Plum Wild Cherries & Kiwi Luscious Body Lotion Review

Isn't that a great feeling when you get to revive your never-ending love for something!! My love for purely blissful Plum products got revived when I got to use Wild Cherries & Kiwi Luscious Body Lotion after almost 2 years of using their Chocolatte body lotion. Yes! I've used many other products from their range and liked every product to my utmost satisfaction.

About Wild Cherries & Kiwi Luscious Body Lotion, Plum says:

Indulge in a luscious fruity moisturizing smoothie!
Softer, suppler, hydrated, healthier skin in a jiffy! Thanks to shea butter, nourishing sunflower seed oil and the antioxidant goodness of wild cherry distillate and kiwi seed oil. Smells beautiful, feels luscious!

Ingredients:

Actindia Chinensis (Kiwi) Seed Oil, Aqua (Water), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, FDA Approved Colour, Fragrance, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Prunus Cerasus (Wild Cherry) Fruit Water, Stearic Acid, Triethanolamine

Price: Rs. 390 (order online at Plum website)

Qty: 200 ml

Shelf Life: 2 yrs 

Plum Wild Cherries & Kiwi Luscious Body Lotion is bottled in a convenient pump dispenser that can be gently pressed to take desired amount of product. The bottle and pump are quite durable in terms of quality and won't ditch you ;)

The lotion is a sweet-smelling, moderately thick lotion. Its not watery thin, but not thick like a cream. It has faint pink-toned color which is more prominent if you unscrew the main cap and peep into the bottle (like I did). The fruity scent of the lotion is remarkably delicious, specially for the kids at home ;)

The lotion is a brilliant blend of several ingredients which are great source of skin nutrients. Kiwi Seed Oil helps keeping the skin firm and supple while preventing some minor skin diseases & is an intense emollient. Wild Cherry Fruit Distillate on the other hand is the store houses of antioxidants that delays wrinkling of skin and slows down the ageing rate. Shea butter is well-known for its capability of imparting a deep hydration effect to skin for many hours.

This body lotion, despite its viscosity, spreads on skin with total ease and penetrates deep within no time. It gives my skin mild cooling effect for few seconds and disappears without showing any oily shine on the surface of skin. Its nectar for dry skin and my skin drinks it up like it was thirsty for long. When I apply this lotion after evening shower, I need not look for a moisturizer the next morning. There is some sort of plump and revitalized feel on skin that I like. During day time, I don't need reapplication for many hours and skin remains softer than usual.

I don't recommend the product for oily skin type, but normal to dry skin type should definitely go for it. Even combination skin and sensitive skin can take it occasionally.

Here I would specifically mention that the brand Plum is against animal testing, so their entire product range comes with a promise of being cruelty-free as well as parabens free. A must-own product certainly!!

Educational Counselling & Academic Success

After gaining a rich experience of more than a decade in Education industry, I can readily vouch for the importance of procuring educational counselling for the students at the right time. The intense competition and peer pressure of academic scenario these days is leaving students plagued by depression and perplexity; thereby making them lose the opportunities that could have materialize their worth otherwise.
Why would a student require educational counselling is simply to avail impartial, professional advice to make a relevant choice in a muddle of numerous options for higher education that crucially influences career planning too.

Thanks to technological advancements that people are turning towards online counselling platforms. I personally keep on hunting such education-oriented platforms to recommend to my students. A newly acquainted expert resource that I recently discovered online is careerguide.com that is a one-stop destination which offers fundamental expert guidance to youngsters after analyzing their academics/ personal/social competencies.  
Careerguide.com as an online education-cum-career consultation unit assists students access a vast reservoir of vital information related to education and career. Students can procure on-demand instant expert advice on their doubts and queries 24x7. Skilled counsellors focus their experience and energy in identifying the strengths, uncovering and recovering from weaknesses of candidates, thereby help them shape their future in desired manner.

