As you discuss your wedding reception with your wedding planner, there are several considerations you have to take up to make it a pleasant and memorable event for all.

First you have to know approximately how many guests you are expecting. This is basic, since the number of guests will dictate the size of the venue you have to book for your reception. There are many places you can find to accommodate small weddings. But as the number of guests rise, the harder it is to find a venue big enough and near enough to the church.

Talking about having a venue near enough to the church, it is very important that your reception venue is strategically located. This is especially true for city weddings as traffic should be a top concern. You would have to allot at least 30 to 45 minutes transfer travel time if the church is a kilometer away from the reception venue if the location is in an area where traffic is a daily occurrence. Make sure to have traffic jam escape routes on your maps for the guests.

Next, know the rates of the venues you have chosen. Remember that if you have set a certain budget, stick to it as much as possible. Compare the amenities and perks given by every venue. Weigh the pros and cons of each venue against the others. Narrow down your choices to at least three places then set a date for an ocular inspection so you would have a first-hand idea of what the venue is really like and what it has in terms of space, amenities, parking arrangements, comfort rooms, and possibly even service if you chance upon an actual even happening during your ocular.

Continue Reading »

Whatever your lifestyle, belief, and budget, there is a birth control method for you and your family.

Couples are now more conscious of how many kids they’d have. Parents want to make sure they can bring up their children well and provide for their needs. Fortunately, a wide array of birth control methods is now available.

1. Combined oral contraceptives.

Known as “the pill,” it has both estrogen and progestin. It stops ovulation and thickens the cervical mucus so sperm has a harder time to get through.

PROS: When you want a baby, just stop taking the pill. You may be pregnant as soon as the next cycle. Easy to take. Easily available.

CONS: Some may gain weight or have headaches. Regular OB-GYN checkups a must to see how the baby responds to it. Pills do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

EFFECTIVENESS: 99.6%

GOOD FOR: Women who don’t mind the routine of taking pills every day.

2. Progestin-only contraceptives.

Also called the “mini pill,” it thickens the cervical mucus to make it difficult for sperm to get through. It stops ovulation in about half of menstrual cycles.

PROS: Won’t affect milk supply. Easy to take. Easily available.

CONS: Regular OB-GYN checkups a must to see how body responds to it.

EFFECTIVENESS: 98%

GOOD FOR: Breastfeeding moms.

3. Injectable.

Delivered via intramuscular injection on the arm or buttocks, one dose is good for three months to prevent ovulation.

PROS: Convenient.

CONS: If stopped, it may take a while for a woman to get pregnant.

EFFECTIVENESS: 99.6%

GOOD FOR: Those who don’t want to take pills everyday.

4. Contraceptive Patch.

Marked as Ortho-Evra, this contraceptive patch can be placed on the arm or abdomen to prevent ovulation.

PROS: One can do regular activities and even go swimming. Easily available.

CONS: May cause skin rashes. Patch needs to be changed every week.

EFFECTIVENESS: 98%

GOOD FOR: Those who don’t like taking pills every day. Not good for smokers, and those with a history of blood clots, stroke, and heart attack.

Continue Reading »

Our favorite Bulgari Pour Femme was lately re-launched with two new siblings, Voile de Jasmin and Rose Essentielle.

Pour Femme, the great classic fragrance for the woman that embodies understated luxury, opens with fresh, crystalline top notes that develop into the predominantly Sambac jasmine middle note, delicately mixed with Mimosa of Grasse and prelude rose and violet notes, and ending with powdery-musky aromas that include Florentine iris. Available in 30, 50, and 100ml eau de parfum and 50 and 100 ml eau de toilette.

Voile de Jasmin, the fresh and light soul of this series, evokes a refined femininity that unfolds with a tingling hint of Mimosa of Grasse and bergamot, builds up to the sweet freshness and transparency of Sambac jasmine, prelude rose, and wild lily of the valley and ends with Florentine iris with a musky base. Comes in 50 and 100 ml eau de toilette.

Continue Reading »

What happens when you start losing your hair?

Though thinning hair in women may be attributed to several causes, such as hormone imbalance, pregnancy or genetics, the stress of a hectic lifestyle can also have a traumatic impact on hair. It causes the tiny capillaries that feed the follicles to constrict, thus reducing the amounts of oxygen and nutrients that reach the hair. Prolonged periods of stress also affect the muscles at the point where the hair grows out of the scalp, and leads to excessive hair loss. Losing up to 100 strands a day is normal, but when you start shedding clumps of hair, here’s what you can do.

