Products for Dry Skin (Body)

I do have very a dry skin especially on my legs.  Eversince I was a kid, I regularly apply lotion after bathing.  That becomes a habit until now.  My (dry) skin on my legs looked like snake skin and flaky.  During cold months, it tends to become really dry and itchy.  I have experienced having wounds on my legs and lower back because I scratch off the itchiness.  I tried lots of lotions and oils through the years but very few products have helped  ease the dryness.  Most products just give moisture for few hours and then flaky again in the afternoon.  So I’d like to share with you my holy grail products which gave my skin the moisture it needs for 24 hours.  Here are some of them.

ctto: Photo from Jergens website

1. Jergens Lotion

This was the lotion that I’ve been using eversince I was a kid, in grade school I believe.  I use the original scent variant.  They have improved their product line through the years and added various variants that's why I also tried their Ultra Healing variant.  Both are effective on my legs as the moisture lasts all day.  The only problem is that it can feel quite sticky due to its thick consistency which is not advisable when you are commuting or when its summertime.

ctto: Photo from Google

2. Vaseline Lotion

I use the yellow variant or the Intensive Care Essential Healing.  I like its consistency as it is light.  The moisture is also long lasting, no sticky feeling even on humid climate.  I tried other Vaseline variant but I go back to this one.  Light consistency and absorbs quickly.  It also smells good.  And of course, this is one of the cheapest!

ctto: Photo from Bath and
Body Works website

3. Bath and Body Works Lotion and Shower Gel

Most of the Bath and Body Works lotions have shea butter ingredient which is known for its moisturizing properties.  It also have coconut oil and Vitamin E which are also good in moisturizing skin.  I use the Warm Vanilla Sugar variant, not only with their lotion and shower gel but also their fragrance mist.  When the shower gel and lotion is used, you can really achieve 24 hours moisturization.  But using only the lotion works wonders already. It also smells good and yummy!

ctto: Photo from St. Ives website

4. St. Ives Softening Body Lotion

I found this lotion in Landers and was on sale. I was in continuous search of effective lotion then that’s why I bought this.  The variant I bought is Coconut and Orchid. Similar to Bath and Body Works, coconut is known to provide moisture to dry skin at the same time nourish it. I’m so glad I bought this! While all the lotions mentioned above were effective, this one performed best! The snake skin look on my legs has become less visible. It is also non sticky, absorbs quickly and smells nice.  This is my ultimate holy grail! Unfortunately, I can no longer find this in Landers. Local supermarket and even Unilever store in Shopee doesn’t carry the same variant. 

ctto: Photo from L'Occitane website

5. L’Occitane Shea Body Shower Oil

Aside from lotions, I am in constant search for a non-drying soap, shower cream/gel, and body wash.  I found this L’Occitane body shower oil which is good for dry skin according to the sales lady.  Well, the sales lady is right!  This is quite expensive but really effective. I mostly use Dove soap or body wash but I still get a dry feeling on my skin after bathing.  But with L’Occitane, I never felt that.  Skin is smooth that I can do away without a lotion (but habit permits me not).  This variant of L’Occitane also has body lotion, soap, hand cream and foaming bath, but I haven’t tried any of those.  It's quite expensive!

I also tried applying oils directly on skin such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil but I feel they’re not as effective.  Or maybe I have not used them for long as I don’t like the heavy and sticky feeling.  I also tried Human Nature lotion so as to be environment friendly but unfortunately, their lotions doesn't keep my dry skin hydrated for long hours.  I also tried Aveeno lotion but its too sticky for me.

On way, I believe, that helps in keeping skin hydrated and moisturized is drinking plenty of water.  I admit, I am not a fan of drinking water frequently when I was younger which maybe the cause of itchiness on dry skin during cold months.  But now, I no longer experience those.  I try to drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water everyday.  It does not only keep you hydrated, it also have lots of benefits in your body.

