I've read about Human Nature in some fashion blogs I hopped on last Friday. The company claims that the ingredients they use in their products are biodegradable, at least 95% natural, and come from renewable resource (no petroleum compound). For me, who has sensitive skin, this is good news! So I ordered a few just to give it a try.
I purchased the products pictured above through their website last Friday afternoon. It was shipped almost instantly after paying thru paypal. They also accept payment through g-cash (wallet to wallet), bank deposit, and credit card. They emailed me that the package will arrive a day or 2 after the shipment notification. And true enough, I received the package yesterday (Saturday) morning. That was less than 24 hours! Kudos Human Nature and LBC for a very efficient service!
As for the products, they came sealed and wrapped in a very nice brown box. The products' packaging materials are also unbelievably beautiful considering the products' prices. I tried the baby wash and the sunflower beauty oil instantly on my little one's bottom because he has a diaper rash. His rash is a lot paler now and he no longer reach for it to scratch. The deet-free bug shield on the other hand has a tolerable scent and Perry didn't show any negative reaction towards it when i used it on him this morning. The facial wash is for me. I ordered the smallest bottle because I have to check first if it will suit my skin. So far, it's good. My face is not dry nor oily. I will try to pair it with the sunflower oil during nighttime.
If Perry's rash is totally gone before the week ends, I'll order their baby lotion. But for Perry's before and after bath oil, I'm sticking with Aceite de Manzanilla. It hasn't failed us yet. Hmmm...I just wondered why I didn't try it on Perry's rash?
Anyway, I'll post updates regarding the effectivity of Human Nature's products on our skin. I am hoping that I finally found a product line that works for me and my family. :D
P.S. HM does not test products on animals. So, Yay! It's a PLUS fo me!
Have I told you that my hubby and I are both librarians by profession? Well... we are! And we love books and reading!
We also dreamed of having our own public library to share with the people in our town. And then as I was surfing my friend's tumblr, I discovered this...
Mr. Hernando “Nanie” Guanlao started the Reading Club in Balagtas Street in Barangay La Paz, Makatiwhere he shares all these book 24/7 to anyone. According to the article, he lets people take the book/s of their choice for free believing that these will come back a thousand fold. You can read the full article here.
I admire Mr. Guanlao for starting this. It inspired me even more to start working on our dream of putting up a library like this in our town. I better start now 'coz we will be doing this from scratch.
It's been months, 2 1/2 months to be exact, since my last post.
I've been feeling out of focus for quite sometime. Felt really bad to lose my muse.
But now, I'm back! I have set some life goals for the coming months. My list is supposed to keep me focused and inspired. I really hope it does.
For starter, I jogged 2 rounds inside the campus yesterday. And 3 this afternoon. And am going to add another tomorrow. I am determined to do this daily even for a short 10-minute jog. My body badly needed some exercise. And my skin enjoyed a breath of fresh air after jogging too. I added a round today because my skin haven't excreted enough sweat like yesterday's. I felt really refreshed after that 3rd round.
Aside from the reason of getting fit and healthy, I am also aiming for a bikini body by May 2013. Yep, that's right! Even my CS scar won't stop me from strutting my stuff next summer! Ha! Just wait and see. ;)
Oh, I plan to share some highlights of my long hiatus in the coming days. They're really important to me so I want to document them here.
Along with our old toys, I was also able to dig some old dolls' clothes yesterday. I washed them all and hanged them to dry. I wanted to photoshoot the girls hanging the wet clothes but the baby called for me. So here's the only photo I got of the clothes this morning.
I'm so sorry for my very long absence. I've been very busy at work and have also been busy going out this summer. :D I hope you are enjoying the sun too!
Yesterday after lunch, 2 packages arrived on our doorstep. One of them is a whistling train that I bought from a preloved toy shop. It's pretty much the same as my old one which isn't working anymore so when I saw the pre-loved train, I posted "mine" right away!
The red train is the new one I bought for Perry. The records have Japanese labels so I can't understand the title of the songs in all of them. The white train is my old toy. Its records can also be played on the new one. I'm so thankful for this great find! :D
While I was looking for the white train in our boxes of old toys, I incidentally found these other wonderful treasures that my mom kept for us.
