Clean and Clear Fairness Cream {Product Review}

Price: Rs 120 for 40gms

Pros

controls oil admirably for entire day

leaves skin brighter and matte

gets absorbed really easily

Cons

doesn't suit dry skin at all so stay away!! 

My Experience

The product is light pink in color and very thin in consistency and not at all heavy!! I would say this is a perfect cream for oily skin. Why? Because, it doesn't let my skin get oily and yes, my skin feels a little stretched coz its actually dry combination and these days, my skin is not that oily. Had it been summers, it would have suited me perfectly.

No, its not suitable for dry skin at all. Or, even if you spend a lot of time on AC, I would not suggest this for you. Regarding the fairness claims, I didn't really find it do anything to my skin. But, yes, it probably did make my skin glow but I can't be really sure. But, I did notice that my skin turns a little ashy when I apply more than two pea-size drops of products for my face and neck, one for each.

It does stand true to the claims of oil free so yes, when combined with its counter part face wash, its a perfect recipe to combat oily skin. It would have been great if the products had been launched during summers - quite a respite for oily skin types :) Regarding its sunscreen and UV filter claims, I prefer to use a separate sunscreen. 

PS: Product sent by brand.

Other products from Clean and Clear:

Clean & Clear Skin-Balancing Moisturizer

Clean & Clear Fairness Face Wash

Lakme Perfect Radiance Intense Whitening Capsules Treatment {Product Review}

This is my first ever try of Lakme’s skin care range. I have always loved their makeup products but this time I am madly in love with these capsules from their skin care range.

Price: 1250 for 28 capsules (very expensive, I must say!!)

 

My Experience

These capsules contain pale yellow serum which is very light in texture. When I apply it on my skin, it feels so soft!! Its absolutely non greasy and gets absorbed instantly into the skin. My skin is oily and I am, generally, afraid of creams and serums but this one rocks for my skin as it provides perfect moisture to my skin without making it oily. And, the best part is it never broke me out!!

Though the product says "twist the capsule to open it", I prefer scissors. The quantity of each capsule is 0.33gms and its enough for the entire face (I am wondering what about neck?? they could have given a bit more for the neck!!). Currently, I am on my second purchase and I am totally loving it. I can see wonderful glow on my face. (Thanks to my sister who forced me to use it and see the magic).

My uneven skin tone is more even and clearer. And the best part is my dark spots and post-pimple marks are lightened to some extent. It also keeps oil at bay for at leats 7-8 hours (when used at night). I don’t know why they called it a whitening treatment. It’s a great brightening treatment. I am absolutely in love with this serum though it’s little expensive for 28 capsules but its worth it.

Now, my friends are asking me what have I done on my face :D Lakme’s claim of freedom from 6 fairness blocks - dark spots, acne marks, uneven skin tone, oiliness, tanning and dullness is true. I think I have 5 of these problems and the product helped me reduce all of them. I am not tanned (you are so lucky!!). For me, it worked really great so I am going to buy it again.

Editor's Note: I was attracted to the product right form the start and now, your review is literally making me run to the shop and get one for myself but damn the expense!!! :(

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Great review, Punam!! Don't forget to check out her blog here.

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Other product I loved/hated from Lakme: 
Lakme Vital Indulgence
Lakme Perfect Radiance Fairness Facewash
Lakme Fruit Blast Berrylicious Fruit Revitalizing Scrub Mask

Vedic Line+ BB Cream {Product Review}

Price: Rs 225 for 30ml

Ingredients

Pros

- gives an even brightened finish

- has pinkish undertones and gives a pink flush to the skin

- stays for 5-6 hours

- suits most of the skin tones

- very small quantity is enough

Cons

- may give white cast sometimes

- blending does create problem sometimes

- may not suit really dark skin tones, medium wheatish is fine though!!

My Experience

I love the packaging!!! Absolutely cute and girly and bright. It has a small nozzle which disperses a little amount of product and honestly, you need just a small drop of the product for the entire face. It smells nice as well. The fragrance is very light and almost non-existent so not to worry much about it.

after blending, see how natural it looks!!

The color of the product is light brown which suits even the fair skin tones. It has pink undertones which gives a pink look to the face even if you are a little yellow. The texture of the product is light and a little runny so it spreads easily on the skin and gets absorbed soon.

I did initially face bending issues but later on, a simple tip became my mantra and no blending issues from there on. This tip was published by Paris (check it out here). She says that when using fingers to blend foundations, one should use the whole palm instead of just the finger tips!! And, trust me, it really works. 

And, the finish of the product is very sheer. It gives a light glow to the face but otherwise your own skin shines through. It doesn't really cover any part of the skin. The product does have spf 20 but then you need such a little amount of the product that the sun protection is just not enough. 

