Of course, he put some blush-on and lipstick for flushed-looking finish.

*Here’s my look after the makeover. Lurve the curls! I actually tied my hair, then removed it for this snapshot.*

* I took home this lovely eco-friendly loot bag. Gosh, I have so many products to review soon!*

Here’s what inside:

Also, met again these lovely ladies,  Shen, Kim and Nikki. xx

I love how they did it! It’s some sort of a retro-ish video that’s nicely and artistically done. This has got to be my cult of cherry fantastic wonderland!

Oh well, the whole MAC Cult of Cherry collection is something absolutely to look forward to–from their lippies down to their eye shadow palettes and nail lacquers. Truly, wearing cherry spells s-e-x-y!

The new forbidden fruit. Deep, dark, dramatic. Lips ripened with juicy cerises and intoxicating kirsches while eyes smoulder in luscious spiced chocolate. With its sense of way-to-go dark, this is how we separate the bitter from the sweet…Fall drama just got more delicious.

Colors are stunning, and mostly from earthly neutrals to crimson berries. Well, the whole collection actually epitomizes each tinge of color you can find in a fresh, ripe cherry fruit. This is perfect should you want to create a smoky, dark and dramatic look without losing the sophisticated seductress in you.

Lipsticks:

Creme Cerise – Sheer yellow taupe (Lustre)
Lightly Ripe – Sheer mid-tone pink (Lustre)
So Scarlet - Clean grape burgundy (Amplified Creme)
O – Intense purplish-red with metallic golden shimmer (Frost)
Russian Red – Intense bluish-red (Matte)

Mattene Lipsticks:

Kirsch – Blackened cranberry
Bing - Blackened eggplant
Chock-ful - Blackened brown
Rapturous - Deep berry red

Tinted Lipglasses:

Liqueur – Neutral brownish mauve with multi-dimentsional pearl (Frost)
Cherry Blossom - Sheer light pink with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost)
Rich & Ripe - Mid-tone pinkish red with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost)
Jampacked - Sheer grape with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost)
Cult of Cherry – Clean red with red pearl (Frost)

Eye shadow Palettes (x4 e/s):

Shadowy Lady Eyeshadow - Features limited-edition shades of Light Fall, Smudged Violet, Deep Truth and Shadowy Lady in a lush textural mix of satin, lustre and matte finishes.
Spiced Chocolate Eyeshadow – Features limited and back-again-edition shades of Nanogold, Spiced Chocolate, Brash and Sweet Chestnut in an array of luxury textures: frost, matte, and veluxe pearl.
Tempting Eyeshadow – Cocoa-inspired, features limited-edition and back again shades of: Tempting, Next to Nothing, Dark Edge and Sharp, in a lush textural mix of satin, frost and lustre.

Zoom Lash:

Zoomblack – Rich Black

Powder Blushes:

Plum Du Bois – Frosted deep pink bronze with gold pearl (Frost)
Blooming - Frosty deep dirty peach (Frost)

Nail Lacquers:

Illegal Purple - Creamy blackened eggplant (Cream)
Silverstruck - Frosty grayed taupe with multi-dimensional pearl (Frost)