Christmas 2014 Gift Guide: Elin + Like Mother, Like Daughter

Berry wearing the Alice Dress in Pink

Some exciting news over at Elin! This should also solve your "What to give my pregnant sister/friend/cousin?" conundrum, and settle the "What to give my favorite mother-daughter duo?" issue.

For one, Elin has just recently released a special collection for the Holidays - "Like Mother, Like Daughter", where our little girls get to finally dress in the clothes we ourselves love to wear!

Berry was so excited during the shoot, not just because she loved the dresses she modeled, but also because she loved seeing us in matchy-matchy pieces.

Me in the Navy Alice Dress (available in this color way) and Berry in Pink

I am wearing the Lia Dress in Cobalt, Berry is wearing the Lia Dress in Fuchsia

Berry loves the Lia Dress best, she calls it the "Princess Dress" because it's like a gown she can wear every day. All of Elin's pieces come in the softest, most comfortable jersey too, so they are a joy to wear.

More so when you are pregnant like me, and want pieces that will move and stretch with our growing bellies. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces from my shoot with Martina and Kathleen of Elin, and there's more styles to love as you can see in their blog posts here!

Short Sleeved Ellie Nursing Tee (available in Blue, White, Baby Pink, Red Violet, Red, Apple Green and Navy)

Sandra Dress in Blue

Callista Dress in Black (also available in Black Stripes, Cobalt and Oatmeal)

Sage Dress in Fuchsia also available in Black and Blue

 

Tippi Dress in Purple

The Tippi Dress is also available in Oatmeal and Navy

Aria Tee in Black

I love the Aria Tee so much I have it in Grey and Navy too! (also available in Oatmeal)

Carmen Dress in Red (currently out of stock)

Can I just say, I feel so lucky that my third pregnancy has been documented so beautifully, thanks to these photos taken by Kathleen? I love that it's natural and fuss-free. Just the way I like.

Thanks Elin! These pictures alone are gifts I would treasure my entire lifetime!

Clothes: Elin
Makeup: Gex Garcia
Hair: Ivan Albin

Sharing Store Finds: Kids Edition

Here's a roundup of products I've gathered since August to now, that you might want to check out at your favorite grocery or health & beauty supplies stores.

Got teens? Pure & Fresh is a mild and gentle feminine wash that is clinically formulated with the right pH level. Enriched with milk proteins and chamomile extract, it is mild and suitable for teens’ skin and ideal for everyday use. 

Pure ‘n Fresh Feminine Wash is available in selected supermarkets, drugstores and beauty stores nationwide. Choose amongst 3 variants: Mandarin Kisses, Fabulously Fruity and Berry Twist.

A 50mL bottle retails for Php39.65 and the 100mL costs P70.

From Oishi "O, Wow!" comes Oishi Oaties Milk and Oishi Oaties Choco Chug Chocolate Milk Drink. 

Why Oaties? Because unlike ordinary cow's milk, both have finely ground oats mixed into the milk to make it creamier, and yummier. The first ready-to-drink milk of its kind in the market, each 250 ml tetra pack milk carton serving (Berry's is a giant version, heehee) contains 4 grams of fiber which is equivalant to the fiber content in a bowl of oatmeal. Now wouldn't this be such a healthy drink to pack for baon, or for long road trips?

Oishi Oaties Milk and Chocolate Milk also comes in 1 liter tetra pack cartons. For more about Oishi Oaties, visit www.oishi.com.ph and like Oishi on Facebook: www.facebook.com/oishi.ph

CHAMPS chewable multivitamins for kids comes in 5 variants: CHAMPS Vitamin C, CHAMPS M, CHAMPS M with lysine, CHAMPS C plus lysine, and CHAMPS OMEGA 3.

The chewable tablets come in various shapes and tasty flavors making it fun to take vs. sticky, messy multivitamins that come in syrup form.

CHAMPS is a product of the Chemical Company of Malaysia, the largest generic pharmaceutical company in Malaysia.

Anti-stretchmark creams are coming out one after the other, that if stretchmarks could only shiver in their boots, they would be doing so now. While technically not for kids, this product is for the mom with a little kid growing in her tummy.

From UNILAB comes Celeteque Maternity Anti-Stretch Mark Cream with skin firming agents such as Elastonyl and Alchemilla vulgaris extract that help protect and restore the tone and elasticity of the skin. It also has effective moisturizers such as Phyto Collage and Shea Butter to help skin become more pliant or stretchable. 

Just apply the product liberally using circular motions on stretch mark prone areas such as the abdomen, the arms, hips and thighs and for best results, and use it both in the morning and evening.

Céleteque DermoScience products are available online at http://service.healthfirst.com.ph/celeteque/ and at Watson’s, SM Department Stores, and Robinson’s Department Store for Php 445.

