New thing to try this year: Haircuts at home!

Happy New Year, my dear beauty lovers!

Here's an idea for my Manila readers: Why don't you avoid the horrendous traffic jams and have your hairdresser come to you? That's what Vince and I do!

Vince used to get haircuts twice a year because he can't stand the traffic-and-parking stress. So his hair gets loooong and unruly. And then when I gave birth in 2010 and found absolutely no time to go to the salon, I started looking raggedy myself.

My friend Nikki of The Picky Dresser said I have no excuse to look unkempt just because I'm a mommy since there are so many at-home services available these days. She gave me a list and I was surprised to see "Hairstyling - Michael Morano" on her list.

Michael does everything for your hair--cut, color, blowdry, style for events. He saved our looks! We get regular trims in the comfort of our own home. It's so convenient! Try it this year, beauties!

To set an appointment with Michael, here's his number: 0929.428-0430.

Check out my gorgeous new hair! My many kinds of hair! (Thanks, Tokyo P.O.S.H.!)

Having very thin, fine and flat hair, I have never really grown my hair long. Well, maybe once or twice it's grown as far down as my bra strap but by then it looked like a sad skinny sheet. Because of that, I usually keep my hair's length to as short as a bob to as long as just past my shoulders.

A few weeks ago, The Picky Dresser told me, "I think you'll look so much better with long hair." I told her my dilemma. She laughed, "Do hair extensions! Go to Tokyo P.O.S.H.!" And so I Tweeted about it and the owner of the hair boutique, Denise Aquino, just happened to see my Tweet and we arranged to meet.

But first! This is what my hair looks like. This is my hair when it's unstyled--it's messy, wavy and very fine and soft. Like baby hair. I usually pull it up in a bun or pony. For events I have to work in hair thickener, blow dry then put in curlers for about 10-15 minutes, then blast on hairspray for hold. But because of the humidity, my hair still falls flat within an hour or so.

So when I walked into the Tokyo P.O.S.H. salon, I really was open to anything and yet I was also a bit leery. Hair extensions are so... Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears and J.Lo and... Oh, hair extensions are so Hollywood! And as the editor-in-chief of OK! magazine, I really ought to give this a try.

Then I saw this:

I got a bit creeped out. It looks like someone's scalp! But the hair is so soft and silky that I had to ask, "Is this human hair?" Denise Aquino, the super stylish owner of Tokyo P.O.S.H., giggled, "No! It's high quality fiber from Japan!" Then Denise showed off her own gorgeous mane of hair, "This is hair extensions! Semi-permanent so I have them on, wash them with shampoo, style. But for you, let's try clip-on extensions. It's for girls who can't commit!"

Here's what it looks like underneath. Clips! You tie back half of your hair and clip the extensions under your lifted hair. Release your real hair and voila!

Instant long hair that's already curled and styled! Definitely saves you a lot of time in front of the mirror! The great thing about the Tokyo P.O.S.H. (that's Put On Styled Hair) is their extensions aren't woven, braided or sewn into your hair. So if you feel like wavy today, straight tomorrow, shoulder-length for lunch, then cascading mane for dinner, you can! Just snap on, twist in or tie up! Easy! So perfect for lazy me!

Anyway, the next extension I tried was a twisty. I'll confirm the names later on but for now I do remember this is a twisty. It's like a foot-long wire of short waves. Most of us, when we put our hair in a bun, don't have huge masses of  tresses to make an impressive bun. Well, the twisty solves that--you twist it around your little bun and... presto!

The next thing I tried on was the wrappy. It's basically a sheet of hair that you wrap around your ponytail. Yes, so that instead of your scraggly pony, you have a fountain of lustrous thick locks. See below? That's my real ponytail. It's pathetic.

But with the wrappy, my pony can look this amazing!

There's sleek and straight.

There's sexy and wavy.

I liked the sleek one. Just look at that tail!!! It's amazing! In fact, this was the extension I loved best and took home (thanks, Denise!). I walked around Power Plant and, I swear to you, people treated me better! So that's what having long, thick hair feels like! And when I got home, my husband was just bowled over. It was a ponytail! I think it's the sexiest ponytail ever!

Anyway, I did get to try out one last look--the super long waves-tumbling-down-your-back extensions. I kinda felt weird with such long hair and so much of it, too.

But after staring and staring at myself in the mirror and then later at these photos, I think this is the next style I'm getting. Just look at how much younger I look!

