Daphne Oseña Paez sent me Vaseline lotions

I love that the new endorser of Vaseline Healthy White Perfect 10 is Daphne Oseña Paez. She's such a gracious woman. When she sent out gift packs to her friends, she put the lotions in a sturdy cream box and enclosed a personal note in each.

Perfect 10. She says I'm a Perfect 10. I think only my husband thinks that of me. So it's really sweet that another person—an amazing woman at that!—thinks I'm a Perfect 10, too.

A lot of times, wives and mommies and career women forget to take care of themselves. There's always something to do, something more important, more urgent. And then when we end up looking old and ugly, we console ourselves with the thought that we sacrificed ourselves for the more important things in life. Well, that's nice. Very noble. But unnecessary! It's totally possible to love ourselves and love our families and careers!

Vaseline's lotions make that easy. They're multi-tasking (whitening, nourishing, moisturizing, protecting and anti-aging!). They're fast absorbing. And they're affordable. Perfect for busy women everywhere!

I haven't tried the Healthy White line yet, to be honest. I'm still using the Total Moisture line. I am currently finishing my bottle of Aloe Fresh. I super love it. It's light, smells fresh, absorbs fast and I am really truly smooth and moist (but not greasy) all over.

Best of all, my husband likes massaging the lotion on me! And this is a man who hates greasy, thick, perfumed lotions. Vaseline's lotions passed his test. And mine! Definitely recommending these! You can buy Vaseline from any supermarket and drugstore. Be a Perfect 10... just like me (according to Daphne)!

*Daphne photo from Philippine Star

Went shopping for my fave Kiehl's stuff!

Lenny Tiongson of Kiehl's invited me and some friends to shop, shop, shop at the newly opened boutique at Mall of Asia. Oh, what fun we had!

That's Lenny with OK! magazine's beauteous beauty team,
Nicole Delos Angeles and Nichole Reyes-Mercado.

Preview's Lyca Puno, Eunice Lucero and Agoo Bengzon. 

And here's what I bought:

Why? Here are my reasons!

• For Vito: 2 bottles of Kiehl's Baby Gentle Foaming Hair & Body Wash - This is super duper my favorite for the convenience! The wash foams up so there's no mess and no sponges. I love the barely-there scent (some baby washes are too fragrant) and best of all, it's so gentle on Vito's baby skin. 
• For Vince: 1 bottle of Acai Damage-Minimising Cleanser - Vince says, "I really like that," when I asked him about this facial foam. He says his skin really improved while using this and I can definitely vouch for that! 
• For me: 2 tubes of Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 - I actually use Lancome SPF 50 makeup base but I don't think it's very good because after months of use, I still have sun damage. So I'm switching to this. My friends say it's the best SPF 50, both in texture and efficacy.

Thanks, Lenny!

To my readers, here's where to find Kiehl's fab boutiques: At the ground level of Greenbelt 5, nearest the driveway, just along Legaspi St., and at the second level of Mall of Asia, just enter the main door (ya, where the globe is) and go up the escalator and go right. Have fun shopping!

Johnson's & Johnson's and Bayo: Show off soft skin!

Okay, picture-heavy post up ahead!

Recently, I was invited to the fashion and beauty collaboration of Johnson's & Johnson's Body, Bayo and Preview. Bayo was tasked to create clothes to show off lovely skin--courtesy of J&J, of course!--to be debuted in Preview and to be sold to the public this summer. I got two invitations, as a magazine editor and as a Nuffnang blogger (photo above stolen from Nuffnang!), which makes it hard now for me when I'm at the registration table since I want to register as both... but I always register as media; it is, after all, my job!

Me and Lee Shen Gee of Shen's Addiction

Grooming gifts for the baby!

My little boy is so lucky. Here he is, in my tummy, working hard to develop his little body to become strong and healthy and already he's got pampering products waiting for him!

Kiehl's Baby Gentle Foaming Hair & Body Wash 

and Nurturing Baby Cream for Face & Body

Olay Body pits models together for a fashion walk-off!

These days, it seems that we're running out of excuses to look old and ugly! With beauty products and treatments all filled with ingredients that promise to keep us tight, taut, smooth, soft, fair, etc, the only thing keeping us from looking our best is laziness!

To be honest with ya, I'm a super lazy girl when it comes to beautification. So I like products that do double duty. I like my moisturizer to have SPF, for example. I like my shampoo to not just clean my hair but also give it body. I like my toothpaste to have flouride and whiteners. Etc! So when it comes to my soap and shower gels, you can bet I use those that clean and moisturize at the same time!

Olay Body believes this, too! With its new Olay Body Age Defying Moisture Bar, women (and men, too!) can now start their anti-aging regimen in the shower. Regular soaps are meant to just clean your skin (which is a good thing!) but the Olay Body bar will moisturize it, too, so that you can fight dry and dull skin and improve skin texture. In fact, Olay Body bar promises that after just seven showers, you'll look younger. Hmmm!

