Philippine Flag Colors Inspired Nail Art

 

123rd Independence Day to my Beloved Pilipinas!

I haven’t been doing nail art much when I turned into a mom but things are starting to go back to the usual....well, the nail art and nail polish application but NOT the super crazy nail art designs or complicated ones like my PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY Inspired Nail Art Tutorial Last 2011.

This particular nail art design inspired by the colors of Philippine Flag was done in less than 10 minutes with my inquisitive 8-year old son hovering around grabbing every single polish on my hand asking me: “What shade is this?” Constantly!  Hahahahaha

Thankful for Gel Polish as I was able to do everything and not worry about having my nail polish ruined! 

A simple nail art done in a flash using Cathy Kathy Gel Polishes.

The Philippine Flag consists of Blue, Red, Yellow and White.  

The National Flag of the Philippines features two equal horizontal bands of blue and red.  The blue color stands for peace, justice, sacrifice, and truth. The red color symbolizes bravery, courage, and patriotism. The white triangle represents fraternity, liberty, and equality.  The center of the triangle is a golden-yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing a province At each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed, golden-yellow star, each of which representing one of the country's three main island groups—Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

I know people are more sensitive nowadays with anyone wearing the Philippine flag as clothing or people are even bashed using the flag as accessory.  So I don’t want to make people sensitive about this so I did not draw the Philippine Flag on my nails to respect the flat and its’ people.  I used the colors instead.  So please...don’t bash me :P

Solique x Agoo's Holiday Nails

Happy Friday!

I am so happy today I am finally sharing you a nail art design using Solique x Agoo collection.  My right pointer finger suffered from extreme allergic reaction (it looks so bad I can't take a photo of my hand!)  That explains why my nails were bare for the past weeks (if you watch my stories on Instagram).

Thankfully, just in time for the holidays and just in time for Solique's newest collection (after Solique x Benefit), Agoo Bengzon came up with a 2nd collection of this sought after no-UV lamp gel polish!

It was a surprise for me but I was able to use ALL the shades in the collection for this particular nail art design.  That said, the shades work together and my nails look festive in a non-traditional way!

The nail art design is easy to do because it doesn't have to be perfect, all you need to do is to create a bit of swirl and better if you have a thin nail art brush!

Step 1:
Apply a coat or 2 of Solique Anchor Grip Gel Base Coat.  Let dry.

Benefit X Solique Launch

Two brands really close to my heart did a wonderful collaboration my "pink heart" gets so excited about!  The launch happened a couple of weeks ago and I'm still on a Benefit x Solique High!  (So are my nails as I am still wearing the polishes applied during the event!)

Now, I'm not pulling anyone's arm for saying this, each year, I really gift Benefit and Girlstuff products for friends and family!  My teenager-inaanaks love the shades of Girlstuff and Solique Gel Polishes while their moms appreciate that these are safe for their kids to wear!

Now Benefit on the other hand needs NO explanation, their packaging itself is already a gift and I tend to just give it to the recipient without gift-wrapping and I always get a loud "squeal"!  

This year, the Mrs. Santa is ready for another round of "Give Love and Happiness this Christmas" and the Benefit x Solique holiday sets made it easier for me --- just look how pretty they look on the Christmas Tree!

Let's talk one brand at a time as I seriously don't know where to start.

Solique is actually a sister brand of my favorite Girlstuff Nail Polish and Solique is a Gel Polish that need NO special UV lamps.  All you need to do is to apply your choice of Solique Gel Polish shade and top it with the Gel TopCoat and you're ready to go!  No soaking needed (heaven sent for me as I've had bad experiences in removing gel polish!)  Same as Girlstuff, they do not contain harmful and toxic chemicals like DBP (dibutyl phthalate), toluene and formaldehyde so again, kids and even pregnant mommies can wear them!

Benefit, on the other hand, came up with their yearly Holiday Sets and this year made my heart skipped a thousand times! 

Solique X Agoo Collection Launch

I've been Blogging about Beauty for almost a decade now so I definitely have a couple of "Local Beauty Icons" I look up to!  One of them is none other than Ms. Agoo Bengzon.  

