Thrift Binge

I have found my new favorite tops and bags store! The little kiosk in Festival Mall called Riss. Kail's frustration with me is that I refuse to buy things for myself (that isn't food) that's more than 500 pesos. Hey, at least it's improved right? Around this time last year, I refused to buy anything for myself at all. Some icky baggage from the ex but whatevs!

I have bought from Riss before but I was on a serious budget so I wasn't able to look around so much. So yesterday, when we were looking for a data cable for Kail's iPhone, we happened to pass by Riss.

Oh. My. Goodness.

A thrifty girl's paradise! The deals they have are so ludicrous that it's too good to be true. But it is true! I managed to get myself two new dresses and a big bag for a mere 550 pesos! I am definitely going back after every paycheck!

A lot of my stuff was destroyed or lost but that's already happened so there's no point in rehashing old wounds. I'm just reaching the realization phase of 'when you lose something old; get something new'! So I'm rebooting my shoe, wardrobe, and bag collection (again).

So much stuff to get! ♥

My Baby's Birthday

Yesterday was the day that I've been prepping stuff for! So let's see:

√ Haircut
√ Manicure
√ Pedicure
√ Brazilian Wax
√ Caleb's favorite outfit on me
√ Special Ordered Cupcakes
√ Confirmations for the birthday dinner

Weeeeee! I was so excited since Caleb never really made a big deal about his birthday. I totally wanted to change that! I'm happy that he got to play clix with his friends. He really should go play more often. He looks so happy with his hobbies.

One of the things that I'm very thankful for is that he can go do his thing, and I can do mine without him breathing down my neck (something that was a serious issue with the ex). My boyfriend is comfortable enough to let me do the things I want without freaking out that I may want to do things without him. Thank you, Kail!

So while he was doing his clix thing, I went back to TNW to go through their hand spa session. There, I met who appeared to be the branch manager. She was really friendly and helpful. I decided to change the nail polish  that I got last week. Change polish is around 100 pesos. Totally fair since they will clean up the area again.

Last week, I went for deep blues. This time, I wanted pinks! French Tip for the nails and Rosy colored tint for the toes. It was really cute. They really go well with the wedges that Kail got for me from Shoebox & Me.

It was pretty much an awesome thing. The massage that came with the hand spa was really good. I think I dozed off a bit. The ambiance of the place is that good! I have really found my place.

Dinner with Richard was fun. It was too bad that CJ couldn't make it but he promised to make it up to Kail so that's okay. Earl was having dinner with his dad and cousins so he wasn't able to join dinner but he did follow and hung out for the rest of the night. We laughed, took pics, and munched on cupcakes! Oh, Peewee showed up and hung out for a bit. So that was really fun. Richard was squeeing over the lens that Peewee had. It was fun to see.

So what things did I learn from this day and the previous ones?
-I have matured a lot more as a person. I no longer stress about stuff I hear or stuff I discover.
-If people take delight in things they say or hear about you it only means that their life sucks and that you still affect them.
-My life has honestly reached perfection. I finally got the love of my life. It honestly makes me tear up whenever I think of it. It truly is a humbling realization.
-I am finally the bigger person that I aimed to be. I'm honestly just too damn happy to bother stressing over the stupidity and pettiness of others.
-I may have a few friends I call my close friends, but those friends are gold.

Oh! Next month, I hope plans go through! Richard and Earl were going on about going to Pansol and renting out a house with a pool! That'll be OST's summer outing. Just a few close friends. Probably with Von and Crystal. I love those two. They're so adorable together! I can't wait! ♥

Hair-y Day

Summer is definitely in. The heat is honestly, excruciating. Now, more than ever, I feel the length and thickness of my tresses. I have always kept my hair long. I have just preferred it that way. I guess it also helps that I know that my guy loves my long hair. 

Aside from looking for a nail salon to go to, I've kept my eye out for a new hair salon that I could go to. The other ones I used to go to were in BF and given my current location, it's quite out of the way. So where does one go for a nice hair pampering in the Alabang area? Ate Jinky from Tints, Nails, and Waxing Spa suggested that I go to Metro Salon across the street. 

Why not? At least it was close by, right? 

The boyfriend dropped me off there and said that he'll just be waiting for me in Molito. He'll be getting his LoL on. He's so cute that way! So I was a bit curious as to what kind of people I was going to be meeting. Also, what kind of decor and service would they have. A polite man opened the door for me. I guess that was their doorman. I was immediately greeted by what appeared to be their manager. I got her name: Jessie. I told her that I wanted to layer my hair and shear it to at least shoulder length since my hair was already past my waist. Since it was Easter, there weren't a lot of people around so she said that she'd be attending to me personally. 

