Wild Cherries and Kiwi Shower gel from Plum | Review

When it comes to bath, I love trying out different shower gels and shower creams. In today's post I will be talking about yet another product from Plum -Wild cherries and kiwi shower gel. I love scented soaps and shower gels, and this is one of the reasons I wanted to try this one out.

Wild Cherries and kiwi shower gel from Plum

Packaging :

It comes in a typical Plum pump dispenser white bottle. 

Ingredients :

Actindia Chinensis (Kiwi) Seed Oil, Aqua (Water), Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Ethylhexylglycerin, FDA Approved Colours, Fragrance, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Prunus Cerasus (Wild Cherry) Fruit Water, Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES)

My Experience:

The shower gel is a pink translucent liquid and comes in a size of 200 ml bottle. I was looking forward to the fragrance of this shower gel, but it totally let me down. It smells like a combination of chemicals (more kind of the smell of plastics) and cherries. This disappointed me about this product. 

Moving on to the lathering part, it lathers moderately. It isn't all soapy and foamy but at the same time does form lather. The best part of this gel is that it isn't harsh on the skin and doesn't makes skin dry. It leaves the skin smooth and supple. It is this property that made me love this gel.

Rating:

4 / 5

Price :

INR 370 for 200 ml

Pros :

• Vegan , Paraben free
• Cruelty free
• Light on the skin
• makes skin smooth and supple

Cons :

• Not so impressed with the fragrance

Verdict :

I love the fact that it is paraben free and vegan and makes my skin soft and supple. Since, I personally favour scented shower gels, I didn't find the fragrance of this one appealing.

D.I.Y. Multifunctional Face Pack | One face pack , multiple benefits

A few posts earlier, I talked about the basics of skin care (my everyday CTM routine) which one must follow on daily basis. But this isn't enough for our valuable skin, a weekly face pack is a must to deal with issues like pigmentation, tanning, ageing, dark spots, blemishes, acne and many more. When it comes to skincare, face pack is my favourite. It is my ideal way of relaxing on a weekend. While there are lot of face packs available in the market, today I am going to show you a simple D.I.Y. face pack that will serve as a multipurpose.

To make this face pack, you will need :

1. 1 tsp honey
2. 1 tsp rose water
3. 1/2 tsp lemon juice
4. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

Directions to use :

• Mix the above ingredients and apply it all over your face and neck.
• Leave it  on for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Benefits of each ingredient:

• Honey : Honey has excellent skin nourishment properties. It helps in eliminating dullness from the face and provides an all natural glow. This is my go to ingredient to get that radiance on my face naturally. The longer this pack stays on your face, the brighter the glow would reflect on the face. Honey is also known to tighten the skin in general. As we age, our skin tends to loosen out and therefore the honey in this pack will help overcome this ageing issue.

• Rose water : This is traditionally used as a toner. Rose water is enriched with vitamins which are essential to maintain the pH balance of the skin. It essentially helps in tightening large pores and also aids in keeping the skin moisturised.

• Lemon juice : Lemon juice is rich in vitamin c and the citric acids present in it has natural bleaching properties. It evens out the skin tone, reduces dark spots and pigmentation. Lemon juice is also know for its ability to clean the unseen dirt stuck inside of the pores. 

• Turmeric powder : It serves as a natural antiseptic and anti inflammatory ingredient than helps in diminishing blemishes and acne. Turmeric is also traditionally known for controlling the growth of facial hair. One major concern while using it in face pack is that it leaves a yellow tint on the face and that is why I suggest this as an optional ingredient in this face pack.

Overall benefits :

• Suitable for all skin types
• Eliminates dullness and provides a healthy glow
• Tightens large pores
• Evens out skin tone
• Reduces pigmentation and dark spots
• Tightens the skin
• Reduces acne and blemishes
• Controls growth of facial hair
• Moisturises the skin
• Cleans out pores, unseen dirt

Do try this simple face pack and let me know how this worked for you. 