This is me with the utterly fab Denise. She got the idea of hair extensions from her days as a fashion student at Tokyo's premier fashion school Bunka Fashion College. She said that in Japan, fashion isn't just clothes and accessories--the Japanese really literally plan their look from hair and makeup down to their nail polish and shoes. And hair is just a fashion accessory, too. They don't get limited by what they were born with; they just collect hair in all sorts of lengths, textures and colors!

Denise figured that we fashionable Pinays can benefit from this trick. I certainly did! I can't wait for the Kate Middleton waves coming this November. I'm definitely getting myself that. I also want blunt bangs, a twisty and that looooong wavy mass of gorgeousness above. Tokyo P.O.S.H., you just changed my life!

Tokyo P.O.S.H. has a salon at Power Plant Mall, right beside Kabisera. There's also Extensions by Tokyo P.O.S.H. at the third floor of SM North EDSA's main mall. For more info, here's their Facebook page. Girls, go get hair extensions now!

Sock bun--the easy way to big sexy waves!

I love this big waves secret! It's so easy!



I'm going to try it out tonight. If you've tried this out, send me photos and other tips so I can post it on my blog!

Cut and color at Louis Phillip Kee again!

I visited my hairstylist of five years, Louis Phillip Kee, at his posh Bonifacio Global City salon some time ago for a trim and a color.

A salon session can take a long while, about 4-5 hours. That's a long time to be away from my baby boy. And I'm a breastfeeding momma. But I have to be a gorgeous breastfeeding mommy so I sacrificed an afternoon to have my hair done.

Told ya it takes forever. By this time, I had already finished a stack of magazines. Louis's salon has free Wi-Fi, a fact that I forgot. I wish I had brought the iPad. Grr!

It truly does take a long time! That's because I have several colors done. So it's color, wash, dry, color, wash, dry then color, wash, dry. In the days when I didn't have a child, I'd even get a mani-pedi, hair treatment and massage done. That's an entire day spent at the salon! (Yes, Louis offers a ton of fab services to meet all your beauty needs). Now? I rush home to the baby soonest!

Trim, trim! Louis is known for his precision cuts, which my fluffy hair badly needs. My hair isn't straight and sleek. It's kinda wavy and soft and fine--like baby hair. It's not as nice as it sounds. My hair's so thin and fine, it dries up in five minutes and can get really messy because the slightest breath of air makes it fly about my head. So I love Louis's precision cuts because my hair behaves!

See? Perfectly behaved hair! Thanks, Louis! As always, you made me look fabulous. But I have to go back again for a trim. And I think I'm ready to go red again! Let's do this!

To book an appointment at Louis Phillip Kee Salons, click here.

I love Louis Phillip Kee Salon

I've been having my hair cared for, cut and colored by Louis Phillip Kee since 2006. There was a rumor that was going around that if Louis touched your hair, you'd be engaged/married within a year. That wasn't going to happen to me, I thought, since Vince and I--together then for 7 years--had no plans to marry. So I went to Louis in March 2006. That December, Vince and I were engaged and we were married on April 2007!

I should've made Louis ninong at our wedding!

Anyway, the last time I had my hair colored was October 2009. One month later, I was pregnant and my OBG and hubby absolutely forbid me to have my hair colored. I vowed, "First thing I'll do after I give birth is go to Louis!" That didn't happen, though. I was just so overwhelmed with new motherhood to even brush my hair!

But last month, I finally decided to drag my frumpy-mom ass to Louis's salon at Bonifacio Global City. And I am oh so glad I finally did!

Professor Snape? Is dat chu?

All over hair color is applied first. Brows are died to match.
Since I'm breastfeeding, the gentle INOA color is used.

Highlights are then applied.

Here I am baking!

Louis and his famous precision cutting.

Mia! She's the best.... everything!

Et voila!

I look like a woman again. I feel like a gorgeous wife and mommy! Thanks, Louis!

To book an appointment at Louis Phillip Kee Salons, click here.

The Sunsilk Co-Creator we like!

I'm sure you've already seen the new Sunsilk Co-Creations commercials on TV. If you haven't, here it is:


The new line, pushed by Sunsilk as their "best ever!", is the proud result of Sunsilk's collaboration with seven of the world's best hair experts. Two of them, Teddy Charles from Paris and Yuko Yamashita from Tokyo, were here in Manila for the Co-Creations launch recently and I was able to meet them.

OK!'s beauty team Nicole Delos Angeles and Nichole Mercado and managing editor Lana Chan were also there and, while we found image model Sarah Geronimo's hair to be absolutely smooth and silky and the model herself gorgeous, we all found ourselves swooning over the very tall and very blond Teddy Charles. 

