As I've promised Golden, here's my review of the Ilog Maria Milk and Honey Soap. Originally, I wanted Matsing to try this, but when she got a whiff of its smell, she said she’d pass. She has allergic rhinitis and is often a good judge of what might trigger her sneezing fits. So I got to try it.
According to the Ilog Maria website, the Milk and Honey soap promises you “gentle moisture and a glowing complexion.” It has buffalo milk that has a low pH, and thus maintains your skin’s natural balance. I also noticed that it has that eucalyptus smell that I don’t recognize. In fact, the Ilog Maria products that I’ve ordered had the same smell in varying degrees. I don’t know if it’s the bee propolis, the honey, or the natural oils they include. I haven’t tried other bee products so I couldn’t compare. Nevertheless, from now on, this is what I’m going to call the “Ilog Maria scent.”
At first, I didn’t like this slightly medicinal smell on the Ilog Maria Milk and Honey soap. It reminded me of those times when you’re down with a cold and your mom rubs Vicks on you to soothe you. Come to think of it, that memory is not unpleasant, but I hate being sick (which is why I did not dream of becoming a doctor or a nurse. I hate sickness. I don’t like being around people who are sick. I’m exactly like Daniel Mead in Ugly Betty. The reason behind that is because I feel helpless when I’m around sick people. I want to make them feel better but obviously I can’t. That’s why don’t expect me to visit you in the hospital when you get sick. That doesn’t mean I do not care.)
Where was I? Yes, the Ilog Maria Milk and Honey soap. This has the same feel as Cetaphil, only with a slightly better lather. It’s not as sudsy as other soaps (I do enjoy bubbles). I attribute it to its claim of being mild.
What’s great about this is that after I’ve bathed, I felt this calm sense of well-being that you get after Vicks or any other liniment is applied on you. I felt so relaxed and ready to go to sleep and sleep soundly I did.
In terms of moisturizing, the Milk and Honey soap did not strip my skin of its natural moisture. In fact, I didn’t feel that my skin was drained dry of its oil as I often feel after sleeping in an air-conditioned room all night.
I tried this on Kulit, my one-year-old, and along with the Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream, her skin is well-moisturized and rash-free. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen an insect bite on her for a week now. Yay!
25 November 2009
24 November 2009
Another Rave about Cyleina Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream
If you've been reading my blog, you probably know that I heart Cyleina Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream and now I must declare that I heart 1000x Cyleina Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream. You see, I've started applying this on my one-year-old's skin in the hopes of conquering her rashes and it worked!
You see, my daughter, Kulit, has really sensitive skin. She's had rashes since day one and I can never figure out the cause. I've tried all kinds of diapers and she can only use Prokids and Magic Dry. Good luck trying out the rest because if she wears anything other than diapers, she's toast (or sores).
Lately, I was at my wit's end because she's developing rashes even without eating chicken, wearing Prokids, and only after she has bathed. And of course, I couldn't bathe her in oil, right, like Elphaba in Wicked? I was tempted to bathe her in mineral water just to see if she was allergic to chlorine.Then, I noticed that she also develops rashes after she's been to an air-conditioned room. Could it be that she's allergic to the cold? I was ready to bring her to a pedia-allergologist and began sending out feelers in Girltalk to know about other women's experiences with them. You can check out the thread here.
Good thing, a Girltalk sister, sis leletmd, suggested that she might have cold urticaria. She explained it really well and she said, when you have cold urticaria, your skin tends to be dry and hence, itchy. So when you scratch your skin, you develop rashes. She suggested that I moisturize my baby's skin. So I did, and yay! My baby is rash-free since the day I applied Cyleina Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream! Of course, you might have the same results with other moisturizers but it makes me feel good knowing that our lotion is paraben-free, organic, and unscented. So now, part of my bonding time is applying the peruvian cacao on my daughter's skin and she loves it.
You see, my daughter, Kulit, has really sensitive skin. She's had rashes since day one and I can never figure out the cause. I've tried all kinds of diapers and she can only use Prokids and Magic Dry. Good luck trying out the rest because if she wears anything other than diapers, she's toast (or sores).
