Home of Beauty Exclusives, better known as "HBC" is (correct and inform me if I'm wrong) the only…read morebeauty supply store in the Philippines. Think the ever famous Sally Beauty Supply Stores in the States and the UK. My friends and I LOVE to color our hair in different or wild colors. I've done silver, different shades of red and blonde and my friends and I have often bought bleaching supplies in HBC. I also love how the sales ladies really know the products when you ask them for advice and all products are very affordable. My only trouble about this branch is that the store moved and now it's just a small stall left. I still go here because it's the only branch nearest to me and the rest are too far. The have a lot of "free" services (when you purchase a particular beauty supply) in their stores like a diamond peel, facial, footspa, makeover, skin analysis and hair color application. I really wanted to try the hair color application (when you purchase a hair coloring set) but by the time I was going to, they already moved. Do check the site for branches if you have one near you.

Like Sally's Beauty Supply stores in the US, HBC carries a wide range of beauty products like hair…read morecolor, hair treatment solutions and other salon supplies. Because their products are mostly generic, salon-grade products rather than commercial consumer brands, you can get everything at much cheaper prices. Those who don't mind DIY beauty rituals at home will certainly find themselves spoiled for choices here. One of their more popular products are their hair dyes. As far as I could tell, they have three in-house line: the permanent regular, the low-ammonia range, and the crystal permanent. Each line has so many different shades and variations, but I did notice a lack of crazy colors like those sold by Manic Panic. A purchase of at least P300 entitles you to free services at selected stores, specifically free application of the products that you have bought. Most customers take advantage of this offer for free hair coloring application, which is a steal because even inexpensive salons charge about a thousand pesos for a simple dye job.

Criselda's sells a lot of perfumes and scents…read more Coming from the escalator in Shoppesville, you'll spot this shop right away. It's filled from floor to ceiling with different perfumes, colored bottles and some bins of vitamins. To save time and also so that you don't buy out the entire store, know before hand what perfume you want to buy. Better if you know the name, know how the bottle looks like and are kind of familiar with the scent. Don't be afraid to ask for a discount especially if you're buying a lot of perfume. The last time I bought perfume from this shop, Miss Guada helped me choose. I hope she's still there. Ask for her just in case.

One of the newest branches of Beauty Bar, this specific branch at Central Square is absolutely…read morestunning! Its reminiscent of special concept stores in Paris, Berlin, London, and Milan. Great interior design and ambiance; all thanks to the German design group Blocher and Blocher. I very much enjoy going to any Beauty Bar store to replenish on my beauty and cosmetic supplies but I think this branch is my new favorite! With brands like Smashbox, StudioMakeup, Supergoop!, 11theBalm®, Urban Rituelle, Juice Beauty®, K-Palette, Koh Gen Do, Mineral Fusion, Modelco, Palladio, Prestige Cosmetics, Andrea, ARTDECO, Bloom Cosmetics, Burt's Bees®, Christian Faye, Fran Wilson, Happy Skin, Human Nature, JAPONESQUE®, YADAH, Salon Perfect®, Messy Bessy, and Human Heart Nature, you're guaranteed to find something to buy! Everything is well presented and the service is great. They also have a Dashing Diva nail salon inside and I must say that this is the nicest one that they have! Definitely a great venue to shop!

One establishment in Guadalupe Nuevo that has withstood the test of time is the RB Hortaleza…read moreVaciador & Beauty Supply. I remember my grandmother asking me to bring our scissors and knives to this place when I was a teenager. Until now, our family still patronizes this place to have our garden tools, nail clippers, knives, and scissors sharpened. But I'm no longer the one in charge of bringing in such tools to the shop. The store is also a good place to have common types of house keys duplicated. Apart from tool sharpening and key duplication, Hortaleza sells hair and beauty products and accessories that are rarely seen in major malls and supermarkets. If you can't find a certain brand of whitening cream or soap in big stores, there's a big chance that you'll find what you're looking for here. I know that many beauty parlors in this side of Makati buy hair curling, coloring, straightening, and washing products from Hortaleza. Aside from hair products, they also sell tools and supplies used for manicure, pedicure, and spa services.

