All By Watsons. REALLY

It's been awhile.  My mind and body went on vacation and is always in lalaland that I don't have any meaningful words to utter to anyone be it on a person to person basis or in the electronic messaging world and I just realized I'm talking rubbish.

Oh a quick disclaimer, I bought these items with my own moolah and I'm not affilated with Watsons but if Watsons would give me the chance hehehe....(it would be cloud 9, email me *wink wink*).

Watsons Conditioner in Lily & Jasmine Scented - P249 for two gigantic 750ml (around $5.50)
Seriously $5.50 for two?  No brainer I guess so I got them but these giants are more for those with normal; as in, unproblematic hair.  My hair is dry so I find the "moisturizing" part not moisturizing enough plus I also find this conditioner heavy that by midday it's as if my hair accumulated a few number of dust.  BUT I still like it in the sense that it is quite okay as a leg shaving cream and a base to my DIY hair mask.

Naturals by Watson Argan Oil Body Lotion - P299 (around $6.60)
Argan Oil plus a classy packaging plus all the good oils (Avocado and Wheat Germ Oil) on it made me put a bubble on my head saying "Oh Yeah, In Your Face".  This is actually a good lotion for all skin type.  It would be sticky at first specially when you apply this on a damp skin but once absorbed it's as if you didn't put any lotion yet there's moisturization happening.  For those with dry skin, reapplication is needed like every after 3 or 4 hours and for those with very sensitive nose the scent might be an issue because it's un-understandable, sometimes it's okay to me but sometimes I would just suddenly sneeze when I sniff it from the bottle.  490ml for $6.60 with no parabens, no minerals and no silicones?  Why not!

Watsons Charcoal Nose Pore Strips - P109 (around $2.40)
Burning!  This one smells like a burning tire and I hate it but it's cheap (and easily available) and does the job, well half done most of the time.  These strips are quite demanding in the sense that I have to be in a cool dry place or in front of a fan or whatever that will assure that no sweat or any kind of liquid will form in my nose, if not then everything will be a mess: sticky black substance on my nose, unpleasant smell and no white/blackheads on the strip.

With these words, I guess Watsons will never contact me.  End of the story.  Bye!

They Hate Me = I Hate Them: Drugstore Products That Just Won't Work

Well, for me.  Some of the products here works okay with other people but it seems like my skin and scalp are brats these days that the most behaved part of my body is surprisingly my face.

Affordable and readily available are two major characteristics why I always roam around department or grocery stores.  Most of the time, the products that I buy works just fine but in this batch, everything seems bad to me.

Asian Secrets Lulur Body Scrub with Seaweed Extract and Vitamin E - P137 (around $3.20)
Surprise?  I know there are a lot of gals loving this scrub but it did a great deal of a damage to my skin.  After using this twice, I find myself scratching every part of my body and small itchy reddish bumps (like acne/pimples) started to appear.  There are three probable reasons for this shocking effect:  first is that the whitening ingredient in this scrub is just too much for my skin, second is probably an allergic reaction to the seaweed extract and third might be because of the small beads; polyethelene (a type of plastic), that acts as the scrub irritated my skin.

Olay Regenerist Cleanser - deluxe sample from the Olay Regenerist Specialty Cleanser Set
This one also has polyethelene that after just using it for a day, a few numbers of mini bumps appeared on my face.  I gave it another chance after a week but the result is still the same.  I also hate how this one smells like plastic.

Lorys Deep Moisturizing Hair Cream - P185 (around $4.30)
It's great that this hair mask can be use as an intensive mask and an everyday conditioner.  A week has passed of using it and my hair still feel damaged and became stiffer (but a bit straighter) than before.  I thought I can live with it and maybe after a few more weeks my hair would finally be less damaged and moisturized.  Rather, I found myself scratching my scalp intensively after some days so I finally gave up and decided to kick this hair mask out of the shower.

Essence Mosaic Compact Powder - P229 (around $5.30)
My first ever compact that I should have a bit of some kind of sentimental feeling with it but I find this too glittery.  I'm aware that there are parts of this compact that have glitters on it but when I swatched it before purchasing, the glitters look subtle, sheen and nice.  For the first few swirls, this compact actually looks good but as I swirl deeper, I find the glitters getting bigger (which I hate) and it also started to make my face itchy.  I heard a lot of good thing about Essence's translucent powder though which is what I planned to buy in the first place but it was (and still) out of stock.

Common denominator of these products: making me itchy!

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

Small Medium Large: Moringa, Avocado and Apricot

There are some products that don't need much explanation and elaboration that I just tend to bundle and give my thoughts about them in one post to save space in the net :P

Beauty comes in all sizes and I have 3 good and affordable products to share with you.

Pantene Pro-V Intensive Hair Mask Nature Care - more or less P200 (around $4.25)
The bounciness this one gives is not comparable with what's shown in its Philippine commercial but given the price, this one is bouncy enough for me.  It makes my crowning glory moisturize, feeling light and bouncy as if it's so healthy.  Scent is a bit heavy in floral but tolerable.  I use this after I shampoo my hair, put a shower cap on and let it sink into my hair for more or less 10 minutes or until I'm done scrubbing and washing my skin.  Rinse then either fan dry (which makes my hair very tame and shiny) or air dry (which gives my hair some good looking fly-aways but still shiny at the same time and less frizzy too).

