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The Style Mermaid by Kisty Mea • I have a confession to make: I’m a hair product junkie.  Since my hair went through a lot of damage in 2012 — and I haven’t even had to bleach the whole head yet! — I made a point to really invest in hair products and tools. I did a lot of research just to find the right product for me, including the ingredients I should avoid and not to avoid, and so on. Since February last year, I’ve tried at least six brands or products to fix the irrevocable damage I have done to my hair.   Here’s are the list of products I‘ve tried last year:[[MORE]] Redken Color Extend Shampoo and Conditioner — Buy it Here Red hair is so hard to maintain, it fades the fastest. So my first priority was to find the right product to keep the color as long as possible. I have no idea which shampoo to get so I relied heavily on online reviews. Pureology was well-raved but it wasn’t available in any beauty stores I’ve visited in Singapore. So my next option was Redken. The Color Extend line received great reviews but for some strange reason, it made my scalp really itchy and gave me a bad case of dandruff. :( Pureology Essential Repair Shampoo and Conditioner — Buy It Here According to the Pureology website, the products are 100% vegan and sulfate-free. But ever since L’Oreal bought them, just like many brands, fans of this product say that the formulation has changed. I don’t know. Anyway, I bought mine at Bench Fix for 3K or less (I can’t really remember, sorry). I like this product but I don’t love it either. The major drawback is the smell and the fact that it’s not locally available. I do believe, however, that it did extend the life of my hair color. :)  Kiehl’s Ultimate Thickening Shampoo — Buy It Here I only used these products for a brief time only. I’ve always wanted to try Kiehl products but I refuse to change my skin care regimen. So I bought their hair products instead.  I’ve decided to get the thickening shampoo because one of the biggest problems of a bleach+dye hair combo is falling hair. The thickening shampoo was alright, it acted like any typical, normal shampoo except it smells like peppermint and every time I lather it to my hair, I am reminded of Regina George and her face. I can’t tell if it did thicken my hair though or lessened the hair I have to collect after every bath (TMI, I know..). Overall, I wanted to like this product but I guess the chemistry just wasn’t there. </3 L’Oreal Professionnel Absolut Repair Cellular Masque — Buy It Here I cringe at the sight of that ugly watermark. What was I even thinking? Anyway, I love this hair masque. I love the texture, the smell and the effect it has on my hair. I strongly believe this product has helped protect my hair from the further damage it has to go through. I had to perm my bleached ends last December and my hair stylist was amazed that my hair received very minimal damage. :)  After consuming 2-3 tubs, I found out that it contains isoprophyl alcohol. Although rubbing alcohol is found in other hair products, I figured it’s time to find a new hair masque with less harsh ingredients (hoping there is such!). If all else fails, at least, I still have this product to go back to.  L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Moisture Nurturing Creme — Buy It Here Slightly more expensive than the Absolut Repair. This product was created to save extremely damaged hair, but I felt it was doing the other way around. :( I also don’t like the smell and the packaging is so… un-L’Oreal like.  Kérastase Nutritive Oléo-Curl Intense — Buy It Here My naturally wavy/curly hair loves this hair mask. It tames my curly hair, making it more manageable and bouncy. I just love, love, love it! <3 Since it’s under Kérastase, the tub is obviously quite expensive but it can last for 2-3 months of use (or longer… I’m just addicted to hair masques). Also, the cream is quite thick so you don’t really need to apply a lot.  Monaco Argan Oil A Pinay saleslady at Venus Beauty Store recommended this product to me. It was a hell lot cheaper than Kérastase and it’s Argan oil. I have zero background about this brand and there’s no substantial review was available online. I just had to manually research each ingredient and I got a bit scared because of the (possible) nasty side effects. I regret spending $30-ish for this.  Virgin Olive and Coconut Oil Olive oil is great for your hair but personally, I find it (along with mayo) incredibly icky and smelly. I switched to virgin coconut oil (VCO) because it smells great and it’s a wonderful pre-bleach/dye treatment. When 2013 came, I decided to consume the remaining hair products I have and start anew. I wanted to test and see if there’s any difference if you use a complete hair care system. After all, these products claim that your hair will become silky soft and healthy with a little fine print: when used with the same brand shampoo and conditioner. Or something like that.  Right now, these are the products I’m using: The Kérastase Nutritive Hair Care From left to right: Bain Satin 2 shampoo, Masque Nutri-Thermique, Lait Vital conditioner, and Nectar Thermique (leave-in conditioner). According to their website, these are supposed to nourish normal to very dry, curly or rebellious hair. Considering that I had a perm + semi-bleach + 3-4 dye job last month, my hair should be extremely be dead by now (but hair is really dead to begin with). I’ve been using this for 3-4 times and I can’t really tell if there’s any difference. My hair is in good shape but dyeing my hair back to a darker color made it more difficult for me to assess the product has any effect at all. I’m certain, however, that 1) they’re expensive, 2) they all smell really nice, and 3) I like the leave-in conditioner but I don’t like the packaging.  So that’s about my hair products 2012 recap. There’s one more product that needs to be reviewed but that will be featured on a separate post. Stay tuned! :)

