What’s great about being the least kikay group among my friends is that I am looked at as a project. I also get concerned looks as in “neva please,magsuklay ka” or “neva di pa tapos ang araw dugyot ka na naman”. I’ve gotten so used to being dugyot at the end of the day that a friend coined the term “neva moment” for those times when your shirt get stained or your  hair gets roughed up and the day has just begun.  However, there is a benefit to being non-kikay and it’s being gifted with yummy stuff like the Skincare Discovery Set from Pangea Organics. The friend who gave me this is the most kikay and the most fair in our group. As in he was mistaken for Gretchen Barretto once. So I accepted the gift with a lot of excitement (yay!! kikinis na rin ako gaya ni Robby!) I would post a picture of Robby but googling Plinky Recto would give you the same results. As in ganun sya kaputi at kinis. He is a walking bond paper hahaha (Love you Rob!!)

The Skincare Discovery Kit came in this box:

Even the box is made from sustainable materials

The kit includes a cleanser, a scrub, a facial cream, a mask, a toner and a sampler of their eye cream. I was surprised! Complete ang line-up! From cleansing to moisturizing

I’ve been using the products for a month now and I have yet to get a rash or a reaction from the products. The formulation is really gentle and it doesn’t leave the skin dry. Pangea Organics doesn’t use perfume to mask the though so you really get the smell of the ingredients when using them. The most surprising was the adzuki bean scrub and the green tea facial mask as these both really smelled like beans and green tea. It was a pleasant surprise actually and everytime I’d use the facial scrub, I’d be reminded of the red bean smoothie I love ordering from Serenitea haha My most favorite products in the set are the cleanser and the toner. Both are mild and just leaves your skin fresh and smooth. The toner also comes as a spray so a few spriztes on your skin is all you need.

Pangea Organics is proud of the fact that it doesn’t use petroleum-based ingredients, sulfates or detergents, synthetic preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances and GMOs. If you’re the type that’s very particular about the use of these ingredients, this line is definitely for you. The kit sells for Php2,150. It’s a bit steep I know but you do get all the products in the box and they will last you a long time since you need to use a little bit each time. Pangea Organics is available locally at:

Souq Organics Boutique,
Unit B, G/F, Bellitudo, No. 79 Katipunan Ext., White Plains, Quezon City
Like the Souq Organics Boutique Facebook Page Here

Email: info@thesouqorganics.com

Phone: +632 4215745

Pinoys celebrate Christmas the longest. The first day of September ushers in a flurry of Christmas countdowns on Facebook, blogs, twitter and other social media sites. Pinoys love this holiday because it brings together families and friends over good food while reminiscing the past year’s (mis)adventures. A lot of my relatives live and work in the US but the power of social media has allowed us to remain in close contact. The Filipino Family is definitely bound by love and nowadays connections are kept strong by the technology and the power of the internet.

Did you know that Microsoft commissioned a survey form Impulse Research Corp which showed that 69 percent of Filipinos to keep in touch with family overseas? The Asia-Pacific average is 40 percent. 34 percent of Pinoys use Social Network as a means to connect with family and we are the only market in Asia where this is largely preferred over SMS. Lastly 89 percent of us Pinoys agree that technology has a positive impact on family relationships.

BDW  and I agree that technology is definitely a tool that should further connections and they should never be used as a crutch. If you use tech to your advantage, you can actually save time and have more time for your family and for nurturing your offline relationships as well.

This laptop that I’m writing this post on is a brand new HP Compaq and I had my techie brother-in-law install it with Windows 7. I had my old HP Pavilion laptop which has an astonishing 512MB of RAM (it was top of the line when I first bought it!!) reformatted and had Windows 95 installed (it was all the poor machine can handle). I grew up with Windows systems and it was through this that I was able to communicate to friends and family members all over the world (even if they were just in the next room haha). The installation of programs and applications are easy-peasy because everything can be installed on a Windows platform nowadays and for a non-techie like me it’s a must to have everything be intuitive. Skype, Facebook, hootsuite are the programs that I use often. I share DW’s milestones, congratulate my aunt on new cake she baked and to answer a cousin’s call for help for costumes keep the family close and absolutely well-connected. Then of course there’s this blog. Manilamommy.com is powered by WordPress and juiced up by Windows 7 on an HP laptop! Friends and relatives from all over come to this blog to see what my family is up to!

