A Special Post-Holiday Gift

I have been wanting to post this testimonial on our pages ever since I first read it but ended up saving it first for future reference. I remember it clearly, I was so tired that day from work and I was already doing what I call "last few email reading" when I saw Ms. Ferch's message. I told myself, "one last stretch" before I cap this day off and kiss it goodnight. I'm happy for I made the right decision. :) It's one of those testimonials that give you that happy heart and a genuine smile on your face, which ease just any amount of stress. I hope this testimonial helps you choose the products that can be great for the skin issues that you want to address as well. Hope it inspires you as much as it does to me (every time I read it) :)

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Hi Jamie,

I'm looking at signing up next week when things are more relaxed here at work. I'm thinking of dropping by your showroom on Wed, Jan 26 around 2pm. That way I can see all your products and "embrace" the V&M vibes and enthusiasm.

I'm just really glad to have finally found a product line that I will be glad to share with everyone who has been in dire search of skin and hair care that works and is 100% organic. Part of my personal advocacy is to be able to help the environment in my own little ways, and reselling V&M can be an addition to what I can contribute as I inspire people within my circle to move to using organic products. In the same way, going organic means loving and caring for ones body more and deliver the results that you want.

I just want to share with you, if I you don't mind, the journey to my organic lifestyle...

I'm generally not kikay, I do not wear make up, and have no beauty regimen or whatsoever. I'm very plain and simple. Though I had my dark and ugly moments in college of having break outs, I wasn't very much affected though I'd wish I have better skin :D

Being an outdoor person that I am, I spent about 10 years of experience of various outdoor activities. From scuba diving, to mountain climbing, trail running, playing ultimate frisbee, to surfing, to mountain biking. My exposure to sun was at its maximum and I never got into the habit of wearing sunscreen. For me then, it was not necessary.

My biggest hurdle was may hair. It used to be really nice and silky when I was in early years in highschool. I just remembered after I cut it really short, it became rough, frizzy and ugly (boo!!). With a now ugly frizzy hair, I always make it a point to go for regular hot oil treatment from the salon, though it didnt really make much improvement. I used also commecially available hair mask everyday but never really delivered results. I thought probably that my outdoor lifestyle added further torture to my hair (sun, sweat, dust, and saltwater). In my entire lifetime, I thougt I only did one chemical hair treatment, had my hair rebonded in 2009, but I just realized that I had my hair exposed to chemical for so many years na with the commercial hot oil and hair mask. That eventually led me to have really alaming volume of hair fall..super dami while taking a shower, after shower, through out the day and even while sleeping.

Anyway, I first tried Leyende's Clear and Present Shampoo. It helped lessen my hair fall but it left my hair super walis tigas... :( So I had to look for a hair conditioner to pair it with. I found Human Heart Nature. It helped make my hair softer, but it gave me dandruff....as in daming dandruff. After I finished the 200ml Clear and Clear shampoo, I told myself to try HHN's Aloe Vera and Pearl Shampoo. My hair was soft and no more hair fall...just flakes.. :(

Then I found V&M at the WTC World Bazaar. My first purchase of V&M was the emu oil and shea butter (for my stretchmarks) and wonder creme blemish balm and lip and cheek tint (supposedly planned to be worn during my friend's beach wedding). Emu oil and shea butter was impressive! I make it a combo for new night cap regimen as by facial moisturizer, shea first then emu oil ...My skin now is smoother than ever, I told myself, kaya ko naman pala maging smoother eh..hehe. Anyway I experimented on emu oil and added it to my HHN Avocado oil conditioner, it made my hair more smoother and manageable. Though andun parin flakes. When I finally used up all my HHN hair stash, I decided to try V&M Hair Story...I found it a bit expensive at first...but it delivered results that I wanted. Worth every peso. I don't need to put conditioner na because I use the emu oil as my leave on but I plan on trying the V&M Hair Mask...

As for the soaps, before I tried V&M, I was using All Organics soap. I didn't see any visible results, I just had the comfort of knowing that my bath soap was organic. The first V&M soap I tried was the poppy seed plush..I loved it, my husband loved it and my little boys loved it. My little ones both has skin asthma, and I'm glad it had positive reaction on my kids' skin.

I tried royal pearl for my face, but I had breakouts :( I reverted back to Poppy Seed Plush for my face and just used the Royal Pearl for my body. I got Whipped, the lemon and pineapple variant. Though I want to try cleo rub also.

