Violet Box May 2014 Review

Violet Box is my 2nd subscription box and I'm so thrilled when I got my box and saw the items inside. I received it last week but just too busy to write a review.  

So here's my box

I love everything about this box, the purple ribbon, the magnetic clasp and it's definitely reusable.

Here's my loot

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel Giveaway

Here's my promised giveaway! This is my first one and hoping for more giveaways soon!

So what's the giveaway?

ANASTASIA CLEAR BROW GEL

(credits: Anastasia Beverly Hills)

This Anastasia clear brow gel is one of Hollywood's beauty cult products that can be yours to enjoy!

This Best-Selling Formula tames unruly brows without leaving them stiff, flaky or sticky. Fortified with rich botanical conditioners and essential oils, this luxurious formula can be worn alone or layered over a brow powder or pencil to set your perfect application all day.

How to Apply:

1) Apply after a brow pencil or powder. Can also be used alone for subtle wash of tint. 

2) Withdraw wand from case and wipe excess product from around the base of the brush. 

3) Apply gel in short upward strokes in direction of hair growth.

Why the giveaway?

I got this Anastasia clear brow gel 2.5ml  AU$39 from my May Bellabox and you can read the review here. I don't have unruly or thick eyebrows and I don't think this wonderful product will be beneficial to me. So, instead of letting this brow gel go  to waste I decided to give it away!

So, for beauties who already love Anastasia clear brow gel and wants another one or beauties who just want to try this beauty cult, just enter the draw to win. Please read the terms and conditions as well.

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!!

Please take note Mandatory Requirements to qualify for the draw:

1. To enter, you MUST subscribe to my mailing list and you MUST enter your email address so I can contact you if you win.


2. You MUST like my Facebook page.


3. You MUST share this giveaway post.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Competition closes 4:00 pm Sunday 8th June 2014.  Goodluck to everyone!!

Keep on smiling!  :)

xoxo  Mia

Wen by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner Review

Wen by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner $34.99

I have received this Wen by Chaz Dean Cleansing Conditioner from my May 2014 Bellabox. You can see my full review of this subscription box here. This is a good size sample and quite a nice surprise!

This is the product that I'm so happy to receive. I have been trying to convert to conditioner only routine for years to no avail! Mr. SF only uses conditioner since he was a kid and I swear he has the shiniest and nicest hair I've ever seen. I have tried using DIY oil substitutes and conditioner only for months but it only made my hair limp, flaky and oily. So, getting this cleansing conditioner is heaven sent! I tried it this morning as well and it does cleanse your hair without giving you the oily result after. I also put a little bit as a leave in conditioner after rinsing and my hair was very soft and accentuated my wavy hair. The only thing that disappointed me is that it claims to make your hair shiny but. alas, not for me. Maybe it will be shiny after a few days of use so I'm not giving up! I really like this product and I have high hopes for this!

I'm also very happy that Bellabox members get to buy a Wen Regular Deluxe Kit for $29.99 only with free shipping. SRP is $39.99 plus P&H of $12.99 so that's already a savings of $22.99 and I love bargains so I'm definitely going to avail this special offer!

www.chazdeanwen.com.au

Bellabox May 2014 Review

I got my May 2014 Bellabox yesterday and this is actually my first subscription box! I am just so thrilled about it!

Now what's a subscription box?

It's a monthly subscription wherein you get a box full of goodies. It can range from beauty products, food, eco-friendly stuff, clothing and a lot more. Prices differ depending on what size and what products you want to subscribe to. The beauty of it is you get to trial products, usually as samples, before you decide if you want to buy the full size product. It's such a craze now as people typically likes getting surprises as you're not usually told what you will get but they do a sneak peak days before it gets sent out to excite members. You can search on the web to see which subscription boxes you will like but make sure to check if they ship to your country to avoid disappointments. I also advice to check for coupon codes that you can use for your first purchase to give you a discount.

Check out Bellabox:

https://bellabox.com.au/bellabox/index/r/rid/46531

(If you join using the link above I get a referral bonus. Thank you in advance.)

Bellabox May 2014

Theme: Come Fly With Me

Bellabox members get to enter a competition where you can win 1 of 10 $100 vouchers from Jetstar

(I have yet to submit my entry but for those like me still trying to write the best entry, we better hurry as competition is only until 30th of May 2014!)

Here's what I got!

Salon Shock!

Today, I went to the salon just to have my hair colored and not to have it shortened but just to give it a more layered look. Unluckily for me, the hairdresser has a different mind set!!

 I should have ran to the door the minute she called me a different name!

 She asked for my name and I said it's MIA. "What a lovely name!! I have another client named Mia and she's lovely too." So I thought, great! she won't forget my name!

 And, so I thought.

 She did call me Mia probably 2 times before I ended up as MIMA for the rest of the day. Nice! Now, I'm MIMA!!

 Oh well, At least it's close enough!

And good thing I'm not the only one.

Another lady came in to the salon:

HAIRDRESSER: Hello! What's your name?

LADY: Tiffany.

HAIRDRESSER:Sorry?

LADY: TI-FFA-NY

HAIRDRESSER: Oh okay STEPHANIE! Do you want a haircut as well?

I told myself, maybe she's not that bad. After all, she was recommended by my hairdresser picky other half!

So, I chose the hair color I want to try which looks like brownish red but too bad I have dark hair so it didn't turn out that way but it's okay 'cause I ended up liking it anyway.

