Small Medium Large: Moringa, Avocado and Apricot

There are some products that don't need much explanation and elaboration that I just tend to bundle and give my thoughts about them in one post to save space in the net :P

Beauty comes in all sizes and I have 3 good and affordable products to share with you.

Pantene Pro-V Intensive Hair Mask Nature Care - more or less P200 (around $4.25)
The bounciness this one gives is not comparable with what's shown in its Philippine commercial but given the price, this one is bouncy enough for me.  It makes my crowning glory moisturize, feeling light and bouncy as if it's so healthy.  Scent is a bit heavy in floral but tolerable.  I use this after I shampoo my hair, put a shower cap on and let it sink into my hair for more or less 10 minutes or until I'm done scrubbing and washing my skin.  Rinse then either fan dry (which makes my hair very tame and shiny) or air dry (which gives my hair some good looking fly-aways but still shiny at the same time and less frizzy too).

Moringa-O2 Malunggay Herbal Hair, Scalp, & Skin Therapy Oil - P99 (around $2.10)
There are many uses enumerated in the box packaging but I mainly bought this 30ml oil for only one purpose and that is to moisturize my skin.  Cold days are my dry skin's enemy so I layer oil and lotion or body butter to keep my skin well moisturize.  Moringa-O2 Malunggay does its job in the moisturizing area (will just update this post or make another one if ever I'll try its other uses).  I also noticed that it helps in reducing the appearance of some of my scars.  Others say that this one is light on the skin...I don't 100% agree.  Though it's lighter than baby oil, it's not as light as dry or argan oil.  I definitely see and feel a thin film of oil sitting on top of my skin.  But with all the benefits of moringa plus its affordability,  there's no doubt that this is a must try.

St. Ives Smoothing Apricot Exfoliating Body Wash - more or less P200 (around $4.25)
It gives a mild exfoliation and at the same time washes the dirt from the body, this is a 2 in 1 product that is paraben free and made with natural ingredients.  The exfoliators from this body wash is so fine like a sand that I wish their face scrub would also be the same and even if I use this on a daily basis (with just my hands), my skin doesn't dry out.  The apricot scent is also refreshing and having a 400ml product in a bottle will last for more or less 3 months.

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

Realization/Update/Mini-Haul

While trying to force myself to update my resume, I realize that I'm scared to take an interview.  It's been a long time since I have my last interview and while reminiscing it, I suddenly remembered that I suck at it because I'm not good with words...I'm more of "I'll show how" person because it's hard to explain...this will drag me for the rest of my week.

Another "sucky" thing is I still haven't started anything that is in my to do list, I'm actually doing the opposite by eating a lot and just laying around chillin hahaha.  I'm trying to be cool with it by always laughing and smiling (well compared to before) which I think is really good because I can slowly see my old happy self and hopefully everything will just follow, yehey!

small things in a big world

Some cute stuff above:  I just suddenly saw the mini burger just chilling in the main building of UST and I think it's funny I mean what is the mini burger doing in one of the pillars of the huge building?  Another cute thing is the mini tic tac that my niece gave me, it's so small it can fit in my wallet or in the pocket of my skinny jeans.

Ohhh I also went to Divisoria last week (you might already seen the washi tapes that I got from my Liebster Award for the nth Time post) after a long time and got some really nice and cheap PJ's, three to be exact.  The other one is "terno" meaning pair and it's been a long time since I wore something terno in my "adult" life...now that I'm thinking about it maybe I just bought it so I can tease my niece because she liked the design but there's no available size for her...very bad auntie right ahahaha don't worry she's already in her 20's like me.  The other two are just the pants and they are so cheap considering the good quality that I immediately bought two because it reminded me of those PJs that I saw in Victoria's Secret catalog only cheaper at P100 (around $2.25, oha san ka pa).  I specifically love the one with the flower print:

cheap stuff from Divisoria

And I also bought a pair of shoes, another chipipay but in good quality find.

kikay stuff

My sister ordered some make-up in Bon Marche and decided to get a Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Fig Jam (yes, we are now girls...my mom and my older sisters will be happy when they hear this) because the swatches online looks good but I have to admit that I hate the color of the packaging so much, it looks so old for me...well I hope the color is really good on my lips (I haven't open it).  I also got another bottle of the Moringa Oil because it seems like it's good for my skin but just a bottle is not enough to justify my claim (hmmm the words seems familiar...oh lyrics from Human of The Killers) inside my head.

Well, I will just leave you with these cookies that I made and hope you are having a great start of the new year.  Cheers (I'm raising my tea cup!).

sugar or butter cookies?  it's an elephant!

