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.

Haul: By Nature

Once again, this post is late. So late that I could follow on with a review on all the products, which I won't. Yes, I am a bad blogger. But then, I'm no longer on maternity leave.


To sum up my hauls, the first haul made two weeks before the latest were soaps and Disinfect It! Spray.

From top left is Citrus White, which I hoped would erase the dark photosensitive marks on my body brought on by the pregnancy. It didn't work as of yet but I only used it for a week. I can only review on scent and it's non-drying properties. Efficacy will have to wait. To report, it is citrusy.

I liked Milkenhoney best out of all the soaps. I'll post some more love on it later. Scent is fresh honey from a jar.

Lavender Treat was somewhat of a disappointment for me. I expected it to smell like lavender, really but it smelled a whole lot like herbs to me. It wasn't sweet enough for the lavender lover in me.

Olive Beauty is the least scented out of all the soaps. I like it for my hair but we use it more on baby's skin. So far so good with my baby's super sensitive skin. One bar could last 6 months.

Dairy Bar is the creamiest soap out of the lot but please don't expect the scent of milk. It actually smelled herbal as well.

To sum up my soap-buying experience for By Nature, I like them a lot and they deliver as promised when it comes to the effect of the soap on the skin. Except for Citrus White. It will probably take the whole soap for me to be able to judge any effect at all. This is fair, I think. If a soap whitens you in the first week, it is stripping way too much of your skin layers. Much better to wait it out.

I didn't mention the last soap, Cocoa Butter Melt, because I didn't buy it for myself.

Additionally, I also got a bottle of Disinfect It Spray. It's a water-based disinfectant. I like it. It smells like band aid, weirdly enough, and I tote it around in my bag.

My next haul was a follow-up. I have bought the Baby Oilotion and Baby Salve before and the last haul had the Disinfect It Spray. The only new buy in the lot was the Sunblock Away. It's SPF 55. I figure that if I was going to use a whitening soap, I better load up on sun protection. It's working so far and I'm skipping the moisturizer as it's oil-based.

As usual, I got the lot through Pedala from Organic Joys. Aimee was so nice. She sent me the hauls once the order was confirmed before I even paid for them. So then I had to pay promptly.

Haul: Ilog Maria

This post is late as late can be, just like the time I arrive at the office. The actual excitement of having the products have gone already. But nevertheless, I figured the blog deserves a post for this weekend.

The following was ordered and received quite promptly:

Feminine wash as I like the scent and it feels fresh *there*.

Propolis ointment for my sister. She's having her first baby and would like to try it. It works well but it has menthol which I'm avoiding.

Honey Face Scrub for the really irritating flares. This works but the condensation in the refrigerator has changed it. I'll post more on that later.

Milk Bath Salt in lavender for the annoying stretch marks. This smells divine, I could sing just smelling this on me.

Insect repellant for baby's playpen. I just get a smidgeon and rub it round and no insects for the night dares to go near.

Shampoo. I've posted lots on this already so moving on.

Liniment for my mother's leg pain. She says it works wonders but it sure does smell. Not a bad smell but we're trying to avoid menthol right now.

So there. I'll post on my By Nature haul next and then the next batch on that. Ok, I'll post reviews and other stuff as well. I'm a bad blogger. No wonder I don't get money out of this.

Craves: Saya Baby Carrier

I am in full crave mode for the Saya Baby Carrier. We have two carriers at home already but with me not going out without baby these days as I prefer breastfeeding him directly, I'm trying to find a carrier that is convenient, has great shoulder and back support and is easy to breastfeed in. Baby is already 5 kilos, by the way and he's just a month old. I can barely lift him without my wrists aching afterward.

The Saya is made in the Philippines and is worth P950. From all reviews I've read so far, it's a favorite of baby-wearing mommies and is comfortable for mommies and babies who are ok with swaddling. What I'm really excited about is that it looks easy to breastfeed baby in. I'm not sure as I have yet to try it but it looks like I can even switch breasts while baby is in the carrier. I want this carrier so much I'm almost convinced that I need it.

Haul: Ilog Maria

Above image is what's left of my second Ilog Maria haul. That's 3/4 of their Honey Glycerin Face Soap, whole Honey Propolis Feminine Wash, half of their Milk and Honey Soap, a whole bar of lavender soap, Propolis Throat Spray with a few squirts used and a month's supply of Royal Jelly. I forgot to add in the family size shampoo and lip balm.

Just to confess publicly, it took me over a week to pay for my order after getting a confirmation. It wasn't because I was out of money. The haul costs less than a thousand and considering how many products I got and how happy I am with them, I consider the price really good. My hubby just kept forgetting to pay for me though. I got really embarrassed over it but thankfully enough, Ilog Maria sent me my order promptly after confirming payment. I am a bad bad costumer.

To give a quick overview of the products, I'd have to say that the honey face soap smells weird and as expected of a glycerin soap, melts easily. I can't vouch for effectiveness yet as I have yet to finish off the quarter of a bar I'm using. The feminine wash smells delicious and also melts easily. It probably is delicious as the rats got to it one night. Thank goodness I like using my soaps by quarters so I still have some left. It leaves a minty feeling behind. The milk and honey soap is love. I use it as hand soap and it doesn't dry my hands no matter how often I wash and with taking care of the baby, I wash my hands lots without moisturizing with lotion or oil after. I also love the lavender soap and it leaves a really good smell but it's a little more drying but not by much. The throat spray tastes weird but is effective for bad mouth stuff. I have to remember to reorder 2 more of these. Warning on overuse though as I sprayed a little too much one night and woke up with a really sore throat. 2 sprays on a single day max. The royal jelly I bought for my mother and she says it tastes weird. No note on whether she's feeling a bit more spry.

On a note on the ones not in the picture, the shampoo, I still love lots and not regretting getting the family size at all. The reason for the second haul is actually because I ran out of their personal size shampoo and I wanted to repurchase. They also have a personal size lavender version which sounds promising. The lip balm, I also love but regretting buying as the old tub is not even a quarter used up. The thing about buying handmade and/or organic is you have to use it up within 6 months as they usually don't have preservatives. With how little I actually use per swipe, I'm not sure I'm going to finish off 2 tubs within said period.