My Dollar Store Beauty Haul

Last Monday,  after our Victoria Day outing,  I asked hubby to drop by the Dollaroma at the South Common branch.  I needed to pick some things up for the  house,  like dish brushes and spray bottles. I really didn't expect to buy any beauty supplies.  They I saw the Clairol Blow Dry Prep Mist and I remembered I needed a heat protection for my hair.  Daily shampooing and blow drying has left my hair so dry.

Clairol Blow Dry Prep Mist 

This spray comes with a light green tea scent that makes my hair smell so fresh.

Pantene Dry Shampoo

 In the same hair products aisle,  I also saw a small bottle of the Pantene Dry Shampoo.  I saw some girls use this in YouTube videos.  I also saw the powder variety.  I've always been intrigued.  Maybe if I use a dry shampoo a couple of times a week,  my hair can get some break from heat.

Pretty Polishes

I also picked up two nail polishes.  Even back in the Philippines,  I've been a fan of Sally Hansen and Wet N Wild nail polishes.  I found them easy to apply and quick to dry.  I picked up Hard Bitten by Sally Hansen,  which is this nice glittery powderblue,  and Grape Minds Think Alike by Wet N Wild,  a vivid berry shade.

Lastly,  I picked up a large bottle of liquid hand soap for only $2! We use this to refill our hand soap dispensers in the kitchen and the washroom. A small bottle of hand soap costs $1.25 already,  so buying this big bottle is definitely a better idea.

My family had so much fun in that shopping spree.  Everybody came out of the store with something to make him/her happy.  Hubby bought camping accessories like tent pegs and tarpaulins,  Bea bought sand,  similar to the Kinetic Sand she has been begging me to buy her.  (a steal at $3 compared to the $25 Kinetic Sand)

We had 2 big bags filled with various knickknacks,  all for $21! I love dollar store shopping!

The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Nail Remover in Pink

As I promised myself in my previous post about nail polish,  I would buy another bottle from another brand because the one I was using didn't work as I expected it to.  So when I got  the chance,  I went to the nearby mall and got myself a bottle of The Face Shop Lovely ME:Ex Nail Remover.  Okay,  so I noticed that Koreans have a penchant for removing their "nails".  I don't know.... 

The important thing is I like this product so much.  Although it is acetone-based,  I didn't find it drying for my nails at all.  A big plus is its price.  It's only P95 for a  100ml bottle. It's so affordable! This is actually my second bottle. I don't often like a product that much to actually empty it and this is one of those very rare cases that I did finish a whole bottle. 

I also like it's cute pink color.  I'm not sure if it's available in any other color,  I've always seen the pink one.  It doesn't have an overly strong odor.  It has mild strawberry scent. It actually smells like Sally Hansen nail polish remover. 

I'm glad I got myself another bottle of this product.  :) 

Revlon ColorStay Nail Polish, Orly Quick Dry Top Coat and Etude House Nail Remover

Yes you read right, it is not a typo. Etude House, actually calls their nail polish remover "Nail Remover". I was actually scared when I first saw it. Do they actually make sure that your polish is removed to the point that even the nail is almost removed? Rest assured that is not the case, I guess this is just their version of the Nail Polish Remover. (go figure)

First things first, while my hubby and I were doing our Christmas shopping, we saw that Revlon was having a 30% off sale. Too bad, I just replenished my make up kit a while ago and didn't really need anything, I bought a brown-black Revlon ColorStay eyeliner a couple of weeks ago. Too bad I missed the sale =(

Anyway,  even though I didn't really need anything, that didn't stop me from checking out the counter. I was browsing through the different products when I saw their line of ColorStay nail polishes. Nail polish has always been my weakness. I love 'em but I just don't know how to apply them on my nails and I just don't know how to keep them on for a long time. So, after I justified my need for a ColorStay nail polish to myself, I decided to buy one while it's on sale. I chose the French Roast shade which is a reddish brown shade. It costs P300++.

Revlon ColorStay Nail Polish in French Roast and Orly Quick-Dry Top Coat

I  also got an Orly Quick Dry Top Coat. As mentioned many times, I have a hard time apply polish and when I do finally finish applying them, I have a tendency to ruin them almost immediately. So I thought a good quality quick dry top coat would be a good investment. I actually got a Sally Hansen one a while ago but even though it promised to dry my nails within 30 seconds it didn't happen. So when I finished that bottle, I decided to try another brand. The Orly brand is slightly more expensive at P449 but it was easier to apply and it did dry within seconds. I love it!

I applied this French Roast Revlon ColorStay nail polish for our holiday celebrations. It wasn't perfect but I thought it was ok. In fairness, the nail polish did last for a week despite numerous encounters with the rogue sticky tape during the marathon gift wrapping and heavy manual dish washing duties during reunions. I am very satisfied. =)

Today though, I decided to remove my nail polish. It was already starting to chip off on the edges but generally it still looked fine. I just wanted a red nail polish for another reunion this weekend. To remove the nail polish, I used my Etude House Acetone Free Moisturizing Nail Remover. The product promises to take care of your nails by moisturizing them instead of drying them whenever you use them. Hmm.. I was intrigued. I decided to try it. I already forgot how much it costs because I bought it a while back, but it was the most expensive among their line of nail polish removers. 

Etude House Nail Polish Remover, as is (aloe vera oil seperates) and when shaken

The moisturizing part is due to the aloe vera oil that is incorporated into the product. If you let it stand for a while, they actually separate, so whenever you put some product on the cotton ball  you have to shake it to mix the oil and the nail polish remover. Otherwise you'll just get the oil and you're basically just moisturizing your nails. 

I am a bit disappointed with this product. It took longer for me to remove the nail polish. I think it was both partly because of the ColorStay factor and because the remover was too gentle and moisturizing. I also found it irritating to have to shake the bottle whenever I dab my cotton ball, but that's just me. I don't think I'll wait to empty that bottle. It will be a waste but using it is so time consuming!

So there, I just wanted to share my experiences with my new nail products. 

Frustrated Over Nail Polish

Back when I was in the corporate world, I loved to polish my nails. I give myself regular mani-pedis. I do it myself because I get so paranoid about hearing and reading horror stories about how nails and toes/fingers get "murdered" by beauty parlors and nail salons. The good: I get to choose my nail polish brands and shades, the bad: the end result is never as good as the ones done in the salon. Oh well. It's a small compromise for safety and convenience. 

Back to my kwento. Back when I was in the corporate world, I was confined to "safe" earth tone colors. I had to stick to shades of beige and pink. I had to confine my firetruck red nail polish to my toes only since they're hidden. Now that I'm a wahm, I always thought I'd get to pamper myself more, changing nail polish shades every week, trying all the different colors, not just the reds and purples but blues and greens... Two months into my new life, still no nail polish, in fact no mani-pedi! Waaah! How can I let this happen?

So now I vow to give myself a much needed mani-pedi as soon as I can. I'll post these colorful images as inspiration:

Here are some pics from my friend Sarah Lynn. I hope I can do my nails as well as she does...

Wish me luck!