How to take care for your perm (everyday routine)

1. Hair conditioner is your best friend. You can skip shampoo but never conditioner. I shampoo my hair every other day and use my trusted conditioner everyday. Washing your hair everyday strips off the natural oils in your hair.

2. Never comb your hair when dry. I only comb my hair when I put conditioner. After leaving the conditioner in my hair for 3-5 minutes and when I was about to wash it, I will run my fingers through my hair, and that's it. No more combing after that.

3. Find a curl defining lotion for your hair. I use Monea that is available in Watsons and other local department store. This is a recommendation from my friends. It's cheap, only 99php (2.5$). I only use a quarter size amount on my damp hair (60% dry, 40% wet). Scrunch your curls and that's the trick!

4. Every once in a while, get your hair trimmed to maintain the bounce of your curls. I didn't believe this until I got my hair trimmed after a year of having my perm. It instantly rejuvenates my curl leaving my hair a loose and bouncy curls.

Hooray for gorgeous curls!

XOXO

Freeman Facial Peel-off Mask Cucumber

I am a fan of peel-off mask. I love the feeling when I gently peel the mask off my face, it is so refreshing. I first tried this peel off mask when I bought a sachet at Walmart. I used this for like 2-3 times a week and I feel the difference after every use. My friends noticed that my skin look so fresh and I told them my secret. It's Freeman peel-off mask! I got convinced by this product and after the sachet was gone, I bought a big bottle because it works like magic!

Freeman peel-off mask is a total gem! It rejuvenates my skin, leaving it soft and smooth. It is very easy to use and smells great! When applied on the face, it has a cooling sensation that I really love. I use this mask at night so that the nutrients will be absorbed overnight.

Directions:
1. After washing, dry your face and apply a generous amount Freeman Facial Peel-off Mask Cucumber on your face.
2. Wait for 15-20 mins for the mask to dry.
3. When you can feel that you can't move your face, its time to start the peeling session.
4. Make different facial expression on your face. I know it may sound silly but trust me, it'll do the trick!
5. Peel the mask in upward motion.
6. Toss the peeled mask residue in the trashcan and you are good to go.

Thank you for reading my review.

XOXO

Sweets and poodle

It was a gloomy afternoon when my boyfriend hit me up and ask if I want walk his dog and maybe grab some sweets. While he's running some errands, I got a chance to walk his toy poodle Roxy. She's very timid (because it's my first time meeting her) at first but when I start walking her, she's like a battery operated doll. After several minutes of walking back and forth the mall, I got tired and so she is. (This is a nice workout to burn some fats)

 Roxy having a break...

We decided to eat at Sweet Solutions. While deciding on our orders, the friendly staff gave us bread sticks, water and the small device to call their attention. It really amuse me because it's my first time using this thing. Sweet Solutions offers pasta, sandwiches even rice meal, milktea, frappuccino, cocktail etc.

Here's my boyfriend, Van.

I got oreo cheesecake and wintermelon milktea (because I'm drank too much coffee in the past couple of weeks). Van choose his favorite dessert, baked blueberry cheesecake (you can choose from baked and refrigerated) and caramel milktea. They serve the best cheesecakes in town!

This is a closer look of my oreo cheesecake. Just look how thick the oreo crumbs on top of the cheesecake, for me this is better than Starbucks' oreo cheesecake. Also not to mention this is relatively cheaper than Starbucks'. The cheesecake is smooth and it melts in your mouth. The milk tea is also delicious and it already comes with black pearl. You can choose from tall and grande size.

This is my boyfriend's blueberry cheesecake. This is the bake type (as mentioned earlier) and only if you can see Van's face after taking his first bite. It was delicious. Chewy cookie chip base topped with a generous amount of blueberry.

The verdict? I really love Sweet Solutions, I'll definitely try their other food products. It is affordable, the restaurant is cozy and they also have friendly staffs. It's a two thumbs up! Watch out for Sweet Solutions Cafe definitely going to be one of the popular local cafe's in town. Great food and even better service! You can visit them at GF The District, Imus, Cavite.

The next photos were taken by Van.

