Kama Ayurveda Box : Review

Hey Guys,

If you are regular at my blog, by now you would have probably guesses that I’m huge fan of sample boxes or gift boxes as they let you try lot of products at fraction of cost, so that later you can buy full size products of the things that you liked and suited you well.

Today I’m going to review a similar box from very reputed and ayurvedic brand: Kama Ayurveda box.

I’m pretty sure everyone knows about this brand and also that the products are absolutely beautiful but quite expensive; hence I was ecstatic when I got to use this awesome gift box.

The best part of this brand is that all their products are ultra-pure i.e there is no artificial colour, fragrance, petrochemical or parabens & sulphates. That is why the products are so good.

Packing:

It comes in beautiful golden box with straws at the base. The moment you open the box you can smell awesome smell of all the products. The products have standard kama ayurveda packaging.

Products:

1.      Pure Rose water (50 ml)

2.      Rose Jasmine face cleanser (50 ml)

3.      Bringadi intensive hair treatment. (100 ml)

4.      Rose lip balm (5 gm)

5.      Jwalini Retexturizing skin treatment oil (10 ml)

My thoughts:

All the products in the box except for the Jwalini Retexturizing skin treatment oil are full size products.

1.     Pure Rose water (INR 250 for 50 ml)

It comes in a spray bottle and is a complete winner just for that. I directly spray it on my face and viola refreshed skin in 2 minutes. I have used it as a toner; have mixed it with powder face pack and also as a face mist. It has very mild smell and has very soothing effect on skin. I love this to the bits.  

2.     Rose Jasmine face cleanser (INR 375 for 50 ml)

It comes in a bottle with a pump. The product is clear has runny texture. It smells of rose and has very mild & calming smell. I absolutely love this smell and use it every evening just for its calming effect. It doesn’t lather much but works well. It is very gentle on the skin, doesn’t leave my residue behind nor does it make my skin dry. Skin feels really soft and dewy with subtle glow after using this face wash.

This is my favourite product from this box.

3.     Bringadi intensive hair treatment. (INR 515 for 100 ml)

It comes in a transparent bottle with golden screw on lid. I’m not really impressed with this packing as it makes using product a bit difficult. The oil is brown in color and has really strong ayurvedic smell. The oil itself is non greasy or sticky on fingers. I have use just 30 mins before bath, over night, over night with steam, and every time I have just loved the results. It makes my hair super soft and glossy; most times I skip my conditioner if I have applied bringadi oil. It has reduced my hair fall significantly and transformed my frizzy mane into soft, manageable hair.

 

4.      Rose lipbalm (INR 525 for5 gm)

It comes in small transparent tub packaging with black screw on lid, packaging could have been bit better (hygienic) in my opinion. The product itself is yellowish in colour and has tick cream like texture. It smells divine of mils rose but the fragrance disappears quickly once you apply it on lips. It is quite light on lips and stays for 2 to 3 hrs. It is a non sticky, non greasy product and it doesn’t impart any colour to the lips just a natural sheen. It moisturises my lips extremely well and has cured my dry & flaky lips.

5.      Jwalini Retexturizing skin treatment oil (RS 350 for 100 ml)

This is the only sample product in the box and quite frankly I won’t be able to same about it as the quantity is very less to actually know how well is product works or doesn’t work.

The oil is light yellow in colour and has a thick oily consistency. It smells quite strong of various herbs. I have applied it on my hands and it got absorbed quickly without making them greasy or sticky.  I have used it in my moisturiser at night and next day my skin was looking better and usual but not at all oily. I might buy a full size product and then give a detailed review.  

 

Overall:

I really liked all the products from this box and would definitely buy the cleanser, hair oil and full size bottle of Retexturizing oil again. The products are really good and deliver on all the claims.

Rating: 5/5

PR sample; Honest reviews.

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L'oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit : Review & Swatches

In last few years brows have suddenly become quite important for anyone who is enamoured with makeup. There is quite an influx of products o get that perfect brows from pencils to brow gels to powders to gel pomade etc.

