My Random Reality: 2016

Your Existence

Tuesday, December 06, 2016
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Hey guys~ Today's topic will be very interesting because it's all about COLOR.
Who doesn't like bringing a little color to your monochromatic life, right? Okay I'll get to the point now :)
A lot of you did ask me about dyeing my hair and so far the experience has been great. I'm quite addicted to trying different colors every 2-3 months. Sounds pretty crazy, right? I know that it could cause a lot of damage to my hair. Also, maintaining it is EXPENSIVE!
But if those two things don't really bother you, then please continue reading this post. :)

*DISCLAIMER* I am not a hair expert. Everything you are about to read in this blogpost is based on my experience on hair dyeing. If you have any other inquiries regarding hair bleaching and dyeing, you may always approach hair professionals on a hair salon near you.

Let's start with the hardest part: BLEACHING.
So what is bleaching? - Bleaching is a process where you're opt to remove your natural hair color to make it lighter using chemicals.
Why bleach? - Sad to say we people who are born with dark hair really need to do this process because if we don't then the desired hair color won't be visible.
I really hate bleaching you guys, but it's a must! But don't worry, I got a couple of tips for you to survive this wicked process.
At first I don't have any idea about hair bleaching, so I did a lot of research before I did it. I know I could've let the hair experts in the salon to do it for me, but I was extremely broke when I first tried dyeing extreme colors. I saw a lot of bloggers sharing their experiences and tips, however the one from xovain was the best for me (link here).
To summarize her post, these are the important points you need to remember in bleaching your hair at home:

TIP #1: COCONUT OIL. Yes guys that's right! All you need is your good old coconut oil from the cupboard in the kitchen. If you don't have one, you can always find it in your local grocery store. Make sure you put a generous amount from your scalp to your hair tips, then cover your hair with a plastic shower cap and let it sit for a minimum of 3-4 hours. I love to leave it overnight. The key here is that the longer number of hours, the better.

TIP #2: HOW TO BLEACH. You basically need one sachet of bleaching powder (anti-yellow one is better), oxidizing agent/developer in 12%, a plastic container (don't use a metal one because we're dealing with chemicals here and we don't wanna see some unusual reaction), an applicator, and gloves. - Just mix the bleaching powder and the oxidizing agent/developer together in the container. The amount of developer would depend on how long or thick your hair is. If you're not so sure about this, you can always ask assistance from your local hair and beauty shops. One of the legit shops in the country is Hortaleza, plus their products are affordable.
TIP #3: THE B*TCHY PROCESS. Please DO NOT rinse your hair after leaving it with the precious coconut oil. If you are not sure about applying bleach into your hair, you may ask your mom or sister or your aunt to help you. When applying it, make sure you don't include your roots 'cause that's gonna hurt - A LOT. Divide your hair into sections so that it would be a lot easier to apply. Once it's done, let it sit until you achieve your desired bleach-blonde color. *This actually depends on every person. I have very thick hair strands and bleaching my hair takes about an hour. Sometimes it needs to be bleached twice.

TIP #4: RINSE AND DRY. Rinse your hair with cold water and use shampoo to remove all that grease from the coconut oil. NEVER use conditioner. You may feel your hair a little crisp after but that's normal. That's exactly what bleach does to your hair. After rinsing, dry your hair with heat by using a hair dryer and you're good to go~

...So that's all for bleaching. And now we move on to the fun part: DYEING!

I was so excited to do this at home because I've always wanted to try and change my hair color to red. Yes, red was my first choice and always will be.

Honestly, I don't have any idea which hair dye brand I should use at that time, but now I know better of course. Sad to say my country has limited sources when it comes to hair dyes. Good thing I found rainbowheadph. They are known to be the authorized dealers of Manic Panic, Arctic Fox, Sparks, and many more.

Out of all the many choices they had in their online shop, I decided to go for Sparks color and bought Rad Raspberry (fuschia color) and Red Hot (bright red color).

I did mention above that I want to have red hair, but because I got overwhelmed by the colors and do want to try them all at once, I went for fuschia (a color that is a mixture of red, pink, and purple hues) as my first try.

Freshly dyed fuschia hair

...and I didn't just end there, guys. This photo above was taken a year ago and up until now, I STILL want to try different colors. Once you'll get used to the whole process, everything will be easy and you'll get to discover that bold and daring side of you ;)

Hair dye used: SPARKS Rad Raspberry (left); SPARKS Red Hot (center); Generic hair dye in Red (right)

As soon as my red hair started to fade, I decided to change colors again, because maintaining it cost me a lot of money. I went to the salon as soon as possible because I thought it would need help from professional hairstylists.

Brown-blonde balayage (left); Silver (center); Ash gray-purple ombre (right)

In other words I went BLONDE :) Yes that's right~ One thing I love about dyeing your hair silver or ash gray is that when it fades, it turns into blonde that will flatter any skin tone.