I've seen Agoo in several events I've attended but never gotten the chance to talk to her because she's always surrounded by people.  She is a former beauty editor and is a beauty industry vet.  So whenever I see her, I just appreciate her elegance, her fashion and her gorgeous digits!  (Seriously, she's got one of the best looking hands!)  

So it wasn't a surprise for me when a good friend, owner of Girlstuff and Solique Gel Polish Ms. Janina Gutierrez-Tan told me about the Solique x Agoo collaboration.  

It took a while, I was a bit impatient (ako pa talaga!)  but it was because I was too excited to know what the Beauty Guru has in store for us and guess what?  The wait is definitely WORTH it!

Introducing, the limited-edition collection for Solique available this August ---

Solique x Agoo Gel Polish by Girlstuff

Shades: Smitten, Posse and Cloud (L-R)

That's me with Ms. Agoo Bengzon, one of the most humble "It Girl" I know!  Seriously, I enjoy talking to her because this girl does not only exude grace and beauty, she definitely has the love and passion for everything she does which makes her such an inspiration to everyone!

Erase and Rewind

How do I erase and rewind?

Well, aside from a quick staycation with the family, don't get me wrong, I do have "me-time" din naman!  And usually, "me-time" pertains to me spending 1 full day driving myself to my favorite "beautifying" places, kahit na opposite directions pa sila!  That's how worth the visit they are!

First stop:  NAILS

As much as I know how to do my own nails, I crave for that manicure pedicure session with a side trip of short-yet-sweet massages between cuticle care.  I usually do not go to any nail salons because I got hurt so many times with nail artists with heavy hands!  (If you can relate, pa-share naman your experiences here!)

I've had once where 8 out of 10 of my toes were bleeding from a super "robotic" nail technician who didn't seem to hear my complaints and screams!  I was too young back then so I just kept my mouth shut and bear the pain!

Obviously, I've matured (bakit ang haba ng kwento ko?  LOL), so I make sure to pick a place where they do not only take care of your nails, I have high requirements for staffs too!  They should be friendly, but also knew when to give you that much needed "quiet time".  

That's me with the friendly staffs of Nailaholics, Glorietta Branch.  Since I'm always in a rush, I always go for manicure and pedicure session with a quick polish application.

Of course, if you have more time than I do, feel free to try their other services like Foot Spa, Hand and Foot Paraffin and so much more!  They have packages for you to choose.

Then, there's brows!  I have my brows fixed at Benefit Brow Bar at least once a month.  Obviously, my schedule depends on where I will be so I actually rounded up all branches of Benefit Brow Bars and truthfully, I can't seem to pick a favorite as I get 101% good service from all the Brow Artists!  Holler to all the Benefit Brow Artists who has done my brows (ang dami nila!)  They are all super friendly, professional and really good!

Always ask them to shape and teach you how to do your brows after Brow Wax session.  I like how my brows changes PER brow artist, I get a good look on how my face changes on different brow styles and shapes!

AMW Workshop Series 2: Perfecting Your Base Report

Remember last March when I kicked off AMW Workshop Series?  (Read about it AMW Workshop Series 1: Get Ready for Summer Report)

Who would have thought just a couple of months after, I continued with part 2?  And the slots were filled in less than 2 days!  THANK YOU LORD!

Here's our obligatory Class Photo!

The workshop was held at SanCoCo still, one of my favorite coffee shops to date because they serve really good coffee!  (When I say they're good, they are REALLY GOOD)

Just like any AMW Workshop Series, all the attendees will get their own personalized Ecobag with their names printed at the same time, with the names of the sponsors printed at the back!  This is just a small way of me saying THANK YOU to the attendees and sponsors for the support.  Seriously, this has all been a dream come true for me!  

Solique x Marilen Launches 2 New Shades - Serenity and Rose Quartz

I've seen Marilen Faustino-Montenegro on TV a couple of times because of her gorgeous faces flashing on my TV screen for various commercials.  Fast-forward to several years after, I finally met her during Cozy Nails Turn 5 VIP Event, she maybe a well-known model but very down-to-earth!  

Then we met a couple more times!  One as her Blogger Guest on 100% Whole Mom Workshop , and it was a lovely surprise for me when she said YES to my invite during my #BenefitLovesAMW Christmas Bash.

That's why when I learned about the collaboration between my favorite Gel Polish Brand Solique and Marilen, I knew I had to be there to support, even if the location of the intimate launch is super far from me!

The event was held at Coco Nail Studio, Alabang!  As soon as I walked in the area, I feel the warmth and wellness, and that's what Solique x Marilen is aiming for for this particular collection.

Solique and Marilen Styles have teamed up to bring to us warmth and wellness in a bottle!  How?  Through the much celebrated calming colors of Rose Quartz and Serenity!  With the same fast-drying, non-UV gel polish technology from Solique which I love!

Let's talk about Coco Nail Studio, it is one of the most relaxing, friendly and comfortable salon place that I've been to!  I wish I live nearby because I wouldn't mind going back there!

The staffs are friendly and the nail salon smells so good!  The salon also offers home fragrance.

GirlStuff RAVE Neon Collection and Solique UV-Glow Gel Top Coat Launch

You probably know by now how busy I was last week for the launch of GirlStuff RAVE Neon Polish Collection and Solique UV-Glow Gel Top Coat.  Just a bit of background, the owner Dr. Janina Gutierrez-Tan and I go way back!  It was more than 5 years ago when she emailed me to try her polishes!  Because the quality of GirlStuff polishes are really good, I ended up using at least one polish on my every nail art tutorial posts!  Fast-forward to 2 years later, Janina requested for a meet-up and wanted me to help her launch GirlStuff formally!  For someone who loves her polish like my own, I said YES!  And the rest was history! 

Our 3rd launch in less than 2 years!  I'm sure there will be more to come!  Thanks Janina for the trust.

 

Now back to the collection, when we were planning on how to create a bang for this particular RAVE Neon Polish Summer Collection and Solique UV-Glow Gel Top Coat. Janina had a bright idea on turning a bar pitch black in the afternoon because our age may be out of the calendar but we are definitely young at heart!  (Reality: Lola talaga kami, wala kaming alam! hahaha)

AMW Workshop Series 1: Get Ready For Summer Report

AMW Workshop Series --- has always been a dream of mine for the past 5 years!  Yes, FIVE Freaking Years!  It was always written on my "wishlist" whenever I have a new planner and I guess, the best of "Scaredy-cat ME" always wins!

For me to finally push it through, I've created an evil plan, a plan to counteract my fear and shyness (yes guys, I'm shy in real life! Well seriously, shy in terms of marketing myself)  I've decided to announce to all my good friends by December on my "Workshop Plans".  As they say, the power to success to is CLAIM it!  And I did!  By blabbering about it at the same time, changing my blog template and included a WORKSHOP Category.  Knowing me, seeing it "blank" makes me feel uneasy!  So I know it will push me to the limit to be Pro-active about it, and it worked!

The day, March 5, 2016 finally happened!  And I couldn't be happier!  

AMW Workshop Series 1: Get Ready For Summer
Class Picture

Of course, this won't be possible without the help of my dear sponsors!  And yes, they are all printed in my first AMW Workshops Bag (Thanks to my dear sister-in-law Grace @Archaic_Era for helping me out with this giveaway tote!)

AMW Workshop Series by Nikki Tiu...Get Ready For Summer *FULL*

Today is finally the day I'll be sharing what I've been busy working on for the past month!   This has always been my dream to create my own Brand of workshop series!  Teaching has always been my first love and I'm glad this time, I can combine my love for beauty with teaching!  With words of encouragement from friends, family and AMW Readers, with the grace of God, this is finally happening!  My baby is here!  AMW Workshop Series by Nikki Tiu

Part 1 GET READY FOR SUMMER

I planned to have this on my blog's 8th year anniversary (January 28) or on the weekend of my birthday (February 28 is my birthday).  BUT, the year started out quite challenging so the date was moved to March 5th which is also a blessing in disguise because it paved way for me and brands to work closer together to make this happen!

