Perfect Skin Care for you

Home » brands

brands

Skincare Brands I Love

· · Leave a Comment

luxury beauty products
Some of my Favorite Products!

Well, I have loved skin care and trying out new skincare brands and their products and will probably continue to do so though not with the same fervor. In my 20’s, I wanted to try out all the new things. Now, my life is settled into a more mellow pace and combined with my need to enjoy what I apply and to compensate for my laziness, my list is limited to only serums and body butters.

I have never been a big fan of applying too many products but I did practice it religiously for sometime. Later, I cut out creams from my routine, slowly got rid of exfoliants as they started hurting my skin and now I have not applied any face mask for probably more than two years.

I just wash my face and apply a serum. I have even cut out the fancy vitamin C and hyaluronic acids and everything, for me it is just an all purpose serum which I can apply anytime of the day. That’s why I like to splurge on a good serum and I would definitely like to try out the best ones in the world.

Skincare Brands I Love #1 – Kama Ayurveda

I have not used all kama ayurveda skincare products but I still love the brand to a T. I love their body oils though I am not sure they are any longer available. I love their essential oils. I love their body butter. You really should try it if you have not. And, the neeli brigandi is the most amazing hair oil I have ever used. You can skip the face wash and shampoo and conditioner and even day cream for that matter. But, do give their night cream a try if your skin is prone to dryness. Absolutely worth it. And, the vetiver water is heavenly. Whew! Absolutely loyal to the brand. And, no I am not getting paid for this.

Skincare Brands I Love #2 – L’Occitane

The most amazing brand I have tried and yes this is pricey. Almond shower oil, shea body cream, the divine serum, all of them are sooo good. Worth every single penny I spent on them. If you do want to try out something really luxurious, definitely give this brand a try. This is closest you can get to at-home spa.

The Body Shop Hemp Range - Lip protector, Hand Cream and Foot Protector
The Body Shop Hemp Foot Cream which is great as Hand Cream as well!!

Skincare Brands I Love #3 – The Body Shop Spa Range

Okay, not a big fan of body shop but it stays on my radar somehow. In fact, sometimes I end up not liking the brand as a whole even. But, love their spa of the world body butters. They smell amazing and are simply great on skin. Great buys when you get them at 50% discount so keep an eye out. And, their hemp range is worth mentioning.

Special Mention – SOS Organics

This is a social initiative by SOS Organics Foundation to perpetuate sustainable holistic living. They sell natural products and do, please, do have a look at their website. Their soaps are amazing. Yes, now they cost twice as they used to cost a few years back. I have been disconnected from the brand for sometime but recently I went back to their website and loved what I saw. They also have non-perishable organic foods and their beeswax candles are just amazing. Really would recommend their products on the whole.

Another amazing product which I have not included in the list above is Estee Lauder Advanced Night Recovery, simply because this is just one product and I do not have any opinion on the brand. Which are your favorite skin care brands? Do share in the comments below.

Till then, Swathy.

Related Posts:

The Body Shop Spa of the World Hawaiian Kukui Cream

· · Leave a Comment

The Body Shop Spa of the World Hawaiian Kukui Cream

I have been wanting to write about this product for the longest time now but could not since I missed writing it last year when it was still winter and one could use the hawaiian kukui cream. Now that the winter is about to start, this is the perfect time to get this review going.

Gets absorbed easily and stays on skin till the next wash. Perfectly suited for Winters.

The body shop spa of the world series and their body butters are definitely worth trying out. In fact, so much that my father is also a huge fan. Interestingly, my parents spotted these body butters available at 50% and got a few tubs.

As you can see in the picture, I have a couple of tubs emptied out and waiting for my trip to the store for their disposal. You can give all your body shop empties to the store back and they will take care to recycle the packaging.

The Body Shop Spa of the World Hawaiian Kukui Cream Product Review

[Read more…] about The Body Shop Spa of the World Hawaiian Kukui Cream

Related Posts:

Pantene Intense Rescue Shots

· · Leave a Comment

pantene intense rescue shots product review

I love Pantene but it is sad that we do not get the same quality products in India as they do in US. When my friend went to US in June, I had her bring back a plethora of products for me. These Pantene intense rescue shots were on top of the list thanks to their comparatively inexpensive price tag and amazing product reviews. So, let me tell you my reasons for loving these shots and why you should get them in bulk on your next trip to US or Brazil.

Pantene Intense Rescue Shots Product Review

Price : approx. $5 for 3 shots

Availability : only in US

Pantene Intense Rescue Shots – My Review

The Pantene Intense Rescue Shots are basically conditioners that come in one-time use ampules. The product claims to revitalize your hair in just 30 seconds. Now, I like all the conditioners and conditioning products which have to stay the least amount of time on my hair. I do not like waiting after applying the conditioner with nothing to do and it increases my sinus to have my head soaked wet for longer.

[Read more…] about Pantene Intense Rescue Shots

Related Posts:

Dot & Key Hydration Range

· · 4 Comments

dot & key hydration range

After using their hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum, I was enthusiastic to try out the Dot & Key hydration range. Their lovely box arrived with their hyaluronic acid serum, eye cream, and two sleeping masks – one for face and one for eyes. I have never used eye products earlier very diligently before and I am in love with their sleeping masks. They are velvety and feel luxurious on the skin. Even before the review, I would definitely recommend them.

Dot & Key Hydration Range Products

I love the packaging of the brand, especially their tiny containers for eye cream and eye sleeping mask. The products would last a really long time and they look beautiful on my shelf. The Dot & Key hydration range consists of the following products:

  • Dot & Key Eye Cream Concentrate
  • Dot & Key Hyaluronic Serum Concentrate (Reviewed Here)
  • Dot & Key Eye Sleeping Mask
  • Dot & Key Skin Plumping Moisture Infusion Water Sleeping Mask
Availability: Online Website
[Read more…] about Dot & Key Hydration Range

Related Posts:

Dot & Key Water Drench Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum Concentrate

· · Leave a Comment

Dot & Key hyaluronic acid serum
Dot & Key’s packaging is pastel and pretty!

As usual, my dilemma for finding the perfect moisturizer has not yet solved. So, after using the hyaluronic acid serum (Marine Hyaluronics) from The Ordinary, this is my second hyaluronic acid serum and I was and was completely unsure of what to expect. The best part is I am writing the review almost a month after finishing the product so I also have in mind how is my skin doing after I have discontinued the serum.

Dot & Key is a recent addition to my knowledge of brands. They have interesting products with their vitamin C and retinol serum still on the review shelf with me. After I finished the hyaluronic acid serum, I started with vitamin C serum and I am almost half way through it. As I have already said, hyaluronic acid is a great hydrating ingredient for the skin and if you have a dry skin, you should give hyaluronic acid serum a try.

Dot & Key Water Drench Hydrating Hyaluronic Serum Concentrate Product Review

Price : Rs 895

Availability : Online Website

Dot & Key hyaluronic acid serum, ingredient list

Ingredients

The packaging mentions key ingredients and not the complete set of ingredient list. The concentration of hyaluronic acid in the serum which proves the efficacy of such treatment serums is also missing. However, I am liking other ingredients in the list though the same argument goes for them too.

The concentration of ingredients is unknown because of the lack of complete ingredient list. Bulgarian rose oil and acai berry fruit oil look really interesting. Milk lipids help moisturize the skin. Ceramide 3 gets absorbed into the skin and improves the skin barrier, thus, helping the appearance of aging skin.

My Review

When used topically, hyaluronic acid creates a moisture barrier on the skin, helping to make it smoother and softer. This ingredient is able to hold up to 1000x its own weight in water, thus producing amazing benefits for dehydrated skin. (Source – https://stylecaster.com/beauty/skin-care-ingredients/)

Dot & Key hyaluronic acid serum

The serum comes in a nice blue robust bottle with a stopper. The serum is transparent and runny in texture. It has a mild fragrance to it which I did not like the first time.  But the smell did not interfere with my nose at all and dissipates as soon as I apply the serum on the face. Since the texture is runny, you have to be careful about applying it.

