Human Heart Nature Strengthening Shampoo and Body Wash

According to the label, the pearl powder helps make your hair stronger thus reducing hair fall. Ever since I used Sunsilk's shampoo for curly hair, I've been experiencing a lot of hair fall. But I don't have a choice since all the other shampoos that I tried gave me allergies. I had the least spots and rashes with Sunsilk.

Don't expect this shampoo to be bubbly. It's not. It's like putting shampoo that doesn't get sudsy. Like you're just putting on treatment creams. But it works! The peppermint did not make my scalp itch. And after bathing, I checked my decolletage for the warning signs of bumps and rashes and there were only 2 small ones. I didn't scratch like crazy last night which is quite a relief! With Sunsilk, my whole chest area erupts into rashes and becomes really red and itchy. Didn't get that last night!

I love the subtle smell of peppermint when my hair dried. I also like the fact that this is easy to rinse. The bottle says to only put a small amount but I have long, curly hair and I needed more than the recommended size. So I guess this will be quite expensive. But I don't really care. I'm ordering another bottle before the week ends.  As for the hair fall, I still had some on my wide toothed comb but I'd like to think that it's less. I'm hopeful. It can also be used as a body wash. I think I won't do that as I find it weird to use the same product on my hair and body. Plus you can't get a good lather with this so I'm sticking to my Johnson's Body Wash until I try out their other body washes.

Migraine Boy also used the shampoo. His scalp is too darn sensitive too. It itches when he doesn't use anti-dandruff shampoos. I asked him last night and he said that he liked the smell. As for the itching? He said to wait till morning. Well I asked him just now and he said he doesn't feel any itch. So we're probably switching to this shampoo from now on. Yay! I'll be buying the bigger bottle next time.

Last Hurrah for 2009

Hi dear readers! Today is the last day of 2009 but that won't stop me from posting the last great discovery of 2009. As you may well be aware of, I have crazy sensitive skin. My plight began with the bombardment of different medications to cure my illness. Maybe it's my body's reaction. Anyway, I've been trying organic products for the past few months and they all failed. But I guess, this time my search is over.

Introducing Human Heart Nature...

I bought some of their products the other night online. I'm impressed with their lineup and their affordability. Browsing through the site, I found out that they opted to reduce their profits and pass on the savings to us consumers. Their mission is to lift up the Filipino workforce, resources and be stewards of God's creations. They want the whole world to know that our products can compete with international ones. And, our products are 100% safe, organic and affordable. The company, Gandang Kalikasan Inc. works closely with Gawad Kalinga communities and gives their workers above the minimum wage compensation and other benefits to increase morale. Heck, I'm all Filipino and all for buying Pinoy and helping others by teaching them to earn a living so even before seeing their product lineup, I knew that I would be buying some. If it doesn't workout, at least I got to do my share in helping.

These are the things that I bought:

• Hand and Foot Salve with Eucalyptus, Carrot & Bee Propolis (P99.75)
• Strengthening Shampoo and Body Wash with Aloe Vera, Pearl Powder and Peppermint (P36.75)
• Sunflower Seed Beauty Oil (P99.75)
• Organic Massage Oil with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Eucalyptus (P99.75)
  
• Luxurious Body Butter with Goat's Milk and Cocoa Butter Unscented (P79.75)
• Assorted Lip Balms in Peppermint, Watermelon and Mandarin Orange (P129.75 for all 3) PROMO

You also have to pay an additional P50 for shipping if you're in the Metro. Their office is in Quezon City. Last night, I tried all except for the lip balms and I will posting my reviews next.

Check out their site: Human Heart Nature and buy Pinoy!

Happy New Year to all my dear faithful readers. I'm looking forward to sharing my discoveries and the things that make me happy again in 2010 to all of you. God bless us all!

New Items on ManilaThriftStyle

Army Green Office Blouse

Black Gozum Long Layered Skirt

Red Gozum Wrist Bag

White and Gray Tube Dress

Green Herbench Tube Top

Blue and Green Striped Bench Polo Shirt

Sky Blue Plaid Herbench Skirt

Sky Blue Kamiseta Bolero

Mocha Herbench Tube Top

Navy Blue Herbench Babydoll Blouse

Red Penshoppe Sweater

Pink No Fear Polo Shirt

Red and White Striped Kamiseta Tube Top

For Sale on ebay

As promised, here are the new items up for grabs in ebay.

