Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Sweet Orange Review

Hello everyone! After...hmmm let me see, almost 5 months of not posting, I come back with a hair color post which I know you all love. I have to say it took me quite some time to do this entry. I think I colored my hair this shade around a month or more ago.

I've already tried another shade of this hair color, which is Wine Red. Sadly I was unable to document it because I did it during bar review (go figure :p).

This here is Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Sweet Orange.

On the top of the box, here is how your hair should turn out:

Promising, right? Well my only worry was that my head would literally look like an orange. But the SA assured me that it would just turn my hair into a lighter shade so I bought it!

It contains the usuals of all Etude House Bubble Hair Colors:

You have your color developer, the hair dye, the plastic cape plus gloves, and the hair treatment sachet. If you need instructions on HOW to use this hair color, please refer to my post HERE. :)

The result? Here you go:

Sweet Orange seems to be a lighter lighter version of Natural Brown, and it keeps lightening as the days go by. If you're not a fan of light hair, don't buy this!

I expected this shade to be brighter, but its actually more subdued than it is on the box. Then again, hair color differs in shade depending on the tone of your hair. I like this better than Natural Brown!

Remember, these bubble hair colors get out of stock quickly, so if you see yourself a box, don't hesitate and just buy already.

Etude House Bubble Hair Coloring in Sweet Orange is available in any Etude House branch (SM Megamall, SM The Block, Market Market!) for only P378.00!

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Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon: Review

Okay so I know I'm known for patronizing Korean salons (since they get how to do my bangs right) but I have always wanted to try out Creations by Lourd Ramos, because of the glowing reviews made by several bloggers. Plus their haircut is more affordable at P300 than my usual haircut, so what the heck, I trooped on over and got myself some things done!

Well I was really planning to just get a haircut, but the color was priced at only P2000 for long hair, so I thought I should probably get my hair colored professionally, considering that it hasn't been coloring evenly due to that squid ink dye job I got back then.

The salon is pretty small, don't expect a huge one, but it makes up for its size with its cozy interiors:

I loved the minimalist white chairs (which were pretty comfy) and the design on the wallpaper!

I didn't like the shower area that much though, its pretty hard for someone short like me to put her head back. Nangangawit ako!!! Its better I think if you had to lie down? I'm not sure though, I think they should work on this.

The over-all experience though was great! I was given a lot of attention and they carefully listened to what I wanted. I initially wanted a red color but then they told me they needed to pre-lighten my hair. But I had to rule that out because it would cost me an additional P1,500. So what the stylist did was try to match my current hair color and try to make it even.

Unfortunately that didn't work! But what was totally great was that Lourd Ramos (himself!!!) came to check on my hair, found it unsatisfactory, as it was all two-tones, and had my stylist pre-lighten it--for free!

So all in all, I wasn't disappointed with how the color turned. I would definitely give this salon an 8.5/10 for its service. By the way, the massage while your getting your hair rinsed during hair color is divine! I almost fell asleep.

The only other thing though is that I wish they would include the hair treatment with the hair color, because my hair was left feeling dry and rough. I think that's a problem I have when I get my hair colored in salons. Unlike home coloring, they usually include a conditioning treatment to make it soft.

And...here's my final look!

I had my layers fixed plus got bangs! Those are suppose to be full frontal bangs but it was kinda hot so I pushed them to the side.

I love how even the color turned out! Total damage was P2000 (hair color) + P300 (haircut) = P2300. Pretty reasonable considering my hair is all even now.

Below is a list of their other services:

Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon is located at 3rd flr, Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Makati.

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ETUDE HOUSE Bubble Hair Coloring in Natural Brown Review

I have been coloring my own hair for more than 5 years already. This is the first time I have ever encountered hair color like this! This folks, is ETUDE HOUSE's Bubble Hair Coloring in Natural Brown.

I first heard about this hair color from my sister, who purchased a box and tried it. She had never colored her hair on her own before, (always with my help, meaning I would apply it) and she successfully applied the color by her self. She was quite pleased with the result which convinced me to try it myself.

ETUDE HOUSE says:

Macro bubble booster helps your hair to absorb contents more efficiently so that quality of your hair and color will be better.

I got NATURAL BROWN, as the only shades available in the Etude House store I went to was that, Black and Dark Brown. I really wanted the Sweet Orange shade! Oh well, maybe next time. Here are the other shades:

Here are the contents of the box:

It consists of the following:
1) Hair dye

2) Color developer

3) Plastic wrap and some plastic gloves (very pleased that the box included these!)

4) Silky Perfumed Hair Treatment -- which I totally forgot to take a photo of, but its that purple sachet on the set photo.

The box is completely in Korean, but there are a few helpful illustrations to guide you on the box and inside a pamphlet:

Now here is a translation of how to use it:

Now these instructions are pretty vague, and of course you don't want to ruin your hair, right? Nor do you even want to botch the entire process--so I turn to my trusty friend (YOUTUBE) and found a video of how to apply bubble hair color:

So here are the simplified steps: (note some steps I added as my usual way of applying hair color)

1) Apply cold cream to your forehead and around the edges of your face to prevent color from seeping through.