Also, sometimes, the product tends to leave white patches, courtesy Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide so use it in just a little amount. I don't know why I always face problem while applying any tinted moisturizer on the area between nose and lips. Probably, I always take more than the amount required.

Overall, I did like the BB cream. My review is probably the last you will find but I have read all the other reviews and there are very mixed reactions to the product but not negative. Also, yes, this product controls oil and sweat to a very less extent. So, make sure you use loose powder to take care of sweat and extra oil. 

Regarding its staying power, I would say that it stays well up to 3-5 hours but doesn't last entire day for me!! If blended portion by portion on the face, it does stay an entire day but the blending becomes difficult for me in that way so I avoid it!!! Otherwise, it does keep the face fresh till the time it stays.

PS: Product sent by brand.

Check out other products from Vedic Line:

Vedic Line+ Exfo 10 Avocado Face Scrub

Vedic Line Apple Green Toner
Vedic Line Fig & Honey Moisturizer
Vedic Line Papaya Scrub and Papaya Face Pack
Vedic Line Neem & Brahmi Disinfecting Face Wash

Ponds White Beauty Daily Spot-less Lightening Cream SPF 20 PA++ {Product Review}

Before starting the review, I want to reiterate that I do not support fairness products. I have reviewed this solely out of my curiosity and I wanted to see how much of the hi-flying claims it supports.

Price: Rs 249 for 50gms

Ingredients

Ok, so, it has a long one and I did click it but it wasn't very clear so I am gonna skip this. And, yes, it has lots of chemicals. Btw, it has Niacinamide which is Vitamin B3 and it also has parabens in case you are interested.

Pros

- cute packaging

- evens out the skin tone

Cons

- makes me sweat a lot sometimes

- sticks to one place on my skin and refuses to spread smoothly

- doesn't fulfil any claims of fairness (it claims to make your skin fair genetically)

- can't use it as a sunscreen (this is not exactly a con)

- less on moisturizing

My Experience

So, this is my second fairness product. I remember long time back, I had tried out the Fair n Lovely sachet which used to come with magazines. I had tried it just once but I remember the texture of the cream which was a little powdery and felt dry. This Ponds one has the same texture. 

I like the packaging, though. But, taking enough amount of the product is a challenge when it is a tub packaging. I really wish they come with pump packing so that one pump or two are enough for one use. Take too much and the product clumps on the skin. The cream is a little thick and creamy and doesn't spread easily at all. 

In fact, blending was a huge headache for me in the starting but then, I used my regular method of applying moisturizer and it worked really well. But, even then, I have to make sure that I have just enough of the product to cover my face otherwise it does end up giving a white cast and a patchy look. And, after applying the product, you can see some of the product clumped up in the lines of your palms which is extremely annoying. 

Ok, to speak good of the product, it evens out my skin beautifully and gives a very pinkish look to my face. The skin looks brightened and a little glowy. However, I did not see any fairness or any skin lightening in the long run. I don't think it works on removing the tanning but I am not really sure of that.  It is suited for skin prone to more oiliness as it gives a mattifying look.

Ok, I do not really rely on my moisturizers to give me sun protection (I do not advise it either) so the product having spf is redundant for me. However, I have seen that the glow does stay till the evening on some days. But, this moisturizer is not enough if you have dry skin. It tends to make my skin dry even in summers (my skin is combination towards dry). 

But, I did sweat more with this product at times which was a shame. So, if you are looking for fairness, I would not recommend this. But, if you are looking for a product which evens out your skin temporarily, yes, you should definitely go for this. 

Fun Fact: I asked my dad to use this and his face was also a little brighter and even after applying this product. But, even he faced issues while blending it :D 

PS: Product sent by brand. 

More from Ponds:
Ponds Pure White Deep Cleansing Facial Foam
Ponds Face Washes

Lotus Herbals SAFE SUN COLLAGENSHIELD SUNBLOCK SPF 90 PA+++ {Product Review}

Price: Rs 595 for 50gms

Ingredients

Pros

- blends easily with my skin

- goes well on the bare skin too

- gives a nice base layer for makeup

- can be finished off with a loose powder dusting and a lipstick

Cons

- expensive!!!

- too high claims from my point of view

- can't apply the required dosage of sunscreen because of the tint

My Experience

I have been using this sunscreen since almost a month. Frankly, doing a review of a sunscreen is a very difficult task for me :( Either I know too much about it or I have an obsessive compulsive disorder. So, let me try to give an impartial review.First of all, I was actually frightened by the claims and the spf. I mean 90 is way too high and actually there is only a marginal protection increase between 30 and 50 and 90.

Anyway, talking about the product, if you need a proper protection, you need to apply proper amount of sunscreen. So, nearly 1/4th to 1/3rd of a tea spoon of sunscreen should be applied daily. Now, since this sunscreen is tinted, that proves to be a huge problem as the tint tends to get patchy and sits on the skin which looks really bad, obviously!!!

