My Skin Diary – December 2015

Published on January 5, 2016 by Swati 4 Comments

My Skin Diary – November 2015

Hey All!! How have you been? How was Diwali? I know a whole lot of time has gone since we last talked. So, how are you doing? There has been just so much I have to share with you all. So, last two years have been pretty bad for the blog so I apologize for that and I hope it really does not continue. But, then, I do realize I am past all hope and you have for sure given up on me.

Highlights of the Post

October Skin Diary
November Skin Diary
December Skin Diary
Why Cleansing is Important?
A Trick to Moisturise well in Winters
Why You should alternate Skin Care products?
How to get rid of Neck Lines?
Why Skin looks dark in Winters?

Anyways, my October and November were pretty cool in the skin care department. I have made a huge haul again. Okay, not as huge as Malaysia one but huge still!! I can literally term myself a spendthrift now for the amount of money I have spent this year. And, that reminds me that we are only a month away from 2016. Whoohooo!!

I shall be 30 this year. Bohooo! I do not really know how to feel but it does overwhelm me. I feel that I am getting older but then the next moment I love the liberation which this age brings. Now, I understand why every actress above 30 says this is the best age to be. Teens are confusing, 20’s are insecure, 25+ one is just trying to adjust with growing up. 30’s is when the real life really begins. And, you actually have the guts to laugh on your older self, condemn your actions, realize your mistakes and actually use some brains to avoid more!! Hehe…okay, enough already 🙂

Talking about my skin, I had started sharing my skin care routine again in September. And, then, October was a crazy month. The whole thing went off in anticipation of the wedding of the year in the family and life and mails did bring in a few surprises. Oh yes, I also got a chance to interview one of the leading dermatologists in the country but that was in November. And, I have sooooo many tips to share with you all. So, let me start with October.

Used Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Serum and the eye cream in October and it was just awesome. Pretty decent serum for all kinds of skin types.

How was October for my skin?

The last two months my skin has been acting up weirdly! In the month of October, it broke out pretty much on the chin area and that had been really difficult to control. I thought it was because I was applying Sheisido sunscreen which probably got a little extra for my skin but now I am not so sure.

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Just Gossip Vol. 42 – Vacationing and Hauling and Everything Else!

Published on September 4, 2015 by Swati 8 Comments

Huh…just in case if you have been wondering where did I disappear? Well, it turns out that my life has to be on the go instead of the pre-planned I always prefer. We had to go somewhere but getting the visa took time and then tickets had just sky rocketed. And, since we had availed the leaves, we decided to go some other place for which we had to wait like 7 days to get the visa and we did not have the passports till the day we were flying. And, then, the tickets were booked on the same day and then we flew adhoc!

That is my story of Malaysian vacation I was on two weeks back. And, as a rule, you SHOULD be off-technology while on vacation because it is strictly me-time and family-time. So, no blogging!

batu caves malaysia — The Legendary Batu Caves!

How was Malaysia?

I was, in fact, thinking of starting a travel diary series to document all my travels. For the interested, we do not prefer packages. We prefer to roam around the city at our own sweet pace even if we do not cover the entire place. That is a excuse to visit the place again 🙂

Anyways, Malaysia was awesome except for the extreme weather it faces. It would be really hot sunny day and the next hour it would be raining cats and dogs. I shall do a complete write-up of the trip in another post coz we had such a gala time. Honestly, we did not really go around much but we were soooooo tired from the trip!

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Biotique Bio Saffron Dew Youthful Nourishing Day Cream Product Review

Published on August 12, 2015 by Swati 6 Comments

After my hair makeover, it was finally time for me to concentrate on my skin. I was checking some of my before-wedding pics and my skin was Soooooo good and now it is just not that great!!! So, the first thing I did was to order off the MVO sunscreen which I have always loved. Btw, the worse thing is they have stopped shipping to India due to the custom problems which makes it difficult to or the product anytime I want.

And, the second thing on my list was a good moisturiser. As I have reiterated countless times, I have never found the perfect moisturiser and I did not want to use any oil so I decided to try out biotique as I love the brand and it suits me. So, I went and bought this product. And, before I begin, I am loving it. I have read a few negative reviews of the product as well but I would totally recommend it if you have my type of skin. So, read on!

