"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
-Unknown

Tuesday 20 May 2014

Unboxing: Summer Radiance in BDJ Box May 2014



It finally arrived. 

Even before BDJ announced that the May boxes were being shipped, I had a pretty good feeling that it would include nail polish thanks to my stalking the site frequently, I didn’t realize there would be two shades! But I’m getting ahead of myself here. 

It’s a box of surprises for summer pampering and there are impressive products inside. This month's theme is all about Summer Radiance, a pampering treat for the last stretch of summer from interesting brands.


I'm so thankful that BDJ included this in my box because I've tried this and I am currently lovin' it bay-beh... =p This was also the first thing that caught my attention and although the label and instructions are in Korean, the curation card explains that it is a leave-on pack to help the skin restore its natural moisturizing properties. I like that it's lightweight and I find it a good bedtime moisturizer with a very faint scent. It's supposed to be used only twice a week. That should prolong my using it up in a month's time. (That's how much I am so into this...)


  

New nail polish to play with! I can't believe that they cost Php 300+ each, I'm blown away! I like that the box included two contrasting shades. The left one is Seashell which is a barely-there peach-pink colour with a faint gloss. It's like Bobbie's Fave Bikini and if any of you ladies are looking for something work-appropriate and a splurge on polish, this is it. The right one is Jungle, a forest green shade. I like dark nail polishes and have a bias towards this.  This should save me from hoarding more shades in the near future because it promises long-lasting colour. 

 


The purpose of a beauty haul in a box is to try new things, and I am just so grateful that this has been included in the box and I got to try out a shampoo and conditioner (after my mother and sister helped themselves). It did wonders to my dry hair after just a single wash and I like that it is a new experiential fragrance for my crowning glory. Love!
  

I like that Godiva has been generous with the sachets of lotion and deodorant. I've just started using them so let's see how they turn out. This couldn't have come at a better time because I need to restock on lotion.  As for the deodorant, I'm not so keen on it being in sachet, a tiny sample bottle could have been helpful. 

 

I haven't yet tried these masks and both of them says firming so I have to close my eyes, do an eenie-minie-miney-mo and try one for the weekend and I can tell you all about it.


Before the boxes were shipped, BDJ announced that they were giving away flip flops to 100 subscribers. I didn't get them but received a voucher for a free Avon brassiere. Would the ZC branch accept it, I wonder.


For this month's set of stickers, it says A Happy Woman Is A Beautiful Woman.

I do fancy the sleeping pack and nail polish, and I like the Organix hair care set so I have to check out how to get full-sized goodies pretty soon. It's just like a delicious treat on the head!

That's pretty much the contents of this month's box. Have a good week and enjoy the rest of May!

Friday 16 May 2014

Product Spotlight: Skin White Power Whitening Body Wash

Skin White Whitening Body Wash from Sample Room
Shortly after The Cream Factory bid adieu, I found its replacement in one of Sample Room's features.

I am a self-confessed bar soap hoarder and have just become a body wash convert this year. Finding a back-up was fairly easy and this not-so little game player seems promising. I've also noticed that some brands have jumped into the body wash bandwagon. 

For a 200 ml bottle, it's very affordable at Php 99. That's like the amount of two bar soaps and this bottle can surely  last for more than a month! For someone who enjoys fresh showers in the morning to start the day right, I find the scent a bit too overwhelming and the sweet fragrance just fills the whole bathroom. 


It is gentle on the skin though and I like that there is no need to apply lotion afterward. It has a gentle cleansing effect and it also softens my skin. I'm not quite sure about gauging its moisturizing effect but I do like that the formulation is not as runny. It lathers very well and does not leave any residue.

As for whitening, I'm not exactly keen on its whitening properties and I don't see any visible effects, not my primary goal is to whiten my skin with this wash. So I think this is a good cleansing wash but not necessarily a whitening wash especially if you want to have two tones lighter. 

I find that this is a fair body wash in general and can last a long time with regulated use giving you good money's worth. I believe this is the brand's first in the market and have high hopes that it will work well with its body lotions.


