Archives for May 2018

Review: Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief

May 18, 2018 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

I’ve had this fabulous body lotion since forever and I’ve only thought about writing this review now. Go figure! If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s the fact that I love all kinds of minty scents. I suffer from asthma and cat allergies all the time and I love fragrances that decongest, hahaha! No, but really. Any kind of mentholated scents, I love. That’s why it’s so easy for me to fall in love with the Bath and Body Works Stress relief range!

In fact, I have the body gel version of this body lotion but that’s a subject for another review. Let’s talk about the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief lotion, shall we?

What is it: Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Lotion

According to the brand, the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief lotion is a:

Ultra-creamy, fast-absorbing body lotion with nourishing shea butter & Vitamin E is formulated to give skin long-lasting moisture. An aromatherapy blend of natural ingredients & essential oils benefits body, mind & mood. Breathe deeply for best results.

Quality and Packaging

I’m a sucker for great packaging! I just love the old packaging of the Aromatherapy range. Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Lotion is housed in a glass bottle.

The glass bottle and the dispenser look and feel so old school. These little things just add to the immensely satisfying experience of applying the product, you know?

The bottle has a nice heft to it, it doesn’t feel nor look flimsy. The plastic pump dispenses the right amount of product. The dispenser works smoothly and is robust.

Performance

The lotion itself is creamy yet lightweight. The product spreads evenly and is easily absorbed by the skin. The lotion has a lovely minty scent, which I adore. It’s doesn’t have any cooling quality though.

If you have extra thirsty skin, apply this to a slightly damp skin so the product absorbs better. The scent is never overpowering nor migraine-inducing. Quite long-lasting too, love it!

I love the formula, it smoothens the skin and keeps the texture supple and bouncy. It’s not ultra hydrating enough for dry heels, knees, or elbows though. I prefer applying the lotion at night when my room is nice and cool! It’s nor greasy per se but I wouldn’t use this on a hot day.

Final Thoughts

I love B&BW’s aromatherapy line especially the eucalyptus and spearmint range so loving the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Stress Relief Lotion is hardly surprising. I love the overall quality of the packaging as well as the formula of the lotion!

Sephora PH Sale: What Did You Get?

May 10, 2018 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

Since I got knocked up, I lost interest in going out. I spend most of my time at home, trying not to throw up, basically. My favorite moisturizer was running out and since I was in no mood to travel to the city for a fresh pot, I decided to get a new moisturizer at Sephora PH. They were having a site-wide sale anyway so I’m bound to score a great deal.

I was supposed to get several items but I’m on a shopping ban so I had to trim my spending down. Hey, having a baby is expensive biz, y’all (I will write about the list of pricey baby things that I’m about to splurge on once I hit the third trimester).

One of the brands that I’ve always been intrigued by is Fresh. The brand is not available locally so I took this opportunity to get the Vitamin Nectar face cream at a discount. I also bought the Kat Von D Mother of All lip duo for good measure.

It took a while before my order arrived, which is okay since the products were shipped from Singapore. There was a five-day wait before I received my parcel. I didn’t get any freebies this time because I breezed through the payment process and totally forgot to check if there are freebies available for me.

When I got my parcel, I excitedly tried the moisturizer! I love the luxe packaging and the scent of the product. Unfortunately, the fragrance did not dissipate quickly and being pregnant, I am so so sensitive to fragrances. This means the review will have to wait! So, did you get anything from the Sephora sale?

Someone’s Knocked Up

May 2, 2018 by Tina Lee Leave a Comment

… dass right, ’tis I! Obviously, this is a major milestone so I must blog about it: I’m pregnant. Although we’ve been trying for a baby last year, we weren’t really successful. It came to a point where we were okay with not having kids at all.

I will confess: I’m not too fond of children. I like kids in the sense that I’m not responsible for them if you know what I mean. So you can imagine how much I freaked out when I found out that I’m pregnant!

How I Found Out I’m Preggers

A few days after our last vacation, I started feeling sick as a dog. I have gastritis and the symptoms (stomach cramps, nausea, headaches, bloating, gas) were so similar to that of a pregnancy that I thought nothing more of it. I just took some meds to ease the pain. This went on for a few days.

A week after our beach trip, we traveled to the city to treat a few of our friends to a belated birthday celebration. I must’ve strained myself during this time because I started getting these cripplingass cramps in my lower abdomen. The pain was so severe that it woke me in the middle of the night for three consecutive nights. That’s when I knew this wasn’t an ordinary case of gastritis. Stomach cramps from gastritis are usually centered in the upper abdomen.

When we got back to the province, I asked the hubs to get a couple of pregnancy tests. I used the first one as soon as I got it (afternoon) and it came out really weird. The second strip was a little visible which I never saw before:

I was doubtful that it’s a positive result because 1) it could be an evaporation line 2) it’s so faint, 3) I took the test in the afternoon, not early in the morning and 4) I was living in denial.

So, the next day, I took the second test and came out with the same result (the bottom one is the old test)

My husband’s brother and sister in law are doctors so he showed the pics and asked for confirmation. Both doctors said I was pregnant. Did I believe them? No, because when you live in denial, nothing makes sense. Which was weird considering how carefully we planned this.

I insisted on going to the hospital for an ultrasound, a traditional one, and a pelvic ultrasound. It’s funny because the doctors thought something was wrong with the baby because I asked for an ultrasound. I had to explain that I wanted to be sure that I was, indeed, pregnant.

During the first ultrasound sesh, it was confirmed that I was pregnant. I was told that the fetus is in early weeks of development and a followup ultrasound (pelvic ultrasound) is needed for a more accurate look at the fetus. Here’s my little peach as seen using the ultrasound:

The pelvic ultrasound (or trans-vaginal ultrasound) yielded a clearer image of the fetus. The fetus is the tiny white dot you’re seeing in the middle of that black oblong thing called a yolk sac:

Above is a zoomed-in image of my little peach. The cool part? The heartbeat was already detected so early. The doctor said, “Ma’am siguro po maniniwala na kayo na buntis ka kasi may heartbeat na,” (Ma’am, maybe now you’ll believe that you’re pregnant because (the baby) there’s a heartbeat) while zooming in on the white dot. It was so cool seeing the heartbeat, it looked as if the white dot is dancing.

What I Learned from This Experience

After a round of ultrasound, I learned that 1) ultrasound is only reserved for delicate pregnancies or when there’s a problem with the fetus. I also learned that I went to the doctor too early. Most expectant mothers come for checkups at the third month of pregnancy. I was only 6 weeks preggers (1 and a half month) when I had the ultrasound and was told to come back once I enter the end of the first trimester (3rd month) for the tests and blood work.

How am I Holding Up?

The cramping stopped as the pregnancy progressed. Morning sickness was so mild, it’s almost unnoticeable during the first month. But nausea hit me like a Stormbreaker to the nose by the seventh week. I’m still having bouts of morning sickness especially in the mid-morning and the evening. I try to sleep it off so I don’t have to barf. I read a lot of stuff online and it seems that morning sickness will last until the 4th month of pregnancy so please pray for me.

As for food aversions, it seems I hate most types of seafood now, which is totally bonkers. I love seafood guys, we even had a seafood Noche Buena because of it. These days, I cannot stand sushi, sashimi, and kinds of seafood that are slimy. It boggles the mind because sushi is one of my favorite dishes. Unreal! Most days I don’t feel like eating but I do it because I’d be nauseous if I don’t.

So far, I haven’t developed a taste for weird food combos. I’ve been eating more fruits these days + taking vitamins and that’s basically all the self-care I do. Some days, I feel so normal that I forget I’m pregnant.