One cannot deny the favourable consequences of getting the psychometric analysis done while measuring an individual's mental capabilities and behaviour pattern that ultimately helps to decide the suitability of a person for specific subject, stream or job position. At Careerguide.com, a student can get one-to-one reliable advice from a team of specialized Consulting Psychologists for quite affordable cost plans.

I must admit that students should not overlook the significance of educational-cum-career counselling which is really worth investing your time and money into. Because in this competitive world, its no less than a boon for students and job-seekers to win a position and move towards their goal confidently.

Win Fuschia Gift Hamper worth Rs.1100 (closed)

Hey friends

My Facebook page recently crossed 1100+ followers mark & the blog now is a repository of 500+ posts on various topics. So I want to thank all those who show their willingness to read what I write.

A small gesture to celebrate this milestone comes in form of a giveaway as always :) 

The giveaway is sponsored by Fuschia by VKare Bio Sciences Pvt. Ltd. Fuschia houses a range of Handmade Natural Skin Care & Beauty products. They have numerous variants of Soaps, Lip Balms, Cream and Scrubs available under the brand Fuschia which are all handmade and chemical free. And many new products are being added to the existing line of products. The brand has chosen some of their finest products to give away to one lucky winner.

Prize: The prize hamper consists of 3 choicest products worth Rs. 1100 from Fuschia collection (as shown in image below)

Garden Lavender Face & Body Invigorating Scrub (Rs. 450)

Opium Heart Soap (Rs.225)

Dazzle Face Mask Sandal & Saffron (Rs 450)

Easy steps to Participate: 

1. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
2. Follow Fuschia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 
3. Subscribe to my blog via email.
4. Share the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram publicly. You have to tag both the pages with hashtag #AlivenKickingXFuschia on all social media accounts to make your entry valid.
5. Leave your participation details including your Facebook name, twitter handle, Instagram handle, sharing links and email id in comment section of this blog post once you have done all the steps. (Please leave only one single comment).
6. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (optional, but gives your brownie points).

Important Terms:

• Giveaway Duration: 25th August to 10 September 2016.
• Valid for only Indian residents.
• Number of winner(s): One.
• The participant who remains active on my blog and social accounts will be adjudged as winner out of all completed & valid entries.
• The winners details will be forwarded by me to the brand and the prizes will be directly sent to the winner by the brand. I'll not be answerable for any damage during transit.

P.S. Previous winners may surely win again, if deserving.

So let the fun begin ;) 

Natural Baby Bodycare Product Range From Aroma Essentials

Keeping in tune with the trend of my blog to feature natural handmade products, I decided to do an exclusive feature for kids body care products. The foremost thought for a brand that has crafted some gentler products with loads of care and love, I could name Aroma Essentials without second thoughts. The talented artisan Madhurima gladly agreed on the proposal and sent me a boxful of handmade stuff to clean and care for my boy from head to toe. The products included Baby Oil, Baby Soap, Baby Ubtan and Hair Cleanser. After using the products for weeks now, here is my honest opinion about all of these.

The Baby Oil is a blend of Almond Oil and Rose Oil/ Vetiver. The light golden colored oil has unique exotic aroma. And it looks so beautiful with dry rose petals swimming in the pool of oil ;)

The new mommies can give a pre-bath massage to their infants with this oil or can use it as a post-bath body lotion. And the mommies like me whose kids are bit older like mine, can massage their kid's body skin during or after bath with this oil to lock in moisture into skin.

The oil is light on skin and doesn't feel sticky. As I give a massage to my child, I feel its aroma gives a soothing, calming effect. Its a multi-purpose oil and can also be used for head massage. 

In sync with the Almond based baby oil, there came a lovely pink color soap made of trusted ingredients Almond Powder, Almond Milk and Masoor Daal.  I swear when I find some kitchen ingredients used in skin care products, my faith n expectations in the product go really up ;) 

This oval-shaped soap came wrapped in a thin cling sheet with the label mentioning only the product name. 