Even in India we have seen few of these products from Maybelline and Lakme. Now even L’Oreal has decided to join them with affordable brow enhancing products with its latest L’Oreal Brow artist Genius Kit. That shade I’m reviewing is 01 Medium to Dark.

What company claims: (From company website)

“Brow Artist Genius Kit is the ultimate all-in-one brow kit. The kit contains a styling wax, a tinted powder, an angled brush and a spooled brush. The pigmented wax holds for 12 hours and the natural shaded powder allows for buildable colour. Made to measure eyebrows for whichever look you are going for: natural, defined or graphic. The result: Defined and fuller looking brows. Long wear.”

How to use it

STEP 1: Dip the angled brush into wax. Create the shape you desire.
STEP 2: Apply your setting powder with the same brush to enhance brow line.
STEP 3: The powder fills in sparse areas and creates the perfect brows.
STEP 4: Use the spooley brush to comb through the brows for a perfect finish.

Price: INR 895 for 3.5 gms

Available on Amazon

Shelf life: 3 years

Packaging: 

L’Oreal Brow artist Genius Kit comes in extremely sleek and chic packaging. It has metallic silver as outer case and the lid has full size mirror on the inner side of lid, product is fit snugly in pockets of black base. It comes equipped with small duo ended brush with spooley and angled brow brush which quite truthfully is quite useless.

The packaging is quite travel friendly as it is sturdy and the lid shuts pretty securely.

Texture:

The brow powder has beautiful rich creamy texture and easy to blend formula which helps it stays on the brow for long time without any real requirement of brow primer.

The brow wax is quite thick and I was bit sceptical to use it, but it has unique texture to say the least. It is not too creamy or too sticky like normal brow wax but very powdery kind of wax which makes it look natural on the brows.

Top: Wax            Bottom: Powder

My Experience:

When I started with this brow kit I dint really have high expectations as such, but it manage to impress me quite well. It is very easy to use the product to achieve natural looking fuller brows. Also it doesn’t take long to get perfect brows with combination of both the products.

It has really great staying power. It lasted for good 9 hrs on me without fading a bit.

It is said to use the wax above the powder to keep it in place, but I prefer to use wax as a base and apply powder to make it look more natural as wax on top gives very flat and slight sticky brows look.

Sometimes I top it up with brow mascara to give it more natural and fuller look. It works beautifully that way. Some people may feel its bit expensive but I feel quantity and quality more than justifies the cost.

Swatches: I have used the brush that comes in the kit to apply the products..

Overall:

I really loved this product. I personally feel it’s a great product at the cost and quite hassle free to use. One of must haves as per me.

Ratings: 4.5/5  (0.5 less for useless brush )

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GLOBOX July 2016 Unboxing and express Review

Hey Friends!!

I love subscription boxes (most of them) as they are like surprise gifts from one self to one selves.  The subscription box which I'm going to review today is quite new and has just entered the Indian market: The GLOBOX.

 I was quite curios about this box as I have heard some really great reviews of this one and wanted to try it out myself.

I received this box within 5 days of placing the order which is impressive.

 About globox: (From Company website)

“GLOBOX Is An Online Subscription Service For Expert Selected Beauty Products. Take The Hassle Out Of Choosing Between Brands And Beauty Products. With A GLOBOX Subscription, You'll Receive The Best Skin Care, Hair Care And Makeup Products That Are Carefully Selected By Our Beauty Experts To Suit Your Beauty Profile Delivered To Your Door Each Month. And You Never Know, You Could Discover Some New Beauty Essentials! A GLOBOX Also Makes An Easy And Thoughtful Gift For Any Beauty Lover. You Can Now Breathe Easy When You Buy Cosmetics”

Price: 799 INR for one month

 

Packing:

 I was quite surprised to see it in a plain cardboard box, but as per the card there is some contest going on and mostly the packing would change in few months. 

All the products were neatly and securely warped in butter paper with elastic black ribbon. Most of the products had it own bubble wrap to keep them safe in transit. 

