My Amazing Blow Dry Secret - Awesome Pink Potions to Save my Blow-Drying Skill's Neck

My hair literally has a world of its own and I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love it being long and thick and easy-to-style. I hate it for on days when I don't style it, it doesn't fall well like it's supposed to. Blow-drying seems to be the only key for it to look like it was naturally gorgeous and I kinda time some events where I need to look good when I'm gonna have my quarterly trims or if I have to go on trips to the salon where I can have my hair professionally blow-dried. I'm thankful for blow-dry bars and services where I can have my hair styled but if I have a client meeting or lunch with my friends, it's kinda too much if I go to a blow dry bar just to look pro enough so the solution is to gel and perpetually tie my hair. I do have a blow-dryer at home and there are times when I can go DIY but it still doesn't give the naturally flawless results a pro blowdry can give. Also, since my hair is long and thick, it takes forever to dry my hair perfectly. Some of the hairstylists I talk to actually said that even though they know how to fix and style hair, it's still hard to blow-dry your own hair.

I was introduced to a new and awesome product called My Amazing Blow Dry, which makes blow-drying a breeze without the need for pro-quality ionic blow dryers that cost a lot or the skills of a professional hairdresser. It's a safe, nice-smelling sulfate, phosphate, and pareben-free product that can be used by the lady who needs to look presentable all the time but does not have the time.

My Amazing Blow Dry has three products - shampoo, conditioner, and Quick Shake'N' Spray that work perfectly with each other in giving that perfect coif half the time. Of course they work tremendously well together but if you're saving money like I did, the Quick Shake 'N' Spray is the product you can purchase, which does not interfere or clash with your favorite shampoo and conditioner.

The Quick Shake 'N' Spray is a multi-purpose styler that's great for all hair types. If you noticed in the photo, it has like two formulas in the bottle, a clear layer, and a pinkish layer at the bottom. The clear layer on top speeds up blow-drying time by 50%. The pink layer at the bottom contains conditioners, moisturizers, heat, and sun protectors (as you all know, heat styling can damage the hair) to nourish the hair. All you have to do to use it is to shake the bottle very well to blend the ingredients together (it will turn a light cotton candy pink shade) and then spritz on to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. You can style your hair as desired and finish off with a final spritz for added shine. Unlike hair sprays, the results leave the hair soft and silky instead of crunchy, like traditional alcohol-based hair sprays. The Quick Shake 'N' Spray also can be used to refresh hair at the middle of the day to remove the smell of hair pollutants. Instead of odors reminiscent of a chem lab, this one has a fruity candy-like scent.  Hairstylists can have this in their kits should the client be sensitive to alcohol-based traditional hair products or would like to speed blow-drying time. Again, if you're the one who really prefers your usual favorite shampoo and conditioner, just get the Quick Shake 'N' Spray for your own DIY blow-drying at home.

My Amazing Blow Dry Secret is available at all Strip Manila stores and Tokyo Posh outlets. A 200-mL bottle costs Php 1250. If you want to get a set of three, (Shampoo, Conditioner, & Quick Shake 'N' Spray), the cost is Php 2998.

Eye of Horus: Taking Inspiration on Ancient Egypt for Today's Modern-Day Smolder

I was introduced to an Australian makeup brand called Eye Of Horus in a small gathering at Apartment 1B in Rockwell. Eye of Horus sounds like an artifact straight from The Mummy series and I would be expecting Brendan Fraser to come out guns and all but what we have are actually something that I also would like and strike my fancy - makeup ideal for sensitive eyes that is uniquely formulated in the style of the ancient Egyptians.

Remember in movies depicting ancient Egypt and photos? Notice anything with the eye makeup? They are heavily lined, take for instance Elizabeth Taylor's character in Cleopatra.

image credits

Heavily lined and defined eyes were the thing then in ancient Egypt. It was said that the cosmetics then were used to ward off evil spirits. Today, it has some modern-day adaptations seen in runways and fashion spreads as well as everyday adaptations so we don't look like we were teleported via time machine. Of course, the modern day's materials are different due to the advancement of technology and the change in lifestyle. Eye of Horus products uses modern-day research and development to develop eye products which give maximum results while caring for the skin with its ingredients. Also, the products are said to be very safe for sensitive eyes while delivering optimum results.

The brand is pretty new here in Manila. Most of us who attended the event have not heard about this yet but quite a few actually use it. Very popular in Australia, Eye of Horus makeup products are now available in our shores at all Snoe stores.

Of course we are all in the quest for perfect and long-lasting pencil  eyeliners. The original goddess smokey eye pencil (basic smokey black) not only glides smoothly along the eyes without any funny, itchy feeling after, it is also long-lasting, easy to use, and waterproof, and I mean waterproof. I tightlined my eyes with it, went to yoga class and had an extensive Vinyasa 2 class, and I didn't resemble a panda come after the class. Now don't you fret about having eyeliner residue up to three days. You can still remove your eye makeup with your favorite eye makeup remover or simply with a warm washcloth.

The pencil, (shown here in Nubian brown, a warm brown shade which can be used for everyday or in weddings) also has a smudger tip, which can create subtle smoky effects or just blend in your eyeliner. Some people prefer setting their pencils with loose powder or matching eyeshadow, some leave it just as it is. Personally, I still prefer setting liner with eyeshadow and blending it to make the smokey look last longer.

The eyeliner is something else in waterproof ability. The brush felt tip makes it easy to create lines and squiggles for avante garde shoots or precise cat eyes. Actually, Im looking at the swatch on the back of my hand i made yesterday, it still has a mark.

Eyeshadow trios are named after Egyptian goddesses like Sheba, Maat, and Isis, which contain three neutral brown./gold colors which can be mixed and matched to your preference. They are also super pigmented too (the swatch of my Maat palette is below)

Maat is a cool palette of browns, grays, and neutrals which are great for even basic smokey eyes. All you need are liners and mascara and you're done. This usually gives the subtle smoldery smoky eye seen in European fashion spreads. All you need is eyeliner. I am looking forward for the palettes to finally be available as they have a lot of nice neutrals suitable for everyday wear for any complexion.

I'm looking forward to the Sheba palette, because it has a picture of a cat!

The SRP for the mascara (another must-have), pencils, and liquid liner pen is Php990. I would recommend this for makeup artists especially those who do weddings or have clients with sensitive eyes that request for smoldering eyes. For personal use, Eye of Horus products are great for those with sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lenses. For the thrifty girls, you can use this on special occasions like attending parties or weddings. Nubian brown and goddess are great for everyday and make you all set for your own personal makeup kit but if you want to experiment, Eye of Horus pencil liners are also available in charcoal, blue, jade, and bronze. Mix and match colors to your preference or Google up makeup tutorials for ideas.

Is this a must-have in a makeup artist kit? Yes of course! Especially if we have brides and clients with sensitive eyes. Whether bridal fresh or smoldering smokey vamp makeup, this is a great product that's easy to use and worth your money. I even have a friend who bought two liners and she swears by it!