I hope you will find this blog post useful especially if you’re suffering from a very dry skin in your body.  You may also share your holy grail products in helping you ease dryness and itchiness on your skin.

Review: Bag repair at Besa’s

People who knew me knows how I carefully take good care of my bags. I wouldn’t want my bags to be placed just anywhere to avoid scratches and dirt. I haven’t had my bags cleaned, restored or repaired by any bag restoration shop, though I once had one of my leather bags tighten up its loose hardware.  I send it to Mr. Quickie to do that.  It did its job but it kinda pound the hardware that made the brand name slightly unreadable.  Well, it doesn't matter much as it was in the interior of the bag.

Anyway, what I will be posting today is the good work that Besa's have done in "upgrading" my bag (This was done last year, so this is already a long delayed post 😂).  I had this wonderful Kate Spade bag that looked like Celine Trapeze. Its Kate Spade Magnolia Park Laurel in Soft Rosetta and Black color combination.

Size is just right when I ordered online but when I received it, its kinda big for my liking.  But still I am able to use it.  Whenever I use it, I had difficulty in closing the bag once opened most especially when there are "bag inspections" in every entry of office buildings or even at the malls.  Once opened, the bag tend to widely show everything inside.  The bag only have flap closure and nothing more.  So I decided to put a zipper inside similar to the actual Celine Trapeze bag.

I had searched and asked around for shops to have zipper done on my bag.  I wouldn't want to go back to Mr. Quickie as I think putting zipper is not a "quick" job.  Some suggested Besa's as they've been in the bag restoration/repair industry for decades.  And so I chose Besa's.  Besides, it is near my workplace so I can pick it up after office.  I didn't expect much on the outcome as I have never had bag restoration in Besa's (nor in my entire life) before. But to my surprise, their work was really amazing.  No traces of "addition" of zipper.  It seemed like its really part of the bag.  Even the zipper color almost matched the  rosetta color of the bag.

Zipper when opened

Bag when closed

Color of zipper compliments the bag

See how neatly they attached the zipper, not a trace on how they did it!

As a first timer in Besa's, I am very much satisfied and I had plans of having my other bags cleaned/restored by them.  I had a few designer bags that also need cleaning or even color restoration. I had this one particular bag that got stained by hair color on its leather handle (vachetta).  I wonder if Besa's can remove it. But I am also considering other bag cleaning service providers that is focused more on leather materials. Any suggestions? I only knew a few but which one can remove stain in vachetta leather: Doctor Leather, Bag Rx, Leather Fix, Vintage Restore or any other?

The New Normal in this Covid 19 Pandemic

It’s been more than 5 months and our country is still in community quarantine period because of this Covid 19 pandemic. Our lives have been changed because of this and we’re now adopting to the new normal. I know my post may already be late in enumerating the new normal but this is different, hopefully.  I’d like to share some of my new normal aside from the usual wearing of mask and face shield, sanitizing or bringing of alcohol every time. 

This pandemic have caused many people, including me, to be anxious, crazy thinkers or praning in Tagalog. As what my boss said, treat everyone as Covid positive person. That’s why in everything that you do, safety should come first. Here are some of our safety measures in adopting the new normal on this Covid 19 pandemic.

1. Simplicity is beauty.  

When General Community Quarantine was enforced, I was able to go out already at the same time got back to work in the office on certain schedules. That means, I get to wear my outerwear clothes again.  Because of this pandemic, everything you wear must be removed and placed in the hamper to be washed immediately.  Thus, wearing of jeans is out of the question.  Frequent washing of jeans will make it worn out and look old.  Jeans are the most versatile but I wouldn´t want to wear them yet. So my choice of clothes this time are those light, flowy and a bit loose fabric. Those that can easily be washed and comfortable to wear. No fancy designs or adornments on the clothes.  That simple. I also mostly wear pants and shirts with sleeves to cover more skin, for added protection I guess, every time I will be out for long like in the office.  I thought buying those fashionable PPEs (not the medical type) but I thought I´m not always out so I´ll leave it to those who really needs it. And oh by the way, for the shoes, I only wore Crocs slippers which I leave outside the house.  For the office, I also leave my shoes outside or quarantine first plus spraying alcohol before bringing it in. 