I also gave out a few of your items as Christmas gifts to my friends and family members. I gave cleo rub to my sisters and two other friends. They loved it! I gave Bernice the Grace and Poised Sunblock. She was so impressed that she ordered her own stash to be able to try your other products :D Then I gave a friend Geisha Soap because she has major breakout because of stress at work. After the holiday break, when she came back to work, her face was clear and smooth! She was so happy and wants to try the emu and the shea butter. Looks like she'll be my first client.

Anyway thanks for taking time read through my experiences on other organic producst as well as V&M! Looking forward to your confirmation on my schedule visit in your showroom. Btw, sorry I was not able to drop by the Rockwell bazaar we had our 2011 planning session then.

See you soon!

Ferch Santos-Reynoso

Never Too Gushy. A Big Thank You!

We got this email from one of our most recent clients, Ms. Shiela Quintos. I personally met her at one of our bazaars this month and it was her first time to ever try our products. Well she thinks this is too gushy, but it fits just right our liking, hence the feature. :) Hope you enjoy reading it as much as we do. :)

Feel free to send in your testimonials, we feature select testimonials on our official website. :)

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I know you get a lot of raves about your products and what I have to say may not be anything new but nevertheless I just wanted to drop in mine- albeit lengthy thoughts on the products I tried. I know you're a busy lady so this one's just for when you're stuck in a queue and wants to read anything.

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Hi Ms. Jamie,

It's been nine days since I first met you and your products at the tent bazaar, Rockwell. I bought an under-armour package, 300g cleo rub and radiance cream- before these - Mariel, a fan of the detox lipbalm, handed me one that she swore by. This led to hours (days...) spent browsing your multiply account.

I went to the bazaar for the sole purpose of seeing your products first hand and any finds from other shops would've just been a bonus...The trip was well worth it and this is only the 2nd time I've spent so much on products in one go my entire life. I'm not the typical kikay girl and is too lazy to stick to regimens. It really is quite a feat that I've stuck to your products these past 9 days. I'm in the habit of buying stuff and not finishing it (this drives mi mama crazy)... Guess what? The 100g minty BIA which was said to be enough to last a month is all out and I already met up with a very nice and very preggy Ms. Mich to replenish. The CPC+G and radiance cream that are supposed to last a long time are all gone.

No visible effect on my use of the bikini bomb and CPC+G yet but I am not in a hurry. A bit odd that chicken skin on my UA is still there but the the skin feels soft and smooth. I'm thinking it could be the initial effect I am getting.

Needless to say I absolutely loved the minty BIA cream. The switch between the plain and minty variant on my purchase was a fortuitous event indeed. I was wary of anything mentholated since I was advised to avoid it while I am still recovering from an unexplained allergic reaction from anything menthol on my lips hence my initial request for a plain BIA.. but oh my, my, my.. the minty BIA was such a novel experience I had to hold on to it till I at least see my dermatologist and get it cleared. It had no adverse reaction on my body anyway. I was beyond glad when the doc gave her go ahead. Seriously, I will never allow myself to run out of this.

The cleo rub had a good feel on my skin also. No greasy, icky feeling and is all good. It was overshadowed by the minty BIA though. So I bought a small tub of 60ml to use for the cleo rub. I bought a huge 300g tub and it is awkward to tote around. So the small tub stays in my bag and I use it to moisturize my hands. The a/c at the office is pretty cold and the minty BIA will not help me in this regard. haha..

The emu radiance cream is a puzzle to me. I can see that my face is recovering from it's dry state and yet the feel of the cream is powdery. I can't wait to get cleared for make up again. I can imagine it to be the perfect base to use for make up. I used it twice a day since I got it (i started using it the night I bought it.. haha) and loved every moment I had it on.

Another definite keeper is the under-armour. It had no overpowering scent and is quite light on the skin. I'm just wondering though if the spray was designed to be that tight. I am having a hard time spraying it since I have to press really hard. Sometimes I end up spraying it on my shoulders or face.

The butter balm (lip detox) didn't work for me because of its peppermint content. Any chance for a plain variant? hehe..

I am planning to get the emu oil and a striptease summer promo (package 5), and biggest minty BIA available on the 25th at the Grove supersale. Will the promo be available for sale there? I remembered the getting started kit wasn't available at the tent bazaar and I'm just wondering if there are also limitations this coming bazaar. And will there really be items on sale? Which among your products do you deem to be must-haves?

Many thanks, Jamie. Hope I didn't wear you out with this email.

Cheers!

Sheila Quintos

V&M's 3rd Anniversary and Giveaways!

