#vvfb

My mum and I arrived at the Lifestyle Salon armed with a great mental idea of what we wanted my hair to look like (basically, a more subtle Hit-Girl look because coloring my whole head violet is out of the question). The moment I pitched my idea to Louis, he shook his head and told me to trust him and his vision instead. He urged me to get a more artistically styled hair that just the usual ombre and highlights. He also suggested I get not just purples but blues into my hair for better dimension. And, well, needless to say I was right to trust him!

We started with coloring my hair with an ash brown violet base which would give the perfect transition for my bright locks. (Initially, it looked black but after a few washes the brown eventually showed.) Then, section after section, the colorist carefully bleached my hair. This was the beginning of the process of balayage. With every lock of hair, only certain strands were brushed on with the product. Alternate and full strands were bleached and wrapped with foil. When they finished with the process, I looked like a tin woman from the 50s.

Once my hair was bleached to perfection, it was dried and combed out. The colorist then prepared the purple and blue dye. Upon seeing the colors, I was a bit worried about what it would look like once it’s on but at that point, there was no turning back! The colorist started to section my hair and carefully applied the dye on alternate strands, mixed on certain locks and full colors on certain areas. The careful application of the dye and concentration that the team put on just the application of the color made me realize that balayage was more of an art than a styling method. Every lock which was carefully painted was then sealed in with a saran wrap.  After hours of sitting on the salon chair, I finally took my last trip to the wash area. As the excess color washed out of my hair, I couldn’t help but feel excited for how it would turn out!

Before I could see my hair’s outcome, Louis insisted to cut my hair (on the house!) to give me a more youthful look. I hesitated but eventually, I said yes with the condition that he doesn’t cut it too short. He pulled out a yellow salon cape that he put on me. As he combed my hair, he asked me to stand up. I have never gotten my hair cut standing up but I guess there’s a first for everything! He then started to cut my hair as he went around me. Strands of hair were flying all over the place as he gave me one of the best haircuts I have ever had. He cut my hair shorter than I expected (from a lower back to a mid back length in a snip!) but it turned out so good that I didn’t even care. Trusting in his skill and his talent in the art of hair styling made me achieve my look today. 

I love how everything turned out and I would do it all again in a heartbeat! An artistic process that took 11 long hours that gave me the best hair style of my life to date. Not only did my mum and I get the best service at Lifestyle Salon but we also got our money’s worth! Here’s the damage. Not bad, right?

If you’re looking to get a haircut, mani-pedi, hair dye or whatever salon service that you may need, do check out Lifestyle Salon by LPK. You won’t regret it!

Lifestyle Salon by Louis Phillip Kee

G/F. Unit 120, Forbeswood Heights, Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City, 1634 Taguig, Philippines. Telephone no.: (63 2) 856-4848 / 856-3388

PS. Special thanks to my mum for supporting my style decisions and my vlogger-self for being my camera woman the whole day because my arms aren’t long enough to film myself. You’re the best, mum! I love you!

1. Style Market Manila is up and running! Since my store’s brand is still in the process of defining itself, I’ve decided to launch the decor branch of the brand. SMM Decor basically aims to add a little life to your work or life space. As of right now, the store is filled with cacti, succulents, air plants and other adorable greens!

2. My internship with Primer Media ended this month. I left the office with copies of their August edition which features the fashion spread that I did for the magazine! Yay!

3. I got to catch up with my high school friends a week before my birthday. We had brunch at Bondi & Bourke in Makati. Delicious Aussie comfort food! 

4. I finally got to check out Black Pig with my boyfriend, Derek. Great place and amazing food! Yum! Perfect birthday brunch.

5. Celebrated my birthday with a couple of my friends at Soledad. If you’re looking for a chill place to catch up with friends, you should check them out. Beer is cheap and food is really good! (Photo retrieved from Zomato)

6. Derek’s brilliant idea this year of getting me the stuff that my inner beauty addict needs. He got me the Mac lipstick in the shade Mher which is ALWAYS out of stock, a Smashbox Sunkissed Matte contour powder to replace the one I broke and a new jar of Karma Kream from Lush! 

7. My friend Angie got me an amazing gift box from Lush as well! The box contained a Happy Hippy shower gel and a Magnificent soap. They both smell soooo gooooood! 

8. I am now a proud owner of Amoruso’s book #GIRLBOSS. Thanks Fully Booked for making it possible to get a copy on the month of my birthday! Yaaas!

9. I just have to include this. Conti’s Mango Bravo cake. This is this year’s birthday cake! I got one from my friend Jude and another from Derek. I know it’s gonna sound lame but it was the first time that I’ve tried this cake and I don’t know why I have never tried it before!!! It’s sooo yummy! (Photo retrieved from Conti’s Website)

10. This year’s birthday drink was a bottle of Tanqueray No. 10 which I got from my older brother. Smells like perfume but drags down your throat like a fancy burning shot! 

