Nivea Express Hydration Body Lotion {Product Review}

Price: Rs 179 for 250ml

Pros

gets absorbed really quickly

hydrates really well

lasts long

My Experience

As you all know, Nivea is my favourite brand. Ok, I know I am sounding like a broken record...repeating the same thing time and again. Anyways, I got this body lotion when I had run out of everything but later on, I did find a body butter left over and parachute body lotion as well. 

Back to the review, the product is white in color and comes in a typical Nivea packaging. The texture of the product is really thin so it gets absorbed really fast but, amazingly, it stays on skin for long. As far as I have seen, it stays all night long.   

It keeps the skin moisturized and hydrated and stays true to its claims of express hydration. It boasts of hydra IQ formula (which is really good) and blue lotus scent (which I didn't really find amazing). The product makes the skin look glowing and supple and has no cons for me.

Anyways, I do know that nivea has amazing creams which have been launched outside...wish they come to India real soon. This product is an absolute try and the best part is it relieves my skin's dryness even these days so it is absolutely useful for dry skin as well. It also works well on dry feet.

Have you tried this? What did you think?

Other products from Nivea:
Nivea Fruity Shine Dragon Fruit vs Pomegranate
Nivea Refreshing Cleansing Milk
Nivea Nourishing Body Milk

5 Tips for Autumn and Winter Skin Care {Five Series}

So, winter is almost at the door step and autumn has already made the air pretty dry. The climate of Hyderabad is dry and it just gets more and more drier and sitting in AC doesn't really help!!! Couple of days back, I felt my skin was getting stretchy even after applying loads of moisturizers. So, how did I overcome that? Check out.

Good Cleanser

A gentle, SLS-free cleanser has really helped with the hydration levels of my skin. Recently, I tried out an SLS-based face wash for review purposes and I was amazed at the difference it made to my skin. My skin felt dried up and starved of moisture.

Hydrating Moisturizer

I did realize in this entire process that simply using loads of moisturizer doesn't really help. A hydrating moisturizer is the need of the day. So, I used my trusted aloevera gel and it worked!!! Yup, try to get a water-based gel moisturizers. There are loads in the market, especially, from big brands.

Exfoliation

Yes, something which I have NOT been doing but its extremely important. Dead skin cells are more during colder and drier months so a hydrating scrub is very effectively in preserving the lipid barriers of the skin. Raw Sugar or Jaggery works out the best for me.

Oils

Yes, I know you are afraid of oils but not oils are really oily and using correct amount of oil is very necessary. A drop or two is generally enough. And, there are loads of facial and body oils these days which do wonders for the skin.

My recommendation would be a drop or two of Apricot Oil which goes on skin like silk and makes skin amazingly soft and NO grease either. I do wanna use other amazing oils like rosehip and such and will report back after I use them ;) And, by the way, the oily skin gals can also use oils.

Layering

This is one of the tips which is really effective. Sometimes, products used can be ineffective on their own, especially for dry skins!!! So, layering helps a lot. I do that sometimes for both my face and body. The aloevera gel goes first and then I use a drop or two of any facial oil. Similarly, a body oil coupled with a great body lotion helps the body.

Please remember that all the above tips apply all over the body and not just the exposed parts. So, follow them and enjoy the soft skin this winters :) And, I am so excited for winters. Its my favorite-st climate :D How do you keep your skin protected in winters?

Related Posts:

How to protect skin this winter?

Winter Skin Care Lotions 

Keep your skin moisturized this winter with Banana 

Is your skin itchy?

Get soft lips this winter

Face Cleanup at Home {DIY}

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

My Skin Diary - September 2013

Ok, so, I can see my entire life changing in front of me now. And, now is the main time to take care of my skin :D So, what all did I do in September? I was pretty serious about using sunscreen this month. And, now I have run out of my favorite one so I need to replenish it in my shelf.

Guess what, MVO has started charging shipping for India. It has become so damn expensive so I have to wait till my friend comes from US and I have asked her to get me a few bottles. Till that time, I have to survive on lesser spf. Well, hopefully, I should not get too tanned. 

