Brazilian Blowout at Queen's Lair

It's been a year.. actually more than a year since I last cut my hair. Well what can I say I love my long curly colored hair. But now it's too long and hard to manage so I decided It's time to let it go.. bye bye long hair.. I'll miss you.. :'(

So this was how long my hair was before

Anyway, I just wanted to cut and color it. I guess it would take around PHP1000+ for that. Then I tried looking for good deals from sites selling vouchers like metrodeal and ensogo and found this little gem.

I bought the PHP1299 package. Hair Rebond OR Brazilian Keratin Blowout + Hair Color + Haircut + Shampoo w/ Blow Dry + Manicure + Pedicure + Spot Massage. See? I was just looking for a cheap haircut and hair color package and look what I found. (^_^)  Now I was torn Rebond or Brazilian?

I have had my hair rebonded before but it's the first time I've heard of brazilian keratin blowout. I did my research and came up with the following: Unlike hair rebond which actually breaks the bond of your hair, brazilian keratin blowout aims to strengthen it by sealing in keratin in your hair or at least that's how I understand it.

Since I've already tried rebond. I decided to try brazilian this time around. So I did more research. Apparently, brazilian keratin blowout is recommended for color and/or chemically treated, damaged hair.  The process basically consist of putting keratin in your hair, leaving it for some time then using a flat iron to seal in the keratin. So you see brazilian does not do anything to help you straighten your hair so if that's what you want, you're better off rebonding. But if you just want to bring back some of your hair's old health and shine, then by all means try brazilian.

The only alarming thing I've read about it is that, brazilian keratin blowout has been banned from some countries because the product they use have formaldehyde to ensure the keratin is preserved in the hair. So... again try at your own risk.

Next, I researched about the salon I was going. There were other salons that offer almost the same package so I had to choose. So far, the reviews I've read about Queen's Lair was good that's why I chose this voucher. I called the branch and confirmed if they were accepting ensogo vouchers and scheduled my visit.

They have 3 branches but I think the Ortigas branch is temporarily closed. I chose the Mandaluyong Branch. This was the same day we ate at Ippudo Ramen so it was convenient for me to choose the branch near Megamall.

The Mandaluyong branch is located at the ground floor of BSA twin towers. The first thing I noticed when I entered the salon was the smell. Maybe it's hair color, or hair spray or keratin or I dunno what other chemicals they use but it's pretty overwhelming. I found it hard to breathe and my eyes were a little watery. I was thinking maybe it was just me but even some of the staff were wearing face masks. I was quite alarmed and it reminded me of the formaldehyde stuff. But other than that, everything went well.

Last picture of my hair before I cut it. :'(

So I told Rhiza my stylist what I wanted to do with my hair. I told her I wanted brazilian, my hair cut into a medium bob and colored red. They all stopped to look. "Sure ka teh?" "Why?" "Sayang naman teh!" I just smiled and said yes! I love my hair but I want to cut it. It's not like it won't ever grow back again. I should probably mention that I've been researching from pinterest for hair styles and I showed it to the stylist. So yes I'm prepared to cut it short.

The cut I wanted with probably a less shocking shade of red.

First cut. I told Rhiza I wanted it shorter. Again she asked me "sure ka ah?" and I said for the nth time Yes! :)

After cutting it, They applied hair color. If you've read my previous blogs, it shouldn't be a surprise that I wanted my hair red. It's just that my previous DIY hair colors failed so my hair's still brown :)

After that, they washed my hair 3 times, with a shampoo? that smells like joy the dish washing liquid hehe. Then they put the keratin and let it sit for while.

After that they blow dried and ironed it without rinsing the keratin off.

Voila! My hair after all the treatment

But wait there's more! I still have my manicure and pedicure.

