TOPAZ HORIZON

As a birthday gift to myself, I decided I needed a more intensive facial. Because Flawless had taken such good care of my skin, my terrible acne has disappeared and I've been getting just a simple facial every 6 months or so. As in wala na talaga akong pimples so mga once a year na nga lang ako bumisita sa Flawless, just for cleansing my pores of whiteheads and blackheads. But since I was turning 42, I wanted something more powerful, more anti-aging, something that would really brighten and perk up my middle-aged face.

Pasok: Flawless Biotulin FNT facial!

Biotulin Supreme Skin gel is an organic and plant-based gel that promises hydration that plumps up skin and relaxes lines so that skin looks smoother and firmer. You can buy Biotulin but I like how Flawless administers it—through their Fractional Needling Therapy (FNT) method. 

FNT is also called microneedling. This treatment entails piercing the skin hundreds of times with tiny needles to stimulate collagen and elastin production. The tiny wounds trigger the skin to heal itself resulting to plumper skin, with dark acne marks fading and/or filling up. It also makes it easier for products to penetrate the skin. 

My Flawless dermatologist has been recommending FNT to me since 2016. She says that now that my acne has calmed down, FNT can fade my scars fast. I always say no, however, because I'm scared of needles. But when I read that Biotulin is popular among Hollywood celebrities, like Madonna and Kim Kardashian, and that Michelle Obama's makeup artist revealed that the former First Lady uses it upon the advice of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, then I HAD TO DO IT!

Here's what to expect from the treatment:

Face is cleansed, steamed, and pricked. I find this part very relaxing and usually nap while this is happening.

Next, a topical anaesthetic cream is applied all over the face. This is necessary because FNT is a treatment using tiny needles to break the skin, infuse the serum into the deeper layers while also stimulating collagen production. So masakit siya kung walang anaesthesia.

I wait 40 minutes for my face to go fully numb. I should've brought a book or checked Facebook. Well, I napped again. I'm a mommy. I nap whenever I can! So if you're a mom who wants to sleep, magpa-facial ka. Guaranteed nap na, maganda ka pa pag gising mo haha

Anyway, when my face was numb and ready, the dermatologist applied Biotulin serum all over my face and used the FNT needle-tipped wand to puncture my skin. Because of the anaesthesia, I didn't feel any pain. Just pressure from the wand. I do feel something when the derma works the wand around my eyes, like my eye areas are being scrubbed by sandpaper but hindi naman masakit. Then when she did my nose, nakaka-sneeze yung vibrations ng machine. Other than those feelings, nothing much was remarkable.

After my whole face was done, I asked, "When will I feel my face again?" I was told mga 2 hours. I was glad. I was scared I'd feel pain if the aneasthesia wore off too soon.

At home, I stared at my face. Well, I was no beauty queen. My skin was really red and a bit puffy especially my eye areas and cheeks. My kids didn't notice anything was amiss, though, so I figured I either don't look too bad or my kids never look at me haha.

Over the next week, the irritated skin and red pinpricks faded rapidly. And despite those, I could already see my skin was starting to look plump. By the end of the week, my laugh lines had disappeared and my crow's feet had softened. My dark acne scars also faded and my ice-pick scars didn't seem so deep anymore.

Every week, I looked better and better. Skin was tighter, smoother, plumper. My pores have all but disappeared (meron pa rin but lumiit sila super). I also have a radiance that made everyone say, "You do NOT look 42!"

Now, a month after, I love my face. My 42-year-old face! I think I look younger today than I did a few months ago! Also, when I look at just my face—parang pumayat ako. And I know from the weighing scale that hindi ako pumayat at all. I'm guessing this slimmed face is the lifted results from Biotulin's Botox-like ingredients. 

I was told I can do the Flawless Biotulin FNT facial every month but may kamahalan siya at P12,900 so baka twice a year lang ito magaganap, mga friends. Or maybe every birthday! I wish I could do it every month, though. It's so nice seeing my face like I've never seen it before—truly flawless!

I have three little boys. Everyone says I must be enjoying being the only female in my home. Okay, I love my kids and how sweet they are to me but I'm also very aware that that there's a huge divide between me and my sons, simply because of our gender. One, I don't think I'd ever understand their obsession with their penises. Two, I don't get why they're gross and why they love gross stuff like boogers and poop and stinky feet. Three, I can't fathom why they have to be yelling and running and jumping and darn near killing themselves and destroying the house to have fun. This has to be a boy thing because I don't know any girl kids doing these things!

I can't even begin to imagine what life would be like when they're teenagers and hormonal and dating. I pray I'll be a great boy mom in every way. Many Pinoy men have moms who doted on them to the point that Pinoys think women are created to serve them. Many Pinoys don't know any household chores and display toxic masculinity. I believe the parents—both mothers and fathers—are to blame for this. Fathers and mothers who don't teach their sons to be tender and kind, to help around the house, and who encourage sexism and violence and sexual irresponsibility. Hence we're surrounded by emotionally immature, angry, confused, sexist, violent men.  

As a mom of three future men, I always pray I'm doing the right thing with my sons. I'm very devoted to them but not devoted enough to serve them hand and foot. I'm actually very stern and strict with them. They love their mama but they won't become mama's boys, that's for sure. There are no gender-specific roles in our family. We are very open and honest and talk about everything from God and spirituality to sex and the evils of the world. It is my hope that raising them in a safe environment where both mother and father are simultaneously strong and vulnerable, honest and brave, fiercely independent and yet working as a team will turn them into men who are emotionally stable, not afraid to love, and secure in themselves to be whatever they want to be.

