AMW Reviews: The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Nail Polish remover

I ran out of all my favorite nail polish removers which I bought in Korea.  I am not complaining, it was 9months worth of nail polish remover supply!  

Because I've been so happy with the performance on ALL Korean Branded polish remover, I've decided to continue using one and this one's from The Face Shop as I haven't been back to any Etude House or even Tony Moly stores at the moment! 

They use to have this in pink and blue variant, can't seem to find the blue one!  The company probably decided to just sell one and PINK is the winner I guess in terms of sales!

The Face Shop Lovely ME:EX Nail Polish Remover says ---

AMW says ---

Pros

• It's packaging is actually effective enough for the nail polish remover not to evaporate when not in use.

• Removes regular polish quite easily.
• Smells great, it does not irritate my nose.
• Inexpensive, a little is enough.  One cotton pad can clean at least 3-4 nails (considering I have nail art)
• Available locally, you can easily find The Face Shop stores inside malls.
• Does not dry out my nails or cuticle.
• No white 'film' visible as compared to drying nail polish removers.

Cons

• Not really a con but I prefer to have these in bigger size so I can refill it to this small packaging.  It saves the environment as well!

Overall
A wonderful alternative to expensive brands!  The Face Shop Lovely ME:Ex Nail Polish remover works and its not so pricey!  The cheaper ones can really dry out my nails and cuticles!

Tips

• Use cotton pad instead of cotton balls.
• For glitters or polish that are quite dark and hard to remove, leave the cotton pad on top of your nails for at least 30seconds before you gently massage to effectively remove the polish.
• Always make sure to close the cap tight.  
• You can transfer the polish into an Acetone  Pump which is mess free and leak proof!
• Store in cool, dry place.
• Even if this polish remover smells good, try not to inhale much of this scent as its still chemical.
• After removing polish, I prefer to gently wipe my nails with damp cloth to remove excess chemical left on nails.  I am not washing my hands as it may create bubble once you apply polish.

Will I repurchase?
Yes! I just did!

To whom do I recommend this to?

Nail Polish lovers out there who wants to try different shades of polish!  A gentle kind of nail polish remover also helps your nails by not stripping its layer.

Where to purchase and how much?
At The Face Shop stores for Php95.00 (approx $2.00).

Most of the nail polish removers in Korea costs around Php80.00 (less than $2.00), yes, its more inexpensive but there's no point going to Korea and pay for expensive plane fare just for these.  I think the local rate is priced quite reasonably!  This is my to-go polish remover for now while I am still in search for "bigger packaged" polish removers!

Anyone tried Tony Moly, Etude House's and This one?
Which one is better for you?
I've tried Tony Moly's and I think they work just the same!

Oh, I'm still in Shanghai and trying "hard" to sleep.  I'm not used to sleeping in a hard bed!  *laughs*  I know its good for my posture but I'm too old for "posture correction"!  hahaha  Internet connection is still SUPER bad but thank goodness for drafts and all I need to do is type in the words even without photos showing up here!

Another update....why does China have to be THIS BIG???  My legs are in pain from all the walking! :)  I'm staying positive, I'm going back home with SEXY LEGS *winks*

Miss you all!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Travel Report: Shanghai Haigang Hotel

(Note from Author: I am still blogging on a super weird internet connection, photos aren't showing up on my side but I hope it does on yours!  If not, please bear with me, I'll fix it once I get back!)
Happy Wednesday!  As promised, I will be posting about the Hotel where I am staying!  The hotel name is Shanghai Haigang Hotel (Shanghai Harbour Hotel).

The hotel is actually a 2-star hotel but 2-star hotels in China are almost equivalent to 3-4 star ratings in Manila!  The bed looks great BUT, I had a hard time sleeping on my first night as it's hard and my back was hurting so much!  You know what I did?  I created "quilted" sheets with my blanket and I thought of that idea around 2:00am!  *laughs* So I was able to go to La-La-Land around 2:30am!  Too late, but I blend well with my "Panda" nails the day after! :P

There's a mini-fridge, a flat screen TV and the best of all?  Free LAN internet.  The internet connection gets wonky around 7:00-10:00pm though and I can't seem to chat with my family via Yahoo Messenger as I was disconnected nth time during chat!  It's frustrating but come to think of it, it's free!  No point in complaining.

