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

Prize winners' thanks

I'm already planning my next beauty giveaway. It's not going to be as spectacular as the first contest (I don't have any Shu Uemura makeup brushes anymore!) but it will be just as fun anyway so I'm hoping my regular and fabulous and beautiful readers will still join.

Meanwhile (just so you know I really do send out the prizes!), here's the thanks of the three winners of my first ever blog giveaway:

Ekimura from the USA
Daphne's Diary from the Philippines

Dunibagz from Germany

It is so much fun to make other people happy. So let me make you happy, too. Check this blog in the next few days because I'll have another lovely giveaway!

The Beauty Writer

Lancome's Genifique is so good!

So today is the eighth day since I started using Lancome's latest anti-aging serum, Genifique and, as promised, here's my review. Genefique boasts that you'll "See visibly younger skin in 7 days." Now, I really look young for my 32 years (see photo below!) so I thought that if people start asking what college I go to, then Genifique works!

The serum activates our genes to promote the production of certain proteins that will make skin look young again. It's simple to use--just warm a few drops between your fingers then apply to freshly washed skin, then you can follow with your usual skincare regimen. Yes, you won't have to throw the stuff on your dresser! For the purpose of testing Genifique, I used it exclusively this week. I was promised the following results:

• Vibrant with youth, skin looks like it's lit from within, breathtakingly radiant
• Skin is cushiony soft, velvety to the touch
• Skin's tone is astonishingly even; its texture dramatically refined

At the end of 7 days, here are the results I saw:

I'm trying out Lancome Genifique

Whenever I get stuff from beauty brands, I get excited. But when they come in mysterious white boxes, that means the product is so new that only I and a few others have the coveted bottle!

Lancome Weddings for the lovely bride

Just a little announcement that brides-to-be may find useful... Lancôme Paris has a special gift for all brides with its recently launched Lancôme Weddings, which offers beauty packages to help prepare the bride become even more beautiful for her big day.

Brides can expect the following:

• Professional makeup services by Lancôme Makeup Artists and Lancôme Makeup Experts
• Personalized Lancôme skin care regimen
• Pre-wedding pampering with Lancôme facial treatments
• Luxurious gifts and bridal kits from Lancôme Paris
• Supplementary Rose rewards points for MYLANCÔME members

Sounds exciting, right? And it's pretty affordable, too. You can choose from 3 packages:

• Noces de Or (starts at Php 16,000),
• Noces de Diamant (starts at Php 19,000), and
• Noces de Platine (starts at Php 23,000)

Interested parties may visit the Lancôme Paris Boutique, Greenbelt 5, Makati City, or may call (632) 729-9394 to inquire or to book a Lancôme Wedding.

The Beauty Writer

*that's me on my wedding day! I'm a L'Oreal bride, though. Makeup given as a gift by Jigs Mayuga, L'Oreal Paris Chief Makeup Artist. Hair by Ney Guesse.

Garnier's Anti-Puff Eye Roller really works

I've been using Garnier's Anti-Puff Eye Roller for a month and I will be honest--I couldn't see any happy changes around my eyes. So I figured the thing didn't work. Then yesterday, hay fever hit me and my eyes were all seriously puffy in the morning. I looked like an insect snacked on the skin under my eyes. I rolled on the serum as usual and--I am not lying, I swear!--between the time I applied it and walked to my closet, which was a mere ten steps away, my puffy eyes were back to normal!!!

I ran back to the mirror and, well, it still looked a bit swollen but not as swollen as a minute ago. And by the time I finished dressing, I looked fine. My hay fever struck again this morning and same results--perfect!

So if you have puffy eyes from crying, sleeping late, allergy, etc, Garnier's Anti-Puff Eye Roller really works! Now my eyes aren't really the puffy kind so I'll need to look for an eye cream that addresses fine lines and crepey skin, but I'm keeping my Garnier roller on my vanity for emergencies!

The Beauty Writer

The stuff by GirlStuff is soooo adorable!

Janina Gutierrez-Tan, my classmate from Assumption Antipolo, is the brains behind this line made exclusively for sweet little girls and tweens. I personally use the Facial Spritz Cooling Facial Spray. It's not Shu Uemura Depsea or Evian but it works just as well and for only P109.75! You can't beat that price and cute packaging!