Thank you for reading :)

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The Partyholic December Fab Bag 2016

My fab bag (for the first time!) arrived super early this month and like always I was thrilled to find out what was in it. Since I got it early, I thought I should put up a post to help you decide to go for this month or not. This month's bag is themed "The Partyholic", so apt for the last month of the year. The bag I received is a blue and blacked checked bag with a glossy finish

Now lets get into the details of the bag.

1. Be a Bombshell - Riot

Like every month, I had an option to choose one makeup product. This month I received an email giving me options to choose lip stains of different colour variants (mostly pinks) from the brand "Be a Bombshell". I choose the shade "Riot" which is a raspberry pink colour , more of a pinkish red type and would suit almost all skin tones. The lip stain looks just like a marker pen and it retails for INR 750/-

2. Iba Halal Care nourishing Foot massage cream

I have heard so much about this cruelty free and chemical free Indian brand. I have some of the products from this brand in my wishlist for sometime now and I am glad I got this foot massage cream in my fab bag. I suffer excessively from cracked heels and extremely dry feet especially during winters. I hope this cream could make the condition if my feet better. This foot massage cream is a 50 g product and retails for INR 95/-

3. Thank God it's Friday - Hair mist

The fragrance of this hair mist is sweet as well as spicy. The smell is strong initially but evaporates off eventually and stays quite well for up to 2 hours. I love the smell so much and it is a 50 ml sample product that will easily fit into your hand bag. You can easily carry this to your upcoming late night parties and for your vacations as well. The smell is simply alluring and I am sure you are going to love it.

4. Skin therapy oil

The skin therapy oil is in the form of a roller ball. The oil claims to improve the appearance of scars, stretchmarks, dry, damaged skin, uneven skin tone, ageing skin. I am looking forward to use this oil as currently I am dealing with dry skin. I have hears so much about the body lotion from this brand and I hope this oil works wonders for me.

This is all I received in this month's fab bag and I am quite happy with all the products. I am looking forward to use the foot cream and the skin therapy oil to treat my dry skin.

In a nut shell, the products I received are so aptly curated to suit this winter season.

Mid November Empties

I have been seeing a lot of videos and posts by Youtubers and bloggers talking about their monthly empty products. I have been longing to make a post on my empty products as well but I have this habit of throwing away the bottles/tubes as soon as I finish them. This is my reflex reaction towards empty bottles as throwing them away means more space in my vanity and more empty space means I have to buy new stuffs to occupy the empty space. So with quite a lot of difficulty I managed to save the empty bottles and products to be able to put up this post.

Here is a list of products that I have been using for the past few months and have managed to finish them.

Patanjali Aloe Vera Gel

This is my all time favourite ever since I got introduced to it. This is my third tube and I use this gel generously for various purposes. Right from moisturising to priming to using it as binding medium for face packs , I rely on this wonder gel. I haven't repurchased it yet but I am already missing it. 

Plum Wild Cherries and Kiwi Body Lotion

I loved the non greasy subtle behaviour of this body lotion on my normal skin. The cherries fragrance is another aspect that I enjoyed using this lotion. I am yet to explore other variants from Plum, I will not be repurchasing this even though I loved this lotion.

Adidas Pure Lightness Eau De toilette

This came as gift to me all the way from Singapore. This pretty perfume has mild refreshing fragrance that stays all day long. It is perfect for daily office wear and for those of you who do not like strong scents.

Natural Bath and Body Wild Orchid Body Butter

I received this as a bonus product in my MSM box last month. This is such a tiny sample that it lasted me for up to 3 uses. The body butter is non greasy, creamy and moisturises the skin really well. The fragrance and the texture of this lotion reminded me of the Vaseline Coco Butter,

Kronokare Anti turmoil

This is another product that I am missing so much. This oil gives a relaxing and soothing feel when massaged nicely on the head. Since I received only a sample product, I used this cautiously and saved this only for those days when I felt exhausted and needed a good oil massage. I wish I could repurchase this as it is quite expensive.

Maybelline Collosol Eye Liner

This is my go to everyday eyeliner. The application becomes so much easy because it is just like a sketch pen. It is water-proof , smudge- proof and the staying power is also really long. The only problem with this is that it finishes off quickly. I have already purchased this again as Maybelline is one drugstore brand that I blindly rely on.

