Bargain Alert: Enza Nails and Spa Turns 4!

Oh yes, I must be one of the most feet-obsessed people out there. I very rarely do my own polish application now because I seriously can't do it the way professionals do it, and I do like the pampering time I get from my pedicure sessions! I've taken it upon myself to explore different nail spas around my area, and Enza Nails and Spa is no exception.

I spend a lot of time in Katipunan, and I remember passing by Enza but they're always fully booked! So you can imagine my excitement when they opened a new branch along Garnet Road, Ortigas! And since it's the franchise's 4th anniversary, their giving a 40% discount on all services (valid only for their Ortigas branch and their main branch, Katipunan).

Now that's a real bargain! A pedicure costs P150, but they charge an additional P40 for premium polish (which is Orly), but with a 40% discount, you save a whole lot of money. You can always bring your own polish (that's what I do) to save a little bit of money. I love that their pedicure comes with a foot soak and a short massage, and I don't even need to pay extra for french tips! I will definitely be coming back here.

Mich and Myl Nails @ Ortigas Center

If there's one service that I always pay for, it would be pedicures and foot spas. I'm not confident to do my own nails, unfortunately. I do have some polishes at home, but I found that doing my own nails never resulted in something as neat as having it done by the pros.

I'm really delighted that two new nail salons opened up literally just across the street from where I live. I tried the one, Mich and Myl Nails because they had a promo of 30% of all services until August 31 (tomorrow).

The manicure/nail art station. It reminds me of CANS.

The pedicure/foot spa station:

This salon has a lot of materials for nail art. It has more than the average nail salon, IMO. They also do gel/acrylic nails.

I enjoyed their service. I availed of a foot spa (that comes with a pedicure). Unfortunately, though, you'll have to add P50 if you want to use OPI nail polish. I forgot the regular nail polish that they have (the name didn't really ring a bell for me). However, I just bring my own polish since I have several here at home, anyway. I also added some nail art for my big toes:

I'm sorry, I know there's a bit of hair on my foot :P Yes, I'm a hairy girl. 

The whole experience lasted a little over two hours. I have nothing bad to say about their service. Everyone was polite and accomodating. I just wish they had their own restrooms like a lot of other nail salons. I'll be trying another nail salon in the area so stay tune folks!

Mich and Myl Nails is located at Emerald Tower, along the corners of F. Ortigas Jr. and Garnet Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Nail It! Salon near Katipunan, Quezon City

I spend a lot of free time in Katipunan so I spend that time for my grooming needs: pedicures, waxes, haircuts and other stuff. I've already explored a good number of nail salons in or near Katipunan and will continue to do so.

For my nail-related needs in Katipunan, I've grown fond of Get Polished, but recently, I got curious about Nail It. I've been seeing it recently on my way to Lay Bare Waxing Salon. On a whim, I decided to give it a try.

Loving the purple and white motif!

The waiting area:

Cashier/payment area:

and the lounge:

I just got the regular pedicure. Although the nail technician who did my nails didn't have the most gentle hands on earth, I didn't get any wounds which is the most important thing.

The cleaning costs P120 and the polish application costs P100 so I paid P220 all-in-all. It costs around the same price as the average nail salon. For that price, I got a little foot soak with a very light foot exfoliation, nail cleaning, a mini-leg massage and nail polish application.

Nail It uses only Orly and The Face Shop polishes, which might be a bit of downer for girls who are not fans of these brands. They also have several packages to help us save money! Plus, get this: Lay Bare VIP Cardholders get 10% off according to my suki waxing lady. I haven't confirmed this, though, since I only found out about it when I went to Lay Bare after my pedicure. Boohoo :( Oh well, next time!

My Mani-Pedi Experience @ Studio Zen Salon

If you're like me, then you're addicted to purchasing groupon deals from sites such as ensogo, metrodeal, etc. I love these groupons! They're a great way to save money, but be careful, some of them may be misleading. Anyway, I'm not going to talk about that today. I'm going to talk about a deal that I purchased a few months ago, but I haven't been able to post. I bought a deal from ensogo where I only paid 250 for a pedicure and manicure at Studio Zen Salon. 

As of now, they have only two branches: one in Cubao and a newly-opened one in Katipunan. Since I'm always in Katipunan, I opted to have mine done there.

Upon entering, I was greeted by a nicely-decorated interior. Its motif is black and white. Classy but at a student's price.

