vellvette box - april 2013

hello everyone,
after posting about my last vellvette box , i somehow took a break from it . however i soon missed it and decided to subscribe again.and this time its a three month subscription . YAYY FOR ME
just an heads up my first post was a ballad to the greatness of the vellvette box.so lets see does this one float the boat and make it sail or the boat plain sinks..................

pretty box , pretty ribbon -even the ribbon has a spring theme to it .... :D

this times box has a sort of spring theme to it . as they say this box is to put a spring in our steps.... sadly they   are mistaken . its blazing, makeup melting, brain boiling summer in mumbai . aah! lets just leave that to that because that rant can go on and on ..... as much as i love my city , this is one thing i cannot absolutely bear  ...pssshh

big bad dent in my box....o_0,

whats in my box:-
i had really high expectations from this box . when i placed my order , they were currently running a contest that some 200 subscribers would get LUSH aqua marina cleanser . i didn't get in my box . may be some other "bloggers" did win . this was disappointment number one. its like meh . i didn't win so what ? i never do right ? no point being a sour puss >.<

• Figs and Rouge Aloe and Mint balm:- (full size - inr 695)

aloe great . mint .... umm not so great . not a fan of anything that smells or tastes minty . in lip products i can bear . not in something that i m going to put on my body.(not that the poor guys at vellvette could have known this. there was no column for fragrance of products in preferences ;) ) 

its exactly like a balm .at room temperature , has a more ghee like consistency.it tingles a bit on the lips. offers clear shine . i also use it on elbows, knees and ankles at night and find them softened in the morning.

haven't used on my brows,feet etc yet , as mentioned in the card.

 a very good product but not my favourite flavour.

who loves vintage tin packaging....me me me !

• THE NATURE'S CO Spearmint Body Wash:-(sample size -35ml, full size-485)

this one's perfect for the Indian summers. after all an Indian company, that too one manufacturing pure vegetarian products.... happy vegetarian dance !!!!!!!!. its a great basic body wash . lathers well, get cleaned in less water , has a pleasant tingly feeling after you apply it. the tingly sensation last for a while after the shower. decent sized bottle . easily you can get about 10 uses out of it . perfect for travel.

didn't get the atmospure part ..... we usually associate green with murkiness... maybe purity for the people at the nature's co.

now the only drawback. the scent . the spearmint scent . brings back memories of chewing Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum for hours together. but i cant tolerate . no mint for me please. mint , spearmint or any other mint.thank you but no thank you . 

this has been promptly snagged by my twerp little sister . she loves it . cant stop sniffing it.

verdant lush green depths of spearminty goodness

whats inside all that gleaming metal??????

• MOTIVES Mardi Gras palette (full size - inr 3050)

whoa.... hold it right there , 3050 inr you say . that too in a sample subscription that is just paid 399 inr for? ( okay even lesser because of the 3 month subscription discount...hehehe) now coming to what this palette has.

• three shadows- a forest green with shimmer., satin finish. the only good performing colour from the eyeshadow category.next is a golden peach . matte finish . doesn't show up very well on my complexion. very sheer. lastly, a violet-purply whateveryoucallit.. a very hard. worst performing shade. doesn't want to budge out from its palette. as you can see below ,the swatches are very very sheer. i cant perceive how to make these shades work *mind freaked*

without flash 

• 6 lipcolors- its technically 3 lip glosses and 3 lipsticks . but the lipcolours themselves are so confused because of their nature that they themselves don't know what are they . plus no card explaining what id what.my love is the 2 nd pan from left in the 2nd pot. the bright coral . rest i don't care for. the deep violet gloss(lets assume its a gloss) was mistaken to be a cream eye liner . duh ! i know right . i had to swatch it to confirm. who anyways wears sheer violet gloss. i don't.

with flash

with flash

without flash

without flash

loads of cards ....new bookmarks wheeeee!!!!!!!!

so overall this was an average box. nothing stood out really. i would have loved to get something from max factor or skincare from the nature's co. anyways , grass is always greener on the other side(purple on ours....hehehe)

take care,
vj


p.s:- anyone saw ek thi daayan? worth a dekko for sure. the cinematography , the storyline , the acting.... everything grips you even much later after the end stills roll in !!!!!!!!

disclaimer:- the above product was bought by me from my own money .  .i have never received compensation in return of glowing reviews. my loyalty lies with my readers. for further details i can be contacted onvj.neglur@gmail.com. Thank You very much!