White Laced Kamiseta Blouse (Update: SOLD)

Assorted Earrings from La Rue des Bijoux

Black Herbench Maxi Blouse with Front Pockets

La Rue des Bijoux earrings

Brown Mango strappy top

Brown zebra print blouse

Hot pink and lavender Herbench sheer strappy tops (Update: SOLD)

Navy blue Herbench tube top

Purple Sequined Top

Purple swirly print dress

White Penshoppe Hoodie

 Look for us on ebay. We're manilathriftstyle. More to come. In the lineup are more tube tops, 2 men's shirts, Kamiseta bolero, a skirt and a blouse.

Maybelline Unstoppable Curly Extension Mascara

I'm not used to wearing mascara. You know, the sensitive eye thing. But I wanted to try this anyway as the sales associate convinced me to. I can only compare this to HerBench's waterproof mascara. I can say that this is better for the following reasons:

1. It's smudgeproof but I still end up with dark circles under my eyes in the late afternoons. But it's still better than the HB mascara as I get dark circles under my eyes starting lunch time. This, I can deal with because I'll be going home in a couple of hours so it's no biggie.

2. Since it's not waterproof, it's easier to rinse out.

3. Surprisingly, it doesn't give my allergies.

4. A little goes a long way. One coat is good enough for a day look. 2-3 coats for an evening look. I wore this to a party and my lashes still looked gorgeous when I got home.

5. It promises to keep eyelashes curly for longer periods. Yes, it does.

6. The wand is bent for easy and maximum coverage.

7. It comes in a cute pink package!

I can't remember the exact price as I bought this on sale. But it's definitely less than P300 when I bought it. Only at Watson's.

Maybelline WaterShine Pure Lipstick

I love this lipstick! There, I've said it. It doesn't make my lips dry unlike the first Maybelline lipstick that I bought. It gives my lips a nice shade of pink. It blends nicely with my natural shade. After two hours, it doesn't look like I'm wearing lipstick unless you zero in on my lips for a closer inspection. That's how natural it looks. It also lasts for more than 4 hours just as long as you avoid licking/wetting your lips. The shade is P24. I have sensitive skin and I don't get any allergies from this so I guess it's safe to try. I also like the metallic light blue packaging - not too bulky, not too small plus it looks great with my other makeup. Kinda like I bought them all from the same brand.

Will I repurchase? De-fi-nite-ly! I got this on sale for P199. Original price is P249, I think. From Watson's, of course.

Ever Bilena Quad Eye Shadow

I'm actually quite impressed that Ever Bilena and other local brands are starting to seriously think about their packaging. You'd easily know if someone's using a local brand just by the packaging. Most look cheap. The first thing that attracted me to this product is the packaging. The eye shadows are encased in this sleek matte black case with a plastic covered window to allow the shades to peek through. I also like the fact that Ever Bilena only printed their initials, EB, on the cover.

This is the sea coral set. The two shadows on the right side are supposed to be shades of peach and brown but they look too orangey on my skin. I guess it's just really me. If you have acidic skin, I suggest putting just a little bit of these colors on and blend, blend, blend. As you can see, the eye shadows have big glitters on them making them sparkle on your skin. This works for nighttime looks but I also use them during the day because most of the glitters are gone when I get to the office so I'm left with just a little bit of sparkle to make my eyes pop out.

Unlike the Maybelline set, you'd need to reapply this throughout the day. I also like the Maybelline applicators better than the one included in this set. When I apply this makeup, I use my other brushes. I only use the one provided here when I'm in the office. This product boasts of UVA/UVB Protection and Vitamin E to keep skin protected from dryness and sun damage. I can't remember exactly how much this product costs but it's definitely in the range of 199-299 pesos. I got this at Watson's Greenbelt 1. And oh, for those with sensitive skin, I'd think twice before buying this product. I sometimes end up with rashes on my eyelids a few minutes after application and when my eyebrows are newly shaved. The Maybelline set does not make me itch even when I apply it right after shaving.

She and Her Cat

A beautiful poetic short film narrated by a contemplative and loving cat, directed by Makoto Shinkai. It won awards back in 1999 when it was released.

Firefly Messages

Play this . NOW NA!

Itazura Coin Bank (Who is that kitty stealing my coin?)

I want this!!! But it's so darn expensive for a toy. It's 1,950 JPY

Gundam, Gundam, Gundam!

Hey MB! This one's for you!

