BarDolci Macarons - Love the Macarons!

I've heard about BarDolci's macarons from my cousins for the longest time and it was only last week that I was able to go there. Well, it's not really easy to go there, but since it's my day off from work and nothing to do, I braved the traffic and went there with my bestfriend, Pam. I got their box of 10 macarons.

I particularly liked the salted caramel, snickers and peanut butter. Their macarons are not too sweet. Plus it's crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Really yummy! The price is not cheap though; each macaron is PhP50. But I think it's worth it. :)

They also have gelato, though I didn't try them out. I will go back there sometime soon and give a review on their gelato. 

BarDolci's store contact details:

F133 Forbeswood Heights, Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Phone: 8468245

My Hair Loss Treatment Experience

I heard of how traumatic hair loss is for people before, but I didn't even think that it would happen to me. After all, I had thick hair when I was a child and in my teens. But then stress from work due to my demanding supervisor took a toll on me and I had extreme hair loss. I noticed a bald patch and was so alarmed that I went to my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran. She looked at it and she said that it was 'Alopecia Areata.'

My dermatologist said that it is stress-induced and also can have genetic component. I asked my parents and my mom told me that after she got pregnant with my youngest sister, she had extreme hair loss also and had a bald patch like mine so I guess it's genetic and stress-induced for me. I had weekly steroid injections with my dermatologist and she gave me several medicines to take home - Kairfoll shampoo, Kairfoll serum and Hair Grower solution.

This is my bald patch after 1 month of treatment:

After 5 months, this is a photo of my scalp:

Thanks to my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran, for treating my 'Alopecia Areata.' Now I can have my hair down again and not be embarrassed about showing a bald patch when the wind blows it in the wrong direction. LOL! ;)

The Magic by Rhonda Byrne - An Insightful and Uplifting Book

I was at National Bookstore a month ago and saw this new book by Rhonda Byrne. I liked her previous book, "The Secret," so I was curious about this new one so I bought it. This book focuses on how gratitude can change our lives; that we will attract whatever we want when we practice thankfulness.

The book begins with a reminder of how we felt magic in our lives as kids; and as adults we can still feel the same magic that we have felt as when we were children. The Law of Attraction states, "like attracts like." In the same way, if we are grateful for what's in our lives, the law of attraction will attract more blessings in our lives. In the book, the author gave a day by day practice of gratefulness that we can apply in our lives.

"The Magic" is an uplifting and insightful book. It does take some discipline to do the 28-day course stated in the book, but it's well worth it.

The Aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda - Grief and Gratitude

My father's brothers and sisters in Tacloban, Leyte were some of the people affected by the typhoon Yolanda. We were all very distraught and worried for them but after 2 days of no news from them, we were relieved that they were all safe but needed food, clean water and shelter. So my father and my uncle went there to deliver some basic necessities that we have packed. It was very sad sight.

My father said that he was there for 3 days and no one in the community knew what to do. There was no person of authority to tell them where to go, to assure them of any help that would come to them. They were lost. It took 5 days for our relatives to have some kind of assistance from the government. But at least now, things are moving better. Majority of the relief workers came from Manila and the military of the Philippines and USA. My relatives are now safe here in Manila.

To those who extended their help and those still tirelessly helping, thank you very much! We will forever be grateful. Maraming Salamat po!

Etude House Silk Scarf Conditioner - A Review

I got a sample of the Etude House Silk Scarf Conditioner from my officemate the other day. The sachet itself was intriguing since it was so feminine and floral so I tried it yesterday.

My first impression was it's not as thick as the other conditioners that I've tried before. It has a light floral scent which I liked. It's easy to rinse off which I also liked since it's not too time-consuming in the morning when I shower. It made my hair easier to comb after shower. Overall, I liked it. I will go to the nearest Etude House store maybe this coming weekend. I hope it's not too expensive though.

My Leg Vein Treatment Experience

My leg veins have been bothering me lately so I had to ask my dermatologist if she can do something about it. She recommended that I undergo sclerotherapy. She explained that it's an injection of a medicine that will kill my visible leg veins and I got scared. But because lately I have had bad aching leg pains, I gathered up enough courage to have the treatment.

This is my right leg before sclerotherapy:

It was quite painful, it's like something hot and burning was injected inside my leg. Then there was bruising for a few weeks. Good thing my dermatologist gave me a lotion, Noveauvein lotion so my bruising went away faster than I expected. This is a photo of my right leg now:

Even though the treatment was quite painful, I think that I made the right choice. Thanks to the expert hands of my dermatologist, Dr. Margaret Corcoran. :)

My Freckles Treatment Experience

I may not be really fair-skinned, but because of some Spanish mix in my family's genes, I had freckles on my shoulders and upper part of my arms. It's quite unsightly especially when I wore sleeveless shirts and I've tried many whitening creams and lotions but they all didn't work.

So I went to my dermatologist and asked her about what treatment for these ugly freckles. She recommended Nd:Yag laser. I had 4 sessions of the laser and I'm totally happy with the results. This is a photo 2 weeks after my last session of laser:

The treatment was not really painful because of the anesthetic cream that was applied on the area before the laser. There was a little redness for around 2 days and scabbing for around a week. The downtime was not too much for me to handle, I just wore blouses with sleeves and no one even noticed. My boyfriend thinks that my shoulders and upper arms look so much better. I can wear sleeveless shirts and even spaghetti strapped blouses/dresses without being embarrassed at all. I do recommend this laser treatment for freckles. My dermatologist also said that it's also good for tattoo removal, birthmarks and dark skin pigmentations like dark scars. Now, I'm thinking of having one on the dark scars on my legs soon.