As you can tell, this is very important to me. It's one of my personal advocacies—to encourage fellow moms of boys to raise feminist men! I'm very passionate about this!

Anyway, I have a guest post today about how important it is for moms to have a good and loving relationship with their sons. Please read! We boy moms have a very important mission: to love our boys so well that they grow up to be real men, not mama's boys or women haters.

But here’s the thing: As a mommy blogger, I get offers to try this milk or endorse that milk. So I did. One milk made Piero break out in a horrible rash all over his body and we had to detoxify and apply creams for 2 weeks! Another milk made tummies go bad. Others were tasted once and spat out kasi hindi masarap haha (one was actually maalat!). Others naman just didn’t seem complete enough when it came to the nutrients I believed my kids needed to be healthy and strong. 

When we tried Nido 3+, it ticked all my boxes: (1) Piero wasn’t allergic to it; (2) his tummy had no problems with it; (3) it was delicious; and (4) it was nutritionally complete. Nido 3+ not only has all the benefits of normal milk (calcium), it’s also fortified with vitamins and minerals (Vit A, Vit B, Vit C, iron, zinc, selenium) that boosts his immunity, growth and development. He’s smarter because he also gets the brain-boosting benefits of DHA. His respiratory system is stronger because of the live lactobacillus protectus. Because of Prebio3 probiotics, Piero’s tummy can absorb all these nutrients better. So I know Piero is better able to resist infection, fight germs, and develop the full potential of his brain and body. 

It may be just milk but I’ve seen a difference. He’s healthier, stronger, and faster at making mind connections. Like, I was surprised when we went to Kidzania a few weeks ago and had to solve a “crime” using a secret code. He decoded it all by himself. He just started school! I was so amazed! Good job, Piero! "Good job, mama,” I told myself. Good job, Nido! 

Ask your pediatrician about preschool milk. For more stories of my fellow Nido moms on why we love Nido, follow the hashtag #LoveThatProtects on Instagram. For more information on Nido, like the Facebook page, NIDO Advanced Protectus 3+. 

Speaking of Kidzania, do visit the career-play place for the NIDO 3+ CITY CHALLENGE! From Nov. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2018, you and your child can enjoy activities that are both educational and fun—like Piero and I did washing windows, solving mysteries, and pretending to be grownups! It was such a wonderful bonding experience especially since it was just him and me (his brothers stayed home with their Papa). I really just focused on him and discovered how smart he truly is! 

Since there were also many activities that required him to do the challenges on his own, trust was important. I had to trust that he’ll be fine on his own, without me to help him understand instructions and do the job and to protect him from the bigger kids. He also had to trust me that I was going to be where I said I would be. Our play date was such a great experience!

Share the same adventure! Check out the NIDO 3+ CITY CHALLENGE event page on Facebook for more information and to buy tickets. Have fun!

*This post is brought to you by NIDO 3+.

It's so adorable and hilarious!

You know, a guest list is really such a stressful part of the wedding planning. Our initial guest list only had 80 people (30 for my family, 30 for Vince's family, 10 each for his friends and mine). That was all we could afford. So Vince's parents said they'll foot the reception bill so we could invite 250 people. And we did! 

Well, only 160 showed up. I guess only 160 people really cared for us haha. No hard feelings! But that definitely changed how I related to many people, especially those who said they didn't show up because they had work. #AlamNaThis

Anyway, if you recently got engaged or are already in the thick of sorting out your guest list, here are a few tips based on my own wedding planning 11 years ago.

1. Talk to your partner first and foremost.

You spent so much of your life being single that it may be hard to understand that your separate worlds are now becoming one. That means talking about who in your barkadas, office, communities, and families will be invited. Don't promise invitations to the entire barangay if your groom is planning an intimate wedding. 

So talk it over first. The venue is a huge factor—a cathedral can fit hundreds, for example, while a chapel can accommodate maybe 30. Budget is another thing to consider. You may be dreaming of a 3-day feast for all your friends from preschool to present day but if your budget is only P100,000, then that dream will remain a dream. This is also a good time to talk about who you don't want to see at the wedding (exes, people from work, certain relatives, etc).

Your parents' opinion - especially if they're footing the bill - matters a big deal!

Vince thanking our 160 guests who made our wedding such a wonderful memory.

Sometimes I notice they need a haircut and so they get a sudden buzz. Sometimes I remember they need new shoes so we go shopping. Sometimes we just squat on our haunches on the sidewalk and peer at the shrubbery. Sometimes a kitten is discovered and we feed it. Flowers are picked and offered to me. Caterpillars and cockroaches are pointed out (yes, we found caterpillars along our city roads). Graffiti is studied. And always always strangers become friends. 

People ask me all the time how I can commute with 3 little kids and their huge school bags. I do so because strangers are kind to us. Every day, people help me carry their bags, lift the boys on and off buses, hold a child's hand when crossing the street, share an umbrella when it suddenly rains, hail a taxi (and even give up a taxi) for us.


So we come home from our adventures tired, hot, and smelling of sweat and smog, but we always discover beauty in this ugly city and my kids learn the kindness of strangers. And that is definitely the best kind of adventure!