As you all know, I shop quite a lot from ShopBop.com. They have a lot of luxury brands and all my Michael Kors and Jeffrey Campbell, etc. are from Shopbop.
They have this Friends and Family Sale 2-3 times a year and currently a Friends and Family Sale is going on! Starting right now and ending on Friday 10/16 4AM U.S. Eastern time.
Use the code: INTHEFAM25 to get 25% off on your order! There are some brand exclusions and you can find them HERE
What the Company claims: This soap-free and paraben-free gel gently cleanses and purifies your skin while respecting its pH. It cleanses the skin gently without abrasion (no rebound effect). It is suitable for young, oily, blemish-prone skin as it purifies the skin and controls oil secretion, leaving your skin fresh and non-irritated. It contains 60% Avène Thermal Spring Water which has amazing soothing properties and the new sebum-regulating ingredient Glyceryl Laurate. This cleanser prepares the skin for treatment. It is an economical product, as a small quantity is enough to be effective.
How to use: Use Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser morning and evening on your face and body. Apply to wet skin, lather and rinse thoroughly. Remove any remaining traces of make-up on the face and soothe the skin by spraying with Avène Thermal Spring Water.
Ingredients:
Cleanance Range:
reduces/limits sebum production
soothes irritations
Nips acne right at the root
leaves the skin feeling fresh and mattified
I have been using the Avene Cleanance Gel since quite a few weeks now, actually post my break out, I am only stuck to this. Read on to know what I think about it.
I researched a bit about Glyceryl Laurate, which is the new ingredient of the Avene Cleanance Range. It is a monoester of glycerin and lauric acid, skin conditioning agent and helps as emollient and surfactant. It basically forms a film on the skin and gives the skin a smoother, softer feeling. And also helps in sebum regulation.
To start with the packaging, it comes in this sleek plastic bottle with a white cap which you have to swivel to get the dispensor and dispense the product and swivel back again to close, something you see in talcum powders but this has just one tiny hole to dispense which is the perfect size.
It will not leak while you travel with it, but since this is a bit bulky and huge, I would not say it is travel friendly. I would have loved if it would have been available in smaller sizes too.
It is a bit thinner in texture and not exactly like gel, it has this hint of blue in it. I wash my face, take some product in my palms and then just blend some in my palms and some on the wet face directly.
It removes my basic makeup i.e eye liner, non waterproof mascara, sunscreen, BB cream, etc. without any hassles. It does not burn or sting the eyes at all! Something I really like, which most of the cleansers do, on my eyes. You will feel a thin film on the face but not something uncomfortable. It did not dry out the skin at all!
Coming to the main part, it definitely helped in my acne, no breakouts ever since I am using this and my previous scars have also almost faded. I am currently using this once a day, not twice a day since I have combination skin and not purely oily or blemish prone skin.
Though it is on the expensive side, the quantity is a lot and this 200ml bottle would easily last you at least 3-4 months depending on the usage.
I absolutely love it and recommend it. The most gentle cleanser I have used in a long time which removes my basic makeup, cleanses skin thoroughly from deep within, controls my break outs and even helps in fading the acne marks. And does not dry out the skin at all. It is a must try and will work for majority skin types, but if you have oily/acne prone/blemish prone skin, definitely get it today.
Rating:
Quality: 5/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
Availability: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Would I buy it again: Yes!
Have you tried the new Avene Cleanance Gel Cleanser yet?
A new OOTD today, this week I attended the Grazia BeauTea Party at The Taj Mahal Tea House in Bandra. It was a small meet of 6-7 bloggers and the Beauty Editor and Art Director of Grazia India. It will be covered in next month’s Grazia magazine which is the ‘Beauty Special’, so do grab your hands on that 😀
Anyhoo, this is what I wore. I am loving this red frills skater dress, it is so so comfortable and the frills make it look super pretty. Also it was a common style in the 80’s and has made a comeback and why not when all the styles from 70’s and 80’s have 😀
I paired it with my black fringed sling bag and black and gold ankle strap sandals. Finished with my current favourite Michael Kors rose gold link watch.
Today I am talking about one of my favourite shows on TV. I love lifestyle channels and shows based on fashion, current obsession is Fox Life India. Fox Life has a fashion band from Monday to Friday at 8pm, now you know what I do everyday at 8 😉
Go Style is an amalgamation of different shows which are topically about fashion and style. These shows include Clifton Shores, Style And The City, Life Mein Ek Baar and Styled by June. Every weekday Fox Life India will air one of these shows.
I personally love Style and the City. It shows the real side of fashion, how the shoots take place, what goes behind the shoots, how the sourcing is done and the backstage action behind the fashion shows. Also going to different cities of India from Benaras to Agra for inspiration and sourcing raw materials and how a fashion designer achieves what exactly what his client needs! Basically everything behind-the-scenes.
There is a new ‘Style Expert’, a fashion stylist or designer brought in every week who decodes looks or styles a shoot or fashion show or designs a new collection and we get to see how it is all done. My favourite style expert has to be Anaita Shroff Adajania, I love her styling be it in the movies or shoots or otherwise. And my favourite designer on the show is Ashish N Soni who gets into the minutest details of the fabric and designing.
Their tagline goes ‘Inside Celebrity Fashion Closets’ which is very apt and true for ‘Style And The City’. Apart from this, I also like ‘Life Me Ek Baar’ and all the other shows which air at the Go style band at 8pm everyday.
Now you can get the best of style on Fox Life India on Weekdays at 8 PM on #GoStyle.
BloomsBerry Hand Sanitizers, Nail Polish Removers Review
Hi guys,
Bloomsberry is a new Indian brand which has launched a range of hand care products which currently include hand sanitizers and nail polish removers.
About Bloomsberry: A thought that defines BloomsBerry so well. Driven by the philosophy of catering to each individual’s skin care and needs, BloomsBerry has launched a set of hand care products. With an effective yet unique formulation BloomsBerry is developing its each single drop to bring about a change in your life style.
About the hand sanitizers:
Bursting Beads melt on your hand, featuring vitamins A, E and C
Moisturize hands to reveal skin that is smoother and softer
Health and hygiene matters. BB hand sanitizers are tough on germs and kills them 9x better than the others. Every single drop gives a baby care to your hands and gloves them with a layer of moisturizer. BB sanitizers are filled with bursting beads that contains vitamin A, E and C. A wide range for everyone with a unique mesmerizing fragrance. So, develop a healthy hygiene with BloomsBerry. BloomsBerry Brand is emerging one of the best hand sanitizer in India.
Ingredients:
Variants available:
Green Apple Mojito
Spring Fizz
Fresh Blooms
Aqua Bliss
Blossom Bouquet
Purple Paradise
MRP: Rs.149/- for 29ml
To start with the packaging, it is super cute and so tiny that it makes it perfect to carry in your bag. The tiny beads and colorful sanitizers look very pretty and you get them in different variants, so you can choose what you like.
I loved the Aqua Bliss and Spring Fizz, fruity ones smelled a little sweet for my liking. These are definitely expensive than other sanitizers for the quantity, but you can feel the difference in quality when you use it. Hands feel softer and not drier which usually happens with sanitizers coz of the alcohol content.
They also claim to kill 9x more germs than normal sanitizers, so of course they have some proof for that. If you obsessed with hand sanitizers and like pretty ones in different variants, you will love these. Definitely recommend!
About the Nail Polish Removers:
Features castor oil and glycerine and won’t dry out cuticles.
Removes nail polish gently and evaporates without leaving any white residue
Formula is filled with vitamins which helps your nails grow stronger.
Bloomsberry introduces exclusive range of nail care products with its unique features and quality catering to individual nail requirements and problems.
Ingredients:
Variants available:
Nourishing Nails (Ocean Fragrance) – For Dry Nails
Strengthening Nails (Green Apple Fragrance) – For Weak/Brittle Nails
Acetone Free (Lemon Fragrance)- For Natural/Acrylic Nails
Nail Revival (Fragrance Free) – For Yellow Nails
MRP: Rs.149/- for 50ml
They come in a square white plastic bottle with grey cap packaging. I am glad these do not come in glass bottles which are very risky. The bottles are quite compact and small even though the quantity in each is 50ml, making them travel friendly too.
I love the fact that there is a different variant for every kind of nail. When I had got gel nail extensions done, I used the Acetone free one. I would be switching to the Strengthening Nails one now since my nails have become very weak and brittle after the extensions.
Even though there is one specific variant for dry nails, none of these nail polish removers are drying. Having tried 3-4 different brands, I can say this is by far the least drying nail polish remover brand.
But I don’t use these liquid removers much now, as I prefer either the nail polish remover pads or the sponge bottles to dip your nails in.
I would be really glad if Bloomsberry comes with different variants of nail polish remover pads and those sponge bottles. But if you prefer using the nail polish removers and are looking for something non- drying and meant for your nail type, these are must try. Highly recommend them!
Bloomsberry products are available on Flipkart and Amazon in various combos and at lower prices as introductory offers. Check out more at www.bloomsberry.in
Bluestone.com has launched their New Blue Book. You ask what is it about. It’s a theme based jewellery lookbook/style guide which consists of different lines of Bluestone.com jewellery along with pictures, styling and all other details. The Blue Book is based on 3 themes – WEDDING BELLS, COSMO CULTURE and LOVELORE.
About BlueStone: BlueStone is India’s leading online jewellery brand that houses high quality fine jewellery in exquisite designs. With a user-friendly shopping experience, BlueStone is a one stop destination for everything jewellery, given any occasion. Established in 2011, BlueStone has built a large family of loyal consumers both in India and abroad. Some of the investors being Ratan Tata, Kalaari Capital and Accel Partners. A vertically integrated firm, BlueStone prides itself on an excellent customer service and distinctive craftsmanship.
BlueStone houses more than 3000 unique designs for an individual to choose from. These designs are crafted to perfection with utmost care for our customers who also have the flexibility to customize the product’s gold colour or diamond clarity to suit their needs.
With an in-house award-winning design team that pays great attention to detail, each piece is a symbol of perfection. Also, with its cutting edge innovation and latest technology usage, BlueStone makes sure the brilliance is well reflected in all its jewellery. The company offers some of the industry first options to its customers like the 30 Day Money Back Policy, Lifetime Exchange on all its products, BlueFew Loyalty Programme and Free Home Try On.
The brand BlueStone stands for “Pure Jewellery For Real Love” – a wide range of contemporary jewellery to trigger spontaneous expressions of love appropriate to every moment in a real relationship. We believe that the need for jewellery is a cry for romance, and jewellery is best bought in a close huddle with your loved one.
About The Peacock Collection: (Check on their site HERE)
Name: Blue Feather Collection
Tag Line: From the Royal Gardens
Inspiration: “Since we are all royal, in our own special ways.”
About ‘The Blue Book’: BlueStone celebrates the launch of Blue Book, a contemporary, stylish and a gorgeous Look Book that aims to showcase how the jewellery can be worn in the trendiest manner. The Blue Book, as we love to call it is a one of a kind jewellery style guide that will make sure you look a stunner from dawn to dusk! After seeing this, you may want to change your outfit “but not our jewellery”! This Blue Book captures the essential jewellery style guides for three occasions… Festive, Romance and Work Wear.
I received this super cute hamper from Blue Stone. It has adorable love notes, two packs of King and Queen cards, joint coaster, diary, The Blue Book and this pendant and earrings from the new Peacock collection.
I loved the designs, presentation, styling of The Blue Book, one of my favourite looks is this one..
And how adorable are these pendant and earrings from the peacock collection..
Here is how I styled the jewellery..
You can check out The Blue Book online here or follow them on their social media to know more about The Blue Book and the new collections.
I went to attend the Swatch Fall Winter 2015 Collection Preview at Out of The Blue last week. This is what I wore to the event.
It’s a simple blue denim shirt dress. I love the fact that it is so easy to wear and you can just throw that on whenever and wherever without thinking much or when you are confused on what to wear, coz A) Denim always works B) Shirt dresses are quite IN C) It is very comfortable D) The drawstring at the waist defines your waist and body E) It has pockets! (Duh..you need any more reasons? :p)
I had initially thought of pairing them with my white Vans canvas shoes, but then I couldn’t find them in a hurry and went for my current favourites, these super cute adorable animal ballet flats. It has a kitten on one shoe and a puppy on the other, the contrast makes it all the more cuter 😀 And since these are black and white, they would work with a lot of outfits. The fact that they cost less than $4 makes it all the more good :p Though shipping cost would be added, I have mentioned the links below. But white canvas shoes would definitely look great too, coz white always works with denims.
When I posted this pic on Instagram, most of you asked me about my shoes, so here you go 🙂
I paired it with my orange bucket bag, though it is not seen in the pictures here. And wore this gold watch from the new Swatch F/W 2015 collection.
So a few days back, I tried out The Home Salon who provide professional salon services at your doorstep. This concept of providing beauty services at home is quite in trend these days and there are a lot of competitors in the market.
About The Home Salon: We are your beauty Santa Claus! Have you ever thought of waxing and then changed your mind because the salon was so far away? Or wanted a massage because you were tired, but too tired to travel to a spa? Do you wish beauty was at your fingertips – something so effortless & regular, it almost felt part of your routine?That’s why we exist. To remind you to feel beautiful even when you you’re down! To help you look good and take away those blues. To love yourself so you can love others! To help the world’s best manager manage herself!So curl up your legs, take a break and call us home! Allow us to indulge you in the choicest of beauty & spa therapies without having to so much as raise a finger! Watch us do our magic while you simply sip on your coffee. And better still – do this at your time and convenience!
To start with, my appointment was booked for 2 pm in the afternoon and since it was the 5th day of Ganpati Visarjan, the lady got a bit late and arrived by 2.40 which she called and informed me about. I liked the fact that I was kept informed about reaching late.
I tried the Anti-tan chocolate wax for my full arms and legs. I have tried the White Chocolate Rica wax before at Lakme Salon just before my wedding and had a very good experience with that, so I was expecting similar results. Here, the attendant was using Biosoft Chocolate Wax. It comes with pre gel and post wax lemon oil, she forgot to use the pre gel and I was informed about it later when I was called for feedback. I do have sensitive skin, especially on my arms and I had informed them before as all waxes don’t work for me. The lady while booking the appointment told me a patch test would be done and then we would proceed with the complete waxing. We started with the legs first and I don’t have an issue with the legs since the skin on the legs is usually thicker and not that sensitive.
After the waxing on my arms, I got a lot of red bumps on my entire arms and the lemon oil did not help in reducing them. My mom applied lots of ice and it was a little better but the bumps stayed for around 3 days and the skin was quite itchy too. I only get my waxing done at a particular salon where I do not get any reaction or bumps as they use a lot of astringent to close the pores. I did mention this to the attendant too hoping she would use astringent but I don’t think she was carrying anything apart from the post wax lemon oil. The lemon oil only helps in reducing the stickiness from the wax but does not do anything to close the pores.
She also asked me if I had to thread my eyebrows and since I had not got my eyebrows done since a month, I was like ok. I am very finicky about my eyebrows and I only get my extras removed as I like and prefer my thick eyebrows. I mentioned that to the attendant about 4-5 times and even while she was doing the eyebrows, but still my eyebrows from one part were made a bit thinner. I was not very happy but since it was not drastically thin, it was not looking bad.
Later on I tried the anti – tan manicure and pedicure. She had brought the pedicure tub along and all the creams, scrubs and masks that come in separate sachets i.e. the entire kit. She simultaneously did both the hands and legs and it took about a little more than an hour for both. The tan had actually reduced and my feet were looking much better. I only thought the procedure could have been a little more extensive, coz I had tried similar services with another beauty service provider where two separate persons were doing the mani- pedi and it took them a total of 3 hours! They were doing it in a more detailed way taking time on each step.
Maybelline Colorshow Molten Maroon
I went with the Maybelline ColorShow Nail Paint in Molten Maroon since it was a perfect fall color, sadly the nail paint chipped in 3 days even after two coats. Also, it has stained my nails very badly and I am trying to get rid of the stain right now. It is not the attendant’s fault of course, but I would have liked if she would have used a base coat and a top coat. Since it is a deep color, base coat would have prevented staining and a top coat would have helped the nail paint stay longer.
Also the prices for manicure and pedicure are almost the same, when usually pedicure is a little more detailed and slightly higher priced.
Prices:
De-tan full arms waxing: Rs.469
De- tan full Legs waxing: Rs.563
Anti tan Manicure: Rs.625
Anti tan Pedicure: Rs. 688
Overall I would say The Home Salon is very economically priced and offers all the beauty services at your door step, I do recommend checking them out. Only if you have sensitive skin, inform them about it and that you would need a lot of astringent. You can skip the eyebrows though if you are not comfortable. The manicure and pedicure were pretty decent too for the price, only if you need something much more detailed, then this is not for you.
Check out their services or book an appointment at www.thehomesalon.in, they are also available on apps on your Play Store.
Have you tried The Home Salon or something similar yet?
P.S: Services were offered in exchange for a honest review.
I know this is off topic but Diwali is coming soon and I realized that Diwali for us somehow has lost its charm, especially for me. It is not the same as before, the fun we had when we were kids.
