Number76 Style Hair Fix (Redo Session)

Final result of prettier hair!

Okay so I have to admit, I wasn't very happy with the result of the colouring by number76 a few days ago. HERE is my first review on them a few days ago. I know that I gave a good review, but the truth was that I wasn't perfectly happy, as the red colour isn't visible at all from the back.

And then the most amazing thing happened.

When I contacted them through Facebook, they asked me to give feedback about the stylist and what happened at that time, and I told them in a nice way that the back part isn't what I really want initially, as I couldn't see the colour at all, hence I didn't think it was worth the money to just see the effects on the front part of the hair. And then they kindly invited me back to their salon to fix whatever I'm unhappy about, at no extra charge. Like so omg right.

Here's what they said in some of the messages:

Dear Michelle, thank you for your feedback. We apologized for the outcome of the highlights. When would it be convenient for you to pay us visit again for the hair fix session? Look forward to hearing from you. Once again, we apologized for the inconvenient caused.


Dear Michelle, thank you for your reply. Sorry for the miscommunication and misunderstanding between you and the stylist. Thank you for your clear detailed explanation about your request. We will definitely feed the information and explain to him about your request, so that he can provide you a redo session with the outcome that you want. We've made the reservation on ... with you at Bangsar 2 branch. Beside, we will also have our English speaking staff who understand Japanese to be with him on that day so that the translator will assist him during the consultation and explanation on Tuesday. Once again, we apologized for the inconvenient caused.


Dear Michelle, thank you for your confirmation and feedback. We will definitely get the correct information and clear message across to our stylist. Look forward to serving you. Again, we're sorry for the inconvenient caused.

So polite right :O I am quite impressed!

Redo colouring session ongoing

So we made the appointment to be on Tuesday, after my classes. I reached 10 minutes earlier and was ushered to a seat, and then I told the receptionist what I wanted, showed her a picture (below) and said I wanted more red stripey highlights at the sides and back so that the colour is more visible. She translated into Japanese for me and then I spent the next half hour letting my stylist colour my hair and waiting for it to be done.

The picture I showed. I said I wanted the back not to be that much coloured though.

All wrapped up in cloth and plastic.

After that I got a hair wash and blow, full service just like an actual paid session! :)
Then I was politely ushered out by my stylist who apologised ._______. and made me feel bad lololol because he looked so sincerely sorry about it.

And here's my result:

Right outside the salon LOL.

The back part! So much nicer now after added more stripes of red right!

The red showed up better on camera under sunlight than indoors, but in real life, it looks just as vivid indoors.

I love the colour a lot a lot! I forgot to ask what colour it is again, but it was super pretty. I love the stripes too, it's more interesting than one solid colour. Now I have layers of vivid red and natural black. :D It gives me a sense of originality.

To my left, on your right

To my right, on your left

< Side views >

It was a great redo session! Most salons would not even entertain the idea of fixing their mistakes at no charge at all, let alone one that comes from miscommunication. And even if they did, they probably wouldn't even give a service that is exactly as if you've paid again.

At first I thought that maybe they were doing a half-ass job because it was during the 50% discount period, so maybe only half the effort, but I can see now that that is not the case, as they are very professional even though it is a free fix. The problem could be that there were too many people during the first visit due to the promotion (super crowded) and also due to miscommunication as my stylist isn't too fluent in English.

Indoor. 

So all in all, it was again, a really nice experience (even the tea is served LOL) and I would definitely go back again now. Verdict is raised to 9/10 (previously 7/10 as I was a bit sad about the colour at the back, but it's solved now!). Everyone was very nice, even the staff replying on Facebook, and no one blamed me for not checking properly, communicate properly or anything like that.

Front!

Thank you, my stylist Yamamoto and all the staff who served me, for your professionalism in dealing with the issue.
One happy customer here!

Freshkon Starz: Starry Blue (Review)

Hi! Just realised that I hit 400 posts with the past one LOL.
Thank you to all you regular readers/friends/supporters! :3
Michelle is happy. I don't really know if something good will come out of blogging but I guess I'll keep it going because I like doing it, and hopefully I'll get something tangible (like money) out of it in the future. :P

I've decided to do a Freshkon Starz contact lens review after having them for about two weeks. I've had very good experience with Freshkon: they have been producing circle lens that are pretty and comfy at the same time. Previously I was using Freshkon Alluring Eyes (read black colour review HERE), but as they only have 4 (technically 3) colours, I decided to make my way to another line of Freshkon lens, called the Starz line.