Look at Roxy, she were sleeping half of the time. Probably tired for walking and running earlier.

Van took this photo while I was making my instagram post. Have you followed me yet? If not, its @sharmainedaza. I would love to hear from you.

Hi guys! Roxy is awake already!

I just want to include this photo because I love how my hair looks in here. I got my perm last year around October and I am still loving my hair so far. I'll make a blog post on how to take care of perm. If you are planning to get a perm and still confused if you should get a perm or not, better read my post about that Things you should know before getting a perm.

XOXO

Navy mustard

Dressing up is my favorite time of the day. I get inspirations from fashion blogs, instagram, magazines and Youtube. Last night when I was watching Michelle Phan's new video series Trend Report. Michelle did mentioned the sparkle trend, she showed pairing sparkling skirt with a basic tee which is obviously the inspiration of my outfit post.

I opt to wear a denim jacket on top of my basic tee to make my outfit church-appropriate and for a more polished look.

I choose to wear flats (almost) because I don't want to get noticed because of my short skirt. High heeled shoes automatically elongate the legs, while flat shoes works the other way.

Thank you for reading my blog. You can also follow me on instagram @sharmainedaza and twitter @sharmainesecret. Please hype my look on lookbook.nu. (Because I'm a newbie here)

Top- Bershka| Skirt- SM Department Store| Jacket- Forever21| Bag- CMG| Watch- Michael Kors| Shoes- Charles and Keith

12 photo editing apps for instagram with sample photos

Instagram is one of the most downloaded social networking app both in iOS and android phones. It is like an online photo diary that allows users to follow, like and comment on photos. Having a good feed is the primary way to gain likes and followers. Good feed is a collaboration of a quality photo and a reliable photo editing application. Here are the photo editing apps I use always.

1. Afterlight ($0.99)

This is a genius app and is worth every single cent. Afterlight has image enhancement tools (clarify, brightness, contrast, saturation, exposure, highlights, shadows, fade, highlight tone, mid tone, shadow tone, temperature, viginette, grain and sharpening). It has 59 different filters to choose from under original, guest, seasons and you can also customize filters under the fusion feature to add more filters that will suit your personal taste. It also offers overlays like dusty, light leaks and instant film (which is available for the in-app purchase). You can also crop, rotate, flip, straighten and layer two photos with different styles. Adding shape borders is also present in this application and instant film (which is available for the in-app purchase). I really love this app because it's like a one stop shop. It is very simple to use, you can instantly see the before and after photo by just tapping the image. My personal favorite filters were; relic, russ and row. Here are the sample photos edited by Afterlight:

(Photo from my instagram account follow me @sharmainedaza)

2. Rookie (Free)

If you don't want to pay $0.99 or you are just too lazy to input your credit/debit card details on your apple id? Rookie is the best substitute for Afterlight! It also offers 40 gorgeous filters under ordinary moment, clean portrait, vintage classic, heavy rain and 6 other categories (which is available for the in-app purchase). It also has different textures and light leaks to choose from (very similar to afterlight). It also has photo enhancement features (including the overlay) that is comparable to Afterlight. Shape borders are also present in the Rookie app. Unlike Afterlight, Rookie can be used to add text and stickers which are very cute. My personal favorite filters were; maple, pastel, blush and baby skin. Here are some of my photos edited using Rookie:

(Photo from my instagram account follow me @sharmainedaza)

3. VSCOcam (Free)

I also like to use VSCOcam when I can't achieve my desired look in Afterlight or sometimes I just feel like using it. It is a famous app because it is free and is available both in app store and google playstore. In using VSCOcam, you can have your accout which is like instagram that posts photos. It has 10 filters to choose from and sometimes you can download other filters for free or for a price. It also has almost the same photo enhancement tools in Afterlight and any photo editing apps. The only reason I thing that don't like about VSCOcam is when using the photo enhancement tools like brightness, contrast, highlight, shadows, fade etc. you can't see the changes of your photo not until you released your finger. I know it sounds like it is a small difference but for me it affects my photo editing experience. My personal favorite filters were; C1 and F2. Here are some of my photos edited using VSCOcam:

(Photo from my instagram account follow me @sharmainedaza)

4. A Beautiful Mess ($0.99)

This is a cute app made by two bloggers named Elsie and Emma. ABM has a collage feature has a limited number of layouts that all looks cute. It consists of 23 different filters, you can add cute borders, add doodles or artwork, text and phrases. I really love this app because it gives a girly vibe to my photos.