Biotique Bio Saffron Dew Youthful Nourishing Day Cream Product Review

Price : Rs 199 for 50 gms
Availability : at all the stores and websites so this is not an issue at all!
Packaging : The product comes in the classic Biotique packaging which btw has changed from oval to round jars. It is easy to carry but a little cumbersome and does not leak at all.
Texture : The product is creamy and gets absorbed immediately in my skin.
Ingredients : As always, I am a little skeptical of biotique ingredients because of their mention of base Q.S. I wish they would be more forthcoming about it. As far as in understand, they buy the base for all the products and add their signature ingredients to the base and then package it. Btw, did you know they have come up with an advanced range of products for anti-ageing skin care?

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Biotique Bio Clove Purifying Anti-blemish Face Pack for oily & acne prone skin {Product Review}

Published on November 15, 2013 by Swati 7 Comments

I have always voted up for Biotique face packs and this one is no different. I love the color and the texture of the product. Its a bit grainy and goes smoothly over damp skin as all other face packs do. Btw, do you remember the tip that anything gets absorbed better on damp skin – moisturizer, serums or face packs!

Pros

leaves the skin smooth and a bit radiant

does help with tan and blemishes but only just so

suits dry skin as well in summers

can not find any con per se

The mask takes a good 15-20 minutes to dry off if you have applied a thick layer. Removing the mask is not really easy just like other masks but using a wash cloth made it little better. Also, make sure that the wash cloth is soft enough otherwise you can end up harming your skin.

After removal, one can see a little brightening of the face. Over the course of time if you use it, it helps with blemishes but it does help with tan. Also, the mask can be used daily as well but in such a case, the mask should be kept till it is just dry and washed off so that you do not have to scrub it off the face. Everyday scrubbing is not good!

Ingredient List

Also, whether it helps with acne or oily skin is something I can not comment on but yes it does suit dry skin unless you are using in winters which I did not do so I have no idea how it fares in dry weather. But, overall, I would say it is worth a try and easily available.

Price: Rs 199 for 85 gms

Have you tried the product?

Get from flipkart:

Face Cleanup at Home {DIY}

Published on October 6, 2013 by Swati 4 Comments

photo stock-photo-beautiful-young-woman-receiving-facial-massage-43575766_zpsb1884d44.jpg

Ok, this is just a DIY and is not supposed to mimic the parlor cleanups. I just randomly followed this routine one day and totally loved it so sharing it with you. You can do this when you think you can do with a little bit of pampering. I have already shared all the DIY’s in this post on the blog.

Ingredients

Face Wash
Homemade Body Polish
Deep Cleansing Mask
Nourishing Mask
Face Towel

Method

Wash your face and neck thoroughly to remove all grime and dirt. If makeup is already there, remove it properly using the double cleansing method.
Take this body polish and scrub your face and neck till all the granules melt off. This will take about 5-10 minutes at max.
Now, the next step is to use a deep cleansing mask or any mud mask which absorbs the toxins from the skin and leaves your skin glowing. Let the mask dry and wash off.
Now, to nourish the skin, you can take a nourishing face mask and apply a thick layer. Let it dry. Relax in the meantime. Wash off.
Follow with a toner or in my case aloevera gel. And, apply your favorite moisturizer or in my case a facial oil.

Body Polish

I have already shared the DIY on the blog here. I would strongly recommend you to use this. But, you are more than welcome to use a good face scrub if you own one. Also, after scrubbing, you can take the face towel and dip it in hot water and wash off your face with it (instead of steaming the face). This is just to open the pores.

Deep Cleansing Mask

Any clay mask is a deep cleansing mask. If you have one, that is more than enough. Otherwise, you can make one using multani mitti (fuller’s earth) and water itself. You need a mask which will only remove the toxins from the skin. The nourishment is the next step so don’t worry about it.

Recommended Masks:

Beauty Formulas Heat & Cleanse Clay Mask

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask

Nourishing Mask

If you have a nourishing mask or a creamy or hydrating mask, that is good. Otherwise, you can make one using cocoa powder and honey. You can also add milk cream or fruit juices or banana.