I wanted blue lens since forever, and I got a pair of blue ones by some brand that I've forgotten. I switched brands because my usual lens tore itself, and the shops didn't carry Freshkon blue lens ready stock. Regretted it so much because that random brand didn't fit my eyes: they kept moving in my eyes whenever I blink, and my eyes got so irritated I couldn't wear them after a few minutes. :(

The design of the lens!

Hard lesson learnt there. I stayed with my usual brown lens for a while after the horrible experience, but after a bit I decided to look around for blue ones again, and this time because I had time to spare, I decided to place my order for Freshkon Starz in Starry Blue. B chose the design out of the other series- he decided that this looks prettiest so okay lo. :)

Bad skin complexion sorray, unedited, no makeup Michelin :/

Here's my eye close-up. Personally I think it has a very pretty starburst design which brings out the blue colour a lot. And the outer dark ring accentuates the eye so it looks bigger. I'd like the blue to be a little darker, but it's fine this way. :)

Entirely candid lololol. At least you can see the lens through that suprised look lolol.

And me wearing the blue lens. I put up high-resolution pictures because I love you and you can see better this way than phone pictures. :3
No filters because I want to maintain the actual colour of the lens. :)
Colour may be lighter under different lighting. This is outdoor under a sunny evening sky. Here's another picture:

Forehead too big sorray. 

You can't really see the actual design, but the colour is vivid and clear. I love the look: it's eye-catching (no pun intended) and yet not over-the-top bright and dramatic. The comfort is great: it's just like my usual series, so I can now safely transfer myself over to this series whenever I want something more colourful! I have dry eyes and my eyes are really picky on which lens they like, so I'm super happy that they accept Starz! No redness or irritation, so everything's wonderful.

Phone selfie with B. I like this picture so I put it up. :3
Can't really see the blue in here though.

So here's my verdict:
Colour: 8/10
Design: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

So yay, I've finally found my favourite blue lens. :D
Now I can have eyes that look like stars. :3
Any questions please leave me a comment below! Thanks. :)

Love,

Mom's Birthday Gift : Sony Xperia C (Review)

I wrote this a week ago, but not wanting to spoil the surprise just in case Mom stumbled onto this blog, I decided that it is perhaps better to post this after I gave it to her.

Her birthday is coming up and I had completely zero idea what to get for her until that one time when she called me and the connection failed. It had been going on for months, and we are quite certain it's because of her phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy Y (yes, the lowest end smartphone model of that time) and she has been complaining everything about it, from the small screen size to the insensitive keyboard. It gets so frustrating for her but she had no time to go look for a new phone.


So I decided to get her a new one. It was hard because I have a limited budget, and if I spend on this, it means foregoing 3 months of extras. But I guess her happiness is better than mine so it's okay. After a few days of careful consideration and googling (IB does not allow me the luxury of musing over this for weeks), I picked Sony Xperia C. I know my mom prefers Samsung (although the experience with Galaxy Y is less than awesome), but my experience with Sony (proud owner of Xperia SL over here!) has been good. And also because B suggests Sony as well, so the decision is cemented.

We got it for RM680 :) + RM100 for memory card and casing. The original recommended retail price from Sony is RM900 right now. So yeah I saved RM220 :D

The stuff they give is standard: a black charger with separate wire, a white headset and a startup guide. 

^ This is the original Sony Xperia C picture. I don't have a good camera right now to take good shots of white phones, so these photos will have to do. It looks the same. There are three colours: black, white and purple. I picked white because it looks nice in white and can go with all sorts of casing colours. :)

^ Here's an actual picture I found online of the front of the phone..

The back is significantly easier to photograph since there is no reflective screen, so here's my photo of it ^.

Got a flip case to go with it. Here's the front of the phone inside the case. :)

A red cover because Mom would've liked a red version, but there's no red version for Xperia C.

Because I'm only going home in 5 days, I get to play with it for a while! Heh. Also to ensure everything is running smooth so that when it gets to her, it's all okay. The camera quality is decent. It's not anything spectacular, but it's good enough for a phone I guess, especially for my mom since she just takes normal photos casually. Shutter is slightly slow than other phones though because apparently Sony hasn't tried to fix it. =.= 

Outdoor views:

Close-up:

Indoor shots:

Pinksie gets to be a model! ^ :D

Text:

(it's decent and legible, but you won't get super sharp text 

because they took out the special scene function for documents. :/ )

It's really quite unfair to make lists of what I like and not like after getting to use it for just a couple of days, but here goes some of the stuff I've observed. I won't be posting a list of the technical specs because you can get that anywhere online.