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

The Body Shop Acai + Moringa

I remember the time when I started this blog and 2 of my friends who knows read my first few posts (that was before) and said that it seems like I'm having a dual personality.  In reality the girl behind Arya De Guzman is a bit serious and seldom cracks a joke but who wants a blog with a green, yellow, baby blue and pink background with too many serious words?  Weird?  If yes, then this product is also weird.

The Body Shop Body Butter Duo Floral Acai/Acai Floral
Moisturize your skin with this twin pot that contains two types of moisture: a light cream for where skin needs less hydration and a rich cream for drier areas like elbows and knees. It has an exotic, intriguing scent.
For all skin typesProvides 24-hour hydration Leaves skin feeling soft all over Exotic, intriguing scent
$20

I started using this mid February with a mindset that the thicker part is perfect for the Valentine/Christmas~sy weather (Philippine weather has been strange for a couple of years) while the lighter/liquidy part can welcome the exciting heat of the sun.  And I'm correct (yay), I only have few left so pardon the almost tub.

well, this will be included in my April empties!

The one with the lighter shade is the liquidy part which is comparable to the texture of the Olive Body Butter while the darker one is like the Shea.  Both have the same scent which is citrusy with just a hint of flower (yup, the citrus aroma envelopes and surpasses the floral scent), The Body Shop defined it as an exotic, intriguing scent.
The main purpose as to why there's a twin in a pot is because the light cream is for normal skin or the parts of the skin that needs less hydration and the rich cream is for the areas which are drier like my legs.  Both are great for hydration without so much stickiness unless the temperature goes up to 30 degrees celsius.  I couldn't have asks for more...except maybe, well just wondering why this one is way way pricier here than in other countries.  By the way, Acai is said to have hi content of antioxidants.

FULL INGREDIENTS

Water (Solvent/Diluent), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) (Skin-Conditioning Agent/Emollient), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter (Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), Isododecane (Solvent), Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate (Skin Conditioning Agent - Emollient), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Beeswax (Emulsifier/Emollient), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil (Emollient/Skin Conditioner), Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Emollient), Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Emollient), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Fragrance (Fragrance), Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate/Hexastearate/Hexarosinate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Phenethyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Propylene Glycol (Humectant), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract (Hair Conditioning Agent), PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil (Emulsifier), Hydroxycitronellal (Fragrance Ingredient), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Ethylhexylglycerin (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient). [May Contain: Red 33 (Colour), Yellow 5 (Colour)].

Hmmm, so short, okay I'll just share with you then my current shower buddy.  If I only have a bathtub then maybe I'm halfway through this but I don't have one and I only need few drops to set bubbles on fire with this one.  Meet my bubble maker, Moringa Foaming Bath.

Moringa Foaming Bath

This luxurious foaming bath contains real moringa seed oil. The rich lather cleanses and moisturises skin. Moisturing,Cleansing,Delicate floral scent

P595

Based on The Body Shop website pour generously in running water, I say pour it directly to a sponge or a bath lily and enjoy a bath full of bubbles and feel like a kid though the smell would be weird for a kid.  My sister don't like the scent of this one which is awkward when I said that I like it.  I smell flowers, she smells my good old mom.  The flower smell is strong though and will never use the perfume of this one and hope the body butter and lotion too unless necessary.

The foaming bath cleanses and moisturize well and it's soap free (good news to those who don't loke soaps) and contains real moringa seed oil.  Moringa seed oil comes from a moringa tree...TREE?  I thought???..wait a minute (type in the computer...search...searching) oh this is hard, they just refer to it as Moringa and Wikipedia said the size ranges is from tinhy herbs to massive trees.  We have a bunch of Moringa in our backward back home and for us it's a grass that can be use in cooking and well I made a mask out of it's leaves.  Reading the nutritional and medicinal value of Moringa leaves would not raise a question mark on my head as to why it's called The Tree of Life, google it and you'll be amazed.  But how about the oil?  I'm no expert so I'll just rely on this article from www.edlagman.com.  The below part attracted me:

"Moringa seed oil contains antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which help heal minor skin complaints such as cuts, bruises, burns, insect bites, rashes and scrapes quickly The addition of Moringa seed oil produces a rich and creamy lather and, unlike any other plant-based oil, actually increases the cleansing ability. It clears pimples and prevents recurrence, if used regularly; it removes wrinkles and will prevent; sagging of facial muscles; helps clears black heads and spots; makes face glow and helps to tighten the skin pores."~www.edlagman.com

Now I wonder why this oil is not so popular here in the Philippines since Moringa is all over the place?  Although there's some who sells it online and TBS too, I hopw it would also go to the shelves of big department stores or groceries and maybe export it?  I'm clueless, let's just move on and get back to the foaming bath.

as always, it's made with passion

FULL INGREDIENTS

Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PPG-5 Laureth-5, Acrylates Copolymer, Myristamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Parfum, Sodium Cocoa Butter Amphoacetate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Moringa Pterygosperma Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, p-Anisic Acid, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Sodium Hydroxide, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, C11-15 Pareth-40, C11-15 Pareth-7, Tocopherol, CI 19140.