Face

Day Routine

• Face wash - Olay Total Face Cleanup
• Moisturizer - Rustic Art aloevera gel
• Base before Sunscreen - Garnier Eye Roll On + Maybelline Insta Age Eraser
• Sunscreen - MVO Face Moisturizing Screen + MVO Everyday Sheer Coverage
  
• Kajal - Maybelline Colossal
• Lip Balm - Maybelline Berry Crush

Night Routine

• Cleansing Milk - Mustard Oil + Coconut Oil
• Face wash - Olay Total Face Cleanup
• Toner - Liz Earle + Kama Ayurveda Vetiver Water
• Moisturizer - Rustic Art aloevera gel
• Facial Oil - Turmeric infused Almond Oil + Primrose Oil

Body

Day Routine

• Moisturizer - Vaadi Herbals Body Oil
• Sunscreen (arms) - Neutrogena 

Night Routine

• Moisturizer - Vaadi Herbals Body Oil + Vaseline Aloe Fresh + Kama Ayurveda Rose Jasmine Bath & Body Oil

So, I did not really do anything much to my skin. Yes, one experiment I did was removing makeup everyday using Oil Cleansing Method. It worked out really well for a few days in the starting but then I thought my skin was not really accepting such a heavy treatment everyday so I left it at that!! So, I would suggest OCM only once a week at max. Do not do it everyday. Ciao with another post tomorrow. Its a bridal update post :D

How did your skin do in September?

Related Posts:
My Skin Diary - August 2013
My Skin Diary - July 2013
The Green Beauty Skin Care Tag [Part - I]

Loving It / Using It Vol. 9 - Le Beurre Shea Butter Body Cream Vanilla

Since I have come to know about shea butter, I have always wanted to get the raw material and make body creams with it. But, since that never really happened, I was happy to experience this product and see if shea butter really does what all its touted to do!

And, honestly, I am loving shea butter. So, check out what I think about the product.

• Price: 22$ for 8oz. Expensive!

• Availability - Le Beurre Website 

• Smells subtly of vanilla but nothing overwhelming. 

• Packaging. Comes in a wide-mouthed plastic container with a lid. The product has to be scooped from the container. The irritating part is that the product gets under the nails!

• Moisturises well. It really takes care of the dry skin. In fact, the cream is also in part responsible in healing my cracked heels. It is perfect for heel care.   

• Ingredient list not mentioned. 

• Does not travel well. The cream can melt in tropical temperatures and leak! 

• A small quantity is enough. And, it is definitely a winter or dry season product. 

• Absorbs immediately into the skin

Loving It / Using It : Loving It

Overall Verdict

Definitely recommended!

Have you used the product? Would you like to try out the products after reading the review?

Related Posts:

Loving / Using It Vol. 1 - Garnier Pure Active pore unclogging wash
Loving / Using It Vol. 3 - Kama Ayurveda Rose Jasmine Bath & Body Oil
Loving / Using It Vol. 4 - Dabur Vatika Enriched Olive Hair Oil

Loving / Using It Vol. 3 - Kama Ayurveda Rose Jasmine Bath & Body Oil

Loving / Using It : Loving It

I absolutely am loving this oil. And, fortunately it is one of the few products which has jasmine but still smells like rose. Jasmine is so over-bearing that Kama has managed to put rose as the dominating scent in the oil. And, using it is absolute luxury :)

Have your used this oil? Share your thoughts!

Related Posts:

Loving It Vol. 2 - Nivea Pure Effect Total Face Cleanup
Loving It Vol. 1 - Garnier Pure Active pore unclogging wash

Vaadi Herbals Aromatherapy Body Oil Pure Lemongrass and Lily Oil {Product Review}

I simply love body oils and this one is fast growing on me. Though I don't like the fact that it gets finished off too soon for me, it sure smells really fresh and lemongrass-y. I love the citrus-y smell which hits the nose as soon as you open the bottle.

The fragrance is strong but not overly so which does make me a bit suspicious if it is natural or not. I have never actually smelled lemongrass essential oil, hence, my suspicions. I have had bergamot though it wasn't this strong. But, it was equally refreshing!