Topical hair treatments

Topical hair preparations work by stopping hair loss, stimulating hair regrowth and blood circulation in the scalp. The only FDA-approved treatment for thinning hair is 5% Minoxidil (also known as Rogaine), but thinning can recur once treatment is discontinued. Other commercially-available topical treatments such as Phytocyane Revitalizing Lotion, Phytoaxil Fortifying Intensive Care, or Kerastase’s Lipo-Recharge treatment have been getting rave reviews from several women.

Nutritional supplements

According to experts, biotin is an important component in the hair manufacturing process. Together with topical treatments, dermatologists often recommend 3 mg of biotin daily. What may be important for women to take, however, is the nutrient known as methylsulfonylmethane or MSM, a substance vital to the life of hair and skin. Aside from the supplements mentioned, your diet also plays a role in maintaining a healthy head of hair. Recommended are foods that are high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbohydrates. Iron, vitamin B12, and essential fatty acids (found in foods like walnuts, canola oil, fish, and soy) are also important to healthy hair growth.

Mesotherapy for the hair

A treatment that injects micro doses of vitamins, minerals and amino acids directly into the mesoderm (the middle layer of the skin, mesotherapy stimulates hair growth and blood circulation in the scalp. A typical treatment may involve dozens of small injections in concentrated areas using a very small needle (0.4 to 0.6 cm). Treatments are quite costly compared to over-the- counter methods (weekly treatments are required for around 5 to 10 sessions), but these injections deliver vitamins and minerals directly into the skin, and thus produce faster results.

The latest technology: the anti-hair loss patch

A revolutionary product that addresses thinning hair, Revlon’s unique Intragen 5 patch contains a multi-active compound that acts on hair loss, reduces excess oil in the scalp, increases blood circulation in the scalp, and stimulates growth of healthy hair. Similar to nicotine patches, the Intragen 5 patch’s transdermic technology allows penetration of ingredients into the deepest layers of the skin. How it works? Upon contact with the skin, pores open and sweat allows ingredients to be released slowly into the deeper layers of the skin. Worn daily for 24 hours for a 30-day period, studies show improvement in hair density in just six weeks.

How not to look too thin:

Continue Reading »

While some designers were zapped into the future, others fell under the spell of flowers, which were poured onto the catwalks through hats, bodices, jackets, dresses, skirts; with a touch at the shoulders, wrists, hems; scattered or totally enveloped in three-dimensional or flat forms as garlands, petals, silk flowers, print, appliques, embroidery, ruffles. One would not know which flora to pluck with all the variety offered.

Floral prints come oversize or small; loud or quiet; abstract or classic. Colors are extreme, from black / white contrasts, a mix of brights, to soft pastel or deep tonal shades and even a total monotone effect. Looks vary from flirty and youthful to the more subdued, always feminine.

Soft and layered at Louis Vuitton; decayed glamor at Alexander McQueen; understand elegance at Dior by Galliano; true romance at Yves Saint Laurent; hand-crafted chic at Chloe.

The fabrics mimic the sensation of the blossoms, with strong use of soft and flowing materials achieving the needed delicate effect — silk satins, chiffons, lace, organzas, the lightest cottons, rich taffetas — through the use of layers, gathers, ruffles, or an exaggerated sleeve here, a bubble skirt there.

The shift dress is key for the season in different silhouettes, notably the trapeze mini, the empire, the waisted dress, the maxi dress, and the bubble dress. The more romantic and soft or deep the color, the more disarming the application of the floral creation, the more elegant for an evening out.

As for skirts, with the mini making its come, there is no lack of fun and flirty prints and floral appliques to choose from. From a level of sophisticated maturity, there are also minis full of grace, with a softness and fragility to them.

Jackets are, interestingly enough, not floral in print, but more in detail, with a rose emerging at the shoulder or collar, or belted at the waist.

Bodices are divine in fit, with a bouquet emerging at the neckline for pure seduction.

Surprisingly, there are few historical references in design (other than a few pieces at McQueen). Overall, the pieces are clean and modern in silhouette and refreshingly pretty.

This vision of loveliness, although common in theme, is a complex mix of interpretations from each designer. It makes for a more interesting garden of Eden, with each piece unique in its own way, much like each of us.

How to wear the look

Continue Reading »