Booty Call

Cosmetics companies are now leaning towards the formulation of more effective anti-aging products. Miracle serums are the hottest thing in the beauty industry but the question remains, " which one really works?" Does a resonating rave from users validate the effectiveness of a product? When the reviews are as convincing as those of Boots No. 7 products, you can't help but be lured into its promises.

My friend Isobelle, who now lives in Denver, Colorado, asked for my opinion on the apparently "miraculous" product originating from UK which is now creating a buzz in the US.  Unfortunately, I haven't used one but it did trigger my curiosity. Here is the info I gathered on Boots No. 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Serum, making me wish we had it here in the Philippines as well.

What is Boots No. 7?

Boots is a known pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer in the UK, named after John Boot, an agricultural worker who opened a herbalist store in 1849. Eventually, the  No. 7 brand was launched in 1935.  Boots No. 7  is said to be Britain's number 1 make up and skin care brand that has an extensive array of scientifically-proven products. Tinted moisturizers, eyeshadows and lipsticks from this brand are impressively earning the thumbs up of beauty aficionados. What's even more buzz-worthy is its anti-wrinkle skin care line.

Boots no. 7 Protect and Perfect Serum

Boots product—No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty serum (previously known as Refine & Rewind Beauty Serum), was  formulated by a team of scientists lead by Dr. Steve Barton in 2003. The BBC Science show featured this product as having underwent a 12-month independent clinical trial drawing the conclusion that this was the real deal, the only product they tested which worked. The stampede-inducing feature prompted the product to be sold out almost instantaneously. The studies were later backed up by a new study published at the British Journal of Dermatology, confirming its effect on improving the appearance of wrinkles and additionally, proving its repair properties on sun-damaged skin, broadening its market range from the old to the younger ones who show premature signs of aging. Even those with allergy issues can benefit from its hypoallergenic formulation.

[caption id="attachment_1310" align="alignright" width="188" caption="Image from Boots"][/caption]

It is a beauty serum which promises to deliver a younger-looking skin within 4 weeks. If you look into consumer reviews online, you will notice how it garners raves more than rants.  I'd like to believe that it does hold the key to that evasive fountain of youth. Dr. Steve Barton, however, counters this "miracle product" claim but affirms that it does reduce lines and reveal younger looking skin. After its launch in 2004, it easily became the front-liner of the Boots No. 7 brand.

Ingredients

The serum is  a unique compound of silicone, anti-oxidants, lipo pentapeptides and an extract of white lupin flower.

Price

A 1 oz  bottle ranges from $19.99 to $22.99.

Availability

It is frequently sold out but you can check it out on Target or Drugstore.com in the US. Its online store in the UK does not sell it internationally and neither do the US-based stores so it may take a while before we consumers in the Philippines can try it out. Hopefully, not long enough for us in the thirties to start manifesting visible signs of aging.
cupless shelf bra

Rebond at Tony and Jackey CDO

I was long overdue for a rebond. After raving about the affordable home service that I availed last year, the months that followed after that rebond left me with a dry, tangled, and damaged hair, not to mention to unusual amount of falling hair that almost clogged our bathroom. I have all praises for how the stylist did the ironing and how courteous she was but I figured it must be the product she used that caused the marked damage. Like what I always say, you get what you pay for.

This year, I had to make sure that I go to a reputable salon to prevent the same thing from happening. I asked around and one of my models, Kristine, recommended that I go to Cebu or Manila at a certain Korean salon. Unfortunately, like me, she is frustrated about the lack of salons here that are known for their rebond services. The best rebond I have tried were in Hairbytes Shangrila in Mandaluyong and Ricky Reyes in Megamalll.

Tony and Jackey was the salon that Kristine suggested. I made a mental note to squeeze in a rebond session when I visit Cebu or Manila. With the law of attraction working on my favor, I later found out that a Tony and Jackey branch has just opened at SM-CDO! Whoah! That was real quick. I lost no time in scheduling an appointment before a Cyber Monday. The front desk personnel was pleasant to talk to and sounded really professional over the phone.

There are 3 Korean stylists working at the CDO branch. The one who attended to me was Nick. Despite the language barrier, he courteously explained that the status of my hair needed the L'Oreal formula instead of the Korean preparation which may be harsh for my already damaged hair. In fact, he warned me that another rebond may aggravate the condition of my poor hair. But my thought bubble went: "what could be worse than this fluffy, witchy hair I'm sporting?"