The cold cream I'm using is Etude House's Happy Teatime milk tea cleansing cream. Review is posted HERE.

2) Remove #2's cap, and pour in #1.

3) Screw the lid back in.

4) Put on the plastic cape. Its an open sheet of plastic so I suggest pinning it with a hair clip to keep it in place. Put the gloves on as well. 

By the way, the gloves are kinda old looking, and is very difficult to put on. What I suggest you should do is blow into the hole to un-coil the glove.

5) Tilt the bottle sideways and back upright (please refer to the video HOW TO DO THIS!) a couple of times to mix the contents. It's very important that you don't simply shake the bottle. You will feel the pump bottle heat up as you do this.

6) Take off the stopper of the pump bottle so you can get the product out. Here's the bottle WITH the stopper:

Then just pull that extended tab to remove the lock:

7) Before applying the foam, comb your hair first so there are no tangles.

8) Unlike the usual hair dyes where you have to section your hair into quadrants, you start to apply the foam to the outside of your hair FIRST. So pump out the foam (the photo is below is ONE pump) with two pumps and apply to the outside of your hair.

Make sure the entire outside of your hair is entirely wet. Start from your roots to the tip, completely saturating each part. Don't scimp on the hair dye! Remember its only good for ONE USE so use it generously.

9) After your done with the outside of your hair, get more foam and run it through the inside of your hair. Do it until every strand is completely saturated with the dye.

10) If your hair is now covered entirely with the dye, pile the rest of your hair on top of your head and massage it in. Do this a couple of times and just let the dye go through. (its incredibly hard to take a photo of yourself while doing this!!!) Apply more foam to the hair near your crown.

11) After you're done, you can either pin up your hair or put on a shower cap for the waiting time. The box says you have to wait for 30 minutes before washing it off, but I waited for an hour (I don't really recommend this if your hair is sensitive and its the first time you're coloring you hair) because this is the usual waiting time I do whenever I color my hair.

Did the dye hurt? I have to admit I felt a slight tingly sensation

12) Remove the shower cap and go rinse it off! You will definitely feel that your hair is super crusty. And waaaay tangled. No worries though! That's what the hair treatment is for. Remember to use the ENTIRE SACHET to remove the dryness. Then ta-da! Good as new, plus it smells good too!

Here is a photo of how my hair looked like after the waiting time:

And now...the ULTIMATE TEST: did it color my hair?!

The BEFORE photo:

If you guys have read my previous hair color post, this hair has been dyed SUPER BLACK way back when I was in my depressed stage. That's why I have such a hard time coloring it.

The AFTER photo:

A MIRACLE! IT COLORED!!! Just a note though, this was an especially bright and sunny day. My hair definitely lightened up, on those parts that I had "virgin hair" (meaning it hadn't been subjected to the brutal torture of being dyed a squid ink black), and lightened those that had been previously dyed.

I was satisfied with the result. I do wish it colored my hair equally, but that part is mostly my fault because my hair isn't color-balanced to begin with.

I also have to admit that I had a harder time using this than ordinary hair dyes. Its probably because I'm used to brush-application where I can estimate if I'm applying it evenly. But as they say, practice makes perfect--and I'm looking forward to more experience with this hair dye by trying out other shades!

The hair dye is also quite affordable! Most drugstore brands cost more than P400 in the market but this is relatively cheaper. 

ETUDE HOUSE Bubble Hair Coloring is available in any Etude House branch (SM Megamall, SM The Block, Market Market!) for only P378.00!

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Hortaleza Professional Hair Coloring Cream Review: A DIY Hair Color tutorial as well!

I was desperate. I was sick and tired of my black black black hair (which I dyed because of depression? LOL) so I wanted to change it up. After a failed Revlon home color (nothing emerged), I went to HBC to try using their Hortaleza Hair Coloring Cream for a different perspective.

Here was my hair before:

What is black as night right!?!!? The dye I previously had before this coloring session had absolutely no effect on it.

And now on to the tools of the trade, you will need:
1) a plastic mixing bowl
2) Hortaleza Professional Oxidizing Lotion at 12% -- person from Hortaleza said that the lighter you want to go, get the higher number. Its available in 6%, 9% and 12%. This is peroxide I think and has AMMONIA, a word of caution to those who might have severe reactions tot his product.

3) Hortaleza Professional Coloring Cream (7.46) in Sunset Red

This hair coloring cream prevents damage to hair without the offensive odor and enriched with essential oils plus conditioners to achieve beautifully soft and long-lasting vibrant tones on hair.

3) Hortaleza Professional Hair Spa Treatment (or dollops of conditioner)

4) A fine toothed comb
5) Coloring brush
6) Lots of hair clips!!!

And of course, you have to ready your work-station, which in my case is my bathroom by layering lots of newspapers all over so that dye will not get anywhere:

To protect your clothes, grab a trash bag, cut a hole at the end and wear it over your head.

1 oxidizing lotion = 1 tube of hair coloring cream!
I poured the oxidizing lotion first into the plastic bowl. Its VERY IMPORTANT that you use plastic and NOT metal.