• Size. The size is good for a Sony of that price. The screen is big and has adequate clarity, making viewing a pleasure. The built could be slimmer, but then Sony isn't competing for the thinnest phones even in its flagship models. 
• Material. The material used is entirely plastic, so don't expect a premium feel of aluminium and glass like the Xperia Z versions. However, it still feels nice holding it, and if you're using a phone case, the back won't even matter. 
• Design: Lookwise, it is almost exactly an Xperia Z on first impression. It's a good thing because the design looks high-end. As much as Samsung is going for a rounded look, Sony goes for sharper edges. It's more rectangular and has a distinct Sony look. 
• User Interface. It's decent I guess, although a bit of rearrangement and deletion is needed to customise it to your liking.
• Sensitivity. Satisfactory. Of course it's much better than low-end phones, and the keys respond fast enough. I typed the first few paragraphs of this post on it and it's great. Also helps that the screen is large enough for a bigger keyboard.
• Camera. It's acceptable like I said above, if you're not a hardcore fan of phone cameras. It's perfectly fine for casual photos of family, friends and your dog. 8MP is also more than sufficient. However, the VGA front camera sucks (who uses VGA anymore anyway??) so if you're going to skype on the phone frequently or take selfies a lot, it may be a problem. If not, you can just ignore the front camera.
• Memory. Internal memory of 8GB is not enough. The good thing is you can buy SD cards and put in 32GB max extra, unlike my SL phone which has no card slot. 
• Price. I guess the price is the best part about the phone. It's affordable for all that it offers, all the quad-core stuff and so on.

Verdict: I have no idea of the sound or the battery life because I didn't try the sound and I didn't use it long enough to accurately gauge the efficiency of its battery. But I must say that it gives plenty of bang for your buck and the specs aren't too shabby either, with dual-sim for those of you with two phone numbers. If you're looking for a phone that is affordable and decent for a normal everyday life and don't want to pay extra for all that unnecessary blings, this is for you. 

And to know that for my mom, this is really all she needs and wants from a phone, and that I am able to purchase it especially at a price level that she would approve of, is wonderful. 

I am happy. :)

Divergent the Movie : Review!

Fan poster but I love this better than the official ones

I went to watch Divergent the movie yesterday at KLCC. :3 

So like I watched with B cause he let me pick the movie and I was like OMGOMG when I saw the movie on the list. The queue was super damn looooong at the popcorn counter so we rushed downstairs to get drinks and then rush back up again. Sneaked into the cinema with outside drinks. What do, the queue was too long. They should open more counters or give priority to people whose show is starting.

Yes I've been waiting for Divergent since forever (aka more than one year ago), even before Theo James was picked as the male protagonist. :DDD

Omg Theo James is hot .___.

Not the hottest guy, but still super hot. Those strong eyebrows :D I have a thing for eyebrows.

How could you resist :O :D

Anyway the movie was around 2 hours long and the ads lasted for 20mins ==””

At that point I didn't know who is playing Four so I was really really excited and hopeful that he won't look horrible (we all know what happened to Ethan Wate in Beautiful Creatures the movie). And I really hoped that the movie won't let me down after what happened to BC as well.

The starting cast and crew names rolled, and I realised that Summit Entertainment produced the movie (they produced quite many film adaptations I remember, they produced Twilight lol). I know Shailene Woodley is playing as Tris (I thought she was okay looking in pictures, but she was just so beautiful in the movie like seriously). When Theo James' name came up, I thought his name is pretty set for a good looking guy :P. B is amused that the director is called Burger cause we were starving that time and even his name has to be food-related rofl.

Anyway, I think the movie was awesome. I LOVE the soundtrack (especially that part where Tris refused to be dropped from Dauntless and ran after the train full of Dauntless initiates, where they were going to capture the flag). Hans Zimmer is awesome, he does epic soundtracks for a lot of adrenaline-rushing movies so like he's a pro. And I'm so happy because this means that the movie has action in it, unlike a lot of other film adaptations where they just build the characters and do nothing else. Divergent jumps straight into the action (easily cause we're watching Dauntless right) but nevertheless wonderfully brought out by the directors. It also helps that Veronica Roth (author) is a co-producer, so like she can give input on stuff to make the film relate more to the book.