At V&M, we don't end at having you to merely like us. We want to be one of the things you'd love to have for good. We want to be one of the best you'd want the best people in your lives to have and learn of. :) On our third year, we're welcoming everyone to join our FIRST EVER PRIZE GIVEAWAY! As our way of saying thank you, we are giving away Php 3000 worth of gift packages to 3 lucky winners, 2011's NEWEST V&M PRODUCTS, Holaroco Spring/Summer Collection pieces, Starbucks GCs, Free Movie Passes to anywhere in the Philippines and many more!

MECHANICS:
1. All you have to do is to simply like our fanpage (V&M Botanicals and Holaroco) and add our facebook accounts and make us reach 5000 by June 2011!
2. GIVE US A LIST OF THE 20 (or more) NAMES you got to click like on our pages and we'll verify to get you in the list. NOTE that they both need to be able to LIKE both pages. The more people you get to like us, the more chances of winning! Each person in your list could only fall under you -- meaning, NO OTHER person should include him/her in his list if the former was invited by you.
NOTE also that we already have the list of the existing fans in our page. :)
3. Send this list through email with the SUBJECT: FB LIKE PROMO
4. Save this image, repost on your wall, blog/domain and spread the word about the promo.
5. Spreading the word through forums would be a plus! This will double your chances of winning!
6. Place a comment in this album if you already joined!


DON'T FORGET TO NOTE IN THE REMARKS SECTION THAT YOU DID!
Here's the link: V&M NATURALS: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Venus-and-Mars-Botanicals/102757335965
HOLAROCO: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holaroco/150892124940323

(That's just for the first giveaways, you guys!) If you like us already, good for you coz you automatically are qualified to this promo! All you have to do now is to encourage more of your friends to like us and give them a chance to know more about the brand that you love! ;)

xoxo

Summer Skin & Hair Care Tips For A Headturning Bod!

Summer is just around the corner once again! And what's it without being able to show off some skin and baring the abs you worked out for hours in the gym, right? Well, it won't be that if you don't do a LITTLE preparation to reverse the signs of neglect you "skinposed" during the past months. Read on and follow each of my skin care tips and you'll surely be ready to pull out those kinky bikinis and summer garbs in no time!

1. Exfoliate your skin
TRIVIA: Our body sheds skin cells at an amazing rate every minute of every day! That is why it is extremely important to regularly exfoliate the skin in aiming for a glowing bod! Else, these dead skin cells will be left sitting on your skin NO MATTER HOW MUCH hydration you give it (through regular use of body creams)! Now, go grab a scrub and rub in circular movements on your entire body to start off the process!

Take your pick from our 4 different types of exfoliants or take all four and see which works for you best!
*Clear y Rosy Sugar Tease - This is the only scrub among the line that can be used both for the face and body. Upon applicaion, you'll notice how quickly it melts unto the skin.
Main Exfoliating Ingredient: Sugar
*Spa Milk Salts (Yummy Vanilla, Mango Mandarin, Coffee Mocha, Orange Burst) - If you're the type who loves everything mild, soft and milky, this would be your bet. Rub against skin and feel a smooth bod just right after rinsing off!
Main Exfoliating Ingredient: Milk
*Romance in Bloom - If you love using Bare It All Emu cream, you'll surely enjoy this herbal-based exfoliator, which is btw patterned on the Bare It All Emu cream in terms of its content.
Main Exfoliating Ingredient: Apricot Scrubs
*Astrid Zakiya Dead Sea Salt - If you want a spa after feel, I would say go for these babies! I personally love how the oil feels on my skin as if I'm having a spa treat at the comforts of my own bathroom. Invigorate your senses by using the Astrid variant. But if you want a warm touch to your bath, go for the Zakiya's lingering and promising scent.
Main Exfoliating Ingredient: Dead Sea Salt & Rosehip

*Whitening and Brightening Scrub

2. Shave smart!
Lots of shorts, skirts, sundresses and bikinis mean more frequent shaving sessions, which can terribly dry out skin and irritate it through nicks and cuts. Appearance of ingrown hairs shouldn't surprise you either if you're not cautious enough.
TRIVIA: Did you know that you have to find a good shaving cream/suds? It should properly moisturize your skin while it works well against the razor. Minty Geranium Mud does just that. Plus it keeps you from getting ingrown hair by nourishing your skin as you rid it from hair.
TIP: Shave only after you've been in the shower for a few minutes already, this allows hair to soften and it would be easier for you to shave.

