Sale Alert: VMV Hypoallergenics

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Happy Holidays!

VMV Philippines is giving 25% off on some of their products from November 25 to 27, 2011!!! If you're shopping at SM Malls, you get an additional 10% off if you're an SM Advantage Card Holder!

I'm really excited when VMV has a sale. Hahaha! Happy shopping!

Beach must-haves

I'm not talking about bikini. Let's talk skin care.

I've been spending my weekends surfing and skimboarding and it's not one of the healthiest practices since I'll be exposed to the sun's harmful rays. I mitigate adverse effects by going to the beach as early as possible, like 6:30 A.M. By then, I'd be tired and satisfied at around 9:00 A.M. and actually stop by 10:00 A.M. I am that strict. No more swimming at 10:00 A. M. I am not so concerned about getting dark skin (because I already have dark skin) but I don't want to get skin cancer.

These are the products that I use to protect my skin:

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Left to Right:
VMV Armada Face Cover SPF 30
Oroderm SPF 45 Sunblock
Banana Boat SPF 50 Sunblock for Kids
Aromacology SPF 60 Sports Spray

I use VMV Armada Face Cover with SPF 30 everyday. I used to apply my dermatologist's sunblock with spf 45 but it makes my face so oily so I switched to Armada. Armada is light on the face and it doesn't leave me that white film on the face which reflects on photos. I also love that it comes from my trusted brand, VMV. Armada does not give me an oily face as long as I skip the moisturizer. Armada spf 30 face cover doesn't say that it's waterproof  but instructions tell us to "reapply every 1 to 2 hours, and after water immersion, sweating, or towelling off. I guess that this is still alright to be used during beach-days but just be sure to re-apply. I wish I could get an Armada Sport SPF 70, which claims to be very water resistant, before Christmas.

Oroderm Sunblock with SPF 45 is pretty heavy on the face and it's not compatible with my oily face. I do love its higher spf but I cannot wear this under make-up because I would look like a greased pan as early as upon arriving at the office. Also, I cannot use a generous amount of this sunblock because of the white residue it leaves on my skin. I still use this for bare-faced days and when swimming. My procedure is actually to wear my Armada right after shower. Upon arriving at the beach, I re-apply using my dermatologist-prescribed spf 45 sunblock. I am not sure if this is waterproof (I don't think it's waterproof) but it's consistency is thicker than Armada, and with its higher spf, I think this would give me more protection in the water than Armada.

Banana Boat spf 50 is what I use for my body. I tried to use this on my face before but I got adverse reactions. I still continue to use this for my body, though. It says that it's very waterproof and claims that it won't run into your eyes. The only thing that I don't like about this product is its packaging. Maybe it's not the same for every tube but I got a tube with a loose cap. I first used this during the whole of my Camiguin trip and I was satisfied with its performance in protecting my skin from the rays of the sun. Not for my face, though. Also, it didn't help much in skin darkening but I didn't get any sunburn when using this.

The last, but not the least, is the Aromacology Sunblock with spf 60. I haven't tested this sunblock and I only used this once during my Bohol trip. I just don't like the idea of a sunblock spray. Plus I think that it's a little too oily for a sunblock. Also, I accidentally sprayed some on my lips and it didn't taste good. Haha! I still bring this with me, though. I think the spray-time is good if you're re-touching your sunblock. It has the highest spf among my lot and I think that this deserves a chance. I don't want to be wasting money so I've got to use this, too. Maybe I'll start using this again next weekend. =)

Do you think I'm too vain to have 4 different sunblocks? What sunblock do you use?

Cyleina Black Pearl

I got this as part of the Watsons Beauty Hunt Loot bag that I won a few weeks back. It came in this cute packaging with a brochure listing the Cyleina soap products. This black pearl mini soap costs P45. There is a larger version, 100 g at P145, available in Watsons.

the 45g mini soap

Here's what I gathered from the Cyleina website:

Inspired by the rare beauty of South Sea black pearls, Cyleina endows your skin a luminous clarity using premium and safe skin enhancing ingredients:
Collagen supports a smooth, radiant, elastic, and well hydrated skin to slow down the wrinkle formation.
Licorice has anti-bacterial and natural lightening complex for clean and fairer skin.
Arbutin gently exfoliates dead skin cells and inhibit melanin production for softer and glowing skin.
Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant which protects the skin against damage with moisturizing complex for healthy supple skin.
Cyleina Black Pearl lightens dark spots caused by sun exposure and pimple scars
. It is effective in lightening dark underarms and inner thighs caused by imbalanced hormones, chemical burns from deodorants
 and delays wrinkle formation with its collagen content.
Direction for use:Achieve skin as precious as black pearls by daily cleansing wet skin with CYLEINA BLACK PEARL concentrating on darker areas of the body. Rinse well.
Use morning and evening for a brighter complexion.
Recommendation: This product performs best when used continually. 
recommended for darkened mature skin.
Ingredients:Glycerine, Distilled Water, Myristic acid, Marine Collagen Peptide, Licorice, Alpha Arbutin, Vitamin E acetate, Peppermint essential oil

Basically, I am not a fan of whitening soaps. I am very sensitive which makes it hard for me to find the right soap that would suit my skin. Most papaya-based whitening soaps would trigger my skin asthma. Since this isn't papaya-based, I decided to give it a try. Plus, it's small so I thought it wouldn't be much of a waste to throw if this would give me allergies.

Cyleina Black Pearl soap is round-shaped and I don't like round-shaped soaps because they slide through my palms easily. I initially had the goal of documenting my whitening progress but my constant sun exposure wasn't much of a help. I was able to use up this mini soap in a little less than two weeks. I did not have any adverse reactions with it, so it made me happy! Funny, though, because it's black color has gradually faded to deep purple after a few days. And it's even funnier that a black soap could actually be used as a whitening agent. I used this soap up until its very last lather. I like that it did not have that squeaky-clean effect, which actually freaks me out. It just leaves my skin soft and smooth after bath and my skin isn't dry.

Would I buy again? Maybe. The Cyleina brochure has actually listed most of their products and I honestly want to try their other soaps. The Black Pearl soap is actually good in cleaning my skin but I did not see instant whitening results, and my lifestyle won't also permit me to venture into whitening my skin anytime soon.

Trick or Treat! Plus my Halloween Look

It's Gracie's first Trick or Treat and she donned this outfit, courtesy of ate Christine. She had two basketfulls of goodies when she arrived home. I'm sure she had a good time.

pretty pink wings

here she is displaying her goodies

And now, for my Halloween look:

TWO-FACE

Scary much? Hahaha! I made an FOTD earlier and when I removed the make-up on half of my face, I realized how the concealer(s) have transformed the baggage under my eyes. See the difference? Anyway, I used Human Heart Nature Sunflower Cleansing Oil to remove my make-up. The FOTD will be posted separately.