This simple but efficient packaging impressed me quite a bit

Products I received in July 2016 Globox:

Rustic Art Aloe Shampoo (INR 290)

Attitude Deodorant (INR 260)

Oriflame Body Lotion (INR 279)

Bio Bloom Apricot/Aloe Face Pack (INR 499)

Aryanveda Pollutend face wash (INR 149)

 

My Thoughts:

Once you decide on the subscription box you need to fill in the profile & according to your answers the team selects & sends you the products suitable for your skin type and skin woes.

The box contains 2 globox stickers 2 notes from from CEO thanking for the purchase and one from their skin expert with how to use the products. Both the notes are hand written which impressed a lot to get something so personalised.

The box contains only full size products which is another plus point. All the products which I received were specifically curated as per my profile which shows that they really do put in time and effort to read the profile and then send the products. All the products that I received screamed “only for you”

Most of the products are from good/well known brand and most are herbal/chemical free brands. One more score for the box.

Express reviews of the products I received.

Attitude Deodorant (INR 260)

It has woody flowery kind of smell which is not my usual favourite but for some reason I liked it.It’s quite mild but stays put for entire day.

Oriflame Body Lotion (INR 279 for 300 ml)

This body moisturiser has vitamin E and has SPF which nourishes & protects you skin at the same time. It has watery texture and gets absorbed easily in skin without giving any greasy/oily feeling. It has extremely mild fragrance which disappears quickly & it hydrates quite well.

Bio Bloom Apricot/Aloe Face Pack (INR 499 for 50 gms)

This face pack claims to reduce the redness of skin and gives even skin tone by reducing the appearance of acne scars. I had specifically mentioned that I have acne prone skin and have lot of acne scars and hence I’m so glad they sent me product specifically for this issue.

Rustic Art Aloe Shampoo (INR 290 for 200 ml)

This is a gentle hair cleanser suitable for dry hair, it says it help reduce the hair fall (perfect for me) and is SLE, SLS, Paraben free. It has very mild ayurvedic/herbal smell which I like. I’m looking forward to try it.

Aryanveda Pollutend face wash (INR 149 for 60 ml)

This is a product that has intrigued me a lot. It claims to be anti pollutant and reverses the effect of damage caused to the skin due to pollution. I has gel like consistency with golden shimmer particles in it. It is very mild face wash which cleanse my face effectively without drying it. It also imparts a subtle glow to my face which I quite like.

Globox costs 799 INR and the total sum of the products in this month’s Glo Box is INR 1447 and which is almost double the price of this box.

Overall:

I really liked this box a lot. It is perfectly customised as per my needs & has all full size products and it’s quite reasonably prices for the quality & quantity of products sent.

Rating: 4.9/5

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Forest Essential - Facial Indulgence Kit : Review

Today’s review is a about a sample Kit from my favourite brand: Forrest essentials. This was the first thing I had used from this brand; in general I love the brand that come up with sample kit so that the consumer can try out few products before actually buying the full size products.

Initially this kit was called Ladies essential travel kit but company has renamed it as Facial Indulgence Kit. They have lot of sample boxes like this all which are available in their stores or online.

I ordered this kit from Amazon; you can get it directly from their site or buy from Jabong or Amazon or Nykaa

Forest Essential Facial Indulgence Kit in general contains:

Facial Cleanser
Facial Toner
Sunscreen Lotion
Facial Nourishing Cream
Facial Scrub Almond
Lip Balm 

Price: INR 1875

Packaging: 

All the products come in cute yellow coloured box which is secured with blue ribbon just for the flare. Box contains individual cut outs for the products which keeps the products in its place. The lid goes on quite tightly. Over all this box is perfect for gifting purposes.

All the products come in the standard forest essential packaging in transparent body and golden cap/lid.

Needless to mention, that all the products smell absolutely divine.

Ingredients: 

Products I received.

Sandalwood facial Cream: 15 g

The facial cream comes in white in colour, lightweight texture with pleasant smell. It gets absorbed easily in the skin within seconds of application. It is quite effective moisturiser and it doesn’t make my face oily even in Mumbai heat and humidity. I have already finished it up. It lasted for good 15 days.