My memories of Diwali have been buying different colors for rangoli, a stencil, selecting a design from the book and all the preparation of making a brown base and then making a rangoli which took 2-3 hours. Decorating the whole house with lights and diyas, spending those 3-4 days with the entire family, the Diwali Pooja, dadi teaching us how to make kajal using ghee and an earthen pot on Kaali Chaudas, the lunch I had with my brother on Bhai Dooj, the Laxmi Pooja on Diwali and lighting some phooljadis for shagan (I had stopped using the loud crackers long back after seeing the pollution and the streets filled with remnants and how scared the dogs would be)
And then finally on the last day of ‘New Year’, going to every friend and family member’s place to wish them Happy New Year and they coming at our place.
But now, things have changed so drastically, people look forward to relaxing those 3 days of holidays. Forget going to each other’s place to wish New Year, there are no phone calls too and we end up wishing everyone on Whatsapp. There is no time for rangolis, we hardly spend time with families and lights are just for name sake to show Diwali.
I saw this video recently where this old grandfather was missing his grandchild and how he used to spend Diwali with her. And guess what, the dadu gets the best surprise of his life. What do you think the surprise is? Yes, she probably is coming to meet him this Diwali!
Perfectly timed, Lufthansa has unveiled its #DiwaliSurprise campaign which gives you an opportunity to fly to the one you love! It also gives you an opportunity to help brighten a child’s life by just registering your wish – so awesome! 😀
Fly away to be with the one you love – your friend and you could both win a ticket with your Diwali wish and also your wish will add Diwali lights to illuminate a Lufthansa plane – a digital marvel to behold on the Festival of Lights!
So click HERE and send your wishes quickly to your loved ones this Diwali 🙂
Gorgeous hair is best maintained by the age-old wondrous coconut oil. However, no matter what your hair type, texture, colour or length, you may fall prey to hair problems, at some point in their life. Are you battling hair fall, dandruff, split ends and more? Pollution, stress levels, sun, erratic lifestyles, inadequate diets, etc., could be playing havoc on your hair. While you can’t change what has been done, maybe it’s time to sit, up, take notice and use something extra. Make repairs with Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut + + Hair Oil and make hair damage a thing of the past!
Dabur Vatika Coconut Oil Key Ingredients: Say goodbye to all your hair problems. Switch to Vatika!
3 hair problems, 1 solution. With the triple power of Amla, Henna and lemon, Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil, saves your hair from problems like dandruff, split ends and hair fall, thereby giving it volume and shine that make your tresses gorgeous!
MRP: Rs.84/- for 180ml (150ml + 20% extra free)
Benefits of Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil:
It helps in deep conditioning your scalp
Amla promotes hair growth
Coconut is very nourishing and hydrates and nourishes even the hair follicles
Amla helps prevent hair greying
Lemon is very good to keep dandruff at bay
Coconut oil being rich and hydrating, also helps get rid of split ends
Coconut helps retain moisture in the hair & also works on repairing damaged hair
Coconut oil is a natural detangler for hair
Henna also helps retain hair colour and keep it rich and dark
And there are numerous other benefits of Coconut alone, much more of Henna, Amla and Lemon infused together. In monsoons, if I get wet in the rains, the first thing that gets affected is my hair. If I do not immediately oil my hair and wash them, the texture changes and I even face dandruff issues coz of the rain water. In winters, dandruff is the main issue always. I am glad the Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair oil has lemon which is what I mostly use for my dandruff, this is helping me keep dandruff at bay.
How I use it: I either keep oil in my hair overnight or do use it an hour before shampooing, and it makes a huge difference. Whenever I have oiled my hair before shampooing, the hair is super smooth and more softer with less frizz than just alone shampooing. Overnight oiling is more beneficial, but if forgot or do not like the oil on your hair overnight, at least try and use it an hour before shampooing.
It takes an extra wash to remove the oil, but then it’s so worth it. Fortunately, Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Oil is not that sticky and very light in texture, it would not make your look like an oil slick or give you that sticky feeling when you touch your hair.
I would say it is one stop for all your hair problems from hair breakage, split ends, greying , dandruff, etc. Use this twice a week on a continuous basis and you will definitely see a lot of improvement in your hair.
It is very economical price wise too, plus I got 20% extra 😀 I love the light smell too, it is not over powering or bothering.
Read more about Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil HERE or try a sample by clicking on ‘Request your own sample’.
This is my current favourite hair oil. I definitely recommend trying it out.
Have you tried the Dabur Vatika Enriched Coconut Hair Oil yet?