These are just some of the toys in the store room.
This Hello Kitty toy is still working. I don't know how it's called. But it's like a popcorn maker. As you push/roll the toy, the mechanism in the middle pops the balls making some POP!ing sounds. It's definitely got the attention of Perry. Unfortunately, it's a Hello Kitty. My dad bought this toy for my sister and he bought me the following one...
A Hello Kitty Restaurant! I played with this but I didn't put the stickers on. Now, I've lost them. The Restaurant sign at the roof was broken probably just recently when we last opened the box of toys but it can be repaired. :D
I also found my old Skipper doll. Her hair's a mess but I gave her, Mariko, and an old Barbie a bath and hair spa yesterday. Posting their pictures later. :D
Ohh and i found some doll's clothes too. So I also did some washing yesterday. :D
Still pretty busy around here. However, I just want to share with you a body swap and my new adopted girl. :D
Here's Pepper showing off her new poseable body.
Pepper swapped bodies with my new adopted Licca I named Mira. Mira's hair has been cut too short by her previous mom but I still love her and I really find her cute!
Here's Pepper thanking Mira with a burger for the body swap.
Pepper and her mom are so pleased with her new body. :D
And Mira came with another friend. She is just as pretty. But she is not staying for long in our house because I am going to gift her to a dear friend.
Below is a comparison photo between the bodies of Takara Blythe (orange hair) and Takara Licca (green hair). This Licca body is a bit taller and has longer legs than the Blythe body and the new Tomy Licca body of Pepper.
Hello lovelies! It's been quite a while. These past two weeks have been crazily busy around here. I just want to share a quick update about my new doll.
I was invited to be the guest speaker for the graduation ceremony of the Magsaysay Elementary School here in our town. I was not a graduate of the said school but the Head Teacher there is my BFF's sweet mom. How could I resist? :D
I took this photo with a Samsung Corby II phone camera while I was on stage during the graduation ceremony last March 28, 2012.
Look what I got aside from the school's Certificate of Appreciation...
.
Yes! It's a Japanese doll! She's so pretty! I call her Faye from my BFF's second name.
Maria gave her a warm welcome as the rest of the girls prepare Faye's space in the house. :D
I think I ought to start my Travel Diaries by sharing how foreign tourists view my homeland. I found the link of the first video on a friend's wall in Facebook. Then I found the second one on the right side bar of the first video in Youtube. I'm sharing these because I find them interesting and entertaining.
This first video is entitled "20 Reasons Why I Dislike the Philippines" by Jimmy. I describe this video as - looking at the glass half-empty. However, almost everything he said was true, exaggerated but true. Let me enumerate his reasons and let me add some of my thoughts on each:
1. Improper covering of holes in the sidewalk - this is true in most cases :(
2. Sidewalk vendors - this part is really funny
3. Sanitation in local wet market - this is true but you have lots of option. Don't buy your food there if you have issues with that.
4. MILF - funny
5. Construction site - not always true
6. Whitening products - I totally agree with Jimmy here. Filipino skin color is beautiful. But seriously, it's hard to find beauty products here that is not "whitening."
7. Air pollution - in cities, so true. In some rural town, this is also true because of too many tricycles. :(
8. Packaging that adds up to the litter all around you - so true. Total waste of money (coz those little plastic bags and staple wires cost something too), time, and energy. But you have an option here too. If I buy small items like a bar of chocolate or a pack of Kleenex in drugstores or 711 , I tell the cashier that i do not need a plastic bag for it - simple way to help mother nature. Buyers must be proactive too!
9. Litter everywhere - in some places this is true. :(
10. Shitty drivers - true in most cases.
11. Uncomfortable comfort rooms - In some really poor areas, this is true. But you'll be surprised sometimes because I've been to a poor and remote area once and the C.R. has a roll of tissue paper and has running water even if it did not have a toilet seat. Oh and just so you know, not all Filipinos wipe their ass after relieving themselves because they wash it with soap and water. Hence, not all comfort rooms have tissue paper.
12. Security guards everywheredoing nothing - not true. I believe that there are still lots of noble security guards around here.
