Himalaya intensive moisturizing body lotion ..!

Let me be very blatant here .. this product is absolute crap !! Not worth buying at all !! Forget about it claiming to be an intensive moisturizer , this product doesn't even do any ordinary moisturizing !!

Oh , i almost forgot to show you how it looks !

The lotion is a very light brown , comes in a compact bottle, smells great (a slight coconuty and vanilla scent) , your skin feels cool the minute you apply it BUT none of these matter cos it doesn't do any moisturizing ! I don't know about you guys but it makes my skin a little dry to touch and it also feels weirdly like PLASTIC when i use it!! This lotion is a big no-no for me ! It's been six months since i bought it but i only used it twice and didn't like it at all ! So i wouldn't suggest it for ANY skin type. I'd rather use coconut oil or olive oil instead of this no-good "intensive" moisturizer !

Himalaya face moisturizing lotion (For all skin types)

I am blogging after 3 whole days!! I was out most of the time .. went laser tagging (Super fun !) , watched HP - 7 ( One brilliant ending to the series! Could have been slightly better though .. I wouldn't mind if each Harry Potter book is again made into EXTREMELY descriptive six or seven-hour movies ... I'd definitely watch them !!) , went out for lunch with my gang from PU .. Ranj is leaving for the US for higher studies so it was the last outing for the four of us :( , did a little shopping and got home very tired and sleepy ! Ranj .. you will be missed  :) :(

Okay , now coming to the review , today's post is about Himalaya Herbals' face moisturizing lotion for all skin types ..

The lotion is white in color , very light and smells nice .. It feels very cool on the skin , leaves your skin feeling refreshed , and because it's so light in texture , the skin immediately laps it up like there's no tomorrow !! It doesn't leave any trace of greasiness after application . HOWEVER , if you have oily skin , this nice so-light-and-dry feeling lasts only a while and it tends to get greasy after like an hour or two of application so people with oily skin , try this ONLY if you have nothing better !! Or you could use it at night before you sleep but it's  not suggested for a long day in the sun ( I sometimes just use it on the neck though but never on my face !! ) .
People with dry or normal skin might find that it works perfectly well for them :)

So , yeah , on the whole , it IS a good product but those with oily skin should be a little wary of it !
Good luck experimenting ! <3

Himalaya purifying neem face wash!

As promised, i will be doing reviews of some skin and hair products i have used ..
I'll be  starting off with my take on the Himalaya Neem face wash..
For those who don't know , Himalaya herbals is an Indian company that manufactures purely natural cosmetic products based on Ayurvedic procedures (or so they claim ! ) .

Coming to my review of the face wash , let me give you a peek of how it looks !

               
As you can see , the packaging is a nice green .... simple and crisp ! The tube above costs 99 bucks (INR) and it lasts me like six months or more so it's quite economical ... The face wash is gel - based so it's really good for oily skin . It leaves your skin feeling fresh and smooth .. it also has a nice subtle fragrance which i love ! Actually , everything about this product is very subtle , be it the smell or the feel ! There's absolutely nothing 'chemical-ish' about it ..... so people with sensitive skin , you might want to give this one a shot !!
Oh before i forget , let me show you how the gel actually looks !

Yeah , so it's green in color cos of all the neem (duh! ) ..

I spoke to my cousin about how it worked on her (she has dry skin ) and she said that it worked really well , albeit her face felt kinda dry and stretchy for a while and she  had to use an oil based moisturizer to balance it out ..
But if you have oily skin ,your skin will feel supple and oil free !  :)

That being said , i have to tell you that although it leaves your skin feeling very fresh and soft and everything , it doesn't do much for your pimples ( It claims to prevent them ) .. so if you just want a product that doesn't react with your skin and cause allergies or rashes , this is the face wash for you !! But , if you have acne issues , you would do better with some other product !
Hope this review helped ! :) I will be reviwing more Himalaya Herbal products in my upcoming posts..bye for now ! <3

Oily skin ?

In my previous post, i spoke about the various body types in Ayurveda which also determine the nature of your skin . I am a pitta body type so that usually means my skin is oily and sensitive ( YES! this skin type is the most acne prone ) . According to Ayurveda , pitta skin is a combination of fire and water elements ( vata is composed of air and space , and kapha of earth and water ) .

                                                   

About pitta skin , it's fair , soft , warm and during good days , it has a nice golden glow but during bad skin days , it tends to develop rashes and acne and pigmentation disorders . Because of the fire element in the skin,most pitta skin types are photosensitive (I am too! ) . I have always disliked the sun and used to avoid going out cos it usually ended up with me all tired and swearing at the sun and acting cranky . I noticed that nobody else had such  issues and wondered why it had to just be me !! After some research , i found out that pitta body types can't STAND the sun !! AHA ! I found my answer finally :p And it couldn't be more true!! I  have always been partial to the rains and cloudy weather and now i know why ! The 'fire' element in pitta is doused by cool weather (yeah, it sounds weird but it's true !! ) .