For the holiday season, a gift that would definitely keep on giving is a techie gadget, be it a phone or a laptop. These tools allow people to stay in touch even if they are a million miles away from each other. With the advent of so many social media platforms there really is no excuse to say hello or to send a virtual hug to the person you love.

If you’re looking for a gadget to give to a loved one here are some swanky and more importantly affordable offerings from Microsoft Philippines. There’s definitely a perfect one for daddy, mommmy and the kids.
For your husband and the daddy of the family:

ASUS UX 21

The Samsung 900X1A

Sony Vaio S-Series

The Toshiba Portege Z830

Here’s a list for us Mommies! A selection of light weight and portable laptops that we can take from the bedroom, to the dining room to the coffee shop to do our blogging, writing and surfing!

The Acer Aspire S3

The Dell Vostro V131

For the Kids 

The HP Pavilion dm1 – My first laptop is a Pavilion and it’s a powerful machine that doubled as my entertainment center. I used it as my dvd player and it allowed me to watch a lot of my favorite shows while I was working from home back then!

Samsung 700Z5A

The Lenovo IdeaPad U300s UltraBook

Sony Vaio Y Series

Install Windows 7 in these babies and you’d be guaranteed smooth sailing for years to come. I hope this list helps you when you go shopping for gadgets soon!

Right now, I have a fairly simple skincare routine, I have different cleansers (Hada Labo and Alba Botanicals) and different toners (Alba Botanicals with Salicylic Acid for days when my skin is hormonal and Human Nature). For moisturizers, I alternate between Olay and Celeteque. When I have time, I put on a mask (regular St. Ives’ clay mask) and I use the anti-aging serum from Celeteque. Now enter a new product that is getting more attention from my skin nowadays:

My newest nighttime moisturizer comes in a small bottle! My friend gave me a bottle of Souq International Inc.’s Moroccan Argan Oil. At first I thought it would be crazy to put on oil on my already oily skin. Counter intuitive right? However just one drop of the oil at nighttime (although the bottles says 2-3 drops) has certainly boosted my skincare routine! My skin loves it too! I never had any breakouts with this product considering how sensitive my skin is (I get rashes from Neutrogena would you believe?!). The oil also left my skin silky not slimy and I woke up the next morning with a face that’s moisturized and soft, not oily at all!

The distributors of Moroccan Argan Oil, Souq International Inc shared with me what Argan Oil is made of and why it’s safe to use on any type of skin:

The Souq Organics Moroccan Argan Oil is 100% organic. The 30ml bottle contains nothing but pure Argan Oil from Morocco. It is just as good, if not better than other Argan Oil brands in the market because it is cold pressed, and produced under rigorous and strict quality management systems. Our Argan Oil is certified organic by Europe-based ECOCERT – one of the largest organic certifications organizations in the world and at Php 1500, it retails almost half the price of other premium Argan Oil brands out there!

The bottle comes with a dropper but it’s easy to apply promise.  I just use place one drop on the tip of my left index finger and dab it on my face and then spread it on like I would any regular moisturizer. The oil is easily absorbed into the skin so there’s no greasy residue and  you won’t wake up to face that’s shiny.

Argan Oil is said to have a variety of uses such as:

• Restores and rejuvenates the skin from the damaging effects of pollution, sun exposure, oxidation, tobacco, stress and other environmental factors
• Moisturizes dry, dull skin
• Regulates oily skin
• Softens skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles
• Reduces skin irritation and redness, especially in the treatment of acne, blemishes, eczema, psoriasis and skin asthma
• Makes scars and keloids less noticeable
• Maintains skin elasticity preventing stretchmarks
• Alleviates rheumatism and arthritis pain
• Nourishes, strengthens and protects the hair cuticle from root to tip to prevent breakage
• Stimulates new hair growth
• Moisturizes hair, promotes shine and smoothens frizz
• Strengthens brittle nails

My friend who gave me the bottle of argan oil uses the product on his hair and scalp. The oil can also be combined with other skincare products and it won’t affect their effectivity. I have tiny zit on my forehead now and I use a salicylic acid lotion for spot treatment. The oil prevents the surrounding skin from drying up.

To learn more about Argan Oil you may visit Souq International’s website at www.souqinternational.com or at their facebook page here.

You can also find these at popular bazaars including Mercato Centrale.  A 30 ml bottle costs Php 1,500. I’m going to give away a bottle soon so stay tuned for the giveaway!!