The soap has tiny coarsely-grained particles embedded on one side which I think is ground masoor daal. In the first few uses, you'll feel the particles touching your skin, but as the top layer of soap gets melted after few days, the particles will come on surface of soap and start working as exfoliator (as you may notice in the first image above).  

For the kids, I recommend to parents to use the scrubbing side of soap very gently to avoid scratching their skin. And if you are using this soap for little ones, simply use the plain side to cleanse their delicate skin (as seen in image below). The soap smells nice and not overpowering which is good for kids.

Now here if some parents want to avoid using a soap for their kids and need a traditional alternate, we have this Baby Ubtan for them. Its a dry composition of Honey, Oats, Kesar, Almonds, Masoor, Kachur and Triphala. I mix a spoonful of ubtan in cold milk to make a paste and rub it on my kid's body. It would  requires some time to prepare a smooth paste (don't mind if you need to use your fingers too) ;) I'm using it occasionally to clean my child's legs as there are some old allergy marks on his legs and I feel it may lighten those if used religiously.  

Apart from the skin care products, I received a mild Hair Cleanser as well. It's a light pink colored thick cream made of Castile Soap with Olive, Castor and Lavender oil. Needless to say, it smells quite bracing. A little amount of this hair cleanser has to be diluted in water and then be used like a usual liquid shampoo. Despite its mild formulation, the cleanser removes oil, dirt and sweat residues from scalp and hair very efficiently. I never felt re-applying it on my child's thick hair for proper cleaning.

I'm  We're (me and my son) really glad to find these skin-friendly, non-toxic, handmade products which can be used on delicate baby skin without worries of any side-effects.
The only thing I wish is to have the ingredients list and usage instructions printed on the product labels just like the hair cleanser has got.

I'm sure you must be wanting me to tell you where and how to order these products from? So you may drop a direct message at Aroma Essential Facebook page to place your orders and give your kids a nature inspired bathing experience :)

Hope you find the post advantageous :) Do share your views..

*PR Sample

Nykaa Sale & My Tiny Plum Haul

There are two reasons when I do not miss a 'Sale', firstly when I know that my favourite products are gonna finish soon and I need to restock those for sure & secondly, when my long-cherished products being sold at slashed prices and I can save few bucks buying them in time ;)

I saw some of my friends going gaga over ongoing sale at Nykaa. Without anything specific in my mind, I clicked on a link to check what's getting everyone crazy. Among all the great offers, what caught my eye was a n irresistible offer to get Plum Grapeseed and Sea Buckthorn Scrub free on purchase of any Plum products worth Rs. 850 or more ;)

I had used this Grapeseed and Sea buckthorn scrub last year and its mild texture made me love it a lot. Because of its gentle formulation, I would use it almost three to four times a week those days. Also I was quite eager to try the Plum Wild Cherries Lucious Body Lotion since the day this range was introduced. So I decided to add my favourite Plum products in the cart to avail this offer. For the first time, I placed an order from Nykaa consisting of Wild Cherries & Kiwi Luscious Body Lotion priced at Rs. 390 and Green Tea Clear Face Mask priced at Rs 475. And I got Grapeseed and Sea Buckthorn Scrub absolutely free (which costs Rs. 335 :) yeyy!!

My order came pretty soon..Check out what all I received..

This is how the products inside the outer cartons look like ...

The Grapeseed and Sea Buckthorn Scrub is already my choicest product which I've reviewed here and I've already used the newly bought product range for a few times and will share detailed review shortly.

And yes! shopping on Nykaa.com has been a smooth and fuss-free experience, so that calls for many more future purchases from them ;)

Have you used any of these products? What's your experience was like? I would love to know ...