Hortaleza is a pretty popular beauty supply business all over the metro, hell, you can even find…read moretheir products in huge department stores! But this one particular branch is my favorite because of the following reasons: It's literally a few kembots away, it has cheap bleach tubs, AND it never fails to supply me with all my vanity needs, most especially those that I need for really fierce fashion shoots! I will also never find any other place that's accessible to me who sells very stylish and avant garde fake lashes for an affordable price! In fact, if you want a lash extension that can be seen from the next kanto, you can get it here for less than a hundred pesos. Oh, I cannot anymore stress over how much awesome the eyelash extension finds here, and I buy them in huge bulks, because the designs run out from time to time. I also want to mention that decent quality hair dyes are available here for less than 200 pesos. There are no vegan brands like Manic Panic though, but if you're not vegan, it's the place to get your dyes without even shelling so much. And they actually are not bad, even almost the same effect as expensive ones. Tried and tested, hunnies.

I don't often buy make up compared to other girls but when I do buy, I buy from Shu Eumura…read more Shu Eumura is a Japanese brand of make up and was built by Mr. Shu Eumura, whom the store was named after. What they always like to point out and as seen by their bright and colorful designed store is that they like to mix art and beauty. For them, make up is an art. You can already sense that this is no ordinary commercialized make up store. Whenever I enter, I'm always greeted with a warm welcome from their staff and make up artists. They can help you find what you need whether you are looking for something specific or you don't know what you actually want yet. What I always buy though is their powder foundation (for everyday work), their mascara and eyeliner (for those nights out). Btw if you purchase any item from their store, you get to have make up done by their make up artists for free. They have some of the best artists and with the quality (and expensive!) Of their make up, you better take advantage of this!

The Japanese really deliver when it comes to beauty products and Shu Uemura is definitely one of…read morethe best. Their skin care products and cosmetics are way pricier than drugstore brands but you can definitely tell that you are paying for quality. Last year, I finally gave in and purchased a bottle of Tsuya serum and within two weeks of daily application, it has made a very noticeable difference in the texture of my skin. I've had people asking who my dermatologist was. Shu, of course, is home to the famous cleansing oils. Frankly, the cleansing oils are a pass for me but there are those who swear by them. My own favorites from this brand are the eyelash curler (a cult must-have), the eyelash glue, and the lavender facial mist. It may be intimidating to walk in the store, especially since you will rarely see more than a couple of customers inside but at every Shu branch that I've been into, the salespeople have been nothing but friendly and helpful.

It used to be so hard to get Nars Cosmetics here in Manila because they had no stand-alone store…read more When I saw that one was finally built in Glorietta 4, I was so happy! Finding a good matte lipstick that doesn't cake and dry up after just a few hours was quite a personal frustration. When I finally found it in Nars, I was so relieved. I really swear by their matte lipsticks. My personal count for their line of lipsticks is now at 5! And it looks like it's not stopping anytime soon, especially since they are finally available locally.

I went through this phase with my cousin when she and I would always pass by The Face Shop to grab…read moresome nail polish. The set up of this store when it comes to their nail polish is quite fascinating. It's all lined up neatly in rows and then you can even try them out! They're complete even with nail polish remover! I usually play around with the boring natural colors while my cousin always tries on funky loud colors. She ends up buying a lot more because my choices all look the same! I love their nail polish here, it's not that runny and not that thick in consistency so it's easy to apply. I also love their facial mask here! Sometimes they give you free samples of their newest facial masks so that's such a good deal! When I had really bad sunburn I bought their aloe vera gel here and it smelled so good! It was so refreshing on my skin!

I would visit The Face Shop A LOT when I was younger but not for their make-up or other facial…read morebeauty products but only for their nail polish. I was a certified nail polish addict. I had (still have actually...) over 50 bottles and every single one I bought from The Face Shop or was given to me as a gift from The Face Shop. The range of colors of the nail polishes here is probably the widest and most adorable. They have a lot of shades and they expanded into carrying shimmering nail polish, nail polish with glitters and sparkles in them, crack nail polish (which became uber famous over a period of time), and matte nail polish. The polish at The Face Shop is fantastic, the colors retain their shade even over time and exposure to different elements, the wide range assures you will find the shade you desire, and the price of it isn't that expensive. They may not have the cheapest nail polish but the price is fitting to the quality of their product. Also, their nail polish remover and a must buy! This doesn't smell odd, it doesn't hurt your nails or make them dry, and it does its job of removing the nail polish easily and clutter free.