They have a 5000 package using L'oreal for rebond on any length of hair plus additional services like hair manicure, hair cut and something else which escapes me at the moment. The 3000 package uses the Korean medicine, inclusive of the other hair treatment services. For rebond alone, it is P300O using L'Oreal and P1,500 for the Korean formula. It would be easy to fall for the cheaper package but as I understand it, it would be an option only for those with "virgin" hair. For the uninitiated, it refers to hair which hasn't been ravaged by a previous treatment such as rebond, relax or perm. It doesn't have anything to do with one's purity or experiences in intimate matters. Ack! That leaves my hair under the slut category.

I figured it may take forever if I choose the whole package. Besides, I wanted to get the feel of paying for a not more than P4000 for a rebond at a famous salon. I usually pay P7000 for my rebond sessions before and I do realize now what that amount could buy me. I opted for the L'Oreal Rebond for P3000 plus haircut for P300. It took around 5 hours to finish.

After the routine shampoo and blowdry, Nick cut my hair, following the style I pointed on their catalog. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to cut before rebonding but after the whole process, there were damaged ends that he had to cut once again, making my hair a lot shorter than it's supposed to be. His assistant Cacay did the blowdrying and most of the ironing process, but Nick was constantly checking out her work and did some ironing too even if the salon was getting packed with clients.

My assessment? Except for the occasional instances when the iron would bump into my scalp, the shorter-than expected hair and the deafening voices that greet a new customer entering the premises, the experience was a fine one. They offered free coffee, and their staff members were trained to treat their clients right.  Generally, the results are good. A few days after, I did notice some frizzy strands near the nape but then I also encountered that after my rebond in Hairbytes so I guess it's a complication I have to deal with afterwards. Regular hot oil will handle this.

The haircut rates of Tony and Jackey is something that may be intimidating for CDO residents because we are used to low prices (one of the reasons why I don't push my makeup artistry). You can enjoy a P120 haircut at some posh salon here which serves Iced Tea for free. But then with reputation of Tony and Jackey's excellent Korean hairstyling, it is certainly worth a try. Both male and female clients kept the stylists busy when I was having the rebond. The regular rates are P500 for women's haircut and P300 for men. Currently, they are on promo: P300 for women and P150 for men. If you guys in CDO want to score Korean hair-do a-la Lee Min Ho, do check the place out. It is located the the 2nd floor of SM CDO , or you may contact them at 859-3022.

Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

[caption id="attachment_1190" align="aligncenter" width="444" caption="Image from Smashbox.com"][/caption]

When it comes to primers, Smashbox is a sure winner. With its Photo Finish foundation being a multi-awarded breakthrough product, we expect nothing less from its eye primer version.

Smashbox recently came out with the  Photo Finish lid Primer which aims to make the eye makeup adhere better and last longer. From the way it looks, it appears creamier than the eye primers I've gotten used to (Urban Decay Primer Potion and the Artdeco Eye Primer). It claims to have moisturizing properties owing to its Phytomoist formula, a plant based hyaluronic acid with skin perfecting amino acids. What's interesting about this is that it can be used as an under eye brightener and concealer for dark eye circles! I'm guessing the formula glides more easily than other eye primers that tend to clump due to its glue-like properties.

Will it be at par with the cult favorite UDPP? Or will it just be a mini version of the Smashbox foundation primer ?  That we'll have to find out. The ingredients are different so I'm expecting it to be be on a league of its own. Smashbox ships for free in the US so get it while it's hot.

Watch Emily Noel's review of the product:

The Doctor is vaIN Wins at the Philippine Blog Awards 09

"The Doctor is vaIN" has been awarded the best beauty blog at the Philippine Blog Awards last night held at the PETA Theater in Manila. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come to the prestigious event, not because I feared a Kanye West act happening, but because I live down south, in Cagayan de Oro.  When "The Doctor is vaIN" was called,  the doctor was out of sight.

