The truth about hair color and false eyelashes

Dear Lucy,

What shampoo can I use for color-treated hair? The money I pay is not exactly cheap because I go to a top-of-the-line salon, so at the least, I want to do my part in protecting my hair color from harsh products and styling routines.

Can you also recommend a mascara that will exaggerate my lashes? Try as I may, I cannot quite figure out how to use false eyelashes.

Violet

For your hair, please try Pureology. It is a first on the market, 100-percent vegan, and has zero sulfate. It is a mild and natural-based brand that comes in three different systems to nourish and restore (Hydrate), give soft body (Pure Volume), and provide intense moisture (Essential Repair). All three variants have anti-fade complex to help sustain and retain color. Ingredients are all-natural and free of salt, mild but very effective.

For your mascara, try Bobbi Brown’s New Extreme Party Mascara. It is the first of its kind, too, on the mascara market. It is layer-able, which means each new coat remains clean and neat, separated and soft, absolutely buildable. You can pile on the layers right away, or go bolder only when the night falls. At any rate, no clumping or flaking happens so you get maximum volume and length. It is ophthalmologist and dermatologist-tested, is safe for contact lens wearers, and dries smudge-proof. How cool is that?

Lucy

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Top tip question: should the owner be tipped,too?

Dear Ms. Cojuangco,

I recently visited an upscale salon in Makati bearing the name of a famous hairstylist. Since it was my first time with them, the receptionist recommended that the owner should cut and color my hair. Needless to say, his fee was much higher than the other stylists. I was very happy with his work so I left tips for the assistants but none for the stylist. I’ve always correlated tipping less with the quality of service rendered but more with the status of the person serving. I mean, we don’t tip everyone in the service industry. I’m a lawyer and no one has ever tipped me for a job well done (even if I’ve earned/saved some clients huge chunks of money). Besides, I didn’t want to insult the owner by implying that he needs tips to financially survive. My mom, however, insists that I should have tipped him. I would appreciate if you can settle this issue once and for all as I intend to visit the salon again soon.

Cherylle

I wouldn’t tip him either because he owns the parlor and all income goes to him, and his status is rather high. No amount could compensate for his talent and status. An older person like your mom could tip him. I emphasize older because her status makes tipping a younger rich man much like a grandma giving a grandson his due or something a bit comical like a baon that could be accepted as a sweet gesture.

Tingting

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In Denim Of Eco-Conscious Fashion

Dear Rissa, 

Where can I find organic denim jeans?

Marie M.

Do check out premium apparel brand Gas (stores located at Greenbelt 3, Makati and Edsa Shangri-La Mall). Founded in Italy during the early 1970s, Gas can be found in over 56 countries today with more than 3,000 stores. The brand has been featured in the pages of Glamour, L’Uomo Vogue, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Esquire, Men’s Health, FHM and GQ.

Taking inspiration from the colors of nature and the earth, eco-conscious fashionistas like you will fall in love with their autumn/winter 2009/2010 collection. Delicate colors such as beige and pink alternate with greens, browns, and yellows. Nature also pervades in their collection as Gas makes use of natural materials such as organic cotton — a material that is free from chemical treatment during cultivation and during processing. For eco-conscious consumers, this spells out ethical and ecological sustainability of the product and protection for the environment and personal physical health.

Known for having denim at the heart of its collections, Gas also features organic denim, which makes use of organic cotton and vegetable indigo while still keeping the toughness of basic denim. For all their apparel made with organic cotton, make sure to look for the special descriptive tag.

Rissa

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Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com.