Dyeing for Perfection: L’Oreal Paris Excellence Fashion in P66

Here's a not-so-fun fact about me: I have premature white hair. Not the entire head but at least a good 30-40% percent of it, which is highly noticeable especially with my dark hair. I've been dyeing semi-regularly (every 4-6 months) since I was 16. Despite the regular dyeing, my hair has remained in a healthy state since black dye needs a minimum (or none) amount of color developer.

I've always wanted to experiment with different colors but that would involve a lot of lightening because of years and years of color buildup. My dream was to eventually have pretty lilac/violet hair just like entrepreneur/model Doe Deere. 

This is as delusional as I get... hahaha, even if I had her beautiful Russian features and pale white skin, my thick dark asian hair wouldn't last with the constant bleaching. But I wanted to push through despite the numerous drawbacks, I originally intended to get it done after college, but if I don't land a job in Advertising, I might be thrown into Public Relations or Journalism which are definitely kill my quirky dreams of purple hair. I was leaving for Korea in a week and I decided that it was the perfect time to sport a new hair color.

The hairdresser bleached my hair twice. Why? The black dye buildup was an absolute pain to remove! So we bleached-dyed-bleached-dyed till I had the color that was fairly OK! I had to settle for something quite mediocre because my hair was under a lot stress already.

It is a fairly nice shade of violet under natural light but when the sun goes down...

It starts to look like a reddish-brown shade! Totally not my thing, the worse part of it is, it clashes with my royal blue dresses, and I have a LOT of blue dresses! During the first two weeks, my hair bled to death...the tub was an absolute mess! And by the third week, not a single trace of violet could be seen, only a head full of bleached hair! I dyed it violet again but I just couldn't take it anymore... It looked awful and I consistently had to watch out for color clashing with my wardrobe. 

I purposely faded out the second violet dye job with sulfate containing hair products and took it upon myself to dye my hair, this time, RED! 

After a week of research on what's the best Red box dye in the market, a lot of netizens and youtubers suggested LOREAL Magicolor Hi-lights. I couldn't find it anywhere so I decided to visit a local beauty store and found this instead: Loreal Excellence Fashion in P66 (Intense Red) 

The box contains a dye primer, hair dye, color developer, conditioner and an easy application tube. However, I suggest that you use an old plastic/ceramic (never metal) bowl and a brush applicator when you color own hair for even results. 

After rinsing my hair, I was immediately impressed with the color pay-off and the beautiful shine. 

It looks very vibrant under natural light but with camera flash it tends to get copper-ish in color. Nevertheless, it's absolutely stunning to say the least. These photos were taken a couple of days before I dyed my hair back to black, since school was about to resume. 

All in all I had 2 bleach jobs, 2 violet hair dyes, 2 red hair dyes and a black hair dye done all in 2-3 months! During the last dye jobs, my hair has become extremely gummy when wet. I now have no choice but to deal with my damaged hair on a daily basis by using essential oils to keep it shiny and smooth, but if you want red hair... DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! Red dye adheres better to healthy hair! It's molecules are too huge to penetrate into the hair follicle that's why bleaching isn't really required. :)

My lilac/purple dreams have now been crushed, all I can ever think of is getting my hair dyed red on a regular basis. Everybody loved it and despite certain color clashes with my wardrobe, it wasn't as bad as my violet do, I can still wear my royal blue dresses with no trouble at all. 

And a super hurrah for L’Oreal Paris Excellence Fashion in P66 (Intense Spicy Red)! I recommend this particular line of hair dye to anyone who would like to try out Red for the first time. 



Happy midweek to everyone,
DianeShishio

So, I was in Seoul for a bit...

Over the course of six months, I applied for a US VISA twice, but to no avail, both ended in vain. It could have possibly been a Grand Reunion for the immediate family, however, as a full-time student at age 21, with no source of income, the results weren't surprising. 

My aunt had plans of stopping over at Incheon for a couple of days before going back to the US. Given that USA is an OCED country, travelers who will be going to any OCED country as their final destination are granted the privilege of staying in Korea for a certain number of days.

My family was clear to go, I clearly wasn't. Since the entire family was bound for the US in a month, I hastily applied for Korean Tourist Visa. 


How to Apply for a Korean Tourist Visa

First of all, a disclaimer: I will only be talking about the process of claiming a Single Entry Tourist Visa for Dependents/Students. Please take my advice with a grain of salt and tons of research before plunging forward and proceeding to the Embassy.  
 













You would have to print and fill out forms which you can download from here: 
http://embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr/english/as/embassy_philippines/main/index.jsp

You will also be able to check under which category you fall under and what the requirements are. 

Requirements

As I said earlier, being a student, most of the documents I presented were documents from my parents. Please take note that some documents HAVE to be ORIGINAL copies.