I started using the serum in mid-July and it lasted me almost a month with a complete pump for one time use twice a day. Since this is only a hyaluronic acid serum, it is not enough for complete moisturization so I paired it up with Organic Riot Dazzle serum. It is advisable to follow up with a moisturizer for any kind of serum or treatment you use.

As I mentioned earlier, the hyaluronic acid serum is very runny so I apply it in dots all over the face and neck and gently rub it in. The serum gets absorbed pretty quickly and does not leave any sticky feeling behind. In fact, it is easy to say skin drinks up the serum instead. However, the serum alone is not enough for me and I need to follow it up with moisturizer for sure otherwise my skin feels stretchy.    

Dot & Key hyaluronic acid serum, vitamin C serum, retinol serum
Love their packaging!

The serum does make the skin glow and hydrates it from inside though on some days it might not be enough depending on how you take care of your skin and the weather outside. The hydration lasts for an entire day even if you do not wash our face at night. It keeps the skin hydrated in air-conditioned environment as well for the entire day with a moisturizer. After I finished with the hyaluronic acid serum, I could actually feel my skin getting drier.

Overall, I loved the product especially considering that it is Rs 900. There are very few hyaluronic acid serums at that price range in the market and this is one of them which does a pretty good job. So, yes, you should make hyaluronic acid serum a part of your daily skin care routine. I also have Dot & Key’s vitamin C and retinol serum up for review in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned for them!

I would like to apologize to the brand as well. This review has been delayed for too long as I could not really find time to click pictures and put them up for the review. To update you about changes in my life, I recently started working again full time and since then my routine has been all over the place which is why the posts are sporadic. I am still trying to get everything back under control.

Till then, Swathy.

Related Posts:

Sephora Hand Mask Gloves – Aloevera

· · 1 Comment

sephora aloevera hand mask, sephora hand gloves, moisturizing gloves

Last week has been real crazy with my brother’s wedding, hence the missing posts! So, while shopping for the wedding, I visited Sephora for first time in Hyderabad. Their overnight hair mask was the one which interested me and I picked these sephora hand mask gloves along. You might have heard me cribbing about my extremely cracked and damaged skin on the fingers. I thought may be some moisturizing gloves might be helpful.

Sephora Hand Mask Gloves infused with Aloevera Product Review

Price : Rs 450 for one pair

Availability : Sephora shops and Sephora online

My Review

Well, the first thing I thought about this product was “damn! it’s really expensive”. Who wants to buy a one time use mask for 400 bucks? Anyways, I got the sephora hand mask gloves and the overnight hair mask, though in retrospect buying another pair of gloves would have been a better use for my money.

The pouch contains a pair of sephora hand mask gloves and there is no serum in the pouch as you would find in a face mask. The serum is present inside the gloves. You just have to put them on your hands and sit. The product specifies 20 minutes but I would recommend as long as possible though it does get tiring!

When you put on the sephora hand mask gloves, you would feel nothing actually but then about 2-4 minutes later, you can feel the serum around your fingers. I initially thought the quantity of the serum was very less but I do not think that is strictly true! The serum probably melts with your body heat or something like that.

I kept on the hand mask gloves for probably 30 minutes and there was still a lot of serum left inside so I passed on the gloves to my husband. He kept it on for probably 10 minutes and still there was a little bit of the serum left. I decided to store the gloves for another use, just in case. After removing the gloves, I massaged in whatever serum was on my hand.

sephora hand mask, sephora hand gloves, aloevera hand mask, moisturizing gloves

My hands were really moisturized, my cuticles looked amazing, the cracks on the skin had softened to touch and they looked brighter. Actually, my hands look a lot dull and dark, probably from the lack of hydration rather than moisturization. And, the sephora hand mask gloves really brightened them. Same goes for my husband who does not use anything at all on his skin.

And, just today, I put the gloves on just for 5 minutes to see if there was any serum left. It is almost over, might last for one more use of 5 minutes. My hands looked instantly brighter, cuticles were moisturized and nails were shinier. Boy, they are amazing for a quick pickup. In fact, instead of keeping them for 15 minutes at one go, you can get multiple uses of 5 minutes each.

Overall, I think sephora hand mask gloves are an amazing product if you do not get regular manicures and your hands just never look pretty. Yes, it is expensive but if I am planning to use it once a week for 5 minutes, I guess it will last me almost one and a half month which is a little less expensive, let’s say! But, yes, you should definitely try it out.

Have you used any hand mask gloves?

They have them in different variants. Have you tried out any? Avocado sounds interesting since it is heavy on nourishment. I shall definitely try them out when I am in a mood to splurge. In the mean time, you could ask someone to get them from US at 5$ a piece. Which variant is your favorite?

Till then, Swathy.

Related Posts:

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

· · Leave a Comment

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

If you have followed the blog for long, you would already be aware that I love to hoard essential oils and hair products and when both of them come into one as aroma magic stimulate hair oil especially at the price tag of what it is, how could I even resist it. I have been using it on and off since March. Aroma magic has been long known for inexpensive but effective products!

I have used only their mineral scrub and seaweed face mask. I did not really enjoy the scrub but the mask was good for hydration and instant pickups. Not really the stalwart products the reviews had led me to believe but somehow I did not lose hope in the brand. The oil are tempting, especially the aroma magic stimulate hair oil with its blend of essential oils.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil Product Review

Price : Rs 375 for 20ml

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil – My Review

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

The stimulate oil comes in a pretty blue bottle with a stopper which helps dispense the oil drop by drop. The oil is light, not greasy at all and disappears into the skin or scalp. It has a lavender fragrance which smells soothing and is not strong at all. It claims to stimulate the hair roots and increase circulation to improve hair growth and reduce hair fall.

Contrary to the fact that it says hair oil, aroma magic stimulate is actually a scalp treatment which helps fight any bacterial and fungal infections, moisturizes the scalp, increases blood circulation and helps reduce hair fall. Now, the brand advises you to dilute a few drops of the oil with a table spoon of water and then apply it to the scalp. However, I do not dilute the oil.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil
It’s completely transparent and colorless!

I take one drop of the oil on each on my finger and massage my entire scalp with it. I have been using this scalp treatment almost since March and I have used the product everyday on the scalp till three weeks back. Once I stopped using it, I realized how much it is really useful to control the hair fall. In fact, it helped with the hair growth as well but is more effective to control the hair fall.

I massage my scalp with aroma magic stimulate oil in the evenings so it gets plenty of time to get absorbed into the scalp. It is not greasy at all and does not make my hair or scalp look greasy even with daily use. For people with oily scalp, you can use this right after your hair wash instead of using it everyday. It also helps control the oil production on the scalp.

Aroma Magic Stimulate Hair Oil

It has been a while since I got this aroma magic stimulate hair oil and I have thrown away the outer pack so I do not have its ingredients list. But, it contains rosemary essential oil which is really good for hair growth. The other benefits are that it treats dry scalp, will help treat dandruff, controls itchy scalp, keeps the scalp healthy and helps control hair fall.

Overall, I loved aroma magic stimulate oil and would definitely recommend to all for everyday use. It is also a value for money product. After using it for over a month daily, I still have more than half of the product left. It would easily last for daily use of four to six months since you only have to massage your scalp with it. So, go ahead and try it for sure.

Have you used Aroma magic stimulate oil?

Or, are you a fan of some other scalp treatment? How do you like to treat your scalp? Do you only depend on hot oil treatments? Or, use any scalp cream? I also have one from Kaya but that has expired so I can not review it. Share your secrets with me in the comments section.

Till then, Swathy.

Related Posts: