Blog Makeover Success!

I mentioned in my previous post that I was frustrated with my failed attempts to give my blog a new look. I ended up ruining everything. I have the best intentions but the worst IT skills. I gave up and admitted that I needed someone to dress up my page. I discovered someone who accepts personalized blogging design services. I can afford the services but not the means of payment. I don't have a loaded paypal account. Though my credit card is linked with my account, sending money using my credit line does not sound like a good idea. It would cost me more. I tried Western Union and Moneygram only to discover the equally expensive service fees. Despite the expensive costs, I admit that I almost took the bait out of frustration.

I blogged about my sentiments and good thing, Duni suggested Etsy. At first, I thought that Etsy only caters to the tangible and handmade goods. To my surprise, I discovered a niche of talented graphic artists. I searched for blog designs and I was brought to a heaven of beautiful blogger templates. I kept my choices and narrowed down to around three sellers. I sought the opinion of my friend T in choosing the template that best describes my personality. She told me that this template appears to be the nearest to my identity. Though to be honest, blue is actually my favorite color. Haha I don't even have a shirt in pink or peach in my closet. I love floral designs but I don't wear them. The most that I can do is to carry floral printed bags like that of Cath Kidston. But how come I ended up with these color schemes? I may not admit it, but deep inside, I guess my female hormones dictate that I should appreciate these feminine colors. Setting aside my identity crisis (haha) I guess I appreciate the light and refreshing combinations of peach, pink, and white.

The person who took away my frustration is Melissa Stubbings from down south Australia. She is the Etsy crafter of this template. Melissa is also a blogger, you can refer to her blog here. You can view her templates and other products in Etsy here. 

It was my first time to purchase anything on Etsy. Melissa made my first experience a positive one. I bought the template, paid it using my paypal account and emailed my preferences. She finished everything in less than 48 hours. She almost beat the record of 24-hour service delivery, considering that I gave additional instructions even though the design was already preset. Unlike other Etsy sellers, Melissa didn't charge me with installation and customization fees. She was very accommodating and immediately answered my queries. Aftersale services is 5 out of 5 stars. I'm highly recommending Melissa for your blog design makeover.

My blog makeover attempt is now mission accomplished. There's only one thing I worry about...When my credit card bill arrives, I hope paypal will not surprise me with humongous transaction fees. 

P.S. Thanks again Duni! Oh I almost forgot, let's make Duni happy by window shopping on her Etsy shop. You might end up making your first Etsy purchase too :)   

BLOG MAKEOVER ONGOING :(

Hopefully, this gets resolved soon

This melted my heart

Photo not Owned by the Author 

You Scoop's story

Bibili lamang si YouScooper Sedricke Lapuz ng aklat nang makita niyang nagbabasa sa loob ng isang Booksale sa Maynila ang isang batang pulubi.

Kitang-kita sa mukha ng bata ang saya habang nagbabasa nang malakas at tumitingin sa mga larawan. Nilapitan ni Sedricke ang bata at tinanong kung marunong ba siyang magbasa. "Kaunti lamang po," sagot ng bata.

Hindi akalain ni Sedricke na may mga batang salat man sa yaman, nais pa ring matuto. Matapos nilang mag-usap, naisip niyang bilhin ang alinmang librong magustuhan ng bata. Hiling niya, nawa'y matulungan ang bata.

~

Ralph Sedricke Lapuz saw a kid beggar in Booksale (a famous bargain and second hand bookstore chain in the Philippines). Sedricke noticed the kid's happiness. He was amused with the pictures, while loudly reading the book.  
  
Sedricke approached the kid and asked whether he knows how to read. The kid told him that he can read to a limited extent. 

Sedricke was amazed because there are kids who still hunger for knowledge despite poverty. After their conversation, Sedricke gifted the kid with any book he wanted. Sedricke hopes that the kid will receive the right assistance someday.

~ 

Hats off  to my favorite Booksale for not depriving this kid of the rare opportunity. This makes me love more Booksale.  
Like Sedricke, my heart goes to the kid who has the purest intention of finding happiness in reading.
 
Hopefully, a kind heart will give the kid a chance. 

Reviewed! Human Nature's Sunflower Beauty Oil

I cannot count the number of times I blogged about my addiction to Human Nature’s products. There are two reasons why I love the brand. It's organic and very affordable! Perfect for us who don't like to splurge on beauty products.  As compared to other imported organic brands in the market, Human Nature is way cheaper. Though it’s a bit expensive than the mass produced beauty products, the price difference is very minimal.

I’ve previously reviewed the Moisturizing Night Cream. For this post, I will share my experience using the Sunflower Beauty Oil.

The oil is part of their moisturizing line. As shown in the company’s site, here are the main benefits claimed by the product

1. Softens and lightens underarms
2. Lightens dark under eye circles
3. Lightens dark spots and pimple marks
4. Under eye moisturizer
5. Prevents and diminishes the appearance of stretch marks
6. Softens feet soles, knees and elbows
7. Removes stubborn makeup
8. Overall body moisturizer
9. Moisturizes dry hair ends
10. Softens the cuticles
11. De-frizzes hair
12. Adds shine to dull hair
13. Relieves itching and inflammation caused by insect bites
14. Nourishes and conditions eyelashes
15. Lightens dark lips
16. Soothes skin after shaving
17. Relieves itchy scalp
18. Soothes skin damaged by sunburn
19. Smoothens skin from shaving
20. Helps soothe rashes
21. Helps heal skin infections
22. Hydrates dry patches
23. Helps lighten lesions and scars.