2. Minimalist.

Just like in clothes, other accessories must be minimal.  Of course I still bring a bag with me but I keep it as small as possible.  And I only bring essentials such as wallet, mobile phones, tissue and of course alcohol. My wallet, tissue and alcohol must also be small or pocket size so it can fit my small bag. My bag choices at this time are either leather or nylon. Nylon is perfect as it an easily be sanitize.  With leather, it should be carefully sanitized as it can dry out the leather material.  Best to apply leather cleaner or conditioner after sanitizing to maintain its leather quality and not dry out.

As for the accessories, I no longer wear one, even my wedding ring.  When my husband will no wear his wedding ring, so am I.  If he do, then I will also.  That´s the only accessory I wear.  No more bracelets, earrings, necklace and even watches.

3. Work From Home.

I am glad that I work in a company where digitalization is part of our initiatives.  We´ve started I think way back 2017 and now we´re reaping the fruits of our labor.  The advanced technology our company invested in were very useful at this time of pandemic.  These makes our Work From Home set up more efficient.  The only concern will be one´s internet connection.  Luckily for me, our internet service provider is stable and quite strong.  The only challenge is my mobile network signal which is very weak in my area.  So basically I can do work from home efficiently and without or less hassle.  I even bought office chair and table so I can work comfortably at home.

4. Groceries

When I had the chance to go out already, I accompany my husband to the supermarket to do some groceries.  My first grocery visit was at Landers.  Unlike the ordinary days where we browse through every shelves, this time, we only get what we really needed.  No more tambay and staying too long, for safety reasons.  And when we get home, all groceries were sanitized and left in an area for quarantine for some hours before placing in its proper storage location.  Bottles and canned foods were washed.  In case we did not brought our eco bags, the plastic bags used were not thrown away immediately.  Instead, we sanitize them as well and reuse it as plastic for trash bin.  When all groceries were put in storage, the area where we quarantine it is sanitized afterwards.

5. Deliveries

At this time of pandemic, many sought to online purchases to keep them safe and practice staying at home. We also do that for some of our ¨shopping¨needs and some foods.  When we receive deliveries, just like groceries, we sanitize and quarantine them.  Except for the food.  But for the food, we sanitize the handles and the outer plastic bag first before placing it in the table. Foods were also transferred to our plates/containers before we consume them.  Evertyhing else is thrown away afterwards.

6. Don´t forget your car!

Every after trip outside our home, my husband sanitizes the seats, flooring, handles, steering wheel and everything inside the car.  We even sometimes spray alcohol all over our foot and clothes before riding back to our car.

This pandemic has really made a difference in our lives.  We are slowly adopting to the new normal just to go on with our lives.  I know this is a difficult time for us but I hope and pray that this will soon be over and we can all go back to our real normal lives soon.  Keep safe everyone!

Is blogging dead?

I hope not.  I think it was 3 years or so ago when vlogging replaced blogging. There are still a few who are still into blogging. And there are some who have both a blog and a youtube channel.  Now that we are in this pandemic, many set up their own youtube channel maybe primarily because of one, to hopefully earn from vlogging and two, to have something to do out of boredom.

So why am I still blogging? Well, I am shy in front of the camera! I’m not the celebrity type and I’m trying to keep a low profile, haha! But honestly, I feel comfortable in speaking my mind through writing rather than an impromptu speech.  Even if you can edit your vlog and have a script beforehand, I don’t think I would be comfortable at it.  I had this experience at work where I was conducting a training virtually.  My audience’s camera was not on so I couldn’t see anyone. I wouldn’t know if they understood what I was saying or what their reactions were. I felt nervous, more nervous than when I conduct training face to face. Weird feeling.  But I’m not closing my doors to vlogging. Maybe someday. It’s a good opportunity to earn!

