My favorite K-Beauty online store turns ONE today!!! Let's celebrate with lots of promos and discounts. Shop at http://ph.althea.kr starting July 20 - 31, 2016 and take part of this fabulous celebration!

What's in store as #AltheaTurns1?

>> Limited Edition Birthday Box + DIY Party Kit
For orders placed on 20/7 onwards. While stocks last.


>> Free Goodies for first 1,500 shoppers
Full size beauty products. While stocks last.


>> Birthday Giveaway. Pick 3 Top Sellers for 100% REBATE!
Rebate will be credited into your account.


>> #AltheaTurns1 Instagram Contest
- Got your Althea party kit? Wish us a happy birthday with #altheaturns1 and stand a chance to win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!
- Prizes total worth KRW10,000,000 to be won.
- Contest starts from 20th July - 15th August, 2016.



If you're looking for affordable Korean beauty products, Althea Korea is where you should be at! They carry most Korean makeup and skincare product that are tried and tested by hundreds if not thousands of beauty bloggers in the Philippines and all over the world! I know I have a wonderful experience every time I go shopping at Althea Korea | Philippines.

Remember these?

This!!! 💕 Korean makeup and skincare from @altheakorea! 💕 Too bad my camera failed during my unboxing, but here it is... My haul from #altheaph!!! These came bubble wrapped for safety and got my 100% authentic goodies in excellent condition straight from Land of the Morning Calm. Even the box had no dents, so props to the Korean courier! 👍👍 Watch out for their grand opening launch promotions on February 15 and visit http://ph.althea.kr! 💕 #bastaigatsikat #korean #makeup #skincare #innisfree #skinfood #etudehouse #altheakorea #bbloggers #beautybox #beautybloggersph #pinkbox #kawaii #daebak #instabeauty

A photo posted by ✨💖💜MyMaria💜💖✨ (@bastaigat_sikat) on Feb 9, 2016 at 8:21pm PST

Well, as you can see my latest purchase certain did not disappoint! These goodies may or may not be available here in the Philippines, but hey, where else can you get FREE SHIPPING when you purchase at least Php1,500 straight from the Land of the Morning Calm!!?  I buy most, if not all, of my eyebrow products from them.


So what are you waiting for? Join the celebration and don't forget to greet Althea Korea a very happy birthday!

It feels like only yesterday when I started experimenting with bleach and embarked on my Blonde Ambition journey, but it has been almost 3 years since and I've never looked back. People ask all the time how I do it and how I survive all the damage to my hair... what with all the bleaching and coloring. I'm gonna tell you how.


First of all, I don't get it done professionally, so I save up on costs. It's imperative to do your own research if you want to go the DIY route. I buy my own bleach powder (in tubs) and do all the processing at home. Honestly, I ask for help from people at home with the application because I don't have eyes at the back of my head and thank goodness they're more than willing to help me out in my hair projects.

Another thing I would like to point out (and this comes from experience!), do not ever try to bleach your hair consecutively. You're already killing it the first time, so you have to give it some time to rest like I said in my last Blonde Ambition post regarding how I bleach my hair. Previously I used to think having slow-growing hair was a curse, but now I count it as a blessing because my roots don't show up for some time, meaning it takes a while to warrant any touch-ups. So yay!

Again let's review... So usually after bleaching your hair, you get to a level 6, 7 or 8 depending on your hair color. You will be tempted to bleach it 1-3 more times to get to a 10. DON'T DO IT! I repeat, DON'T DO IT! Bleaching it again right away will damage your hair significantly. And I mean you'll get broken strands, itchy scalp, super dry hair... it's going to be a nightmare! So you need to wait at least 2 weeks to bleach it again in my opinion... and maybe do a 9% instead of a 12% developer. But then again, I'm no expert, just a hair color enthusiast. You can take my word for it... or not.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S A SHORTCUT!

If you can't wait to get to a 10... then by all means, go ahead and try to tone your hair!

Bleached Hair vs Toned Hair

How to do that? It's simple... just use a purple shampoo or a DIY hair toner. What I love about making my own is that I can treat my hair with KERATIN at the same time. It is very important to do so after bleaching. And I mean, it's a MUST!!! Now I'd like to share my most recent bleaching and toning experiment.

