Vivere Salon: A Salon You Can Actually Trust

I don't know about you, but I used to have major trust issues when it comes to my hair. You can't blame me, though. Hair salons have messed up my hair many a-time and as such, I have only gone to every salon that I have been to here in the Philippines exactly once. That's right. I have never re-visited the same salon because none of them ever made me feel safe or happy.

All that changed when I "met" Vivere Salon.

I visited Vivere Salon's branch in Festival Mall last month and to be honest, I didn't really have a dream haircut in mind. All I knew was that I needed a haircut stat because my hair color was fading, I was getting split ends and my hair was starting to fall off like never before.

When Sir Donnie De Guzman, my stylist for the day, asked me what I wanted, all I said was, "I just want to keep the length and I want some color?" And from there on out, he took complete charge.

To start, he layered my hair a little bit and then gave my hair a subtle red color. When it was done, he then decided to give me longish side bangs. Me! Miss no-bangs-ever-again ever since I once tried to cut my bangs myself (worst move ever!)

Surprisingly, I love them! I also love how Sir Donnie completely understood the struggle of maintaining bangs and keeping them out of your face. He also talked me through every step of the process and gave me great hair maintenance and beautifying tips for the future.

I also love that he didn't force curls on me like most salons tend to do. He just gave me a quick blow-dry and voila! I finally look like a human being again!!!

This is what the color looks like under the sun! :D

I was completely satisfied with the service, the ambience, the friendliness of the staff and the overall results at Vivere Salon. For the first time in my life since I moved to the Philippines, I actually believe I have finally found my go-to salon in the Metro.

Boyfie approves, too! :D

Do you need a hair makeover? I'm giving away 1 hair rebond and treatment to 1 lucky reader courtesy of Vivere Salon right here. All you have to do is fill out this Rafflecopter form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

They currently have a promo in case you want to avail of it before the giveaway ends, by the way: Premium Hair Rebonding + Advanced Hair Reconstruction Treatment from the US for only Php3,800 on weekdays from 10am to 2pm until October 30!

Good luck! And don't forget to like Vivere Salon on Facebook and to follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @viveresalon :)

Vitress Hair Polish - The Perfect Way to Keep Stubborn Hair at Bay

Vitress Hair Polish - The Perfect Way to Keep Stubborn Hair at Bay

Not a lot of people know this, but my hair is stubborn AF. Ever since I got my hair cut, it's been an absolute pain to get it to follow my wishes and orders, so what I did for most of the baby-months of my new hair was just hide it under a beanie or a fedora hat.

Not exactly the most fun way to treat new hair, but it was better than spending hours trying to figure out how wax works (it doesn't) and straightening my hair out with an iron (who has time for that?).

As such, the only people who were able to see my unfixed hair were those who gym with me or caught me at the gym. Since I want to make a point, though, here's me with poofy, gross, I-don't-care-what-you-want-Imma-be-rebellious hair:

before Vitress Hair Polish came into my life

The good news is that I finally found the perfect product to keep my stubborn hair at bay: Vitress hair polish. I swear: just a 1-peso-coin-big blob of this product is enough to destress my mind from worrying about how crappy my hair looks. Ask any of my friends: I bring this shiz with me everywhurr!

Yay for Vitress Hair Polish!

Plus, after commuting aka sitting on a trike, a jeep or a non-air-conditioned bus that just messes up my hair even more than its already-messed-upness, Vitress hair polish helps tame it down and make it smell commute-free. :)

Aw yeah! Flatter hair FTW!

I'm gonna be honest and say that I didn't see much of a point in Vitress back when I had longer hair coz my hair was as bagsak as they come back then; but now that I've got unruly, short hair, it is definitely the ultimate lifesaver. Try it out yourself! :)

For more info on Vitress products, like Vitress on Facebook and follow them on Twitter :)

To stop, to lie down and to sleep for a hundred years.

Hi guys, I'm sorry. I know I've been neglecting my blog recently. The thing is I've gotten promoted to Managing Editor on When in Manila and it has become more important to me than life itself. Haha.

