Books This Week 16

Hello all, I haven't done this series in a while. Let's get straight to it

Career of Evil- Robert Galbraith

I was looking forward to reading this book as I loved the last book in this series. Cormoran Strike returns to solve another gripping mystery. A murderer is on the prowl, who likes to collect body parts of victims as trophies. And he has his sights on Cormoran's assistant Robin. As thrilling as it was to read, it was also quite gory. I simply couldn't shake a few images from my mind. Quite good but still doesn't come close to my beloved "Silkworm" from the same series.

Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic -Jennifer Scott

The final book in this series. I didn't particularly love the last book in this series but as you can probably tell by now, I simply don't leave any book series unfinished. There isn't much that's new in this book & I simply didn't take a shine to it.

Get Positively Beautiful- Carmindy

What an upbeat book! Generally beauty books focus on what is lacking & how to solve the same. I like the fact that the author keeps giving positive reinforcements throughout the book. She works as a beauty expert on TLC's show What Not to Wear. I simply love this book. I also loved her pictures throughout the book.

He Won't Need it Now- James Hadley Chase

I was feeling very nostalgic just picking up this book. This was one of the first thriller/mystery authors I started reading. It's typical James Hadley Chase with enough plot twists to keep me happy. The title kind of gives away the ending but it's a good book nevertheless.

500 Nail Designs- Chelsea Franklin

Picked this up purely on whim. I don't see the point of this book. True to the title, it is made up of 500 nail art designs but a LOT of it is repeated with just different colours. Also, there is absolutely no explanation on how to go about doing the design. Unless you have been living under a rock with no internet,  you would have seen at least a few of these designs on YouTube in much more detail. Not worth it.

What have you been reading?

My Very Own Box - May 2016

Hello all, Time for another edition of My Very Own Box. People who know me know that I'm a total skincare junkie- I'll try anything! Same goes with makeup. The one area where I simply don't change is my hair. I have curly, frizzy hair & I have just recovered from a long bout of hair loss. I'm too scared to even touch my hair. Deciding to be brave, this month's box will contain all hair related stuff. Let's go.

Khadi Ayurvedic Hair Tonic

INR 310 for 210 ml

This one smells very strongly of Ajwain but I like the smell. It's a brown coloured watery liquid. After applying on the scalp, it literally disappeares- no smell, no greasiness. I try to use on alternate days & wash off once every 4 days. I've heard good things about this one. Fingers crossed.

Garnier Fructis Oil in Cream

INR 35 for 50 gm

I finally succumbed & bought this to see what the hoopla was about. No impressed. At all. Ah well, at least it sets me back by only 35 bucks. (Another duh! moment- forgot to add this to pictures)

Chinese hair accessories

INR 350

Bought this from Amazon & I'm loving it to bits. Different hair accessories, all in one bag. I tried making a bun with the donut thingy & it turned out really well. It consists of

3 Hair Donuts
3 Bumpits
2 Volume Hair Base
2 Mini Volume Hair Base / Petit Fuwa Pin (whatever that is)
1 Bun Maker

Looking forward to being more adventurous with my hairstyles.

Wella Oil Reflections Smoothening Treatment

INR 400 for 30 ml

I got my hair cut recently & got suckered into buying this serum. Oh well, at least it fits with the theme. It does smell divine & doesn't weigh down my hair but this is by far the most expensive serum I've ever used.

Biocare Garlic Hair Mask

INR 300 for 500 ml

Just decided to give my hair some TLC in the comfort of my home. I've tried it out a couple of times & totally love it. And no, it does not smell like garlic - I was dreading that. My hair looks & feels smoother after using this. In a pinch, it even works amazingly well as a leave- in conditioner. Win- win.

This makes up my box for this month. What's your hair care regime?

April Empties

Hi all, super excited this time as I managed to finish long pending stuff that was simply refusing to die. Let's begin

Dove Elixir Lavender & Olive Oil

INR 185 for 90 ml

I bought this because the ad was too cute & the bottle looked amazing with a floating lavender petal/leaf (What is that thing?!) Turns out its just scented mineral oil. Tried using it as a hair serum but it was doing nothing for the frizz + it was taking freaking forever to finish. Finally finished it by using as a body oil. What! It's just mineral oil after all ;) Obviously not repurchasing.