Definitely purchasing this in full size

Sugared rose petal lip balm: 5 g

I love lip balms. This sweet thing comes in pretty pink color and smells of actual roses not some artificial sweet smell. It’s quite light lip balm and perfect for summers. It works quite well and provides slight tint to the lips.

Walnut gel facial scrub: 15 g

It smells absolutely amazing. I have never smelled any scrub better than this. It has very soothing and relaxing smell and does the job quite well. The granules are of perfect size and not too harsh or mild on skin. This jar is sufficient for around 5-10 uses.

Delicate Facial Cleanser Mashobra Honey Lemon & Rosewater: 50 Ml

It comes in light golden brown colour and has runny consistency. It lathers quite well and cleanses face without drying out the skin or making it feel scratchy. I love this product and it will last quite long as you require just a tiny amount for entire face.

Facial Toner Mist Pure Rosewater: 50 Ml

As the name suggests it pure rose water that one can use in numerous ways. I have used it as toner and as normal rose water in face packs. I love to use rose water on my skin and it is perfect for daily use. This 50 ml bottle lasted quite well of around 25 -30 uses.

Sunscreen Lotion Aloe Vera & Sandalwood: 50 Ml

This lotion comes in milky white colour and get absorbed in skin very quickly. It doesn’t make my skin greasy or feel heavy on skin. It has all natural ingredients to protect skin from harmful UV rays. Only down side is SPF is not mentioned.

Overall :

I’m  extremely happy with all the products in this kit and feel like it is a good option when one wants to try few products without having to spend a bomb on various products. It also makes a really good gifting option for special ladies in your life.

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L’Oreal Paris Kajal Magique Bold: Review, Swatches

"Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the darkest of them all" 

If I was the wicked queen from Snow white, that would defiantly be my most sought out question as I'm continuously in search of the darkest, blackest & Boldest  kajal that I can lay my hands on.

According to me kajal or a Kohl is most used and the most basic product in all the girls vanity kit. I’m always on look out for the darkest black kajal that I can get my hands on and needless to say I own a ton of kajals as almost all the brand as at least one variant of kajal in their portfolio.

Today I’m reviewing the newest variant of kajal from L’Oreal: The Magique Bold Kajal

What company claims:

“Discover Kajal Magique BOLD, our boldest Kajal formula for the boldest look.

ULTIMATE BLACK: 25% more concentrated in black pigments, each stroke glides effortlessly to deliver a vivid black line.

MORE EXTRAORDINARY CARE: Its formula contains 2X more Vitamin E* and is gentle on the eye.

BOLD RESULT: Create an intense line with one or two strokes on the waterline. Complete your bold look by adding a thick line on the upper lid

• Extreme Hold: 14H Smudge-Proof.
• Water-Proof.
• Non Transfer.
• Ophthalmologically Tested.
• Suitable For Contact Lens”

Price: INR 350 for 0.35 gms

Shelf life:

Packaging:

This kajal come in black retractable tube with the name mentioned in gold mirror finish colour. I personally prefer kajal in retractable tubes has I doesn’t cause wastage of products. I love how stunning the kajal looks. Its definitely an upgrade from Kajal magic supreme black kajal.

My Experience:

True to its name this kajal is definitely bold and beautiful. This kajal provides extremely black line in single swipe. The pigmentation is so good that you get the darkest black color in single swipe. I had expected the color to be black but not so intense jet black. I’m thoroughly impressed.

The texture of this kajal is extremely buttery & smooth. It just glides across the eyelid without any tugging. It is settles in matte finish and stays that way for good 7 hours without smudging or fading even in slightest.

It is 100% waterproof, I splashed some water on my face and it stayed in place without even slightest fading. At end of 8 hours there was slight fading in corners but nothing too noticeable. It stayed just fine even on my waterline.

You would require a good quality oil based makeup remover to completely remove it at end of the day. Only thing that I did not appreciate is that ingredients are not mentioned.

Swatches:

In Single swipe

Overall:

L’Oreal has completely impressed me with this kajal, it is jet block, bold, water resistant, smudge proof, extremely creamy and settles into soft matte finish, plus is quite affordable and extremely easy to use.

Ratings: 4.5/5

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