Japanese Hair Dye ~ Is it any good?

Why, hello people!

Once again, I apologize for having long gaps between my posts. I've been really busy arranging my stuff from the Philippines and Japan lately that I couldn't find time to write a decent post. Quality over quantity, after all. ^_~ Anyway, I'm back and have something interesting for those who love, or are intending to, color their hair at home!

Hailing from Japan, one of the souvenirs I got for myself was this do-it-yourself hair dye. It's the Lucido-L: Honey Brown, bubble-type hair dye. It came with 4 items inside: 1 big bottle (peroxide), 1 small bottle (the color), gloves and a conditioner.

Bubble-type simply means that the hair dye can be applied like shampoo (see pic above)

There's a hole at the back side of the box for you to put Bottle #1 in so that it won't budge while you pour the contents of Bottle #2 inside. Pretty neat, huh?  I took out my professional dyeing tools  to ensure high-quality results!

The instructions were all in Japanese. I can read Hiragana, but not Kanji so there's not much I could get from READING this piece of paper. Thankfully, there are pictures *sigh of relief* and since I've colored my own hair several times before, I already know what to do.

 

It's pretty much the same thing as Western hair dyes. You pour the contents of bottle #2 (small) into the big one (bottle # 1).  Then you shake it, ensuring that the big bottle's cap is on. [Western hair dyes may want you to take out the cap and replace bottle cover with your own finger.] But all else is the same.

Here, I poured the shaken contents into my dye bowl so I can use my professional brushes.

 And the process begins! The instructions say that you leave it on your hair for "20~25 mins." I left it on for about 1 hour. Do this AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you're unafraid to damage your hair like me, then go for it! Leaving the formula on your hair longer can have brighter results!

(LEFT) For reference, here's one of my most recent pics, taken just 2 days ago. My hair was a dark brown, with reddish highlights and long black roots showing through.  (RIGHT) Me saying bye-bye to black roots!

OK, so 1 hour later... *shower* ... *towel dry* ... *blow dry*...


 o (◡‿◡✿)



(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))



 ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆



TADA!!!! I took digital camera pics but the color didn't really show there coz it's night time. So I proceeded to take pics with my iPod touch and here are the results. (｡◕‿◕｡)/

Haha! Sorry for the retarded face.

So I'm really happy with the results. ^_^ There was one Asian girl on YouTube that complained about this Lucido-L product coz her color still looked like a boring black-brown. She bought the exact, same hair dye as me but she didn't leave it on longer.

So to anyone who wants to try this product, I say go for it but make sure you leave it on for at least 40 mins if you want brighter hair.  Also, arm yourself with STRONG hair conditioners, especially made for colored hair! Hair dyes DO damage hair but if you own the right stuff, then you'll be OK. ;) After all, life is too short for you to NOT color your hair just because Mom said you're gonna damage it. hehe. Sorry, Ma!

XoXo,
Kerzia

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Quick Lipstick Trick - no lip gloss necessary!

Hello, everyone! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Finally I'm back! I've been gone for more than 2 months because I'm right here in the Philippines spending quality time with my family & friends. OK. Since I was talking about food in my last post, I'll be talking about makeup this time.

Recently, I've been playing VMUA (Volunteer Make-Up Artist) to my cousin Kaja. She is in a girly "Kpop" group called Pink Step and I looove 'painting' her face when she is about to go onstage! ^-^ She's my cute, little guinea pig. Right, Ja?

 So, this is the BEFORE pic over here. No makeup whatsoever. (She already has her wig on, though.)
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About an hour later...
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Tada! This is her AFTER. She only wanted to have a simple smokey-eye look. Main eye-shadow colors: light grey and super dark grey + black liquid eyeliner. Her cheeks are a combination of light peach & pink and she has false lashes on.

Now, I'm not gonna go on and on with the types of primers I used and the other stuff I put on her eyelids. That's for another post. What I want to focus on are her LIPS.
Yes, just a very simple lip trick to those who are new to the magical world of makeup.

WHAT YOU NEED: 2 lipstick colors (one matte, the other should be glittery/shimmery & a bit lighter-toned). That's it. ^_^
So here I simply used RED lipstick (doesn't matter what brand) + a shimmery, light, metallic ORANGE.

Put the red lipstick as you would normally put lipstick on. Use a lip brush (optional) to ensure that every nook & cranny is covered with that luscious color.

Sexy /cute highlighted lips

THEN, for your lips to pop out and shine, pat/glide a bit of the orange only in the middle part of your lips (upper and lower). And voila! You're done. Your lips are shinin' like nobody's business! ;D

Other colour-combinations that work: red + light pink, mauve + shimmery hot pink, hot pink + white eyeshadow (yes, you read that  right!) Now go search for 2 lipsticks in your bedrooms and get creative! Enjoy!

Those damn pimples: chemicals to avoid

Cosmetic education time! (GUYS included)
Have you ever wondered if makeup, hair gels, hair sprays, or other supposedly 'beautifying' stuff you own can make you get pimples? Well, you're reading the right article! 
Here's my story: I used to think that my skin was the 'normal' skin type (i.e. not sensitive to anything) UNTIL I reached a point where my face looked like a mini pepperoni pizza (!!!) *horror movie sound FX* from trying on too many kinds of makeup!  If you noticed that you gained a few bumps on your face after going to your cousin's birthday party, it MAY be because of that blush or foundation you were using, or that hair spray you excitedly spritz all over your hair (not knowing that a lot of the chemicals went to your face).  
Have you ever wondered WHICH chemicals are causing havoc to your 'beautimous visage'? 
Well, if your skin turns out to be SENSITIVE like mine (and I learned this the HARD WAY!), try to avoid any one of these ingredients on the products you buy. These comedogenic (pimple-causing) ingredients were proven through continuous 'rabbit ear' experiments done by dermatologists.* I have typed them down in alphabetical order to make it easier for you folks when going shopping. :

1. Acetylated lanolin
2. Acetylated lanolin alcohol
3. Buytl stearate
4. Cetearyl alcohol + ceteareth 20
5. Cocoa butter
6. Coconut butter
7.  D&C red #30
8. Decyl oleate
9. Glyceryl stearate SE
10. Isopropyl isostearate
11. Isopropyl myristate
12. Isopropyl palmitate  
13. Isostearyl isostearate
14. Isostearyl neopentanoate  
15. Laureth-4
16. Laureth-23
17. Lauric acid
18. Mink oil
19. Myristic acid
20. Myristyl lactate
21. Myristyl myristate  
22. Oleth-3
23. Shark liver oil
24. Soybean oil
25. Stearic acid: TEA
26. Stearyl heptanoate 
27. Wheat germ glyceride

NOTE: If these ingredients are further down the list, then it should be OK. If they are the first 5 on the list, then you have to use it at your own risk.

 Now ladies, you can still splurge on lipsticks, eyeliners and eyeshadows. You don't really get zits on those areas anyway. Gentlemen, make sure to wash off the gel from your hair once it's bedtime 'cause some of those chemicals will stick to your pillow and transfer to your face. 
In sum, things to watch out for are: primers, blushes, foundation, wrinkle creams and moisturizers. The more ingredients there are in the list, the less healthy it is for you. Trust me, I have 'battle' scars.

*For more info, go to: http://www.acne.org/comedogenic-list.html or read the Handbook of Cosmetic Science & Technology, 3rd Edition.