Shailene is so pretty :D

In my opinion it's a film well done cause it doesn't bring the book down or just narrates, in pictures, how the book goes, but instead highlights the interesting parts of it and make it exciting such that people would want to read the book. All the characters play their parts really great, not just the protagonists, but the supporting actors as well, like Christina, Eric and Jeanine. Unlike Twilight where Kristen Stewart just sucks (sorry to all Stewart's fans out there but I hate her acting, she's so wooden and emotionless omg), Shailene Woodley is lovely in bringing Tris' “divergency” out: she's brave, she's selfless, she's smart as hell, and “there's a certain beauty in her non-conformity.”

The movie is satisfying in many ways: it stays true to the book in most parts and they didn't really need to change the movie much to shorten the book, they just remove the unnecessary episodes and string the interesting ones together. I think they change the ending somewhat (I certainly don't remember Divergent ending that way, maybe they took some from Insurgent). Correct me if I'm wrong cause I read the book a year ago, but Divergent ended with the parents' deaths and Tris killing Will and Four trying to kill Tris but woke up in time. Ugh. I should go back to the book to refresh. The movie certainly gives me the motivation.

I love the clothes they designed too, really nice. I love Dauntless' clothes, all black and slightly red. It makes the characters look nicer (I have a thing for black) and Tris looks perfect. Makes me want to be in Dauntless lolol. No I can't survive. Haha. What they did is creepy as hell. But I like the flying fox thingy they do, so awesome flying through the wind. It's shown in the movie. :D

B thinks I'll be Erudite, but I wanna be Candor. I certainly see the appeal in Candor because the world and people around me are so fake. If I'm in Candor, everyone will be honest so I don't have to worry about people lying to me or hiding things from me. Such peace of mind. B thinks I can't take criticism but I guess I'll manage if I'm in Candor? Cause I'll be honest to people back, and it'll become a norm so like I don't have to worry much. And like people will be truthful about whether they like me or not and everything so I know what to do. It's great. :O

I'm a pioneer for truth lololol.

I don't mind being Erudite though, cause I'm interested in everything and anything and it'll be awesome to gain more knowledge. But Erudite in the books and movie is more sciencey so I don't think I'll like it much. I can't be in Amity or Abnegation cause I'm neither selfless nor kind, and I can't be in Dauntless cause I'll die. So yeah. Candor it is <3

So yea, Divergent is pretty awesome. B likes it a lot, he thinks it's a good movie. I think it's the best film adaptation I've ever seen so far. The first Hunger Games was okay too, not bad, but I like Divergent kind of better cause even though Hunger Games is completely fighting-for-life action, Divergent has better-looking characters and I love the idea of factions (although HG also have districts so what am I talking about .____.)

Okay, both of them are awesome films. Hahaha. I should rewatch HG to make a fair comparison. :3

Verdict: 9/10. If you like the book, this is definitely a must-watch. It won't let you down! (unless you like a certain chapter and they didn't show it, which I don't think so, or unless you think Theo James is ugly, which is impossible...right?) Go watch it!

Circle Lens - Freshkon Alluring Eyes Mesmeric Black Vs Mystical Black Review

Never thought I'd do a circle lens review but here it is. Initially I was too lazy to review because I think cosmetic lens are like fashion, one man's meat might be another man's poison, so it would be pointless if I rave about a certain product, only to have people getting it and finding that they didn't like it as much as I do. Same goes to fashion hauls, reviews etc.

I'm only reviewing this because I purchased the wrong colour =.=

First off here is the info on this particular circle lens:

• 55% water content for optimal comfort
• Full circle print for brighter eyes
• Large optical zone - clearer vision
• Wide power range from plano to -10.00D
• Long hours wear > 8 hours

You can google the posters/ads so I'm not attaching them here.
Cost RM45 a monthly pair (mine's the monthly one but you can get dailies)
Yes I know it's damn expensive because I think for RM60 you can actually get 3 months worth of prescription lens =.=
Or rather, I think you can get Korean/China made circle lens for like less than RM10 a month worth?

But I'm super scared of them. :/
Too many brands, too many styles, and they don't look very hygienic, being sold like that in glass bottles scattered everywhere at night markets. :/
Plus I've heard horror stories about those cheap cheap lens causing lots of problems. So right, I get my lens (prescription and circle) from actual optical shops. I don't care if it's more expensive. I mean, if those Korean/China lens are good and reliable, why are optical shops not selling them?

Colour: A few months ago (I think it was April) I got the Freshkon Alluring Eyes in Mesmeric Black because they didn't have the Mystical Black colour in my eye power. According to them the former colour is lighter (and more natural) than the latter. So..ok lo, since my first circle lens right, must get a more natural look. It looks black enough. Unfortunately I forgot which colour when I purchased my second pair, so I ended up with a different colour (Mystical Black) instead. Oh well, here's a comparison of the colours should you be wondering which to get.

