Although keeping your skin clean is a necessity, most people do not spend too much thought on their body wash. Sharing a body wash among family members is a common mistake made by many households. However, each of us has different skin requirements. Each skin type is unique and one must choose one’s bath essentials accordingly. If need be, each member of the family should use their own body wash. After all, a good body wash is a must-have bath essential for everyone.

Types of Body Wash

Just like soap bars, body wash comes in several forms. Broadly, they are two types:

1. Shower Gels:  These are usually clear and translucent. Some may have conditioning ingredients added in the basic formula. They are usually full of fragrance and are great cleansers. Shower gels are available for several body types and are usually not very expensive.

2. Moisturizing Washes: These formulas are creamy with a lotion-like texture. They are thicker than shower gels and act as moisturizing agents alongside cleansing. They may be sold under various names like cream body wash or oil body wash. They have a slippery feel because of their high oil or petroleum content. These washes tend to be priced at a higher range and can be fragrance-free.

What to Look for When Choosing Your Body Wash

Since keeping clean is a part of an everyday skincare routine, you must choose your body wash with utmost care. Several factors can help you arrive at the right choice:

1. Of course, price is an important factor. Choose a wash that caters to your budget.

2. Always remember to read the labels for ingredients. Going organic and parabens free is the safest option.

3. Look for a sulfate-free product even if it means your body wash may not have a thick lather.

4. Look for a wash that suits your lifestyle. For instance, if you swim regularly you should consider investing in a body wash that is effective against chlorine.

5. Make sure that the body wash is good for your skin type. Dry skin would benefit more from body wash containing shea butter or natural oils. Likewise, different ingredients are used in oily skin body washes.

Continue reading “Choosing Your Body Wash”

After spending the whole year’s holidays with friends and family, the thought of spending some good time with your loved one might be the only thing lingering in your mind. The beginning of the year gifts you with a unique moment, an instant when the whole world feels like a drop in your ocean of love and a time when you get the chance to confess your feelings from the deepest point of your heart. As you busk in the adulation of the affectionate milieu, and the showers of praise and admiration make you drift off to the fantasy world, the perfection you envision can be recreated on your nails. It is worth acknowledging that a special day takes more than just a treat. Valentine’s Day is dedicated to a special person in your life, and your determination to make it worthwhile and unique for your partner depends on how well you present yourself. Your outfits and hairstyle might seem to be the most important things, but your manicure complements it all. After all, it is the small things that matter. Your choice of manicure for the might day can spark love even from the people you never imagined. The power of Valentine’s Day is the only thing you need to transform your Valentine’s Day.

The allure you get from SNS dip powders or any other modern manicure kits is unparalleled. But have you ever wondered if these kits will stand a chance on a special day like Valentine’s? When it comes to Valentine’s Day designs, gels and acrylics can give you a run for your money. You only have to be extra creative to understand the worth of your nails kit. When visit a wholesale nail polish store to shop for the manicure kit to use on your special day, go for the best type of a kit like the SNS dipping powder or DND dipping powder, among others that will give you the best look on a fateful day.

The Upside-Down Heart Mani

This is a simple Valentine’s Day design that elicits the sweetness in the simplicity of gel manicure. It involves painting an upside-down heart on the area next to the cuticle using white color while the rest of the remaining portions are painted in baby pink. It should be done on two accent nails. A portion of bare nails is also left in the form of a thin line between the paints.

Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Nail Designs with SNS Dipping Powder”

Summer is the best time to go for a vacation and have fun. However, we need to take care of their skin and hair care. This is because of the extra sweating, and warm temperature can affect scalp and hair follicles. Dry and extra brittleness is often found in the hair during this time. The UV radiation causes protein degradation and damages the hair cuticles. Sunburn and dryness are the most common results found in this time of the year.

Covering Up

During summer, always take a hat or wrap a scarf around your hair whenever you are going out of your house. This cover-up will help your hair and scalp to fight against the harmful UVA/UVB rays. Moreover, the hair moisture will be retained well if it is covered nicely during summer.

Loose Hair Styles

For less sun exposure, you can try messy buns. If you tightly tie your hair with the bands, it may result in tearing of the hair. Especially in dry temperatures in the summer days, the hair follicles tend to become a bit frizzy. Therefore, loose and comfortable hairstyles are always favorable.

Washing Often

Try not to wash your hair during summer over. We understand that you might feel sweaty scalp resulting in hair fall. Again if you over wash or cleanse your hair, the natural oil and moisture go away. Instead, you can try gentle shampoos twice a week. In case you are facing excess hair fall, try investing in dht blocking shampoos. These shampoos contain Vitamin B12 that can nourish your hair thoroughly and promotes new hair growth quickly.

