15% Sephora Sale!!

Dearest Beauty Insiders! Have you been waiting forever for another Sephora sale so you can stock on on your favourite product? Well here it is! 15% off Sephora sale is here so go check your e-mail!! =)  It's happening today (March 30) until April 5th!

I'm still trying to use up my previous bought cosmetics and skincare, so I'm not sure I'd buy anything I want right now.  Though I do have a small wish list.  =)

1.  YSL Matte and Radiant Pressed Powder
2.  Guerlain Parure Extreme Luminous Extreme Wear Foundation
3.  Dior Hydra Life Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme
4.  Ole Henrikson Nurture Me

So have you prepared for this sale?

Mango allergy

I love eating ripe mangoes.  Yumm.  My mom bought a box of them so I've been eating one or two for the past 3 days.  But today, =( the outer rim of my lips started to swell up and got very itchy.  I looked up my symptoms online and found it may be the mango rinds that caused the swelling and itchiness.  Then I thought back to all those times I had mango.  And yes, the same symptoms appear every time.  There isn't a real cure for mango allergy.  The most you can do to avoid inflammation is remove the mango skin and wash it before eating, or just avoid mangoes. 

Review: B. Kamins Vegetable Cleanser

After purchasing this product, it took me a few months to finish my other facial cleansing products before starting to use this.  Sadly, I think this was another not so great product by B. Kamins.  It doesn't do what it claims such as cleansing the face and removing makeup.  I can make this claim because I use my Hitachi Face Crie Ion Cleansing Machine after using this B. Kamins cleanser and I can see my foundation on the cotton pad.  And because this product doesn't do a great job on face cleansing, my pores were clogged for the past few month and caused my breakout.  =(

The scent:  A light chemical, plastic scent since it's fragrance free.

Consistency:  Not thick.  Doesn't create foam after contact with water.

Application:  I use another makeup removing product before using this facial cleanser.  Then I squirt some product onto my Shiseido Facial Exfoliating Brush or Clarisonic and exfoliate my face.

Packaging:  No additional cardboard box packaging.  When I bought it, it just came in the bottle.  The bottle is recyclable.  Therefore they promote eco-friendly activities.

What it claims:  "A vegetable based cleanser and makeup remover that dissolves and removes impurities from the face and delicate eye area.  Clarifying, soothing and moisturizing ingredients help improve skin smoothness, elasticity and radiance.  Oil, fragrance and color free, this gentle formula is ideal for cleansing sensitive skin types, especially post-microdermabrasion and laser-treated skin."

Thoughts / Results:  I felt this product didn't do much for me.  Definitely not worth the money.  It makes a lot of nice claims but it didn't remove the impurities on my skin.  Compared to the Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil, I find the cleansing oil did a LOT better.  If I go to the MAC warehouse sale and they still sell the product there, I think I'd pick up a few more bottles.  My skin was smooth, clean and soft when I was using the Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil.  =(  And it's not like that anymore ='(.  So comparatively, this product didn't do as well as others and it didn't live up to its own claim.  I guess it's such a gentle formula that it didn't do anything for me.

Since this product is so gentle, I wouldn't recommend using it at night after removing makeup.  It's better used in the morning when you're just removing the excess oil on your skin from the build up during the night.  But honestly, you're better off using Cetaphil from the drug store that costs less than $15 compared to $38 for this bottle.

Cost: $38 CAD @Murale

Product: B. Kamins Vegetable Cleanser
Rating: 1 / 5

Pros:
- Attempts to remove makeup
- Fragrance free
- Gentle formula

Cons:
- Doesn't remove all makeup
- Doesn't cleanse face well if makeup isn't fully removed
- Because doesn't cleanse well, it doesn't unclog pores
- Doesn't improve skin smoothness, elasticity and radiance

Review: Vitacreme B12

Hologram logo

Last year, I heard this Vitacreme B12 cream works really well so I bought it.  After using it for about 6 months, I really regret it.  =(  My skin doesn't breakout easily.  My worst "breakout" is having a pimple or two during my menstrual period, which is normal.  Unfortunately, after using this product, I realize my skin was breaking out pretty badly and at random times through the month.  And I'm not saying this product work horribly on everyone, I'm just saying this product doesn't work for me.  No matter how often I exfoliate to unclog those pores, I feel this cream didn't do me any good.  It's been 3 months since I stopped using this product and my skin is getting better.  I'm not getting those random milia under my cheek bones, forehead and on the chin anymore.  Nor am I getting a random HUGE pimple on my cheekbone or on my chin anymore.  My skin used to be close to perfectly clear of bumps prior to using this product.  (UPDATE: I also changed my facial cleansing products while using Vitacreme B12, so this cream may have been a contributing factor to my breakout)  But now, even though they're going away, I still feel those random bumps or lumps under my cheekbone.  I can feel those lumps and be able to squeeze out the pus.  =(

The scent:  Light floral scent.  Reminds me a little of baby scent products.

Cream has a light pink colour

Consistency:  Has a lotion-like consistency, so it's not that thick.  However, I can feel that it's pretty oily. 

Application:  I apply this cream after washing my face with a facial cleanser and applying a toner.

Packaging:  It's in an aluminum-type tube.  Personally, I think it's not the best packaging because with frequent uses and pushing the product out of the opening, it can potentially wreck the packaging and cause a rip in the tube.

What it claims:  "Vitacreme B12 penetrates as far as dermo-epidermic junction thanks to its liposomic reactivating agents as well as the growth of germinative cells (Deeper layer of the epidermis) favoring the formation of elastin and collagen fibres.
Vitacreme B12 can help to prevent pre-mature wrinkling by reducing wrinkles and folds in the epidermis and improving skin elasticity. It also corrects epidermal dryness, smoothes or alleviates new or old scars.
Vitacreme B12 can also be rapidly absorbed without leaving the skin neither too greasy nor too dry and did not cause any shine while in the sun.
The eutrophic activity of the vitamin which penetrates as far as the dermo-epidermic junction has, as its' principal quality, the procurement at the epidermis of the water necessary for the revitalisation of the upper layers of the skin. The action is therefore particularly important for dry or aged skin caused by regular exposure to sun or the cold."

Thoughts / Results:  On myself, I haven't noticed changes as the product claims.  I purposely used this product during the winter to see if it lives up to its standards to counteract the winter cold and dry conditions.  Unfortunately, the skin on my nose is still peeling after the use of this product.  I didn't have old scars so rather than alleviating new and old scars, this may be contributing to my breakouts and causing new scars.  It's been about 3-4 months since I stopped using this product, and the scars formed from my breakouts are slowly disappearing.
However, I do feel that this product is rapidly absorbed into my skin and doesn't leave a greasy feel on it. 

Cost: $29.70 USD (@Cosme-de.com with PayPal promo code)

Product: Vitacreme B12
Rating: 1 / 5

Pros:
- Doesn't leave a greasy feel on my skin 

Cons:
- Caused my breakout
- Didn't hydrate or soften or help the winter dry skin