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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24H K-Palette 1-Day Tattoo Eyeliner Review

Hello everyone! I am in a very good mood today, as I have finally gotten my new wonderful Macbook Pro into fully functional mode (read: installed Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop), and so I thought it was about time for me to update my blog!

So recently my third eyeliner pen ran out and I was in dire need of a new one to use. I mean I didn't want to go all the way to Korea just to get my fix (addict much?) or have one shipped and face humongous Customs charges. Thankfully, Beauty Bar started having the 24H K-Palette 1-Day Tattoo Eyeliner in their stores.

It took me awhile to find some in stock, I had to wait 2 weeks for the nearest branch to have one in SUPER BLACK. Its also available in DARK BROWN. If you read my blog, you'll know how OBSESSED I am with eyeliners. I cannot leave home without a line across the lid!

This specific eyeliner has been touted by many bloggers are their HG eyeliner. K-Palette is a make-up brand from Japan. I know a lot of reviews have been made here in the Philippines ever since this came out, but here are my thoughts if this IS really a 1-DAY tattoo:

What K-Palette says:

This quick drying waterproof liquid eyeliner comes with a patented micro-fiber fine brush tip for superb control and ease in drawing. High water resistant polymer creates long lasting and non-smudge eyeliner that withstands water, sweat and skin sebum.

 Holy grail eyeliner of make up gurus and top selling eyeliner in Japan!

The eyeliner's pen feels like the CLIO's Kill Black: has a felt-tip texture and the pen is very easy to hold. But the brush is a bit soft, those who aren't used to pen liners might have a harder time controlling it.

Since the eyeliner is being re-distributed by Beauty Bar, it thankfully has English instructions at the back:

1. Shake the pen a few times with the tip facing down before use for a more vivid color.
2. Keep cap tightly closed after use to prevent the brush from contamination and drying.
3. Insert brush into the center of the cap when recapping. Denting it against the cap may cause the brush to lose its unique shape.
4. Leaving the pen in an upright position for a long period of time may cause the color to become lighter. Leave the pen on its side or with the tip facing downwards.
5. Use soap and water to remove. NO eye make up remover needed!
6. Not for inner eye lining.
7. In the even of an allergic reaction, stop using immediately.

I highlighted numbers 1 and 7 because these are the most important instructions for me. 

Remember to shake the pen vigorously and more than ten times if you want VIVID color to come out. I have to say I was initially disappointed with the eyeliner at first because I thought this was the darkest it could be. I mean it said SUPER BLACK, so I was expecting it to be darker. 

But the problem can be solved by more shaking! Now I'm definitely satisfied with the shade of black that comes out of the pen.

I love how quickly the eyeliner gets removed by just water! No need for doses of eye make-up remover just to get all the product out.

Despite being removable by mere water, the eyeliner stays true to its promise: it holds on for ONE DAY! I even tried sleeping with it (do not do this, I just did it to test if it does hold on), and it didn't come off.

NOTE: This shade was the initial one that came out because I didn't shake the pen enough. Just shake more and it gets darker!

I also love the fact that the eyeliner was fast drying. No need to keep your eyes closed for sometime after you apply. When you also make mistakes, you can easily remove it by using a cotton bud.

I do have super oily lids and it did not deter the product from lightening up during the day. I am so pleased with this purchase! Its a very nice alternative to the CLIO Kill Black (which still remains to be my HG), and I will be definitely buying one again if I run out.

The 24H K-Palette 1-Day Tattoo Eyeliner in Super Black is available in any Beauty Bar branch all over Metro Manila for only P895.

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