Call: Typhoon Sendong

For people who care, kindly text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart) to help CDO and Iligan City victims through the Philippine National Red Cross. Valid donation amounts are 10, 25, 50 and 100 and will be charged to the subscriber’s prepaid load or postpaid bill. They still need our help.

Craves: iPhone 4S

I was very much prepared to ignore the release of the new iPhone as really, I've never been into buying phones in that price range. Also, I'm not exactly a fan of Globe due to certain events that I will refrain from sharing. That is, until I learned about Vangie, from the chuvaness.

 

I'm not exactly off my rockets enough to think that the app is true but it sure opened my eyes to the functions of the iPhone that makes me want to get one. Siri is such a great app. I want one. Add the 8MP cam and the 1080 HD video capability and I am sold. I don't care if it's a phone. I'd like to use it without the phone function. FaceTime and iMessage over wifi works as good as video calls and text messages without paying extra for the service, right?

As I'm allergic to Globe, I prefer using Smart prepaid. The iPhone 4S is available for P33,200 for the 16GB model.

By the way, Vangie has a facebook page.

Initial picture from the Apple website.

Love: Anthology Seoul

I finally got my Seouls yesterday after a few weeks of agonizing. I was going to get a beige but then I realized it was actually a brown and I figured I probably should invest in a pair of blacks as I already have a pair of brown wedge-heeled shoes that I adore.

I consider myself a size 5 but after the pinch with their Neon Classics, I opted to get the Seouls in a bigger size when I ordered online. You actually can't order directly through the website but I emailed them to inquire on the availability of the sizes in the stores and was informed that it was okay to simply send a mail to order. Delivery was free.

Once I emailed a copy of the payment slip, I was informed the next day that the courier would be picking up. It took 2 working days after courier pick-up to get the shoes but it was fine with me as I knew that said courier service has been very busy with the Christmas season. 2 working days is actually not a bad thing.

In all fairness, when I slipped my feet into these, they sighed. It was a very soft and comfortable fit. Imagine wearing 5 inches and yet still very much comfortable in spite of doing so. That wasn't something I ever experienced before. Also, it was very obvious that the materials used are first class. The outer suede and inner lining were genuine leather and the suede was actually made of very thick leather. How could I tell? The strap made of the suede was so thick I could hardly fit it inside the buckle at first. The soles were rubber, making it easy not to slip.

The black suede looked divine on my skin. I totally could rock using the shoes with both formal and casual styles. The strap was loosely fitted into the loop at the back and for someone careless like me, this might be bad as I might lose the strap on one of my bad days but this is also a good thing as you can buckle the straps at whichever side you are most comfortable. You can also remove the strap altogether if you're more comfortable with that, although for someone like me who can be quite clumsy, I might end up losing a shoe, a la Cinder girl.

I tried them on today and found them comfortable at the first hour but the straps kept digging into my skin. I might need to strap them a little looser. Of course, not having used such high shoes before, I found myself losing the battle at the second hour and almost giving up on the third. I really need to practice if I want to wear these consistently. Also, I almost got a little blister on the sides as I have wide feet. I may have to wear these with socks or something.

I'm not regretting this purchase. I like the materials. I like the initial fit. I'm hating them after about 3 hours but I was walking the whole time. I have plans for these babies so I could work on the fit. Also, they look oh-so-good on my feet so no regrets at all.

Update: 2/6/2011

On the second time I wore these with socks, they were so comfortable I fell in love. Yes, friends, I declare this is love. I tried them without socks a few times now and the chafing has gone. I wore it here.


Pictures from the product website.

Craves: Anthology Banana Flats

Whenever I'm going through a shoe obsession, I'm always stalking. I used to go through SM everyday just staring at their Outlook collection of Mary Janes. I actually do want to go to the mall everyday now just so I can do that to the Anthos in The Ramp but with the sheer number of people doing their Christmas shopping, it's not exactly the best of ideas.I try to sate my obsession by going to their website and just staring but the scrolling pictures made me salivate on some pairs I didn't even consider before.

I confess, I am currently going obsessed over their banana flats. These are the most comfortable pair of shoes I've ever tried on. Yes, the main design is the same for all of the shoes offered but they all have distinct differences, aside from just color. Let me explain through below.

 

Brussels, Metallic, P3,195
This is the ideal pair of shoes for Christmas parties. It's shiny, glittery and yet not over the top. Just right, I say. After all, party all night entails you being on your foot all night.

 

Brussels, Onyx, P3,195
I love the straightforwardness of this pair. Black comfortable leather.

Cannes, Red, P3,295
This makes me want to go off and find the Wizard. The patent is so bright that it makes me possitively giddy

Cannes, Beige, P3,295
I love the look of nude shoes on my feet. It makes me feel really clean and light just wearing one.