I have a confession to make: I’m a hair product junkie. 

Since my hair went through a lot of damage in 2012 — and I haven’t even had to bleach the whole head yet! — I made a point to really invest in hair products and tools. I did a lot of research just to find the right product for me, including the ingredients I should avoid and not to avoid, and so on. Since February last year, I’ve tried at least six brands or products to fix the irrevocable damage I have done to my hair.  

Here’s are the list of products I‘ve tried last year:

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I’d rather book a night at Ritz Carlton Millenia

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful chance to catch up with my former colleague and good friend, Shara. Shara was my closest friend at HSBC. I remember how much crying and life sessions we have at the office, talking about the people who doesn’t love us (We’ve moved on) and that officemate who is constantly giving me the evil eye (We all assumed she’s into the guy I like and she’s just jealous). 

Marina Bay Sands

One of the things we talked about was the hotels in Singapore, particularly Marina Bay Sands. Aside from the Merlion and Flyer, this hotel is one of the latest trademark of the country. We exchanged dreams of checking in at Marina Bay for even a night (Discounted Rate: Deluxe Room for USD 298/night, from Agoda).

I then confessed that I’m not really interested in checking in at Marina Bay. I’d rather stay at Ritz Carlton Millenia. Why, you ask?

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The Style Mermaid by Kisty Mea • Play A Game, Save The Sea EnviroPop is a wonderful collaboration between the World Wide Fun for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and AppLabs Digital Studios. The primary aim of this application is to spread awareness on how to minimize threats to marine life. The gameplay is quite simple: for one whole minute game, you need to tap three or more of the same group of hazardous threat (cyanide, plastic bottles, dynamite, oil cans, and trawl net). The more you tap, the higher your score is. A cute time buster app. Now, here comes the interesting part: the cause. For the amount of $0.99/PHP40, you get to help my friends under the sea. All proceeds of this app go directly to the WWF-Philippines’ Marine Conservation Programs! PHP 40 is not a lot. It’s worth one Cheeseburger at McDonald’s and although that tastes really yummy, that thing makes you fat and lazy! This one is PHP 40 and you’ll even feel good about yourself for helping Mother Earth! :P I strongly encourage everyone to download the app here. It’s for a good cause anyway. :) If you’re still not convinced on purchasing the app, then here’s a lite version for you to try. 

Play A Game, Save The Sea

EnviroPop is a wonderful collaboration between the World Wide Fun for Nature (WWF-Philippines) and AppLabs Digital Studios. The primary aim of this application is to spread awareness on how to minimize threats to marine life. The gameplay is quite simple: for one whole minute game, you need to tap three or more of the same group of hazardous threat (cyanide, plastic bottles, dynamite, oil cans, and trawl net). The more you tap, the higher your score is. A cute time buster app.

Now, here comes the interesting part: the cause. For the amount of $0.99/PHP40, you get to help my friends under the sea. All proceeds of this app go directly to the WWF-Philippines’ Marine Conservation Programs! PHP 40 is not a lot. It’s worth one Cheeseburger at McDonald’s and although that tastes really yummy, that thing makes you fat and lazy! This one is PHP 40 and you’ll even feel good about yourself for helping Mother Earth! :P

I strongly encourage everyone to download the app here. It’s for a good cause anyway. :) If you’re still not convinced on purchasing the app, then here’s a lite version for you to try.