Needless to say, my love for K-beauty has been going strong. Let me begin by declaring that this hasn't been an easy thing at all, considering my low-buy/no-buy journey! So many exciting products to try, so little time, and only a single face 😩

I had been reading up so much on the benefits of propolis, partly because Smriti was on the hunt for healing agents, and partly because Korean skincare is big on this ingredient and it was getting difficult to resist the temptation to try it out for myself.

And after having tried and loved Mugwort, Centella, Snail mucin, I wanted to explore the other staples K-beauty had to offer, so I decided to buy the CosRx Full Fit Propolis Light Ampoule for myself.

It's been almost a year since I've been using the Tony Moly Chok Chok Green Tea Watery Essence, but you know me (and Swati) 😅 we always try to make sure we have tested any skincare for a long time before we share our thoughts and experience with it. We also tend to procrastinate a lot 🙈

With summers in India being particularly harsh, I'm always on the lookout for fresh feeling products that not only leave my skin breathable, but also incorporate some properties to combat photo-damage. Green tea, being a powerhouse of anti-oxidants and generally having a light formulation, tops the list and that's why I went searching for a nice serum or essence to incorporate into my routine.

The Tony Moly Chok Chok Essence caught my eye almost immediately because of its high percentage of green tea extract. Tony Moly has essentially replaced water (aqua) in all formulations of this range with fermented green tea extract that ensures potent goodness for the skin.

Finding a good moisturizer can be tougher than finding your soulmate....I know that it has taken me years to find a few that work well for me. Was it easier to find my soulmate? Probably :D 

In 2019, thanks to Smriti, I found my favourite one - the Klairs Midnight Calming Cream. I fell in love with it so hard, that I needed to explore the brand more and shortly after I added products from their Fundamental Range in my stash. I have spoken about all the others already - here. Rounding it up with the Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream today. 

If you have been paying close attention to my usual skincare picks, you will notice that I have a soft spot for products that are soothing, calming and barrier supportive. Put these words in the description of a product and I am definitely interested in picking it up. This is why I got hold of the Beauty Of Joseon Calming Serum. I didn't really need it as I had a fair share of calming products already. But being on a Korean skincare journey I wanted to try out BeautyofJoseon and this serum felt like the perfect fit for me. 

Hello everyone! Smriti here! 

I have been trying out the Some By MI Propolis B5 Glow Barrier Calming Cream & while that's a long name, I have seldom come across products where the name is so apt! Every word perfectly describes what the cream does. 

It's no news that I love the Klairs Fundamental line. Having tried almost ALL! of the products in this range (read about them here), I thought I could give the last one a go and added their Fundamental Eye Awakening Gel to my stash. I've been using it for the past 3 months and surprise, surprise...I love it too! And before you think it, no, I am not biased...this range is just that good! Read on. 

While my hair is relatively well behaved, my oily scalp gives me problems from time to time. Due to the nature of my work (I need to wear head caps often) and the hot humid climate India has most of the year, my scalp gets itchy and flaky, especially during the monsoons. I also get mild dandruff sometimes, mostly during the winter months. Which is why I like to keep an anti-dandruff shampoo in my hair care stash....coz I never know when I will need it. I tried the Selsun Selenium Sulfide Shampoo a few months back and it has been working extremely well. 

Take the Purito Fermented Complex 94 Boosting Essence, for example, I have been using it for about 4½ months now and the third essence I have tried so far. I stopped using it for a few weeks in between since it got way too hot and humid here but picked it back again recently. And I am finally sure how I feel about it. Read on :)

Let me begin the post by saying that I love using face masks. Ingredients like haldi (turmeric), chandan (sandalwood), multani mitti (fuller's earth), besan (gram flour), to name a few, have been a part of my skincare since my teenage years...at a time when I literally did nothing else in the name of skincare except applying a homemade ubtan 1-2 times a week. Tch! My routine has thankfully evolved with time, knowledge and a better understanding of what works for my skin, but I still love my weekly masking! Of course, they don't replace my skincare products but the experience of putting on a mask is something I look forward to. 

When I went to college, it became quite difficult to whip up my homemade masks (it was difficult to source fresh ingredients and well, I admit that I also got lazy). So, I looked into premade masks and powders and found a few gems. The Kama Ayurveda Nimrah Face Pack was one such product. 

I used this mask a lot during my college days and have mentioned it several times on the blog, but never got around to writing a detailed post on it. Let me share my thoughts & experience today :)

Hello everyone! I am back with another shampoo review today - the Marrakesh Nourish Shampoo Original variant. I gave it a go a few months back and it featured in my July 2021 empties here. 

I tried the much loved & raved about Plum Olive & Macadamia Mega Moisturizing Hair Mask recently. I have not explored much from the brand yet, the one thing I did try was their Green tea face mask which is a good one for oily skin and I have spoken about it on the blog earlier. I know it's pretty late to talk about the mask, it's not a new launch, but let's do it anyway.

Say hello to my first blue nail paint! It's called You're Such A BudaPest & it's from OPI. 

Let's first take a moment to appreciate the cute names OPI comes up with and then let's do a minute of silence for me - I got a blue polish! Me...the lover of nudes, neutrals and an occasional red, who has never dabbled into the blue zone before! Who am I even? And what has happened to me?