Valencia, Blue, P3,195
I admit I'm not that imaginative when it comes to wearing clothes. When I'm wearing blue, I'd want to pair it with blue. This pair so resembles blue faded jeans that yes, I probably will want to wear it with jeans.

Sydney, Brown, P2,195
The color of this pair is just so comfortable. It's for lounging in a coffee shop or for going to a bookstore in search of one of those feel-good reads.

Cannes, Green, P3,295
I am not in love with this. I think I should get this pair, though. I have lots of green-colored clothes because it's a color that complements my skin tone so I should get a pair of shoes that's good with said clothes

All pictures from the product website.

Love: Next9 Tushy Wushy Cloth Diapers

Before I gave birth, I made the decision to use cloth diapers on my little bundle of joy. I wasn't sure if there were any available locally at that time but I was prepared to use the bird's eye lampin if need be. Thankfully, as I was checking out the many wonders of motherhood online, I came across Tushy Wushies.

These diapers are available through a whole gamut of online stores. Just find a local online store specializing in baby and preggy stuff and you'll find that they're selling these diapers. Next9 has an online store of their own and since I believe in eliminating middlemen in transactions, I transacted with them directly from the contact details from their website.

We started with only 2 packs. One pack comes in a bundle of 3 like colors of pocket diapers and inserts. Our first order were greens and denims. It sometimes got hellish with only 6 sets as we had to make sure the diapers were washed as soon as possible. As we line-dry after a spin cycle, there were times when we ran out as we had to wait for the diapers to dry. This was a nightmare during the first month when baby eats and poops every 2 to 3 hours. We added another 2 sets of blues and oranges and it became so much easier to manage after that. It helped that with the baby's bigger tummy, he didn't need to poop as much as before though we still try to change his diapers every 3 hours as much as possible.

I'm absolutely happy with my decision to stick with pocket cloth diapers and with buying from a local supplier. Please note that these are actually sourced from China but I'm happy with the construction, the tab spaces, the absorbency and the fit on my little boy. Above is a picture when he was a teeny newborn and below is one when he grew into this bundle of sugar-coated typhoon. They fit him then and they fit him now. Hopefully, they fit him next month.

I confess that life is not perfect with cloth-diapering. Flushing and washing poop out isn't the best thing in the world and I completely dread the mess when he starts on solid food. I'm taking heart in the fact that my little baby has this big smile on his face because he's so comfortable with the diapers, even when it takes us a while to remember that we missed his scheduled change.

Initial picture from the product facebook page.

Craves: VMV Holiday Gift Sets

We swear by VMV at home. We really really love it. One of the little known thing about VMV is that it is a local product. By the price point and packaging, you wouldn't be able to guess it but once you're more familiar with the product, you'll find that it's one of those things that make one proud of the products produced locally because it's really really good. It's being exported worldwide and are available online with global shipping.

I found out about the product back when I was reviewing. As everyone knows, people doing the review generally have no sleep the nearer the time for the exam is. One of girls from the other room, though, actually looked quite flawless in spite of the near sleepless state. I asked her about it and she mentioned that the concealer she uses is VMV.

One time, I was passing through their booth and one of the gift sets caught my eye. I got hooked into buying it with one other and that's how the love affair started. I swear by these and their facials too. If I were having a particular stressful time, I would get a facial and my face would be glowing and clear for a whole month.

Christmas is a season that I look forward to their sets. The savings are totally worth it and the packaging is just so adorable. Below are my picks and yes, that's actually most of them. No price though as that tempts me too much.

Are You Glistening

This set has an oil, a moisturizer and a lip balm. Coconut oil is the best thing ever, as far as I'm concerned. The moisturizer has SPF and the lip balm does too. This, I want lots. There can never be enough moisturizer, I believe.

Creams de le Creme

I love moisturizers. Love them lots. And yes, I want this set a whole lot. It's got anti-aging, whitening and one super-hypoallergenic. If I weren't breastfeeding, I'd have snatched this thing already, but the anti-aging and whitening ones are no-nos for now.

Holiday on Eyes

I totally love the VMV mascara. It's made in Korea and is one of those tube ones. So easy to apply and pile on, lasts all day without flaking and hypoallergenic too. As for the anti-aging eye cream, I've been dying to try this but alas, not for now. Someday.

Merry Goin' Round

I swear by the powers of Armada. I used to use it without moisturizers and it has totally made a convert of certain people I know on the powers of sunscreens in preserving the skin. The lip gloss, again, with SPF.