Anyway, GirlStuff had a really cute event for moms and daughters recently. Held at the colorful Marta's Cakes at Serendra, mommies and their little girls had an afternoon of beauty. I thought the mommy makeover was funny and cute.If you want your own beauty bonding party with your daughters, then do grab a bag of goodies from GirlStuff. For makeup that's safe on sensitive skins, you can get the Body Bling scented shimmer lotion (P159.75), G-Gel glitter hair gel (P99.75), Lipfrosting lip gloss (P89.75) and Fairy Dust shimmer powder (P149.75). I love that you can get them in little kikay kits like these:
So cute! Oh, and do check out these new products, which I'm sure you and your little girl will adore:

Mom & Me Cologne (P179.75 )

The mommy scent smells floral and citrusy while the girl's scent is kinda the same but more fresh. Reminds me of Nenuco and Angel's Breath actually.

Peel-Off Nail Polish (P99.75)

Imported from France, this polish is water-based so it's safe for kids. It easily peels off so no need for acetone. Available in fuschia pink with glitter, baby blue and pretty-in-pink. I like the glitter polish, but you already know that if you read my last post!

GirlStuff is available at Mall of Asia, SM North, Robinsons Place Imus and at the children's accessories section of all SM Department Stores. Check out their cute website for more info!

The Beauty Writer

*photos courtesy of GirlStuff

Nail polish is raining on me!

I love pretty packages. Those that come in a nice box, tied up with a big bow--oh, you just know these things have lovely surprises in them! So when The Face Shop had these nail polish sets, I just had to have one!Each box comes with 3 colors, a top coat, a polish remover and a sheet of stickers. Mine has deep colors of plum, burgundy and a dark blue with glitter on it--this color is my favorite: I feel like I'm staring at galaxies on my fingertips. All for a mere P445! Very very good deal, I say, and in a really cute package, too!

Actually, even if gifts don't come nicely wrapped, I'd be happy to receive them, especially if the bags come from Revlon. Revlon is very generous. Very very generous! They sent over 2 bags of nail polish and lip glosses--that's about 2 dozen bottles and wands! I shared the loot to my super thrilled staff and even after they've all gotten all the colors they wanted, I still had all of these left!

That's 10 bottles of polish and 6 wands of lip gloss

I love Revlon nail polish. Aside from the deep pigments and ease in application, they last on your nails a long long time. So even if they cost nearly P300 a bottle, they're oh so worth it!

The Beauty Writer

Stop using it! Here's how to find out when

Here's a good tip about expiration dates! Look at the back of your beauty products and you'll usually find this symbol:

It's called a PAO symbol, or period-after-opening. There's a number followed by the letter M. The number says how many months before it expires. Here's the example from Wikipedia:Once you open the product, take a marker and count the months indicated by the PAO. So if the symbol says 6M and you opened the product today, then write Nov 09 on the container. This really works because then you know when your product expires and also when to start shopping for a new one!

My eye cream, for example, expired this month. So even if I still want to use the little cream left in the tube, I had to throw it away. My makeup remover, which I love, expires next month so I'm wearing makeup every day this month so I can really finish it and it won't go to waste!
Knowing the expiration date is very important especially for products that are liquid (like foundation) or that has contact with your skin (like mascara) or you dip your finger in it (like creams). Your finger, no matter how much you've washed it, can still have germs and a nice jar of cream can become a breeding ground for bacteria. So dispose when the PAO says so!

Now go grab that marker...

The Beauty Writer

Getaway for the weekend

Hi! I'll be going away for the weekend so I'll be posting stuff again next week (and, boy, do I have some new beauty loot to talk about!). Meanwhile, here are some beauty-related things you might want to read from Topaz Horizon, my personal blog...

My spa day with Jennie, author of Kikay Corner
I cut my hair! So short, so chic! Yey!
Inside SkinLogic, my go-to derma clinic

The vain complains. Maybe you won't?

Red is my hair color this year.

And here are some things you can do...

• Join Makeup in Manila's contest! She's giving away a P6,000 discount voucher for a beauty school.
• Shop for Organic Thanakha products at Kikay Corner's online shop.

See you all next week!

The Beauty Writer