Kama Ayurveda Kokum and Almond Body Butter

I got this in my MSM box last month. This a tiny 5g tube which was not even enough for one time use. Therefore, I can't really comment on the efficacy of this product. The texture is buttery and smooth and it had a strong vanilla fragrance.

This is all the empties that I managed to collect and hope to put up more such posts in  the future :)

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Wild Cherries and Kiwi Body Lotion from Plum | Review

Winter is here and it is that time of the year that the body quintessentially requires lotions, creams or butters to combat the dryness this season causes. I remember when I was in school, I had the kind of skin that gets extremely oily during summer and excessively dry with flaky white patches during winter. Now with proper diet and skin care thankfully I got rid of this condition and my skin tends to be almost normal throughout the year. Nevertheless it does get a bit dry (not super dry) during the monsoon and winter season. The body lotion that I am currently using is from Plum -Wild Cherries and Kiwi Body Lotion. I have almost emptied this delicious bottle of body lotion and I am so glad to share with you all my experience.

Packaging:

The body lotion comes in a white plastic bottle with a pump dispenser. Generally, I like the pump dispenser mode of outlet for my lotions but this gave me a tiny issue. I will talk about it as you read through my experience part of this post.

Ingredients:

Actindia Chinensis (Kiwi) Seed Oil, Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, FDA Approved Colour, Fragrance, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Prunus Cerasus (Wild Cherry) Fruit Water, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine

My Experience:

I have been using this lotion for quite sometime now. The one aspect that delighted me the most about this product is its fragrance. The lotion smells deliciously of cherries and it is of pale pink in colour. Unlike lotions in general , this lotion in my opinion cannot be called a "lotion" because the texture is ultra creamy. The consistency is more like a cream than a lotion. The smooth creamy texture coupled with the pale pink colour and the cherries fragrance will remind you of the icing on the strawberry cakes. 

That being said, the thicker consistency of the lotion makes it difficult for the skin to absorb it. A minute or two of massaging is essential for it to get absorbed by the skin. You can view below how the cream gets thickened out while being spread on the skin surface.

The thick consistency of the lotion posed another tiny issue. Towards the completion of the lotion while there was just about one-quarter of the quantity left in the bottle, I wasn't able to pump the lotion out. This annoyed me as I had to dig inside the bottle with the tube to bring out the lotion.

Moving on to its effects on the skin, once it gets absorbed by the skin, it doesn't leave a greasy effect. This is yet another feature that I loved. It simply moisturises the skin giving a natural finish and at the same time making it smooth and soft. I have been generously using this lotion twice a day for about two months now and have loved how this works in a subtle way for my normal skin.

Price:

INR 390 for 200 ml

Pros:

• Delicious cherries fragrance
• Non greasy effect
• Makes skin smooth and soft
• Works in a subtle way which is a plus for normal skin
• 100% Vegan
• Paraben , sulphates , SLS free

Cons:

• Thick creamy consistency
• Takes time to get absorbed 
• Demands reapplication after few hours
• Might not be the right choice for extreme dry skin

Rating:

3.75 / 5

Verdict:

Its hard to find non-greasy body lotions or creams and this one is already a winner in that aspect. This will best suit normal skin to slightly oily skinned beauties because of its subtle behaviour. I do not recommend this one to extreme dry skin or to those dealing with winter dryness.

GeriG Lip Gloss Creme | Review | Swatch on Indian Skintone

Today, I am going to review the lip product that I received in my October Fab bag. Every month fab bag sends out an email to choose one make up product and this time it was lip products for me. The options given to me were a variety of lip glosses, lipsticks and compacts from a brand named C.A.L Los Angeles along with an additional option to choose products from previous month's bag. In order to make a choice, I relentlessly searched all over the Internet to get information about the brand C.A.L. Los angeles. Apparently, the only information I could gather was that it is an Indian brand which is new in the market (I wonder why the name Los Angeles?). I am always on look out for the ingredients while choosing cosmetics and since I couldn't find the list of ingredients for CAL products, I decided to skip it while making a choice for this month.