Mistle-glow

Lipstick and lipgloss. They've got tons of wearable colors, really. But then, don't listen to me. I used to buy 3 lip stains in one month. Moisturizing, of course.

My VMVery Favorite Things

Love all of these except for the shampoo. It's got a sulfate.

Pictures from the product website.

Love: By Nature Sunblock Away

This is one of those products I share with my man. I bought this because I'm using a citrus soap for my stretch marks and if I don't load up on sunblock, I might end up with some weird skin disease and/or color. I'd hate that.
I'm an advocate of sunblock. Just ask me why I look like a teenager at my age and I'd say it's sunscreen, the sun being the biggest cause of skin aging. I've used sunscreen since college and I won't stop anytime soon.
Why By Nature? First off, I have a new baby boy and since I'm currently breastfeeding, I'd like to limit the products I use to more natural ones. Anything I put on me, goes to my body and gets fed to him. Anything I put on my skin, especially to my face, gets rubbed off on him. By Nature is one of those natural products and I love their line. They list their ingredients on the package and I like what I read.
I like the price of this thing. I'd understand if one is skeptical because it's in a small package, smaller than most sunscreen containers in the market. However, this is oil-based and not at all a thick cream like most sunscreens are. A little goes a long way, actually. You don't want to look like an oily white mess with this so a dot on the face and little bit more on other exposed portions of the body. My hubby likes to pile on his products but even he uses very little of this as he knows it's basically oil with UV protection.
The first ingredient is sesame oil. Great stuff, really. Full of vitamin E and antioxidants. Who wouldn't want that on their skin? Skip to the webpage and scroll to the product portion if you want to know more about the other stuff in it. Because of the oils, we've been skipping moisturizer. I haven't been using anything harsh on my skin lately and my soap has some moisturizing properties so I'm okay with or without. Hubby's skin, though could use some moisture and with this, has actually improved. He is now a believer of less ingredients being better.
The product is a physical sunscreen, being non-irritant to the skin. It contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. There have been health concerns on these two but what can I do? Chemical sunscreens could mess up my hormones too. I could skip sunscreen altogether but I'd rather not skip going out in sunshine and gosh, doesn't the sun just sting lots without any kind of sunscreen?
As to any skin reactions. We've had no negative ones and as mentioned above, hubby's skin has improved. He has reactions on most moisturizers he uses, breaking out frequently, including to the ones I've used on myself with no adverse reactions. Sunblock Away, as with all By Nature products have a short ingredient list and with less ingredients, less chemicals and less irritants are absorbed by the skin.
We really like this thing and we're sticking to it like a fly to poop. Oh love!

Picture from the product website.

Review: Motherlove Green Salve

I won this from a Chronicles of a Nursing Mom giveaway. I never would have bought it otherwise. It’s a bit more expensive as compared to the other salves I use though not as expensive as the first one I ever used.

I like this salve because it works. My little boy suddenly got this little blister under one arm a few days ago. He gets this every now and then. I used the green salve on him and it disappeared within the day with no trace of the blister. I also used it on some scrapes he made with his long nails on his face. Same results of no trace. Lastly, when my hubby cleaned his neck and the cleaning was a little too much, he calmed down after we put the salve on the area and when he woke up, the irritation has calmed down. The salve works.

I also like it because according to the website’s product information, “It has zero toxins based on the EWG’s skin deep database and is made with 100% certified organic ingredients.” This is made in the US so they have really strict standards when it comes to certifying organic products, so I believe it when they say it. The list of ingredients is very short, which is always a good thing. Ingredient list starts with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). I like EVOO because it does a lot of good things to the skin, being a great moisturizer and healer. I’d wax poetic on all the other ingredients but that just isn’t my shtick. You can check out the website page of the product for more information on them.

I’m indifferent over the price. I understand why it’s pricey as it is imported. Taxes and custom fees being all that, the price actually isn’t bad at all, considering how the product works and the ingredients are obviously well thought of. Please do note that non-toxic and organic is not the same as hypoallergenic so please always check the label. My baby did not develop any allergies during the course of time that we used the product but that’s just us.

With all the good things I've said about this product, I would still hesitate to purchase it. I like buying local and there are a lot of local baby salves available in the market that are also cheaper, due to being locally-made. These salves work just as well for us so I’m using the green salve as I have it, it works and I like using organic. Given a choice though, I would still buy local.

Picture from the official product website.

Review: Anthology Neon Classics

I got a pair of Neon Classics by Anthology last week in orange for Christmas. There is no denying just how neon it is. The main sentiment people has to them is that I won't get lost. I think it would be a good pair to wear when my little sweet child has grown up enough to walk on his own. He can always just look for the orange candy shoes if he suddenly finds out he has walked too far away.