Pretend you didn't see my micro toe nails. hehe She was sighing heavily and scolding me not to cut it ever again. (^_^)V

The color's more visible in this picture. I'm not supposed to wash my hair for 3 days so sorry office mates! Don't come near me! XD

I forgot about the spot massage included in the package but oh well. My butt was already hurting from sitting for hours. The process began at 2:00PM and ended at 7:30PM. Overall, I was satisfied with the result. They all looked surprised as well at how it all turned out. They don't feel sorry now for cutting my hair haha.




After three days I'll try to get back and post how it turned out after washing my hair. They were also selling this iCure product. PHP500 each for the shampoo and conditioner. It's something like a maintenance but I didn't buy it. I'm going to try another sulfate free shampoo to keep the color last longer and see how it turns out. Wish me luck! (^_^)

UPDATE:
My hair after washing it for the first time.. Note that I didn't blow dry or iron it (obviously). It's not pin straight. It's not even "bagsak". Hmmn it's soft and light and fluffy. Just my normal hair before I curled and colored it.

Ippudo Ramen!!!

So here I am again trying out a new ramen house which was highly recommended by my friend. We tried their branch at 3F SM Megamall's new wing.

 

View from 5th Floor near Ice Skating Rink

I was surprised to see how long the waiting line is. But the waiting time is actually not that long plus they give complimentary fried noodles while you wait.

Complimentary Fried Noodles

A personnel will approach and ask you the size of your party. They won't let you in unless your group is complete but you don't need to go back in line. You can wait for members of your group outside. This way waiting time inside the restaurant is lessened and more customers can be accommodated. This is also the reason why the waiting time is fast. You just go inside to eat. I'm actually confused how I explained it. I'm not good at explaining. So here.. just read the notice. (^_^)

Inside the Restaurant

The ambiance is pretty much the same as other Japanese restaurants. 

Our host for the evening

He kindly explained us the difference between the ramen they offer and recommended us to try the very hard noodles (al dente?) which was actually good.

Their Menu

They have 3 kinds of tonkatsu based ramen.
1. Shiromaru - Not Spicy
2. Akamaru - Slightly Spicy
3. Karaka - Spicy

 Shiromaru comes in a white bowl

 Akamaru comes in a red bowl

 Karaka with additional tamago comes in a black and red bowl

 Gyoza

Pork Bun came recommended and didn't disappoint those who ordered

I ordered Akamaru Ramen which was already spicy for me but not spicy spicy more of tolerable good spicy if you know what I mean. The serving was just right. I was able to finish it and I was full. The price if I remember correctly is about a hundred less than Ramen Nagi.

Of course this whole experience wouldn't be complete without a groupie. That's me at the back with my Ingress peeps.

Surf Burger: Malolos Branch

My sister's been wanting to try this place for a while now. So hey why not. Nope not La Familia the one behind that.. Surf Burger Bar XD.

Surf Burger Bar is located near the crossing at Malolos City, near La Familia.

The interior was nice actually. I was expecting to see something else when we got inside but I don't know, something doesn't feel right. Maybe because the place was setup more like a bar, but when we went there I noticed people go there to eat, not to drink. Anyway.. Here's what's on the menu.

We tried their beer bacon burger and a couple of drinks.

Beer Bacon Burger

The burger was actually good.

Mocha Shake

No alcohol. Tastes like regular fraps.

Bailey's Rocky Road

Tastes like ice cream. Too sweet for me. I was expecting something like a mud slide but nope just ice cream. 

The service is what actually ticked me off. I don't know if we looked liked beggars but hey the moment we walked in, we were customers! Surprise! Surprise! Nobody came to our attention so we got our own menu from the bar. Okay that's fine. But every time I try to get a waiters attention to order, or to ask for water or to pay the bill, I felt invisible. I had to stop one which came our way every time single time. There weren't even that much customers to attend to. (-_-)

Would I go back? Meh.. I would probably order some burgers for take out and that's it. (>_<)
Really, I tried to write a nice review, but every time I remember their service... Moving on.. Their burgers were good and the place looks nice. XD