Now I am back to blogging. Well, I just enjoy writing. I am earning here too! Time just gets quite tight that I no longer post contents. But I will still try my best to write something worth reading.  So is blogging dead? For me, not yet. There are still people who are still into reading and of course writing. Let’s just keep reading!

Discovering Romblon

I have known Romblon to have nice white sandy beaches but never really had the chance to visit it. The only nearest place in Romblon that I could think of and attempt of visiting was the Carabao Island which you can visit coming from Boracay.  When my husband and I recently decided to have a vacation, the immediate place we could think of was Boracay, one of our favorite destination that we won't get tired of visiting.  But upon checking the flights, it was quite expensive already since our planned trip was less than a month away.  Going through the destinations of Cebu Pacific, I found Tablas and wondered where it was.  Googled it and viola! It was in Romblon.

Based from initial research, Romblon is part of MIMAROPA region.  It is composed of three major islands: Tablas, Sibuyan, and Romblon, and 17 small islands. These islands are all surrounded by deep waters.  With this, you can just imagine the various beaches encircling the islands.  And by the way, Romblon is also know as the Marble Capital of the Philippines.

Romblon map, image from Google

Of the three major islands, only Tablas has an airport located in Tugdan municipality. I think only Cebu Pacific has direct flights to Tugdan Airport.  One can also get to other major islands of Romblon and Sibuyan via ferry boat (2Go shipping lines travels directly to Romblon from Batangas port; From Tablas, there's a ferry boat in San Agustin that travels to Sibuyan Island).  Each island has its own beautiful beaches to boast for.  There's Aglicay and Binucot Beach in Tablas, Crest de Gallo islet in Sibuyan, and Bonbon beach in Romblon.  There are also some waterfalls in Sibuyan Island that is also a tourist attraction.  We chose Tablas since this is the only one with direct flight from Manila.  We'd love to visit Sibuyan but due to time constraints, we decided to just stay and hopefully explore Tablas Island.

There were a number of beaches in Tablas aside from Binucot (located in Ferrol municipality) and Aglicay (located in Alcantara municipality).  There are also other beaches in municipalities of Sante Fe, Ferrol, Odiongan, Calatrava, San Andres and San Agustin.  Aside from the beach there are also tourist attractions in Looc (Looc Bay Marine Sanctuary), Tinagong Dagat in Calatrava, Mainit Falls in Odiongan,

Beach view from Binucot Beach Resort

Aglicay Beach, image from Travelbook

Beaches in Tablas are quite far from the airport.  You will need to ride a tricycle or book a transfer to take you to your chosen beach.  We chose Binucot beach as it is quite nearer to the airport (about 45 minutes).  In my next blog, will post a review on Binucot Beach Resort.

Budget Accommodations in Tagaytay part 2

Following the success (or should I say, most read) of my blog post about budget accommodations in Tagaytay for Php 1,500 per night or less, here's part 2 of budget accommodations in Tagaytay still at Php 1,500 or less.  Please note that some prices may change during peak season, weekends and holidays.  Prices may be exclusive of VAT and other charges.

Sunburst Lodge
Location: near Mahogany Market and Sky Ranch
Budget room - Php 765 (fan room, without breakfast, double deck with pullout bed)
Standard room - Php 1,360 (air conditioned, without breakfast, double sized bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Casa Marcosa
Location: along Sta. Rosa Highway, Barangay Francisco
Deluxe Double or Twin Room - Php 1,338 (air conditioned, without breakfast, double bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Jessar Apartelle
Location: 213 Francisco Road, near Sta. Rosa Highway
Standard Room - Php 1,350 (air conditioned, without breakfast, queen size bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Jacob's Hill Tagaytay
Location: Hollywood Subdivision, Tagaytay-Calamba Road
Budget Double Room - Php 1,360 (air conditioned, with breakfast, double bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Mountain Breeze Hostel
Location: Tagaytay City Proper, along Tagaytay-Calamba Road
Double Room - Php 1,146 (air conditioned, without breakfast, double bed, shared bathroom)
For info and bookings: click here

