The Philippines Haul!

So in my Sweetheart Nails post I mentioned that I had just gotten back from the Philippines, and also managed to get a few goodies while I was over there! The exchange rate meant that I was a *lot* richer there than I am in England, and I'm kicking myself now for not buying  more! The currency in the Philippines is Philippine pesos (PHP), and there is an exchange rate of 65 PHP to 1 English pound.

★ A collective look at my nail goodies! ★

Now, me telling you the exchange rate won't sound too impressive until I tell you the price of these products. As a whole, these nail products cost me a total of 171 PHP - that converts into exactly £2.63!! I could not believe my eyes when I was standing at the nail varnish counter and saw the prices of these products!

★ Oh My Golly Nail Colours by Klik - from left to right: Salsa, Demure and Banana Boat ★

I picked these 3 polishes up for only 18 PHP each, which is around 27p! Looking back now, I *definitely* should have gotten more, but I had no idea what the quality would be like, so I limited myself to 3 colours that I needed anyway. All polishes are by Klik's Oh My Golly Nail Colours range, which I wasn't familiar with at all. After doing some online research it looks like this brand is only sold in the Philippines, so if you're ever in the country, check these out! I used both Salsa and Demure in my Sweetheart Nails post. Demure is a true nude, and has a very sheer consistency - it took 4 coats to become completely opaque, however with a colour like this I'd prefer a more translucent finish, so will probably stop at 2 coats in the future. Salsa is a true telephone box red - completely warm and vibrant. This colour became opaque in 2 coats. I've yet to try out Banana Boat, but I've been trying to get my hands on a yellow polish that doesn't need 97745473 coats to become opaque, so let's hope this is the one! I'll keep you posted ☺.

★ Sassy Nail Art Pens (10ml) in Gold and White ★ 

These two aren't actually marked as specific colours, but I think they're pretty obviously gold and white so let's just go with that. I found these in a tiny little family-run corner shop for 36 PHP each (55p) and couldn't resist buying them! There was a wide range of colours, but they seemed a bit obscure for my use, so I limited myself to just these two. I used the white yesterday and was pleasantly surprised! When first applied, the polish is very runny, and it seems that you'd need at least 2 coats (which isn't ideal when I'm doing fine nail art detailing), but this baby dries opaque in just one coat, for 55p what more do I have to say?! On the bottle these pens state that they're are produced by Unistar Asia Manufacturing Company, so I presume these are only available for purchase in Asia. 

★ Various glitters, sequins and nail jewels ★

I found these in the same shop that I found the nail art pens in. This pack included the toe separator featured in the first picture, and a cuticle pusher, all for the irresistible price of 45 PHP (69p)! I plan on doing some glitter gradient nails with the glitter, and will wait and see what springs to mind for using the sequins and jewels - keep checking back for new nail art designs!

★ Cream Silk Weekly Straight Shine hair masque ★

Not featured in the top picture is this Cream Silk hair masque that I found. 75% of television adverts in the Philippines were dominated by various hair brands, all promising straight hair if you bought their products. This particular product boasted effects of 4 times straighter hair, and seemed to be the most popular brand, so I thought I'd try it out! At 245 PHP (£3.77), this product didn't follow suit with the extremely cheap prices I had become so accustomed to finding, but in the Asian heat and humidity my hair didn't stand a chance against curling and frizz using my regular products purchased in England. I was forever seeing Filipino women with sleek straight hair, so this product seemed promising. I've yet to use it, but expect a post  on it when I do!

So that was my little haul from the Philippines! Have you been anywhere recently and brought anything back? Let me know, I'd love to check out your haul posts ☺!