Skincare Stacie Chan Skincare Stacie Chan

Kili-kili 101: Everything you need to know about taking care of your armpits

For many Filipinas, this particular body part has been the focus of many insecurities. From color and texture, to the presence of hair or odor, maintaining “nice” underarms is something that we’ve admittedly obsessed over at some point of our beauty-loving lives. We’re more aware about not needing to conform to traditional standards for beauty now, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop caring about our kili-kili completely! It still needs proper care and maintenance for basic hygiene, so I’ve put together a guide to tackle every pit concern. Let’s go!

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Personal Care Samantha Gonzales Personal Care Samantha Gonzales

Beauty Is Pain: 5 Brazilian waxing experiences for every budget

I remember a time when the thought of a Brazilian wax (or even just a bikini wax) was something of a taboo. My own mother still cringes at the thought, but those of my generation are more open about comparing notes and sharing experiences, which makes it a little less scary.

This I will tell you: yes, it is the most painful kind of waxing but it truly beats epilating (a story for another day) and shaving (which has its own slew of horror stories). A well-done wax job is fast, clean, and yields the dolphin-smooth skin that provides comfort. Horrible waxing, as you’ll find out below, may make you regret ever considering having it done in the first place.

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Hair, Spas and Treatments Liz Lanuzo Hair, Spas and Treatments Liz Lanuzo

Wink Laser & Wax Studio

Remember the epilator I was so excited about last January? I still like it, but I find that waxing is still the best way to remove body hair. The epilator is great to use if I'm in a rush but the downside is I don't get ALL the hair and sometimes, if I'm not careful, I end up doing a half-assed job. Waxing is much more thorough (when done by someone else) and has a better guarantee that I won't get those pesky ingrown hairs.

Now I won't be throwing out my epilator anytime soon but if time permits, waxing remains to be my first choice. :) That said, have you heard about the newest hair removal place in town? It's called Wink Laser & Wax Studio, located in Bonifacio High Street Central on top of Slice.

Now before we go any further I want you to know that I do PR and marketing work for Wink. :) Let's get that out of the way first! Nonetheless, I hope you can trust me to share a review that is honest. Believe me when I say that I won't chuck Project Vanity's credibility out the window just because of a client.

So! Let's get started.

Wink is the baby of Holly Chang, a 24-year old woman who claims to be extremely hairy (and pimply in college - but that's another story!). She's funny, down-to-earth, a true-blue skincare junkie, and yes, all of 24 years on the planet. She decided to start this business because she found out that laser is so cheap in other countries that people would prefer to get it instead of wax. Here it costs an arm and a leg! She wanted to bring affordable laser hair removal treatments to the Philippines and so Wink was born.

Laser gun!

Laser is Wink's specialty, but the salon also offers waxing services. Brazilians, legs, femstache, knuckle hair - if you need them taken out, Wink can take them out. I love that the pricing is quite affordable considering the location and how beautifully appointed the place is.

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Hair, Salons, Services, Skincare Liz Lanuzo Hair, Salons, Services, Skincare Liz Lanuzo

Strip Gingerbread Cookie Wax and V-Blush Treatment (for lightening underarms)

Since we were already on the topic of hair removal, I thought I would smoothly follow through with a treatment I tried recently. Last December, I vamoosed to Strip Serendra to try out their sinful Warm English Gingerbread Cookie Wax and V-Blush treatment on my underarms. I love the end results! It's been five weeks and my 'pits are still super soft and fairly hairless.

Did I say five weeks? Yeah that's how good it is. The Gingerbread Cookie Wax is only offered for a limited time so I'm not sure if it's still available, but I would still highly recommend the waxing services of Strip. They are so quick to pull out the hair - one try, actually - and it didn't hurt at all.

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Tips and Tricks Liz Lanuzo Tips and Tricks Liz Lanuzo

Reader question: Help! I'm hairy!

Got this interesting question over at Ask Liz. Read on!

Hi Ms. Liz! I don't know if I'm really asking a question or just seeking affirmation...I'm really "balbon": my arms and legs are hairy (but not like a man's, whew, could've been worse right?). Worse, I have facial hair! I have "baby bangs" that aren't really part of my "real hair" anymore (they're more facial hair than real hair because it's on my forehead already), and I can't even have the part above my eyebrows threaded for fear that it'll look really weird!

But I guess the worst part of it all is that I have a moustache! Eek! I really want to have it removed but I don't want to deal with it growing (thus I do not want it waxed). I would really love to have it lasered but that's too expensive, and I'm just in my early twenties! :(

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Eyebrows Liz Lanuzo Eyebrows Liz Lanuzo

Benefit Brow Zings

Since Benefit is opening today, I thought I'd direct the spotlight to one of my favorite products from the brand: the Benefit Brow Zings (P1,600). I was quite loyal to my old routine (pencil + powder) but after coming across Brow Zings, well, it was love at first try!

Before, I usually did my eyebrows a shade lighter, a bit blonder. But as some readers said in my light vs dark brows post, darker eyebrows frame my round face better and somehow matches my personality. That's why I've lately taken to wearing darker brows with the help of Brow Zings. 

What I love about the product 

  • The colors look dark in the pan but they never give me scary, harsh-looking eyebrows. I'd say the effect looks quite natural. The wax + powder is pigmented but just enough to shape and shade, not draw on the eyebrows.
  • The wax keeps my eyebrow hair in place. It thickens the hair and shades the skin underneath so it looks like I have lush-looking eyebrows. The powder sets the wax wonderfully and helps fill in the gaps. They work wonderfully together!

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Skincare Liz Lanuzo Skincare Liz Lanuzo

The femstache dilemma

Do you have a femstache, that is, a fringe of hair on the upper lip? Removing most of the hair on a woman's face (except her eyebrows) is considered part of good grooming. Women with mustaches are objects of derision because of that cardinal rule, but if you ask me, that cruelty is unfair and underserved! I think women have the right to keep their hair if they so choose, as long as said hair is clean.

All things considered, I choose to keep my upper lip hairless. The face is simply brighter and clearer that way since even a faint fuzz of fine hair can cast a shadow, thus making skin look uneven. Before, I denied the existence of my femstache. I thought nobody can see it - but it's one of those things we just gloss over until someone calls it out. And someone did call it out.

Since then, I started either plucking or shaving my stache. However, plucking is painful and shaving gives that sensitive area chicken bumps. So I get lazy. That is, until I discovered the joys of DIY waxing. It made the process faster with less side effects so now I do it regularly.

I like using the Veet Ready to Use Hair Removal Wax Strips, the small ones for fine hair. It's easy to use and can remove most of the hair in two swipes.

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