Indulgeo Essentials Squalane Skin Hydrator Review | Rose Oil Natural Hyaluronic Acid Variant | Repairing Skin Barrier | Beauty Blogger | Beauty Review

The one product that changed my skincare game forever - Indulgeo Essentials Squalane Oil i.e. Squalane Skin Hydrator ❤️ 

Feb 2020 onwards I have been battling issues like rosacea, acne outbreaks, inflammation, and from April 2020 onwards, full on damaged skin barrier, meaning unbelievable amount of inflammation and outbreaks and redness on my cheeks and actually all over face. I am fed up of how my skin is behaving all of a sudden. All my life I have had pretty nice naturally glowing skin with minor skin troubles now and then...but now *sigh*.

Anyway, I started researching like crazy and came across all sorts of suggestions from skin experts, dermatologists, beauty bloggers... 

Stop exfoliation (done!), 

Stop picking on pimples (done!), 

Stop using tonnes of beauty products (done!), 

Start using ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, peptides...

Oh boy, so much to learn and be confused about! 

Squalane oil kept popping up as an ingredient to soothe and hydrate skin as well as repair the skin barrier. So I looked around and found this offering from the famed brand of Indulgeo. They are famous for gold-based oils but I have never been interested in pricey or gold-flake-based products, but now, with Squalane, I got no option but to buy it. And I did!

Packaging of Indulgeo Squalane Skin Hydrator is quite travel-friendly. Simple green glass bottle, that is not good news for clumsy hands, but be careful and it is all good :D

Ingredients list is pure squalane that is 70% olive derived and 30% sugarcane derived. Well, this is the Rose Oil variant so it must also have some rose essential oil though it is not mentioned in the ingredient list on the packaging.

Claims are nothing short of miraculous, in fact, it makes me wonder why we did not hear of this earlier! Squalane is similar to Squalene that is produced naturally in our body but its quantity decreases as we age. This Squalane mimics natural sebum, controls oil production, works at a cellular level, helps in conditions such as acne and eczema, helps in collagen production and aging gracefully, is exceptionally hydrating even for oiliest of skins since it is so natural...etc...etc...

Availability of Indulgeo Squalane Skin Hydrator, like other Indulgeo products is quite good on its own website, Nykaa, Vanity Wagon, as well as on Amazon :)

Quantity of this 30 ml little bottle is enough to last 2 months even with daily usage of 2 times since only 3-4 drops are required every single time for entire face.

Usage - AM as well as PM, just 2-3 drops are needed after water-based moisturizer and before oil-based or heavy moisturizers. 

Effect - My facial skin is combination-dry, ultra-sensitive and acne-prone and as I said, I got this exclusively for the research that said it will help me in repairing my damaged skin barrier :) 

❤️ I actually got squalane options from 2 other brands also, and I sent them DM asking about the method to apply this, as in should I use it in conjunction with something else because I was focused on repairing skin barrier. Only Indulgeo replied on instagram, others ignored, so points to them for customer service.

❤️ They said I should use it after water based products (such as toner or facial mist) and before oil based products or moisturizer. I found this strange because it's an oil...but I thought okay,let's try...

❤️ It is expensive no doubt. But I got it at 25% discount from Vanity Wagon. And this has rose oil as natural hyaluronic acid, so I got squalane + hyaluronic in less than Rs. 1100 and it lasted me 2.5 months on daily application (Already ordered 2nd bottle)

❤️ My routine for the first 15 days after receiving this- cleanse face with Himalaya neem face wash, spray rose water, put squalane just 4 drops all over face, finish with a layer of lacto calamine.

❤️ After 15 days I introduced Tribe Concepts Kumkumadi Tailam + brightening cleanser before squalane, and finish with Deyga Organics beautifying serum.

❤️ Either way, Indulgeo Squalane Skin Hydrator calms my skin down immediately, gives a soothing silky finish, hydrates and plumps my skin. For the first 15 days when I used it alone, it did immense work in my skin repair, as evident by pictures.