Available at Pretty Angel Shoppe

I used the CELLOshine Henna Wax Color as a treatment for my bleached hair then mixed with the purple semi-permanent color to create my own hair toner. Just like this:

Home-made purple hair toner

Apply this to newly bleached hair to tone down the brassiness (that yucky orange color!). Leave it there for a good while. How long? I don't know. I just leave it on 'til it hardens on my head. LOL! It's up to you really.

Do-It-Yourself Hair Toner by MyMaria

It's that easy!

But if you're like me and blonde doesn't excite you as much anymore, then it's time to level up to GREEN hair! With level 10 hair, you can even use food coloring and it works... for a day or two. But I want something more semi-permanent that would last a week or more. So onto the next step...

Available at Funky Streaks

So maybe it's not green-green but I wasn't planning on becoming Joker. I was aiming for a more mermaid-ish color and Manic Panic recently came out with this new refreshing minty green shade called Sea Nymph that was just perfect for what I wanted to achieve. So yeah... what do you think?

That moment when you take a mirror selfie and all you see is #Tatsumaki staring back at you... 💚 as always, don't be deceived by looks... I may look well, but there's nothing like receiving your x-ray results with a confirmed diagnosis of pneumonia on your birthday. 😌Still very thankful for another year of life and blessings because if there's anything that a disease will remind you, it's that life is precious and you got only one! Gotta take care of this vessel so I can live a looooong and good life. Happy double 3 to me! 🎉 #bastaigatsikat

A photo posted by ✨💖💜MyMaria💜💖✨ (@bastaigat_sikat) on Apr 18, 2016 at 7:25am PDT

Photos above were taken indoors. And here is how it looks under natural light.


When sporting colored hair, I find that shampooing hair will allow the color to fade quicker so instead, I use the Keratin Hair Reconstructor One-Minute Treatment for Sensitized Hair which I got from Pretty Angel Shoppe at every wash to keep it smooth and healthy. Only when my hair is super flat and sticky, then I would wash it with Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Clean Rinse Shampoo followed by the CELLOshine Henna Wax reconstructive treatment.


After a week of vacationing with sun, sand, and saltwater, I wanted to turn my mermaid hair project up a notch. And so it's time to cool down with a nice BLUE shade, hence, my favorite Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise came to the rescue!


The outdoor photo in natural lighting (above) vs the photo taken indoors (below) seem to look the same and not much of a difference in color. What do you think?


What about you? Are you planning on changing hair colors for the summer or have you done so already? If you have (or haven't yet), don't forget that using Keratin and other reconstructive treatments for the hair is VERY IMPORTANT... or you'll end up with dry and damaged hair. There are many affordable products out in the market that you can buy and use at home. You don't even have to go to the parlor to maintain a healthy, shiny... and beautiful colored hair!

I admit. I am a sucker for anything Limited and Special Edition. With Missha coming out with the super cute Line Friends designs, no doubt I was all over it. Hey, I use Line Camera for their kawaii stamps and frames! So anyway, I got the makeup cosmetics with Brown (bear) but there's also the ones with Sally (yellow chick) and Cony (female rabbit).


I've been meaning to get Missha 4D mascara for a while now but with my current stash of mascara, I keep putting it off. But this I just had to get... and boy, it is surprisingly good! Really good considering that I have non-existent lashes to begin with (hello, Asian genes!)


Benefits:
• Containing natural wax for soft application without clogging.
• Hypoallergenic formula.
• Long-lasting without smudging, as forming protective coat.
• 4D Brush Effect

💕 Tip: Curl your lashes first before applying and if needed, you can curl them again when the mascara is dry. It's amazing how it opened up my eyes. Lashes from zero... to hero in seconds! Ooh, how I wish I had those fuller, thicker lashes. Maybe I should get lash extensions? But for now, this will do.

Moving on... We have the Bloody Wine Matte Lip Rouge Lipstick that's supposedly matte but I found it really moisturizing and not the dry type. So maybe it flaked by the end of the day, but the color is super vibrant and even made my thin lips look full... and kissable. ;) Wa'y mopalag!


Benefits:
• Has SPF 17
• Clear HD pigmentation.
• Strong & Comfortable wearing with a single touch.
• Lightweight soft fit, matte texture spreads out lightly.
• Argan oil, and rose hip oil included.
• Airish Fitting Formula, Even Color Formula, Skin Conditioning Complex
If you're looking for a rich lipstick without the annoying shine but leaves your lips feeling supple, then this is something you need to try! It smells awesome, too! Something I can't quite place but definitely a good type of thing.