For someone who doesn’t like to purchase and use too many skin products, the Sunflower Oil might work for you. It claims to perform the moisturizing needs from head to foot. In my case, I limit my use to the following

1.      I use it as a hair serum.  - Unlike other hair serums, the product doesn’t cause itching and intense dryness.  I also used it to protect my hair from tangles after all a long day of swimming and being exposed from the sun in Palawan. Though recently, I discovered that Human Nature has its own Hair Serum. I might try it soon. 

2.       I use it to remove makeup. – Though I feel no difference if I use baby oil. In the long run though, it might give my skin more benefits since it's organic.  

3.       It can soothe rashes – When I got allergies from our Palawan trip, I used Petroleum Jelly to heal the nasty rashes. In some days, I also applied this oil. I believe both contributed  in faster healing. The product saved me from paying a dermatologist.

4.       It can serve as a moisturizer in some areas of my face – I use it to lighten the dark circles that are starting to thrive under my eyes. Though I can’t still decide if it’s really working. Let's see after some more years. 

5.       It lessened the pain of sunburn – After all the island hopping adventures in Palawan, I apply the oil before washing my face. It lessened the pain of the sunburns.

6.       I applied it to some of my old and new scars – It didn’t totally eliminate the scars. I can however attest that it lightened both my old and newly acquired scars. It happened after religiously applying the product at least once a day. The product can serve as a substitute for the expensive scar removing creams.  The product claims that it can also reduce stretch marks. Anyone who has experienced the capability of the product to remove stretch marks?

For a product that can perform these much functions, I can give it 5 out 5 stars. It serves me well and I’m still discovering whether the other functions might work on me.  Another thing to love about the product, affordable! The small (100 ml) bottle sells for Php 149.50 while the big bottle costs Php 249.50. I also have to mention that the small bottle lasted more than a month. It addresses both product quality and value for money.

The only weakness I see among Human Nature products is as always, the limited distribution channels. It’s available in Beauty Bar, Rustan’s Supermarkets, Landmark, through a personal dealer or online in this site.

Beautiful Sunday # 56 - My greatest love of all

I'm nursing a rare headache while typing this post at 1 am. It must be because of the weather, I overslept or my frustration about my failed blog makeover. I'll catch more sleep as soon as I finish this post. When I wake up, I'm hoping for a really Beautiful Sunday.

I know this is late for Mother's Day. But last Sunday, I was able to treat my Nanay for dinner. We went malling, Nanay had her favorite taho and ended the day at Cafe Lidia.

We had our favorite Sansrival Slice, Spicy Buffalo Wings and Pasta Marinara. Now I realize that I should do this more often. I should bring Nanay to my favorite restaurants every month.

Since I'm talking about eating here, I'm sharing my recent food discoveries. This is not another restaurant find though. Payday is faraway to splurge on another expensive meal ;) What I will share are new cheap but tasty snacks added in my list.

I've always been loyal to Ruffles, Lays and Doritos. Fritos is something new for me since I rarely see this in supermarkets. I found this at the workplace's cafe. For those who are following me on Instagram, you might remember my verdict for Fritos. Lasang Chippy (It tastes like the local corn chips, Chippy) I was a bit disappointed but there's one thing I appreciate about Fritos. Unlike Lays and Ruffles, the entire bag is full of chips and not air! This may not be my best heavenly junk food but for the sake of quantity and value for money, Fritos is good.

This one is a new discovery. I love Japanese rice snacks. We are bit lucky in the Philippines because Japan is nearer. Hence, there's always an area for Oriental snacks in most large supermarkets. The only thing I don't like here is the relatively expensive prices of imported goods.

Good news is that one local company developed my favorite Japanese rice biscuits. The pack only costs Php 26, which contains around a dozen of these individually wrapped biscuits

Highly recommended! Cheap, tasty and almost authentic Japanese

When I went to the supermarket, my only plan was to grab some light snacks for work. But when I passed by the area for imported goods, this caught my attention. I love Spam and for us Filipinos, this is a common pasalubong (gift) from our friends and relatives working abroad.

My all time favorites include the Classic Spam and Hickory Barbecue. It's my first time to encounter a variant in Jalapeno. I took this home and my verdict, 5 out of 5 stars.

Since I'm very excited to taste the Jalapeno style, I have to ensure that this will be breakfast the next day

Life on the refrigerator door! 

After a week long work, Friday night is always the best day to unwind and meet up friends. I didn't get invites but I'm itching to go out. As always, I'm doing things on my own but splurging for an expensive meal cannot happen. Hence, I ended up with an all time reliable favorite.

Rice with spicy chicken chorizo from Rice in a Box!

A closer look of what's inside

While other women consider chocolates as comfort food, mine is always different. I go for carbo loading to make myself feel good.

And speaking of more crabs, here's what I had for lunch yesterday

Who says I'm on a diet?

By now, I hope you have understand the title of this post ;)  Wishing everyone a great Sunday!