     Before                                          After a week

I. Love. It. 

Even now my skin has its own share of problems but it is much much better than it was 6 months ago and I give the credit to all these products-

Himalaya Neem Face Wash

Patanjali Rose Water

Tribe Concepts Brightening Cleanser + Kumkumadi Tailam

Deyga Rose & Mulethi Face Pack

Indulgeo Squalane Skin Hydrator  

Deyga Beautifying Serum

GlamAroma Washed Ghee

Patanjali Aloe Vera Gel

Indulgeo Squalane was the one product that immediately showed its results. That is why I regard it so highly, as it gave me noticeably calmer and smoother inflammation-free skin within a couple of days. There is a lot of work to be done but Indulgeo Squalane is definitely going to be my go-to for a long loooooooong time.

YES 

• All I need to say, YES, it worked as expected and in fact even better in helping repair my skin barrier

• Non-comedogenic

• Lasted more than 2 months on my horsey-sized face so not very expensive

• Hydrates skin like nothing else without making it oily

• Available in Amazon, Nykaa, Vanity Wagon, often at good discounts.

NO 

• Hmm, the glass bottle is not good for clumsy hands :D

Recommended -YES. Want a good hydrating oil? Want an oil that works at cellular level of your skin? Want to repair skin? Want to keep your skin routine simple yet effective? Squalane is good for all these situations. Rating is 5/5.      

St. D'vence Aloe Vera Gel Review | Aloe Vera With Vitamin E | Smytten Beauty Haul | Beauty Review

Aloe Vera Gel is one of the best multi-functional health and beauty products in the world that not only keep the skin healthy and glowing but also work on acne, pimple marks, dark spots, allergies, redness, inflammation, allergies, insect bites...so obviously every skincare and beauty addict needs to have it in their stash. 

Over the years, I have used and absolutely loved Green Leaf Aloe Vera Gel and Patanjali Aloe Vera Gel because these suit my horribly sensitive skin as well as work on acne spots, allergies, redness and inflammation and so on.

I saw this St. D'vence Aloe Vera gel sample at Smytten website and instantly picked it up since my aloe vera stash was over in the quarantine and while I was waiting for my new Patanjali aloe vera gel order to show up, I needed something for emergency skincare situations :D Yup, every time my skin shows even one ounce of trouble, I go directly for aloe vera gel.

Packaging of St. D'vence Aloe Vera Gel with Vitamin E is a simple tube that is pretty travel friendly and compact. 

Ingredients list is not pure 100% or 99% aloe vera gel. Rather it has a long list including Aloe Vera Juice, Vitamin E, Allantoin, Potassium Sorbate, Purified Water, and some other chemicals. It is free of parabens, sulphates, mineral oil, phtalates.

Claims to work on all skin types as a cooling gel, a non-oily moisturizer for healthy and nourished skin.

Availability of St. D'vence Aloe Vera Gel is limited in online sites such as Amazon, Nykaa, Smytten.

Quantity of this sample from Smytten was enough for 9 days on my horse-sized face.

Usage - Use it as a cooling gel or non-oily moisturizer.

Effect - My facial skin is combination-dry, ultra-sensitive and acne-prone and my biggest concern, as always with any new product, is that it should not react on my skin and give it pimples or redness. 

I have used and loved aloe vera gels from brands such as Patanjali, Just Herbs, Green Leaf, Herb Life, and hoped to do so with St. D'vence too. And it did not disappoint :) I cleansed my face and put on a thin layer every night before sleeping and woke up to soft skin. 

9 days is not enough time to see if a product is working any kind of miracles on old acne marks, pigmentation, fine lines...but it did provide a light glow to my face so I am sure it will work nicely on all the issues that aloe vera gel works on :) 

It is perfectly cooling and calms my skin, did not give my any redness or rashes or allergies on my super-sensitive skin (yes, even aloe vera can sometimes not suit someone's ultra-sensitive skin). I used it with my face packs such as sandalwood, turmeric, licorice powder, curd and it nicely moisturizes as well as soothes skin.

The only thing is that it has a sticky feel and does not seep in completely in the skin, so I cannot use it as a moisturizer in the morning and rather only as a sleeping pack at night. It is no problem with me but some people do not like such sticky feeling..but then it may also work differently on different skin types, who knows!