I was left with options to choose from Geri G lip glosses and Sugar mascara. I loved GeriG Foundation so much that it enticed me in choosing Geri G lip gloss creme in the shade Peache.

Geri G Lip Gloss Creme - Peache

At first I never really wanted to put up a review on this gloss, but since I couldn't find any swatches on the internet, I decided to write up a review which could be of help to the beauty enthusiasts out there. Also, since it is an international brand, I wanted to show you how the gloss fairs on the Indian skin tone.

Packaging:

It came packed in thin cardboard box with the ingredient list and name printed on it. Inside the box, is the gloss in a square shaped transparent glass tube with a silver cap. I absolutely fell in love with the gorgeousness of the lip colour in the tube and the packaging simply awed me.

Key Ingredients:

Sunflower Oil, castor oil, safflower oil, white tea, Japanese green tea, Aloe Vera, Nanomarine-5®, Vitamin E.

My Experience:

Although I am not a gloss person, I wanted to try this lip gloss on me the moment I received it. Having had an amazing experience with the foundation, I was intrigued to use it.

Swatch

The gloss had a faint sweet smell. The applicator was also good. After putting it on my lips, the gloss gave a sticky feel to my lips which I wasn't comfortable with. When I had a closer look at the tube, I found that the gloss had a slight hint of shimmer (nothing fancy by the way!) to it. Moving on to the pigmentation, it gives a sheer finish. For me, it was as good as using a transparent gloss. I loved the peach colour in the tube so much but to my vain I couldn't see any of it on my pigmented lips. Talking about the glossiness, this gloss is extremely glossy (this might even be an understatement!) when applied. The glossiness begins to fade eventually and the gloss would stay on the lips for a maximum of 2 hours. Overall, I am not really impressed with this gloss but I cant complain either. This might not be the one for pigmented lips.

Swatch on lips :

Peache on lips

Price:

INR 1000 for 4 ml

Pros:

• Super glossy
• Sweet smell
• Sleek packaging
• Suitable for light skinned beauties 

Cons:

• Not suitable for pigmented lips
• No colour pay off
• Very poor staying power
• Gives that sticky feel
• May not suit for medium to dark skin tones

Rating:

2 / 5

Verdict:

As said by the founder of Geri G, it is ideal for that everyday no make-up look. Despite the cons, I am not dissatisfied with the product completely. One can use a lipstick underneath to get the desired colour with a glossy finish. 

Bio Henna Leaf - Fresh Texture Shampoo and Conditioner | Biotique | Review

Here is a review of yet another shampoo from Biotique - the Bio Henna Leaf - Fresh texture shampoo and conditioner. I picked this shampoo while I got the Biotique's eye cream but only recently I have started using this shampoo. After some unimpressive experience with the eye cream
and garnier's ultra bends shampoo  I didn't really have any expectations from this shampoo.

Bio Henna Leaf Fresh texture Shampoo & Conditioner

Packaging :

The shampoo comes in a typical Biotique round translucent bottle with their standard green cap. I love the sturdy packaging of Biotique's products.

Ingredients :

My Experience :

After I had a very bad experience with Biotique's eye cream, I was anxious to use any other product from that brand. Nevertheless, since I brought this I managed to use it. This shampoo is pale pink in color and is gel-like, very light in consistency. I am not sure how to describe its fragrance exactly, but I would say the smell is pretty pleasing ( like flowery fragrance I guess? ). So far, so good !

If you have read about my other reviews on shampoos, you will know that I follow the process of diluting the shampoo in about 1/4th mug of water before using it. Doing this makes sure that the shampoo reaches every part of the head and also the quantity of shampoo required per wash is also  less. I use the diluted version to wash hair , forming lather right from scalp to the tips.

A noteworthy feature about some of the Biotique's shampoos is that they are a mix of both shampoo and conditioner which means there is no additional requirement of a conditioner. Since it was mentioned in the .packaging that this variant is also a shampoo and conditioner , I didn't follow up with conditioner after using it.

Upon drying, I was awestruck to notice the smooth texture of my hair. This shampoo brought life to my dull and dry hair. I am so glad I bought this. Indeed as stated on the bottle, it gave a fresh texture to my hair.