Fuschia Activated Charcoal Face & Body Detoxifying Scrub Review

Hi Friends

How's the changing weather treating you? At my place, the weather being occasionally pleasant, humidity is still disturbing the relaxed state of body and sweat the skin during day time. And when one has to go out and drive long distances, there is no way avoiding getting affected by environmental pollutants :(

I absolutely love using natural products to keep my skin in a healthy state and so, you will find me writing and populating such great chemical-free products most of the times. Today, I take pleasure to jot down my experience about an all-natural Activated Charcoal Face & Body Detoxifying Scrub from Fuschia.

Product Info:

Enriched with Activated Charcoal, a superb absorbent, this scrub gently draws out impurities and toxins from your skin. This scrub is most suitable for oily and acne prone skin.

Directions for use: 

Apply the scrub to moist skin and rub it in a circular fashion. Rinse thoroughly with water.

Ingredients: 

Aloe Vera, Activated Charcoal, Olive Oil, Wheat Germ Oil

Price & Quantity: 450/- for 100 gm.

Packaging: Fuschia Activated Charcoal Face & Body Detoxifying Scrub came in a transparent tub with metalic silver screw cap that is a standardized packaging style for most of their creams and scrubs. The label on the cap shows the brand logo, product name, weight and its key ingredients. Though the price and shelf life of the product go missing from this label, which should have been printed along. I wish the brand could have provided a small spatula with the pack, but otherwise its a convenient to use pack with broad opening.

The scrub is cream based in nature and has pale brownish color when you look inside the container. The brand claims the product to be free of artificial tints and synthetic perfumes which makes the scrub more skin friendly. The minute exfoliating granules are sufficiently mixed in the creamy scrub and can be seen clearly.

I have used the scrub on face as well as body skin, and it has done deep exfoliating is super purifying manner. On the face, the skin on both sides of nose have become smooth and tiny white heads have disappeared after few uses. Even there is reduction is appearance of black heads, but not completely. I feel it can further reduce after continuous use.

My skin type being on dry side, I'm always on a look out for products that have moisturizing effect so that it doesn't aggravate the dryness issue. Sometimes I completely skip using an otherwise great product just because it irritates my skin. 

This scrub is a balanced formula having Activated Charcoal and some essential oils like Olive Oil and Wheat Germ Oil. While activated charcoal draws excess oil, bacteria, dirt, toxins and other impurities from the surface of skin; the essential oils work to replenish the skin with its moisturizing worth. I actually leave a thin layer of the scrub on my moist face for few minutes like a mask and then massage it, so that optimum benefits can be obtained to achieve a flawless complexion. Another good aspect of the product it that it doesn't feel sticky while applying or while rinsing (as some of you may expect from a charcoal based product). A light-hand touch on skin easily washes the scrub off the skin. The scrub smells quite energizing. I like that the smell lingers on for some time without bothering my nose. 

The charcoal scrub is said to be suitable for oily, acne prone skin too, just ensure not to be harsh on skin already affected with acne to intensify the problem.

To conclude, Fuschia Activated Charcoal Face & Body Detoxifying Scrub can be directly associated with soft, supple, detoxified skin and it is free of SLS, Parabens, Phthalates to be more lovable :)

*PR Sample.

Essential Bodywear For Every Girl

The trendy and comfortable bodywear styles that fit your skin effortlessly and accentuates your feminine silhouette is what every girl longs for. But with so many different products on the market, it’s too complicated to find your perfect style and fit when it’s about an everyday essential i.e. 'bra'. Obviously, no girl would want to look shabby in a cheap, ill-fitted bodywear. So it goes without saying that every female should must invest in some good quality sports bras suiting her body type. Now here I stress upon the fact that, a Sports Bra is not meant for sportswomen only. (Nah! you need not be a marathon runner, wrestler or a yoga practitioner for that matter).

These days, sports bras are super smart in terms of designs and material. One can choose from an array of cup fit, back & front fastening styles, strap styles, support-padding level and much more. The smart fabrics used in seamless designs of these bra not only reduces bounce effectively, but also provides exceptional support, while being sweat-absorbing. 