Maybelline Diamond Glow Eye Shadow

I went on a make up shopping spree at Maybelline Watson's Greenbelt. They were on sale at 20% off. I have sensitive skin and I am especially particular about eye make up as my eyes are crazy sensitive. I was at first hesitant to buy Maybelline products as the lipstick that I bought at Mercury Powerplant gave me very dry lips and a dry throat when the lipstick was supposed to be the moisture plus variant. But the very nice sales associate, Nerissa, convinced me to try just one lipstick. It turned out great (maybe the lipstick at Mercury was an old stock?) and so I decided to take advantage of the sale and bought some stuff for me and a lipstick for mom. I will make a review of each one, don't worry.

Here is the Maybelline Diamond Glow by EYESTUDIO eye shadow in copper brown. I've been looking for an earth toned eye shadow set forever but couldn't find one . I don't like bringing too much in my make up bag so those potted ones don't work for me. I was able to find one from Ever Bilena but it's too orangey for me. This has exactly the shades that I've been looking for.

I won't show you swatches as I have acidic skin and the colors don't come out the same. But what I can say about this product is, number one, and the most important - it's sensitive skin (and eyes) friendly. I haven't had an allergy for the 2 weeks that I've been using this. The colors also last for about 5 hours (when indoors). I don't apply much and by lunchtime, I still have some color on. I can choose not to retouch. But after about 7-8 hours, the colors aren't that intense anymore so you have to retouch. I have normal skin.

The applicators are also great. On one end is a brush type and on the other is sponge type. I don't like using the applicators that come in makeup sets but I find this very useful. Now I don't bring along my long brushes anymore. The sponge end is sturdy enough to be used to line the eyes. I don't like using pencils and so this comes in very handy for me.

It also has a makeup how-to guide at the back that is useful for a daytime look. This costs P499 but I got it for P399 and I am very satisfied with this. I will try the other colors once budget permits. = )

The Globe at SM MOA

I think when it comes to malls, we Filipinos do it right.

Rant, rant, rant

Let me interrupt normal programming for a few minutes of my rants. I am having a shitty day. A very shitty day at that. People are making an issue of my "professionalism". I may always be out of the office, but I can proudly say that I beat all my deadlines and I finish and submit work when I'm supposed to. Even earlier.

So what do you do to blow off steam? I tried splashing my face with cold water for several minutes, listening to very loud music, writing. And I'm still feeling like I'm going to blow up any second now...

Any suggestions? And while we're at it, be creative!

My Miracle Cat Lauren

Lauren is about 6 years old in human years. He's the second eldest among the siblings. A few years back he was diagnosed with a liver problem. We didn't know exactly what kind because back then we didn't have the money to get a blood test for him. So what the doctor did was assume he was having liver problems and gave him meds for that. His whole body turned yellow that time and he was so weak.
Treatment included everyday trips to the vet to have him dextrosed. I insisted on taking him everyday instead of confining him because I wanted to be the one to take care of him. This was a hard task. My first cat, Tammy, is a street cat. Almost all my cats came from her. Yes, she was that fertile! Almost all my cats were born in the house so they are domesticated. They might not have a proper breed but they are good, smart and loving. Most of my cats don't like going out. They prefer to stay inside the house, playing, eating and sleeping. They're happy viewing the outside world through the windows in the hallway.

So now comes the problem when I have to take them out to go to the vet.

Most pets, especially dogs are okay to bring anywhere. You can just carry them or put them on a leash. My cats, you'd have to put inside a cage and cover that cage with a cloth while you transport them. I have a tricycle driver friend and he volunteered to take us to the vet everyday for a week. On our third day Lauren wasn't at all bothered by all the noise and the movement so we removed the cover. He happily watched the world go by.

It was also around this time that he knew he was really sick and that we had to take him to the doctor. He would willingly go inside the cage whenever I put it in front of him. Before, I had to chase him around the house and force him to go inside the cage.
The doctor told us that Lauren might die. He said that almost all his patients died when they turned yellow. He only had one survivor, a dog, which also died after a few months. Lauren was really yellow that time. His fur was the shade of yellow because of his skin. In the doctor's office, while taking his IV, I talked to him a lot. Being a new pet owner, thinking about the loss of a pet was too much for me to bear. I'd often cry whenever I looked at him. During all this time he was sick, I talked to him a lot, telling him not to give up and that he should fight this. A few years after, I would use the same words to my mom on our way to the hospital. She, fighting a heart attack. According to Dr. Weiss, a guest in Oprah, the subconscious is a very powerful thing. I used this knowledge to speak to the subconscious minds of both my mom and Lauren. It helped. Dr. Weiss said that whatever the subconscious mind hears, it manifests in our conscious hours. There was a patient who went under the knife and the doctors talked about him being a goner. He survived the operation but felt "dead" inside. He said he doesn't feel alive. He went to Dr. Weiss and he regressed him and found out what happened.
I researched about Lauren's sickness a lot. I gave him proper food and a lot of liquids. I also gave him vitamin E. His meds were bitter aside from the vitamins which he really, really loved. If you're a pet owner, you'd know how I feel every time I would give him meds. And you'd understand why every single day, I was late for work because I had to take him to the doctor and I had to go home at lunch time just to check on him even though my mom was with him.