Here's a list of the documents I presented:
* Certificate of Employment (Both Parents)
* Official Bank Account Statement (Mine and my Dad's) 
* Birth Certificate
* School Certificate
* Passport
* Plane Ticket Booking
* Hotel Reservations
* Extra 2x2 Photos

Photocopies of:
* School Registration Form 
* Recent Income Tax Return (Both Parents)
* School ID
* Passport (First Page)

Create as many backup copies as possible. I had made 3 sets of photocopies myself, you'll never know what might happen.

Application

The Korean Embassy is located at 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

They process applicants on a "First come, First served" basis, so try to come at the earliest time possible. We left Pampanga at 4:00 am and arrived the location around 7:30. Upon arrival, you will need to sign their log book and will be given numbers for queuing. When the gate opens at 9:00, numbers will be called individually. 

The entire process takes approximately an hour and 30 minutes, depending on how early (or late) you arrived. It will practically be a long queue until you get to the consul, who will then check your documents. No interview. 

The consul returned certain documents which she deemed unnecessary, but please bear in mind that some applicants aren't accepted because they lack certain documents. Do come prepared.

Fees

Single Entry Visas for less than 59 days are free. Single Entry Visas beyond 59 days cost 1,500php. Double Entry Visas cost 3,000php while Multiple Entry Visas cost 4,000php. 

Claiming your Visa/Passport

When the consul accepts your documents, you will be handed a claim slip with the date of your return to the Embassy, which is usually 5 working days from your date of application. The worrisome part here is that you won't be told whether you will get a visa or not. Just imagine the anticipatory anxiety! 

On your date of return, come as early as you possibly can, releasing time is from 2:00pm -4:00pm only. I had arrived at the Embassy around 3:00pm that day and got my visa at 3:40pm! 

All in all, the process is quite anti-climactic as opposed to other Visa Application processes for other countries. Though it is easy and quick, not everyone is granted a visa. I have heard stories of people leaving it to travel agencies to apply for them, however, despite of their great economic standing and stability are still denied of a visa. Come with a complete set of documents and be prepared for whatever the outcome may be.

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So what did I see/do in Korea? 

SELFIES! 

Bibimbap!

Palace Hopping!

Temple Lanterns

Museum :3

Changing of the guards

Is this a Cherry Blossom? :P

Monkey :3 

Hojakdo

Met Royalty (not, they're actors)! Haha... Incheon is such an amazing airport.

Although I look like a mess for most part of the trip, plus I didn't think it would be tremendously cold :P  I had an amazing time!

The Face Shop: Angel Skin Foundation and Angel Skin Make-up Base Review

I must admit that this is a post looooong overdue. I've moved out from the flat where I originally took these photos and I am moving out again! Hahaha. The good side of it is that I have used the products for approximately 6 months, more than enough to give you a detailed review.

 The Angel Skin Make-up Base comes in a green 30ml tube with a screw cap 

The Angel Skin Foundation also comes in the same packaging but in pink.

  

The primer has a watery consistency with a green hue which helps tone down redness as a green concealer would. Used by itself, it will leave your face looking white and pale. 

The foundation also has the same watery consistency with bit of a yellow undertone. Perfect for most asian women. The shade I got is NB21.

 

 Here's a photo of myself wearing both products, un-retouched for 5 hours.

You can see a bit of oiliness coming through (and sweat) but so far it's holding up pretty well 5 hours after application.

My take on these Products . . . 

They're cheap and work quite well. It can get heavy and cakey so remember apply just a suitable amount for your entire face. I have no issues with the color since it blends pretty well with my skintone and I didn't experience any breakouts with either of the products. The only part that troubled me is the packaging, it's messy and very inconvenient, you also tend to get more product than you need because of its runny consistency. 

Would I recommend it?

Primer: I'm not a huge fan of concealers, it's something I don't use unless I have to cover up a huge blemish. I would recommend this for people who have cover up any redness on their face. 

Foundation: Yes, this is great for people with yellow undertones. Not a Holy Grail material but worth the try. 

Cost Per Use:

I believe I purchased both on sale at the price of 425PHP each (Approx. $11USD)

 

My tubes lasted 6 months with at least 4 times a week of usage. 

12(times used in a month) x 6 (number of months) = 72 Applications.

425PHP / 72 Applications =  5.90PHP per use. 

Overall Rating:

3.5/5

Wishing you a Serene Sunday ahead,
DianeShishio

Marching Forward

My life seems to be an uneven mix of the good and the bad. I might just have had the worst week of 2013 right before my birthday. Whatever don't kill you makes you stronger right? I do hope so. 

I spent my 21st birthday with my grandmum and a couple of close friends available for the affair. I wish I had more stories to tell but 20-something birthdays aren't just all that fun, especially when you're hosting it at home, just got home from another event, starting it at 10pm and half of the expected guests couldn't make it. 

It was fun but stressful, even with only 4 guests around. And at around 1am, I was cleaning up someone's puke off the floor. LOL. 

As for presents, I finally got something I've been dreaming of for almost 2 years.

Unfortunately, my experience with it was fairly anti-climactic. It's a very lovely shade but made me look ill. What's even more frustrating is that it doesn't go well with my dark hair color. I didn't want it to got waste, thus inspiring the creation of these...