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Pros

gets absorbed easily

smells refreshing

moisturizes the skin well

cute packaging

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Anyways coming back to the product, it comes in a cute green bottle with a stopper. You have to pierce the stopper but I, being lazy, chucked it out altogether. Don't do that because then you don't really know how much of the product is enough for one use.

Due to that issue, earlier I used to end up using a bit too much of the oil but then slowly I decreased to using around 5-10 drops of oil for each body part. Applied on damp skin, the product gets absorbed really easily and moisturizes the skin well.

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Cons

doesn't do anything for the tan and blemishes as it claims!

can be sticky if overused

smell might get too strong for sensitive noses

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I won't say that it made my skin glow or remove the tan or did what it claims but it is definitely worth a try. I think a 100ml would last around a month of usage. And, the price is decent for the quantity.

Price: Rs 65 for 50ml

Availability

Website: Vaadi Herbals, Flipkart

PS: Product provided by brand. 

Have you used this product?

Related Posts:

Nivea powerfruit relax Shower Gel
Ponds White Beauty All-in-One BB + Fairness Cream SPF 30 PA++
Garnier Daily Care Gentle Cleansing Milk

Get from flipkart:

Organic Surge Daily Care Facewash {Product Review}

Guest Post by Roshni

A big thanks to Swati for letting me do a guest post :) Hope you all like it! [Me: I should be thankful to you, Rosh, instead!]

After my Dove Beauty Moisture face wash got over, I decided to order the Organic Surge Daily Care face wash since I had read a lot about it. The one tempting factor of this face wash was the rose geranium oil which is one of the ingredients of the face wash. I love anything that smells of or contains roses and so I had to give this face wash a try!

Price: Rs 660 (Got it for INR528 from medplusbeauty.com)

Quantity: 200ml

Ingredients

My Experience

I will start off by saying I have become a big fan of this face wash! And this is not only due to the rose smell ;-) The face wash has all natural ingredients with no SLES or parabens. I find this to be another big attraction. It of course smells like roses – more like a gulkand smell. This is very refreshing. 

The face wash is not very runny nor creamy. It is a golden yellow in colour and lathers very well. I take a pea sized amount in my wet palm, rub it between my hands to generate lather, and then apply it to my face and neck. I then rub it gently and in a circular motion over my face and neck and wash it off.

My skin feels squeaky clean but not dry. It feels hydrated and soft. Also, my face tends to get small boils on the cheek bones and near the nose every few days if I don’t apply an antibacterial cream every 2-3 days. But since I have started using this face wash, the appearance of the boils has reduced and I do not need to use the antibacterial cream for many days at a time. So I am completely overjoyed!

Pros

• A small amount works a lot. This face wash will easily last me 6 months, I guess. I got it in April and little more than half is still left and that is with my husband using it half the time!!

• The rose smell! – even people who do not like rose smell or have a sensitive nose can use this cause the smell does not linger.

• Makes my skin squeaky clean without drying it.

• Reduces the appearance of boils.

• Comes in a pump dispenser bottle with a cap on top. So very easy to get the face wash out and also travel friendly.

• Contains natural ingredients which are definitely proving very good for my skin.

Cons

• Availability (only available online)

• Expensive? – I don’t think so cause it will last really long as I said above and is well worth the price!

So have you used this face wash? How do you like it?

Me: You have definitely sold me over the product, Rosh! Its on my list!

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Check out Roshni's quirky posts at Everything that Clicks!

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Other products from Organic Surge:
Organic Surge Moisture Boost Shampoo

Again Lemon!

One of the most simple and cheap things you can do to beautify your skin is hot lemon water.

An age-old cure for sore throats, this simple drink is amazing for your body and skin, and ultimately your beauty.

Every morning I boil up 1.5 cups of water and add a quarter of a fresh lemon to it. The fresh scent of lemon invigorates the senses to wake me up, and helps me cut down on my caffeine intake which only dehydrates me and irritates my skin.

There are several other perks to hot lemon water.