Heat Reduction

Dry and frizzy hair problems rise more during summers. You feel managing your hair is a task during this time. The best solution for this is less usage of external heat. Generally, this means using fewer blow dryers and straighteners for your hair.

Air-drying is the quick and safe method to follow in dry temperatures. It allows your hair to breathe without causing any damage. Flat irons may make your hair look smooth, but it causes wear and tear of the tissues.

Hair Products

While choosing hair shampoos and conditioners, you should pay extra attention. Do not invest in the chemical-based hair cleansers. For de-frizzing your hair, a considerable amount of conditioner is necessary.

The main problem in summer is sweating and loss of moisture. Therefore, you should always choose the products that can soothe the scalp and keep your hair nourished. In this context, it is essential to know, baldhead needs a perfect hair solution as well. There are various moisturizers for black bald heads that you can try, especially for men. Further, this allows the scalp to stay hydrated for long hours and do not cause any dry flakes.

Hot Oil Treatment

You can simply use natural plant-based oil like coconut, avocado, etc. to make hot oil. The lukewarm temperature of the oil is better for the hair scalp. Just a day before shampooing, you can apply this mask on your hair. It helps to eradicate the frizz and dryness from the hair.

Brushing Hair

If you are combing your hair in wet conditions, then more chances of split ends and hair breakage will be noticed. Instead of this, always brush your semi-dry hair with a wide comb. It helps to detangle the hair smoothly.

Always go for the chemical-free and natural ways to treat your hair right during summer. Bleaching and coloring, if avoided during this time, can also be favorable for you. However, you should always drink 7-8 glasses of water and include seasonal fruits/vegetables in your diet. All of this can help you to get a nourishing, beautiful hair.

As we enter a new decade, the regular gel/acrylic nail polish are also coming to an end. The manicure game has elevated into new level that no gel or acrylic polish has ever done before. Dip powder nails is the middle ground between the traditional nail polish and unlike gel manicures which requires the nail to be cured and sealed under a UV lamp, dip powder nails uses a technique that colors the nail with a super-pigmented powder. Aside from that, dip powder nails lasts longer than gel and they are less harmful compared to polishes. Most professional nail supplies offer vitamin-enriched formula to make sure that your nails are taken care of.

Here are some of the manicure that you need to try this 2020:

1. Deep Ombre

When it comes to dip powder nail art, ombre is the most famous design as it is very easy to do. The powder will actually do all the work. Dip the nail in lighter color first then brush off the excess powder then reapply base liquid and add the darker color. For an added character, you may go for a look like this one wherein the ring finger is accentuated with glitters and some nails are painted in single color or you can go ombre all the way.

Continue reading “5 Easy Dip Powder Nails Ideas To Try this 2020”

This is my first blog post since few months. I became a mum in June and at the risk of sounding cliched, I must say my life revolves around my baby now. Recovering from childbirth, getting used to the new baby and understanding her needs had made it impossible for me to concentrate on anything else.
Now things are slowly returning to normalcy and I get little time every now and then to concentrate on other activities.
Now off to the post..
I love Himalaya’s range of products and its no secret that their Neem range is my favorite. I use some of their baby care products on my baby too. That said, having a new baby makes certain hygiene products a must have and one such product is a hand sanitizer. Even before the arrival of my baby, I used to always carry a hand sanitizer in my bag. But having an infant at home definitely made me realize how coming into contact with seemingly innocent things like door knobs in hospitals and shopping centers pose great risk.
Himalaya Wellness had launched range of hand sanitizers i.e., PureHands in different fragrances – Green Apple, Lemon, Litchi, Orange and Strawberry. The variants make using these sanitizers more interesting when compared to using those typical ones which smell of alcohol and chemicals. The fragrance is noticeable but not overpowering and vanishes in a few seconds.

They come in 50ml, 100ml and 250 ml bottles and are priced at Rs. 55/-, Rs. 80/- and Rs. 175/- respectively. I prefer the 50ml bottle for my hand bag and 100 ml one for my baby’s diaper bag. The smaller sizes are easy to carry and don’t spill.
You can read about the Himalaya Wellness PureHands here.