YES 

• Cooling gel
• Works on my super-sensitive skin
• Works well directly on skin as well as after mixing in face packs
• Quite value-friendly

NO 

• Not easily available. 

Recommended -YES. I liked it as a cooling and soothing aloe vera gel and it works nicely on my super-sensitive skin. Rating is 4.5/5.

Herb Life Product Haul | Herbal Products Review | Aloe Vera Gel Saffron Gel Red Wine Gel Nalpamarathi Oil Rose Water | Beauty Review

I used to pride myself on my knowledge of social media navigation. Yet, the more time I spend online, the more I learn something new and realize that it is probably bigger than our real universe! For instance, even though I have been a beauty blogger for more than 2 years now, it was only very recently that I found there was a thriving beauty industry active on Instagram. 

This is the place of organic, natural, homemade, handmade products such as serums, lotions, creams, soaps, scrubs, masks, and much more, made in small batches by enthusiastic and passionate entrepreneurs. Away from the glitz and glamour of all the big brands that occupy our shopping malls' shelves, these Instagram brands have a cult following. 

I was intrigued and I researched a bit and found out so many new brands offering wonderful products at down-to-earth prices. Couldn't resist. Especially since the year 2020 saw me at the worst of my skin and hair woes thanks to the whole of 2019 being a big battle against a lot of family, personal, and health issues. 

Anyway....after much research, I thought, let me try some such products and see where it leads us..and so I got this little haul from Herb Life, available on Instagram @herblife_soap :) It has- 

-Aloe Vera Gel 

-Saffron Gel 

-Red Wine Gel 

-Pure Rose Water 

-Almond Face Pack 

-Hair Growth Oil 

-Nalpamarathi Oil

I chose these products after consultation with the brand itself, and after using these products for more than a month, here are my views on all:- 

Aloe Vera Gel Review | Saffron Gel Review | Red Wine Gel Review 

Pure gels that did not react or give allergies of any kind to my super-sensitive skin that turns red at the slightest provocation *eye roll* I liked the Red Wine Gel the most! It felt light and cool on my face and brightened it immensely. Red Wine is famous for anti-ageing properties and I am sure this gel will perform anti-ageing miracles on mature skin after long usage. Aloe Vera and Saffron gels were cool, soothing, just as expected. Though I thought that the saffron gel would provide more brightening effect, but it was just a normal gel, the red wine gel happened to be better here. 

Hair Growth Oil Review 

Has a strong smell of curry leaves, bhringraj and many other herbs. Nourished my hair, though I did not see any new hair growth in the one month that I used it. But it worked beautifully in conditioning my super dry hair when I applied in on my scalp for 2 hours before shampoo. No complaints. 

Almond Face Pack Review

I believe it has besan, sandalwood, turmeric alongside Almonds. A little bit on the coarse side but still wonderful for my super-sensitive skin. I mixed it with aloe vera gel and rose water and a little bit of curd and applied on my face for 10 minutes 3 times every week and it left my skin super-soft and bright. Loved it. Also gives light exfoliation, a win-win proposition.

Nalpamarathi Oil Review 

I heard about Kumkumadi and Nalpamarathi oil about 2 years ago from several fellow bloggers but didn't use, for one reason or other, mainly because most big brands out there are super-expensive. But this one is so value-conscious -imagine this little bottle of wonder for only Rs. 100!!! I couldn't resist from picking it up. It is a thick concoction with sesame oil, turmeric, castor oil, and many other beneficial and potent oils for brightening the skin, making it soft, smooth, working on pigmentation, acne marks..basically it IS a wonder oil, purely Ayurvedic formulation. I have used this regularly twice a day, 4 drops suffice for my whole face, and it has CONSIDERABLY LIGHTENED my old acne scars! Sorry for yelling, but I am IN LOVE with this little bottle. 

Pure Rose Water Review 

Now everybody knows the good effects of Rose Water for our skin, right? But I never used rose water...because a long time ago I had used Gulabari that had made my skin reddish and allergic :( Very recently I realized that it is not pure rose water and is full of chemicals. When I picked up Herb Life Pure Rose Water, I had no idea it would be soooooo good. Another MUST-HAVE from this brand. It smells soooooo good, pure, light, feels like feather on my skin, refreshes it, soothes it, brightens it, keeps redness away from my cheeks. I LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOOVE it.

Oh, and by the way, do you know how much I paid for all this? LESS THAN RS. 1200, including shipping! Yes, this has to be the most budget-conscious pricing EVER :)

YES 

• Pure Ayurvedic formulations
• Made in fresh batches
• Unbelievably value-conscious
• All claims are true
• Works fabulously on my super-sensitive skin
• Did I tell you how value-conscious it is!!!

NO 

• The packaging does not have any ingredients list
• Is not available on amazon, nykaa, or our departmental stores

Recommended - YES. Rating for all products is 5/5 because I do not know where to cut marks :P 

Lakme Blush & Glow Strawberry Gel Face Wash Review | Beauty Review | Indian Health Beauty Lifestyle Blogger

Lakme Blush & Glow Strawberry Gel Face Wash has been a popular staple among beauty bloggers for quite some time now. My sister knows my penchant for beauty products and gets me some surprise gifts from time to time, this was a part of a little gift hamper she got for me couple of months ago :) Let us see how this popular face wash fared on my skin!

Packaging of  Lakme Blush & Glow Strawberry Gel Face Wash is very simple, in a transparent tube. It looks nice with bright reddish-pinkish gel inside. The texture of tube is classy, doesn't look cheap at all.

Ingredients list is a long whos-who of chemicals like most face washes (and definitely almost all products from Lakme). Strawberry Extracts is mentioned near the end. Well, cannot complain because they never complained to be a pure/ herbal/ ayurvedic/ natural/ eco-friendly/ exotic ingredients' laden brand.

Claims to gently cleanse skin, wash away dirt and impurities while imparting a blush-like glow thanks to soft cleansing beads and strawberry anti-oxidants. 

Availability of Lakme Blush & Glow Strawberry Gel Face Wash is very common, it is available offline in almost all beauty products selling shops, stores like Big Bazaar, and ofcourse online on every shopping portal such as Amazon for Rs. 195 for 100 grams. My sister bought me this particular piece from Big Bazaar.

Quantity is good, lasts a long time even when used twice everyday. This 50 gm tube lasted me and my sister a complete 1 month because we used it barely once a day for about a fortnight, later on we gave it to our dad who used it sporadically.

Usage - Instructed to first take a small quantity on palm, work a rich lather and then gently massage on face, rinsing it thoroughly. Immediately rinse if it gets into eyes.

Effect - I remember more than a decade ago, I had just started experimenting with beauty products and my favorite face-wash used to be Strawberry face wash from Lakme. It used to have strawberry pulp kind of texture that used to really clean my face, refresh it and yet moisturize it. I used to look forward to come back home and melt away entire day's stress by using it! Back then I was not a blogger nor was social media so huge in our society else I would have recommended it everywhere. It used to smell so nice, fruity, just like strawberries too.

So when I got this I thought the same product was back in a new avatar. But NO! It is completely different. This is not pulpy at all. It is a gel, has a more chemical-y feeling, it completely dries my skin, completely cleans all oil and makes my skin parched. It does deep cleaning but absolutely no glow at all. Very oily skinned people might find it better but combination skin, normal skin may find it drying and dry skinned beauties, please stay away. This will destroy your skin. 

It also has little beads that are probably supposed to lightly exfoliate skin but frankly they did not do any exfoliation on my face, they were very minute so no danger of scratching skin but at the same time I did not find any exfoliating effect. It did give a little tingly minty fresh feeling for couple of minutes.

The only good thing I liked is that it did not increase pimples on my face or give any kind of breakouts/ acne/ allergies. 

I miss the old Lakme strawberry facewash. 

YES 

• Deep cleans
• Cleans oil from all pores
• Lasts a long time
• No breakouts/ allergies/ acne even on my super-sensitive skin
• Very easy on the pocket,maybe among the cheapest face washes in the market
• Very easily available, offline as well as online.

NO 

• Completely dries up skin, a big NO-NO for normal/dry skin
• Only oily skinned or combination-oily skin people may like this
• Too much chemical-y feel
• No blush-glow at all

Recommended -NO! Oily skin people might like it but it made my skin parched like a desert. Rating is 2/5.