On a side note: how do you like my new hair, courtesy of Vince from Folded & Hung's Famous Salon? :)

To be honest, I don't really have much time for anything else nowadays. Not that I'm complaining; it's just a fact.

I've been busy editing articles, going to events and replying to a lot of emails (understatement of the century!) In fact, my email inbox is so full that I have to bring my laptop everywhere and find time to be productive whenever I can.

Otherwise, I check my mail at night and mentally shoot myself in the throat. :p

denim jacket from Uniqlo

There are days when all I want to do is stop, lie down and sleep for a hundred years; but 1) I love my job too much and 2) if I did that, I'd wake up being 126 and that would be gross. :p

claw ring from House of Luxe

silver infinity rings from Wear Mauve

two-color infinity ring from I Am Wengski

swallow ring from The Little Things She Needs

In case you can't tell... I like infinity signs. :p

heart top from ASOS

houndstooth skirt from Copper

Fortunately, my best friends are bloggers, too, so it isn't hard to find time to catch up and be awesome together :)

red boots from Chick Flick Collection

My ultimate superhero booties! XD

So, yeah. Generally speaking, life's been pretty good for me. :) "The Walking Dead" is back. I've been reading more books (currently re-reading "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman). And I am currently obsessed with a movie called "Stuck in Love" and the song "Between the Bars" by Elliott Smith.

Check all of those things out - you won't regret it :)

Getting a haircut is one of the many ways to move on.

Sometimes, getting a haircut is one of the many ways to move on. In fact, I'll be the first one to admit that I always get a haircut after a bad breakup. Without fail.

This time, though, I cut my hair for the mere reason that I was sick of my long, flat, stubborn and heavy hair. I find it funny that people ask me why I cut my hair and I really wish I had some epic breakup story to tell; or, like Beyonce, an anecdote about how my long gorgeous hair got stuck in an electric fan. But no. I'm more of a Britney and a Miley when it comes to this haircut. I just felt like it. End of story.

purple frilly skirt from Forever 21

haircut by Azta Urban Salon

Will be blogging about the experience soon! :)

The lipstick I'm using is Revlon Colorburst's Candy Apple.

Read the story behind this tattoo here.

Guess who the three dots represent in my life right now! ;)

Eiffel Tower stud earrings from The Little Things She Needs

Speaking of Paris, join my Little Parisians giveaway here! #awesomesegue

denim jacket from Uniqlo

floral corset from Megann Monday

sequined floral heels from Forever 21

Just one of those random impulse buys! :D

With less hair, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my hands when it comes to outfit-shot time. Lol.

I hope you like it. Or, at the very least, appreciate that I had the balls to try it out now that I'm older.

See, I had the same haircut when I was 12 and flat-chested and everyone in California thought I was a boy. That pretty much convinced me never to cut my hair again. Well, times are a'changing, and I've got me some lady lumps now, so I thought: why not?

As for those who have been putting my new hairdo down... Can't you just bash my hair behind my back like a normal high school girl? Haha. I'm just kidding. But, seriously? I cut my hair for me. And I am well aware that hair takes a long time to grow back, but the point is that it will grow back, so cut me some slack, please? :)

Need I remind you that I had an undercut before? There's nothing wrong with taking a crazy plunge. Change is good every once in a while. It helps you grow and become more comfortable in your own skin. :)

When was the last time you took a crazy plunge? :)

Interested in Getting Hair Extensions?

Are you interested in getting hair extensions, but don't want to spend too much money on them?

On the other hand, are you worried that cheap hair extensions won't last very long compared to pricier ones? Are you perhaps worried that using cheap hair extensions will make your hair look unnatural? Well, there's no need to worry. You just have to make sure you opt for a reliable place to get your extensions from.

Naturally, it goes without saying that you will have to give your hair the utmost attention and care the way that you would do your normal hair if you want your extensions to last and if you want them to look great for as long as you have them on.

Truth be told, the only difference between regular hair and having extensions is that your hair will look much better after it has been transformed into a longer version of itself. If you have no idea how to maintain hair extensions, then you might want to ask some professionals in the field.