Sadly, I wasn't able to take a picture of the pedicure/manicure area, which was quite cozy.

So let me tell you about the highlights and lowlights of my experience:

HIGHLIGHTS

• It's common for hair salons to have a limited selection of nail polish. However, aside from Orly and Sally Hansen polishes, they also have some Misa polishes which made me happy because they're not common here :)

LOWLIGHTS

• Only one person did both my manicure and pedicure so it took longer than I hoped for.
• They don't have a base coat, so if you're peculiar about that better bring your own.
• There is only one parking slot :( They should really do something about that. It took me a long time to park.

The unique thing about this salon is that for a certain amount, you can avail of unlimited sessions of a certain service. For example, for only P590 a month, you get unlimited manicures and pedicures! So it's very affordable if you like getting your nails done all the time!

As for me, I think I will stick to nail salons for my nail jobs :)

Another Great Find at Landmark!

I love Landmark! There are so many things that you can find for low prices! A few days ago, I visited Landmark Trinoma and look what I found in the nail section:

From Amira Magic Beauty, one very fine brush, one angled brush, one flat liner brush, a fan brush and a dotting tool, all for an affordable price of P199. These are nail brushes, but all of the brushes (without the dotting tool) can also be used for makeup! The three brushes on top can be used for fine details. The fan brush can be used to apply highlighters, or cut into a smaller size to be used as a mascara fan brush. Who said brushes need be expensive?

Tips for DIY French Nails Newbies

Hello everyone! In case you don't know, I love getting french tips! Sadly, though, having a manicure in a nail salon every week is just too darn costly. And I'm no pro in doing it myself so I settle for doing solid colored nails instead. Recently, I got bored and decided to try french tips out for myself, which I haven't done so in a very long time. So I'd like to share a few tips on how to DIY french tips for the first time. That way you can use your salon money for something else instead :)

• File your nails in a square shape instead of round. That way, you can use regular scotch tape (which draw on straight) or magic tape as a guide instead of french tip guides that can cost a pretty penny. On your thumb, though, you'll still have to create a bit of a curve after you remove the tame.
• You can use only one piece of tape for both hands so you don't waste any tape. In my case, I just keep switching the tape from one side to another.
• If you're really not confident with your nail polish skills, you can skip putting a base coat and a base color and just go to straight to painting the tips. After all, a french manicure normally means using a natural nail color. It also saves time since you don't have to wait for the nail polish to dry completely before sticking scotch tape to your nails.
• Still not confident about painting your own tips? Use a glittery/shimmery polish instead. Glittery polishes are more forgiving than white matte polishes.
• Finish off with a clear top coat.

So there you have it, easy-peazy french tips. In my case, I just filed my nails to a square-ish shape, used scotch tape as a guide to paint my nails with a holographic polish, clean away the excess polish with a cotton bud dipped in acetone, then finish off with a clear top coat! I was done in no time! And here is the end result:

Polishes used: China Glaze Sexagon, Caronia clear polish

Not bad for DIY if I do say so myself :)

Review: Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat + Good News!

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging lately, I try to but I've had a busy schedule so far. So now, I'm back with a review of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I'm so lucky that I had a chance to buy this when I was in the US. This is one of the most raved about top coats, because even though it's fast drying, it doesn't chip fast unlike regular quick-dry top coats.

So what makes this top coat so popular?

Let's see.

PROS

• It really does dry fast. Normally when I paint my toenails at night a few hours before bed, I wake up with nasty marks on my toes, but with Seche Vite I don't have that problem.
• It works about as well as a regular top coat

Basically, it does what it's supposed to do, which is good!

CONS

• not locally available

Overall, I'm very happy with this! I will be repurchasing for sure!

In the US, this retails for around $8. I know some online resellers have this. It's worth a try!

Plus, I have some good news! I won Aileen's (theshadesofu) giveaway! I won two mineralize eyeshadows from MAC In the Groove Collection! I'm really happy because I totally didn't expect it. I can't wait!

I'm back! Paris, Rome, Singapore Part 1 + award

I'm back! All I can say is, I'm so tired from all the walking I did for the past 11 days. It was insane! Anyway, before I go to serious travel talk, let me start with my haul from Singapore first (although it was the last stop on my vacation) just because I'm quite excited with my goodies. But before anything else, here's a picture of Sephora in Singapore.