5. Rhonna Designs ($1.99)

This is also an incredible app for adding stickers and text. I love this app because I got it for free because it was the app of the week when I downloaded it. You can find photo inspirations once you open the app. One thing that I like about this app is its masking tool. I highly recommend this app!

5. Over ($1.99)

Over is also a great app when adding text and artwork. Aside from the price that you pay for the app, other artworks and fonts pack are available to purchase. This photo app is a nice way to add creativity for your next instagram photos.

5. Squaready (Free)

At first I hate when I have to crop photos before posting to instagram, and then squaready came in. White borders came in. Then Squaready came with a new feature that instantly adds blurred background that is from your actual photo. You can choose from hard, normal and soft. I love this application!

6. Classic Insta ($1.99)

Classic Insta is a great application for those polaroid lovers. This is a pseudo-polaroid app which make stunning polaroid photo. You can choose from their four polaroid cameras like; square star, insta 90, instaland and pop frameless. There are also 12 filters to choose from and adding text is also available.

7. Polamatic ($0.99)

This is the most reliable polaroid app for me. You can achieve the look of a typical instax polaroid photo using this app with different effects and filters. It also includes colored polaroid films that is very cute.

Thank you for reading my blog.

XOXO

Every girls' guide to shoes

Shoes are girls' bestfriend, and knowing the right pair of shoes that suits your style and personality is an advantage when buying shoes. Sometimes buying shoes is like a battle between chic and comfort but it doesn't have to be that way. All you have to do is know your style, choose a pair that suits your lifestyle and go for quality shoes that will be with you until the end of time.

1. Casual comfy gal

Being a casual comfy gal doesn't necessarily means that you're not stylish. It is just that's you are after your comfort and you hate having blisters after a long day.

This Michael Kors jelly slip on sandals is my to-go shoes when I'm going to do a lot of walking. It is very comfortable and I recommend wearing this kind of sandals when going to the mall, especially when shopping for shoes because it is easy to put on.

Charles and Keith is my favorite brand when it comes to shoes and I have to share this black and white wedge sandals. It is also comfortable at the same time it gives an additional inch to my height. This is a versatile piece that can be paired with jeans, skirt, shorts and yes almost everything.

2. Little miss office girl

Have you seen someone who's looking professional but wears a neon colored pumps? Yes, that is a big no-no especially in the corporate world. There are only two types of shoe color that is accepted in a business attire; the black and the nude.

A black high heeled shoes is a must have in every girls' closet. It's not just because it is very formal but you can also wear it outside the office. You can pair it with a body hugging dress for a girls night out, it is also perfect in jeans. I bought this shoes in a local department store that is only Php 600.00 or around 15$. It is a great deal because it's on sale and I never seen like this before, the plain black leather shoes with the perfect 2 1/2" heels.

This Charles and Keith suede nude pumps with snake skin accent on the back is a timeless piece. I can see myself wearing this shoes in the future. Wearing this shoes helps elongate my legs.

This heeled sandals is also appropriate for business attire. the color is nude and it elongates the legs. The 2 1/2" of this heels is also acceptable, in way that it can be worn whole day (It depends upon the person wearing it, but for me I can wear this a whole day.). This shoes is perfect for any type of skirt. This shoes is from Nine West.

3. Trendy chic

If you are the girl who love to read magazine and knows the latest trend, you are the trendy chic. Shoes with chunky heels is very trendy this season. I'm in love with this shoes because it is very comfortable and it also gives an extra inch for the height. This shoes is from Charles and Keith.

4. Clubbing sweetheart

This shoes is not only for clubbing or GNO (Girls' Night Out) but it is also perfect for different types of event. I've seen a lot of glittery pumps at the malls but the shape of this shoes is very elegant, just look at the tip of this shoes.This Charles and Keith pump is very classy, in a way that it will never go our of style.