Price :

INR 159 for 190 ml (but you can always find discounts online)

Pros :

• Pleasing smell
• Sturdy packaging
• Light, gel like consistency
• Ayurvedic recipe
• Provides smoothness and freshness as per its claim
• Decently priced
• No need for an additional conditioner as this works both as a shampoo and a conditioner

Cons :

• None at all :)

Verdict :

Biotique shampoos are good and this one certainly will be one of my favorites. If you are on a look out for a shampoo that will bring back life to your dull and dry hair, then go for this without any doubt.

Thank you for reading :)

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Oil in replacement cream - L'Oreal Paris | Review

Back when I was a kid , I loathed oiling my hair. I remember hating that greasiness and stickiness and also the weird smell of coconut hair oil so much. Even today, I would shamelessly admit it is my mom who gives me head oil massage. I simply don't like the feel and touch of oil. I came across several reviews about the new oil replacement creams available in the market and decided to give it a shot. The fact that I no longer have to deal with the greasiness lured me in buying the L'Oréal Paris Oil in replacement cream. The idea that a cream could do the work of oil to my hair amazed me and I couldn't wait to try it out.

Packaging :

It comes in a beige golden tube like the other L'Oréal nourishing oil range products with flip open brown cap. The packaging is decent for the price.

Ingredients :

Six oils :

• Argan
• Almond
• Jojoba
• Olive
• Coconut
• Camelia

My Experience :

The cream is cloudy white and quite light in consistency. It possess a strong fragrance which reminded me of the Inveda Argan Cleanser. These both smell exactly the same which I guess due to the presence of argan oil in both of them.

According to the packaging, there are three different ways to use this cream:

1. Over night
2. Before shampoo
3. After shampoo

I have tried this cream all the three ways and I have mixed opinion about it. Good things first : The cream gives a cooling sensation when applied over the scalp. As per its claims, it is not greasy at all. It tamed my frizzy hair to an extent. Other than this, I didn't notice any thing else that is great about this product. The name says oil replacement cream but I doubt this could actually replace my oil massage. Oiling hair is essential to nourish, give life, add shine and smoothness to hair and I didn't find this cream doing any of these. I am suspicious about the nourishing abilities of this cream but nevertheless, it didn't cause any damage to my hair.

Price :

INR 80 for 100 ml

Pros :

• Gives a cooling effect
• Non-greasy, non-sticky
• Decent Packaging
• Inexpensive
• Alluring fragrance
• Tames frizzy hair

Cons :

• Doubtful about the nourishing abilities
• Doesn't add shine or radiance

Rating :

3 / 5

Verdict :

I would rate this as an okay-okay product. I can definitely not replace this with my oil massage but these can be useful during those busy days when there is no time for oiling. Also since there is no fear of spilling, these can be easily carried for vacations and those travel times.

Colourpop Haul | Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip and Lippiestix Swatch on Indian skin tone | Experience with Indian Customs

Colourpop cosmetics , the latest sensation on the internet is a blooming cosmetic brand and I am sure it is every makeup fanatic's (like me) dream to own at least some of their gorgeous collections. This very young brand is already a huge hit in the makeup world and unlike other well established beauty brands, Colourpop got famous simply through Instagram and YouTube. Colourpop's success is one powerful example of how internet marketing can be used to grow one's business.

My Colourpop Haul

Enough of their popularity speech and let me move on to the exciting part- My Colourpop haul. I have been following Colourpop on Instagram for some time now and they recently had a free international shipping offer going on at their website. I was simply taken aback to see this offer and couldn't resist myself from ordering. Although I wanted to try all of their variants but due to budget constraints I narrowed it down only to the lippies. Being a matte lippie lover, I ordered for three lippistix and three ultra matte lip. The sum total of my order came around 33$ plus an additional shipping charge of 4.99$ . I also made use of the 5$ coupon code that I received when I signed up for their newsletter. So after the discount code, the total price I paid was just 33$ (approximately INR 2,300) for six lippies.