colorbar precision waterproof liquid eyeliner - review and swatches

hiya
eyeliners are such must haves . be it in the form of kajals , pencils , liquid or whatever , we Indian girls are obsessed with defining our eyes. admit it gals!
lakme, maybelline we give our love to all those liners but somehow this little gem from colorbar hasn't been making waves much . i have had this for about 6 months now and i m totally loving it !
read on to find out more about it ........
price :- 250 inr but i had got it before the price hike and from an online site so i had gotten it for about 180 inr
net quantity :- 2.5 ml
so the cost to wt ratio comes at about 100 which is okay .

what the company says,

The Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is long-lasting and does not smudge, crack, flake or peel. With its high definition flexible felt tip applicator, one stroke is enough to define a fine or thick line. Fast drying, Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner is suitable for sensitive eyes and those who wear contact lenses too!

my experience:-

i got this about six months ago when i was bored with using my current liners . so let me admit this was an random unintended purchase but i don't regret it at all . i am more of a liquid or gel eyeliner gal than a pencil eyeliner gal .i do not enjoy pencil eyeliners for the following reasons.

• they do not go on as smoothly
• they are not as intense
• they smudge
• and the worst part, they tug at times which is a strict no-no if you have sensitive eyes

i love my eyeliners mostly matte finish . but this shiny one won me over. a funny thing about this is that it appears totally matte in the swatches . however, it turns a bit shiny when applied to the eye.maybe its just my lids . i really  but the shine isn't leather finish like lakme eye artist . just enough shine to make your eyes look healthy and pop.

the applicator has a felt tip wand just like my vov liquid eyeliner .a long handle that is easy to hold annnnd an incredibly stiff felt tip brush. by stiff i mean really stiff. so stiff that i hurts at times if you hold to too firm . but an advantage to it is that it is easy peasy for beginners to use. since the wand isn't floppy, the liner doesn't end up all over your lids .

notice the shine-thinner line

as you can see in the images its not as i intense as i would like it to be. i have to go over the line many times to get the desired intensity. this however at times , ruins the lines. the drying time is decent, about 30 seconds or so. just an observation is that if you make a thicker line , it dries very slowly.if you have hooded or mono lid eyes this is a real problem . it tends to smear on the top lid and spoils the eye makeup.i learnt it the hard way when i applied it to my mum and she has hooded,wrinkled eyes. all the beautiful makeup that i had so painstakingly done got spoilt. :(

the shine is more obvious in flash- thicker wing

i took images in various angles to show intensity and the finish- thicker wing

it turns kinda matte on eyeshadows. however , if you are using it on a pigment it kinda picks up colour from the pigment  and turns that coloured. i mean i was wearing a copper pigment at a family function and many people asked me where did i get my bronze eyeliner . i was like "uhhhhh! bronze! i m toh wearing black ! "

on bare skin and over shadows

with flash

water sprinkled

staying power is pretty decent . i usually apply it in the morning before i leave for the college . it is there till afternoon and by evening, its barely hanging. a part of the original line is there and the rest has morphed into soft, smoky definition.if you are not a smudge-and-rub baby like me , it will surely last.

rubbed lightly

a claim that the company makes is totally false. this liner is not water proof. its just mildly water resistant. this may not be a good thing if you live in rainy or humid climate. i am kinda fine with it.its does not flake off, peel or hurt your eyes like maybelline ultra liner. it removes off easily with some soap and water.

do i like it:- yes

will i repurchase it :- no. i m still on the lookout for my HG liner.

will i recommend it :- yes surely. to someone who doesn't wear liners for a long span of time and particularly to newbies.

rating:- 3/5 . -1 for not being waterproof and -1 for not mentioning ingredient list neither on the packaging or on the site!

have you found your hg liner? what is it ? let me know in the comment below !

love , 

vj


p.s:- i guess i won the oasap giveway . i might be getting dress H50 . has anyone else won it? i m so confused.

  disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . this is a p.r friendly blog .

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .

Aroma Magic Glow face pack review

hello guys ,
i am back with  review !
this time its the Glow face pack from aroma magic by Blossom Kochhar.
come summers dont we all beauties need a bit G_L_O_W (said the way Kareena Kapoor says it ins the boroplus sunscreen ad GLOW...hehhe) . Aroma Magic has been making quite a few waves here in the blogosphere.
you must have seen it in my haul post here.
as i mentioned there , i had bought this for my mum and me . however , sadly i could not use it as my skin is going througha very sensitive , acne prone and allergic phase due to the summers . so this review is going to be from my mum's perspective.
so lets get on with it ................
COST:- RS. 215 /-
NET WT:- 35g
ie 6.14 rs per g 
use before 2 yrs from manufacturing.