There's a dresser and a SAFE!  But I didn't get to use it as I'm scared of even opening this cabinet!  Had this feeling that "Sadako" will come out anytime soon?  *laughs*  You can't blame me, I'm alone in a foreign land!

Bathroom looks like any other hostel/hotel bathrooms, they got basic necessities like toothbrush and toothpaste, shower cap, shampoo and conditioner and towels good for one. They can even lend you a travel hair dryer if you asked for it (in Chinese)!  Thank goodness I brought my own toiletries!  

There's a funny story about their service though, for a 2-star hotel, do not expect 3 star hotel service, actually I don't see much service at all!  I was there, tired from flight and was wondering why the bathtub gets flooded, I was calling their room service for help and 2x, I was given instructions in Chinese on how to deal with it!  *laughs* I was thinking: "If I can't do it, I won't ask for help right?"  Oh well, thank God for my IQ, I was able to figure it out on my own, no thanks to the service rep!

There are better hotels out there for sure but NOTHING beats the location! It's only a couple of minutes walk to the subway station and I am surrounded with restaurants after restaurants and a lot of shops!  Oooohhh, Lucky me!  Sale Season for stores like H&M, GAP, Uniqlo, Marks & Spencer, etc...!

I haven't taken much pictures inside the stores as I can be shoo-ed away for that!  (according to my brother).  Oh well, I was a diligent reporter, I was able to take a bit of shots still and I'll report back to you! :)

How are things there? 
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Travel Report: Arrival!

Ni Hao Ma? (How are you?)
I'm safe and sound, currently in my  hotel room and will be off to the office soon!  The weather here is quite humid (so goodluck underarms! LOL).

Internet connection in my hotel room is bad and I can't even read some sites!  No to Twitter and no to FB by the way! :) I'm sure a lot of you already knew that I'm not aware of the outside world! :)

The flight went well, I flew via Philippine Airlines and the flight went on smoothly!  What I love about PAL is their food!  I was given a choice between chicken or pork, I opted for the latter and guess what dessert was?  Chocolate Ice Cream!  I gave it a skip and asked for my trustee coffee as I watched THOR inside the plane!  Thank goodness I finally watched it!

Thanks to my dear brother who is so sweet to call in a private cab, to make sure I'm safe!  Sweet guy helped me with my luggage and all I did was relax for an hour drive from Pudong Airport to my Hotel.

Ahhh, Hotel, I am staying at Shanghai Haigang Hotel, that's another story worth posting!  Will tell you more about it soon!  Hope things are doing well for you guys!  I hope my pictures show up as it's not showing up here! LOL

Keep smilin' 

Stay happy!

Nail Art Tutorial: "I'm In China, I See Pandas!"

Happy Nail Art Tutorial Day!  I actually did this nail art last week before I left for Shanghai.  As I always get inspired with the things I see or do, I've decided to create a nail art that has something to do with China!  

RED!  Is definitely on my mind as red is known to be a lucky color.  Then, I had a flashback on my Chinese history, though Dragon has always been a National Emblem, Panda is recently used to serve as an emblem to represent the modern times.  A lot of panda stuff toys, images and mascots are seen when you visit the country!

Red and Panda it is!  Here's my nail art tutorial created specially for my Shanghai Trip! 

Step 1:

Do not forget to apply a base coat to protect your nails from further yellowing.  I used a coat of ZOYA Basecoat.  Once dry, apply 2 coats of the brightest red polish I own at present.  That's Paul & Joe Nail Lacquer in 012.

This nail art tutorial is really easy, I promise you!  You only need dotting tools or random pens or any items that has a circle end.  For the polish, you only need 2 shades to create a Panda.  Black and White.  Both polish I used are from The Face Shop.  The one on the right is their new polish bottle.