Lately, I was at my wit's end because she's developing rashes even without eating chicken, wearing Prokids, and only after she has bathed. And of course, I couldn't bathe her in oil, right, like Elphaba in Wicked? I was tempted to bathe her in mineral water just to see if she was allergic to chlorine.Then, I noticed that she also develops rashes after she's been to an air-conditioned room. Could it be that she's allergic to the cold? I was ready to bring her to a pedia-allergologist and began sending out feelers in Girltalk to know about other women's experiences with them. You can check out the thread here.
Good thing, a Girltalk sister, sis leletmd, suggested that she might have cold urticaria. She explained it really well and she said, when you have cold urticaria, your skin tends to be dry and hence, itchy. So when you scratch your skin, you develop rashes. She suggested that I moisturize my baby's skin. So I did, and yay! My baby is rash-free since the day I applied Cyleina Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream! Of course, you might have the same results with other moisturizers but it makes me feel good knowing that our lotion is paraben-free, organic, and unscented. So now, part of my bonding time is applying the peruvian cacao on my daughter's skin and she loves it.
21 November 2009
Vintage Beauty: Ilog Maria Products
There's always something romantic about the past. While I love the convenience of modernity, there is always something about old things that I love, perhaps because history gives things and places a certain charm or aura that can never be exuded by new stuff. That's why I loved the buildings in New York and Baltimore. I can feel the energy of life lived for hundreds of years. That's why I dream of traveling to Egypt or London or Rome. Obviously America is a baby compared to these ancient civilizations. The same old-fashioned appeal I found in Ilog Maria products that I received yesterday.
I was researching about the wonders of bee propolis for a client and was convinced by the numerous studies that I have found telling about its healing properties. So I went over to their website and shopped. I chose four products because they were raved about in Girltalk: Honey Propolis Shampoo (P77), Propolis Ointment (P110), Milk and Honey Soap (P38.50), and Feminine Wash (P49.50). I like it that they have smaller versions of everything which encourages first-time users to try out their products without paying a hefty price.
They're website is very informational. It has everything you need right there although for someone who does not have all the time in the world, the process may be longer than usual. But I love that the site shows how they care for the environment which is a huge plus for me.
The order form arrived right after I ordered and for a moment I was scared my order did not push through because a failure to deliver notice arrived for the Ilog Maria address. Fortunately, there is another email account listed. It's from Joel Magsaysay who is the owner of Ilog Maria. It confirmed that they received my order and gave me a rather long list of different payment methods. I would have wanted to pay through my BPI account but heaven forbid, you cannot do a bank transfer without going to the branch and registering an account personally which totally defeats the purpose of online banking. So I opted for GCash.
These are the instructions for GCash which totally confused me because they gave a rather long 14-digit GCash SIM Number which of course did not get accepted. So I opted to input the second Globe number they provided. It worked! So I personally think they should revise these instructions:
Hooray! I am still not comfortable with online shopping yet, but since the amount was not that much, even if I get scammed or something, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
They were prompt in their confirmation of receipt of payment and gave me another email explaining how they handle their shipments.
I made the payment last Monday and got the package yesterday. It could have been faster, but hey, I'm just happy I received my package.
The package smelled great! A mixture of spearmint and sampaguita that totally reminded me of my great grandmother, Lola Belen. The package was also surprisingly tiny, but it's not their fault that I totally have no clue how big a 45 gram soap is. So I used the products and here's my take on them:
1. Feminine Wash - I've always been a fan of the PH Care with cooling effect. And this was even better in that the cooling effect was not harsh at all. And it lasted longer than the PH Care one. I'm also glad that it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. It had a heady sampaguita scent which bothered me all yesterday until today because I couldn't put a name on the smell. Then I had a Eureka moment while bathing and yelled, "Ah Sampaguita!" It also filled our entire second floor with scent, which I was rather worried about because my husband's pretty particular with what he's smelling. Good thing he didn't complain about it this morning. I had to remove it from our bathroom, though, but the fragrance still smelled like sampaguita. I could scare someone with this.
Visitor: "Ano yun? Parang amoy bulaklak?" (What's that? Smells like flowers?")