Loving my La Mer lotion

I feel very soft and young and luscious lately because of a gift Ina Casas of La Mer gave me a few months ago--a big tube of La Mer Body Creme. She told me it was a "Congratulations on your pregnancy!" gift but I haven't been using it because, well, I wanted to try out Palmer's Cocoa Butter first.

Now I use them both--Palmer's on the ever expanding parts of me and La Mer everywhere else. And my skin is so soft! I feel so gorgeous and delectable. And it's also so hydrating, I don't need to use it every day. So even if it's pricey, I don't feel like my money is draining away because I hardly use it. In other words, it lasts longer.

I'm baaaaaack, beauties!

I haven't blogged here since forever! Beauty blogging is hard, folks. I thought it would be easy, given how many products I get as the editor of OK! Philippines. But the beauty industry is beyond huge! Every week, there's a new product launch, a new innovation, a new technology, new stuff to review... and I just can't keep up. The products and press kits have made mini-mountains at my desk at work and at home. My bosses and my husband are complaining!!!

Here are just some of the lovely boxes I've been getting from...

Olay
the new Regenerist Cream

Lancome
Magnifique perfume and body lotion 
with a tiny tube of mascara

Bobbi Brown
lip glosses and an eye shadow palette
with a personalized pot of lip color

I have a lot more. You won't believe how many more I have--boxes and crates and cabinets of this fabulous stuff! I almost posted photos of my office and my overflowing product cabinet but I got embarrassed at my mess. So I'm finally going to blog about the stuff I've been getting--for the sake of my marriage and my job!

I do want to say that the beauty industry's been pretty exciting this 2010. So many new things for primping and prettification! So do visit this blog soon as I have a lot of things to tell you about--all of them beautiful!

Let yoga, surfing and samba make you beautiful

My friend--super mom Monica Eleazar-Manzano--is a health nut. And why not? Since she had her gorgeous baby boy Santiago, Monica's been taking care of her mind, body and spirit so that she can be the best wife and mom she can be. If you wish to also love yourself so you can be better at loving others, why don't you join Monica in a "Weekend Retreat of the Senses" this November?On November 28-30, at the San Juan Surf Resort in La Union, you can learn Vinyasa yoga, commune with nature, ride quality waves, dance to the beat of the drums and nourish yourself with healthy wholesome food. The FLOW Surf.Yoga.Samba Weekend Retreat aims to unify the body, mind and soul.

Monica tells me, "Practicing yoga will develop focus, strength and flexibility. Surfing will develop your confidence, stamina and ocean awareness. Dancing and creating music enhances sense of well-being and build social skills. The whole retreat is complemented with vegetarian food to help nourish this unique journey to self-discovery."

Rates are:

• P6,500 per person
• P6,000 early bird rate (Register and pay on or before Oct. 5, 2009)

Package Inclusions:

• 2 Vinyasa Yoga sessions by Monica Eleazar-Manzano
• 2 Surfing lessons with Luke Landrigan of The Billabong Surf School
• 2 Samba lessons and jamming with Escola de Samba Manila
• Roundtrip transportation from Manila-La Union
• Food & Lodging
• Healthy Meals (w/ vegetarian option)
• Flow T-Shirts
• Tote Bag with freebies from sponsors

Sounds interesting, right? At the very least, you'll have a weekend nourishing yourself, enjoying the waves and meeting new people--all of which are guaranteed to make you beautiful inside and out!

For more details, contact Monica at (0915)294-3441 or at flowsurfyogasamba@gmail.com.

This event is co-presented by Gaiam and Sanuk. In partnership with Nivea. Major sponsors are ROX, Sea to Summit, Nalgene, Fitflop. With special participation of Sofitel, Fluidsurf, Twinkle, Moringana, Brownbelly and Dharma. Media partners ONESPORT, Action & Fitness Magazine, QTV, NU107

Wine treatments for super soft skin

If you think skin exfoliation is a modern invention, you'll be surprised. Egypt's famous queen Cleopatra was said to bathe in milk--the lactic acid dissolves dead skin cells. In the Middle Ages, wine was used as a skin exfoliant--the tartaric acid doesn't only exfoliate, it's an antioxidant, too.

Me, Nikki and Nicole

So when Ola Bailon of The Spa invited me and a couple of editor friends to try out their latest treatments involving wine, we said, "Yes!"

I love how bright and clean the sink area is. Enjoyed hot ginger tea here.

Vinotherapy
a slimming beauty treatment that starts with a soak in a tub of wine-infused bubble bath followed by a scrub using grape and apricot extracts then a mineral-rich body wrap.
90 minutes. P1,900 for executive room, P2,400 for premiere villa.

