vellvette box - may 13 enuf said

hey everyone,

its that time of the month . eeew not that time . get your heads out of the gutter . its time for the vellvette box. every last week of the month , the most awaited box arrives with a lots of high end luxury goodies. if you want to know what the fuss is all about, click here .

to read about my previous experiences

1.my first box 

2.vellvette box for april'13 

the vellvette box for may13 and meiji amino collagen skin glow 7 day sample

before anything else , a lot has been said ( ranted ) about the meiji amino collagen skin glow over the blogosphere . some liked it , some didn't. some were utterly disgusted. but , a few days before the shipping of the box , i got a mail from the people at vellvette.com asking whether i would be interested in trying this as an bonus sample. given that i am a pure vegetarian ( Kannada brahmin , any fellow kannada brams, gimme a thumbs up gals n guys ) ,  decided to give it some thought. since i do not consume any meat or even meat based supplements , i decided to pass it off. but my mother , who's in her fifties isn't averse to consuming animal sourced supplements . so this one is basically for her . i will post an update on how this works for her ...

notice the change... no pink paper this time ...boohoohoo. only white paper with gold print.

keeping in mind the theme of this month , ORGANIC , the box also included very pretty potpourri. my nose took a notice of this first and i cant seem to open the box without sneezing. so if the pictures seem a bit wonky this time , its because my sister took them for me. apologies for that. 

so without any further delay my box had:-

top swatch shampoo ; lower swatch conditioner/masque

• BROCATO curlinterrupted Smooting and Hydrating treatment kit ( shampoo and conditioner ) :- (61.5 ml and 48.8 ml each ) . both the shampoo and the conditioner cost 375 inr each. full sizes together cost 1275. this itself makes up the cost of the box.  i have poker straight almost waist length hair. i don't see the point why vellvette sent me this one despite mentioning my hair type in the questionnaire . this one is going to my mum . but i decided to test it out first.
•  the shampoo is  sls ,surfactant and paraben free. not any of the regular baddies in this one . it isn't great for people with oily scalp or hair ( like me ) . it doesn't clean too well. smells awesome. along with the conditioner the smell lingers nicely.
• the conditioner is thick . almost body butter thick. given that shea butter is the third ingredient , its nicely hydrating. detangles nicely and overall makes the hair very soft to touch. but it can make the hair   quite heavy. if you have very thick hair ( again like moi ) this will give headaches for sure. 

• TVAM almond and honey scrub and body polisher :- (296.40 inr for 30 g ) :- 988 for 100g full size .- a decent scrub . smells heavily of roses . almost like dabur gulabari . the texture is very similar to fabindia neem and tulsi scrub. all in all a good pre wax body polisher. surely much better than the nyssa Belgian chocolate sugar scrub i had received in a previous vellvette box. 

• flormar DELUXE SHINE GLOSS LIPSTICK  in D31:-  and the final cherry on the cake . or the diamond among stones in this months box. i was stunned when i saw this shade. a very bright bubble gum pink . very blue based, there was no way this was going to look good on my medium warm toned complexion. but it actually does. the underlying sheerness of this colour just makes it very wearable for all skin tones and shades, just like the revlon lip butters . it doesn't turn opaque no matter how much you smoosh it on . its got a very nice slip. very hydrating throughout wear . leaves a pretty pink stain . i hate blue-pinks but i m in love with this one. 

overall , a nice mix of haircare, skincare and makeup.  i am satisfied with this months box . i will rate it an B+.

what about you ? love it or loathe it? what do you like from my box ? what do you wish my box should have had more? 

love,

vj 

disclaimer :- 

non affiliate links .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 on vj.neglur@gmail.com. Thank You very much!

vlcc gold scrub review and swatches

hello girls,

come monsoons and my skin starts acting like a petulant child. in winters , its excellent . in summers, a teeny tiny bit okay. arghhhhh the horror of rains. the humidity , the stickiness and the unpredictable atmosphere leads to my face looking like a oil slick and you know the rest of the tale how oily skin can lead to all sorts of skin problems etc etc . so popping a new pimple or blackhead every week and having a skin as dull as a barren desert is a common occurrence for me.

this year however, the cycle changed. thanks to the below product.