And, one more thing I noticed is that my skin gets heated up sometimes to an uncomfortable degree when I am applying the product. That's kinda weird, actually!!! Another con for me was that the sunscreen used to flake off my skin!!! Yes, I tested the sunscreen on bare skin and on skin with moisturiser and there was no pattern to flaking off. And, that was actually very inconvenient.

Yes, lots of cons so let me talk a little about the pros. It really gives a nice tint and is more or less sheer on the skin. But, it does give an even look to the skin. Finishing off this product with a loose powder and a lipstick is a really good idea. The sunscreen does give good protection and I am not the kind who reapplies. I did go out in the sun in the afternoons with this on but no, I didn't tan out considerably.

Ok, another con is that this can't be used as a body sunscreen. One more thing is that I think the tint is too dark and may make the fairer ones look a shade darker than they are. It blends nicely with the skin, though. And, to be frank, I did try to apply the required amount of sunscreen which is an impossibility when it comes to tinted products but yes, I have to use a tissue paper to remove the excess product almost always.

And, it does make my skin look shiny immediately on application. Though, the skin sort of settles down after an hour or so. And, yes, it does make the skin look a little brighter and that stays till the evening. And, this photographs well also. So, can be used as a foundation as well. So, as a sunscreen, my answer is no because its a chemical one and my personal preference is a physical sunscreen but if I have to say something, its a decent enough sunscreen though my preference would still be Neutrogena because of the stability factor.

PS: Product sent by the brand.

Other product reviews from Lotus Herbals:

Lotus Herbals WHITEGLOW Oatmeal and Yogurt Skin Whitening Scrub

Lotus Herbals VanilaSmooth Body Lotion

Tan lightening Face Pack {Reader's Tip}

Health and Beauty suggested this home made mask to lessen the tan in the summers.

"if u have normal or dry skin.. apply oatmeal+yoghurt face pack once or twice a week... this nourishes the skin and also has lightening properties..."

Submit your favourite beauty tips here. And, don't forget to read other Reader's Tips here.

Uneven Skin Tone {Skin Care}

If at any point of time, you find that your skin is getting darker and patchy without any reason it should be so and without any external signs, then the reason can also be due to the deficiency of hemoglobin or iron in the body. So, pump up your iron intake and you can even check out your HB count and visit a doctor to get iron supplements if HB count is less than 10. Iron deficiency can lead to uneven darkening of the skin so take care of your diet which is very crucial step in maintaining healthy skin. And, don't forget to apply sunscreen regularly.

Improve skin complexion with almonds

Almonds are extremely good for skin inside as well as outside. So, I have a simple recipe which can be used daily to enhance your skin complexion and make your skin look soft and supple.

Soak 5 (or as many as you want) almonds in the milk overnight. In the morning, make a paste of the almonds with milk. Do not remove the peel of the almonds as they make for a great scrub. Apply this paste on your face including the eye area. You can extend this to the neck and chest too. It helps in removing the tanning also. Keep for 15-20 minutes till it dries and then wash off. You can use this scrub after washing your face thoroughly with the cleanser for a moisturizing effect too.

Variations: For dry skin, you can also put some coconut oil. Or, using homemade coconut milk instead of simple milk is again a great idea. For oily skin and combination skin, using milk can cause breakouts so you can substitute milk with water and make the paste in aloevera or orange juice.

Honey as face cleanser

Happy Karwachauth to all of you :)

Well, I did nothing innovative today. I was just feeling like pampering myself and the only thing I had was honey. So, tried to use it as a cleanser. Today I used it after my scrub but a few days before, I used only honey to cleanse my face after a very long day. And, it worked so wonderfully :)

You do not have to do anything except take a little honey in your hands and rub it into your face in upward massage movements. I did the massage for around 15 minutes and then left it for 5 minutes. You should apply honey even on the eye area. Do not miss it out. It is good for wrinkles. After waiting, I washed it off with warm water followed by water at room temperature. My skin was amazing. It was glowing and had perfectly even skin tone. 

Note: Try to use organic honey. 

My blackheads did not disappear though. But, I did not expect them to. They need a little more work than simply working honey into your face. So, happy cleansing with honey and do share your experiences :)

Honey: Elexir for Hair and Skin {Ingredient}

Honey is a natural humectant. It traps moisture and keeps your skin supple. It is anti-bacterial and prevents the skin breakouts. Many of the skin care and hair care products swear by the goodness of honey. The home remedies have their stock full of goodness of honey.

• put on a thick layer of honey on your face for 30 minutes and wash off.
• to remove scars, blemishes, even out complexion or any other marks on skin, apply honey on it.
• use it as an ingredients of various face masks.
• use it to clean your eyes
• use it as a hair conditioner (wash off or leave-in)
• use it as a last rinse for shine
• pour a table spoon of honey in bath water for a silky smooth skin