Other words of advice:

DO HAIR TREATMENTS FROM TIME TO TIME. Keratin treatment is the best for bleached hair. It will regain its shine and smoothness all over again. If you're on a tight budget, you can do the keratin treatment in your home. You may buy any keratin-infused products/treatments in the drugstore(price: Php 130-400 depending on the brand). I usually do it once a week if I'm really into saving money, but if I'd like to splurge, I'd go to the salon to get some keratin treatment (ranges about Php 1,500-2,500).
CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE HAIR CARE. When I started to try outrageous colors, I absolutely have no idea what shampoo or conditioner I should use. But the one from L'oreal Everpure (the silver-colored tube) is a good one. If you really opt to not washing your hair everyday to maintain its color, you may also try the dry shampoo.
BUDGET. Yes guys, you really do need to budget. Dyeing your hair is fun but it will hurt your wallet a lot! Well this is just my side. But you wouldn't want your hair to look nice only in the photos, right? So save up money to buy proper hair care to maintain its healthiness.

...and that's it for this post!

I really do apologize for the lack of photos. Actually I did plan to blog about this since the first time I bleached my hair, but unluckily the memory card of my camera got corrupted and I couldn't retrieve my files and my photos with all the products I used were there T.T

I hope this one did satisfy your curiosity about hair dyeing.

If you have more questions, you can always leave it in the comments below or ask me directly through twitter (@kimsings69).

'till next post! - k*

Thursday, November 24, 2016
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The PARAMORE Experience (repost)

Concerts

Hi everyone! So this is actually a repost of my Paramore experience. It's been 5 years since that unforgettable day of my life and this is one of the experiences that I'd love to retell over and over again XD (For the full version of this post, please click here.)

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(August 14, 2011) OMG! I can't believe that I'm here already. I've got like a few hours away from the concert at the Asia World Expo.

Oh yes! that's me holding my ticket :) aaahhh!!! excited!

After going to church, we went home and then I started to get all dolled up for the concert. We took a taxi to IFC mall, then Quoi treats me for a Bubble Tea.

It's about time for me to go to the Asia World Expo, and it's like 4:30 in the afternoon. I have to take the airport express train, and just in time when I arrived there around 5:30 in the afternoon I saw this girl struggling her way to the concert. She looks like she's in a hurry. I asked her "Where's the entrance to hall 8?", then she replied "follow me".

We exchanged stories with each other. I found out that she flew all the way from London just for this concert. Wanna know why? Because she was the winner of that meet and greet Paramore promo by Warner Music. She was alone and that promo is gives two passes for the winner to meet the band in person. I told myself "Oh my God! I have to be with this person so that I can meet the band!". She was running so fast because she was wearing sneakers, and I'm wearing damn heels! I can't run! She went ahead of me and I can't catch up with her. Damn it!

I finally found the queue and there were so many fans queuing up for the event. Luckily, I was just on time to be a part of the crowd A, meaning I'm one of those who can get in first so that I'll be closer to the stage.

While in line I met another fan and she's also alone, her name was Yasmin and she's from HK, new territories to be specific. We talked for hours 'til at 7 PM we were all allowed to come in at hall 8.

The concert started around 8:20 PM. Well, not exactly the concert, but the front act started to play their songs. It's a good thing it's an American band. They are The Swellers.

When they are finally over, there was a break for about 15 minutes, and then the event that I waited for years has finally started!

"PARAMORE! PARAMORE! PARAMORE!"

At that moment, that is all I can hear from the people around me. I can say that they are also die-hard fans like me. Since I was in high school I have always been dreaming to watch them perform live. When they had a concert in Manila, it was a very bad timing because I had my final exams that time, but this opportunity, even if it is NOT in Manila, I have to go! It's a very good timing.

What can I say about the band is..First, Hayley is a very good performer, and as a rocker chick, I love her! Her voice is so amazing when I heard it live and she really knows how to rock the crowd like there is no tomorrow. She told the audience that in every show they have she always goes home losing her voice, that is why her goal at the end of the concert is to lose all of our voices which was very effective because I almost lost mine due to excitement and crowd pressure. And of course, I won't forget Jeremy and Taylor. Those guys are amazing. Real pros I can say. How I wish I could get a jam with these guys.

I’ve always wanted to hear their songs Ignorance, Misery Business, Where The Lines Overlap, The Only Exception, Monster, CrushCrushCrush, and Turn It Off LIVE!

The band's first song was Ignorance which really made me burst into happy tears because I didn't expect that. Because from the start I really wished that they'd play that song first, and when it happened, it made me realize that this concert was really meant for me.

They played When It Rains, Where The Lines Overlap, and Misguided Ghosts in their acoustic session.

They wrapped up their concert with The Only Exception, but they made an encore and they sang Misery Business, and on that encore they requested two people to come up on stage, and again I saw that lucky girl who won that meet and greet promo. I'm so jealous.

But nah! Why get so jealous when I can brag about it in the whole world that I've watched such a great concert. It was really worth the wait. Really worth of everything.

I promise to myself, when they get back to Manila, I'll definitely watch these guys again. They simply rock my world. \m/ I love PARAMORE! -k*

Oh wait! Did I forget to mention that I watched the whole concert barefooted? I removed my very high heels and I don't care if I'm wearing Steve Madden ones 'cause all I want to do that night is to rock out :p