3. Use a skin-loving body moisturizer
During this time, it's best to use a moisturizer that's light and quick to put on, plus something that would never leave your skin feeling greasy as you sweat more due to the extra summer heat. If you've been a V&M lover all this time, I'm sure you can attest to the fact that our body butters get absorbed easily by the skin a few minutes after application. But if you wish to opt to a lighter body butter still, we have 'em for you. My bet would be the Limited Edition premium Emu-Rosehip line of body souffles - Astrid and Zakiya. They are light-weight, almost water based and extremely hydrating and skin benefitting. Your skin will thank you so much for it. Also, don't forget your facial moisturizer. Radiance and Supernatural would be great companions.

4. Happy Feet
Make sure to exfoliate the feet as well and get a proper pedicure treatment if budget isn't too tight. Scrub off dead skin cells here as it is expected to be harder and thicker than that of the body. Scrubbing your feet a few times every week will reward you with younger looking and pinkish feet, sandal-worthy!

5. Buy a New Sunscreen
Protect yourself from skin-aging, skin cancer and premature dark spots by using the proper sunblock! Ditch your unused bottles or tubs of sunblock, be safe and get a new one. For most people, I know it's such an ordeal to use sunscreens! Probably because of the texture and how it can sometimes feel just too sticky for your liking. Well not anymore! With V&M's Keep Safe Facial Sunblock with SPF 35, Wonder Creme with SPF 50 and Grace and Poise with SPF45 (melon scented sunblock), putting on sunblock surely would only be just a happy treat. V&M's promise: Our sunscreens will never be greasy. Be protected and have a summer full of sun safe fun!
TIP: Use a shot glass full of sunblock for your body and a teaspoon full of sunblock for your face. Re-apply after 1-2 hours of direct sun exposure.

6. Hair Lovin
Never put your hair on the side. It can make or break your whole look, and may shatter the confidence in you. Keeping your hair healthy everyday pays off more than you think. By the time you head to the beach and expose it to terrible and prolonged heat, it's as if it's ready for the damage it will temporarily get through. This also means less trouble for you when you get back to reality after the brief break! Use V&M's SLS and Paraben free Shampoo and Conditioner everyday to nourish hair and scalp. De-stress Your Tresses Hair Masque is great for damaged and treated hair (which is btw currently available in Papaya scent too!) Reverse the signs of hair damage while you still can. Not giving it proper treatment would lead to IRREVERSIBLE HAIR DAMAGE that you would definitely regret once it hits you. This type of impairment is so severe that it breaks hair off and it will never grow back. You might also start seeing bald patches on your scalp. Before this even happens, you should start giving yourself extra and deeper hair treatments! Generally, it takes weeks of treatment for you too see the best results. Be patient, your hair and scalp will thank you so much for it!
Read more about this as I wrote about it in: http://venusandmars08.multiply.com/photos/album/76/VM_DE-STRESS_YOUR_TRESSES

7. Spoil your Puckers!
Make sure to bring your Smooch Lip Detox, which is now fortified with SPF 15 to keep the lips safe, always supple and younger looking! This one's always a best seller! If you haven't tried it yet, well you're missing out on too much I would say. ;) Give your lips a break now! You deserve it. :)

8. Switch to summer makeup
Liquid foundation is just too much for the summer heat. Trade it for a light mineral powder, preferably with a high SPF, which will help your facial sunblock protect your delicate face from all the negative effects of the sun. Pureglow Minerals has 9 shades of foundation to choose from. Plus, they come with SPF 25. :) V&M's Liquor in a Pump Lip & Cheek Stains also make great color to complement your features and skin tone. Choose from the available shades: Luscious Tart (this shade will give you a pinkish glow), Cherry Crush (which will give you an orange hint)

9. Get a safe glow!
If you want to get a safe summer tan, find a good sunless tanner and apply it alternately with your face and body moisturizers. This trick will help build a great color and will give you just the perfect healthy glow by the time you hit the beach.

10. Get ready for Sun-baked skin! And Be safe - anyhow!
As in one of our campaigns, Keep Safe. Take Your Emu Oil Everywhere. Apply Emu Oil all over your body after showering and capping the night off in your hotel suite. Our premium Emu oil is great even for the slightest cuts (you might get while surfing or doing your favorite water activities and/or hiking) or for any rash you might just get while you're out and having fun! Heat rash is also common during this time so never let it get in the way of this well-deserved break!


Enjoy this year's summer lovelies. Follow these tips and get the best-looking, most natural and healthiest skin and hair on the beach!

xoxo
Jamie