Okay, it's not as tiny as what I expected from everyone else's comments, but it is much smaller than the other Sephoras I've seen in Europe.

Here's a picture of Sasa in Singapore:


Now this is what I call tiny! It's really small, unlike its counterparts in Hong Kong, which is Sasa land! I was hoping it would be bigger. Oh well.

My sister and I bought an epilator in Singapore. This is a shared purchase. I tested it and it was nice. Quite expensive though.


Here is my haul from Singapore:


Here's a rundown of the stuff I bought: I bought 3 eye brushes from Sasa. The brand is Arezia (never heard of it actually) and they were cheap. They were less than P120 pesos (around USD2.5) and they looked soft so I decided to try them. I got a sample of Clinique Turnaround Visible Concentrate because I've read a lot of good reviews. I got a sheet of nail stickers from a nail art stall I saw, a pack of Biore black pore strips since I've read a lot of good reviews, an e/s quad from Coffret D'Or (since Kanebo is cheaper in Singapore than in the Philippines), and Legere Water Drop BB cream. Thank you everyone for you input, BTW. I tried some of the BB creams I saw. I also really liked Legere Multi White BB cream (the purple one) but the petrolatum scared me since I'm really oily and I might breakout from continuous usage so I got the oil-free one instead.

I also forgot to add these:


I bought some stuff from MAC Duty Free since it was cheaper than retail price. I bought the Summer Rose Beauty Powder from A Rose Romance Collection. I'm loving this! It gives me a very natural blush. I also got a Layin' Low paintpot. This was the only neutral paintpot they had, since the Duty Free stores don't have all the MAC items.

Here is my happiest beauty purchase:


This is a pack of 5 Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils with a free extra brightening oil in the rightmost! I've been really curious about Shu oils (since they're supposed to be really fab) for the longest time but I didn't want to invest in a big bottle until I'm sure which one worked for me. So now, here comes a set of the oils in 50 ml sizes! Perfect for sampling since I need to sample one product for at least 3-5 days each. I can't remember the exact price I paid for it but it costed less than P2500 for sure. It still doesn't come out cheap but since they are Shu oils the price is reasonable. I haven't seen them outside Duty Free Singapore, though.

Anyway, that's it for my hauls! Stay tune for Part 2 of this post.

Let's move on. I'd like to say thank you for the love you've given me while I was away. I even got this lovely award from Shatz, Pammy and Vonnie:

Terms & Conditions For the Award Recipient:

1. Paste the Award Logo in your blog

2. Give out the award to 10 Blogs that you feels the most inspired and most friendly

.3. Make sure u back linked the recipients' blogs to your blog.

4. Inform the recipients about the award by leaving them comments on their blog

5. Give some love to the person who give you this award.

I'm not sure who's received this award while I was gone but I'm passing it to these people:
Gale
Chrissy
Nikki
Chris
Soapaholic

On Nail Swatches and Lucky Tom

This is long overdue. I joined a nail polish spree together with other sisses from GirlTalk. Thanks Mhean for hosting this spree!

Forgive the darkness of the shots. They were bright on-cam but for some reason, they turned out dark when I uploaded them (could be the brightness of the monitor).

Here are swatches of the polishes I got (all taken in artificial light):

left to right: Orly Robo Romance, China Glaze Gogo Pink, China Glaze 2NITE, China Glaze Sexagon and China Glaze Visit Me in Prism.

The next ones aren't mine. They're my sister's, but they're so pretty that I had to show you guys.

Here are four shades from the China Glaze Romantique Collection:

from left to right: Passion, Cherish, Awaken and Adore

from left to right: OPI Brand New Skates, China Glaze Emerald Sparkle, China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Aren't they pretty? It's a good thing I can use her shades too!

Moving on, I went to the Hello Kitty Launch in MAC Shangri-La yesterday. The mall opened at 10 am, but I was able to get there at 3 pm already. To my surprise, a lot of stuff were already out of stock (on it's opening day!) especially the lip glosses. It's too bad, I liked the lip gloss in Sweet Strawberry and the TLC in Popster. Boo hoo!

At least I was able to get my hands on a Lucky Tom palette, which I've been lemming for quite some time now.