Today I am going to share my experience with the revamped pimple and acne cream from Himalaya Herbals. 
Having Acne prone combination skin, my go-to face wash during summers is the Himalaya Neem face wash. I also use their neem face pack once a week to deep cleanse my skin. When I heard about their pimple and acne cream, I was excited to try this product from my favourite brand.
Having a combination skin that is prone to pimples is a very tough thing to manage. Winters make my skin, especially the area around my nose and cheeks to get super dry and summers make my T zone very shiny.  I need a product that caters specifically to my needs. Most of the products aimed at pimple prone skin do not work for me as they end up drying my skin and making it irritated and red.
Now off to the review.

This product comes in a traditional tube packing. The packing is functional. The product is a mild beige colored thick cream, that for some weird reason reminds me of the fairever fairness cream. The texture is soft with a mild sheen to it which is also akin to some of the fairness creams that come in the market.
You can read more about the product here.

First time, I used the product on the affected area and the area around it and it ended up making my skin look dry and parched. Though I did not face any skin irritation, it did not simply suit my skin. I understood that this product works by controlling the production of sebum and thus drying out the pimples. I gave it another try. This time, instead of applying on the area around the affected area, I applied it exactly on the problem-areas i.e., on my active acne. I did not see any impressive results this time either. The acne was very much there and despite using the product continuously for five days, I did not notice any development in my acne-situation. My acne went through their normal cycle and disappeared the way it normally would. That said, this cream did not do anything to aggravate the situation or irritate my skin.
I did not notice any lightening of the acne marks either but I also believe that we need to use a topical treatment for around two – three months to see developments in treating the pigmentation problems.

This product is priced dirt cheap i.e., Rs. 45/- for 20 g which is why I am not complaining much about it. I am sure it would fare well on the pimples in oily skin and is definitely worth a try. It just didn’t work for me.
But I love their neem range of products and will continue repurchasing them till I find a better one.
Hope you all liked my review.
Have you tried using this acne n pimple cream? If so, do share your opinion in the comment section below. 

Hello friends,
The Maybelline Lasting drama waterproof gel pencils were making a splash all over social media last week. Being a Kajal/Khol addict, I never leave the house without my eyes lined.
After being tempted enough through various instagram posts and swatches, I gave in and bought two of these gel pencils from my nearest health and glow outlet. I actually wanted to buy all the shades as the colors felt so rich and pigmented. But the price was a pinch and I ended up picking two shades i.e., Glazed Toffee and Sleek Onyx from the range.

Review
These pencils come packed in the typical Maybelline sheet packing and these are to be  sharpened as and when required. They are smaller than the average sized liners and we get 1.1g of product for Rs. 499/-. My favourite Lakme Absolute kohl ultimate kajal also comes in a pencil form with 1.2g of product but is much lengthier in size. Just a comparision.
Glazed Toffee is a rich chocolate brown color and Sleek Onyx is your basic black color. Both of these pencils are super rich in terms of pigmentation. The texture of the product is very smooth which is really good. But the downside is we need to sharpen the pencil more frequently than the less-creamier ones to get a sharp line/wing. Alternatively we can also use an eyeliner brush/angled brush but it’s a matter of preference. Both of these shades are completely matte, devoid of any shimmer or metallic touch making it perfect for your day/office makeup.
These pencils indeed stay true to their wear-time claim. The eyeliner stayed from 9 AM to 8 PM that too with minimal fading. I normally remove my eye makeup once I get home from work so I haven’t had the chance to try their 16 hr claim. But I do think this pencil can easily wear much longer than what I have tried. These liners are completely smudge-proof.
I don’t prefer these liners on my water-line. It makes my eyes watery and I don’t think it is advisable to be used on waterline either given their impressively long lasting wear time.
Some Images: 

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What I feel about Maybelline Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencils:
Extremely creamy and pigmentedLovely & rich shade selectionSmudge proof and waterproof.Stays put almost throughout the dayRequires frequent sharpening due to its super smooth textureNot advisable for water-line wearDelicate removers (Bioderma Sensibio etc) cannot remove these.slightly over-priced considering the fact that i cant use them to line my waterline.

I would probably buy the emerald green shade from this range and that’s it. If I finish off the glazed coffee, I may repurchase it due to its pigmentation. As far the black is concerned, I am really happy with my Lakme Absolute one as it does not irritate my waterline area.
Have you tried these pencils? Do let me know about your favourite shades from this range.