I like them because they match my little darling boy's orange cloth diapers. The lining is leather and the soles are rubber. The soles are stitched and very well stitched at that. They are very comfortable on my feet when I slip them on but...

What I don't like about them is that they're not comfortable when I start walking. I confess, I am a size 5 wide and I got a pair in size 5. These pinch. I was hoping I'd fit into these ones but sometimes, hopes get dashed. I need a bigger pair but they're a gift and I've already walked a day in them so I can't return them. Anyone interested in buying these from me?

I'm not giving up on Anthology, though. I went to the Ramp Crossings the other day and found hope in the Events line. Feels like heaven. Santa, please, I want 10 pairs of shoes for Christmas.

Above picture is from the product website.

Craves: Zara Leather Bags

Unlike my love affair with shoes, I am not as enamored with bags. I'm ok with having only one bag all throughout a year. Unfortunately, I am not the type to buy expensive so a bag lasts me approximately half a year. Case in point, my husband gave me a bag for my birthday and it is now unraveling as I use every day without fail.

As I am currently on the lookout for a good bag that could fit all of my necessities, I've started to fall in love with Zara as they have genuine leather bags. Leather lasts me years and years as I used to wear leather shoes that were bought in grade school and lasted me till college. PETA can say wearing animals suck but I eat beef so there.

Below are my current mild obsessions. They're all simple and functional and maybe even asexual and most important for me, genuine leather.

 Square Suede Handbag, P5,990

Large Motera Bag, P6,590

 Messenger Bag with Double Buckle, P5,990

Leather Messenger Bag, P2,990


All pictures are from the product website.

Crow: Motherlove

I won!!! Yay!!! I know, that makes no sense as a post.

If you might notice, I'm very much into By Nature and Ilog Maria products. I confess that it all started with this post from Chronicles of a Nursing Mom. I was pregnant then and considering buying one of the more expensive brands available at the major malls when I saw this post and never regretted trying out two of the salves she mentioned. Every now and then, I check out her blog and I've always found her posts helpful for a new mom like me.

Lately, she's been giving away stuff from her sponsors and I've entered the ones I've been able to catch. And so, with this one, I won!!! I'm very grateful not just to COANM but also to Hatch and Latch.

I love Baby Salves!!! I'll post on the salves in case another case of the rashes come our way. I have yet to dip at the moment though.

To the fates looking out for little ole me and throwing lots of luck my way, I'd like the Sunday Wrap Dress as well from Hatch and Latch. I really believe I deserve a nursing dress for all the manual pumping I've been doing at work. But if I don't get one through luck, please please please just extend the sale so I can get one next month when I've got a little extra padding money.

Craves: Anthology Shoes

I dream of shoes or maybe I simply lull myself to sleep thinking about them that I've convinced myself I dream.

I was going obsessed with Kenneth Cole earlier this year. Kind of like my obsession with Hush Puppies once upon a time before the rats got to my latest pair and then I simply wanted to scream. A few days ago, my obsession turned to a local brand, Anthology.

It was simple enough. I was reading karotitay and then forgot all about it. And then I looked at my 2 pairs of heels last week and realized that I needed to buy another pair, just so I won't stink up the place. Ok, I had some extra money and figured, shoes shoes shoes. It is time. You probably don't get my drift but my mind works like that. Crazy bugs.

 

I checked out the blog again and found that they carry really comfy shoes, which, actually is the one thing I want in any pair I would ever own. I gave in and ordered a Seoul. 5 inches and still comfy. Brown please in size 5. No word on when I'll get it as it's still in production but I'm already loving it as I stare at it at my lovely screen.

The Madrid is on sale at 50% off. The Silver Gray pair is calling to me. So much that I ordered it 5 minutes ago. No food for a while. Oh well. I'll eat my shoes. P1,747.50.

The Neon Classics is way too good a deal at 60% off. That's P718. I was eyeing the green but asked my seatmate about it and she convinced me the pink is the best-looking of the lot. I guess a girl deserves a pair of Barbie shoes at least once in her life. But truthfully, all the colors look really good. Green, orange and yellow are not bad at all. But we can only have one. Hopefully, I'll get it at the gift exchange at work.

I'll get a pair of NYCs next month. I don't care what my hubby will say. I deserve some leather in my life. I'm not obsessed with bags so shoes will have to do. Black this time. P3,795.

The red Geneva's main call to me is the color. Patent red leather. So very clickity. I want. Next next month? P3,995.

And the last pair? The Tokyo. Beige. That ribbon just screams to me, You deserve to have me in your life. P4,395.

Too much? Or I'm just too cheap? I deserve it, right?

All pictures from the product website.