Here's a pic of the palette:

Here are swatches:


I really wanted to have this, partly because of the Hello Kitty packaging and I wanted to be able to bring these colors around. These colors are dupable, though, but I still want them. However, Paradiso (the orange shade) might be a little hard to find. Nevertheless, still puuurrrty! Since I wasn't able to buy any lippies from the HK collection, I got myself a pot of Fluidline in Blacktrack instead (no photo). I can't wait to use them.

Review: Orly Won't Chip

I bought this because of the good reviews. I really want my nail polish to last long, and I read that this is the way to go.

Let me run through the pros and cons.

PROS

• It really makes a difference with your nail polish life. With this as my top coat and Orly Bonder as my base coat, my nail polish can be chip free for a week! And to think that I wash dishes and sometimes scratch my skin.

CONS

• This has a clumping problem for me (and some people also). After a few swipes, the application is no longer smooth so you have to close it and shake it before continuing to apply it.
• If you put even little more than what is necessary, it bubbles.

So what is the final verdict? Would i buy this again?

The answer is no. Unless I can find away to get rid of this bubbling problem, I'm trying other top coats.

My First Experience with Konad Nail Art

This is my first nail art using Konad! My polish color is Orly Catch the Bouquet. I actually took this while I was in the slipper section of SM Megamall. I started out a simple flower design, but hopefully I'll be able to do more complicated designs in the future.

I had to practice this a few times to get it right. The first few times, the design was incomplete so I had to try some more but I finally got it! I tried using my Sally Hansen nail polish for the nail art but yes, as the seller told me, the formula was runny and the design came out pale. I guess I have to stick to the special nail polish unless I can find a brand with that has really thick nail polish. Originally, I wanted the flowers to be silver, however, when I stamped the silver polish onto my nail, the design looked pale. I was disappointed in the silver. The white and black polishes work well, though. I have yet to try the gold polish.

When I finally finished stamping all my nails, I was going to apply a top coat, and to my horror, the design smudged! I had no choice but to do the smudged nail all over again. I waited for another 2 hours for the special nail polish to "dry," but it smudged again, much to my dismay. I redid a lot of my nails because of the smudged designs. Finally, I got the trick to applying the top coat. The brush must not actually touch the design. Apply the top coat on the nail with the right thickness, and brush the polish very lightly. Just enough for the polish to spread around the nail. The polish will act as a barrier between the brush and the design. Once the top coat dries, the design dried as well. However, be careful not to put too much top coat in an effort to avoid contact between the brush and the special polish, or else bubbles will form.

All in all, I think once I learn how to do this better, this will be more enjoyable. It's a little faster than manually drawing the nail art, especially for untalented ones like me. Nail stamping can also be used in combination with manual painting.

My First Attempt at Nail Art, My Konad loot and My Post-Christmas Gift

Okay, around a week ago I posted the nail art pens that I got from Nikki (askmewhats). I finally used them to paint my feet! It's my first attempt ever to do my own nail art and yes, it looks very crudely done (Darn! I should have used the dotting pen instead). Hopefully, with a lot of practice someday I'll be half as good as Nikki. It's a good thing that this is on my feet so it's not so obvious that it isn't perfect or even. Right now, flowers are the only designs I can do. Tee hee!

Anyway, I also bought nail stamping items from Konad. In the picture is a French tip set (with a stamper, scraper, 2 10 ml bottles of nail polish, a demo video and 3 image plates), 2 5 ml nail polishes and 9 image plates. I admit that I got carried away. I hoarded a lot of image plates. The nail polish is expensive! P330 (around $7.6) for 10 ml bottle. It's even more expensive than imported polish Anyway, I'm in the process of testing them. I'll do a review on this stamping set soon.

I also received some goodies from Kanebo from my mom as Post-Christmas gifts.

from left to right: Faircrea White UV Protector SPF 50, Lunasol Brow Styling Mascara and Coffret D'0r Natural Clear Liner.

Remember the review I did on sunblocks? The Faircrea SPF 50 is very similar if not exactly the same as the Tiffa SPF 50. Of all the sunblocks I've tried, this is my favorite!

Recent Hauls

Last Tuesday was our concert in Shangri-La Mall, so before our call time, I stopped by Nikki's (askmewhats) office to get one set of art pens from her. It was my first time to meet her and she was so nice! Of course, I admired her nail art which is lovely as usual. Anyway, I bought these art pens because I want to learn how to do my own nail art since going to salons to have it done is quite costly.