1. Balances your pH: Lemons act as an alkaline in your body which helps regulate your pH balance. A disrupted pH can lead to acne breakouts and other skin issues.

2. Anti-Aging: The vitamin C found in lemons helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as blemishes. It does this by purging your body of nasty toxins in your blood that affect your skin clarity.

3. Hydrating: Not only is this additional cup of H2O hydrating to you, but it quenches your lymph system’s thirst. Your lymph system is integral in ridding your body of toxins, maintaining a healthy balance of nutrient and mineral distribution, relieving stress and creating energy. All of these things affect your body’s largest organ; your skin!

If you want clear, radiant, youthful looking skin then add a cup or two of hot lemon water to your daily routine and enjoy the beauty boosting benefits.

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Author Bio: Sabrina is a beauty blogging jet-setter who loves sharing tips and tricks on how to look and feel your best via TopBeautyBrands.com. While she's on the go she writes product reviews and creates DIY's like How to Massage Cellulite Away.

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Clinique 3-Step Skin Care Samples {Product Review}

Well, you must have already been aware of the amazing 3-Step Clinique skin care routine. I got their samples very recently and I used them for a week now. Since the turn-around time was very less, please consider this as a preview instead :)

I was definitely excited about using their products because I have heard all the amazing things about the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. So, finally, I got a chance to use it and how did it fare for my skin? Ok, let me start with the face wash. Before I start, please consider that the products I received were for dry-combination skin.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild (1st Step)

The product is transparent and is gel-like in consistency. I don't remember reading the ingredient list so can not say if it has SLS but I think it is soap free. Anyways, it lathers really well. But, somehow I felt it has alcohol because it smells of it sometimes! But, the product is really gentle on skin and cleanses well. I do not remember it drying my skin.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion Clarifiante 2 (2nd Step)

The toner is supposed to clean the skin, remove the makeup residue and the dead skin cells. It smells strongly of alcohol. And, stings the eyes real bad! I am using it very regularly after the face wash. It cleans the skin well as it is supposed to. It also controls the oil production and the best part is it leaves a cooling sensation which stays for like 10-15 minutes which feels really awesome in these hot summers. 

excuse the extremely dry skin!!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (3rd Step)

The product is very light and non-greasy and literally disappears into the skin. But, since it is for dry-combination skin, I guess it wasn't enough for my skin! Sometimes, I did feel dry after using it. But for the most part, especially in the morning, it suited me perfectly. The MVO sunscreen glided on the moisturizer easily and my skin did not feel dry AT ALL which it sometimes does because of the Zinc Oxide in the sunscreen. And, the oil on my skin was almost non-existent!

Overall Experience with Clinique 3-Step Skin Care
Since my skin is not exactly troublesome, I would not say I saw drastic difference. But, when I started using these products, for the first two days, I saw my skin behave really well. But, later, somehow it returned back to normal or may be I just got used to the change. I am not able to decide which one is the case with me! But, yup, if you are willing to shell money, I would definitely recommend the kit. And, I think it would be of more help to the oily skin people. But, damn the expense (the regular kit is around 4k!).

Have you tried Aloe Vera? {Skin Care}

Yup, I know you would have already used it. I have also been recommending aloe vera since ages. But, today, I am going to talk about my friend's routine with aloe vera which she is very diligent about.

She is from Delhi and surprisingly she did not find aloe vera plant in Hyderabad. Really, right? Nah, aloe vera is easily available here but she or rather we were too lazy to buy a plant and nurture it.

Also, keeping an aloe vera plant among girls can dry it faster than a rose plant in a desert :D Well, obvious, no? Granted that aloe vera plant is quite adaptable but still you get my point! Anyways, coming back to my friend, she got lotsssss of aloevera leaves from home and keeps them stored in the fridge. 

And, almost every evening or once in three days (I don't know the frequency), she takes a small piece of the leaf and rubs the entire gel on her face for like 30 minutes or so while watching television. 

And, then, she rolls off all the extra pieces or small sticky things present in the leaf which cling to the skin and lets the gel get absorbed entirely. And, she sleeps just like that without washing it off.