Moringa-O2 Malunggay Herbal Hair, Scalp, & Skin Therapy Oil - P99 (around $2.10)
There are many uses enumerated in the box packaging but I mainly bought this 30ml oil for only one purpose and that is to moisturize my skin.  Cold days are my dry skin's enemy so I layer oil and lotion or body butter to keep my skin well moisturize.  Moringa-O2 Malunggay does its job in the moisturizing area (will just update this post or make another one if ever I'll try its other uses).  I also noticed that it helps in reducing the appearance of some of my scars.  Others say that this one is light on the skin...I don't 100% agree.  Though it's lighter than baby oil, it's not as light as dry or argan oil.  I definitely see and feel a thin film of oil sitting on top of my skin.  But with all the benefits of moringa plus its affordability,  there's no doubt that this is a must try.

St. Ives Smoothing Apricot Exfoliating Body Wash - more or less P200 (around $4.25)
It gives a mild exfoliation and at the same time washes the dirt from the body, this is a 2 in 1 product that is paraben free and made with natural ingredients.  The exfoliators from this body wash is so fine like a sand that I wish their face scrub would also be the same and even if I use this on a daily basis (with just my hands), my skin doesn't dry out.  The apricot scent is also refreshing and having a 400ml product in a bottle will last for more or less 3 months.

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

How do you take care of your crowning glory?

To be honest, my hair is the least of my concern...well before.  Especially when I'm still studying, I step-out of the house with wet or uncombed hair and my older sister's scold me whenever they see my unruly strands.  Through my sisters' bugging, I slowly become aware of my hair needs but I want a quick fix so I go for treatments like coloring and rebonding  leaving some parts of my hair dry and coarse which is partly my fault because I never treated my hair right.  Aside from laziness, I also thought that I have to regularly go to salon and buy products to have a shiny, beautiful hair which involves a lot of moolah (yikes!).

So how to really take care of the care in a simple?  Well, here are some ways and tips that I found (of course) from the web world.

photo from http://www.buzzle.com

FEED YOUR HAIR
Think of protein, colorful fruits and vegetables in nourishing the hair.  Eating protein rich foods like egg, fish and dairy products will help in keeping your hair grow full of life.

Healthy scalp can equate to healthy hair too so eat lots of fruits and vegetables and other food that are rich in Vitamins A, B and C like tomatoes, apples and green leafy vegetables.

photo from http://bettybooppicturesarchive.blogspot.com

WASH WITH CARE
How to wash your hair depends on what type strands you have.
Wash your hair daily if you have fine or oily hair.
Coarse or dry hair just need to be wash every second or third day.
Every other day washing is best for those with normal hair.

Since I live in a tropical country, I can't help but sweat and sweat attracts dirt and pollution that makes my body and hair, well dirty so daily washing of hair can't be avoided and I greatly rely on shampoo and conditioner.  Here's some simple tips in choosing the right one.

Choose hydrating and moisturizing shampoo and conditioner when you have coarse/dry hair.
Clear shampoo and lightweight conditioner are perfect for those with fine/oily hair.
If you have normal hair type then congratulations, you can use whatever pleases you.

photo from http://sweeps4bloggers.com

WET AND DRY HANDLING
I do a lot of don'ts in handling my hair.  Bear the following in mind when handling your hair.

Wet Hair
Hair is prone to breakage when it's wet so don't rub it in removing excess water instead blot it with the towel.  Also, avoid sleeping with wet hair, it can damage it and you will also wake -up with an unruly hair.

Dry Hair
Metal fasteners can tangle, cut and cause split ends to your hair so use an elastic band that doesn't have one. Use a wide tooth comb first to remove the tangles before brushing to avoid hair breakage.

It's nice to touch the hair especially when it's soft and smooth but excessive touching can transfer the dirt from your hand to your strand that can probably make your hair oily so try to avoid doing it.

Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!

sources:
www.thehairstyler.com
www.vanguardngr.com
arya de guzman's experience and imagination :P

100% Natural Moisturizing Conditioner

Sorry if I've been missing for some days.  I am actually sick, tired, depressed and stressed this week and I'm trying to suppressed these feelings and don't want to reflect them in this post post especially that it's about a product that cares for our crowning glory.

Human Heart Nature 100% Natural Moisturizing Conditioner
100% No Harmful Chemicals Only the Good.

Yep, I started to use natural products on my hair and this one really works for me so I already ordered another 500ml bottle although I haven't finished yet with my first one.

Give your thirsty hair a long and satisfying drink!  Avocado (with Omega-3) is one of the nature's most revitalizing moistirizers, while seaweed restores elasticity and soothes and tones dry scalp without adding excess weight.  Our organic virgin coconut oil adds the final kiss, use with our natural moisturizing shampoo with natural CREAMFoam, which acts like a lotion

100% No harmful Chemicals:  No parabens, phthalates, silicones, feel modifiers, PEGs, PPG or other toxic substances.  Only the Good

I can't believe that I'm feeding my hair with all natural goodness.  And because it's made with no chemicals, the conditioner itself is light and well not as creamy as other conditioners but more liked a whipped cream.

How to use:  After shampoo, apply conditioner directly to hair.  Leave on for a whole song or two for maximum effect then rinse well.

 A song or two sometimes I even leave this conditioner up to three songs and don't mind getting my hair all over my face because it doesn't have the annoying slippery effect.  It's so light that I thought I didn't put enough the first time that I use this conditioner but after rinsing and drying, my hair feels soft,smooth,clean and light(bouncy)!  I like the smell too, it's something tangy probably from the avocado and orange.

Now if you wanted to try this or any other natural conditioner then make sure that you also use natural shampoo and hair treatment because if not then your scalp will be itchy.  Also the first week that I use this, my scalp have this bits of white particles like dandruff and I read that these are from the chemical based products that I used before that are coming off from my scalp.

To know more you can check their website or click here.  This conditioner is also available in  Vanilla Lush variant which I will try/order soon.
Thanks for reading.  Till then.  Bye!