VMV Hypoallergenics Id Gentle Facial Cleanser and Shaving Cream

Effective! But don't expect an overnight miracle!

Let me be upfront about it: I have adult acne. I used to have cystic acne but it has subsided and now I'm mostly left with the occasional zit once or twice a month. However, turns out my joy was short-lived as my acne resurfaced...on my back. Yup, bacne. I live in a tropical country and recently moved four years ago to a sub-tropical one, where there's a very very mild winter-like season. This has only served to exacerbate my bacne problem. All those thick layers of wool - coats, sweaters, jackets - worsened my problem as I'm prone to heavy sweating all year-round. At first, I thought some good old tea-tree oil wash or salicylic acid will help, along with a generous sprinkling of prickly heat powder everyday and a nightly shower to remove the sweat. But that didn't work. I decided to check the VMV website because I've been hearing great things about it for years and years. It's quite an established brand as well, with the VMV Armada sunblock being a great favorite among my friends. I was happy to find their id skincare line which specifically caters to acne and blemishes, and one of them was "sweat acne", which I thought was what I had. I bought the cleanser and the toner and tried them straightaway. Both products only have a slight smell and not unpleasant. In fact, I took it as a good sign that it had no other superficial ingredients added - just that good, effective stuff - to "prettify" it. The cleanser was used mainly for my face every other day, alternating with my other facial wash to avoid overdrying my skin. The toner came with a pump which I liked at first but since the substance itself was a bit creamy, it was quite difficult to get all the last bits out (I'm very economical). Right now, I've tilted the bottle upside down so I can finally scoop out the bottom bits. Apart from the little pump problem, I'm very happy to say that this set was quite effective. But like I said in the title, don't expect an overnight miracle. There is no true product that does that. This one took weeks before I could see any improvement and I made sure to religiously apply it every day, up to twice a day as recommended. As spring is here and summer is just around the corner, I'm hoping my back will be worthy of display soon.

April 8, 2011

VMV Id Clarifying and Firming Toner and Aftershave

Effective! But don't expect an overnight miracle!

Let me be upfront about it: I have adult acne. I used to have cystic acne but it has subsided and now I'm mostly left with the occasional zit once or twice a month. However, turns out my joy was short-lived as my acne resurfaced...on my back. Yup, bacne. I live in a tropical country and recently moved four years ago to a sub-tropical one, where there's a very very mild winter-like season. This has only served to exacerbate my bacne problem. All those thick layers of wool - coats, sweaters, jackets - worsened my problem as I'm prone to heavy sweating all year-round. At first, I thought some good old tea-tree oil wash or salicylic acid will help, along with a generous sprinkling of prickly heat powder everyday and a nightly shower to remove the sweat. But that didn't work. I decided to check the VMV website because I've been hearing great things about it for years and years. It's quite an established brand as well, with the VMV Armada sunblock being a great favorite among my friends. I was happy to find their id skincare line which specifically caters to acne and blemishes, and one of them was "sweat acne", which I thought was what I had. I bought the cleanser and the toner and tried them straightaway. Both products only have a slight smell and not unpleasant. In fact, I took it as a good sign that it had no other superficial ingredients added - just that good, effective stuff - to "prettify" it. The cleanser was used mainly for my face every other day, alternating with my other facial wash to avoid overdrying my skin. The toner came with a pump which I liked at first but since the substance itself was a bit creamy, it was quite difficult to get all the last bits out (I'm very economical). Right now, I've tilted the bottle upside down so I can finally scoop out the bottom bits. Apart from the little pump problem, I'm very happy to say that this set was quite effective. But like I said in the title, don't expect an overnight miracle. There is no true product that does that. This one took weeks before I could see any improvement and I made sure to religiously apply it every day, up to twice a day as recommended. As spring is here and summer is just around the corner, I'm hoping my back will be worthy of display soon.

April 8, 2011

The Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Serum

Great for dry, semi-wavy hair, especially if you live in a very humid place!

I've been using this product for about 5 years now, ever since a friend introduced it to me. I have semi-dry, semi-wavy hair and on very humid days, my hair looks like it's been baked and dried in an oven. I find that it works really well after I've used a clarifying shampoo (a once-a-week ritual) as it immediately restores shine and softness to my hair. On most days, I use it about 4x a week since I shampoo everyday and condition every other day. However, I've discovered that I should never use it when I've applied conditioner to my hair as it makes my scalp and hair oilier, due to excessive moisture. Never again! I hoard this like crazy and buy 2 bottles every 4 to 6 months or so but a bottle lasts me about 3 months! It's really money well spent!

April 7, 2011