13. Pissing anywhere you want - funny male practice
14. Mall entrance search - true. I hate this too. They just touch you and that's it. Unnecessary practice.
15. Beep! Beep! Beep! - funny but true. "I saw you" = beep!
16. Small napkins in restaurants and food kiosks - just so you know, there are available napkins like that in stores. It's impractical for restaurant managers to assign one waitress/waiter to cut and fold those napkins into that size. And for a 10-20 pesos snack or drink that you buy, don't expect to get a full-sized napkin with it.
17. Beggars everywhere you go - so true. :( And they keep on touching you with really dirty fingers which is really irritating.
18. Chicken everywhere - funny
19. Blasting sounds from stereos - exaggerated. This is not always the case and definitely not everywhere
20. Roaches - they thrive in really populated areas. Eeeeww too!
21. Everyone is asking for tips - the ugly truth. Really annoying. Here, we call it, making kikil or asking for tong.
22. Ladyboy - funny
23. Tons of loud Koreans - hmmm... they go to our schools and universities that's why there are tons of them here.
24. Making motorcycles and scooters sound like Harley - funny. So are cars painted to look like a race car. But what i hate are motorcycles and scooters that expel their exhaust right into you face. That's the trend here now. :(
25. Warm beer - can't relate here. I never liked beer.
Now the second video was entitled "20 Reasons I love the Philippines - Walter Masley & Jeff Lester" . This is like looking at the glass half full. However the link is already dead now. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bSDl7Fi38RU) It was still available last March 15 when I started to draft this post. It has been removed recently. Anyway, I'll edit this post when sombody uploads the video once again. Btw, original video of Jimmy has also been removed when I check today. I'm glad another fellow uploaded it again in Youtube.
So anyway, I'll share some points that I can still recall which were mentioned by Masley and Lester:
1. Basketball everywhere - so true. funny clip of a flooded makeshift court.
2. Roasted chickens everywhere - yes, and we love it too! Delicious! :D
3. Pirated movies and tv series everywhere - true. this is probably the reason why the video has been removed. :D
4. Haggling fun - yes, you can haggle in the local markets.
5. Lots of transport options - this is true but somehow annoying. Like in our town, there are toooo many tricycles and motorcycles already. And some drivers do not have licences. This is really dangerous to commuters. Plus, the air and noise pollution they create is really annoying.
6. Access to alcohol anywhere and anytime of day - true. But I'm not a fan and this is dangerous too.
Sorry but that's all that I can remember for now from their video.
These videos are limited to the clips they gathered during their stay in the cities and in some towns. But we should note that, these little things matter too in a tourists' point of view, not just our pristine beaches. The first video is like a wake up call to us Filipinos. We should really be proactive if we want to produce a lovely picture of our country.
After this, I hope to continue my Travel Diaries and I hope to show you that not all the cities here are like that and to show you how beautiful our country really is. :D
This afternoon, mom finally taught me how to use her old Singer sewing machine. She knows I can sew by hand. So she just gave me the very basic instructions on how to use her machine.
a. Put the cloth under the walking foot
b. Make sure the threads are at the back
c. Turn the knob to put the needle down
d. Put the walking foot down
e. And press the "electric pedal" with my foot.
She just gave me a piece of cloth, made me run 2 stitches, then left me with the curtain fabric to work with. Wow! She knows I hate being watched while working. I so loooove my mom!
That's me sewing while the little boy was busy playing on his walker. He was pulling my measuring tape in this picture. Pardon the photo quality 'coz this was taken using my webcam. In case you're wondering, the thread was not on top of the machine because it was in a cup on the floor. Mom told me the stitches get tangled when she put the thread in its proper place.
I was able to finish 50% of 3 panels but had to stop because of the little one. He kept pulling the fabric because he wanted to go out of the house and watch lola in the garden. So we played outside instead. Fun!
I hope you had a happy, productive, and memorable weekend too! =D
Yesterday, the Mr. and I were one of the Principal Sponsors in Crislyn's wedding. It was a lovely experience. When we were first informed, I was like "WHAT? We're still young!" Later on I realized that it was an honor to be a big part of somebody else's wedding. And I was glad it happened. Here are some photos of us taken after the wedding reception.
Last night, the Mr. and I watched a film directed by Hayao Miyazaki who also directed Spirited Away, one of my fave animated films ever. Now, I have a new title to add in my favorite movie list.