Hello friends,
Few weeks ago, I got introduced to an online skin care & shopping portal named skingene. It is not just another online shopping portal. The services they provide and the products they sell make them stand out from the crowd of other online portals who specialize in beauty & makeup.
Skingene™ Kit:-
They offer a specialized kit for people who are at their wits end in figuring out their skin care. When I was starting to realize the importance of specialized skin care to suit my combination skin, I had no other option but to try try and try. I would have spent around 15000-20000 all these years trying to find ‘the perfect’ product that did not disturb my skin and did something good. If I had personally come across such a kit earlier, I am sure I would have spent the money on something more productive.
What is Skingene™ Kit and what does it do?
Skingene™ is a genetic test kit that you can order through their website. Once the kit is delivered at your home, all you have to do is follow the instructions mentioned in the kit (which will involve taking a swab of your inside cheek) and resend the completed kit along with the swabs back to them. They will analyze your exact skin condition and will suggest products that will perfectly suit your skin. No trial and error anymore.
About the Kit in their own words:
Skingene™ is an advanced DNA technology that examines your genes associated with skin ageing and beauty. It is a one-time test that scientifically creates a personalized skincare guide specifically tailored for you. The 5 categories that we check connected to skin ageing are:
Firmness + ElasticityIs your skin susceptible to sagging?WrinklingAre you at risk of premature wrinkles?Sun Damage + PigmentationHow well are you intrinsically protected from the sun and dark spots?Free Radical DamageIs your skin prone to acne?Sensitivity + InflammationHow well are your genes protecting you against irritation and pollutants?Let SkinGene take the guesswork out of skin care, instead using science to identify the most suitable personalized skincare regime – based on your genes.
About the Company:
Mr. Yashvardhan Shrivastav is the Founder & CEO of Skingene. In their words, “Skingene™ is at the forefront in India for assessing genetic predisposition to skin ageing issues. Arising out of an individual’s unique genetic makeup, we offer a personalized skin treatment guide specifically tailored for you. Skingene is a product of Genesis Biogen. We are a genetic testing company that provides actionable health information in our endeavour to enable people improve their lives. We offer Pregnancy prep scan, Preventable cancer scan and CancerPlex as well.

You can read more about them here.
How do I order the kit and what do I get along with it?
As I had mentioned earlier, you can order the kit through their website. It is priced at
Rs. 8,999/- and for the money you pay, this is what you will get:
Free shipment and sample pick upTest report in 14 daysPersonalized product recommendationsPersonalized nutrition recommendationsPersonalized treatment recommendations1 Free personalised consulting session
You can read more about the kit here. 
About their Skin Shop:
They are not just about testing and recommendations. They have a segment called as skinshop in their website which happens to be one of the most surprising online shopping portals any beauty or makeup lover from India would have ever seen. They house almost all international brands like benefit, bioderma, glominerals, glamglow, urban decay etc to name a few.
The pricing which is in INR is surprisingly modest and they ship the product directly from the seller so you are not left with worrying about the manufacturing date, authenticity etc. While browsing their skin shop, I couldn’t stop myself from ordering the Urban Decay Perversion eyeliner which was in my wish list for so long. I was skeptical in ordering it through amazon or some instagram sellers. I placed my order on March 13, 2017 and the product was shipped through IndiaPost from the seller’s place to India. I paid INR. 1876/- for my Urban Decay Eyeliner and INR. 734.40/- for the Intense Therapy Lip Balm. I did not pay anything extra towards shipping or taxes. 
When I received my IndiaPost tracking details in email, I was quite heartbroken considering my earlier unhappy association with IndiaPost involving international packages. They tend to charge additional customs fee and the packaging will look as if an elephant stomped all over it. But once the parcel reached India, I got a mail stating that FedEx has received the package and will be delivered using their overnight delivery. Thank God.
I received the products in good condition and without the messy outer packing.  Though the waiting period was around 15 days, I found it reasonable when compared to the shipping offered by other international shopping portals and quite hassle free considering the fact that there won’t be any surprises in the form of additional customs fee, taxes etc.
Some Images of what i bought:- 

Due to my current health condition trying out the skingene test wont be beneficial. So I guess I have to wait for a few more months to give it a try which I am totally going to do.
I totally recommend this website to you all and do take a look. I am sure you wont be disappointed.

I love stamping on N*de/beige nails with dark colors. They look cool. This is one nail art i did long back. I haven’t put it here in this blog. I intended to start a separate blog for nail art and the moment i started the blog, my professional life became so hectic that i have little time to manage two blogs. So i decided to add those here and delete the nail art blog. 
Anyway coming back to the mani, 
I used,
Revlon Color Stay Base coat and top coatFaces Canada Hi-Shine Nail Polish in Alter-Ego as base.Maybelline color show nail polish in Black-out for the stamping.For the designs i used a stamping plate i purchased from Ali-express. It is not a branded one. 

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Hope you girls like it!