5. Sneakerhead girl

A Converse/ Vans type of girl should switch to Keds for a little bit of femininity. Keds offers a lot of cute sneakers which gives us girls our desired comfort but at the same time the girly vibe on our outfit. they have various collections like Taylor swift, original Keds designs and the limited edition Kate Spade. I love my Keds shoes, but it tends to fade when you wash it even if its just water. Keds should address this matter. Nonetheless, Keds will be my favorite pair of sneakers.

XOXO

Things you should know before getting a perm

1. Research a salon that conduct the perm you wanted. There are traditional ways (which is cheaper) and high tech procedures that can give you your dream curly hair.

Tony and Jackey, David's Salon, Beauty Brick are some of the salon I know that conduct digital hair perming (in the Philippines). I've heard a lot of positive feedback from Beauty Brick's customers. According to them, they achieved the look they wanted and it is cheaper than the other salons. I choose to have my hair done at Tony and Jackey, because Beauty Brick is far from my place because I believe they only have one branch which is located in Makati. Tony and Jackey for me is just fine, considering the fact that they always have promos and discount packages, they also have a lot of branches which is very accessible for a customer like me who hates traffic. I haven't heard of David's Salon perming feedback.

Tony and Jackey salon offers 2 types of perming; setting perm and digital perm. If you want loose curls, go for setting perm. If you opt for a tighter curls, digital perm is right for you.

2. Choose the barrel size that will be used for your hair, there's small, medium and large. The hair dresser recommends the medium barrel because this will make the curl stay for a long period of time (it'll loosen eventually) because of you already start with a large barrel, after several months, the curl will not only loosen but it'll be straight.

3. Last but definitely not the least, consider on the length of your hair before perming. If you already have a medium length hair, consider growing it about a few more inches because usually, during perming the stylist need to cut few inches off your hair for the haircut that is suitable for your curl and curling hair will obviously make your hair shorter. If you want that long curly locks, better wait for your hair to grow more.

After the perming procedure, you'll most likely be disappointed with the results but I tell you, curls get better after several weeks or months. It takes a lot of effort to maintain a perm and if you're a lazy person, the perm will just look frizzy and look dull.

If you guys want to know on how to maintain a perm, just stay tuned for my next post! Thank you for reading!

XOXO

Every girl's guide to shoes (Sneak preview)

Here is the sneak preview of my upcoming post about every girl's guide to shoes. I'll talk about the latest trends and the shoe pieces that never go out of style. Be sure to check that out!

XOXO

Etude House Lash Perm 3 Step Volumecara Review

I've been blogging about Maybelline products recently and this time I opt to blog about a mascara from a korean brand Etude House. Etude House is known for having cute makeup packaging and great products.

The Lash Perm 3 Step Volumecara is really a unique mascara because it has 3 steps to achieve the desired lash effect according to your mood.

1st Step- This is the thinnest coat of mascara for an everyday natural look.

2nd Step- This by far is safest coat of mascara which is perfect for an extra flirty look.

3rd Step-  For that va va voom look, this is perfect for a night out.

I've been using this mascara for almost a year now and it never let me down. It is a smudge free and waterproof mascara that can last a day or two. However, it gives me a hard time removing it at the end of the day because it is super waterproof but using make up remover or a baby oil will do the trick.

Thank you for reading my blog. For daily update be sure to follow me on twitter (@sharmainesecret) and instagram (@sharmainedaza) tweet or give me a comment!

XOXO

Maybelline Clear Smooth BB Silk Poreless White Review

I am a super fan of Maybelline because it is cheap and Maybelline never sacrifice the quality of their products. Even my first purchase of pressed powder was from Maybelline. Trying this new product was never hard for me because of the trust I invested in Maybelline. Let's get on the review.

This pressed powder indeed hides my pores and makes my face smoother. Especially when used with Maybelline Clear Smooth BB White. It mattify the face without looking cakey. It is lightweight and after a long day of wearing it, you can notice the dewy look which is very trendy right now that is inspired by the Korean make up looks.

Thanks for reading!

XOXO