And then lastly, I got the Missha Water-Full Tint, Special Line Friends Edition, in Orange Juice. Okay, honestly I'm not the lip/cheek tint fan but this one swayed me just because it's perfect for those casual/daily errands where it's just ridiculous to be on full makeup buying groceries or withdrawing from an ATM. Can you spell F-R-E-S-H?

Ahoy, me Hearties!!! What do we have here?

#FoundItOnGalleon

Do you know what the biggest issue is for smart online shoppers who want to go on retail therapy? It's that most of the best and high quality products are sold overseas... in the US specifically. Plus at times they're cheaper there, too, what with all the discounts and the sales. But when it comes to shipping them, be prepared to pay for fees that cost twice as much as your order! Blimey!

It's a simple process really. Just login to www.galleon.ph, shop til you drop then pay for it (in PESOS!), and wait for your package to get shipped!

Recently I wishlisted some stuff I will be buying for myself (ahem, birthday gifts!). So I usually buy my arts and crafts stuff, diet and fitness gadgets and gizmos, and even some beauty and personal effects from the US simply because they are NOT AVAILABLE here in the Philippines.

1) Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils (132 Colored Pencils)

The only ones you can find here are 12, 24, and 48 pencils and even those are very rare commodities. The big sets are nowhere to be found! Although some 3rd party sellers offer the huge sets, they cost an arm and a leg. I'm better off ordering it direct from the US. The price is fairly reasonable and even if I have some friends or family in the US who I can simply ask as a favor to purchase them for me, I wouldn't want to put someone through all the trouble of carrying this bulk and to cause the excess baggage.

2) Nutri Bullet by Magic Bullet


This is the real, authentic, and original Nutri Bullet. For health issues, I really don't want to risk buying from online sellers who sell grade A or replicas. They might even give you some type of guarantee but I've read too many horrific stories about these cheaper copies blowing up due to quality control issues. Better get authentic products from the US for peace of mind! Sure it might be triple the price compared to the ones being sold by some third party sellers, but hey, this is ORIGINAL!

3) Tampax Pearl Plastic Triple Pack (50 Count)


Of course, because I'm far from being menopausal, the dreaded monthly visit from Aunt Flo just becomes less annoying with tampons. It really bugs me why this isn't mainstream in the Philippines yet. Are we too conventional? I don't know, but I've used this for over a decade and I just can't live without it. This is not just your regular tampons. Sometimes like an elusive rainforest animal, you could spot a tampon or two at some specialty shops but those are with cardboard applicators, and I only use the Pearl Plastic ones! You know, whenever we watch old classic movies or those set in certain time periods during date night, I always ask my husband, "Do they even have sanitary napkins back then?" much to his chagrin.  But I digress.

So back to the topic, sure you can order directly from online sites in the US, but again, you need to deal with ridiculous shipping charges on top of the hassle that Customs impose and/or argue with couriers. Scallywags! Don't even get me started on that. It's really not worth the stress. Retail therapy is supposed to be a fun, enjoyable activity!


Here's why it's better to take the Galleon PH route.

The last feature is just amazing. I mean, a balikbayan box too expensive or too big for just one or two items? Galleon PH got you covered! You can still shop at your favorite US online stores and ship individual items to the address of Galleon PH in the US and they'll be the ones to ship it here to the Philippines with all-in shipping charges and customs and duties via Air or Sea! (Still confused? Read HERE.)


Yo Ho Ho! It's like finding a buried treasure! It's the gem of all online shopping sites, as far as Philippine buyers are concerned. Best of all, you don't have to leave your home. The Galleon PH website is very responsive. You can be on your computer, your phone, or your tablet. Don't worry about having no dollar$ nor doubloons, you can pay with ₱esos with dozens of payment methods... so from Aparri to Jolo, you can shop til you drop!


Oh, and did I mention they have a commendable customer service? Aye! Their chat support is super helpful! Shiver me timbers!


Avast ye! So next time you want to go on retail therapy, come on-board, matey! Join me and let's embark on a swashbucklin' shopping journey across the Seven Seas at http://www.galleon.ph!

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen!