July/August 2018 Empties

Hey All!

Its been a while since I have done an empties post. So you can see I have accumulated quite a few empties. So here goes.....

Himalaya Herbal's Purifying Neem Pack is an absolute favourite! It is great for my oily, acne-prone skin. In fact if I got a pimple,  I'd dab a bit of the pack on the zit and it would dry out pretty quickly! I'm getting another tube...

Avon Anew Clinical Pro Line Corrector is a nice serum. It is meant for more mature skin, but it suited me well. It did not break me out. So that was a plus. The pump dispenser pushes just enough for the face and neck. Great stuff! Will I buy it again? Well, not immediately, since i have a bunch of other serum's too.....

Clean and Clear's Morning Energy Face Wash needs no review. One of the best budget face washes for oily, acne-prone skin. Its a regular in my bathroom cabinet!

Kama Ayurveda is one of my favourite brands! The Sugandhi Body oil is an excellent massage oil for the winters. This gold coloured concoction is a great skin conditioner. It's a staple in my winter body care routine. A must buy!

Just Herbs Lively Clean Face Cleansing Gel is an absolute must in the Combination-Oily skin arsenal. It gently exfoliates the skin without irritating it or leaving it red. It is gentle enough to be used every alternate day. Another staple in my skin care routine.

Sattvik Saffrom Care Mattifying Day Cream was an ok product I used. It had a feeling like a 'vanishing cream'. It left my skin feeling caked and clogged. So, honestly, This is not quite empty. I used it for a week, but it did nothing for me.

Sattvik Sun Ban Remedy for Sun Tan Removal Cream was much like the Day cream. I did not enjoy using it. It left my oily skin feeling dehydrated. So obviously its not going to find a place in my beauty regime any more.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream is an absolute favourite. It left the delicate areas around my eyes feeling hydrated and moisturised. Its formula is gentle and did not irritate my sensitive eyes at all. Best of all, it is a cruelty free brand.

Ananda Aloe Gel And Rose Distillate Hydrating Mask was an absolute delight! I kept it in the fridge and after every clay ask treatment, I slathered on this cooling, hydrating mask as the next stage. It feels so light and hydrating and helpes condition the skin after a scrub and a mattifying clay mask. Highly recommended!

Olay Complete All Day Moisture Lotion is an all-time favourite. Its non-oily and never broke me out. Absolutely love, love, love!

Tvakh Vitamin C Exfoliating Water was a interesting product. I used it like a toner and I do think that it helped reduce my breakouts. And that's something! I'm definitely buying again!

I have loved using the Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Anti Fatigue Moisture Cream! Once applied it makes your skin sweat a bit, I guess that's how it helps with the detox. It helped hydrate my skin without making it oily (once I blotted out the beads of perspiration).  Definitely a candidate for repurchase!

The Suganda Neem Green Tea Plant Mask was a dry powder which I mixed with some rosewater to make a paste. I loved using this product. It helped soak up excess oil on my skin. I actually used this every other day during the humid weather.

Vichy Ideal White Brightening Deep Cleansing Foam was another product I enjoyed using. It really cleaned up my oily skin without making me feel stretchy. Definitely a product worth purchasing again!

Have you used any of these products? Did you like them? Let me know in the comments section below.

Think and Stay Beautiful!

Unboxing My Envy Box October 2016

Hi All!!

Happy Diwali!!

My Envy Box turned THREE this October. Anniversary editions of subscription boxes always have a buzz and we subscribers look forwards to specially curated Anniversary Boxes. So did My Envy Box live up to its hype on its 3rd Anniversary? Let's find out!

The Box looks a plain monochromatic but the Team actually wants you to colour the box and send them a pic and the winner will get a bestseller box worth INR 3000+ as prize. Well, I just did not get around to colouring my box, so definitely I'm not getting the prize!

This moth's Box has a total of 8 samples, that's 3 bonus products! Let us dive into the box for more details...

Vichy Ideal White Brightening Deep Cleansing Foam

Product Price: INR 1550/- for 100 ml

Sample Size in Box: 15 ml

Ayca Jasmine Body Wash

Product Price: INR 875/- for 200 ml

Sample Size in Bag: 100 ml

Vert Loose Powder in Shade Miss Pink

Product Price: INR 1250/- for 10 gms

Sample Size in Bag: Full Size

Forest Essentials Face Cleansing Paste

Product Price: 1850/-

Sample Size in Box: 15 gms 

Nertia Nail Art

Product Price: INR 80/- for 1 packet

Sample Size in Box: Full size

Island Kiss Lip Moisturizer in Puerto Berry Blush (Bonus Product)

Product Price: INR 499/- for 14 gms

Sample Size in Box: Full Size 

Keratase Elixir Ultime Oleo Complexe (Bonus Product)

Product Price: INR 2300/- for 125 ml

Sample Size in Box: 3ml

L'Occitane Volumising Shampoo and Conditioner (Bonus Product)

Product Price: Not mentioned

Sample Size in Bag: 6 ml each

So a total of 8 products in the October Box, instead of the standard 5 products. I wouldn't say its a mind-blowing Box, but its definitely generous. The Vichy, Forest Essentials and the Ayca body wash samples are decent sized. Three of the products are full sized. The curation is nice too, a mix of make up and skin and hair care products.  The only disappointing product in the Box is the nail art sticker set. Its not the kind of nail art I enjoy, but that's only a personal preference. 

Approximate Value of the October Box: INR 3500+. A great deal if you have paid only INR 850/- for the box!

My Envy Box is a subscription service which brings you 5 trial sized beauty products (typically 2ml-10ml) from the top international luxury and prestige brands delivered to your door step every month. Priced at INR 850/- for a month, it may be subscribed for 3, 6, or 12 months. You may subscribe to this service HERE

Product Review and Photos:Vichy Purete Thermale 3 in 1: One Step Cleansing Micellar Solution

Hey Everyone!

I was recently in France for a fortnight and was browsing through their pharmacies whenever I got the chance. One thing that I noted was this huge number of beauty and skin care brands which claim to be based on thermal spring water. Each of these brands, Vichy, Avene, Nuxe, Caudalie, Bioderma, La Roche-Posay, Thalgo, Klorane, Lierac etc. (some of which we are familiar with in India), each seem to have their own thermal spring! But what is truly common to all these brands is their micellar water cleansers.

I had seen these micellar cleansers in some online shopping sites,but had not paid much attention to them. But my trip to Paris opened my eyes to this product the French women swear by. I stayed with two families and in both their bathrooms I saw at least two brands of this product enjoying pride of place. One even had a micellar solution for kids!!

I promptly went out and bough myself a bottle of Vichy and Nuxe micellar solutions.  When I began to research what exactly is this micellar solution, why is it so effective and how does the skin benefit from its use, I came across a number of scientific articles which answered my questions, but I gave up science after class 10 for a reason. I then came across this article in the UK edition of Marie Claire which explained in layman's terms this entire phenomenon. You can read this article HERE.

Back to my review...

Product Price: € 12.95 (Approx: INR 910/-) for 400ml. Would be more expensive in India due to import duty etc. (Its about INR 990/- for 200 ml on various online stores) 

Product Photos:

Product Description:

 Triple action Micellar Solution that is kind to sensitive skin.For women with sensitive eyes and skin. Micellar technology captures impurities like a magnet to perfectly clean and remove make-up from sensitive skin without rubbing or rinsing. 
Gently cleansed, sensitive skin is perfectly clean with no discomfort or tightness. 
The non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic formula has been tested under dermatological and ophthalmological control. Formulated for sensitive skin and eyes with physiological pH. 
Enriched with Vichy Thermal Spa Water, soothing, fortifying and regenerating.The texture is kind to your sensitive skin and gently eliminates impurities and all traces of make-up. With no need to rinse off, this treatment limits rubbing for gentle make-up removal.

Instuctions of Use and List of Ingredients:

My Take on the Product:

TheVichy 3 in 1 Micellar Solution comes in a transparent plastic bottle with the brand and product name peinted in silver. the 400 ml bottle comes with a pump dispenser and the 200ml bottle comes with a flip top cap. I have now been using this product for two weeks now. Its a clear water like product. I need only two cotton pads to cleanse my entire face, eyes and lips of all makeup. Even on days I'm wearing no makeup, I use it to clean up my face before going to sleep.

Just two pumps are required to wet the cotton. I just need to swipe my face 3-4 times. You can see the immediate cleansing action without too much rubbing and tugging. There is no need to rinse it off and no need for a face wash either. Most makeup cleansers that I have used need to be followed up with a face wash. Not this one. It prevents the skin from being stripped of moisture and essential oils.

It has a light herbal fragrance, which I like. It does not dry out the skin. This I tested in Paris itself where it was spring and quite cold with very low humidity. However, after the cleansing, My skin does not feel sqeeky. It feels as if there is a thin film of something on my face. Not that it is uncomfortable, but just a feeling. However, I disappears completely when I apply my night care serum. I do also get a slight sting in my eyes when using this product, but it disappears in a minute

I have not had any adverse reactions since using this product. And I do have sensitive skin. So here it fulfils its promise of being specially formulated for sensitive skin. The product is also paraben free. So that's a great plus!

All grimy and ready to clean off.

Side 1 of first cotton pad.

Side 2 of first cotton pad.

Side 1 of second cotton pad.

After Cleansing

Pros:

1. Sturdy packaging
2. Paraben free
3. Contains therma spring water, known to be beneficial for skin
4. Cleans effectively 
5. No vigorous rubbing  required
6. Does not have need to be rinsed or followed with a face wash
7. Gentle on eyes and lips
8. Does not dry the skin
9. Has a pleasant herbal fragrance
10. Specially formulated for sensitive skin.

Cons:

1. Can work out to be quite expensive in India
2. Leaves a filmy feeling on the skin, not a deal breaker, though.
3. May sting your eyes slightly.

Overall verdict: 4.8. Marks lost only due to the filmy layer, though my guess is that it might actually be good for my skin..

Have you used this product? What did you think about it? Did you find this review helpful? Let me know in the comments section below.

Think and Stay Beautiful!!