Step 2:

It is VERY important that the base polish is COMPLETELY dry before you proceed with this step.  If you did not wait long enough, everything will be ruined.  

Again, once the red base is completely dry, create a half circle on nail with the nail polish brush.  No need for any special tool.  At this stage, do not worry on creating perfect half circles, keep in mind that pandas are furry by nature so it's ok if they're not perfectly drawn.

Step 3:

As the half white circle is completely dry, use a medium sized dotting tool or use a medium ballpoint pen to apply dots.  With The Face Shop's Black Polish on paper, gently dot to create ears and eyes.

Step 4:

For the nose, I used a smaller dotting tool or if you don't have one, I suggest you can use toothpick and dot multiple times until you create a dot big enough but not bigger than the ears and eyes.

Step 5:

By the time you went through all your fingers for the black dots, it's time to move on to create the eyes.  With the same white polish used for the head, apply a dot smaller than the black eyes as shown on photo below.

Step 6:

For the eye balls, I don't have a super small dotting tool so I'm using a mechanical pencil OR you can use a needle at this point.

Optional:

I like random arts so I've created male and female Pandas.  Yay for equality!  *laughs*  With a dotting tool, or if you're comfortable, use an art brush.  I used Orly's Cotton Candy Polish Shade.

Another Optional Step:

Poor Pandas if their bodies are not shown!  Since my thumb nails have bigger space, I've decided to draw the full bodies of the panda.  Create 2 huge circles.  Bottom circle bigger than the one above.

Create the face the same way as above, add the hands and feet.

I wanted them to have their favorite snack!  Bamboo!  I opted for green colored bamboos as the regular flesh tone will be washed out in this nail art design.

Step 7:

Making sure the Pandas are COMPLETELY dry, protect them with your choice of top coat.  I used OPI's Start to Finish.

I'm ready to strut the streets of China and probably be attacked by a real Panda

*knocks on wood* LOL

Hope you like it and please tell me you'll give it a try?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Shanghai! I'm back!!!

Happy Monday everyone!  By the time you're reading this, I'm probably off to the airport (or probably oversleeping) as I'm off to Shanghai today!  Before you get too excited, it's not all about fun!  I'm off to Shanghai for work...... THEN play! :P 

I will update you as much as I can!  I can't wait to see what Shanghai has to offer after almost 3 years?  The last time I was there was around 2008!  Can't wait to see my brother too!

There's nothing much to shop in Shanghai especially on international brands as I believe they are more expensive there!  It wouldn't hurt to check out Sephora Stores in China though!  I've researched and found a couple of branches --- that, if I don't get lost!

I am not even sure if I'll be doing the usual tourist-y stuff as I've done that before.  My favorite place aside from The Bund and the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower is the YuYuan Garden.  I wouldn't mind going back just to chill!

I will definitely try more food!!!  The area I will be staying is near a road that sells delicious and inexpensive local food!

Stinky Tofu is surprisingly good yet...ahmm..stinky!  Not craving for it but who knows?  Maybe, I can give it another chance!

I don't mind lining up again for....

THIS! :)

I know we have Lord's Stow down here which is as good, but this one has a more "egg taste"

I love curry!  I've eaten at a restaurant chain called CoCo and I was told by my brother that they branched out to malls!  I wish there's a branch near the hotel I will be staying!

Thank goodness the hotel is near a subway station!  

Easy for me to walk around the city on my own!

It's also a pro that I can speak the language, BUT, need to brush up my Mandarin skills!  

Not looking forward to the "blank faces" from locals who goes... : "EH?"
when they don't get what I'm saying! 

Oh, one thing more, the Subway in Shanghai is a bit confusing!  Too many people, most stops are in Chinese, or ALL stops are in Chinese?  ( I can't seem to remember.).

It'll be an adventure I will report once I get the chance!
Pray that I don't get lost ok?  Thank you!

Keep smilin'
Stay happy