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Friday 27 March 2020

Garnier Light Complete Fairness Serum Cream Review | Spots Lightening Product With Vitamin C | Beauty Review

Super sensitive, acne prone, pigmentation prone, dusky, textured, combination-dry, that's my skin in a nutshell. Looking at the varied needs of my skin as well as my love for trying new beauty products, no surprise that I became a beauty blogger :D The past year has been difficult personally more so because of certain health issues, and obviously that led to many skin issues, most importantly a lot of new acne and acne marks all over my face. So this Garnier Naturals Light Complete Fairness Serum Cream is one of the products I used in past 6 months to solve my acne marks woes. So now, let us see how it fared :)


Packaging of Garnier Naturals Light Complete Fairness Serum Cream is simple and travel-friendly in a little tub, with special Garnier yellow packaging make it stand out from the crowd.

Ingredients list is full of all kinds of pronounceable and non-pronounceable chemicals such as Yuzu Lemon, Glycerin, Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Silica Silylate, Hydroxyethyl, Salicylic Acid, and much much more. Well, everything is made of chemicals, but there are good chemicals for skin and bad chemicals for skin, and in this ingredients list there are all sorts of chemicals...good AND bad!

Claims that this fairness serum cream is especially formulated for Asian skin, will give lasting fairness, and remove dark spots as well as pimple spots within 1 week.



Availability of  this Garnier Light Complete Fairness Serum Cream is good online as offline. Garnier is one of the most easily-available brands in India. You can buy it from Nykaa, Amazon, and most other online websites or offline shops. Very cost effective at just about Rs. 69 for 23 grams.

Quantity is good enough to last about 20-25 days when used everyday on face and neck.

Usage - Just take pea-size cream, spread evenly across clean face, and avoid sensitive area around eye.



Effect - Being a normal human female person, I have been using beauty products since my teenage years :P When it comes to brands such as Garnier, Pond's, Lakme, Loreal, I have tried products from them on and off over past 1 decade but honestly my super-sensitive skin somehow does not like their products. I know they are iconic brands but somehow my skin always breaks out in rashes or pimples if I use their products. It is just the way it is. That is why I hardly ever review their products on my blog. 

I did not even buy this Garnier Naturals Fairness Serum Cream myself and it was gifted by my best friend whose sister is a beautician. She gave me this small 23 grams tub so that I could do a trial run for a week or 15 days. I was apprehensive but decided to try a little on my neck first, so that even if there was any allergic reaction, I could handle it on my neck and not ruin my face. 

Well, just a little was fine, it completely moisturized my skin, made it smooth, and I did not have any allergic reaction. I did not muster up the courage to use it on my face. My neck also had quite a few acne marks and ugly dark spots so I was looking forward to using it on those spots and watching them vanish. After 15 days of regular usage, I could see about 15% reduction in dark spots so I have nothing to complain. I did not see any fairness, nor any dramatic reduction in acne marks. 

Honestly, I could probably get the same results from any other product with far less bad chemicals and alcohol in the ingredients list. However, if someone wants to try it out I won't deter them from doing so. It is a very cost-effective product and if your skin is not very sensitive or Garnier products suit you, then Garnier Light Complete Fairness Serum Cream is good for you. One other good thing is its fragrance, it is very pleasing and citrusy.

YES 
  • Has Vitamin C, sun-protection
  • Great fragrance
  • Easily available online as well as offline
  • Reduces ugly dark spots to some extent
  • Very cost-effective

NO 
  • Too many bad chemicals and alcohol in the ingredients list
  • May not suit super sensitive skin

Recommended -Maybe. It works as promised to some extent, but I am wary of the long list of ingredients with alcohol and what not!. Rating is 2.5/5.  

Wednesday 25 March 2020

Ancient Living Kasturi Turmeric Review | Ayurveda Wisdom | Haridra Churna | Beauty Review

Besan-Haldi, Chandan-Haldi...Haldi or Turmeric is considered a super food and a multi-functional herb in India because Ayurveda tells us about its many benefits for our body. It detoxifies, cleans the liver, helps in building immunity, eases pain, brightens complexion, so on and so forth. Every Indian household has plenty of turmeric at all times, for eating as well as cosmetic purposes. 


So no surprises that I also keep buying beauty and skincare products with turmeric...or turmeric itself from time to time specifically for use in skincare routine :) Here is a review of Ancient Living Kasturi Turmeric that I got from Qtrove especially for use in daily face masks. 


Packaging of Ancient Living Kasturi Turmeric is highly functional and environmentally friendly. It comes in a little glass jar that can be used even after the turmeric gets over for storage. I also find it travel friendly, though it is bulky, and well it is glass, so butterfingers be careful :D There is a refill pouch available too.

Ingredients list is Pure Kasturi Turmeric. Plain and Simple.

Claims that this aromatic Kasturi Turmeric would increase skin luminosity with regular usage and won't stain skin like normal cooking turmeric.

Availability of  Ancient Living Kasturi Turmeric is good online on sites such as Amazon, Nykaa, and Qtrove. I got it for Rs. 225 for 100 grams.

Quantity is good enough to last more than a month even when using everyday since only half a spoon is needed each day.

Usage - Mix it with other herbs, powders, aloe vera gel, milk, curd, rose water...possibilities are endless.