Okay, now coming to pitta skin care ,i dont religiously follow all the guidelines in Ayurveda but I mix and match a few things and follow what works for me..
So,the first rule is to drink loooooots of water!! ( Fresh fruit juices wouldn't hurt either ) . This is true for any skin type but it's more so for pitta skin..
Because my skin  is sensitive , i try to avoid products that come loaded with harsh chemicals as much as possible ( sometimes can't resist it though , they just look so good in advertisements ! ). Oh, by the way , try not to use LAKME products , they don't work for sensitive skin . And their shampoos sucked too !!

when it comes to face washes and scrubs , i have tried purely herbal ones like besan, rava , oats blah blah and while they work if you just sit at home or go grocery shopping in the neighborhood , they don't work if you have to travel for long in the city ( don't get me started about the dust and pollution in Bangalore , its just horrible! ) . i'd suggest a mild face wash............a foaming face wash would work even better .
If  you have oily skin , DO NOT use a creamy face wash .This will just worsen your skin and make it extremely shiny in all the wrong places so you look like you've just rolled in oil . Also , use a water based moisturizer which won't clog your pores and result in additional  breakouts . And even when it comes to make up , use something very light that is mineral based and NOT oil based  .......  that would just create extra havoc on your skin !!

                                                                                   
I'll be doing a review of some products in my next post .. that's it for now! Tata..

Ayurveda...

                        
Okay,now I'm going to tell you guys a little about Ayurveda..
Ayurveda is essentially a culmination of diets,herbal treatments,massages and yoga to keep a  person mentally,physically and emotionally fit.
 I don't really know about its effects on my mental or emotional health (that is an issue i will deal with later :p) but i have tried a lot of  purchased Ayurvedic skin products as well as home made ones and i must say they work quite well for me !
NO, i don't have anything against all the MACs and LOREALs and the MAYBELLINEs of the world !! They probably work well too , just not on my skin !
My affair with herbs began an year ago after i tried a whole barrage of products which made my skin take a turn for the worse,and HOW!! I tried almost everything i saw in the advertisements,saw a doctor but nothing helped!
That's when i decided to do a little investigation myself..
Ayurvedic remedies mainly consist of simple kitchen ingredients (I had to sneak into the kitchen when mom wasn't looking cos she had forbidden me from experimenting on my skin and often scared me with stories about premature wrinkles ! :P).
Of course ,some remedies contain herbs with complicated names that can only be found in forests in the ghats or the Himalayas blah blah so i ignore them :P
Okay so to find out what works on your skin (and your body, duh!) , you need to know your body type...According to Ayurveda there are 3 body types -
1. vata
2. Pitta                                                                            
3. kapha
The above are called the tridoshas..you can find out what your dosha is by clicking on this link -
http://store.chopra.com/dosha-survey.asp
I'm a pitta ..and pitta has the most complicated skin! :D
What's your skin type?

An engineer....to be or not to be?THAT is the question!

Well,i just graduated from college last week and here i am,all jobless! NO,I am NOT unemployed!! I have a job offer but that doesn't start until October! I have like 3 months of free time and  i need to  stop lazing around and find something productive to do..

Hmm so what do i do? I actually have an interview coming up with INTEL and while it would be a huge privilege to work there,i'm left wondering if a technical job is what i really want..I mean i will do well at it if i put my mind to it but the problem is ,my heart doesn't seem to be tagging along! 

I,as a person,like anything that's colorful and vibrant and full of life! I simply cannot picture myself sitting before a computer all day and coding or designing integrated circuits and the works..these jobs pay well,sure, but are they satisfying?Will they give me happiness? These are the million dollar questions!

All these musings got me thinking about my true calling in life-what was i born to do? Was i born to waste away in front of a machine or do something that makes my heart go lalala? :D I pick the latter!

In my quest to find my true calling,i took a million quizzes and read loads of articles..most of the answers pointed to the art field..looks like i finally found my answer!! BUT, art in India is in a rather pathetic state..most artists just end up poor,selling their art for meager sums... ofcourse ,i'm not planning on becoming an artist.I lack the  patience to make fine strokes with a brush and do all that detailing..i'd much rather make something  in an hour or less and paint it in large strokes so the work is over and done with in a flash! Hmm..Maybe i ll start a handmade goodies store someday! 

However,i need quite a lump sum to start my own shop! My dad could finance me but that somehow doesn't feel right..i want the shop to completely be my own effort,financing included!

So,how to go about it? I am armed with an engineering degree so m guessing i'll work in the technical field for a few years till i earn enough capital to do what i love!! I will also continue making stuff part time and put them up on this blog!

Fingers crossed that it will all work out! :)

Oh,by the way click on this link to help you find your calling! It's pretty accurate(in my case atleast!)

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Who-Am-I-Meant-to-Be

Good luck! <3