Here is a pic of my nail art pens:

There are 24 pens in all and she gave a nail dotting pen free.

Here's another look at my lovely nail art pens:

I can't wait to create my own nail art. Aside from these pens, I'll be purchasing other materials for my nail art.

Anyway, after I left Nikki's office, I went to Shangri-La Plaza. During our break, I went around the mall and lookie what I bought from Rustan's:

Another Orly nail polish in Catch the Bouquet. I also wanted to buy the Orly Spritz Dry but decided not to to save on expenses. However, it would turn out that I would regret not buying it because the next time I did my nails, the polish took forever to dry! I'll be buying the Spritz Dry one day, unless of course someone can recommend a good spray-on nail dryer.

Aside from my Orly nail polish, finally bought myself a Belle de Jour planner, which I've been lemming for since last month. This was the last copy in National Bookstore.

I was deciding between this and the Cosmo Date book. The Cosmo Date Book is only P200 (around $4) while the Belle de Jour is P598 (around $12). They're both really girly and have discount coupons, although the Belle de Jour has more. However, the reason why I decided to buy the Belle de Jour was because it had better binding and a hard cover while the Cosmo Date Book's cover was just made of thin cardboard. I felt that it wouldn't last the year if it was in my bag. It's good, though, if you plan to just leave it in your study/office desk. However, Belle de Jour is better if you plan to take this with you wherever you go like I do.

Regarding the coupons, I'm probably not going to be able to use most of them because most of the coupons are only good for regular-prized items. And I'm not the type who buys something regular-prized when it comes to clothes, bags and shoes. Although the coupons of BDJ are more than the ones from Cosmo, there are similar coupons though.

As for the Starbucks Planner, I don't plan to buy one in the next 10 years because it's really hard to gulp down 16 cups of expensive coffee in 2 months!

Anyway, I finally got home today and look what I found waiting for me: my Aromaleigh Haul! This haul was a pool order with Rebecca (newbietobeauty) and Micah (hoarder from GT). We ordered during the end of November sale.

The sticker on the pot is really cute. Here is how my haul looked like:

Here is what I got, a FS of URFP in Peaches and Cream and 5 mini jars of Illuminating Perle Powders in Kindle, Tickle, Whisper, Splendor and Allure. The Perle Powders are so pretty! I wanted to get more actually but it was going to be too expensive already so I got these top 5 which I felt was going to be the most useful for me.

Anyway, that's my haul! Merry Christmas again!

Nail Haul and Nail Art

Yesterday, I went to Landmark Trinoma to do some shopping and I got my first ever imported nail polish haul! I wanted to get a good top coat or base coat for myself so after taking a long time to decide, i got myself Orly Won't Chip. I also got an Orly Nail Lacquer in Witch's Blue for my sister. I'm sure she's going to like it. Total wallet damage: P714 (around $14.28, I know! Orly is so expensive here!)

Next time, I want Orly Bonder so I can also have a good base coat.

Anyway, since I was so excited to use my Orly Won't Chip, I got myself a manicure in Princess Nails and Spa once again. Here's how it turned out:

Yes, I know it's similar to my first nail art but I'm a really dainty person at heart and I still haven't gotten past the flowery theme. At least now, I'm using a deeper shade of pink (I normally like a very nude shade of pink). This color is OPI but I wasn't able to take a good look at the name of the shade since there was something else blocking my view.

Well, that's it for now. I have a lot of work to do!

.

A Review of Different Nail Spas I've Tried

I'm not really good at applying nail polish. So a lot of times, I'd rather have my nails done in a nail spa. Like my fetish for trying out different sunblocks, I also like trying different nail spas, so here is a review of the different nail spas I've tried. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures. :(

My criteria for a good nail spa: Must have good ambience, nail polish, and service for a reasonable price.




1. Relaksasi


Branch: Robinson's Place Manila (Other branches are in SM North Edsa and SM Southmall)

Nail Polish: Bobbie. Add P10 for Essie (Essie's colors are quite limited, so it might be a problem for people who like bright colors. But since I'm a neutrals kind of girl and I love french tips, this is no problem for me).
Choices: Limited
Top Coat: Bobbie Quik Dry.
Nail dryer? None.


Ambience: I like the ambience of this place. The theme is Indian-inspired so there is a lot of heavy drapery. Each client has a private cubicle, each with its very own lazy boy (and a floor sink)! Yes, I'm a sucker for a lazy boy! Yes, It's so comfy so I really feel relaxed.