There is a slight noticeable difference when immersed in the solution. I'm not sure if you guys can see clearly from the above photos but Mesmeric is lighter. When compared, it almost look a bit dark greyish because it's a slightly lighter shade of black. Mystical is much more black with a more defined pattern.

Personally I think it doesn't matter much when I'm actually wearing it. I don't see any clear difference, and I don't think anyone would notice if I'm wearing a different colour in each eye. Maybe because my eyes are very dark brown. Lighter irises might see a difference, I don't know.
If your eyes are like mine and aren't really black, you can actually see a bit of pattern around the outer rim. It isn't really a problem for me because you can only see it clearly close-up.

Mystical Black

Effect: The pattern is quite nice I think. It gives a natural enlarging effect to the iris so your eyes seem brighter. Bonus is you still look like you, because it doesn't make you have a glassy look (and end up looking like a blind person), unlike some other circle lens. If you wanna look totally doll-looking though, this might be too natural for that effect. This is good even for normal days instead of only for parties. Eyes do look bigger, but it's only 14.2mm in diameter so it won't look too fake.

Mystical Black

Oh and you can still pull the look off without too much makeup. Some circle lens are too obviously dolly that you need a lot of makeup (fake lashes, heavy eyeliner etc) to complete the doll look. Here is me without eye makeup (seriously toooo lazy to put anything more than a little blusher every time I go out =.=)

Left with the lens on, right without
Mesmeric Black

With Mesmeric Black circle lens on

Initial Comfort: I don't know about other people but apparently my eyes need some time to get used to circle lens (each new pair). Each time I put a new pair of Freshkon circle lens in for the first time, my eyes show all and every sign of rejection. They turn really red, become so teary I look like I'm crying, hurt like you've been crying for a few hours and generally feel very uncomfortable. An hour later they feel much better, and the second time I put in they don't feel so irritated anymore. The comfort generally increases and after a few times, they feel normal and no more weird symptoms. This only applies to circle lens though, because I have no such problem when it is a normal pair of transparent, prescription lens.

One little note: The packaging case for the lens was too big in my opinion. Too much solution for the lens to immerse in, causing one of it to turn inside out. I didn't know which was the right side up (sometimes it's hard to determine) and I ended up putting the wrong side in. If normal lens with the wrong side up hurts, you can't imagine the stinging-like-hell sensation when I put the circle lens for the first time in, wrong side up. Felt like acid? You bet. =.=
The right side up felt uncomfortable for the first time but nowhere near as stinging as the wrong side up. =.=

Under sunlight
Mesmeric Black

Final Comfort: Was pretty happy with it, used it for more than a month (a little less than two months) and still feeling quite comfortable. I know you shouldn't do it but during the first month I didn't use it everyday (like a few times a week?) so technically should be fine. It doesn't give me migraines either (I get migraines easily and especially when wearing lens). By the way, I have kinda dry eyes (but not too serious), so not all lenses feel very comfortable.

The awesome thing is about it is that a two-month-old Freshkon circle lens feels way way way comfy than a one-day-old Acuvue Advance Plus prescription lens (which is supposed to be really thin and comfy!). Go figure. Maybe it's just me. Maybe my eyes just don't like Acuvue.
Plus it's super easy to put in and take out. It fits to the eye in 3 seconds (may be a bit longer if I just got out of bed and eyes are too dry), taking out is a breeze too because it slides out easily. :)

Mesmeric Black

Verdict: It's obvious from all of the above that I love love love this particular circle lens! Regarding the difference between the two black colours, I can safely say that there is no visible difference at all when wearing, and only slight difference in the case. If you're worried then I can tell you Mesmeric looks lighter, so you can make your decision, but really, there's no difference. Regarding comfort, I can even wear it up to 16 hours straight (6am-10pm) for seven days (when I went to Vietnam for a vacation) and still feel comfortable. My longest record is 20 hours but even though there's minimal irritation at the end of the day, I haven't done it a second time because it really isn't healthy.

Sometimes I fall asleep with them on (for maybe an hour only, not at night) and although of course I wake up to sore eyes, the feeling goes away after a while. For best optical health though, take them out when you're going to sleep and don't wear them for more than 8 hours. :)

Mystical Black

Not really thinking of trying Acuvue circle lens for the moment (because my eyes don't like that brand haha) but might try the brown colour of this Freshkon line, when the new black pair is expired. :P
Of course this is only my opinion. Different people might experience differently because our eyes are unique. ;)

Take care of your eyes, no matter what!
Love,