I was totally unaware that my blog scored victory until I remembered that the PBA 09 Manila leg (no, not the basketball league) was taking place and people started tweeting  the winners. Being an apathetic blogger who hardly has friends in the blogosphere, no one told me about the results.  It was not until I read the tweet of tonyocruz mentioning this blog as the winner in the beauty category. Not to discredit the report or anything, it was too surreal to assume that it was indeed my blog that won. Then I stumbled upon the post of Doc Gelo, who was nice enough to inform me that it was indeed  true.  To these kind- hearted bloggers, even if they are not in any way blogging about beauty, thank you so much!

Big thanks are in order for the people behind the Philippine Blog Awards! Thank you for considering the efforts I put into this relatively young blog. Being the first beauty blog awardee is not only a milestone but a privilege I will take responsibly. The blogging world may not be familiar with this domain but thanks for this grand introduction! Rest assured that I will work harder to polish the articles that I post to make them worthy of your recognition.

Contrary to what people might think that it was me in a man's clothes who accepted the award, no, it was somebody from the PBA staff. I sincerely thank him for receiving it on my behalf.

Thank you to the cdo bloggers for supporting the finalists from Cagayan de Oro, to my friends in facebook for their greetings,  and to my husband who's proudest of my latest achievement.

To you, who is reading this: whether you're a regular reader, a supporter, a lurker, or even a hater, it doesn't matter as long as you are getting prettier with each visit to this blog, it is good enough for me. Thank you!

If you want to view the full coverage of the event, please head to Flippish, the first online Pinoy  video channel where the screencaps appearing on this post were taken from. To know the complete list of winners,  Tonyocruz has it. Congratulations to fellow beauty bloggers Shen, Candy Blush,  all the nominees, finalists, and winners for a job well done!

Makeup For Small Eyes

You have been introduced to the different eye shapes and the examples for each on the previous post. In case you're clueless about it, please click this link to the Different Eye Shapes.

We used Toni Gonzaga as an example for small eyes and this is a picture of her with makeup which should work for women with small eyes. There was no info on who did her makeup but I give kudos to the MUA who made her look extra fabulous:

Most women with small eyes want to achieve a bigger and more opened eyes, although I know some who would rather keep it that way.  These tips, however,  should yield a more awakened look:

• Use undereye brighteners like YSL Touche Eclat or light concealers because dark undereye circles will recede the size of the eyes further.


• Apply light colored eye shadows on the lids. Dark ones will make the eyes shrink even more.


• When applying color to the lid, gradually increase height of the colored area as you move outwards or laterally.


• Pick a medium colored eye shadow for the crease


• Highlight the area beneath the browbone and along the inner corner of the eye


• Line the upper lashline with a black eyeliner, extending slightly beyond the lash line


• Line the lower waterline with white eyeliner to create the illusion of bigger white area of the eye


• Line the outer 1/3 of the lower lashline with the black eyeliner, gradually thinning as you move inwards


• Curl lashes and apply mascara. Don't skip this important step. If your lashes are short, consider applying false eyelashes.


• Check the eye brows and  shape them in a way that they are are not droopy

Different Eye Shapes

The eyes are the most exciting part to enhance with make-ups. The right strokes can improve your appearance dramatically or alter a character. An innocent looking lead actress can instantly transform into a mean villain after applying the tricks in eye make-up application.

Let us first get oriented  with the different eye shapes. Examples of each type will be those of local and foreign celebrities whose pictures were gathered from the net. Credits go to the respective owners of each photo. The ways to approach each with the proper makeup application will be discussed in a follow-up article.

I. Common Shapes/ Sizes

1. Small Eyes

Oriental eyes may fall under this category, but in general, this type refers to those peepers which are proportionately smaller than the rest of the face.  Example is TV Host Toni Gonzaga. She first striked me as one with closed-set eyes but upon re-examining her face, I decided she fits this description instead.

2. Prominent Eyes

This group is opposite to the first type, in which the eyes are prominent and tend to dominate the facial features. Think round, anime eyes but in human form. These types sometimes convey a surprised look that needs some toning down but can also be expressive and doll-like similar to Anne Hathaway's.

3. Almond Eyes

Having this shape may cause you to be subject of envy at some point because  although almond eyes are common, they considered to be the perfect shape which any eye color or makeup design will work on. See the picture of an almond below for your reference. Notice that it is pointy medially and gradually rounded laterally. Primetime TV's Darna, Marian Rivera, comes to mind when speaking of Almond-shaped eyes.