Teddy has styled the hair of models and A-list celebs like Sarah Jessica Parker and Hayden Panettiere. Here he is, touching up lucky Sarah's looooong hair. He says, "To  this day, long and abundant hair continues to be the timeless symbol of feminine beauty. Most Filipino women want longer hair, and the key is to nourish it so it remains stronger as it grows longer." 

Sarah's long and abundant hair definitely suits her! Anyway, for his collaboration with Sunsilk, Teddy created Strong & Long and Straight & Sway. He's very happy with his products: "Finally, I have the opportunity, by co-creating with Sunsilk, to co-develop products that give girls across the world access to the secret of beautiful hair, day in, day out."

Just look at that smile on Sarah's face! I swear I'd be smiling that way, too, if I had someone like Teddy styling my hair. My gas, he looks like Henry Cavill!

Look at Sarah's hair! Stick-straight but with body, shiny but not oily! In the car, after the event, we girls were talking about--hypothetically, of course!--if we'd marry a hairstylist. Nic and Nikki were very much for the idea since "you'll have fabulous hair every single day!" True, true!

Vince, darling, can I interest you in some hairdressing classes?

Hair styling then and now

My friends are fans of curling irons for tight waves and straightening irons for gentle flips at the ends. Because we all think that wavy bouncy hair is much much sexier than straight hair. I can never get the hang of irons, though. My ears always get singed. So I rely on old-fashioned hair rollers.

Rollers from Watsons, P139.75/6-piece set. I use 2 sets.

Even back when I was just a wee lass!

I know, I know. I was much much cuter back then!

Grooming gifts for the baby!

My little boy is so lucky. Here he is, in my tummy, working hard to develop his little body to become strong and healthy and already he's got pampering products waiting for him!

Kiehl's Baby Gentle Foaming Hair & Body Wash 

and Nurturing Baby Cream for Face & Body

This New Year, use Kerastase--and only Kerastase!--for your hair

I love Kerastase. I use the Resistance Bain Volumactive line for my flat lifeless hair. Of course, with Kerastase, my hair is revived and bouncy and beautiful! I also use the Reflection Bain Chroma Riche line when my hair's newly colored, to keep my hair looking redder longer. I cannot emphasize just how much I love Kerastase for my hair! Even my husband is spoiled rotten--he loves it, too, and switches between his Phyto shampoo and my Kerastase bottle because this stuff really works.

Now, Kerastase is not cheap. Why, it's the hair care line used by Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Emmy Rossum! So I'm so happy I'm friends with Kerastase's Senior Product Manager, the affable and totally wonderful Birdie Salva--he sends me my bottles and jars for free! Thank you, Birdie!

Birdie's so generous, he's extending his offer of free Kerastase products to YOU! Look at what he's giving away on his fantabulous blog, Hair in Manila:

My darlings, that is one box of beauty! Hop on now to Hair in Manila for details on how you can win that fab box!

P.S. Birdie, thanks for my Kerastase Resistance Bain Volumactive shampoo and conditioner and the yummily scented candles, too!

Halloween glamour!

It's Halloween this weekend! And with the second Twilight franchise coming to theaters in a few weeks, everyone's going crazy over Team Edward and Team Jacob. Well, at this year's Halloween parties, why not show whose side you're on by donning these glamorous looks?

Vampire

Werewolf

Fantabulous beauty blog Hair in Manila details how you can look like a sexy she-wolf or a sultry vampire in its Halloween Glam series. Hop on over there now for inspiration!

Mixed feelings about Park Jun Salon

When I said I'll never go to another salon again for cut and color, I did mean it. So when I was invited to have a Kerastase treatment at Park Jun salon, of course I said yes.

Park Jun is a huge Korean chain of salons all over the world. This year, a Manila branch finally opened at Glorietta 3. The salon is fantastic--spacious, the decor is cutting-edge, the gadgets they use are out of this world, the service lovely. The shampoo chairs are amazing--they mold themselves to your body!

Anyway, I was so happy with everything (especially my Kerastase treatment!) that when my stylist, the adorable Jinny Kim, said I needed a cut and color and she would like to style my hair, I said... yes.

L'Oreal Professionel announces the hottest hair looks for F/W

There may be no fall/winter seasons here in the Philippines but fashion is followed globally and in the world of beauty trends, beauty giant L'Oreal Professionel has decreed that rock/folk music is the inspiration for the cold months ahead.

Robbie Lizares of L'Oreal Professionel emailed me: "I was going through our Fall/Winter collection and I immediately thought about you! We’re getting inspiration from music icons all over the world–in particular Rock and Folk icons. We’re getting inspiration from the likes of Amy Winehouse (yes, you better believe it!), Debbie Harry of Blondie, Janis Joplin, even Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats (a boy–but the boy cut has also been sported by Rihanna recently)."

