Happy Hands and Feet at Let's Face It

Let's Face It is probably the most familiar beauty center to me. But the fact is, I haven't really spent a minute to any of its branch simply because what sticks into my mind is that Let's Face It is equivalent to painful facial services. However, there will always be a first time for everything, and last Wednesday, my feet strolled the road leading to LFI's Makati Cinema Square branch, not for a facial but for a manicure and pedicure session!

Interior-wise, I love the dimmed concept the place. They are trying to keep the noise at a very minimum level which makes your stay a pleasant one. Anyway, there mani-pedi service is nothing much of a difference to any salon services BUT what makes it very significant to me is that I've found my official "nail carer"! You might ask, why? Ok. So I am this type who wants my dead skin on the side of my toenails be really digged up up to the lowest level. I am a masochist when it comes to my nail care regimen. :p I have been to a lot of nail salons and I always end up either frustrated because I know my nails are not the fully cleaned (meaning dead skins were not fully taken out) or going home with a murdered toe. But not this time with Chai, my nail carer. She got the lightest hands and the sharpest hand and eye coordination that made the entire session so woundless and dead skin fully removed! I was so satisfied everytime she hits my nails with proper might and right timing. My feet literally felt lighter after it has been cleaned!

Another good news for me is that they have the likes of Orly and Essie nail lacquers for an additional Php 20 fee. Better than Enza who charges it at Php 40 and CANS at Php 30 (I think). They doesn't have a widest array of nail lacquers but dwecednt enough to choose your color/s for the day. Not bad. They also use Essie's Fill the Gap as a base coat and Orly's Sec 'n Dry as the top coat.

I chose Lady Like (pale pink) for my hands and Case Study (mocha brown) for my feet. After three days though, my right thumbnail already has a chipped nail polish on the sides. :(

Here are the swatches upon applied onto my nails. The photo does not display the true color of the lady pink as it appears to be like brownish when actually it is a lightest pink. While the ones in my toes are true to its color.

1/2 clean

Verdict: I am coming back to Chai again! Considering that the service fees (starts at Php 130 for the pedicure and Php 120 for the manicure) are quite reasonable for a labeled salon and the superb performance of my nail carer, it really is worth coming back!!! Good job, Chai!

Afternoon (and Evening) at Ystilo Salon

I said before that I want to try out other salon to overhaul my "dying" hair. Well, guess what, I still ran to Ystilo for their superb service. This time thoiugh, I spared myself from hassle of going to MOA (my stylist, Romy, is at MOA branch). I opted to go to the branch near me in Pasong Tamo. I was delighted to see that they have a current promo for rebonding so I was there sitting for about 7 hours to get my hair done. Lol. What can I say, I still get the same superb service that I got from MOA branch. My stylist now, Aidan, is very accomodating and not to mention very dedicated to me. And yeah, they got complimentary beverages here! I already had two cups of my Nescafe. :)

my untamed hair. ugh.

tadddaaaaaaa! after seven hours of treatment! =)

The whole treatment was a very good experience to me. The service, the in-between massages, the good music made the session not just bearable but delightful as well.
I also discovered something in Ystilo. That is, they have Orly and China Glaze nail laquers and the price of the mani-pedi is just very decent! One hundred bucks for my manicure and Php 120 for my pedi - with Orly! Amazing! Other high end nail salon would charge you additional fee if you choose the likes of Orly laquers but at Ystilo salon, they have it as a default brand. Sowshal! So while I was nailed on my chair for the hair treatment, I availed of the mani-pedi and got Platinum for my feet and ancient jade for my hands. The colors are jsut so vibrant. I love them!

I am really impressed as to how Ystilo does its business. No frills, no whatsoever, just purely giving their clients that so-called customer satisfaction. I love this salon to bits!

The Face Shop Nail Color in PK108

I spent my night painting my nails on my own so as to release my stress from work. I wanted to get some swatches of my O.P.I Pirates of the Carribean but ended up not finishing it because my short attention span kicked in when I just finished the first shade. When I returned the bottles in my nail polish kit, my eyes were caught up by this bottle from The Face Shop and realized that I haven't really used this shade on my hands (actually, I've just used this once in my feet).

I really don't intend to wear them instead, I just wanted to try it on and with out any clear reason, I used my left hand to paint my right nails. I expected it to be messy but I was so surprised that my left hand was doing a decent job on dressing up my nails! It is not perfect but it is very much wearable and so I decided to finish it. I'm not sure why though but my right nails (painted by my left hand) have little bubbles. Nevertheless, I am keeping my nails in Pink 108. :)

Pink 108 shade plays strategically between pink and red giving that aura of sweet yet sexy! It is so refreshing to see that upon gliding the brush, the polish embraces my nails like it found its home. Just like a good make up, it is very "pigmented" that on first application, it already gave a promising result. I like the fact that this shade is wearable both at work and on casual days.

Anyhow, here is my end product:

Top with:

I have used other shades from The Face Shop and I've experienced chipped nail polish after a day so I am not really expecting high as regards to its staying power. Well see. :)

P.S. Lesson learned: Don't assume things at first or second tries. Just like applying nail polish using my left hand, I did not know I improved or made it workable until tonight. LOL. So never close your doors to possibilities. :)

Tony Moly Nail Polish

One of my tiny purchases last night in SM Makati make up area is this Tony Moly nail polish in gray. Ok, I can't say this is strictly gray but more of a bluish gray shade. I chose the shade primarily because of the weather now which is occasionally gloomy. I realized then after I apply it that this goes well with my Coach bag. Perfect coincidence. I like it!

So how do I rate TM's polish? At a price of Php 98, I could say that this one is a good buy! My first criteria to say that a nail polish is a good one is that when I apply it, I could instantly feel that it marries with your nails and not just merely sitting on them. you know what I mean, there is that connection between your nails and your polish. I tried putting them on without any base or top coat and the end result is pretty commendable. And yes, it dries fast!

I was too excited to wear them that right after I got home, I started painting my nails. So in the run down of the photos below, please bear with the ungroomed nails that I have and of course, the imperfect application of the polish! I do intend to flood this post with so much photos so expect to have at least four simultaneous pictures after the jump! :D

Too bad I need to take off my nail polish today as I go to work since only my left hand has it! I don't have the talent to paint my right hand so I have to wait until this weekend to get my nails done in a salon. :)

EDIT: Chapped nail polish after a day of sporting the nail polish. :(