Next, pour out the coloring cream into the bowl:

YUMMMEEEEEH!!!^^

Then stir until everything's all mixed up:

Here's how to apply the color all over your hair:
1) I section my hair into 4 equal parts and start applying each section from the roots to the tip until each part is fully saturated with dye.
2) Upon reaching the area near the top, do not zero in on the scalp first.
3) Repeat until all sections are completely saturated. Do not skimp on the hair dye.
4) Wait for 20 minutes, then do your scalp. (I did this because my scalp already had re-growth)
5) Use a plastic cap to cover your hair so the dye doesn't go dripping down anywhere while you wait.

6) The recommended time is 30 minutes, but I did 1 hour to let the color really sink in.
7) Rinse your hair in warm water. Massage the color into you hair for a minute then rinse and rinse and rinse until the water turns clear.
8) Douse your hair with the hot oil sachet (use the whole thing) or with tons of conditioner. Rinse off.

Here's the color while waiting:

And the final result:

The hair dye couldn't just seem to work against the black.

I'm thinking of bleaching my hair at home during the Christmas break--yes that's how much I want to get red hair!!! I'm getting desperate here!

All in all though, the main difference I found between the HBC hair color from the Revlon hair color was the SMELL. HBC's had a strong smell while Revlon was very fragrant and smelled like shampoo. My hair also became coarser with HBC, but if I used Revlon, my hair is usually very soft after coloring. And finally, more color showed up when I used HBC, but didn't show up at all with Revlon.

Hortaleza Professional Hair Coloring Cream only costs P250, the Oxidizing Lotion at P90, and the Hot Oil Treatment for P20. Everything is available at any HBC store. They usually have sales!!!:D

NOTE: I went to another HBC store to get another supply of hair color but the ladies told me that the Oxidizing Lotiona at 6% is actually for coloring gray hair. You go higher the percentage if you want a lighter color.

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Presenting...My Brand New Hair Color!

You probably remember my previous entry which showed this girl:
Because I wanted to copy her hair color for the very first time I got it done professionally.
I was the first customer for my favorite stylist, Ms. Jinny Kim. I showed her the picture above since it was my desired color. She recommended getting highlights as well to achieve the look. I closed my eyes and took the plunge because I figured, this is the first time I'm doing this and well, the hair color is free anyway.
They made me wear the cutest robe ever, it looks like a hanbok (what Korean women used to wear way back then, think Jewel in the Palace days) to protect the clothes I was wearing. Ms. Jinny started with the highlights first, because she said that it would blend better with the over-all color. Which actually makes sense so that there will be no streaky effect. They placed gold foil all over my head and used this funky looking heater that plays a Christmas song when the time's up. This took about an hour and 30 mins.
After a quick rinse, Ms. Jinny applied the hair color which took around another 3o mins. I was praying with all my might that the color would turn out well. How did it turn out?
Here I am! I had full bangs done (which Ms. Jinny gave me free of charge because I had so many services) just like the picture above except that I pushed them back here because it was pretty hot.
I think that they did an excellent job, the color is exactly the same as I wanted, I don't think it's fully captured in this photo. But I am extremely satisfied with how it turned out, especially the highlights! Definitely worth the small fortune I spent.
Total was PHP3,200 (hair color) + PHP 3,700 (highlights) = PHP6,900.
Yup a pretty hefty sum to pay for just hair color. But I think most salons have the same rate anyway. I don't think I'll be getting my hair colored professionally that much, I'm just glad this turned out right and I've been getting tons of compliments!
What about you? Ever thought of getting your hair done professionally? If you do, where do you usually get your color?

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Color Day is Tomorrow!

Hey guys! So my exams just finished last Wednesday, thank God! I got my first exam back because my teacher is mad, he checks exams so quickly even though we're more than 100 people in my class, that's how amazing he is. Its good news though, I got an okay grade, better than what I expected so to treat myself, I'll be getting my hair colored professionally tomorrow for the FIRST TIME!
Yes, a lot of people are surprised that I color my hair at home. I taught myself because getting your hair colored in a salon costs so much money and since my hair was too black then (this just means that my hair was so black that even if light shines on it its still black!), I didn't want to compromise spending so much only to have disappointing results. I've always used Revlon Colorsilk in Strawberry Blonde so that my hair would eventually lighten, which it did. Believe me, I tried so many shades before I could get it to lighten! I started from the medium shades, worked myself to the lighter ones then finally went blonde. But my hair didn't become blonde though haha. I have all the tools that most "pambarangay parlors" have, like big-ass clips and a brush which I bought for a very cheap price in Landmark. (I also do my sister's hair and get lots of compliments from it :D)
But luckily, my boyfriend heeded one of my wishes, which is to get my hair colored in a salon, so he gave me a GC for Park Jun's for Christmas. Here's the color I want:

Taeyeon from SNSD, a Korean pop girl group I love :D

Hopefully they'll be able to copy the exact shade when I get it done. Wish me luck, guys! I can finally do a review on the difference of salon and home hair color!
Btw, I know I only have 2 followers, but I saw in my hit-counter that I'm over 2,000 views, so thank you so much to those who have been reading my posts, don't hesitate to put in a comment, I would love to hear from you!

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