It’s been a while since I ran a contest and I’m absolutely thrilled about this week’s giveaway courtesy of L’Oréal Professionnel. :)

The L’Oréal Professionnel CHROMA STRAIGHT is a salon exclusive, 2-in-1 straightening and gloss treatment. It’s a sweet concoction of two (2) of the most advanced technologies created by Recherche Avanceé L’Oréal – X-TENSO MOISTURIST for rebonding/relaxing and the reinvented DIALIGHT for tone-on-tone coloration.  By joining my contest below, you might nab the chance to get this treatment for FREE!

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Last February, through a comment, Steph asked what’s the best Kerastase product in town. While I’m no pro when it comes to hair nor Kerastase products, I can safely (and proudly!) say that I’m just plain nuts over the brand that I’ve tried almost everything they brought here in the Philippines. Yes, even the Kerastase Capital Force Densifying Modelling Paste (I used it in this FOTD) that’s meant for the dudes is one of my boudoir residents.

My Kerastase boudoir as of February 2012

Answering Steph’s question is a real toughie because each Kerastase product (and range) is created to perfection for different hair conditions. Based on the shampoos (bain) I’ve tried, these three products became my easy faves:

• Apres-Soleil  — fantastic cleanser during summer time; great for those with limp hair.
• Nutri-Thermique — an absolute must if you blow your hair dry on a daily basis. Works well and hard when rinsed off with warm water.
• Force Architecte — excellent in terms of damage repair.

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Clean, fresh, luxurious. Those are the first three words that came to mind when I first took a whiff off the pureDKNY Verbana (pictured above with Gov’s horsetail plant). It’s been unbearably hot these days and with over 20 scents (oops!)  on rotation, it’s been a quite pain choosing every morning which one to wear. Some develop oddly midday while some just go kaput and faint.

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A friendly reminder from our resident superhero:

NEVER step out of the house (worse bake) without SPF protection!

The heat’s definitely on (in full blast even!) this summer and even if you stay indoors, you need to put sunscreen on esp. if you’re working in front of the computer for long hours. We recently discovered these new UV protectors from L’Oreal and we’re instantly floored on how affordable, grease-free, and light weight they felt on our (me and a friend, not Junkie Poo — we never test on our furry friends!) facial skin.

UV Perfect Transparent Skin. UV Perfect Even Complexion. UV Perfect BB Max.

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To say that clean, drinkable water’s scarce these days is an understatement. In the Philippines alone, purified water’s expensive. Worldwide, millions of children consider safe drinking water a luxury that’s almost like a dream. Through Giorgio Armani and UNICEF, you can make a difference.

Giorgio Armani and UNICEF Tap Project came together for Acqua For Life. Its cause is very simple yet massive and powerful:

By becoming a fan of the AFL Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/acquaforlife) you will automatically give 50 liters of safe drinking water for the communities we are helping in Ghana and Bolivia.

By becoming fans, people also automatically take part to the Water Race, a fun experience aiming at explaining in an illustrated way the water crisis. You become part of a group of people racing from Milan to Ghana and Bolivia, a virtual travel to bring water to our communities. You can personalize you avatar, share you position via Google map on your Facebook wall, learn about the places you are virtually visiting, and discover via street view where you stand.

If you’re lemming for a new fragrance, make that choice either Acqua Di Gio (homme) or Acqua di Gioia (femme).  Each bottle you purchase will double the digital campaign’s tab: 100 liters of safe drinking water will be given to children and their communities.

The Acqua for Life Challenge supports Green Cross International’s efforts to promote access to safe drinking water for children. Together, we can help Green Cross International expand its “ Smart Water for Green Schools ” project in Ghana and Bolivia. The project provides communities with sustainable sources of drinking water: rainwater harvesting systems, wells and boreholes. 

Do good, smell good. LIKE the AFL Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/acquaforlife) and purchase Acqua Di Gio and Acqua di Gioia to make a difference NOW.

A little late for the party but hey — this haul’s too swell to miss!

I stashed up almost two weeks ago from the annual VMV Hypoallergenics Skin Soiree. Apart from the usual suspects, I also got dibs on their latest cosmeceuticals skin care line: Red Better.

VMV Hypoallergenics Red Better cosmeceuticals skin care line

In VMV Hypoallergenics’ endeavor to minimize costs and waste, they started packaging their products in these posh glue-less boxes (sexy cat legs not included):

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Are you looking for a lightweight facial serum and liquid foundation duo? Sounds like finding a needle in the haystack but our friends from Max Factor found a way to heed this need with their new product called Ageless Elixir 2 In 1 Foundation + Serum.

The silky-soft fluid formula gives effortless coverage of fine lines and wrinkles whilst the the serum with SPF 15 works to protect against daily UV damage. The result? A beautiful finish today. A naturally flawless skin for tomorrow.

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Once (twice if I’m unlucky) a year, my skin goes on absolute, wild haywire. This usually happens every summer when sweat doesn’t bead off profusely and causes an awful baby rash followed by mild sweat acne on my hairline, chest and ugghhh neck. I think I need not explain any further because the picture’s pretty clear — it feels like I’m back in sophomore high. *bawls*

When this happens I usually run to my dermatologist or VMV Hypoallergenics. It needs more TLC than the usual cocktail I get the rest of the year so I load up on either topical antibiotics, beta-hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid. What I like about this combo’s that it zaps all the nasty bumps without leaving a trace behind (read: no stubborn burnt, brown spots after). For this bout, VMV won over my dermatologist because it’s more accessible (it’s available in all of the malls I go to) and frankly, my dermatologist’s prescription burns and stings and the full blown summer heat doesn’t make this quite a feat.

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Facial Care Centre’s nothing but golden in my beauty black book. Long before I became a client, Mother Goose has frequented to their Solid Mills Building branch (which I think transferred operations to GT Tower). My Friday routine in the mid to late 90s would include me and Gov picking her up from Facial Care Centre where she’d usually have 2-3 treatments done in one go. She’s such a swell fan that I wasn’t quite surprised when upon graduating from college, she actually gifted me with a treatment program designed to calm my post-thesis and OJT stressed skin. It’s safe to say that for both of us, no one does soothing and anti-aging treatments better than Facial Care Centre.

Not too long ago, Facial Care Centre opened another branch in the east aptly situated in Eastwood. They invited me to try out a treatment program I never had before so you guessed it — I immediately said yes.

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Except when I’m out of town, my Monday mornings are dedicated to my brushes being deep cleansed (or bathed). I used to do it 2-3x a week until time became a huge constraint reason why I had to resort to other cleaning and sanitizing means. My first HG brush cleaner’s Cinema Secrets until I discovered other brands that are more locally accessible and affordable namely MAC, shu uemura, and Parian Spirit.

What usually greets me every Monday morning — very dirty brushes!

I discovered the Parian Spirit Professional Makeup Brush Cleaner three years ago in a gig with an old friend. I had my Cinema Secrets Brush Cleaner housed in an atomizer and I was spraying and drying my precious brushes in between sets until I caught a whiff off what she’s using. It smelled so citrusy good and I was amazed on how efficient it was in getting rid of foundation stains on her MAC 190. It wasn’t locally available back then so I had another friend buy me my first bottle in the US. For three years in a row, I haven’t used any other brush cleaner apart from Parian Spirit.

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