Marks & Spencer White Peach & Almond Hand & Nail Cream

There's a part of me that can't believe that I've reached a point in my life where I regularly need hand cream.

A month or so ago, I began using this when I saw that regular lotion wasn't just cutting it due to frequent hand and dish washing, along with some laundry. My poor, dry hands then found this M&S White Peach & Almond Hand & Nail Cream lying around the house.

M&S White Peach & Almond Hand & Nail Cream

I think this is an older version, and current packaging is far prettier but with a flip-top cap. As a 100 ml tube, it's a bit bulky to carry around. The screw cap, however, is a good fit if you have a big enough bag. The scent is really nice and lasts for a while, and sinks into damp to dry skin in less than a minute.

While this isn't a miracle cream, it does the job of moisturizing my hands well enough without leaving any residue. I've been using it twice or thrice a day while in the house since I find it too big for my bag.

I don't think this product is suitable for either very dry skin or cold weather, but for those living in the tropics, this is a very adequate everyday hand cream.

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil

A few weeks ago, I had a skin reaction. Now I'm not sure if it was due to too much exposure to the sun, too much alcohol or an effect of my own sweat, or even a combination of 2 or even all 3 -but it did leave parts of my skin red and even sting-y at times. My normal lotions made it sting more so I decided to use an oil instead.

At first I tried Neutrogena Body Oil, which I love using. However, it still stung my sensitive skin. I then thought of using a natural oil - but I was out of sunflower oil and coconut oil - while it didn't sting, also didn't sink into my skin. I couldn't wear a nice shirt on top of it, much less leave the house. Fortunately, I found a bottle of Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil lying around the house and decided to use it.

Palmer's Skin Therapy Oil

I put more than a few drops of the oil 2-3 times a day after showers. It stung a bit at first (but much less than the lotions and neutrogena during the first two days of use) and not a t all after. While the oil doesn't absorb as easily as the Neutrogena Body Oil, it did sink in after 20 minutes or so -unlike my VCO. The oil smelt like chocolate and the residual scent lasted a bit longer than the Neutrogena. I don't know how much this product costs, but I did like this product as my skin was no longer red by the end of the week.

The only thing I dislike about this product is that, like the Neutrogena Body Oil, the container gets oiled  up easily (you can see the oil marks on the bottom, advantage to Neutrogena), though it hasn't accumulated as much dirt.

I haven't used this on my face (its been off any moisturizers - I've been using a concentrate for the summer, and am unlikely to switch until my skin gets drier) but I might try it out in the future. I won't hesitate to use this anytime my skin becomes sensitive and reacts to something, and I'd recommend this for those with dry or problematic skin like I did.

DIY Scarf

I haven't been very productive this summer, so I wanted to make something to prove to myself that I was not a 100% bum. Maybe 99% only. So here it goes:

I went out and got myself 2 skeins of yarn and used this youtube tutorial here to make myself a scarf. This was a hand-knitted scarf: the youtube instructions were for a cowl but I made a long scarf instead.

Red Heart Reflective Yarn in Peacock

I bought was Red Heart Reflective Yarn  in Peacock from V.C. Trading in Cubao. Each skein costs P340 for a total of P680. That was all I spent on this project since no needles were required. I wish I could find something cheaper since this yarn costs $6. Use a bulky yarn - in my case, each skein was 100g and 80m long for a 6mm needle. I'd actually prefer using a bulkier yarn and use this to knit with needles, but I couldn't find a thicker alternative.

I ended up with a scarf with a loose weave, around 8 ft long since I stopped only once I saw that I was running out of yarn. For some reason, it looks green-ish in the pictures but it's actually blue.

The weave is really loose and it's not meant to be stretched out. Because its reflective, it's best used at night :D

Compared with something green to see the blue tones better. A nice messy scarf for a night out with friends.

Does one ever outgrow chocolate?

After gorging myself on a variety of choco-licious goodies, I began to wonder wether or not I should stop, or at least moderate my intake of this gift of the gods, be it in solid or liquid form. Now, I won't say how old I am, but ever since I stopped being a teen, I've told myself that it would be the last year of me eating whatever I pleased, and I'd do better once I was a year older - because my metabolism would be slower and I needed to take better care of myself. And this went on ad nauseam (was this expression even used correctly? Oh well).

Now, I have definitely noticed a decrease in my metabolic capability - as evidenced by the clockwise movement of the bathroom scales as the years pass. I also have had some success at slowing the rate of weight increase by a variety of mechanisms - healthy or otherwise.

However, there is one food group that I have failed to suppress the consumption thereof:

Chocolate.

It deserves its own category separate from sweets or any other. It is a food group on its own. It is happiness in your mouth (yes, even more than my other beloved - bacon).

Whether local or imported: I cannot stop myself from devouring these treats. Bite-sized bits (why bother calling them party-sized?) disappoint me; a full sized bar to share or to hoard is something I look forward to, even as I know that it does not fill the stomach like it fills the mouth.

Will there ever come a time that I disdain chocolate? Probably not.

One day, I hope to try all the good chocolate there is. Right now, I'll satisfy myself with whatever I can find.


Was there a point to this?

Yes. I'd like to point out that I just really love chocolate!