 

what does the company claim:-

An instant face lifting and firming treatment that helps sagging and ageing skin.Regular use gives the skin lasting firmness and resilience.Also removes lines,wrinkles,blemishes and improves skin colour and texture . leaves your face looking years younger

directions for use :-

mix a tsp of pack with aroma magic fairy lotion or with aroma magic skin toner( upcoming review) to make a paste. apply evenly on face and neck and around the eyes ( oh really........ i guess i was told not to put any face pack near my eye contour). allow it to dry and rinse after 20 mins ! 

 

Active Ingredients:-

 Natural herbs ( which ones..o_0), Aloe Vera, Manjistha,Bach,Manjuphal,Orange peel and Mineral clays ( again the same question.... which ones o_0)

my thoughts(also my mum's):-

let me admit, i bought this on a whim . i thought it might work for my skin as well . sadly, my 19 yr old oily, allergic skin doesn't like it and care for it much .however, my 47yr old mother experienced dramatically different results.

it comes in a usual white and red aroma magic tub and comes in the form of a brown powder ,as you can see above, packed in individual packets . you get 7 such packets .it doesn't have any noticeable fragrance except a particularly herby one unless you stick your nose in it .

how i use it:-

i mixed approx 1 tsp i.e half a single packet with  a table spoon of curd(home made ) . lactic acid in the curd help in removal of dead skin cell, cell renewal and prevent microbial activity by altering the ph on the skin ( source : me ..... it pays studying biology you know :D).

its quite an airy powder ( if you get what i m saying ...... please say yes ). so the quantity is enogh for whole  face and neck. it forms a paste as shown below .

i put it on my mum's face and left it on till it got semi dry and washed it with warm water ( she did the washing part).

TIP:- FOR ANYONE WITH A DRY SKIN OR AGEING SKIN OR GENERALLY THIN SKIN , ALWAYS APPLY AVERY THIN LAYER OF ANY MASK AND WASH IT AFTER ITS SEMI DRY INSTEAD OF IT GETTING COMPLETELY DRY . THIS PREVENTS OVER DRYING OF FACE AND ALSO PREVENTS ANY ALLERGIC REACTION FROM OCCURRING ( my dermat gave me this tip ... hehe ).

it turns into a granulated paste on application , has kind of coarse particles in it. may be good or bad depending on your skin , mild or heavy exfoliation !

what me mumsy thinks about it( she's going to probably muder me for clling her mumsy):-

she said that her skin felt soft( it indeed did). exfoliation was kinda k . she did feel a tightening effect when the pack was on . however , after 2 hrs it vanished . the GLOW stayed on for about a day or so. we need to try it on a bit more for the long term effects to be visible. she finds the price exorbitant though .she scolded me abit for wasting money on unwanted and useless products and stated that her besan and multani mitti masks are the best ( more on that at a later date) . you know the general tendency of mums .

now the crux of it 

PROS:-

1. gives a temporary glow.
2. is herbal .
3. doesn't have a strong herbal scent despite being an aroma magic product 
4. skin feels tighter after use.
5. cheaper than several other anti ageing face masks in the market.
6. easily available either at cosmetic stores or even online .
7. provides exfoliation .
8. reduces redness and plumps skin temporarily

CONS:-

1. no long terms effects
2. full ingredient list not mentioned( that's the thing i hate about several herbal brands)
3. might be costly for some
4. availability might be a issue
5. may cause allergic reactions ( undisclosed complete ingredient list)
6. tingles a bit
7. doesn't do everything it claims .

RATING:-

3 ON 5......... an average meh kinda product.

LAST WORD :-

i would not personally recommend it . there are several better products available in the market . i wont surely buy it again . 

CAUTION:-

before using any skin care product be sure to consult your dermatologist or your gp . user's discretion advised .since the product  worked on someone's skin it may not mean that it might work on other skins too.

until the next time.

buh- bye ,

take care 

much love,

vj 

let me know what face masks you like in the comments below or mail me on vj.neglur@ymail.com. i would love to talk to you <3

please comment , rate and follow.

disclaimer :-

all the products mentioned above are purchased by me . i have never received money in return of a glowing review . my loyalty lies to my readers . this is a p.r friendly blog .

i can be contacted on vj.neglur@gmail.com for any queries and information .