Hatch-et Job

Just when you think you're done having kids, Hatch Collection's Fall 2013 lookbook sneaks up right behind you with clothes that make you say, "OMG, when I get pregnant I am so gonna look like this!"

 

What I love about Hatch is that their clothes go from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post-pregnancy in one fell swoop.

So, apart from cute clothes that are an incentive to getting dressed for when you have a bun in the oven, they're quite practical in that they're not a total waste because they can be worn during and between pregnancies.

Well, they better be because these don't come cheap! Each piece from the collection sells for about $200 on average. 

Crazy expensive, but doesn't stop you from wanting one. Just like having kids. Ha!

Pois Belly and Kids

Shopping for kids' clothes here in Manila ain't as limited as I thought it would be. Although I have to say, it's hard shopping for chic boys clothes talaga. It's not like I can just go to any children's boutique and instantly find something I'd like for Xavi to wear. But OMG. Girl's clothes? Here's my new discovery when I went to SM Megamall to run errands - Pois Belly & Kids:

They have these floral printed dresses that are like updated versions of the Laura Ashley dresses my younger sisters wore during the 1990s. They also have embellished pieces that look a lot of fun. I can imagine these to be quite adorable on little girls.

Oh! Here's an extra fun outfit. This striped "animal" top paired with lemon yellow scalloped shorts. Perfect for school and play dates:

But ahhh! When I spotted these, I thought of Berry right away: pink, ballerina-inspired and super tulled to the max. She would be so into these sort of wearable confections.

But my favorite pieces in the store above all are these relatively understated pieces. Loving the pink & gray story here:

I particularly fell for the striped top & tulle skirt outfit and the chic party dress. I am pretty sure Berry will love these too:

Pois Belly & Kids also has clothes for tweens and expecting mamas:

Price range is from about Php550 and up. When I visited this afternoon, they even had a sale section that was at 50% to 70% OFF! ;)

Pois Belly & Kids is the brainchild of Clement & Rowena Velasco of Eurowear Marketing Corporation. They currently have six stores located at: Trinoma, SM Megamall Atrium, Glorietta 3, SM Mall of Asia, SM City Cebu and SM City Iloilo. 

For more about Pois Belly & Kids, visit and like their Facebook page, HERE!

Pregnancy Style

I have so many beauty related posts lined up, but before we go there, I just wanted to share that I have no urge to shop for clothes these days. But I am so enthralled with makeup, skincare and massages. To my fellow preggy ladies, do you feel the same? 

Maybe I don't feel like shopping since I still fit into my shirts and tops, and just wear jeans, shorts and trousers that were bought a size too big. Since I buy a lot of my stuff online, I usually end up with pieces that are big for me, but since I am tamad to return sometimes, I just keep them anyway. They're not a lot, but these sure come in handy during times like these, hehe. So pregnancy style tip, just get bottoms that are a size/ a few sizes bigger than your usual. You can always belt the bottoms or wear them slung on your hip when you go back to your pre-pregnancy weight.

Anyhoo, I know the day will come when I would want to dress up. I thought I'd share with you this super cool line called Hatch Collection that I bookmarked way before I got pregnant with Dragon Dychiao. Hatch Collection is based out of New York and makes these maternity but not maternity looking clothes. Check these out!

I miss the days tuloy when I was walking around New York, pregnant with Berry. My daily dose of exercise was pounding the streets of SoHo, Madison Ave and Fifth Ave. Window shopping lang. Manila is not exactly the place for walking around, all layered like above, hehehe.

You know who else look cute while pregnant? Japanese women. Who apparently also frequent the Clarins Spa in Rustan's for pre-natal massage treatments. No wonder they get to keep their figure. I remember they would wear these loose linen or peasant style dresses. It's not my style, it's too cutesy for my taste, but they get away with it. Just check the Japanese magazines. They would wear these over jeans and pair it with clogs and layer it with long sleeved tees underneath. So cute!

I will research next what French women wear while pregnant. Now that is totally gonna rock my world.

Photos from Hatch Collection and Joe Browns

Spanx For Hot Mamas

Before I go back to my fashion posts, here's a little something for all my friends and readers who are expecting babies!

Did you know that Spanx makes shapewear for expecting mothers? I remember doing a general post on Spanx previously, and mentioning that, but it completely slipped my mind until I stumbled upon a Spanx UK site that had Spanx maternity tights and slimming/shaping shorts for "mums-to-be".

Nope, we're not yet expecting baby number 2, but I just thought I'd share it here. Serves as a good reminder too, just in case! Heehee!

Power Mama Maternity & Thigh Shaper

Mama Spanx Maternity Tights

It's not so much that these Spanx for mamas slim down the tummy, because that would be a major no-no, hello! It provides support  for the tummy and lower back, while at the same time, smooths the thighs, hips and butt. Ugh, I remember how I had to wear a belly band to support my growing tummy,  it was necessary, but not very comfortable! The slimming effect really is just a plus.