4. Protruding Eyes

Goiter probably pops into your mind when you hear protruding eyes but it isn’t limited among patients with thyroid disorders. Eyes like these don't have to be huge in proportion to the rest of the face but they do have an exaggerated bulge from the socket which can be more obvious when the eyes look down or are closed. Penelope Cruz and Angelina Jolie both have these and they don't look anywhere close to being a case of Grave’s Disease. Locally, there are a lot- from Concert Queen Pops Fernandez to Megastar Sharon Cuneta but we'll pick the award-winning Cherry Pie Picache who first starred in an Eskinol Commercial with Vilma Santos and is now one of the most in demand actresses effectively essaying her roles whether as a clever villain or a devoted mom.

5. Hooded Eyes

These are commonly seen in aging eyes which lost its elasticity, thereby causing the droop. These can also be found on young people with folds of skin hanging over the socket line just because they are born that way. Asian eyes can sometimes have a hooded effect, making the eyes look closed even when they are not. Grey's Anatomy’s Dr. Cristina Yang played by Sandra Oh enters the picture as an example for this eye shape.

6. Deep Set Eyes

Sunken eyeballs due to severe dehydration may illustrate an extreme case of deep set eyes but we are rather dealing with the eyes that lie deep into the socket commonly seen among Bollywood actresses. Women with these eyes are often considered a symbol of beauty such as Aishwarya Rai.

II. Distance

These categories are not descriptions of an eye shape but the distance between them which will likewise have an impact on your makeup application .

1. Closed- Set Eyes

When the eyes have a narrow space between them, this means you have closed-set eyes. Internationally, Jennifer Aniston was cited as an example but we'll choose the fabulous actress Cherrie Gil to represent our local scene. Between her small eyes is a thin,aquiline nose making the space appear narrower.

2. Wide Set Eyes

When the eyes are spaced farther apart than the length of the eye, where you can put more than one extra imaginary eye in between, they are said to be wide-set. TV host Pia Guanio has small eyes accentuating the distance between them, making her a perfect example for this category.

Now look at yourself in the mirror and examine the shape of your eyes. Note that each type may not be exclusive from one another. Yours may be a combination of two or more categories. You can have small but protruding eyes or huge and deep set eyes. Uh… having a combination of a small, hooded eye on the right and a huge almond eye on the left is an entirely different case in which a trip to an ophthalmologist may be warranted. Otherwise, we can always put out our eye shadows and brushes and begin the magic. Hang on for the tips on how to apply makeup for each eye shape in the upcoming posts.

The Doctor is (va)IN The Finals

I'm ecstatic to share that this blog has been chosen as one of the finalists of the Philippine Blog Awards, beauty blog category! Gaaahh!I didn't realize it would feel like entering the finals of Miss Universe.  Not that I've attempted in the past to join a beauty contest but somehow I get that it would just be as exciting.

I have been blogging for the past four years in my personal journals at Xanga and Blogspot, which accompanied me through several milestones and dramas of my life, including my battle with the big C.  For the most part, I got hooked into blogging for the emotional catharsis it provided. I didn't care if nobody read my entries, just as long as I got to unload the bottled up feelings which were about to explode in ugly proportions anytime.

From being the whiny blogger, I decided to divert my energy into something that would be less melodramatic and useful for others. Armed with the passion for beauty, writing in this niche was the most logical thing to do; hence, the birth of vanityclinic.com. I may not keep this updated as often as I wanted to because of work,  but I hope that my posts here would inspire others to realize that beauty is inherent in them-it just has to be unleashed with the right techniques. With the humble knowledge I gathered from attending makeup school and from personal research and experiences, I wish that through this blog, I will be an instrument to their beautiful transformation.

Being placed alongside the best bloggers in the country is an honor itself. Upon entering the contest, I was giddy about the idea but I knew it would be a long shot. There was no way I could compete with other  blogs in terms of popularity but I am truly grateful for making it to the Philippine Bloggers' Awards' finalists  based on quality content and design. This recognition pushes me to do better. I am a work in progress but with an encouragement coming in this form, I know I'll get there someday. Thank you to the readers who appreciate what I have to offer and congratulations to the other finalists!