The excitement that I could finally get hands on one of my dream brands' products blinded me from realizing that I just made an order from a USA website which meant I would also have additional charges in the name of customs. I was all the time worried after placing the order what would the custom charges be, what if it was huge. I was incessantly searching all over the internet to get some information regarding Indian customs on cosmetic products. Nowhere I found proper information.

Finally, the day came when the postman brought me the package to my doorstep. I was asked to pay INR 341 as custom charges, which roughly came around 14.95% of my total order. I breathed a sigh of relief ( Phew! That wasn't too bad right? ). I took my package and couldn't wait to open it. Upon opening the parcel, I was amazed at how wonderfully my lippies were packed. I also received a small and cute thank you card and a booklet on how to use their products.

Moving on to the lippies that I ordered. I got three Ultra matte lip :

Ultra matte lip

1. Bad Habit - a berry pink shade
2. Mama - an orange-brick red shade 
3. Bumble - a dusty pink shade

Lippiestix

and three lippiestix are :

1. Contempo
2. Lumiere
3. I heart this

I am particularly in love with the Bumble and I heart this. The staying power of ultra matte lip is extremely commendable. These are completely kissproof and I am in love with their formula. These are liquid lipsticks and are super pigmented, one thin coating is more than enough.

The lippistix are also equally good when it comes to staying power. They can stay for a long time without meals but if you are going to have food they will disappear from the center. They do transfer and are not completely matte, more like creamy-matte I would say.

Here are the swatches of some of the lip colours :

Bad habit swatch

Mama Swatch

Lippistix

I heart this Swatch

Lumiere Swatch

So, this is it about my colourpop haul. I am so happy and satisfied with my order. I have already made a wish list to order next time when they offer free international shipping.

Hope you loved reading about my colourpop haul. Thank you.!

Ultra Bends Henna and Blackberry Shampoo - Garnier | Review

Garnier has recently launched a new range of paraben free shampoo under the name - Ultra Bends. Today I will be reviewing one of the shampoos from this range - henna & blackberry shampoo. Before moving on to the review let me tell you that I've literally stopped using Garnier products for years now. I do not know why but garnier products never worked for me irrespective of their good reputation. The paraben free mark on the ultra bends shampoo caught my attention. And so after ages, I picked a Garnier product- the henna & blackberry shampoo. I chose this shampoo because lately my hair feels pretty dry and rough and thought this shampoo could bring some shine to it.

Garner Ultra Bends Nourishing Shine Shampoo - Henna & Blackberry

Packaging :

The shampoo comes in a purple flat plastic bottle with golden flip open cap. Purple is one of my favorite colors and needless to mention this purple colored bottle tempted me to buy it (I could be that silly at times ).

Flip - Open Golden cap

My Experience :

It is a cloudy wine colored shampoo which has a gel-like appearance. It is very light and a little amount is enough for a wash as it lathers extremely well.

If you have read my review on Biotique shampoo , you already would have known that I have the habit of diluting shampoo in about 1/4 th mug of water before using it. It is this diluted version of the shampoo that I use to wash my hair thoroughly, lathering from the scalp till the ends.

The shampoo needless to say has a yummy smell just like blackberries. Although the shampoo feels to be light on the hair initially, after rinsing it off , I sense that it doesn't even smoothen my hair out but rather makes it even more rough. After drying my hair, I didn't notice any shine or vibrancy added to it. It was worse than it was before- more dull , more dry.

The first time I used the shampoo I didn't follow it up with a conditioner, the next time I used a conditioner after the wash. The conditioner helped me smoothen the hair to some extent. But the shampoo as such did nothing good to me.

Price :

INR 120 for 180 ml

Pros :

• Packaging
• Paraben-free
• Fruity fragrance
• Light and gel-like
• Inexpensive

Cons :

• I felt the shampoo was harsh on my hair as it made my hair even more dull and lifeless
• It didn't work for its claims for me as it didn't give my hair any shine or vibrancy as the packaging claims

Rating :

2.75 / 5

Verdict :

All I could say is , I do not have a good relationship with Garnier products I guess. But that's just me. In a nutshell, the shampoo didn't work for its claims for me and I would definitely not go back to this one again.