Tips on Maintaining Your Hair Extensions

It would be highly advisable not to wash your hair as frequently as you used to. If you do, they could lose their natural texture and start to look lifeless and dull. On days when you do wash your hair, make sure you use some conditioner along with your shampoo.

On that note, it would also be highly advisable to minimize your use of hair straighteners, hair curlers and blow dryers. This will maintain your extensions for as long as you want. If you absolutely need to use them, then make sure that the heat that these tools emit do not come into direct contact with your extensions; otherwise, your extensions might dry out.

If you ever get tired of the color of your hair extensions, then there is no need to worry, either, because you can still color them with top quality hair coloring products out there. However, it wouldn't be advisable to bleach them.

Overall, as long as you take good care of your human hair extensions and give them due care and attention, you won't have to worry about them getting damaged or you wasting your money at all. In fact, you will be very glad that you decided to get them. Trust me. :)

Bee Choo: The Secret to Healthy Hair All Year Round

Who hasn't had a bad hair day before? I gotta admit: what with all of the curling, straightening and coloring my hair has gone through in the past, there was a time where I just completely gave up on ever having healthy-looking hair again altogether.

I've already tried various hair treatments in the metro, as well, but to no avail. When I accompanied Gerd to one of his hair treatment trials one day in BF (where I live!!!), though, I got really excited to try it out myself. Why?

Well, for starters, the Bee Choo treatment is all-natural, so you won't suffer from more chemicals in your hair just to treat it. Secondly, they promise to restore your hair's natural beauty at an affordable price; so, really, what did I have to lose?

This is what went down when I tried the Bee Choo treatment myself:

Bee Choo is available at Taylor Tyler Herbal Hair Spa and Salon, which can be found in Pergola Mall, BF Homes, I and in SM Mall of Asia.

Since I'm just a stone's throw away from the BF branch, that's where I decided to go. Lucky for me, there is a Starbucks right in front of Pergola, so I went in armed with my favorite drink and experienced step one: the Bee Choo Origin Ginger Oil.

The Bee Choo Origin Ginger Oil is basically a leave-on product that opens the pores and preps the scalp for the actual treatment. The herbs of this product leave a relaxing scent reminiscent of aromatic tea.

After that, the actual treatment is applied to the hair.

It looks muddy, but smells really good, like tamarind. :)

The treatment generally takes around 1.5 hours for hair as long and as thick as mine.

If you are going there alone, it would be highly advisable to bring a book or some sort of gadget to keep yourself occupied while waiting for the treatment to finish. Fortunately for me, I went with Paul and Miko on my first visit, so we ended up catching up instead.

Once the treatment is over, the hair is washed off with the Origin Purity Scalp Shampoo and Origin Purity Repair Hair Conditioner - my favorite part of the entire process! :) Since the shampoo is minty, it leaves the scalp feeling incredibly fresh and cool afterwards. :D

And then, the amazing stylists at Taylor Tyler blow dried my hair, so that I could instantly see - and, most importantly, feel - the effects of the Bee Choo Herbal Hair Treatment.

My hair really did feel much bouncier, shinier and healthier afterwards, and I couldn't stop touching it for the rest of the day. The best part is that the herbs from the treatment will keep nourishing your hair for another three days.

The stylists at Taylor Tyler advised me to go back every month because I have a mini dandruff problem, but I wasn't able to go back until three months later - this time with Megann and Gerd for their official launch. And check out how awesome healthy my hair looks now:

Amazeballs! If you've been following my blog for a while now, you have to admit that my hair is 10,000 times better looking now. This is mostly also because I've been using Bee Choo shampoo and conditioner for the past couple of months. Yup. I'm a convert and will definitely be getting monthly Bee Choo treatments from now on! :)

Interested in finding out more about the other Bee Choo products available in Taylor Tyler stores? Want to read my review on their shampoo and conditioner? Then wait for my next blogposts. You'll definitely be reading more about Taylor Tyler and Bee Choo in my blog from now on!