VLCC GOLD SCRUB

price:- 135 inr but i got it for 110/- at a local shop at a discount.

net wt:-  70g / 2.46oz

best before 36 months from manufacture

so it comes to 0.51 g per 1 re which is good IMHO.

PACKAGING:-

a very basic plastic tube with a flip cap, nothing very exciting.its got gold and yellow accents allover ,not my favourite colours.but its transparent in some places so you can tell how much product you have left and when do you need a new tube, which i like. despite it being a scrub, it doesn't get clogged around the hole and squeezes out nicely, even after months of use.

WHAT VLCC SAYS ABOUT THIS :-

exposure to environmental factors like pollution and dust make skin look dull and lifeless.this unique scrub,enriched with 24 carat pure gold, turmeric, and sandalwood , has a deep pore cleansing action that gently exfoliates dead skin cells, superficial white and black heads . it leaves skin fresh and glowing with a radiant complexion.

INGREDIENTS:-

extracts of aloe vera, sandalwood , raisin, turmeric, gold leaf , xanthan gum , dimethicone, triclosan and vitamin E.

DIRECTIONS:-

take an appropriate amount of scrub and apply all over face and neck with wet fingertips. scrub for a few minutes with circular and outward strokes to exfoliate impurities. rinse thoroughly.

MY FEW PENNIES :-

after finishing off my trusty olivia facial scrub ( yes its good and no olivia doesn't just make bleaches), i was scouring high and low for a new decent scrub ( read: inexpensive). i decided to try out a local cosmetics and novelty store ( tehhheeeehee...... yes i do live in a city with such shops and big, pushy aunties for s.a's ). she recommended that this will make me glow like 24 k gold. since it was light on the wallet what-the-heck right?

Let me clear this , it is a mild scrub , a very very very mild one. even my avon tea tree facewash is more grainier.as you can see from the swatches , the particles are few and very far in between. also it has golden, shimmery specks and larger Styrofoam-ish gold painted pieces. it is a pale yellow coloured semi liquid product. not too runny that is flows away and not too thick that it will clog the tube ( everyuth face scrubs do that ) . it does have a very strong ,artificial fragrance that lingers sometime after washing. it stings eyes painfully in case it gets into the eye :(

now the great part. its perfect for my dry cheeks, oily t-zone combo skin. i have many breakouts from being on medication for the past several months. this doesn't harm , burst or increase them . i do not have significant blackheads, hence cant comment on that . nut yes, it works to clear my whiteheads decently.it doesn't leave my skin dry and stretchy even though it does foam up. people blessed with normal or oily skins can use this pretty much everyday . but i try not to do that, OVER EXFOLIATION CAN MAKE YOUR SKIN SENSITIVE!!!

finally , THE BEST PART  *drumrolll*. it makes my skin GLOW . if you follow my blog , you might know how much i am obsessed with GLOW. and you will be pleased to know unlike a fake 2 hr glow, this kind of radiance actually lasts. i am almost tempted to try other products from the gold range for this very reason . 

tip of the day :- if for an event in order to ensure the best makeup application scrub your skin prior to applying makeup and rub an icecube over the face. the makeup goes on smoothly and stays fresh for a long time :)

do i like it :- YES . 

will i repurchase:- NO. i am still searching for and H.G face scrub . so please do recommend in the comments below !

will i recommend it :- YES. to people with sensitive skins or acne prone. and also ones on the lookout for inexpensive scrub for daily use. particularly for tired and dull skin .

rating3.5/5 . deducted for incomplete ingredient list and presence of silicones :( and lack of real gold  (w.t.h am i expecting in 110 bucks .... heheheh )

note:- the above reviewed product works for me may not mean it may work for you as well. caution should be maintained before and while using the product. discretion advised .

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 .