Winter Friendly Skincare and Body care Haul !

Nothing says you’re back for good like a large haul. I hope the plethora of skin and body products in this post makes up for my unplanned hiatus! These are a couple of necessities I bought recently as well as almost a month ago.  

St. Ives Fresh Skin Invigorating Apricot Scrub - Review, Where to buy, Price in India

This is the best scrub, ever!

 Ok, I don’t have much to compare the St. Ives Apricot Scrub to. I have just used the old Neutrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub(now discontinued) & its replacement- NeutrogenaBlackhead Eliminating Deep Clean Daily Scrub. The former(older one) was very effective at scrubbing the face clean but used to leave my face dry, the later(newer one) has very tiny granules that caress & gently exfoliate your face. It is a great daily scrub as it is non-abrasive & doesn’t strip the skin of moisture, but doesn’t give the same effect as a scrub with coarse granules. The St. Ives Apricot Scrub is quite different, and unique. 

Price: Rs.450/ $7

Qty: 170g

Availability: Amazon

The granules of the St. Ives Apricot Scrub are just right – coarse yet gentle, probably because of the small granule size. It never strips moisture from my face. I love using it before applying face masks & I’ve observed that my face mask works more effectively when this is used beforehand. Every time I scrub my face with the St. Ives Apricot Scrub, my skin feels like it is indeed getting exfoliated. I've seen a reduction in blackheads, but they don't completely disappear. I use a gentle pressure over the scrub when I’m using it to, well, scrub my face. Always use the gentlest pressure with such scrubs, there’s no point in getting aggressive with it, you’ll only hurt your face.

I don’t like using the St. Ives Apricot Scrub during winters when my skin is dry and the climate is dry as well. I don’t have a problem using it in Mumbai because of the humidity, but for other places I prefer to use the Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Scrub instead of this in winters, its just my preference that I don’t like to scrub my skin much when its dry. I know exfoliation can get rid of dry patches etc. but its just not my cup of tea. The St. Ives Apricot Scrub claims to improve skin texture, but I don’t use it 3-4 times a week as suggested. Again, its my personal preference that I like to exfoliate once a week.

Once a week(when my skin isn’t dry), I like to take a small pea sized amount of the St. Ives Apricot Scrub and scrub my face gently. I take just a bit more product for my face(if needed) & neck. I go over my face & neck in circular motion for 5-10min, using the gentlest pressure. I need to keep wetting the tips of my fingers as the scrub gets dry on the face after a while. Then I wash it off & apply my mask. I think the St. Ives Apricot Scrub will suit all skin types, since it doesn’t strip skin of moisture, dry skin won’t get drier & oily skin won’t get oilier.

ingredients

Best Part: the St. Ives Apricot Scrub is sulphate, paraben & phthalates free. Its first ingredient is water & second one is Walnut Shell. Its not pricey.

Overall verdict: 5/5

Go buy the St. Ives Apricot Scrub! If you haven’t already, seriously, you are missing out on something amazing!

Huge Haul : Real Techniques, E.L.F, TheFaceShop etc + iHerb and SingPost review

Its been such a long time since I showed a haul on my blog. I have been buying products left, right and center (thank you online discounts!), but I never got the chance to put them together and take pics. Last week, my sister came home from Singapore. With her, she brought a list of things I had demanded and Real Techniques & E.L.F brushes which I had ordered from iHerb and gotten delivered to  Singapore because I was afraid of my losing package in the Indian mail system.

Here’s what I ordered from iHerb (mostly brushes)

My Summer Skin Care Routine For Combination Oily Skin and Some Skin Care Tips For You

I have a combination skin. Its normal to dry in winters, rest of the year its combination-oily with a little dryness on and my nose. My T-Zone and inner cheeks also tend to get oily soon. I've been using a couple of products since April and they have become staples in my routine. I've also gotten the habit of doing a night time routine no matter how tired I am, and this has really helped me. Recently I made a few changes in the way how I go about my routine,(after watching Michelle Phan's graduation tips video) and that's been pretty beneficial as well so I decided to share them with you!

Here are some things I follow:

• Using ice as a toner: Sometimes when the heat is unbearable, I take an ice cube and rub it all over my face, going over my cheeks in circular motion. I've been doing this since years and it really helps soothe and tighten the skin, ice is a natural toner.
• Patting, instead of rubbing: Earlier I used to rub moisturizer in circular motions on my face and when I'd wake up, my skin would be super grimy. Ever since I tried 'dab-dab' motion I've woken up with much less residue on my face. Now I'm all about patting/dabbing; whether its face cream, eye cream or pimple creams, I only dab. It helps the product sink in to the skin hence its more effective.
• Always apply and ice pack to sore eyes: There are alot of times when I end up sleeping late, like 3am or so and when I wake up my eyes feel really sore. I take an ice cube on a hankie and apply it to each eye until it melts off. This is very soothing and instantly lifts up my eyes.
• Use face mask after face scrub: I don't even know why I used to do the opposite. But seriously, using a scrub prior to face mask helps the face mask sink in to the skin and work better. 
• Always remove makeup before sleeping: This is pretty self explanatory and since I've gotten the hang of doing a night time routine I always take off makeup at night.
• Sunscreen, always: Again, I don't need to tell you why. Always keep sunscreen in your hand bag as well!
• Drink water every waking hour: I find myself thirsty all the time and end up drinking water every hour and this has really helped hydrate my skin. Of course I also make a lot of trips to the bathroom, but its worth it. 

Now here are some products that I use regularly, each one is not used everyday, just as per my needs. Not all of them have worked for me. Most of these are easily available in India: 

The Cleansers:

• Neutrogena Deep Clean Black Head Eliminating Scrub, 100ml: This is the most gentle scrub I've used! I used to use it everyday but since last week, my skin feels quite normal so I use this only when I'm feeling extra grimy. Its nice for gentle exfoliation everyday.
• Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser, 100g: This cleanser packs some serious cleansing power. I use it once I get up in the morning, it cleans all the residue of my night routine and leaves my skin squeaky clean. Its best suited for oily skin. It can dry out skin if you're not regular with a moiturizer.
• Loreal Hydrafresh Gel Foam Combination to Oily Skin: This is the least used product here. I purchased it on a whim online and I'm not happy with it. It has SLS as a second ingredient and I guess that's harsh for my skin. Its quite pricey as well. I won't recommend this to anyone. I use it on days where I don't feel the need to use a strong cleanser like the Neutrogena Deep Clean.
• Neutrogena Liquid Face Cleanser, 150ml (not in picture): I've done a full review of this HERE. Currently I'm just using this because I want to finish it off. I use this to get rid of residue once I'm done with makeup remover.

~ My Fall - Winter Skincare, Vol. 2 ~

Are you enjoying my Fall skincare and make up posts? I know I love to see what people are using, its like window shopping really, and I get to know what amazing products I’m missing out on.

 You can check out:

My Fall-Winter Skincare, Vol 1

My Fall-Winter Makeup products & More..– Most used products

This is a small update on skincare!

I’ve been using two moisturizers for face. Chambor Essential Day Moisturizer( normal to oily skin) for daytime. I’ve had this one since months and I think winter time is the best time to use it. Its not suitable for my combination skin otherwise, it suits normal skin only. Avon Solutions Moisturizer is a nice night moisturizer, I mentioned it in my previous skin care post as well. It’s meant for oily skin too, but in winters my skin is normal and this suits it well.