11. My mum got me two pairs of shoes from Pull & Bear which practically defines two of my many moods. She got me these amazing gold and glitz pounded kitten heels which fits me like a glove! She also got me these androgynous black tasseled brogues which has a subtle gradient magenta on its tips. Needs a bit of breaking in but beautiful nonetheless.

12. Birthday trip with the family to Surigao! We went to Sohoton Cove which is a beautiful and well kept secret in Claver. They’ve got tons of activities like going to the cove’s underground caves, underwater caves (!!!), jellyfish sanctuary, cliff diving, and more!

13. Since I had a lot of free time this month, I have movie and show faves! Brooklyn Nine Nine (Cop series. Hilarious af), Fluffy The Movie (My fave stand up comedian!) and Magic Mike XXL (*DROOL*).

14. But I guess this last fave is the best one: I am officially done with uni! I can’t believe I will be graduating soon. Marching this October! Hello, real world! Also, can we please talk about how my brows are so goddamn on fleek in my graduation photo? Huge thanks to my Bobbi Brown family! 

I hope you guys had an amazing August! To my fellow Leo babies, hope y’all had a great one!

1. PREP YOUR SKIN

I cannot stress how important the first step is. Skincare is the key to getting that flawless look you are dying for. With a few drops of MAC Tranquil on a cotton make-up pad, wipe off any dirt and make-up on your face. Then, grab a clean cotton make-up pad, spray it with a bit of water and wipe any excess oil off your face. Spot your face with the MAC Lightful Softening Lotion to brighten and soften your skin. Evenly blend this out with a flat brush. Follow this buy getting two pumps of the Mineralize Timecheck Lotion and applying it on your face with the same brush to prime your face (+ oil control!). 

2. COVER-UP

With your choice of foundation, evenly apply it on your face with a stippling brush. If your skin-tone is close to mine, you can use the MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation in the shade NC40. Make sure to keep your strokes light and moving outwards. When you’ve evenly applied your foundation, apply your concealer. And again, if we’re of the same skin-tone and you tend to have dark circles like me, use MAC Select Cover Up Concealer in the shade NW30. Just get a small drop and with the use of a brush, evenly apply it under your eyes. It is best to start where your circles end and eventually work your way in to prevent any product build up in your creases. Don’t forget to apply some on your eyelids too! When you’re satisfied with the coverage, set it with your choice of powder. I used MAC Pro Longwear Pressed Powder in the shade medium tan.

3. WORK YOUR MAGIC

Brows

Fleek out your brows with your shade of choice for your brow pencil. I used the MAC Brow Pencil in the shade Spiked. Line your brows from the end as you move towards your arch up until where your brows begin. Blend it in with a slanted brush to evenly apply the product. When you’ve filled your brows in and drawn what is lacking, move on to eye make-up! 

Eyes

Since I’m a noob, we started with two colors: a dark and a light shade. We used a gold tone for the dark half in the shade Amber Lights and a neutral shimmery one in the shade Dazzlelight. But before anything, prep your eyelids with the Pro Longwear Paint Pot in the shade of Camel Coat. This shade is perfect for any look. This is a must buy! Apply it on your eyelids using your pinky or ring finger. When you’re prepping your eyes, start applying the darker shade on the lower half of your eyes (When your eyes are closed, try feel where your eye socket is from your brows. From this point towards your eyelashes is the lower half of your lids. I hope that made sense). It is best to dab it than brushing it on. Blend the area where you can feel your eye socket (So sorry. I don’t know how else to explain this to you.) to soften the look out. When you’re satisfied with how it looks, apply the lighter shade on the upper area of your eyelid starting from the outside going in. Make sure that the two shade match and are blended in where they meet to create a flawless look. Now grab your choice of black eye liner and apply it on your eyelid where your eyelashes grow. Then, use a white liner where your lower lashes grow to make your eyes really pop. I used MAC Eye Kohl in the shade Smolder and Fascinating for this look. Curl your lashes and apply MAC False Lashes Waterproof Mascara to take your look on whole new level.

Cheeks & Lips

For a natural look, we used the MAC Powder Blush in the shade Coppertone. Make sure to start from your cheekbone and brush it down then lightly blend out. When you’ve evenly applied your blush, move on to your lips. With a lip brush, apply on your choice of lipstick. For a natural look, it is best to go for the shade that is close to your lip color and matches your skintone. We used a matte pink lipstick in the shade Mehr. Line your lips then shade it in evenly to finish off your look! 

Voila! You’re done! To take this look from day to night, just change your lip into something a bit darker. Easy, right? Here’s a photo of me right after we finished my make-up. The photo does not do justice to how it really looks like! (Thanks to my derpy brother for accompanying me today!)

And if you feel that it might be too much or too thick, it’s not! It settles on your skin really well. Here’s a photo of me in natural light after running a few errands.

I promise to take a video next time. I know how boring reading these sorts of things are. Hope this was helpful though. Thank you, MAC EDSA Shangri-La for a fun afternoon! :)