When: March 5, 2016 (Saturday)

Time: 2:00pm-4:30pm

Where: SanCoCo (San Francisco Coffee)
Price: Php2,500.00/head

As much as I would like this to be a FREE workshop like I mostly do with other brands, I hope you understand that the amount you pay will definitely be worth it!  We get a good location (SanCoCo Coffee located at HV Dela Costa), the coffee shop started out just a couple of months ago and I already checked out the place and it is definitely a perfect place for my first workshop!  You get Coffee, snacks and 2.5 hours of makeup and skincare learning!  Aside from that, all attendees get to bring home goodies from wonderful sponsors (worth more than what you pay for I promise!)  

AND AND AND...

That's not it!  Attendees also get to win awesome prizes too!  Hey, this is my first workshop to kick off a wonderful series so the first will always be special so I made sure to make YOU feel special!  So please follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat (@AskMeWhats) as I may put up a teaser photo on what attendees get to bring home and what they also get to "win"!  Some prizes are already in my room at the moment and I'm feeling oh-so-giddy and excited!

For my first workshop, I will only be accepting a total of 12 attendees!  Sorry, the place is small and I want to make it more intimate, at the same time, for attendees to really learn the basics of skincare and makeup tips perfect for summer!  All you need to do is to fill up registration form HERE and I will email you back a confirmation email for payment details and other information needed.  This is a FIRST COME FIRST SERVE basis so even if I won't be able to answer emails immediately, the participants included will be based on the date and time I received the registration form.  Again, first 12 participants only girls! 

Are you excited?
I surely am!

Thank you so much to the wonderful sponsors who were so easy to talk to!  Thanks for being part of the first ever AMW Workshop and I am looking forward for more to come!  I hope to meet and see you gorgeous girl on March 5!

Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

 

Last Minute Christmas Gift-Giving Guide..Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas AMW Friends!  Christmas day today and just like me, some of you are probably  juggling to finish your shopping list!  For the past 2 years, I find myself more productive when I shop during Christmas season!  Imagine the sale (got Christmas Tree for 50% off!), the lesser traffic and lesser mall crowds! 

I realized, I just gave away my secret!  *hahaha*  Sorry godchildren, that's the reason why your ninang is always late in gift-giving!

So because I have a couple of hours left before I need to wrap gifts (again!), I will share some of my instant-gift giving finds that I personally would love to receive!  Are you ready?

Gift Idea #1 Makeup/Skincare Gift Sets

 Estee Lauder brand has always been a WINNER in terms of gift sets!  No matter how much make up I own at the moment, these never fail to make me jump for joy!

Just like this set!

Includes: 

The Solique by Girl Stuff Ultimate Test

Dear readers, I'm sure you knew by now how I played a huge role during the launch of Solique By Girl Stuff Gel Polishes.  

Yes, I helped out in conceptualizing the Blogger/Media Event and I was even the host during the grand launch!

So you are probably expecting me to tell you just to BUY Solique by Girl Stuff just because it is the greatest Gel Polish on earth right?

Of course I won't!  I am still typing this post as the usual AMW --- the ultimate product tester because I believe you guys deserve to know the truth about all the products I've tried and used!

Now let's get started.

Solique by Girlstuff is a Revolutionary formula combining the benefits of polish and gel.  For this collection, they came up with 6 gorgeous shades and a Gel Top coat. 

Solique Gel Polish by GirlStuff Launch

Happy Thursday AMW Friends!  If you follow me on Instagram, you were probably flooded with my #SoliqueByGirlStuff posts!  I'm sorry, I was just extremely excited  because I am working again with the brand I wholeheartedly love!  GirlStuff Polishes.

You've probably seen my first collaboration with the brand a couple of months ago via GirlStuff Bloggers' Elite Summer Collection and so far, I'm happy with the outcome!  Thank you so much to those who bought not only AskMeWhats polish but the rest of the "Blogger" Shades!

When President of JRadiance Corporation, Dra. Janina Tan messaged me to help her out for her Gel Polish launch, I said yes in no time!  

So here I was, haggard-looking but still happy!  Thanks Mr. AMW for this test shot!  I realized I don't have a "formal" photo because I was so busy running around!

Dress: Something Borrowed, Shoes: Zalora

The event was held at Chef Jessie, Rockwell.  After all the guests get to have their photos taken, they were ushered to the registration booth to pick their "passport" as a guide on how to enjoy several activities prepared by the brand.