My Very Own Box- Indulgences

It's my Birthday month & I can't wait. This month's box will be made up of my favourite indulgences- chocolate, coffee & wine. In that order

Nature's Essence Choco Facial Kit

INR 150 for 42 gm

I wanted to try this from a long time. With the weather finally cooling, I think I can use this next.

Silkberry Time Control Facial Massage Cream- Cocoa & Chocolate

INR 270 for 250 gm

This one smells exactly like Khadi Chocolate Body Butter & is pretty rich. I'll be using it as a hand cream once my current hand cream finishes.

Aloe Veda Chocolate Vanilla Luxury Shower Gel

INR 180 for 300 ml

Smells absolutely divine. A little goes a long way, sadly the smell is not long lasting. Perfect for the colder weather.

Asta Berry Wine Facial Kit

INR 200 for 52 gm

Another one on my list from a long time. Loving these facial kits so much. Bye bye salons!

Nilgiri Aroma's Shea Butter Coffee Face Scrub

INR 150 for 100 gm

Picked this up from Coorg while on a holiday. Total impulse buy. It doesn't smell like true coffee but is pretty close. This is by far the creamiest scrub I've ever used. It has actual coffee particles floating around & I love it.

That's it for now. What are your indulgences?

Resolutions

Nothing makes me more aware of the passing nature of time like the passing of a birthday. I'm happy as ever to celebrate but it also makes me realize that time ain't coming back & it's NEVER going to get less busy. So Carpe Diem- Seize the day- & live your best life now. After all, Kal Ho Na Ho.

I always make resolutions around my birthday & not new year like most people. Somehow I feel it's more personal this way & you are not doing it just for the heck of it. I'm only writing my beauty & general well-being resolutions for obvious reasons. Here goes

Get More Fit

I was so happy to lose my post pregnancy weight & so easily at that, that I didn't realize I was still eating for two. Somewhere along the way I started making more & more unhealthy choices. And the result is plain to see. I'm still not what is considered overweight but I'm sick of the fat rolls around my stomach & my butt seems to be 2 sizes bigger- just like that! And I'm plain tired of wearing leggings & jeggings every- freaking- where. They are so forgiving that you don't even realize immediately if you are putting on weight.

I want to start exercising again, not just to lose weight but so I get more fit. I hardly seem to have any stamina these days & get tired easily. Since it's been over 3 years since I stopped exercising, I started with walking. I don't have a fixed schedule but I walk a couple of kilometers every other day. It's made my joints more limber & it's amazing how fast the body remembers. I used to love walking before- it was my me- time. I have also started exercising at home but it's an uphill task. I can barely do 4 reps of what I could easily do 20 earlier. No matter. I will get there.

Stop Saving Things

We have all been there. Saving that gorgeous dress for a more special event in the future; not using that super expensive lipstick often; not even using that amazing serum which works wonders- you get my drift. We are perpetually saving things for a more special day forgetting that everyday is special. I'm guilty of this too- I would never use new makeup for practising looks assuming I would waste product! That's rich coming from someone who has never finished a single makeup item.
I want to utilize everything that I have on a regular basis. Hell with special occasions! What could be more special than being alive & healthy?

Experiment More With Makeup

Of late, I gravitate towards my standard look ALL THE TIME. I have my 5 minutes look & 10 minutes look & don't go beyond that. I didn't even try strobing when it was all over the place. Time to be more adventurous- especially with my eye makeup.

Start a Good Skincare Regime

I do have a basic routine in place but I think it's time to up the ante. My routine is either super elaborate or almost nothing- I want to strike a balance.  I also want to start using retinol creams.

Do The Fun Things on your To -Do List

Somehow only the important stuff gets done. We don't seem to make time for reading the books we want to read or the movies we want to see or even the friends we want to meet. I've a huge pile of movies that I've been meaning to see but never got around to. Want to make time for about 2 movies per month.

Join the 6 a.m. Club

As you have probably guessed, this is a spin- off of Robin Sharma's popular 5 a.m. Club. I simply can't do with that less sleep so I've moved the waking up time to 6. I especially love the peace & quiet at that hour & honestly,  I would get nothing done if I didn't wake up early. I may eventually move it up to 5 a.m. but currently it's firmly at 6.

I may add more resolutions eventually but I feel these are plenty. I don't do too well when I have too many balls in the air. Cheers.

May Empties

Hello people, it's been about 2 years since I started doing empties & more than a year since I started posting them here. My stash is visibly reducing & I couldn't be happier. Let's start

Liquid Neutrogena Pure Mild Facial Cleanser

INR 299 for 150 ml

I HATE the way this smells but it works decently. No repurchase.

Balaji's Neem Herbal Powder

INR 28 for 100 gm

Had bought a lot of these powders to make a homemade ubtan. More than half the packet was left over which I used to wash my face alongwith besan. Good enough. Maybe I'll buy again after I finish some more powders that I have.

Balaji's Orange Peel Powder

INR 24 for 100 gm

I love the smell of orange & picked this up for the abovementioned ubtan. Totally stinks. Whatever the benefits maybe I'm not repurchasing again.

Balaji's Chandan Powder

INR 30 for 100 gm

One more thing I picked up for my ubtan. Smells lovely. Wouldn't mind buying again.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Moisturizing Shampoo

INR 205 for 300 ml

I loved it when I first started using it. By the end of the bottle, I couldn't wait to get rid of it. No repurchase.

Sunsilk Natural Recharge Conditioner

INR 64 for 80 ml

I rarely use conditioner on my hair. I prefer leave- in conditioners & that is why this took so long to finish. Smells exactly like the shampoo. No repurchase.

Streax Perfumed Body Mist- Refreshing Oriental Blossom

INR 120 for 100 ml

I had bought 3 of these a while back. Bad move for someone who uses perfume almost everyday. Deciding to get rid of them, I used this every single day instead of my roll- on deodorant. Not a wise choice in summers as the smell disappears in 3-4 hours. Sigh! 2 more to go.

V Color Nail Polish Remover Pad- Grapes flavoured

INR 45 for 40 wipes

Smells nice & was very effective in the beginning. I could remove polish from all 10 nails with a single wipe. It dries out super fast even though I kept it open for as less time as possible. After a while, I needed more wipes to clean the same number of nails. And more until it dried out completely. About 15 wipes are unused. Still have 2 more of these.

Happiness is .... finishing multiple products on the same day. Cheers.

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.