Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – Martha (Comment)
L’Oreal Total Repair gift pack - Lany dela Cruz (Facebook)
Majolica Majorca Majoromantica Perfume - @michelleame (Twitter)
L’Oreal White Perfect Moisturising Day Cream - Agnes Dc (Comment)
Garnier Light Complete Multi-Action Whitening Cream gift pack – Maridel Terrado (Facebook)

In addition, each of you will get a 20g sampler jar of Asian Secrets Lulur Whitening Body Scrub for you to try.

Thanks for joining! To those who didn’t make it, I’ve lined up more giveaways in the future. So, stay tuned! x

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.

Last time, I asked a good guy friend of mine, Kirk, to review a product for me. He gladly obliged, and came up with this insightful review. Enjoy reading!

Many say that men are crude animals — they don’t give a damn about manners, grooming and hygiene.

As long as they have sports, beer and a hot girl they can call their own, they’ll live a happy life.

Considering all of these aspects, I can proudly say that I fit the description perfectly. I consider myself a Neanderthal. I love the violence and excitement of sports (I play for a flag football team), I believe that beer should replace water, and I have for myself a girl who understood and accepted my crudeness.

However, there is one thing that I consider an exception; something that I put a premium on is facial skin care. I don’t choose facial care products, even if they are hypoallergenic and all, immediately. These products must first pass a ‘testing phase’ before I consider using them.

I admit that I am not a handsome guy. I fully admit that I don’t possess the facial features befitting of a model and the flawless skin that almost everyone wants to achieve. However, I am still picky when it comes to skin care products, especially facial washes.

I have psoriasis. It’s a skin disorder wherein the body’s immune system speeds up the growth of skin cells, causing the some areas of the skin to flake. This skin disorder can occur all over the body, affecting even the scalp, palms and feet and even the nails. The condition is not contagious, and the cause is still not fully understood by medical experts. However, the cause is said to be genetic. Psoriasis can be aggravated by a number of factors which include environmental factors, stress and withdrawal to some drugs.

The severity of psoriasis differs from person to person. In my case, there are some patches that appear on my face. When these patches are irritated, I tell you, it’s like hell. My face is very itchy, and there are red patches everywhere. After these areas dry up, these patches will flake off skin. It’s gruesome, painful and at times, disgusting — especially if you have it on your face. It’s really that difficult.

To resolve the problem, it would take days and a rigorous maintenance regimen to help my face heal. I would need to moisturize often and not let my face dry up. I also need to have enough rest and sleep. I also need to shake off the stress. It’s an arduous task just to recover.

That is why I’m very particular with facial care products. One wrong move and it may cause my face a psoriasis outbreak. I tell you, I’m very particular. I shell about Php 600 just for a bottle of a hypoallergenic facial wash. I don’t settle for less.

It is also important to note that this is the first time that I will be using a masculine facial product. I think I have patronized one particular facial wash for the past 10 years. I did not even dare try another brand. We can say that trying this product was like getting out of my comfort zone, and it was quite difficult for me. The apprehension was already there, but when the product arrived, it transformed into fear.

My friend, Roanne had me try L’Oreal Men Expert Pure & Matte Charcoal Black Foam. At first, I was like, “what’s this black sh*t?” I just thought that if there is a beauty regimen called a mud pack then using charcoal for your face wouldn’t be a far-cry. And also, in this time and age, the more natural the ingredient is, the better.

I set up a regimen in using the L’Oreal product. I used a two-week testing period. I decided not to immediately use the new facial product all throughout the testing period, because I’m afraid that my skin will react to it. I decided that I will only use it once a day for the first week, and gradually use it for the whole day for the following week. I wash my face twice in a day.

When I first opened L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam tube, I liked its musky, manly smell. It’s swabe. I checked for the product’s consistency and feel. I pressed the tube, thumbed a dollop, and let it lather between my fingers. I was impressed with the fine bubbles and the black particulates. I guess those are the charcoal.

When I used L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam, the sensation and the feel was good. It was quick to lather and very easy to rinse. My face felt clean after the wash and very smooth. The skin on my face is very oily especially after I’ve perspired. The product is said to work best against oily skin and it did exactly that after the wash. My face felt good.

However, I have stages in cleaning one’s face. I don’t do the exfoliating thing and I don’t use toner. I only wash and moisturize right after.

I wanted to see if my face would immediately dry up after using L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam, and it did. So, I had to immediately moisturize. That’s one thing that I feared that the product would do to my face, especially after the wash – to dry my face up.

But I cut L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam some slack as it was only the first time that I used the product. My sensitive face was still not used to it.

After the first few days, my face still dried up right after I washed my face. I immediately needed to moisturize. However, I immediately noticed that my pores were more visible. I guess it was because my face was cleaner as the sebum and dirt were easily washed away.

After the first week, my face was definitely cleaner, clearer. There were less blackheads and face shone – literally. I remember my girlfriend complementing my new cleaner look.  Hehe.