Results? S attests to the fact that this is one of the reasons why her oily skin turned normal. She is prone to pimples but fortunately its frequency has decreased. And, as I said, she does this very very diligently!!

So, for all the oily beauties, try this and you might get lucky! Also, for all skin types, aloe vera improves hydration of the skin and makes the skin glowing and really supple!! This is one of the great skin care tips for summer as well.

Related Posts:

Baby Oil vs Vegetable Oils

pH level and Citrus Fruits 

My Skin Care Routine

From the Archives : Do you know why is your Skin Dry? {Skin Care}

Revisiting this post and updating it. So, please go through it once again! 

This winter has been particularly dry in the city and after ages of time, I experienced flaky and cracked skin! And, it has been hell for me for the past couple of days! Which made me realize why is my skin reacting in this way!

I have used coconut oil, almond oil, apricot oil, even cocoa butter and the recent DIY - washed ghee. They have all helped a bit but not much! And, then, I recalled that there are actually two types of dry skin - dehydrated and actually dry skin!
  
Do you really know the difference between dry skin and oily skin? Yes, you will say. Dry skin feels stretched and oily skin is like a frying pan. But, ultimately the chemistry of both these types of skin lack some important ingredient which keeps the skin balanced. Either the skin lacks hydration or moisturization. 

Hydration means water and moisturization means oil.

Now, do not confuse the two. A healthy balance of the above two is the key to that perfect skin and solving all the skin issues which plague you. So, let us look at both of the terms with respect to their skin conditions a little closely. 

Why Dry skin?

Skin can be dry for two reasons - it lacks water or the hydration levels of the skin is too less because of the less water consumption by the person, if we cancel out all other factors which lead to dry skin and assume that the person is following healthy skin habits. Also, there is a decrease in the natural skin oils or lipids which create a protective layer over the skin and help keep it moisturised.

So, to counter dry skin, apply both oil and water based moisturizers or you can use different moisturizers having water and oil and layer them. That is what I do. I use aloevera gel first and follow up with a facial oil. Doing just either of these steps will make the skin feel stretchy. Also, a tip is to apply the moisturisers and oils on damp skin.

Also Read: What hydrates our skin?

Which Dry Skin do You have?

So, now, it is up to you to decide which dry skin do you have? In most of the cases, generally the reason for dry skin is dehydration instead of lack of oils!

Drinking More Water does NOT help

Now that you know that your skin is dry due to less water content, I would like to add that drinking up a lot water and herbal tea does not replenish the moisture levels in your skin! The acidic level of the skin and the lipid barrier has been disturbed which is why skin is behaving in the way it is!!

Even Oily skin can be Dehydrated!

Even in oily skin, there is ample of oil but what it really lacks is hydration. Even oily skin can get dehydrated and this dehydration sends mixed signals to the brain which in turn causes skin to produce more oil to counter the missing water from the skin.

Result - even more oily skin but no hydration. So, to counter oily skin, apply water-based moisturizers regularly.

How to Treat this kind of Dehydration?

• Eat a lot of omega 3's - nuts, flax seeds, fish.

• Eat water based fruits! 

• Avoid dry brushing at this time as it can worsen the situation! 

• Avoid hot water baths at ANY cost! Trust me, I am doing the same. 

• Check out the cleanser you are using. Make sure it is mild and is not made of any acids, even salicylic acid! 

• Exfoliate your skin regularly because it will be turning flaky quite a lot! And, always use hydrating scrubs. The best bet would be sugar scrubs. Avoid salt and harsh scrubs at all costs!!

• Apply sunscreen in the morning and follow a stringent skin care routine at night. Use of toners is a good choice! 

Remember that skin will take time to heal!! So, be regular with your skin care routine. And, your skin will improve in 2-3 weeks.

What do you say? Is your skin dry or dehydrated? Does it need more water or oil? And, what are you doing to keep your skin soft this winter?

Related Posts:

Excess Body Heat and Acne
Banana Peel for Acne
How to make the skin clear and get rid of scars and blemishes and dark spots?