Hotel Georgina
Location: Buho Talon Road, near Emilio Aguinaldo Highway
Standard Double Room - Php 1,257 (air conditioned, with breakfast, double bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Tagaytay Garden Budgetel
Location: along Tagaytay Calamba Road, almost near the Rotonda
Double Room - Php 1,133 (air conditioned, without breakfast, 2 single beds)
For info and bookings: click here

OMP Tagaytay Hostel
Location: Maharlika East Subdivision, near Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway
Private Double Basic - Php 805 (fan room, with breakfast, double bed, shared bathroom)
En Suite Double - Php 1,007 (fan room, with breakfast, king size bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Balai Sofia Bed and Breakfast
Location: Barangay Banga, Tanauan, Talisay, Batangas
Standard Twin Room - Php 899 (air conditioned, without breakfast, 2 single bed)
*Standard Double Room also available
For info and bookings: click here

MonaLisa Tourist Inn
Location: Barangay Francisco, near Sta. Rosa Highway
Economy Room - Php 1,275 (air conditioned, with breakfast, king size bed)
For info and bookings: click here

Again, most of my references are from Travelbook website and Agoda.  There are also number of condominium units in Tagaytay which also offers lodging and accommodations.  Those can be found in Booking.com, AirBnb and also in Agoda.

For pictures and videos of these hotels, you may check them in my youtube channel.  Don't forget to subscribe!

Review: Unica Pointed Shoes

I’m fond of wearing flats that’s why I seldom buy shoes with heels. I had a few shoes with heels that I sometimes wear to work. But most of the time, my feet gets tired and I ended up wearing flats again at midday.

One time, while shopping for clothes, we passed by Unica (Unica Hija) store. I haven’t bought anything from this brand. But I found that they have nice and unique clothes with styles almost similar to Plains and Prints (as well as the price range). They were on sale that’s why I was able to pick a few tops. Then my eye caught this pointed shoes / slip ons with heels in nude color. When I tried it on, I easily fell in love with it. It fits perfectly on my feet. I was quite hesitant at buying it since first, I seldom wear heels, then secondly, it is quite expensive and not part of sale. But then, there’s this “calling” that made me buy the shoes. I thought of various justifications for me to buy it. I can wear it not only at work and formal occasions, but also I can wear it on casual days. Besides, its a slip on which is easier to wear and wouldn’t make my heel dark in case I get blisters. And so I bought it. Luckily, the sales lady said that it was sale at 10% off. Not bad. The price was Php 1,399.75 so less 10% that’s Php 1,259.78.

The Unica pointed shoes I bought is in Nude color (not sure if they have other colors). The heels was about half inch. The material was like a suede leather, not sure what it is called but it was soft to touch. It has a metallic looking strap in gold tone but made of plastic. The pointed part has perforated floral style which makes it versatile to wear on formal or casual days.

It was yesterday when I first wore this Unica pointed shoes. I thought I might get blisters on my small toes as the style is pointed. And most of the time, for first time wearer of shoes, you have to “break it in”. Luckily, I didn’t get any blisters and the pointed style isn’t painful at all. I walked, run, wearing this shoes for more than eight hours in the office. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort wearing this shoes! It was so comfy! I think the soft suede leather like material made the difference. Since it was soft, it is not painful. Also, I thought the metallic like strap will scratch my feet but it did not. It isn’t bothersome at all. And best of all, my feet didn’t get tired even after wearing it for long hours! That was really a surprise! I am so happy that I bought this. So worth it! Too happy that I even wrote a review on it and even posted it on my youtube channel! I seldom post reviews about shoes, bags or clothes. But not this time. I just wanted to share how happy and satisfied I am with my purchase even if it is quite expensive (for me).  I’m even more proud that this comfortable shoes is proudly Philippine made!