Product Review: VMV Armada Face and Body Shield SPF 60

Product Description:


The most comprehensive protection, with some of the highest protection factors ever against the full spectrum of skin-harming light: indoor and outdoor UVA, UVB, Infrared and Visible Light.
Impressive power in a weightless, anti-oxidant cream that's friendly to all skin types.
When used everyday, indoors and out, also helps lighten melasma.
Protects against melasma, sun-induced skin cancer, photo-aging, and other photo-induced damage.

Active Ingredients:

Zinc Oxide, Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid, Titanium Dioxide, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor.

Other Ingredients:

Aqua/Water/Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Tromethamine, Glyceryl Laurate, PVP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Tetrasodium EDTA, Aluminum Hydroxide, *Tocopheryl Acetate, Zirconium Dioxide.

VMV Armada has been my dream sunblock since college, but it was never within my budget. The Armada linke of VMV has always been part of its bestsellers, so sales are hard to come by. Thankfully, after I started working, I chanced upon a 2-hour sale of the Armada line in a VMV boutique, so of course I had to try it.

PROS

• Offers a comprehensive indoor and outdoor light protection
• Doesn't feel greasy at all
• Dries quickly
• Didn't give me breakouts

CONS

• The zinc oxide ingredient has a whitish cast. Even if I put a small amount only, I still get a whitish cast that's why I don't like to use it when I'm not wearing makeup
• Expensive at more than P1000 (I forgot the exact price)

Will I repurchase? Maybe. The comprehensive protection is great, but the whitish cast makes it hard to work with. The price is a bit prohibitive too.

Current Favorite Acne Mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

For the next installment of my "current favorite" blog posts, I bring you my favorite acne mask: Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I don't know why I've never written about this before, when I've consumed several tubes of this already.

Product Description:



Mint Julep Masque is the original natural home treatment developed by a dermatologist that helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads and shrink enlarged pores.

Simply apply Mint Julep Masque to your clean face and neck.  Within minutes it firms and hardens, drawing out impurities from your pores.  After the masque is removed, your skin will feel clean, refreshed and smooth.

Even for individuals who are fortunately free of skin problems, Mint Julep Masque is a refreshing facial treatment that helps relaxed tired muscles and ease tension lines on the face and neck.

Ingredients:


Water, Kaolin, Bentonite (CI 77004), Glycerin, Zinc Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Sulfur, Chromium Oxide Green (CI#77288), Fragrance (Parfum), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben

This product has one of the shortest ingredient lists for a beauty product, which I guess is a plus, because the simpler, the better! I actually neglected this for a long time since I didn't have pimple problems for a long while but now that I'm breaking out, I've started using this again. I apply a thick layer on top of a pimple before I go to bed and just leave it in. It dries up small pimples overnight, but the bigger pimples need a little more work. Yes, I sleep with green spots on my face, but there's a price to pay for beauty. It's really quite helpful for people with light acne. On the few occasions that I used this as a facial mask during my bedtime routine, I find that I'm significantly less oilier when I wake up. Not bad for a very affordable product!

This product has a 4.1 out of 5 rating in Makeup Alley, which is high for a non-cosmetic product.

Where to buy? Your best bet would be Robinsons Department Stores.

How Much is Too Much?

Being the beauty junkie that I am, with a sister who's pretty vain herself, we've seriously accumulated a lot of beauty products. When our household helper says that she's going to clean our room, she says she's going to Watsons. And in the past my friends have also remarked that it's like a little PCX in our room. So without further ado, I give you, pics of our beauty products/toiletries:

more...

more....

the biggest stash of beauty products...

but it still doesn't end there...

and some more...

and more.

Ughhh... These aren't all mine, but I'll admit that at least 60% of these are mine. I have so many bottles of lotion and body colognes that are still unopened. I bought none of them though. They were all given to me. This doesn't even include my makeup collection, which I have a lot of too, especially since I'm a makeup artist.

I'm aware that we have too much stuff though so I've resolved to consuming five bottles before the end of year, and my sister has pledged to finish three. If it has to be replaced, though, like facial toner and the like, it doesn't count. I also haven't bought any beauty products aside from a facial masque and anti-acne stuff. It's really time to lessen the clutter. 

How about you? Do you think it's too much? I'd love to know your thoughts.