It's going to be a fashionable,daring,creative,and expressive year for me :)

Perhaps one of the best things that “Healthy Eating” aka dieting has taught me, is that small changes are more impactful than bigger ones. Most of the time, taking a giant step in an instant means setting yourself up for failure.

For example, I’ve tried taking rice out of my life, but ended up gaining back what I lost—twice. When I’ve decided to overhaul my diet, I reintroduced rice back into my meals, and gradually lessened my intake, but without eliminating it. And the result was astounding—I have stayed lean and fit since that major overhaul, and weight gain has become a minor problem because I have established my metabolism properly. All of these, I owe to the small changes I’ve made in eating and being active.

And such principles can be applied to all aspects of life. For example: If you, my dear reader, are aiming to change your image without the risk of going back to square one, I say be in favor of small changes that are easier to do, and maintain for the rest of your life.

An image overhaul shouldn’t be a daunting task. It should be enjoyable, fun, and exciting! Since we’re talking about the importance of making small changes, that means you won’t be wearing sky- high heels the next day after more than a decade of wearing flats. You can start by being more adventurous with clothes and makeup. But if you think you’re not yet ready for these, start with something smaller like your nails. Paint them in funky colors, or make a statement through nail art.

Speaking or nail art, I got my first- ever nail art courtesy of Beauty and Butter. Beauty and Butter is a specialist salon that offers a variety of treatments for the face and nails. And for the new year of the Water Dragon, they encourage everyone to let their personality shine through various nail art designs.

Here’s what happened in my session:

Since I had no nail art design in mind, K-Wey Landayan, Sales and Marketing Manager for Beauty and Butter was kind enough to explain the types of nail arts available (and even kinder to give me a glass of warm water to clear my throat!).

Here is the palette showcasing the lovingly crafted Handpainted Nail Art designs. The Buttercups (a cuter and more sophisticated term for Manicurists and Pedicurists) will do these designs on your nails in real time. They use nail polish for this kind of Nail Art.

And this palette showcases their available Nail Stamp designs. They use Konad’s plates and palettes for this kind of nail art. K-Wey explained that the Buttercups will be using the ‘molding technique’ in real time to transfer the design to your nails.

Oh, so this is what a Konad plate looks like.

And these are Nail Stickers. They're best if you're in a hurry. Check out the Disney Princesses stickers. I was tempted to get these, but realized that I'm too old for it. K-Wey said it's the best- seller among kids!

Since I was having a slight headache due to cough and cold during the time I had my session, I blindly went for this multicolor ethnic- inspired nail art without even bothering to look at the other designs. It was actually the first design that caught my eye. It’s pretty, no?

The Buttercup who did my nails was Aisa. Geez, I don't know where she's getting all that patience to finish ten toes!

Wow. It's so creative and nicely done. This particular design costs P500.00.

Tadah! Now my nails have more fashion sense than me. Haha!

The benefit of getting a nail art is, it somehow guides your style sense and color choices for clothing. Ever since I had this nail art on, I can't help but be more adventurous with color combinations. I have to keep up with my fashionable nails! The BF commented that lately, I'm becoming more sensible when it comes to dressing up, and even my mom said that I'm starting to dress up like a real lady. Cool!

After drying my nails, I went around to check out what Beauty and Butter has in store for its clients.

Since Beauty and Butter also caters to skin, they have exclusive skin care products for oily, aging, and dry skin.

Look! Limited edition Sinulog Festival colognes! :D

They also offer and sell vegan nail polishes from a brand called Spa Ritual. From the packaging to the polish, Spa Ritual makes sure that they produce everything without harming the environment.

They also have the classic cult favorites Orly, China Glaze, and OPI nail polishes.

Enormous Lash Enhancing Serum for lashes that never end. I've been meaning to try these specialist lash serums but dang, they cost a pretty penny.

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So if you want to become the best 'You' before the year ends, bear in mind that starting small will definitely lead you to your greatest goal without the risk of starting over and over again. Start expressing yourself and becoming more fashionable through your nails, and let Beauty and Butter help you with that. :)

TYPES OF NAIL ART:

Hand Painted: Customizable nail art design- (Price start at P280)

Nail Art Stamping: Hand Painted nail art using stamp-on templates- (Regular Price Php 280)

Nail Art Strip: Stick-on nail art with zero drying time. Choose from any of the available designs-(Regular Price Php 600)

Nail Tattoo: A water activated nail art strip that last up to two weeks. (Regular Price is P500)

*Both nail art strips and nail tattoo prices are inclusive of manicure




I vow to be more adventurous, fashionable, daring, and creative this year. What are your vows for the new year? :D