Effect - I use a face mask everyday since more than a decade now, and my favorites are from Forest Essentials, Ayur Herbals, Auravedic... I love mixing ingredients like Sandalwood (Chandan), Turmeric (Haldi), Multani Mitti (Indian clay), and other herbs with aloe vera gel, rose water, curd, and apply all over my face and neck for 10 minutes and then wash it off. 

This is not something that shows results overnight but I have stuck with this routine for over a decade and it keeps my skin baby soft. I use a variety of other cleansers, face washes, exfoliators, ready-to-use face masks too...but a homemade face mask is a must everyday before shower. Over long usage, it keeps skin healthy. 

After all, in earlier days, before all these brands bombarded our shopping malls, our grandmothers made these concoctions in their kitchen and had the most amazing skin, right? :) I love Ancient Living Kasturi Turmeric since it works exceptionally well, over time, in brightening my skin, and keeping dark blemishes away. 

See, I am a lady, and I often get pimples in my 'time of the month' and they leave behind dirty black marks. In my experience, it is only with regular usage of Haldi that these marks can be banished. So I absolutely recommend it to everyone who loves homemade packs and wants to use Haldi for skin care :) 
YES 
  • Pure Ayurvedic product
  • Nice aroma
  • True to its claims
  • Works on acne marks
  • Brightens skin with regular usage
  • Suits my sensitive skin
  • Available online on Amazon, Nykaa, Qtrove etc.
NO 
  • A little bit on the expensive side
Recommended -YES. The quality of the product justifies its price. Rating is 4.5/5.    

Thursday 19 March 2020

Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil Review | Anti-Hairfall Product With Onion Oil & Redensyl | Haircare Review | Beauty Review

My skin and hair are problematic. No big reveal there. But the past 2 years have seen the problems worsen, especially for my hair. It is also attributable to extreme stress at home and some health issues I have been having. While I am trying to get my health back, it is no fun to deal with constant dandruff and hair fall. Thus I am trying a lot of different products that claim to be good for these issues. And here is one of the most raved new entrants in the hairfall control department, Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil


After hearing so many beauty bloggers and skincare experts claim that onion is good for controlling hairfall, I couldn't stop myself from buying this. So now, let us see how it fared :)

Packaging of Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil is simple and appealing, I love the bright color scheme of all Mamaearth products. And it seems secure enough for travelling too.



Ingredients list is full of tempting ones such as Jojoba oil, Onion Seed Oil, Onion extract, Bhringraj Oil, Castor Oil, Sesame Oil, Vitamin E, and more. NO mineral oil and NO silicones. Suitable for everyone, all age, all genders, all hair types.

Claims that this hypoallergenic Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil boosts hair growth, controls hairfall, strengthens scalp and improves hair shine too.

Availability of  this Onion Hair Oil is good online. I bought it from Amazon for Rs. 499 for 150 ml. (There was some sale so I got it for little less,you can also buy it during sale). You can also buy it from Nykaa or Mamaearth's website or other e-commerce websites.

Quantity is good enough to last about 45 days when used every alternate day on shoulder length thick hair.

Usage - Take a few drops. Massage into your scalp to let the roots absorb it. Keep it for a few hours or overnight. Wash off with a good mild shampoo.


Effect - My scalp is itchy, dandruff prone, while my hair is super-curly, frizzy, and constantly dry. What an amazing combination! So clearly, nobody can blame me for trying out as many products as possible for managing my hair. Well, I started using Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil with high hopes, looking at all the brilliant ingredients, including the much-acclaimed 'revolutionary' ingredient of Redensyl that is supposed to target the roots and improve hair growth. It takes a couple of months to show results though, so it is no use being impatient while using this product. 

I started taking a little bowl of this oil and massaged it all over my scalp 3 times a week. Thereafter I would also coat my hair with it and braid it and then leave it for about 3 hours. Afterwards, I washed it off using my favorite Khadi Neem Shampoo or any other shampoo (I keep rotating shampoos but come back to Khadi often!). Then I would use one of my favorite conditioners that I keep at home-either Dove or Aaranyaa Argan Hair Spa

I did not see any dramatic results in the first 15 days, but YES, then I did start seeing noticeable difference in hair fall. My hair felt smoother, and I know it is because of this oil because I did not use any other new product in this one month period :) I won't say it completely stopped hair fall. But after 1 month of using Mamaearth Onion Hair Oil, I am proud to say that instead of about 200 hair strands everyday, I am losing just about 50-60 hair strands. My hair does not have any dramatic increase in shine but I feel that it is stronger. 


I know that I need to spend more time using this as well as taking care of my diet and health status to completely stop hairfall, dandruff, and other issues. So I am just happy and ready to repurchase this. Oh also, if you are wondering about its smell, NO it does not smell unbearable like an onion :P It has so many other oils in the mix that the onion smell is nicely masked. But yes, it does have a strong smell that should not bother anyone except very very sensitive noses.

YES 
  • No silicones or mineral oil
  • Controls hairfall as promised
  • Does not have unbearable onion smell
  • Can be used by anyone
  • Easily available online

NO 
  • A bit expensive, but honestly worth it
  • Have to be patient in seeing results

Recommended -YES. It feels expensive while buying and the results are slow but I am happy that it does what it promises. Rating is 4.5/5.