Beauty Picks

Mane event

MANILA, Philippines - The newly opened Famous salon in Glorietta 5 (their fourth branch) appears to cater specifically to the young, style-conscious urbanite. The walls feature collages of iconic imagery from the ‘70s through the ‘90s and the staff is young, enthusiastic and eager to please, but you shouldn’t take that to mean that they aren’t capable. My senior stylist, Peps Pacheco, has over nine years of experience under his belt and was trained personally by co-owner and veteran hair stylist, Jing Monis. Famous is a collaboration between Monis and Folded & Hung for clients who seek Monis’s expertise, but may not be able to afford his fee. A haircut by a senior stylist with a blowdry costs only up to P350. As with any salon, it’s always better to be a little more proactive with communicating what you want to your stylist. Maybe later, when you get to know each other better, you can have the luxury of just sitting there and letting your stylist do his thing. Then again, being able to communicate at all is a luxury in itself, considering people here go to hair stylists who don’t speak English or Filipino as a first language.

Hair coloring starts at P1,200, but if you’re allergic to parabens and sulfates, like I am, they offer the Essensity line by Schwarzkopf, which is organic, and starts at P1,900. A treatment for color maintenance also by Schwarzkopf, which they recommend highly, starts at around P1,200. They don’t however, have organic shampoos and conditioners on hand, so those who have sensitive scalps may want to bring their own.

Famous is located on the 2/F of Glorietta 5; G/F Connecticut Arcade, Greenhills Shopping Center; 3/F Robindons Place Manila and 2/F SM City, Pampanga.

Steam punked

Sometimes, we just feel like bucking our own noble intentions to love what God has given us and have nice, smooth, and shiny hair rarely seen outside of TV commercials and salon posters. Nothing wrong with that. The trouble, though, is finding the right straightening treatment that will give us what we want and what our hair really needs.

What we want: smooth and straight hair that has volume, luster, and no frizz. What our hair needs: fiber strengthening, nourishing, and softening. Both wish lists intersect at Steampod, L’Oreal Professionnel’s new generation of styling and haircare tools created in collaboration with premier electronics brand Rowenta. As its name implies, the Steampod hair straightening iron harnesses the power of steam to open up hair cuticles gently, allowing treatment to reach the hair strand’s core without creating heat shock and smoothen cuticles down to the ends for a smooth and flawless finish. The Steampod works best in protecting hair from damage even as it irons out its kinks with the complementary L’Oreal Professionnel X-Tenso Moisturist straightener and conditioner, both with formaldehyde-free formulas that care for treated, rebonded hair, working on hair strands from the inside out with fiber-strenghtening incell, hair-reconstructing pro-keratin, and nourishing nutri-cationic agents and emollients that boost hair manageability. It’s the milder way of achieving silky straight and healthy hair.

Though there are already been two original Steampod services available in salons all over the metro that deliver varying degrees of straightness that women would like their hair to have (Pro-Keratin Steamcare for a three-day-long zero-frizz look and the more permanent Pro-Keratin Steambond), L’Oreal now introduces a third service, the Pro-Keratin Steambond + Color Shine, which combines the X-Tenso hair straightening care with the ammonia-free tone-on-tone coloration of DiaLight. Because it has zero ammonia, DiaLight treats hair fibers more gently, allowing colorants to penetrate them more slowly to reduce the risk of the fibers swelling. The result: richer yet still natural-looking, long-lasting color on silky smooth hair that looks heaven sent. Can we get an amen?

To know more about L’Oreal Professionnel Steampod services and the salons that offer them, visit www.lorealprofessionnel.com and www.facebook.com/LOrealProPh. Follow LOrealProPh on Twitter and Instagram.       

Feet fête

If you’ve been feeling a little guilty about wanting to pamper yourself after switching off the news on Typhoon Yolanda, then this should perk you up: local footwear brand Renegade Folk has partnered up with Nail & Co. to bring you Feet Fête, a two-day event that gives you exclusive access to Renegade Folk’s holiday collection. Every purchase comes with a free nail service by Nail & Co. All proceeds will then be donated to relief efforts for Typhoon Yolanda victims. The featured products from Renegade Folk include three sandal styles and a handy roll-up pencil case. The event happens today and tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., but be sure to reserve your slot before heading there. For reservations, call 551-6508 or (0915)-608-8779.

Nail & Co. is located on the 2/F of Kensington Place, 29th Street, corner 1st Avenue, near Burgos Circle in Fort Bonifacio.

In a haze

If you look forward to Kiehl’s annual artist collaborations for the holidays, you’ll be thrilled to know that this year, they’ve partnered with Eric Haze (or just “Haze” to those familiar with his art), who is famous for his contributions in the early ‘80s to the NYC graffiti scene. He’s created album artwork and logos for the likes of the Beastie Boys, L.L. Cool J and MTV, and even had his own limited-edition sneakers for Nike and New Balance, along with his own streetwear label in Tokyo. “At Kiehl’s, we take pride in our heritage, and what better way to celebrate the holiday season than to collaborate with one of New York’s finest,” says Maria Gustafson, vice president, global creative for Kiehl’s. “Haze’s work — alternating K letters and stars in cheerful colors — will be featured beyond product labels to include gift sets, shopping bags, and gift boxes so patrons from all over the world can enjoy the complete Haze holiday experience from Kiehl’s.” The limited-edition Kiehl’s x Haze collection includes the best-selling Ultra Facial Cream and Calendula Toner and in the Philippines, 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Cottolengo Filipino charity, which serves poor, abandoned, neglected, surrendered persons with disabilities.