Miss Guimba: "Ha? Talaga? Di ko naaamoy. Halla, baka si Nanay.... Nagpaparamdam (secretly chuckling) (I can't smell it. It might be my hubby's grandmother making her presence felt...) (enter eerie music)
2. Honey Propolis Shampoo - I have this recurring problem with dandruff. I am probably the "Promised Land" of all fungus. Fungus loves me. No matter how clean I am, I am an ideal environment for dandruff-causing fungus. It doesn't help that I have an obsession of getting myself stressed out. I've gone through all dandruff shampoos and dermatologist treatments and creams there is and I still get flaky once in a while. The only thing I didn't try is the local albularyo or quack doctor because I didn't want to get spit on. (I once watched my older sister get spit on by a local albularyo in a healing session and it wasn't very pretty.) The only thing that worked is the Dermovate Scalp Treatment which had steroids and I don't want to murder my whole family in a violent streak after taking steroids so I stopped. So there. Now, my scalp is still itchy and I can feel a whole colony of fungus springing up on my head again.
The Honey Propolis Shampoo had a milder scent than that of the Feminine Wash. It smelled like I would imagine delicately-powdered, tightly corseted Victorian women would smell. A definitely vintage-y smell. I've only used it twice and so far, no itches at all. The bottle had rather lengthy, quite helpful instructions and it said that I should use calamansi as a natural conditioner. I tried this before and it hurt like hell. I also shed about 531 hair strands in the process. There is no way I'm going to do that to myself again unless my husband cheats on me. Then I'm going to strap the effin' mistress on a chair and rub 100 calamansis on her hair. That should teach her a lesson.
3. Propolis Ointment - I purchased this for my little girls because their skin is very sensitive, especially my second daughter. Whenever an insect bites her (and do they love her like fungus loves me), her skin will swell up like a balloon. I used to give her Elica ointment for the insect bite marks, but I learned that it is also a corticosteroid so I'm looking for a more natural way to soothe insect bites. The Ilog Maria Propolis ointment was praised in Girltalk and so I decided to try it.
The Propolis ointment smelled and looked like the Chinese herbal ointments (or is it Indonesian?) called Betet which one of my writers gave me when I had migraine before. It smelled like efficascent oil. And I thought, Ah, so this is the Pinoy version of Betet. I was expecting something different. I have yet to observe its effectiveness, though, because Kulit is insect-free and rash-free for two whole days! Yay! A record. I'll let you know why and it has something to do with my wonder moisturizer, Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream.
I was researching about the wonders of bee propolis for a client and was convinced by the numerous studies that I have found telling about its healing properties. So I went over to their website and shopped. I chose four products because they were raved about in Girltalk: Honey Propolis Shampoo (P77), Propolis Ointment (P110), Milk and Honey Soap (P38.50), and Feminine Wash (P49.50). I like it that they have smaller versions of everything which encourages first-time users to try out their products without paying a hefty price.
They're website is very informational. It has everything you need right there although for someone who does not have all the time in the world, the process may be longer than usual. But I love that the site shows how they care for the environment which is a huge plus for me.
The order form arrived right after I ordered and for a moment I was scared my order did not push through because a failure to deliver notice arrived for the Ilog Maria address. Fortunately, there is another email account listed. It's from Joel Magsaysay who is the owner of Ilog Maria. It confirmed that they received my order and gave me a rather long list of different payment methods. I would have wanted to pay through my BPI account but heaven forbid, you cannot do a bank transfer without going to the branch and registering an account personally which totally defeats the purpose of online banking. So I opted for GCash.
These are the instructions for GCash which totally confused me because they gave a rather long 14-digit GCash SIM Number which of course did not get accepted. So I opted to input the second Globe number they provided. It worked! So I personally think they should revise these instructions:
- You may pay by Globe GCash SMS straight to our Globe GCash SMS SIM without incurring extra bank charges.
- Just enroll with Globe GCash by dialling 2882 Globe or Touch Mobile.
- Then, load your GCash wallet at any Globe Center and accredited outlets.
- Loading with GCash is now free of charge.
- Send payment by SMS to 2**********4, this is our GCash SIM.
- You may insert a 70 character sms message to your gcash payment message. Please include your full name in this SMS message, so we will know whom to ship to.
- Globe GCash will send both of us a confirmation SMS that you have paid.
- This number is for receiving GCash payments only. Please email info@ilolgmaria.com for all inquiries.
