Sonnet Wellness AM:PM Skincare Ritual

A couple of weeks back, Sonnet Wellness team had contacted me to try out their new release and give my two cents on it. They kindly sent over the whole set for me to use and review. The AM:PM Skincare Ritual set is India’s first prebiotic and probiotic range of skincare products. The products are rich in the goodness of Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate, Glycolic Acid & Aloe Juice Formulated by experts at Sonnet Wellness. Let’s see how it fared!

Review of Renee Bollywood Filter and Face Gloss Gold

Today’s post is a combi-review of two very trending cosmetic products which are all over social media these days: Renee Bollywood Filter and Renee Face Gloss. The former claims to be primer with hyaluronic acid which blurs out pores and gives your face a “filter like smoothness” and the later claims to add the famous “glass glow” on your face. I am very much into skincare these days and am steering away from conventional makeup, so anything which adds to the dazzling glow of skin is attracting me :P Read on to see if these are worth the hype!

Review of Daily Life Forever52 Gel Eyeliner and Tattoo GT008 Chocolate

A brown eyeliner is a saviour for days when you want a polished natural makeup look and prominent eyes, but do not want to go overboard with too many pigments. A dewy face, neat eyebrows, dusty pink lip tint and some brown eyeliner smudged over my eyes is my go-to daily makeup. I fell in love with brown eyeliners almost a decade back during my university days because they give a beautiful but subtle brightness to eyes without the starkness of a black kajal. I have tried many Indian and foreign brands to find my perfect brown liner. Esqido Gel eyeliners was one such British company which had send me their liners for review. I had immensely loved those as well (Read review HERE). However, today’s review is of a brand easily available in India.

My Glamm Super Serum Foundation 201W Crepe, 102N Lightful

Hey beauties! Are you also ever disappointed with your foundation purchases? You buy a hyped product and find out that its texture is not exactly what you wanted, or worse the shade is totally wrong for you? It happened multiple times with me: either the formula was off, or the shade made me look like an overripe orange or gave me a deathly ashy look. In all these years of buying and using makeup products, when it came to foundation, I am always disappointed. I like sheer to medium coverage ones which retain the natural skin look. Read on to see if this new launch by My Glamm could fulfil my wants:

 

Nykaa Cosmetics Eyes On Me ! 4 In 1 Quad Eyeshadow Palette-01 Night Out Review, Swatches

 

Product Name: Nykaa Cosmetics Eyes On Me ! 4 In 1 Quad Eyeshadow Palette, Night Out-01

Available Shades: Desk to Date, Sunset Stroll, Night Out, Wine and Dine, Work to Play, Birthday Bash, Brunch Party

Price: Rs.375/- INR for 5 grams. Mostly on offer at Rs.338/- INR

Packaging: A cute little 2 inches by 2 Inches flat square case with a transparent lid. It actually is smaller than even your compact powder cases. The corners are well rounded so there is no chance of unexpected jabs while you fish around for it in your purse.

Shades: As the brand describes, Night Out is a “smokey blend of charcoals, bronze and champagne tones”. The first shade is a matte light terracotta shade perfect for all over lid tint, the second is a matte warm brown for giving definition to the crease, third is a beautiful bronze and fourth is a deep matte black.

I chose this pack since I feel these four shades are the ones I reach out to very frequently. In my 30s now, my style has changed from experimental to classics. I love shades which just defines the eyes during the day and adds a little sparkle to eyes for night.

The Bronze shade although pickups up very good when swatched with fingers, if you dab it on eyelids without a primer underneath, you will get a faint goldenish glow in the lids. The effect is same when used with a brush as well. It is perfect for people who loves minimal highlighting, and a tad disappointing for those who love full blown pigments on their lids.

The Terracotta shade is also mildly pigmented but quite honestly it works beautifully as a lid shade. Anything darker would have looked weird on the lids especially as a daywear look.

The Warm Brown and the Black shades are much better pigmented and offers a good wash of colour over the lids.

All the four shades are finely milled, non-chunky, VERY smooth and has no fallout.

 

Nykaa Cosmetics Eyes On Me ! 4 In 1 Quad Eyeshadow Palette-01 Night Out Review, Swatches

Here is a swatch of the shades on my wrist. Be mindful that these look darker on the wrist than they would on eyes if you do not have any primer underneath them.

 

Nykaa Cosmetics Eyes On Me ! 4 In 1 Quad Eyeshadow Palette-01 Night Out Review, Swatches

 

Overall, if you are a minimalist when it comes to makeup like me, then this would be a perfect budget-buy for you. But if you like “on the face” vibrant makeup, you can skip these!

 I would love if you leave a comment below! Which is your current favourite?

 

Swiss Beauty Highlighting Primer Real Makeup Base N02 Golden Tint

I am more of a “natural glowey skin” liking person than someone who would choose OTT dazzling highlighting glow on their faces. I have nothing against that kind of glow though; in fact I absolutely love it on others, but just not on me! Blessed with good skin genes, I have a very basic skincare routine which sufficiently caters to reducing dullness et al. But I am forever in search of a good and more importantly a “subtle” highlighter which can add a “natural” glow on my face. Something which doesn’t scream “I-have-got-glitter-on-my-face” and yet make people wonder “what DOES she do for her skin?” ;) Ha Ha! Let’s see if Swiss Beauty Highlighting Primer served my purpose.