After the first two weeks of using L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam, I can happily say that the product fulfilled all its promises and do even more. With my condition and all, it was able to perform quite adequately and do much better by getting rid of my pesky blackheads.

I’m happy that I decided to crawl out of what I’m used to and achieve something better. Based on my experience, I’d recommend L’Oreal Men Expert Pure  & Matte Charcoal Black Foam for those guys who do a lot of sports and live an active lifestyle. It cleans your face thoroughly and keeps the oil in check.

For me, L’Oreal Men Expert Pure & Matte Charcoal Black Foam is a must for every man’s gwapo arsenal — whatever kind of crude animal they may be.

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.

My mom has loved L’Oreal Revitalift ever since I let her try the Double Lifting Cream for the face, and I’m sure she’s gonna be excited as soon as she finds out this new addition to the Revitalift line–L’Oreal Revitalift White Day Cream with SPF 18.

This is L’Oreal’s first anti-aging product with whitening benefits. It claims to target wrinkles and firmness while prevents skin darkening and age spots. Thanks to its Pro-Retinol A which stimulates cell renewal to reduce wrinkles, and Vitamin B3 that inhibits the melanin transfer to cells correcting and fighting against dark spots.

What’s  actually amazing with this skin care product is that it’s fortified with SPF18 which protects the skin from harmful UV rays.

Skin is moisturized immediately, leaving a smooth and brighter, more luminous complexion. After 4 weeks, it claims that you can already see a huge glowing difference into your skin.

I took a pea size of this pearly smooth cream, and it easily melts into the skin upon application without the sticky or greasy feel.

Inside

My mom claims that Revitalift works for her. It really moisturizes her skin, leaving a radiant glow to it. Well, how can I question her with the way she looks (she’s currently in her mid-40s)?

Price is Php 890. It’s available nationwide in leading department stores, drug & beauty stores, supermarkets and hypermarkets (SM Department Stores and Watsons Beauty Stores, PCX, Landmark Department Stores, Robinsons Department Stores, Shopwise, Mercury Drug Stores, Gaisano Metro Department Stores).

On the other hand, I handed the other bottle, L’Oreal Revitalift Double Eye Lift, to my officemate who’s in her mid 20′s and is ardently in search of a perfect eye product to address her woes. Here’s a short review (or rather a testimonial[!]) by E:

Sagging bags, dark circles, horrendous crow’s feet—yes, my eyes were a miserable pair some four months back. Those were the days of late work nights and stress-filled, traffic-jammed afternoons. I was so dazed and spaced-out that I failed to notice my peepers practically screaming “save us!!” And so, there came Roanne, my officemate, who offered salvation in a nifty bottle of L’Oreal Double Eye Lift from L’Oreal’s Revitalift line. Totally exuberant from getting something for free, I tried the product out as soon as I got home. Lo and behold! The cute, red-toned bottle serves you 2 variations of their “eye saving” liquids in separate, easy-pump cartridges! The left pump gives you a milky-white cream that glides smoothly under your eye, while the right pump offers you a generous heap of cool-to-touch, transparent-reddish gel for your upper eyelid. It was so convenient, you can even apply make-up over the cream/gel! Chalk one up for L’Oreal! So after a week of daily application, I noticed immediately how my eyes lightened up. It was like they were given a bit of lift, and some of the revolting crow’s feet vanished. A month more of use and my eyes were smiling from their sockets! What more can a stressed and uber-haggard computer geek/web-developer/web designer/graphic artist ask for?

I’m super glad that she also loves it, and finds it effective as well! I recently just turned 25, and it’s high time for me to start taking care of my skin from daily aggressors which cause premature aging. Oh my, I can’t believe that time flies so fast! And so, I consider L’Oreal Revitalift to be one of my top choices when it comes to anti-aging skin care regimen. But of course, nothing beats daily sunblock application for starters.

Well, look who’s gone and back again? I’ll keep you posted on the updates regarding my blog’s first-ever contest, since yours truly’s birthday is fast approaching. This includes Kiehl’s 15-Day Challenge Contest!

In the meantime, I’ll take you back to this certain event that transpired 3 months ago…

I was privileged to attend the grand launch of L’Oreal INOA (short for Innovation—No Ammonia) here in the Philippines. It is a breakthrough product from L’Oreal Professionnel that claims to be ammonia-free. This only means that, for the first time, we can experience an odourless and painless hair colour that won’t dry our tresses after! Interesting, huh?

Ammonia is something that I really hate about hair colour products. It has a very strong medicinal scent that reeks so badly. Sometimes, it makes me feel queasy. I also learnt that it causes burning sensation, whilst in the process of hair colouring. That’s something for me to be totally afraid about!

Another thing that this product boasts is its new technology called ODS (Oil Delivery System). So, instead of using ammonia, they use oil, which makes the dye absorbed better by the hair.