Recommended Masks:

Biotique Bio Pistachio Ageless Nourishing and Revitalizing Face Pack

I would suggest any Biotique mask like milk cream or clove mask as well. They are all pretty nourishing.

So, that was my home DIY for face cleanup. Do you have any alternate ideas? Do Share!

Related Posts:

Turmeric infused Almond Oil

Mom’s Oil

Ginger infused Vinegar for Dandruff and Clarifying Hair

Do you apply Egg on Hair? {Your Opinion}

Published on April 17, 2013 by Swati 56 Comments

Hey Everyone! I know I am not being regular with the posts so please bear with me. So, today, I wanted to discuss a very stinky topic. Now, I love watching videos on hair care and reading home remedies for hair care. But, more often than not, you would find egg to be almost one of the best remedies for healthy hair.

Now, I perfectly agree with that because I myself have tried it and I totally love it. But, there is a huge catch with Egg. The Smell. Yeah, you all know how awesome it smells! And, now I am not able to bear it. And, my whole room and bathroom starts stinking so I am not able to use it anymore.

I have been applying curd very regularly in March but sadly it is not helping with the hair dryness. I don’t know what’s wrong with it because curd works fantastically. And, I do use homemade curd not the yogurts available outside. And, still no benefits. And, I have been seriously thinking of switching to egg. It does help hair dryness and provides nourishment.

But, how to avoid the smell? Well, first is Essential Oils. May be they will work unless egg is so powerful that it will overpower the goodness of EO’s 😀 Ok, second, I heard in one of those home remedy videos that lemon juice helps reduce the stink from egg. Well, I do not know how true it is but seems worth a try. But, there is another catch. Lemon makes the hair extremely dry, at least for me. So, I tend to avoid it.

Or, may be, I would try using egg with musk root this time. And, that would be a working day so that I don’t have to bear the egg smell all day long. It would dissipate till the time I am back. Only my maid would be cursing me 😀 Or, it is also said that if you mix egg with henna, it doesn’t stink. So, probably I might go ahead and check out either of the remedies.

What about you? Do you apply egg on your hair? Can you bear the stink or you take some steps to reduce the stink? Would love to hear your remedies 🙂

My Hair Diary – March 2013

Published on April 9, 2013 by Swati 11 Comments

getting snaps of my hair is damn difficult on the new cam!

So, another month gone! And, this month I was pretty diligent about my hair 🙂 So, yay to that! But, unfortunately I am not as diligent on the posts so you would be missing the posts on Tuesday and Thursdays and weekends. And, I have yet to reply to comments!

What I did?

Moving on, I have been using Organic Surge. Coming up soon with the review. But, I am loving it for now. Its the only SLS-free shampoo I have used till now which actually cleansed the entire oil from the hair and made the hair pretty soft.

Next come the DIY’s I did this month. Well, I did get inspired by my friend and tried to take more care of the hair. I got musk root and used it with yogurt as much as possible. And, I used parachute advansed hot oil almost every time I washed the hair. But, not every time!

yeah, that’s my hair just after washing without any serum or conditioner!

And, the next thing I followed this month was using Grapeseed oil with Rosemary EO on scalp and Pomegranate oil on the hair as an after-wash hair serum. But, one thing I had neglected was conditioner. I hardly used conditioner.

One thing I noticed about my hair was that I was losing more of my hair if I did not wash it within two days and then it was getting itchy and very dirty. Well, this is what even my colleague complained. She told me that if even a little of sweat gets accumulated on her scalp, she starts losing hair and gets really itchy. And, if she is washing her hair daily, its behaving nicely! Yeah, the question is should we wash our hair daily? Let’s see!!

Products Used

Shampoo – Organic Surge Moisture Boost

Conditioner – Kamini Conditioner + Liz Earle Botanical Shine Treatment

Leave-in and Scalp Treatment – Soulflower Grapeseed Oil with Rosemary EO + Soulflower Pomegranate Seed Oil

Hair Oil – Parachute Hot Oil Treatment