Himalaya Pure Skin Neem Facial Kit - Review

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm here to share my review on the Himalaya Pure Skin Neem Facial Kit which I have been using for the past 2 months. Spoiler alert : I freakin' love it!! Haha, now if you wanna know why, read on...

Price: Rs.175/- ... Say Whaaaa? I mean I was stunned & did a double take on the packagaing. This was a Himalaya owned store & so I checked with the guy at the counter again, "Excuse me...is this whole kit for 175/-?". He smiled & said, "Yes Ma'am!" ... Me thinks he gets that a lot ...especially for this product. We have always loved Himalaya for its brilliant quality, affordable products for the entire family; but this was a pleasant surprise!! I got it for 175/- but I'm thinking you'd pay much less if you shop online for this.

Contents: The Himalaya Pure Skin Neem Facial Kit consists of 3 components, all of which are best-sellers in their own right! :-) 

1. Purifying Neem Face Wash - 50ml: I have been going back to this like its my Mothership, even since I was an acne-prone teen :-P It's got a gel-like consistency & keeps the skin, clean and fresh, all day long. Thanks to its antibacterial Neem & Turmeric properties, it prevents breakouts without drying out the skin. The best part is that since its not specifically an oil-controlling product & doesn't strip the skin of its moisture, it can be used by any skin type. 

Purifying Neem Face Wash

2. Purifying Neem Scrub - 50gm: An awesome exfoliator for daily use! Yes, I said daily use :-) The Neem & Apricot beads in this scrub aren't harsh on the skin & hence can be used on a daily basis for a quick scrub down at the end of the day. If you're still skeptical on exfoliating everyday, try using this on alternate days to see the difference. 

Purifying Neem Scrub

3. Purifying Neem Pack - 50gm: This is my favourite product in this kit!! Even if I use another cleanser or scrub sometimes, this is the pack I have been using ever since I got the kit :-) On days that I decide to wash my hair, I apply the Garnier Fructis Oil-In-Cream on my hair & this Neem Face Pack on the face around 15-20 mins before a shower. I let the pack dry & then wash it off under some luke warm water :-) It leaves the skin feeling squeaky clean & fresh! The first time I used it, I could actually 'see' a difference around my nose & cheek area; pores were tighter & visibly cleaner!! 

Purifying Neem Pack

How to include this kit in your skincare routine: As the name suggests, the range is meant specifically for purifying the skin i.e. getting rid of impurities, dirt, grime & bacteria that cause breakouts. The face wash, one can use without having to worry about your skin type, as it tends to cleanse the skin without stripping away the moisture from it. The scrub, can be used every other day or if you don't like the idea of exfoliating frequently, then twice in a week should be good enough. The face pack is the star of the whole kit for me, although one of my friends has reported a slight tingly/burning feeling when she used this pack for the first time. So I'd suggest to use it only if you have used face packs before & are comfortable with the warm feeling that face packs can sometimes give you. If this makes you uncomfortable, then you might want to check out the Himalaya Oil Clear Mud Face Pack (with Multani Mitti & Walnut).

My experience with the kit: I have had a great experience with this little kit. 50 gms is a decent size tube to travel with & I have actually traveled with this whole kit. It's compact & quite travel-friendly, if you're looking to carry more skincare rather than makeup :-) This little kit has last me almost 3 months now & still has some more product to go! Overall, I'd say I haven't had too many break outs in these 3 months, apart from this one time I was exhausted after a party & slept with my makeup on :-( My skin just couldn't handle being 'taken for granted' like that & I woke up with a big zit which got angrier in the next 2 days. Once I was back to this kit for skincare, the zit dried out & died! ;-) So basically, this kit is a definite repurchase for me! 

Comes packaged like this :-) Cute init?

Pros :

• Affordable Price
• Great quality products that actually work 
• Travel-friendly

Cons :

• Face-pack may tingle a bit depending upon your skin's comfort level (Id' still say that's the pack doing its cleansing bit on the skin, so not really a con for me :-))

Hope you liked this review! If you've used this kit or any products from it, do let me know your views on them. If not, let me know some of your favourite products from Himalaya :-) Do you have any skincare routine that you follow & wish to share? Please leave all the info in the comments section below ...

Until the next post, Ciao!!!

September Fab Bag 2015 - Review

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm here to share my views on the September 2015 Fab Bag :-) I was pleased to know that Fab Bag and I shared our birthday month & I was really looking fwd to receiving this month's bag. As usual it got slightly delayed & I wouldn't put out a review without using the products for sometime, so I apologize for the delay in this post going up.

The 3rd Anniversary Fab Bag is deep magenta & shiny all over. The quality of the bag is really good & it's something I won't use to just STORE makeup in. It's so pretty, I would actually use it as a clutch for evenings out :-). Let's get into the product reviews now.

1. Makeup Revolution London 'Focus & Fix' Liquid Concealer - I'm on the fence about this one actually. It's sheer & I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. It's sheer & hence doesn't have full coverage; also it's sheer enough to be used on a daily basis. So I guess, I will stick to using it for daily wear like I have been.

Hand Swatches
Left: MLR Focus & Fix Concealer & Right: theBalm Stainiac

2. theBalm Stainiac Lip & Cheek Stain - When I heard that this time, the team was introducing theBalm products in to the bag, I was suppper excited :-) This tiny cutie (which btw is my 2nd fav product in the bag!) packs a punch, but only for the cheeks. It gives me a rosy natural blush great for days without makeup. For my pigmented lips, I need to layer this product at least 5-6 times to stain my lips. I love this one as a blush, mostly & you will too!! :-)

3. Just Herbs Gotukola Indian Gensing Rejuvenating Beauty Elixir Facial Serum  - I'm not going to lie, this is my least fav of the whole gang :-( It's smells like someone made dough for bread & left it to ferment...lol sorry I didn't know how else to describe it. I'm also going to be honest and tell you that I have used this only once, in spite of the smell, only to review it ... but then that's it!! I couldn't get myself to use it again, thanks to the horrid scent. I'm picky like that... I ain't gonna put anything on my face that smells like that, no matter how nice & nutritious it is, for my skin. Sorry Fab Bag, this one gets a 'thumbs-down' from me!!

4. Kama Ayurveda Pure Rose Water - I have been absolutely loving this!! Easily my favourite product in the bag this time!! The steam distilled rose water comes in a spray bottle that I use numerous times during hot, humid days. I have also used this at times when I am taking a break from my kitchen duties; kitchens can get pretty hot, humid & suffocating at times, so when I come out to take a quick break, my lil BFF is ready to help me de-stress & calm me down. Let me also tell you, that thanks to this lovely product, I am not 'perpetually flushed' anymore. The rose water calms down the overall redness on my face and is a wonderful toner. I use it on my face, even after I step out of the shower. 

5. SKINN by TITAN : Celeste for Women & Raw for Men - I'm very bad at describing fragrances, so I'm not even going to try. However let me tell you something, I was pleasantly surprised to see not one, but TWO perfume samples in the bag this month!! That too FOR HIM & FOR HER (the Husband says Thanks!!) I actually happen to like both the fragrances & thanks to the samples, SKINN by TITAN will definitely be one of my top options, next time I'm in the market for perfumes. 

Thank you Team Fab Bag! & Happy Birthday to US..!! ;-)

Hope you liked this review! Are you subscribed to Fab Bag? What were your favs from this month? Do leave me comments below.

Until the next post, Ciao!!!