Why I love it: Have you ever dreamed of having special powers like the ability to fly or to teleport? Well, I did and sometimes still do. That's why I love reading fantasy books, playing RPG like World of Warcraft, and watching fantasy movies. And this film contains both flying and some sort of a teleport "machine" or door to be precise. I love the idea of just turning the knob to a certain color which is assigned to a certain place so when you open the door, you'll be opening a door to that certain place. Imagine your door with a knob of colors assigned to your most favorite cities to visit, say Paris, Tokyo, New York, Baguio, and Quezon City! It's so fun and awesome! I wish I could invent such a thing. hee hee
Also, I love it for its art. It has a lovely, colorful, and fun cinematography. And I think, painted or drawn cartoons are still better than 3D. I'm enjoying 3D movies too but, the classic ones like this is much better! See Howl's castle below?
The artwork is really awesome, isn't it? There are more really cool paintings in the movie but these are just some of the photos available from IMDb. Just click on the photos to direct you to their sources.
Oh and just so you know, Christian Bale was the voice behind Howl.
Now that's just a glimpse of the film. You have to watch it to see for yourself.
I've always wanted to try customization on my Blythe for the following reasons:
a. I wanted a matte finish for my Blythe's face so that when I took her photos, the lights won't bounce on her face.
b. I wanted sleepy eyes!
c. I wanted cute lashes!
d. I wanted a more poseable body like Licca
e. AND I wanted an OOAK Blythe art doll!
Yesterday, I finally found the courage to try this on Pepper (Simply Mango). After doing some research, I went to the market to get some supplies. I bought a sheet of Hippo 1000 and a sheet of Hippo 400 abrasive paper for 10 pesos each in a local hardware store. Then I also bought fake eyelashes for 10 pesos in a local Taiwanese store.
By 9 pm, after finishing all chores for the day, I started working on Pepper. Unscrewing the back of her head was easy even without a screwdriver. I used a strong hairpin instead. The part where you separate the back of the head was difficult. I think I wasn't strong enough. So I asked the Mr. for help on this. I told him to squeeze the ears just like what most customizers share on their blogs. He was adamant at first. He was afraid of breaking the doll's head. I assured him that that will never happen. And so he squeezed until we heard a snap! "Oh, that was easy," said the mister. =D
Here is Pepper with her head open. See her sleepy eyes? Yes, that's the effect of unhooking the string off her head.
I grabbed her from the Mr. as soon as I heard the snap. I was sooo excited! I tested how the sleepy eyes work. And then I started sandmatting the back of her head with the Hippo 1000. I skipped the Hippo 400 because I wasn't sure if it was fine enough for a Blythe. I rubbed a patch at the back of her head in circular motion and the Hippo 1000 didn't leave any scratch marks so I continued sandmatting. When I was halfway done with her back, I stopped to look at Pepper...
...and she was looking back at me! Her face was just so pretty and I was afraid that if I sand matte it, she will no longer be my Pepper! So I put down her head and decided to work on her lashes first as I debate with myself if I will sand matte her lovely face or leave it as it is.
As I was soaking her eyelids in cotton with hot water, I showed the back plate of her head to the Mr. and asked for his opinion. He just advised me to weigh the difference.
So I did as I was plucking Pepper's eyelashes. This part was really very easy.
But I had a hard time inserting her new lashes even when I used a needle. The lashes came out with the needle because of the glue. Nevertheless, I persevered. And here's my reward...
Isn't she gorgeous? I definitely love her new lashes!
Then we both contemplated if we're going to sandmatte her face as I finish the rest of her back. I polished the back with a cotton cloth. See the difference between the the original shiny face and the sand matted back plate?
In the end, I decided not to sand matte her face last night. Here are my reasons why:
a. I wasn't sure I can sand matte her face without ruining her original face up;
b. I do not have chalk pastels and MSC to give her a new face up after sandmatting; and
c. She's just so pretty as is!
So I just added a sleepy eyes pull string using a crocheted yellow yarn and charms.
And I was done before midnight! It took me that long because I took a break when I fed my little Perry.
Here's Pepper giving me a flower for her beautiful new lashes and sleepy eyes. =D