L'oreal Go 360 Clean Sensitive skin

INR 399 for 178 ml

Ok, I'll be honest. I bought this only for the free scrublet that came with it. Unscented means it'll smell of yuck chemicals instead of nice smelling chemicals. Lesson learnt. Also 178 ml is HUGE for a face wash as is almost 400 bucks. Never again.

Vivel Purifying Face Wash

SAMPLE of 15 ml

Decent face wash. Might buy again if I ever run out. Ha ha , like that's goimg to happen!

Vaadi Herbals Olive Facial Bar

INR 34 for 25 gm

No words. 3 more to go.

Khadi Herbal Body Wash Lavender & Ylang Ylang

INR 130 for 210 ml

Smells amazing & cleans well. Still have one more of this.

Patanjali Body Ubtan

INR 60 for 100 gm

Awesome ubtan. Definite repurchase.

Spinz Sun- Tan Remover

FREE SAMPLE

Honestly, couldn't see a lot of difference but then again my tan might be too deep & the product doesn't contain bleach. Not repurchasing

Hotel Shampoo

Managed to finish one, single lone hotel shampoo this month.

Discards of the month-  Apparently,  the more you clean, the more stuff you find in your vanity. I swear,  it's like the abyss of a particularly dirty sea. Anyhow, discarding these things this month.

Himalaya Herbals Purifying Neem Pack

INR 115 for 100 gm

This one's ancient. The pack has separated & only green coloured water seems to come out of the tube. No repurchase. I'd rather make my own

Khadi Amla & Brahmi Hair Oil

INR 125 for 210 ml x 2

God! These BOGO offers will be the end of me. This oil does absolutely nothing for my hair + I seem to develop dandruff every time I use it. My single strand of white hair turned into 2 strands of white hair while using this. Obviously doesn't work in preventing grey hair. Into the bin.

Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in Windsor Rose

In amazing condition for a 5 year old lipstick but I've found mera wala red & I rarely wear this anymore.

Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in Coral Pink

Another 5 year old lipstick. I loved it when I first bought it but somehow I seem to reach for this lipstick less and less.

That's all for this month. Do you declutter often? Any use?

Books This Week 15

Hello all. Finally broke the jinx & picked up a great book this week

The Girl on the Train- Paula Hawkins

What a book! I absolutely loved it. It's a story of a woman travelling on a particular train route everyday. She notices a family in a house & makes up stories about them- going so far as to give them imaginary names. One fine day, the woman in the house disappears & the protagonist offers to provide information to help solve the case. As she gets further in the investigation, she realises that all is not as it appears & seemingly happy people can have problems too. There are enough twists in the storyline to keep me happy & the characters are slightly demented so as to appear real. Go for it.

At Home With Madame Chic- Jennifer Scott

Another instalment of gyan by Madame Chic. The book's made up of things like- don't lounge around all day in your pajamas, don't check your FB feed while having breakfast & the like. While the points may be valid, it comes across as being preachy. One time read.

Overdressed- Elizabeth Cline

When we buy clothes, we think of the style, the fabric or even the price. Rarely do we think of how it is manufactured, what stitching type is used etc. This book deals with all such uncomfortable questions. It really makes you think of the environmental cost at which you are buying that new dress. This was a total eye opener for me.

That's all folks! Read any of the books listed above? Loved it / hated it? Let me know.

Books This Week 14

Hi all, it's been a while since I did this series. The reason is I've only been reading magazines & other random junk. Anyhow these are the books I've read this past week

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built- Alexander McCall Smith

I searched high and low for this book but with no luck. Finally I found it on Flipkart at a very reasonable price. The book follows the lives of Mma Ramotswe, Mr JLB Maketoni & Mma Matsuki. As with the remaining books in this series, the storytelling is very simple & straight-forward. Absolutely loved it.

Your Beauty Mark- Dita von Tesse

Ok, I've a confession to make. I picked up this book without even realizing who the author was! I got her confused with Diane von Furstenberg! Anyway, it's a decent book. She speaks about her life & gives a detailed account of her beauty & fitness regimes. Pick up this book for the drool- worthy photos if not for anything else. How absolutely gorgeous is this woman! I'm in total awe.