Not the greatest service, yet product knowledge was not acceptable. Staff wasn't in the mood to…read morehelp customers including myself. Staff doesn't sanitize products before having customers try them on. Asked for brush cleaner and it smelled like baby cologne. Asked for makeup wipes they said sorry we have no more testers, offered me makeup wipes that aren't Mac! highly recommend the store todo a mandatory cleaning of stores and staff! Return makeup's artist to basic training. !

Did you know that Human Nature was born out of the sheer goal of helping the ailing marginalized…read moreFilipino community make a sustainable livelihood plan? With brilliant and beautiful minds of three Gawad Kalinga members, they were able to bring forth a purely Filipino brand that could measure up to international big wigs in the hygiene and cosmetics industries. If that doesn't push you to buy any of Human Nature's products, then you don't have a heart. Nah, just kidding! Hahaha. But if you do need a little more convincing, I can personally attest to how awesome Human Nature's products actually are. I've tried numerous of their items on their hygiene line such as their Sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, and their body wash. As a girl who loves to color her hair, I need to be careful when purchasing hair products. When I heard that Human Nature had a Sulfate-free line of shampoos and conditioners, I immediately went here to buy myself some. The shampoo had a delicious pomegranate smell that I loved and it really did help restore my dried locks to its not-so-frizzy glory. I've also gotten to try Human Nature's facial wash and toner. This one I loved because it didn't feel like it was stripping my skin off its natural oils, which sometimes facial washes and toners do. It felt very light and refreshing to my skin. Another item I loved from Human Nature is their Cleansing Oil which I use to remove makeup. I just pump a couple of drops on a cotton pad, gently swipe it on my made-up face and it instantly takes it off! It can even take out mascara or gel liners! Pretty cool!

I love what Human Nature stands for. The brand was founded by the 2 daughters of the Gawad Kalinga…read morefounder so it's no wonder their products stand for something great. They don't only advocate 100% natural and organic cosmetics, skin care and home care products (they do food now as well) but they also advocate being Pro-Filipino and helping poor communities. I particularly love how safe and affordable their products are. If you want great skin without buying expensive and chemical-ridden products, Human Nature is worth a try. The products I've come to love and go back to are the sunflower beauty oil, the nourishing face toner, their lip balms and their lip gloss and lip sticks. My friend also loves their baby care. She's very price, chemical-free and health conscious when it comes to her baby. And I recently found out they have pet care products! I'm definitely trying those out on my pets next time. Using safe products for your pets is extremely important as some products make your pets sick. Can't wait to try their food as well!

There's no mistaking that the products sold at G-Stuff, a small kiosk located beside the chapel at…read morethe third level of Power Plant Mall, are environment-friendly. The green and white logo with a heart and a leaf floating from a human hand can only evoke that sense of love for Mother Nature. Last Christmas, I headed toward the stall to find a gift for my boss who's diabetic and into organic products. I asked the staff about the products that they sell and they told me that all the items in the shop are guaranteed to be environment-friendly and made from natural materials. I was also delighted to know that they support sustainability in local communities by sourcing many of their products from faraway provinces. G-Stuff sells products that promote beauty, health, and wellness. I bought an Ylang-ylang essential oil and a number of food products for my boss and his wife. I was surprised that the products they sell were very affordable even if they came in very attractive and high-quality packaging.

With all the commercialized and unhealthy products out there, its always a treasure to find concept…read morestores, no matter how big or small, that sell nothing but well-produced, sustainable, and excellent products. I admire the business model founder, Gina Lopez. Aside from being able to provide its customers with nothing but awesome products, their profits go to communities around the country. The Philippines have a lot of natural resources and people who have access to it. Unfortunately, a lot of these people live in poverty and don't have the financial means and advanced knowledge to help them produce and sell competitively throughout the country. So when a well-to-do entrepreneur comes and helps put forward the products of the small communities that do the best they can, I'm all for it. I'm a big fan of all of their health products such as the Herbal Rub, Oral Salts, Pulling Oils, as well as their food products. Prices can be a bit expensive but if you really think about the quality of the product and the fact that you are supporting a sustainable business community, its most definitely worth it!