Beauty Haul + Mini Review ft. The Body Shop, Ananda Spa, Batiste etc.

I keep a list of products I want. These are the ones I’ve heard good reviews of but I’m waiting for them to go on sale so that I can buy them with lesser guilt. Believe it or not, some of them have been on my digital wishlist on every e-commerce website I stalk - because why should I miss out on a good deal, eh?


I realized that I managed to collect a good deal of them recently, so I decided to show you what I got. All are skin & body care items except for one hair product!!

1. Nivea Oil in Lotion Argan Nourish (Rs.225) 
I have been interested in this Oil in Lotion range of Nivea ever since I got to know that it is paraben, mineral oil & silicon free! I’ll investigate its ingredients and do a review post on it. This particular variant is for dry to very dry skin (and that’s mentioned only on the bottle & nowhere on the internets). I got it for cooler months! I was able to snag it at 50% off :D

2. Neutrogena Oil Free Face Moisturizer (Rs.349)

My beloved ZA face moisturizer is almost over, and I decided to replace it with this oil-free moisturizer with SPF. I used it a couple of times when I was in Mumbai, and I think its really a great product for summers, especially in humid places like Mumbai. I’m already a lover of Neutrogena Sunscreens so I’m glad there’s some consistency in their face products. I think I got this at full price :/

3. The Body Shop Frosted Plum & VineyardPeach Shower Gels (Rs.595, Rs.425)
Frosted Plum. Sigh. This is hands down, definitely one of the best scents by The Body Shop. It was released around Christmas, that’s why its pricier than the regular shower gels. Vineyard Peach is also an amazing scent! I was hoping TBS would also release the LE Raspberry Range but no luck :( {That’s another favorite LE scent of mine}. I got these at 20% off. GRAB them before they are OOS. I also had a whiff of the new British Rose Range, and ladies, it smells like Ponds face lotion to me, so I skipped it. As you can see, I have already started using the Peach one, but I can’t bring myself to open the Plum one. TBS shower gels have a shelf life of just 12 months, so use them carefully. 

4. Imli Street Wild Rose Bathing Bar with Loofah (Rs.160) 
Interesting product! I love its description too and uniqueness. I got to know of it from Swati’s blog (Curious & Confused me). I was waiting for it to go on sale but tough luck! This is my first product from the brand Imli Street.

5. Ananda in the Himalayas Aloe Gel & Rose Distillate Hydrating Face Mask (Rs.1105) 
This has been on my wish list since last year when Ananda was introduced in India. I got to try a sample of a moisturizer from the same range and feel in love with the scent (& performance). But I didn’t want to invest in a pricey moisturizer with a jar packaging. A face mask though, most of them are in a jar anyways and it’s not used as frequently as a moisturizer so the jar is ok. Plus everyone has given this mask good reviews. When I saw it at 10% off (it has never been on sale before) I had to get it. The box that this mask comes in also smells like roses, which I love. I will be using this once the cooler season kicks in.

6. Avene Cleanance Mask (Rs.1320) 
How do you spell disappointment or waste of money? Cause I need to change their definition in all dictionaries. This mask, that’s meant for “sensitive, oily, acne-prone” skin broke me out in whiteheads. Twice I used it on my face & both times I got a bunch of white heads! You know I don’t break out anymore due to my good skincare routine. But this mask was on my wishlist since back when I did have frequent breakouts, when I saw it on 20% Off, I thought, why not? I can always give it to my sister if it’s good (she has sensitive skin). But it broke me out, and now I have no clue what to do with a mask for which I paid >Rs.1000 :(

7. Gravitale Kookkal Grape Scrub (Rs.2000)
I’ve only heard about this from Debasree (allsheneeds.in) and its available on purplle.com for Rs.499. I got it during a time there was an offer to get 15% cashback for MobiKwik wallet holders. I have used this twice, and I gotta say this is not a scrub. It’s more of a mask and it is nice to use. It claims to be free of parabens & sulphates. I must warn you that this is already 1 year old (probably why its on sale) and will expire by Feb-17. I’m very disappointed with Purplle regarding this because I always buy skincare on sale from Nykaa/Amazon & the products have never been more than a few months old (mostly they are fresh stock!).

8. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush (Rs.649)
Say what? Batiste in India ? And that too priced below Rs.1000?? Who would’ve thought. I for one, had lost hope of getting this in India at a reasonable price. So happy to get this for 15% off on Nykaa. I saw their instagram post on the sale and approximately 15seconds later I had placed the order for it..haha. I already used it twiceand….meh. I‘ll use it a couple more times to form a final opinion, but first impressions is average. It smells lovely though, just like the UK blogs say.




So ladies, have you crossed any long standing items off your wishlist?