The other staff were really polite. They greet you with a big smile and suggest styles or procedures that they think would suit you. I understand that it could be part of their job but the two technicians that were slightly arguing about bangs or no bangs was really helpful. Kail loves bangs so I was definitely getting those.

The shampoo part of the service was really nice. The sun was really out and my scalp needed the cool down. I loved how they add a bit of mint to their shampoo. That really hits the spot!

The haircut was fast and efficient. Oh! Special mention to the fact that they weren't like regular salons when it came to their entertainment. They weren't watching a day time show or listening to an obnoxious radio program. Instead, they were watching The History Channel in their flat screen TV. I was so happy about that! Beautification outside while getting brain nourishment as well! I was definitely won over.

The haircut cost me about 250 pesos so I was really happy about that too. I got Ate Jessie's card and I told her that I would definitely be going back there. So on to Molito I went. It was time to face the other hair related thing in my agenda. 

A Brazilian Wax.

I have gotten waxed before but I always went the cold wax way. I was going to TNW to get my first ever hot wax. Sure, I was a bit nervous as I had done a lot of research about it. Lots of varying reactions from 'OMG that was horribly painful' to 'Meh'. So how else was I going to find out if I didn't do it myself, right?

The waxing technician was named Ate Ruth. She led me to the back part where there were little rooms where massages and waxes were done. She gave me a bit of privacy to get ready and lay on the table. She was very helpful in getting me to loosen up since I told her I was nervous about the hot wax. She laughed away my concerns and assured me I had nothing to worry about.

Honestly, she was right. Fear is the mind killer. The hot wax wasn't hot at all. It was warm but nothing to make you go 'ouch'. The process was very fast and there is a bit of tolerable pain but all you have to do is relax and do your breathing. Admittedly, the tweezing part of the service was a bit fraying on the nerves since, really, do you ever pluck down there? I think not.

So the process was around 20-45 minutes. Ate Ruth and I were just talking as she was giving me tips on how to do post-brazilian skin care. Do not wet the area for about 4 hours after the procedure. After the first hot wax session, the hairs will grow a bit faster than other wax sessions as the skin is still adjusting.

Oh, and in case you get any hair-brained ideas about which way the wax is pulled, they are supposed to wax against the grain. Sheesh. Lots of debate about that one before.

To avoid ingrown hair, gently exfoliate the area a day or two after the procedure.

I was very happy with all of it. It cost me around 500-600 but I'd do it again given that it's just every 3-6 weeks.

And honestly, just being able to see the reaction on the boyfriend's face after I told him what procedure I got was worth the tweezing. ♥

Nails And Things

Today, I dragged the boyfriend to my new favorite Nail Salon. I've been on the look out for a new place that I can go, relax, and be a girl. Being a self-supported young adult meant that it had to be relatively close by and didn't break the bank. At the Molito Complex, there's this little salon called Tints, Nails, and Waxing Spa. From the outside, it doesn't look very big but the place always struck my curiosity.

Kail and I had always passed by for our Sunday Chicboy tradition and one day, I couldn't stand it anymore. It was perfect though, given that it was around a week or so before his birthday. I had asked him if he had ever gotten a foot spa or a pedicure before and he had said no.That was a definite no-brainer! His cute butt was so getting dragged to TNW!

But first, a quick trip to Puregold to buy flipflops! We were in closed shoes and since we were getting pedicures, it's best to let the feet breathe afterwards. My love for Banana Peel was reinforced with their cute designs and affordable prices. Kail got himself a pair of green and black flops with an Aries design. I got red and black flops with a Scorpio design to it. They were really cute and comfy!

So anyway, given that it was his first ever pedi and foot spa ever, I had to make sure to instruct the technician to be gentle. Good thing that Ate Jinky was really efficient and she understood perfectly what I had wanted her to do. It was really cute to see how my beloved was so nervous but he quickly relaxed as he dipped his feet into the warm and bubbly water.

The massage was excellent. I really loved the peppermint scrub that they used. My technician, Ate Lucy, was really thorough.  All in all, I loved the experience and their nail polish selection was diverse and really pretty! All in all, the foot spa/pedicure combo was around 430 pesos and it was so worth every penny.

The ambiance of TNW was really cozy. Their furniture was really comfortable. I also loved the fact that they weren't like other nail salons with their obnoxious radios. The moment that there were customers about, they would immediately put in mellow instrumental and acapella music. I'm guessing that helps relax all their customers.

The technicians were very friendly and not at all snoopy. I'm definitely going back and I'm aiming to try their other services.

It was a really lovely day. ♥