Robbie also told me that these looks are going to be launched in September but I'm giving you a sneak peek!

"The Janis Joplin"

"The Joni Mitchell"

"The Debbie Harry"

"The Amy Winehouse"

Too bad the looks require thick masses of hair--my locks are baby fine. Well, I love the rich colors and how they absorb and reflect light. See the Janis color--there are red ribbons throughout the brown. The Amy color is fantastic, too--all deep and dark with golden bronze highlights for depth. Love the colors. Will definitely be getting those soonest!

Get your L'Oreal Professionel music icons-inspired looks from leading salons.

L'Oreal Professionel Nature Serie is so gentle, you can use them on your kids

L'Oreal Professionel just recently launched its Nature Serie line and it is oh so wonderful! There are four types: Oiliss, Richesse, Re-Naitre and Tendresse. While all the products in the line promise all-natural ingredients like avocado oil, grape seed oil, rice protein, lycopene from tomatoes, peach milk, I like Tendresse best. This is soooo gentle even you can use it on your babies--no tears, no allergies. And just look at the adorable kit Lenny Tiongson of L'Oreal Professionel sent me!
I don't have any kids yet, however. Though I can use Tendresse for myself, I figured OK!'s very pregnant associate features editor Joanna Mendoza will appreciate it more for her soon-to-be-born little boy!

Now, what I really love about this new line is its advocacy. For every product you buy, a percentage of the proceeds goes to the Haribon Foundation, which plants and takes care of trees. So not only is the Nature Serie products good for you and the environment, it also ensures that our children have forests to explore. Fabulous, isn't it? Now get yourself a set soonest!

L'Oreal Professionel Nature Serie is available at leading salons.

Trying Murad Professional Scalp Treatment

I was quite heartened by my hubby's successful experience with his hair. As some of you who follow my personal blog may know, I'm a hair color addict. I've been dyeing my hair different colors since I was 18. So now my hair is pretty thin (yikes!) and I was given Murad's Professional Scalp Treatment for Color-Treated and Thinning Hair to repair and heal my battered scalp.

It's a shampoo, a conditioner and a treatment serum. The set is easy enough to use--shampoo, condition and treat daily. I'm a dirty hair kinda girl, however. While I love showers, I usually let my hair go unwashed for a day or two since it's easier to style then. Well, now I wash my hair every day and so it's just fluffy and annoying.

I've only used this set for two weeks so I can't say if it works. So far though, whenever I tell my beauty editor friends I'm using Murad for thinning hair, they all say, "Better use Phyto. It's the best." Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed because I really want to give Murad a try!

UPDATE: I've stopped using this. Been having daily headaches and dizziness--my hubby even asks me if I'm pregnant. I didn't think Murad had anything to do with this (I always blame work or family stress) until I read this review on Amazon. Yikes!

The Beauty Writer

Thinning hair? Phyto Trichovital to the rescue!

This post is for the man in your life.

Last month, Rustan's Essences sent over Phyto Trichovital for Thinning Hair Exclusively for Men to my darling hubby. The set includes an Energizing Shampoo and an Intense Restorative Hair Treatment spray. The products promised notable hair growth in three months. The hubby got a little upset: "I'm not bald!" He's not, but his hairline had begun to recede and his hair to thin, due to, I most certainly believe, the terrible stress he endures at work. So I said, "Can I take them home and read the literature first?"

As he watched TV or played video games, I read aloud the leaflets in the box and the consumer reviews on the Internet. "This stuff really works! This guy said his hair became thicker in just a month!"
So the hubby finally agreed to give it a try. Every other day, he'd use the shampoo and, after towel-drying his hair, I'd spray the treament onto his scalp and massage his scalp for 5 minutes. It was fun doing this, by the way, since it almost always led to...

Anyway! Though Phyto promised results in 3 months, we've already noticed very good changes after just one month. The hubby is now dandruff-free and tons of baby hair are growing--you can hardly see his scalp now. If the line has any cons, it's just that (1) it smells kinda herbal/medicinal but it's very faint, and (2) his hair is now growing faster so he'll need to visit the barber soon and more frequently. So, it's all still good!

We're very happy with the results! We can't wait to see what his hair will look like 2 months from now.

Phyto Trichovital for Thinning Hair Exclusively for Men is available at Rustan's Essenses and Univers Phyto Salon. I don't know how much the set costs but I do know it's expensive. I'll update this post within the week with the prices.

The Beauty Writer