- It is ok to have someone else pay for you, but please send a follow up text to our GCash number 0917******4 stating your name and reference number, so we can trace your payment and ship your package.
Hooray! I am still not comfortable with online shopping yet, but since the amount was not that much, even if I get scammed or something, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
They were prompt in their confirmation of receipt of payment and gave me another email explaining how they handle their shipments.
I made the payment last Monday and got the package yesterday. It could have been faster, but hey, I'm just happy I received my package.
The package smelled great! A mixture of spearmint and sampaguita that totally reminded me of my great grandmother, Lola Belen. The package was also surprisingly tiny, but it's not their fault that I totally have no clue how big a 45 gram soap is. So I used the products and here's my take on them:
1. Feminine Wash - I've always been a fan of the PH Care with cooling effect. And this was even better in that the cooling effect was not harsh at all. And it lasted longer than the PH Care one. I'm also glad that it has antifungal and antibacterial properties. It had a heady sampaguita scent which bothered me all yesterday until today because I couldn't put a name on the smell. Then I had a Eureka moment while bathing and yelled, "Ah Sampaguita!" It also filled our entire second floor with scent, which I was rather worried about because my husband's pretty particular with what he's smelling. Good thing he didn't complain about it this morning. I had to remove it from our bathroom, though, but the fragrance still smelled like sampaguita. I could scare someone with this.
Visitor: "Ano yun? Parang amoy bulaklak?" (What's that? Smells like flowers?")
Miss Guimba: "Ha? Talaga? Di ko naaamoy. Halla, baka si Nanay.... Nagpaparamdam (secretly chuckling) (I can't smell it. It might be my hubby's grandmother making her presence felt...) (enter eerie music)
2. Honey Propolis Shampoo - I have this recurring problem with dandruff. I am probably the "Promised Land" of all fungus. Fungus loves me. No matter how clean I am, I am an ideal environment for dandruff-causing fungus. It doesn't help that I have an obsession of getting myself stressed out. I've gone through all dandruff shampoos and dermatologist treatments and creams there is and I still get flaky once in a while. The only thing I didn't try is the local albularyo or quack doctor because I didn't want to get spit on. (I once watched my older sister get spit on by a local albularyo in a healing session and it wasn't very pretty.) The only thing that worked is the Dermovate Scalp Treatment which had steroids and I don't want to murder my whole family in a violent streak after taking steroids so I stopped. So there. Now, my scalp is still itchy and I can feel a whole colony of fungus springing up on my head again.
The Honey Propolis Shampoo had a milder scent than that of the Feminine Wash. It smelled like I would imagine delicately-powdered, tightly corseted Victorian women would smell. A definitely vintage-y smell. I've only used it twice and so far, no itches at all. The bottle had rather lengthy, quite helpful instructions and it said that I should use calamansi as a natural conditioner. I tried this before and it hurt like hell. I also shed about 531 hair strands in the process. There is no way I'm going to do that to myself again unless my husband cheats on me. Then I'm going to strap the effin' mistress on a chair and rub 100 calamansis on her hair. That should teach her a lesson.
3. Propolis Ointment - I purchased this for my little girls because their skin is very sensitive, especially my second daughter. Whenever an insect bites her (and do they love her like fungus loves me), her skin will swell up like a balloon. I used to give her Elica ointment for the insect bite marks, but I learned that it is also a corticosteroid so I'm looking for a more natural way to soothe insect bites. The Ilog Maria Propolis ointment was praised in Girltalk and so I decided to try it.
The Propolis ointment smelled and looked like the Chinese herbal ointments (or is it Indonesian?) called Betet which one of my writers gave me when I had migraine before. It smelled like efficascent oil. And I thought, Ah, so this is the Pinoy version of Betet. I was expecting something different. I have yet to observe its effectiveness, though, because Kulit is insect-free and rash-free for two whole days! Yay! A record. I'll let you know why and it has something to do with my wonder moisturizer, Peruvian Cacao Whipped Butter Cream.
10 November 2009
On Social Media Maven Stuff and Addiction and Blogging
I was dabbling with Wordpress and wished I had their clean layout and still keep the verstatility of Blogger. I can never find a Wordpress theme that I can actually install without having a host server. And I found this wonderful pink-striped Blogger template with the Wordpress look. Another answered prayer.
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