Woot, woot!  The word Moringa is visible.  I look into some of TBS products that I have and scrutinize the listed ingredients and sometimes I cannot pinpoint the main ingredient that is on the picture of the labels.  Overall, great foaming bath with a good price (usually on sale).  Now I have to find that oil (the cheap one please!)

Thanks for reading. Till then. Bye!

DIY Moringa Mask - a succesfull experiment

moringa grass

No you don't need a trunk of moringa to make a mask, just the leaves hahaha and sorry for the quality of the pictures I,m just using a vga camera.  So while in the province, I decided to experiment on this grass because one I remembered my friend's idea, two is that we have a lot of this grass in our backyard and three is that we also have lots of stones to pound the leaves (we do not have mortar and pestle) so running out of materials to use is not a problem.

1/2 cup of moringa leaves + 1 teaspoon of clamansi juice or lemon juice

Pound first the leaves then add the juice.  That's it! So easy right?
Apply the mask all over the face and neck and leave it around 5 to 10 minutes. It doesn't matter if the leaves fall off as long as the extract is in your face.  Then rinse with water.

the end product~moringa mask

My mom was suprised to see that my face looked whiter and smoother and laughed when I said that I applied moringa grass on my face.  But really, this mask made my skin instantly brighter and smoother and squeaky clean yet still a little moisturize too.  Maybe I'll use olive or sunflower oil next time for full moisturization effect.

Let me know the result if you happen to try this mask.

Thanks for reading.  till then.  Bye!

Wake Me Up When September Ends: The Body Shop Haul

Ooops!  I shopped again even if I said in my last post that my haul ban starts but I have reasons, okay.  First is it's still September so I decided that my ban haul will start in October.  Next is it's payday so I have money to spend ahahaha (my lousy reason) and lastly and the very important one is that, it's SALE!

image from The Body Shop, Philippines facebook page

I've been a fan of The Body Shop so I really can't miss out their Pre-Holiday Sale.  Here's what I bagged!

Vitamin E and Duo Floral Acai Body Butters

The Body Butter is the reason why I've been visiting The Body Shop lately.  To date, I have a total of 6 body butters in my closet.  I also wanted to have the Aloe variant but it's out of stock and the Vanilla duo but it's not part of the sale.  I wanted to try the Vitamin E and was so glad that I got the last piece in the shop and fell in love with the Floral Acai's scent.

Peach Body Lotion and Moringa Foaming Bath

Another last piece is the Moringa Foaming Bath and I think it's the only foaming bath that is part of the sale (not 100% sure) but don't worry there are lots of shower gel that is on 40% off.  To avail the 50% off on all my purchases,  I grabbed the Peach Body Lotion (the smell is so delicious).

I noticed that most of the products of The Body Shop are on 10% off.  Some are on 20% to 70% sale and one of them is this Cucumber Cleansing Milk which I got at 30% off the price tag.

Cucumber Cleansing Milk

I really don't need a cleansing milk as of the moment but I can't resist cucumber.  If there's a cucumber lotion that is available, I have surely had put it in my basket without even blinking an eye.

I also finally got my card for free so yehey!  All in all I paid P2,122.50 and just in case, here are the prices of the items:

Vitamin E Body Butter:  original price is P1,050 but got it at P525
Duo Floral Acai Body Butter:  original price is P995 and is now P497.50
Peach Body Lotion:  original price is P695 but I only paid P347.50
Moringa Foaming Bath:  original price is P595 and took it home at a very affordable price of  P297.50
Cucumber Cleansing Milk:  original price is P650 but is now P455 at 30% off

Sorry if I didn't took pictures of the sale items in store but you can check Helen Blas of Lucky Citrine's blog post here (I hope she don't mind me linking her post here).

Promo period is from September 28 to October 25, 2012 so there's still plenty of time to shop for yourself and for your family and friends too as an early christmas gift.  Check their promo poster here and visit the nearest The Body Shop stores to know all the sale items and promos that you can avail.

Thanks for reading.  Happy Shopping! Till then.  Bye!