Colorbar Kiss-Proof Lipstain in 006 Mauve Dusk - Review

Hi Everyone,

My friend P calls me 'Makeup Matte-y'... she means to say 'Maatey' ;-) but that's okay; the points we lose for bad jokes, we make up for... in our Love for each other ;-) So when she uses my fav lipstick formula for the pun, you know this kid knows me from wayyy back lol. And if you follow the blog for some time now, you too might know that I prefer Matte lipsticks over creamy ones. Not that I don't like creamy formulas, but here are some simple (& obvious!) reasons why Matte formulas rock my world -

1. Mattes last longer
2. I feel I look better with Matte lipsticks.
3. Wearing a matte lipstick means being able to kiss my loved ones without having to worry about staining their faces...I love them a lot, but I don't need to 'Paint my Love' geddit? lol sorry I think only I found that funny!! P, my friend, I need a membership for LJA - Lame Jokes Anonymous.

Anni-wayyy...read on to know why the Colorbar Kiss-Proof Lipstain intrigued me :-)

Price: Rs.900/- This was a serious ouchie! but I saved up & got myself this one. Being a budget product junkie, this is one of the more expensive lipsticks I own!!

Shade: 'Mauve Dusk'...I love how this product is named. Not a bright Mauve but a dusky one. True to its name, its a beautiful, deeper mauve that brightens up your face, without screaming for attention. This is a very pretty shade that can be sported by all skin tones :-)

Hand swatches:

Swatch freshly applied 

Swatch after drying for around 2mins

Texture & Formula: This is a lipstain, but works like a liquid lipstick. It has a very creamy, easy-to-work with' texture & glides on smoothly on the lips. You will see some shine in the beginning & will definitely need to give it about a minute or two, to dry out & set to a matte finish. This isn't an 'on-the-go' lipstick than one can quickly slap on without a mirror; while working with a liquid lipstick, you must be willing to spend a few moments on precision :-)

Once this baby sets to matte finish, there's no way this would budge. After drying to a matte finish, the lipstick is extremely & I mean extremely comfortable to wear. I'd say it's almost 95% transfer-proof (or 'Kiss-proof, like they'd like to call it!), with only the slightest bit of transfer; otherwise, this doesn't leave your side like a true BFF!!

Pigmentation: The formula is deeply pigmented. One swipe deposits true colour on to your lips, however I like to wait for the first coat to dry (around 2 mins) & then wear a 2nd coat to extend the wear-time further.

Wear-time: The Colorbar Kiss-Proof Lipstain stays on my lips for about 4-5 hrs straight with 1 coat & 2 coats last on me for about 5-6hrs, which I'm very impressed with!! Meals & drinks might result in slight fading, but that's the case with any liquid lipstick, as they tend to fade/transfer when they come into contact with any beverage & food.

Overall experience: I'm really impressed with this 'lipstain' as it tends to give me a great 'matte finish' without drying out the lips. I also like the flexible doe-foot applicator on this one, as it makes going over the borders of the lips so easy! The applicator is designed well as it tends to pick up the correct amount of product required for one full application. The packaging is totally travel-friendly which makes this one a staple in my handbag.

I like to usually pair this up with any Purple-toned Kurti or simply make it stand out with a 'one-toned' outfit. In the pics, I have paired it with a deep-green kurta :-) I like to keep the overall makeup simple when I want to let this lipstain take center-stage. So let's recap -

Pros:

• Beautiful matte finish 
• Extremely comfortable on the lips
• Gorgeous mauve shade
• Long-wearing formula
• VVIPoint - The lipstick totally rocked the 'Kiss-Proof' test .. it absolutely DID NOT BUDGE! Lol before you get any ideas, I'm talking about my lil baby boy. And don't worry I didnt just 'TEST' it out on my baby, I happen to be a very 'constant pecks on forehead' kinda Mommy anyway.

Cons:

• Price :-( 900/- is slightly expensive & I'm glad I got the shade I liked; no scope for experimenting with other colours.

Hope you liked this review! Have your tried any Colorbar Kiss-Proof Lipstains? Colorbar also has Velvet Matte Lipsticks, have you tried out those? Which is your current favourite lipstick & always travels in your handbag? Let me know in the comments section below :-)

Until the next post, Ciao!!!