Bella Vita Organic Superscrub

Bella Vita Organic Glowey

Hey everyone! Today’s review is of a unique “all-in-one” product that claims to be a face mask that cleanses and scrubs as well. We are all leading very busy lives which leaves no extra time to do tens of steps in our daily skincare routine. Me for instance, can manage only washing my face, applying some toner and slather on some cream most of the days. As a mom of an active toddler who has recently started school and running a successful home-baking business (Check @aynascakewalk on Instagram to see my work), even my weekends are super busy leaving me no time for some lengthy “me-time”. So quite naturally this product caught my eyes. Read on to find what it’s all about and if it did work for me:

Website Review of Fabcurate

Hello! This post is going to be on a very interesting e-commerce website which reached out to us recently for reviewing their website’s services and products. Fabcurate is an Indian e-commerce site which deals in a plethora of beautiful fabrics for you to choose from and “curate” your own style. They were kind enough to let me choose few fabrics from their collection in order that I experience their customer service as well as the quality of their products. Read on to check what I chose, why and how did they turn out!

Good Vibes Green Tea Revitalizing Face Cream

Good Vibes is a brand I came across while browsing randomly on Amazon and their price point attracted me to try quite a many of their products. In the last few months, I have bought, used and re-bought face washes, gels, face masks, creams and toners from Good Vibes and I feel now it’s about time I start sharing my honest views on this super budget friendly brand. I will start by reviewing the Good Vibes Green Tea face cream J

5 Ways to Get Rid Of Dark Circles

Panda eyes – how dreadful! Don't you just hate it when someone points it out? As if you cannot see them yourself! You knew those late nights and skimping on sleep were going to show up somewhere. But hey! Word's out that a sleep marathon is not going to be enough to get rid of those bags. Also, those dark circles are not necessarily due to a lack of sleep. They can be hereditary, or hypersensitivities or just old age. Before you start fretting, we have 5 great fixes to get rid of those dark eyes so that you look as fresh as a daisy.

1. Caffeine Eye Roll-On – Eye creams are so good but we love a caffeine roll-on, which is even better. It's getting an extra foot massage with a pedicure. If you haven't used one yet, you don't know what you have been missing.
A caffeine roll-on is a serum that comes with a metal roll-on applicator and cools the under-eye area, especially if you store it in the fridge. Roll it on, and your under-eye area gets a mini massage. This is an excellent way to boost circulation to get rid of puffy eyes, fine lines, and the dreaded dark circles.

5 Ways to Get Rid Of Dark Circles

2. BB Roll-On Eye Cream – If you haven't heard of BB then you have been missing out on life! This combination of sunscreen, moisturizer and foundation is for you when you are in a rush. Why bother with three different products when you can get it in one. A product like the Garnier Skin BB Eye Miracle Skin Perfector Eye Roller reduces dark circles and puffiness. It also evens out the skin tone and hydrates it.

3. Drink Plenty of Water – Dehydration is another reason for dark circles and puffy eyes. Didn't know that? Well, now that you do, you should always have a bottle of water handy. Cut down salt in your food as it encourages water retention. Instead, up to your water intake, and you will observe the difference in just 2 days.
Ice Baby, Ice – Ice is your best friend when in a hurry. Puffy eyes and dark circles are a result of dilated blood vessels and swelling. Using a cold compress will bring down the puffiness and get rid of dark circles. Use ice wrapped in a washcloth and place it on your eyes.

5 Ways to Get Rid Of Dark Circles

4. DIY Using Coffee Granules – Applying a homemade coffee mask will help eliminate dark circles. You can make a mask using coffee and honey and coffee and coconut or avocado oil. Using coffee and honey will also moisturize and hydrate the under-eye area and get rid of the dark circles. Avocado oil works as a serum when combined with coffee, nourishing and refreshing the delicate under-eye skin. Coconut oil will smoothen the skin. But why coffee? Because, unknown to many, coffee contains several natural bleaching agents that lighten the under-eye skin's discolouration.

Read about some more DIY coffee masks for getting rid of dark circles here: 5 Coffee Eye Masks for Dark Circles

Reasons for Getting Dark Circles

• The most common reason for dark circles is the thin skin in the under-eye area. As the skin becomes thinner, the blood vessels become increasingly visible, giving rise to dark circles.
• Another reason is not getting sufficient rest. Your circulatory system is compromised when you skimp on sleep. The blood in the vessels in the under-eye area becomes stagnant due to improper drainage. In short, the best and the most natural way to fight dark circles is to get sufficient shut-eye.
• Ageing can be a big factor. As you age, the under-eye skin becomes thinner, and you begin to lose collagen that is essential for the skin to maintain its elasticity.
• Eye strain causes the under-eye blood vessels to enlarge, darkening the skin around the eyes.
• Dehydration, overexposure to the sun, allergic reactions are other common reasons. Genetics also plays a major role.

Conclusion

Under-eye treatment products take up a chunk of the skincare market. The shadowy dark circles are quite common to a major part of the population, and getting rid of them makes you look healthier because your eyes look brighter. You look younger and well-rested.

How you sleep also matters! Add a few pillows beneath your head to prevent the blood from pooling in the under-eye area. Use chilled tea bags as a cold compress and use a concealer till the dark circles are gone.

Author’s profile

Kritika Singh is a beauty and skincare lover. To give wings to her love for the same she blogs at ApunKaChoice.com, an entertainment and lifestyle blog dedicated to keeping you entertained as you take care of your health, skin, and hair. When not blogging, you would see her hopping cafes and sipping a cuppa. 

Disclaimer: The views shown here are of the author’s own. Please check for your own skin’s sensitivity level before trying out any of the mentioned DIY or products.