Verdict: Nikki loved every minute of it except that she hoped to relax (sleep) but couldn't because she had to rinse after each step of the treatment. But she was very happy with the treatment and we loved how yummy she smelled after.

The lovely Jacuzzi

Red Wine Sparkler Scrub
Treatment starts with a thorough body scrub using red wine extract then a wonderful Swedish massage follows.
90 minutes. P1,900 for executive room, P2,400 for premiere villa.

Verdict: Nicole and I think this is absolutely wonderful! Oh, I fell asleep. And I am definitely going back for more. My husband tells me my skin is so much smoother. Though I enjoyed the heavenly massage and all, what the hubby said, well, that's what sealed the deal for me. I am going to be a regular at The Spa from now on!

The massage bed. The leaf cubicle is the sauna and shower.

Book an appointment at The Spa, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Tel nos. 856-5858/6868

The Beauty Writer

And the winner is...

Kristine of A Piece of My Mind

Prize: P10,000 worth of face and body treatments
from Aesthetic Science Clinic Makati

Congratulations! Please email me at frances@topazhorizon.com so we can discuss how I'll be sending your gift certificates.

I'm super excited for you, Kristine. I just had a lovely lunch with Dr. Yanee Vasquez-Santos. She is the prettiest doctor I've ever met! She's really hot, too. So when she showed me around the Makati clinic, I was looking forward to getting some treatments because I want to be as pretty and sexy as Dr. Yanee!

The Aesthetic Science Clinic at Jupiter St., Makati, is also spankin' brand new with fabulous facilities. I'm going to be having some slimming treatments done there, too. Maybe we'll see each other there!

To everyone else who joined this contest, thank you! I'm already cooking up another contest (but in a couple of months--I'd really like to focus on reviewing beauty stuff instead of me looking for stuff to give away!). I hope you'll still join in on the fun.

The Beauty Writer

WIN! Gift certificates for face and body treatments at Aesthetic Science

CONTEST CLOSED

I promised my readers a giveaway and here it is!

Sitting on my desk are fabulous gift certificates from Aesthetic Science Clinic for Cosmetic Dermatology and Plastic Surgery.

I am giving them all away to ONE LUCKY READER!

Here's what the winner will get:

• Diamond Peel worth P1,200 - This innovative non-chemical exfoliation treatment corrects the signs of aging and sun damaged skin with no downtime at all. It also helps in the improvement of acne scars and stretch marks. For optimal results, a series of treatments is advised. It is a safe and therapeutic approach to skin care when done in combination with other facial treatments.
• eMax Skin Rejuvenation worth P3,500 for face - uses combined energies for effective and gentle restoration & rejuvenation of skin appearance
• Body Scrub with Bleach plus Massage worth P1,400 - A 2-hour relaxing body treatment for softer, smoother and lighter skin. A rich sea salt is blended with the finest oils that has exfoliating properties and is used to remove dead and unwanted skin. A bleaching agent is then applied all over the body.
  
• Reshape worth P4,000 for abdomen/butt and thighs - employs cutting edge RF technology to heat the inner layer of skin to achieve a Total Body Reshaping and sculpting. This revolutionary heat wave therapy will improve your body contour and skin texture to give you that toned, firm look without aggressive exercise or dieting.

That's a total of P10,000 worth of facial and body treatments!

Want to be pampered? Here's how you can win:

1. Write about the contest in your blog.
2. Make sure to link your post to this post.
3. Leave a comment informing me of your post.
4. Wait for 7 days. Contest ends on July 3 midnight and I'll announce the winner the next day!

The winner will be drawn randomly. Of course, I'll be checking if he/she also did a post on his/her blog first! I will then send the fabulous gift certificates to the winner--shipping's on me!
Gift certificates are valid until August 31, 2009. Winner may claim the treatments at:
Aesthetic Science Clinic
G/F Jupiter Place, Jupiter Street
Bel-Air, Makati City

Good luck! Spread the word!

The Beauty Writer

Spot on Plastic Surgery and Stars

I wrote for the newly revamped website Spot.ph and my story on stars and plastic surgery is causing quite a bit of talk. I don't know why it's controversial--I mean, in this day and age when cosmetic surgery centers and spas are practically on every corner, believe me when I say it's no big deal. What is a big deal for me is when you've obviously done something and you keep denying it!

I confess that I wish I could have a boob job. I'm a very small AA. Yes, you read that right. But my husband says emphatically, "More than a mouthful is too much." Now if that was too graphic for you, then maybe you'll say I really don't need the Orgasm after all because my hubby sure knows how to make me blush!

How about you--If you could have anything done, what would it be? And would you really do it? Why or why not?

The Beauty Writer