An non-model with a photographer who isn't a photographer. It wasn't planned and the outcome didn't turn out the way I thought it would be, but what the heft?!? I LOOK GORGEOUS! Hahahaha, yes, I'm owning it tonight. I've never felt this sexy when I have never been as chubby as I am today in my entire life. Although this does make me want to lose weight and want to have a photoshoot done by a professional. You're only young once anyway. :) 


Enjoy the extended weekend everyone! :D


Stay gorgeous,
DianeShishio  

HOLY GRAIL ALERT: Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack Review

I have finally found a Holy Grail skin care product! What's even more awesome is it actually addresses two of my biggest beauty problems.I blame genetics for my naturally oily and acne prone skin. 

Stopping acne in tracks during my mid-teens is quite a huge feat for every individual with my skin type, the oiliness has also significantly been reduced because of my skincare regimen but the huge pores are something I still have to live with. 

Wanting to minimize the appearance of my pores, over the past 4 years, foundation, BB cream and Primers have become my best buddies. Since I can hardly be seen outside without any foundation, make-up greatly contributes to my black heads and clogged pores. 

I have tried almost every single blackhead removing strip, pore cleansing treatment and pore minimizing medication available locally. I also have regular facials and microdermabrassion treatments, they do improve skin texture and de-clog pores but at the cost of going bankrupt. I am also currently using Retin-A for almost 2 months, but I haven't seen significant results. 

Thankfully I found Skinmiso! 

Skinmiso Says:

The best blackhead remover strip and pore tightening program as 3 step system.
+Not taping remover type
+No stimulus
+Sold over 5,000 pcs a day group buy in Korea
+Ranked the best selling item in Singapore No.1 commerce. (2012)
Skinmiso 3 step blackhead eraser program is the best solution for the clean nose.

Oh Skinmiso... save that for your resume. Hahaha! :)

The set includes:
1 Step Mask - 10 Sheets
2 Step Mask - 10 Sheets 
15ml Pore Minimizing Essence 

Skinmiso also has a pore cleaner, the Comedo Remover which is sold separately. 

How to use:

Before you continue to scroll down, please take note that you are about to see mildly icky stuff. (i.e my awful skin, blackheads, bulbous nose) And if you may, please be gentle, my nose isn't the most flattering part of my face. :D 

Before

Before

These 'Before' photo were taken 2 days after my initial use of Skinmiso. What you have seen is my nose on a 'good and clean' pore day. 

Step 1: Apply Step 1 Mask on your nose and leave it on for 15 minutes.The mask will give you a cool refreshing sensation that can elevate to a slightly itchy feel if you leave it on for too long. It will open up your pores to make the impurities come out easily.

Remember to give some allowance for the tip if your nose and fold the two little flaps over each other to secure the mask in place.

Step 2: Take off your Step 1 Mask and gently squeeze out the blackhead, whiteheads or other impurities clogging your pores. Be firm yet gentle at the same time, do the probing in quick firm motions and avoid dragging/scraping. (One aesthetician left me a long scratch on the other corner of my nose after a facial.)

Step 3: Take the Step 2 Mask and put it on your nose as you did with the first mask. This mask will shrink back the pore back to its original size. Leave this on for 15 minutes before taking it off.

Step 4: Rub in the remaining mask essence and once it has completely dried, rub on a teeny tiny bit of the Silky Essence all over your nose. Trust me, a little goes a long way. 

Step 5: Marvel at the beauty and wonder of Skinmiso! 

After a miracle!

After

See the improvement? You can still actually see the clogged pores around the area that hasn't been cleansed. 

My take on this product . . .  

I had very little expectations of this product since I have already tried a similar version from The Face Shop.

(Please don't castrate me for not posting earlier product reviews on queue. I have been really busy with freelance work :( I swear! )

I am impressed beyond words because I basically flipped a coin in purchasing this product. The online reviews are very few and far between,and Skinmiso is a product that I haven't heard of. 


There's nothing much to say as I have already indicated it as a HG product. It works very well at a reasonable cost. Love it to bits. :) 


Would I recommend it? 

Most certainly. This should be a staple for everyone who is suffering from blackheads.


Would I re-purchase?  

Definitely. 


Cost per use:

The Skinmiso Comedo Remover retails online at $14.99 (approx. 599php) 

The Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack Set retails online for $21.99 (approx. 879php)

You can use this on your nose are for 10 times given that there are 10 packets of each set included.


878 (price) / 10 (times used)


= 87.96php! 


Far more cheaper than your regular 400-500php regular facial. 


Where can I purchase this? 

Skinmiso can be purchased online at www.wishtrend.com.

I purchased mine from a local seller who sold it on-sale at 1000php for the entire set. Leave me a comment if you would like to get in touch. :) 

*TIPS*

This may not work for everyone but I have used this on the upper bridge of my nose, between my brows and under my lip. It works just as well. :) 


Overall Rating:

5/5 


Have a marvelous mid-week,
DianeShishio