On his fourth day, he showed signs of improvement. His skin was returning to normal. His doctor was so proud of him that he took videos and pictures of him everyday to show to his other patients. On the last day of his dextrose, he was released by the doctor. He would just be on meds but he said not to keep our hopes up because he might still not survive the coming months. Well, we kept the faith and we took care of him and believed in him that he will survive.

4 years later, he's still alive and kicking (and complaining). He doesn't live in our house everyday anymore. About two years ago, he decided he wanted to live outside, be a street cat like his mom and brothers. He comes home after a few months then leaves again. There was a time when he didn't come home for 6 months. We thought he will no longer come home. But he did.

He's been coming and going for the past couple of weeks now. My mom is keeping him inside the house, not letting him out. He's actually pretty heavy and big now compared to his siblings who are constantly in the house. He has another brother, Midnight, who is also a street cat. He comes home only to eat and to rest for a while or when it's raining outside.

I have other cats but Lauren holds a special spot in my heart because of what we've gone through together. He gave me more faith. He gave me strength which I use to fight my own illness. And he taught me how to love his kind and gave me unconditional love in return.

Ellips Hair Vitamins

If I could afford it, I would use this product every other day. But I can't so I use this about 3x a week. It smells nice and doesn't leave my hair greasy. It actually makes my hair soft and more manageable. It's around 4o pesos per pack. I use one capsule for my hair. MB uses it too and makes his hair moisturized. I'll be using this product more because the cold makes my hair and scalp dry. This is for normal hair. The pink one is for color treated hair.

You Gotta Have Faith

Wedding Gown ng KSP

Would you like to top this 200.8 meter-long wedding gown which debuted in China in 2007?

Dalaga Na Si Suri

I love looking at little girls in little girl dresses. I like kids to be kids as long as they can. I hate it when I see little girls wearing backless blouses, high heeled boots, short skirts, mini skirts - you get the idea. I like looking at little girls like Daphne's.

Here's Suri Cruise with mommy Katie. She's 3 and personally, I don't like her shoes although she is quite the little fashionista. It's okay for them to wear shoes like this when they're playing dress up but not when they're out shopping.


Here's a closer look at the shoes. These are sparkly D'orsay pumps. After much walking, lunch and a trip to a kid's store, Suri decided to change into sneakers.Now that's much better. The rest of her outfit is okay with me. I just didn't like the pumps.

*Photos from Glamour

Ivanka Trump's Beautiful Wedding Dress

This stunning wedding gown was custom made by Vera Wang. Ivanka glammed it up with jewelry from her own collection worth $220,000. I really like her dress. Very simple, a far cry from the world her surname suggests and of course, Melania's . Here too.

I find it funny that the daughter opted for a simple gown and the stepmom had a lavish one. hmmm...

Watson's Nose Pore Tape

I am loyal to this brand because it's cheap and it works. One box costs P119 and includes 10 pieces. Just remember, to be effective, you have to thoroughly wet it and leave it on until it's super dry. It will hurt a little when you peel but it's definitely worth it. You will really see all those buggers outta your nose and onto the tape. And your nose will feel smooth and clean afterwards. Use regularly. And no, this is not a paid endorsement. I will be featuring more Watson's brand products in the future. I love Watson's and I love my BDO Rewards Card. = )

An Inconvenient Truth

I would like to encourage everyone to watch An Inconvenient Truth. It's a documentary about the climate crisis. The speaker is Al Gore. If you watched it already, I suggest you watch it again. This was filmed in 2005 and you can really see and feel now what he's talking about back then. It's not a joke. What is happening to us right now is scary but I think we can still stop that or change that. We have started doing small steps to help. For example, we used to leave the lights on in our room when we go down to take a bath. Now, we turn it off. We often use 2 fans. Now, whenever I have the chance, I turn one off.

When I cook, I put out a trash bowl wherein I put all the vegetable tops, peels, etc. which I then throw to the soil to serve as compost. Believe, we now have a budding papaya tree planted in an old plastic water container. If you were born in the '80's here, you'd remember those black plastic containers with a handle which almost everybody used to fill up with water from the poso. I believe my grandmother just dumped a bunch of papaya seeds in that container and kept filling it with vegetable peels. Now the tree is taller than me.