Anyone wanna join me sometime? I've got 10% off coupons to share! :)

For more updates, visit Taylor Tyler on Facebook! :)

Folded & Hung | Famous Salon - I am Famous Now!

I get bored of people and things pretty quickly. On average, it takes me about 2 months to get sick of a person or a thing. I think the only person and thing that have remained constant in my life so far are Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Starbucks coffee.

This is the reason why I have never had a long-term relationship, why my iTunes playlist changes on a daily basis, and why I feel the need to change my hairstyle so often.

Well, things have changed a little since Folded & Hung's Famous Salon opened its first branch in Robinsons Place Manila on September 17. I am proud to announce that I was literally the very first person there (to change my hairstyle for the nth time) that day.

Folded & Hung's Famous Salon is located at the 3rd floor of the Adriatico Wing. It's easy to spot - don't worry!

Upon entering, you will find this wall with cutie Enrique Gil on it. (Hi, Jacky!) Enrique Gil happens to be one of Folded & Hung's endorsers, along with Angel Locsin, Elmo Magalona, Alden Richards and Sam Milby.

These awesome walls inside the salon reminded me of my own condo walls during my college days. #kurtiwillalwaysloveyou

A few minutes after my arrival, Miko arrived, too!

Closely followed by Paul.

And then Gerd. :)

I don't know about the guys, but I definitely didn't have any specific hairstyle planned before getting to the salon. The only thing I was really sure about was that I wanted to get rid of my undercut because so many people are starting to get it now (my twin included!). In fact, I wanted to get rid of it so badly, I covered it up before even getting to the salon. :p

A quick shot of my dry, split end-infested hair before getting my hair styled.

I'm pretty happy I decided to just wing it and hope that my stylist would be a good one. I definitely wasn't disappointed. My stylist, Eugene, knew immediately what he wanted to do and I left my hair up to his capable hands... even though I almost cried when he chopped off around 3 inches of it. :p

Aside from a shorter cut to get rid of my dry split ends from my bleached ombre hair from months ago, Eugene also decided to color my hair in a reddish-brown hue.

I got to wear these things over my ears to keep them from getting dyed on. I wanted to keep them on forever, though. In case you haven't noticed, I have weird ears. :(

That was the first time I noticed I have a Mickey Mouse heart-shaped face. :p

Now, if you've ever gotten your hair colored and you're a girl, then you should know how long the waiting period is when coloring your hair by now. Well, if you tend to get bored while waiting, you'll be super happy to hear that 1) Folded & Hung's Famous Salon has strong Wi-Fi; 2) they have plug sockets practically everywhere; and 3) they have a cafe in the salon!!!

Famous Salon's cafe.

I'll be honest: I actually fell in love with Famous Salon before first sight. They actually tweeted about their salon-cafe a few days before we were meant to go, and that's when they had me. I live for coffee. And Famous Salon just happens to be the first and only(!) salon in the country so far to offer a cafe in it, so they've definitely got my vote!

I like my coffee black with two packs of brown sugar.

The spinach crostinis were good, too!

Now, even if you aren't a caffeine fiend like me, you can still enjoy other beverages, food and snacks at affordable prices. Here's a picture of their menu:

Take it from me: drinking and eating is awesome if you plan on getting hair treatments done that take hours to finish. No boredom here! WiFi - check! Plug sockets - check! Coffee - check! I could live in Famous Salon and be completely happy and content. Swear.

So happy, you can actually semi-see my under-eye dimples. :p

Now, are you ready to get kilig, blogger boy fan girls? Hold on to your panties coz here are the guys with their new hairstyles:

One.

Two.

Three.

Okay, you can stop drooling now. Do I have your attention again? Okay, good. :p

So, I know I said I get bored of people and things pretty quickly; and that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Starbucks coffee are the only things that have remained constant in my life. Well, I'm officially adding Folded & Hung's Famous Salon to that list. :) I love being famous!

Thank you so much, Folded & Hung, for having us.

And special thanks to their miracle worker - slash - stylist - Eugene who miraculously made me look pretty in curls, even though I usually look horrible when curly. :)

For more updates on Folded & Hung's Famous Salon, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter today! :)