Service: Since Relaksasi is more of a massage and wax place, they don't offer any other nail services aside from the usual manicure and pedicure. I got the pedicure, which costed P100 (around $2.00) and then added P10 for the Essie nail polish. The attendant was gentle on my feet, and I was pleased with how my nails looked like. The only thing that went wrong is that before I came in, I was asked if I wanted cold or hot tea. I told them I wanted cold, but I never got that tea even after I finished my pedicure. No biggie though, since I'm not a tea person anyway.

Would I go back again? Yes! This is really value for money, but since Manila is very far from me, my next visit will be a very long time from now.




2. Luxe Nail Lounge


Branch: Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas, Pasig City (This is actually the only branch)


Nail Polish: A lot of Orly, OPI, China Glaze, Essie and some other brands that I'm not familiar with. A little Revlon, Sally Hansen and even a few premium polishes that will cost an extra P60-P100 (around $1.40-$2.00)
Choices: plenty
Base Coat: Essie base coat
Top Coat: Orly Won't Chip
Nail Dryer: None.
They have a variety of other nail treatments such as the Orly No-Bite which will cost an additional P10-P30.


Ambience: The place is spacious enough so I didn't feel cramped. The lights were dimmed but not to the point of being dark. There are a lot of couches with different styles. Some are good for one, some are good for two. The receptionist told me that they were aiming to create an atmosphere where the customers can choose what type of couch they would sit in. Note though that although the couches look really nice, they're actually not that soft.


Service: Before I go to the actual procedure, may I just add that they also have WiFi (I'm not sure if it's free though) and they also have a selection of imported magazines that are up-to-date. Anyway, moving on to the pedicure, I chose the Express pedicure, which can be misleading because it's not really express. At first, my feet were soaked for around 5 minutes. Then, my feet were shaped and cleaned. The attendant was very gentle on my feet. She really took her time. Then she massaged my feet for maybe 10-15 minutes. The massage was really relaxing. It did a good job in relieving my tension. Then lastly, she applied the polish. The express pedicure costed me P220 (around $4.40) plus P15 for french tips so I paid a total of P235 (around $4.60). The express pedicure is actually not the cheapest pedicure. The basic pedicure, which consists of just cleaning, shaping and nail polish application costs P180 (around $3.60) but I don't actually mind paying the extra P40 for the massage because it was really good.


Would I go back again? Yes! Plus, this is near my place.




3. The Nail Loft


Branch: Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City (There is also a branch near Greenhills)
I went here because it was walking distance from Lay Bare, where I get my waxing done.


Nail Polish: Orly, OPI, Essie and China Glaze. Sally Hansen and Revlon are also available but will cost extra.
Choices: Fair
Base Coat and Top Coat: Both Orly but I've forgotten what kind.
Nail Dryer? None.


Ambience: The ambience was just okay. It's actually very small so I felt cramped up inside. Since I was there during the day, there weren't much lights so I found it too dim inside. Plus I sat in a long couch and there were two people beside me and there wasn't much elbow room, so yeah, it added up to the cramp-ness I felt.


Service: I got a little turned off because I just availed of the GM pedicure but the attendants kept on suggesting that I also get a foot spa, even when I already said no a couple of times. Anyway, on to the pedicure. It actually started with the attendant putting lotion on my arms and then giving me a little massage. However, during the actual pedicure, there was pain involved, but no wounds. The nail polish application was good though. After my pedicure, I was served complimentary hot tea. I paid P150 ($3.00) for the GM pedicure.


Would I go back again? Maybe, if I'm not in the mood to shell out money.




4. Princess Nails & Spa


Branch: AIC Grande Tower, Ortigas, Pasig City (This is the only branch and is only around one month old)

Nail Polish: Orly, Essie, OPI, China Glaze, a little of The Face Shop and some local polishes
Choices: more than fair
Base Coat: CND Base Coat
Top Coat: CND Hi-Gloss Top Coat
Nail Dryer? Yes.


Ambience: This place is really for the uber-girly girls because it has pink everywhere. The seats for the pedicures are even hot pink with polka-dot pillows. It's very bright though so it's not very relaxing. Since I had a manicure done, I just sat in a chair while the manicurist did my nails in a table. The attendants told me though, that they'll be replacing the hot pink seats with white. Note though that the manicurists are really quite chatty, so if you'd prefer that the attendants don't talk much, then this place is not for you.