I did want to have some highlights but she insisted I shouldn't so I said okay, maybe it's not a great idea after all.

However, my biggest shock of all was when I informed her countless of times that I don't want to shorten my hair as it takes ages to grow but all of a sudden she just cut a huge chunk of my hair from the back!

She must have seen my gaping mouth as she suddenly blurted out (and repeatedly said it all throughout), "I'm keeping the length! See! See! (while holding my already cut hair) I'm just layering it to make it nicer 'cause you're hair wasn't styled before!"

And so the few inches I patiently managed to grow for 6 months fell down to the floor.

Of course, there should be a fringe (bangs) incident.

I told her, I want just a little bit of side fringe as I have a tried a full fringe before and I can't seem to get the hang of it. She did had it cut nicely. Until, after 5 minutes she decided I need to have a full fringe instead! Aargghhh! My brother will call me Dora the Explorer again!

Good thing, the color turned out to be a pleasant surprise so I ended up liking it. And besides, she's such a character! She made my day interesting!

So, here's the After pictures!

Just click on my previous post here to check the Before pictures!

Tell me what you think. :)

The best pic, he said!

New Zealand Natural Freebie & 7 For All Mankind Amazing Bargain!!

I call this day my awesome freebie and bargain day!

We went to Dandenong Plaza to buy something and as always, we have to stop by our favorite ice cream store New Zealand Natural. We love this store not only because they have yummy thick shakes, smoothies, ice cream and frozen yogurt but because of their friendly staff! We bought our favorite drink and I saw that they have a promo that you get a free New Zealand Natural lip balm if you buy a smoothie.  Our friendly attendant gave me one and as I love freebies, I was smiling from ear to ear! :)

It smells and feels like a cocoa butter lip balm. I've been using it all day to test it and my lips are still soft and not chapped or flaky. I like the casing as well and I must say it looks better than most lip balms you can get from the pharmacy. I'm choosy with my lip balms as most lip balms give me chapped lips just after a few hours of using it, but not this one. This is actually pretty good for a freebie. So if you love smoothies, I suggest you try New Zealand Natural and get a freebie and end up a happy girl like me!

Next stop: Paul's Warehouse in Dandenong

We have to buy runners and we decided to go to Paul's Warehouse as they have these awesome buy 1 get 1 free deals all year round. We end up buying 2 pairs for $119.99 with their deal. You can buy 1 pair only but it will be for $69.99 so might as well get the deal and save $20. You can also buy from their website here. However, if you're like me who wants to try it out and see the products first, I'll be suggesting that you check a lot of styles that you might like as it's sometimes hard to get your size and it's best if you have a lot of options to choose from.

But, that's not my big bargain from Paul's Warehouse! As we were about to checkout I noticed a rack full of jeans and I decided to check them out. The rack is the first thing you'll see when you enter the store but most people don't take notice of it as the price for that rack is not posted in full view. Lucky, I decided to check it out and guess what, I got a pair of 7 For All Mankind jeans for just $1!! Yes, just ONE DOLLAR!! And, I'm sharing this find 'cause I'm just so ecstatic about it!

SRP $239 and getting it for just $1 is just really crazy!!

Black and Blue

I wore this black and blue outfit for a friend's birthday party at Lynbrook Hotel last Saturday.  It was a cold day, I think it was just 14 degrees so tights was a must.

 

Blue Cardigan and Black LBD - Cocolatte, Tights- Payless Shoes, Blue Aztec shoes-Michael Antonio

My friends know how much I love bargains! I don't like paying for the full price because chances are, it will go on sale after a few days or weeks. If I have to buy a certain item I would go from store to store to check which store offers the best price before buying. I love haggling as well!

My black and blue outfit is just an example that you can wear something nice without breaking your budget!

I bought my Cocolatte blue Cardigan for only $7.99. You can still buy them here but it's better to just go to one of their stores as they have an assortment of colors.

My Cocolatte black dress retails for just $14.99 but got this on their sale rack for a whopping $5.99!

And the biggest steal are my Michael Antonio Getty Blue Multi shoes. SRP is $79 USD but bought this for only $15 from Ozsale. Even if you convert it in Peso, it's less than P800 which is still very cheap. You can still get this pair of Getty Blue here from their website for $39.50 USD.

Total cost of this outfit:  $28.98 AU = P1188.18

About me: Smiling Filipina

I'm Mia!

A proud Filipina who's now based in Melbourne.

I'm a typical female who loves shoes, clothes, unnecessary junk and bargains!

I'm starting this blog to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams. I have always wanted to write, to share my joys, struggles and random thoughts in life. I'll be sharing with you what it's like to live here in Australia for an average Filipina who wishes to win Tatts Lotto everyday but alas, it's still an elusive dream so I have to content myself with my 9-5 work salary!

Join me in my journey in finding happiness in simple things.


Why Smiling Filipina?

It took me days to choose my blog name. I've been reading endlessly about tips on how to choose the best one and the #1 tip is to create a blog name that will best describe you and what you want to write in your blog. So, I asked Mr SF to describe me and he automatically sang Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows!

I then remembered that last Valentine's Day, we had a Heart Wall at work where everyone gets an origami heart with their name written on it. Everyone was then asked to fill the hearts of whoever you like with notes of what you love about that person.

Here's what I got!