Have you tried this one too? What are your thoughts? Have a good weekend!

Saturday 10 May 2014

Book Review: The Most Important Meal of Their Lives by Send a Cow UK #BestStart



Photo from Dietician Without Borders



We hear it over and over again, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When we are concerned about our figure, our weight, we tend to skip breakfast and get on with our day. But for children who need the fuel to get through school and are stricken by poverty, skipping breakfast may not be such a wise choice. In fact, many children in Africa face overwhelming poverty, putting their ambitions on a very elusive pedestal. 
 
Send A Cow UK’s project is to introduce this book and highlighting breakfast choices of historical and iconic figures such as Florence Nightingale, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Albert Einstein.

We know a lot of these leaders in terms of their accomplishments in leadership, industries, humanitarian causes and science. The Most Important Meals Of Their Lives gives an idea of what these greats had for their breakfasts. 

The book also features recipes and other interesting facts like how astronauts followed strict lightweight diets in portions like bacon squares and cookie sugar cubes.

Alber Einstein: Fried eggs and honey, crisp rolls and decaffeinated coffee
What would have happened if Albert Einstein did not have breakfast when he first formulated the Theory Of Relativity? Did you know that he stuck to a vegetarian diet? The Great Eats also reveals that he had a personal invention that was positioned on his table to decaffeinate his coffee.

Christopher Columbus: Hardtack and legumes stew
Christopher Columbus relied on what stock he had on board as he circumnavigated the world.He may have also discovered all manner of culinary peculiarities and other exotic flavours during his journeys and explorations of the New World.

Jane Austen: pound cake, tea, cocoa and toast
 As an English novelist, Jane Austen has secured her place in literary history. She has introduced women with wit and social insights in her works. But not many readers know that "breakfast in the Austen household was traditionally served at 9am each morning, in the dining or drawing room..., it was Jane Austen’s job to prepare a feast of this kind."

Thomas Edison: Apple dumplings
Where would we be if Thomas Edison, an industrial leader and icon, have not had breakfast on the day he had that Eureka moment when he figured out his first light bulb invention? He was a conscious foodie but he was particularly fond of apple dumplings.

Winston Churchill: poached egg, cold meat, toast and grapefruit
British politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again in 1951 to 1955,  Sir Winston Churchill is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century. His preferred breakfast was documented on the back of a menu while on his last flight to the USA as Prime Minister in 1954.

What I Learned From the Book

I particularly like pancakes. They are my personal comfort food and I like them lathered with butter, so that means the more butter, the better, and I top it off my maple syrup. It turns out, "Honest Abe" Abraham Lincoln could gobble up Kentucky corn cakes faster than anyone can make them, and the brave Rosa Parks also adored featherlite pancakes. My guess is that she could have had it on the day she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus.

Other notable figures in the book are Florence Nightingale, William Shakespeare, Mother Teresa, First Men on the Moon, Barack Obama, Cleopatra, Charles Darwin, Amelia Earhart, Sigmund Freud, Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.

Who Would Enjoy This Book

This is a great library addition for foodies, historians, chefs in the making, bookworms, those looking for new breakfast recipes to try or anyone who is a fan of these historical icons. As for me, I consider myself lucky to have an e-book copy of this book and have had a glimpse of the breakfasts of these great leaders.

About Send A Cow UK 

Send A Cow UK follows research highlighting undernourished children in Rwanda and Uganda. These youngsters struggle with school because of poverty. Send A Cow's Break...Fast campaign aims to raise £500,000 to give to children in Africa for the #BestStart and every £1 donated will be doubled by the UK government.

The Most Important Meals Of Their Lives eBook is available to download from www.sendacow.org.uk/mostimportantmeal
For more information on the Break… Fast Appeal please visit www.sendacow.org.uk or tweet@SendaCow with the hashtag #BestStart.

*Thank you to Jocelyn from The Great Eats for providing me with the beautiful photos. Copy of the e-book was graciously provided by Send A Cow UK for this review.