Maybe my tastes are changing, or I am willing to get out of my comfort zone.....maybe it is a phase....maybe I never got the perfect shade of blue before....who knows? What I do know is that You're Such a Budapest caught my attention and I loved the way it looked. So now it's a part of my polish stash. 

Sharing the swatches & a mini review with you today. Take a look :)

I have always had long hair and while it is relatively straight & low on frizz, there are many days when the frizz increases and because of the length it gets tangles easily which causes hair breakage and hair fall. At 30 something, when things are going to go downhill skin & hair-wise, I of course get tempted to do whatever I can (within reasonable & my comfort range) to keep things in a relatively good state. So, one fine day last year as a birthday treat I ordered a silk pillowcase. It wasn't an impulse purchase, I considered getting it for almost a year before I took the plunge.

I have taken my own sweet time to test it out thoroughly over different seasons and I am finally ready to share my experience with you. Let's begin!

Is haircare a priority on your agenda? I have to confess that my routine isn't elaborate. Shampoo & condition is what I usually do and some days I use a hair serum. If I have some time or want to pamper my hair occasionally, I use a hair mask sometimes. I do however *love* oiling my hair. 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪 is a quintessential part of ancient Indian self-care & most who have grown up practising this ritual will vouch for its benefits! 

More often than not, I stick to products that have been working for me.  I know I write & run a beauty blog, but I am very hesitant to try out new stuff when it comes to skincare. So, if I find a product that works for me I repurchase it over & over again. But sometimes, curiosity gets the better of me & I give in to temptation. It's rare but it happens.... and I try out something new. 

This is what happened with the Neemli Rose & Patchouli Facial Toner. I had been using rose water for many years & had found my holy grail in the Kama Ayurveda Rose Water (I have sung enough praises about it already) and I truly did not need to try any new ones out there.  But then I saw the Neemli Rose & Patchouli Facial Toner - the packaging looked super pretty and I thought to myself "hmmm....why not give this a go for a change....it can't really hurt too much, can it?"

Let's see how this impulse buy played out! 

It's not often that I am on the hunt for a new body lotion. I know what works for me, and I repurchase it diligently.

But one quick look at this blue bottle piqued my curiosity greatly. With the Indian summers in full blast, and rising humidity adding the extra tadka, just the name 'Icy Cool hydration' on the soothing blue bottle with the claim 'Instant Cooling' had me drooling.

Hey everybody! Smriti here.

As you guys know I was going through a problematic phase with my skin a while ago. Both my cheeks had bouts of breakouts and closed comedones, resulting from my own mistakes.

In the past, rosehip oil was one skincare product that had worked well on my skin. I loved its effects so much that I got Swati to try it out, and she liked it too and even recommended it to her friends! It was featured in our Budget Friendly Indian Skincare products video - take a look here.  

My skin is now at a stage where it has significantly calmed down, and the process of healing has slowly begun. I'm ready to transition to products that will help speedup the healing, and Rosehip oil from Blend It Raw Apothecary really helped do this in the past (so I'll be repurchasing it soon!)

While I do not experiment a lot with skincare, I certainly like to try out new hair care products. There are a few staples in my haircare routine, but I like getting new shampoos & conditioners often. It was in this experimental mood that I picked up the Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Hyaluronic Moisture Kick Masque Treatment one day. 

Hyaluronic acid treatment for hair? Sounds intriguing, doesn't it? When I think of hyaluronic acid I think of instant hydration! And I could do with some of that for my hair...which is why I picked this hair mask up. Well, this and the fact that I have been using & loving their Moisture Kick Spray conditioner for many months now.  

Anyway, let's get right into this post. 

With us going in and out of lockdown, I thought I would put together my ULTIMATE WHAT TO WATCH list - TV & Movie recommendations which I have enjoyed watching. Most of us have more time on our hands at the moment and before boredom sets in, why don’t you take a look? I keep sharing recommendations on Instagram quite often as well so connect with me there if you want to & let me know your recommendations. Or you can leave them in the comment box below and I will be sure to check them out. :)

So here are my recommendations for different genres across various platforms. I hope you will find something suited to your preferences. I will keep updating this list as and when I watch & like more stuff. 

If you don't know already, then let me tell you that I am quite smitten with the Klairs Fundamental line. I have spoken about the Water Oil Drop here already. This eye cream was the 2nd product I picked up from the fundamental line. I went for this because 

(a) the brand specifically says that it is great for people who are prone to milia -- I am extremely prone to getting them around my lower lash line ; and 

(b) because the formula contains peptides, which has become one of my favourite ingredients. 

Update : Update : I have detailed reviews on all the other products in the Klairs Fundamental Line here - Watery Oil Drop,  Eye Awakening Gel, Amuple Mist & Water Gel Cream. 

There was a time during my university days when my preferred method of removing makeup - I mainly wore eye & lip products only - was a bi-phase makeup remover. They were quick, convenient & suited my needs. Over the years I have used a good number of them but with time I started to wear some base makeup & so I gravitated more towards cleansing oils - I didn't have the patience to use separate removers for the eye and face.

The Pixi Hydrating Milky Makeup Remover wasn't in the market back then, because if it had been, I would have loved getting my hands on it. A bi-phase remover that can be used on the Eyes, Lips and wait for it... the Face too! Yes, you read it right. Anyway, I am glad I tried it now because I quite like this one. Read on.

Pixi Glow Tonic