I finished Tax today!!! :D

Sorry. I'm just so happy I finally finished my first reading on Tax! Wah! SO HAPPY.

To celebrate this moment, I took some time to do my nails:

Happy Missy!

I'm so proud of myself. I can do my own nails now. Also, I can now do my own make up, and even dye my hair! Hooray for DIY stuff! The things I learn during bar review. Haha. 

Okay, back to studying. I have mock bar on Saturday! Also, I now have a JOB waiting for me! :D :D :D

CRUNCH TIME!!!

Fun finds at Cash and Carry!

Azta Urban Salon - MLV Hair Color

About a week ago I attempted to color my hair on my own, but it didn't give me the "transformation" I wanted. The only reason why I didn't want to go to a salon and have my hair fixed is because of my limited budget, so I was thrilled when I found this online:

This was posted in Azta Urban Salon's Facebook page. I stumbled upon the page after Archon Cris and I chatted about hair coloring last Sunday and decided to search for salons with promos. It was perfect, we thought, as that day was the last day for making appointments for the promo. We set an appointment with Azta Katipunan for the following day.

Unfortunately, Cris couldn't make it because she had Jessup training, so I ended up going there by myself.

I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and was made to wait for a while. I was assigned to Mr. Ed (Stylist) and Ms. Car (Assistant). Ed asked me which shade I preferred. 

MLV Color Swatches

I explained to him that I wanted something that would make me look "mabait", as my dark, thick hair made my mataray features more mataray. He recommended the shade "Light Golden Mahogany Blonde" to me. I just decided to trust his judgment.

I actually did a little research on this MLV hair coloring product. I wondered why it was cheaper. The product, according to the blogs I've read is from Taiwan and is relatively new. It's supposed to be more fragrant (without the smell of ammonia) and gentle (no sting) as compared to other hair coloring products.

 Ed and Car applying the solution to my hair

 They even applied it on my eyebrows!

I'd have to say that I do not agree with the other blogs. I did smell the ammonia in the product my skin did sting a little, but the odor and the sting didn't really bother me that much, so it's okay.

 My hair being blown dry

 Finished!

I also had my hair trimmed by the way. I'd have to say, Ed and Car worked efficiently, and they were friendly, but not too friendly. They didn't force me to have an endless conversation with them, but they accommodated all my questions about the process. The hair coloring, trim, and blow dry was finished in about two hours. Considering that I have very thick hair, this was quick! There was a time when a stylist took a whole hour just to dry my hair. Even if they were quick, though, I didn't feel like they were rushing things. I also liked that they offered me a complimentary drink. I had their milk tea, and it was good!

After I was finished, they handed me this maintenance recommendation slip:

I like how they gave me the number of my stylist so I could contact him if ever I had any concerns. I was also relieved because they recommended products to me through this slip instead of cornering me during payment (like other salons).

I asked the receptionist (sorry I didn't get her name) to take a picture of me but my phone camera didn't quite capture how my hair looks like in the mirror. I really should get a phone with a better camera, I know.

I took this picture at home with my Sony Cybershot. I like how my hair turned out <3 p="">

The treatment cost me Php 1,175.00 (1,650 MLV hair color + 300 extra tube + 200 haircut - 975 discount).

I'd have to observe my hair for a couple of weeks before I give my final verdict, but based on the price and the quality of service, I would definitely recommend Azta Urban Salon's MLV Hair Color treatment to my friends. :)

Do you like my nails? :D

I put the nail polish on myself, my first attempt at self-nail-polishing! (Is that even a term?)

I used Wet n' Wild  Party of Five Glitter, and a clear coat on top. I apologize for the sucky pictures. As you can see, I tried taking a picture under different light conditions, but I guess my phone camera just isn't good for blogging. Hehe.

I'd like to learn how to put on makeup myself too. Parlor services are getting more expensive. But I have to buy some makeup first! I don't have any. So... if you have any recommendations on which makeup stuff I could start with, let me know :)

My first attempt at hair coloring! :D

Soooo I've been wanting to color my hair for the longest time but I wasn't exactly willing to shell out the money for a salon treatment, so I decided to try out doing it myself. :D 

I bought Kolours in Burgundy from the grocery. It cost me about Php 250. My other options were L'oreal (Php 450), Revlon (Php 500) and Garnier (Php 350). What sold me on this choice was its price and the fact that the box said that it's designed for Asian hair, which is darker and more resistant to color. I've had difficulty coloring my hair before so this was a plus factor. Also, I liked that on the top of the box it showed the expected effect of the treatment if you have "virgin" hair and if you have already treated hair.

Kolours in Burgundy

The instructions were simple and the box had everything I needed in it: the chemicals, a squeeze bottle and even plastic gloves. Okay, maybe not everything. It would have been more convenient if I had hair clips and an applicator comb thingy but I was so excited that I decided to do without them. :))

The box, instruction sheet, after-treatment conditioner, gloves, color tube, squeeze bottle

This is me before the treatment:

So I put the content of the color tube into the squeeze bottle

Then I shook it so that the chemicals would mix together

And then I applied this mixture to my hair. I did so while wearing the gloves and I used a comb so I could even out the application. I had a hard time doing this, so I wasn't able to take any pictures during this stage :p

Afterwards, I waited for about an hour to let the mixture set in my hair.  The instructions said to leave it on for 30 minutes, plus 15 more MAX if I wanted a lighter color, but I had to eat dinner so I exceeded the time. Thankfully, my hair wasn't damaged. I rinsed it off and then put on the conditioner, and rinsed that off after about 20 minutes.

This is what my hair looked like after:

Sorry for the bad picture, I used my phone camera. Can you see the difference? Didn't use flash because it doesn't show the color.

 See what I mean?  In the mirror my hair looks brown but the camera flash somehow messes that up.

Close up shot of my hair

Honestly, I expected the result to be more obvious. The color only shows under some light. My friend tells me this might be because my hair is untreated. I was going for a lighter shade, So I might try this again after a few weeks with a lighter shade.