Lessons From Madame Chic- Jennifer Scott

This book talks about fashion lessons that the author picked up from her host in France. This is a fun read. While I more or less agree with the "lessons", I simply can't bring myself to like the capsule wardrobe idea. How do you survive on such less clothes? What if you can't tackle laundry for a while? You will be stuck with no clothes or maybe dirty clothes.

P.S : If you don't want to invest in this book, head over to her blog- The Daily Connoisseur.

This is it for now. I'll be back again next week.

My Very Own Box - Perfumes

Hello all. Like most people I do almost all my shopping online these days. While I was happy to buy bath products & even makeup, the one area I was apprehensive about was perfumes. How on earth could you buy perfume without smelling it first?! As with all other things, you won't know if you don't try. Presenting my first ever online perfume haul.

Anna's Glamour by Anna Andre

INR 595 for 100 ml

This is by far the cheapest perfume I have ever bought (And I have bought a lot!). Let me tell you there is nothing cheap about it - right from the bottle to the fragrance. It doesn't reek of cheap quality alcohol like the others. The top notes are made up of Melon, Peach & Green Apple which makes it smell fresh. On point for summers. The middle notes are Mimosa, Tuberose, Lily, Freesia, Jasmine & Lily of the valley of which Lily is the most prominent. It last a decent 4 -6 hours after which you can smell the base notes of Sandalwood, Musk, Oakmoss & Ylang Ylang. New found love.

Streax Perfumed Body Mist Celebration Pack

INR 360 for 3 x100 ml

These smell super fresh & last a couple of hours. Even though it contains alcohol, it doesn't sting skin like other body sprays. I expected to love Lily Vanilla but I loved Oriental Blossom most of all.

Oriental Blossom- Made up of a combination of Jasmine, Wild Vanilla & Lemon Zest, I don't think it's a true Oriental perfume. Nevertheless it smells amazing. I especially love the hint of lemon zest- adds a fresh feel to the body mist.

Peach Love- Ah! The perils of online shopping. This one smells exactly like Anna's Glamour. This one's made of Peach, Mimosa & Ylang Ylang but the peach overpowers all others. I like this for daytime use.

Lily Vanilla- This one's made up of Lily, Vanilla (surprise!) & Coconut fragrances. It's a tad too sugary for my liking. I think it will suit teenagers more. There is also a subtle aqua undernote in this.

That's my box for this month. Have you ever bought perfume without smelling first? I am quite surprised I actually like it. Cheers.

March Empties

Hi all, running a little behind on my empties post this time. I just came back from a holiday & I need another holiday just to recover from this one. Let me tell you travelling with a toddler is no joke. Anyway let's see how much stuff I've finished this month.

Himani Navratan Oil

INR 32 for 50 ml

This is a God sent in scorching summer. It offers a temporary cooling effect that I simply love. It also claims to relieve body ache but I haven't used it for obvious reasons. The cooling effect takes a good 5 minutes to kick in - I was impatient the first time & ended up using a lot- my head was on fire. LOL. Repurchase only in summer.

Sunsilk Jasmine Black Shampoo sachet

INR 1 for 5.5 ml

Love this. Will repurchase until the end of time.

Nature's Essence Under Eye Cream

INR 75 for 40 gm

It's decent & I'm in love with the smell but nothing works better than pure almond oil. No repurchase.

Vaadi Herbals Olive Facial Bar

INR 34 for 25 gm

3 down, 4 more to go. HAVE. TO. STOP. BUYING. IN. BULK.

Nature's Essence Diamond Shine Pack

40 gm (INR 750 for entire facial kit)

I love this facial kit. Only the face pack has finished, all other STEPS in the facial are still there in copious amounts.

Original Eau De Cologne Shower Gel

50 ml (gifted- don't know the price)

I'm not a fan of the smell. Glad to see it gone. No repurchase.

Vaadi Herbals Lavender Aromatherapy Body Oil

INR 65 for 50 ml

Absolutely love this. Buying a bigger bottle next time.

Biocare Almond Nourishing Cream

INR 180 for 500 ml

How proud am I on finishing this! Smells like bitter almonds & provides decent moisturization. Will buy a different variant next time.

That's all for this month. Cheers.