Service: I availed of their nail art. Their nail art is just manually painted on, it's not the type with stamps and molds. Take note though that they only have around 6 nail art pens. Hopefully they'll add more. My only regret is that my nails weren't long so they couldn't do much with my nails. The manicure consisted of the usual cleaning, then application of lotion. After that, they painted my nails. The last step was to transfer to another spot to have my nails dried. I was happy with my nail art, especially since it was my first time. The nail art is very affordable. I only paid P250 ($5.00) all-in-all. They don't offer additional rhinestones or pearls for your nails, though.


Would I go back again? For nail art, yes, because this is very affordable; but if you're going for a regular foot spa, or mani/pedi, there are other places that offer better ambience for around the same price.




5. Get Polished


Branch: Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City (The other branch is in BF Homes, Paranaque)
This just opened this month and is currently on a 15% off promo on all services. This is convenient since it's in the same building as Lay Bare, which I mentioned is where I get my wax done.


Nail Polish: Orly, Essie, OPI, China Glaze and The Color Club
Base Coat: Yello-Out
Top Coat: Orly clear coat
Nail Dryer? Yes.


Ambience: This place is very pastel-colored, which is nice I'm into since I like pastels. There are individual off-white couches for each customer. The lighting is just right. Yes, I felt relaxed.


Service: I wanted to get the Totally Polished Pedicure, but since they didn't have a paraffin machine yet, I availed the Get Polished Moisture Pedicure instead. It was long procedure. At first my feet were soaked in a foot bath, and then I was scrubbed with the scrub of my choice (There were around 6 scrubs to choose from; I chose eucalyptus) and then my feet were exfoliated manually. After that, they cleaned my feet. I can't really say that the cleaning was pain-free, but each time I twitched a little, the attendant stopped to adjust to me. Then, they place a shea butter treatment on my feet (which felt minty!), wrapped in plastic foil and then placed in heated booties for 15 minutes. After that, they applied CND Vanilla Shimmer Lotion on my feet. They also massaged my feet, but I can't remember if it came before or after the shea butter treatment. The massage was just okay. I can't really say that it relieved all tension. After applying the nail polish, they brought the nail dryer in a trolley so I didn't have to transfer seats. The trolley wasn't very comfortable though, since i couldn't put in my feet properly. I was satisfied with the pedicure. My feet felt softer after the treatment. The Get Polished Moisture Pedicure was actually P470 (around $9.40), but since there was a misprint in their main list (it read P450), the receptionist gave it to me at P450! Yey! And since there was an additional 15% off, I only paid P382.50 (around $7.60) for everything. Not bad, ehh? They also have a loyalty card wherein you get a few throw-ins for free after a certain number of visits.


Would I go back again? Yes. Although I can't really say that I fell in love with this place, it's still a good place to visit.


Other nail spas I want to visit: Nail Tropics, CANS and Dashing Diva.


What are your thoughts on this? I'd love to see them.

CS Palette and My First Nail Art!

Look what I got today! The CS neutral palette! I got the 88 shimmer palette before and loved it, so I decided to get the neutral palette as well! Since I don't use eyeshadows all the time, I promise not to get anymore palettes (except maybe the 88 matte palette!). The CS palettes are my only non-mineral makeup aside from my MAC Blot. Even just looking at the palette, I realized that sis Aika was right. The shades here are different from the neutral shades found in the 88 shimmer palette. Can't wait to play with these!

I got my very first nail art today! I initially went to Get Polished in Diliman because the Lay Bare website announced that it today was the grand opening plus I saw a Now Open sign outside. I went inside and was so surprised when I found out that they weren't open yet! Grrr.... I then found myself in Princess Nails and Spa in AIC Grande Tower in Ortigas. I really wanted a pick-me-up so I tried nail art on my fingernails. I've never actually had a manicure before! Normally, I just get pedis.

I'm so fond of dainty designs! It's too bad that I have short fingernails so I can't really do that much with them.

I used Orly Taffy here. For P250 (around $5.00) this is reasonable. The base and top coat are CND (I've never actually heard of this brand before but it's US-made).

Please excuse the messy background.

I'm happy that I tried nail art. I'll definitely do this again. Maybe next time on my feet! Lol.