So here’s what L’Oreal INOA promises, in summary:

• No More Odour, No Ammonia
• Optimal Respect for the Hair Fibre
• Optimal Scalp Comfort
• Infinite Colour Power
• Sublime Shine

I cannot really vouch for this at the moment, only because I haven’t tried this product yet. I’m not very conscious with my hair to start with! But, I guess, having my hair coloured (after the longest time—say more than 10 years?) won’t hurt.

Anyhoos, here are some snapshots from the event’s fashion show. Participating salons were Regine Salon, Piandre Salon, Bridges Salon and Emphasis Salon. Amongst all, I considered Danny Katalbas’ work (from Emphasis Salon) the most dramatic. Perhaps, ‘twas because of the towering hairstyles that can be compared to flamboyant headdresses worn by the likes of Tessa Prieto-Valdes for instance.

L’Oreal INOA Event in Pictures

Warning: picture heavy!

L’Oreal’s surpise in red.

Ta-dah! First thing that looms is a piece of L’Oreal Revitalift Mask. It’s apparently infused with ingredients that are proven effective in firming the skin and nixing wrinkles. But, we’ll keep looking further down below.

A bottle of L’Oreal Revitalift Double Lifting for the face, and another one for the eyes. “Double” as each bottle is composed of an anti-wrinkle cream and a tensing gel. Both have their own roles on tightening the skin and combating wrinkles. Experience having a great comforting sensation upon application.

I’m not really particular of anti-aging skin regimen, as I don’t worry about things like that so far. I’m still in my early 20′s anyhow, so why bother? Then, I saw a picture of Sinjai Plengpanich, a Thai actress who’s currently the face of L’Oreal Revitalift.

Sinjai for L’Oreal Revitalift

Sinjai in her mid-40s.

Gosh, she looks so twenty-something at 45! Her enviable youthful glow makes me think otherwise.

A few weeks ago, I had a wonderful time getting all primped and pampered (at long last[!]), thanks to Fab, Fresh, Fun Summer Picnic Event held at The Grove in Rockwell!

After so many months of taking a blogging hiatus and toiling in my day job, I’ve finally had the chance to relax and de-stress myself, starting off with painting my used-and-abused manos pink! Nail Spa‘s nail tech used Essie nail polish of what it seems to be of natural pink color (failed to get the exact color name) which looks very much neat and simple.

I’ve always hankered for a big change especially when it comes to my eternally unkempt locks. Finally, my not-so-tiara-worthy crowning glory had undergone some luscious hair treatment using Matrix Sensoria.Care products. The hair spa, coupled with soothing back massage, was my absolute favorite as it instantly softened and untangled my locks while removing the tension away from my back area.  I also enjoyed taking a whiff of my hair every now and then, all because of the conditioner’s yummy fruity scent that relaxed my senses.

Archie of Maybelline once again obliged to do my makeup, giving me an effortless, makeup no-makeup look the way I like it! He simply put some Clear Smooth Face Powder on my face to help nix the extra shine, curled my lashes and applied Volum’ Express Magnum Mascara for that instant vavavoom touch, and painted my pucker with Color Sensational Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Bonbon Pink. I especially love the mascara as it gave my lashes an extra oomph in just a quick swipe!

My friend M whom I tagged along also tried getting a facial from Garnier. I don’t really bring someone along with me when it comes to such events. But being a woman on-the-go that she is, I believe my BFF deserves a breather like this! She told me that it was quite an experience she definitely enjoyed to bits.

I also got to meet L’Oreal peeps, fellow bloggers, editors from Queue Magazine and Manila Bulletin’s Sense&Style.

More about the event in piccies:

Maybelline

Matrix Sensoria.Care Products

Friend M getting a hair fix courtesy of Antonio-Hairdressing Salon peeps

The Nail Spa

Carmela  and Ytwo of L’Oreal

Maybelline MUA’s Archie

Archie doing Bianca‘s makeup

ATV’s Roanne and Friend M

Nikki

Shen

First up, this uber-yummy Kérastase hair care line in minis!

One very lucky voter will get a chance to win this super cool set.

To win this, just e-mail us a photo of yourself at hairinmanila@gmail.com that shows how you participated during the May 10 Elections. Whether you voted (show that indelible ink!), volunteered as a poll-watcher, counted votes, or any other way possible, send your entries in! Please include a short description of what you did on May 10 with your photo entry.

But wait, there’s more! Simply spread the word about this contest using your own blog or website, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Tumblr, Multiply or whatever social media you have and win these goodies from Pureology and L’Oreal Professionnel!

Not just one, but two lucky posters will win these luscious hair care products!

One will win a shampoo and conditioner from Pureology, and another will win a shampoo and masque from L’oreal Professionnel’s Serie Nature line.

The contest is open to all Philippine readers! The winner of the Kerastase minis set will be HairinManila’s personal choice, whilst the two winners of L’Oreal and Pureology will be randomly selected. Contest runs from April 29-May 15 at 11pm. So what are you waiting for? Click here for more details!