Also, and this is very important, limit your plastic bag use as much as you can. I am guilty of forgetting my tote bags when we go shopping. Yesterday was an example. I completely forgot to bring my eco bags so what I did was I refused several plastic bags. I asked for one big bag from Watson's and put everything in there. I gave back the plastic bag for the vitamins I bought. I also gave back the plastic bag from Mercury. We do all our shopping during the weekends and believe me, that's a lot of of plastic bags. Imagine if I use 15 plastic bags during my shopping trips. That's 4x a month. That's 60 plastic bags in a month times 12. That's 720 plastic bags in one year! If I don't use plastic bags, imagine how much space in the environment I'm saving. And that's just me, one. Think about what will happen if 2 families did that, or 10 or 20!

I'm saving up for a reliable set of bags which are heavy duty for the groceries but light enough (and foldable) to keep in my weekend bag. I have my heart set on 2 brands which offer beautiful designs. My weekend bag is like a quarter of my office bag. I don't like lugging too much stuff when I'm in the mall. It's bad for my back and my shoulders.

Well, I think you get the picture. Let's do our share in saving our home. Our children are worth it.

Hindi Ka Nag Iisa

This kinda makes me want to vote for the guy. Saw it on TV last night and on youtube a few minutes ago and it's still giving me goosebumps...

The $3 Milllion Bra

Hey gals! Would you like to own this year's "Fantasy Bra" from Victoria's Secret? It's only worth a whopping 3 million dollars! The lucky angel who will have the honor of wearing this on the runway is Marisa Miller. This diamond encrusted lingerie is designed by Damiani. That's a 16-carat heart-shaped champagne diamond dangling from between the cups.

If you think that's expensive, check this out.

*Photo courtesy of Glamour

I'll Take U To The Philippines

Another reason to be a Proud Pinoy!

Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel

I love Mariah. I don't care what other people say about her. I like her songs, especially the lyrics. I like the fact that she writes songs according to how she feels and not how the industry dictates what she should produce. I like her whistle voice and her melismatic singing. No matter how much flack she gets from people, the fact still remains that she's only second to the Beatles.

So the new album is called Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. I will not go into detail why she chose that name. I think if you're a Mariah fan, you'll understand that. By the way, I'm not a hardcore Mariah fan. There are songs which I don't like and I don't have all her albums. It would be nice to have all of them though. = )

The album cover is made of cardboard. Yup. Probably to reduce cost and to put more pictures? The inside has pictures of her previous album covers and a 2009 version of that pose/picture. Shown below is her Memoirs version of the Butterfly album. Great smile. Nick must really make her happy.

Next are her older albums. Notice the MCC necklace? These look "pilit" to me. I like the above photo better.

Inside you will get this mini Elle which features her favorite clothes, her fabulous walk-in closet and other tidbits about Mariah.

I pre-bought this album at Powerplant. You get this "designer" pillow when you do so. It doesn't look designer to me at all. It's just a cheap pillow. I really wish people would avoid false advertising.

You get 21 tracks. There's the original Obsessed version and 4 more remixes. I don't like Obsessed so I don't bother. The remixes are great for clubs though. I like 13 songs. She also did a remake of I Want To Know What Love Is. I also don't like this. It's okay but I don't listen to it often. Stand out songs to me are It's a Wrap, Up Out My Face, Angels Cry and Languishing but this is only an interlude to I Want to Know What Love Is. As usual, they're all about love and breaking up. She doesn't have a gospel song here. Or maybe I'm just missing something like Vision of Love. Did you know that that's a gospel song? She said it's for the Lord. She usually has one and I always look forward to that one song.

Angels Cry and Languishing have very powerful lyrics for me. These two songs really strike a chord. Other songs that I like are H.A.T.E.U. which reminds me of Someday by Nina, Candy Bling, Ribbon, Inseparable, More Than Just Friends, The Impossible.

All the songs are mellow, easy listen type of tunes with the exception of course of the remixes. For me, this album reflects this new phase in her life- her getting married, getting older, seeing things in a new perspective. The songs are nice to have as background music while you're reading a book, just having a relaxing evening or when you're in the tub with scented candles around. It makes you relax. I've been listening to this album for the past few days now in the office as I get too stressed there.

Memoirs is worth buying. You can't compare it to E=MC2 as that's a more upbeat, fun album. This is an entirely different album.