Streax Pro Nutri Care Repair Max Masque Review | Beauty Product Review | Hair Care Product Review | Indian Beauty Lifestyle Blogger

Streax Pro Nutri Care Repair Max Masque is the latest in a series of hair products I have used in the hope of making my unruly, horribly dry, dandruff-prone, itchiness-prone hair behave in a normal manner. Got it on a whim when I was browsing through amazon while twirling my fingers through my hair that felt like haystack. So just bought it and here is how it worked on my hair.

Packaging of Streax Professional Vitariche Care Repair Max Masque is very simple, in a simple round jar. The colour of the mask itself is light pinkish/light orangish and it smells like any other commercial hair spa mask (basically it smells like a tub of fragrance chemicals). The jar looks secure enough to travel with.

Ingredients list of Streax Pro Nutri Care Repair Max Masque is a long whos-who of chemicals, starting from Cetearyl Alcohol to Methyl Paraben and everything in between. I saw Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein in there alongside Citric Acid and those are the only two beneficial ingredients I can think of. Rest, I am sure is going to harm me in the long run, but honestly I have seen the alternatives and almost every brand has same ingredients in their formulations. This is the price we pay for convenience in our modern lifestyle. 

Claims to revitalize dry hair with the help of 'Polymeric Conditioning Agents and Milk Protein' and give a healthy nourished look + shine to damaged hair. 

Availability of Streax Pro Nutri Care Repair Max Masque is not very common, I have not seen it in stores like Big Bazaar, it is available online on sites such as Amazon for Rs. 275 for 200 grams. 

Quantity is decent, last for 1 and a half month on my thick, very frizzy, very dry hair when used twice a week. Basically lasted 12 washes on my hair, may last more on yours if your hair is thinner/shorter/less frizzy/less dry. Value for money for me.

Usage - Instructed to use on hair from mid-length to ends (not on scalp) after shampooing while hair is still damp. Leave for 2-3 minutes and then rinse off. Also instructed to use it with shampoo from the same range but I honestly use my own favorite shampoo and keep changing conditioner/hair mask. I do not think it makes that much of a difference. I believe that every product has its own individual unique ingredients that will work irrespective of any other product of the same brand is used or not.

Effect - Every time I use a new product, I am very excited to see its results. Most of the time, I am not very disappointed but this time, I was. First of all, Streax Professional Vitariche Care Repair Max Masque looked good and smelled ok and I thought it will give same result as those hair spa masks in beauty salons. But it is a bit more liquid-y than a hair mask should be. On applying it, yes, my hair felt instantly smooth and soft and it also seemed to immediately clear all the tangles in my hair. I rinsed it off and air-dried my hair and it did feel good, but just for about a day. After 24-30 hours, my hair was again back to being super duper dry and frizzy. 

So for me, it was just a normal hair conditioner. I expect more from a hair masque. 

Moreover, I feel that after using this for 10 washes, I started noticing increased itching on my scalp. My scalp is naturally itchy, that is why I do not experiment much with shampoos or hair oils and I am not blaming Streax for my scalp problems. My scalp is riddled with dandruff, sensitivity and itchiness. But still I keep it under control most of the time by using my trusted combos of hair oils, essential oils and shampoos. I did get increased scalp itchiness couple of months ago and I cannot think of any other reason my scalp would itch (more than usual) other than this one new product that I started using at that time. Soon after I started noticing it, the product got over, and now my scalp is back to its normal level of itchiness. So I am definitely worried about that.

YES 

• Moisturized hair, temporarily gave shine
• Did not see increased hair fall after using it
• Got 12 washes on my really thick, frizzy hair, value for money

NO 

• Results did not last more than 30 hours at most on my hair
• Worked like a normal conditioner rather than giving some extraordinary results like a good hair masque
• I have a strong suspicion that it increased itchiness on my scalp
• Not easily available, I buy it from Amazon 

Recommended -NO! Apart from the fact that Streax Professional Vitariche Care Repair Max Masque did nothing extraordinary for my hair, I suspect it increased itchiness on my sensitive, itchy scalp. Rating is 2.5/5.