Once you tick the style you want, don't forget to consider the 'fit' and 'purpose' of buying one. It's advisable to choose a sports bra that fits tighter than your regular bra without letting your breasts slipping out from anywhere uncomfortably. The best size is that which you may wear with no rubbing, chafing or pinching your skin inside. 

The next thing you should look for is the stability and impact reduction offered by a sports bra. Like a cross-backed bra is the ultimate choice for females who embraces their fitness and well being with high impact exercises, else one can choose to wear Compression Sports Bras who generally involve themselves in low and medium impact activities like cycling, yoga etc. 

Now there have been conflicting views on what kind of outfit can a sports bra be worn with...but some genius fashion hacks certainly allow you look amazing without any outfit malfunction. To list a few, you may use Bra Strap Converters for turning any sport bra into a low-back bra to wear under dresses with low-cut backs or experiment with Criss-Cross detail bralette for backless tanks/halters. 

I know, the list of sports bra benefits is endless and at this point what might be coming to your mind is whether the bra style that you've liked is available at the local store in your town... Thanks to online shopping in India that you can make your lifestyle easier by buying sports bra online provided you are sure of your accurate size. Many renowned online stores provide expert guidance while placing order with them and take you through without any hassle.

So the punchline is "you body is a temple, honor it by wearing right bodywear."

Nelf Fabulash Mascara Review

A must-use cosmetic to define your eyes in just a few strokes is a good Mascara. You may be using it every day or on special occasions, but you can't miss flaunting fuller, thicker, longer eye lashes to pull together a beautiful facial look :)

I received Nelf Fabulash Mascara as a part of the vanity kit they sent me over more than a month ago. I've been using it every now and then (not every day) since then, so here is a quick review on it.

Product Info:
Stack ‘em up! This incredible fiber formula stacks your lashes with all of the drama you could ever imagine. In just three simple steps, you’ll be batting luscious-looking lashes and collecting suitors wherever you go.

Packaging:
The Fabulash Mascara from Nelf is a black, cylindrical, non-curvy packaging with a silver screw cap on its top. There is nothing fancy about the packaging, but it looks classy. Its spill-proof and sturdy, making it travel-friendly too.

There is an outer cardboard box in which the mascara is packaged. You may find the price, shelf life, ingredients list on the box.

The bristles on the mascara wand are uniformly distributed and are able to create volume due to its length.

The Fabulash Mascara is available only in Black color. Though the packaging reads 'Blackest Black', but its not deep enough to be called as blackest.

When I used this mascara for the first time, it coated every lash including those hard-to-reach lashes that I never knew existed. The bristles (spikes) are thin enough to separate and highlight my dull lashes. The application is quite smooth. The product is not so thick to clump, if you are wanting to layer 2-3 strokes. It dries up quickly and not tough to remove. I prefer to use olive oil on a soft cotton pad to take it off my lashes and it works great. When on lashes, it doesn't sting or irritate skin around eyes.

For its longevity, it stayed almost 6 hours on my lashes and didn't fade out (though I had been careful not to rub my eyes like I usually do).

I honestly didn't achieve very nice curled-up look, probably because of my small lash length only, otherwise the mascara bristles are aptly designed for the same and would definitely work for other. (I want to make it clear here that I don't use fake lashes.)
There is an unpleasant smell in the mascara, but that won't reach your nostrils when mascara is applied. I just sniffed it intentionally to test whether its fragrance-free. ;)
The only limitation of the product is that I would smear if comes in contact with water or something oily.
Its priced at Rs 375 for 7ml

All in all, its an affordable mascara that doesn't bunch the lashes, rather separates them precisely. It takes just the right amount of drying time and can be removed without harming your delicate eyes. So its a good option to make our lashes appear visibly longer and thicker for few hours.

*PR Sample.

VLCC Party Glow Facial Kit Review

When you plan a party, you plan many other things including the venue, menu, guests, your outfit and ofcourse your makeup. Before you start getting ready for that special day, you face should bring about the natural radiance. As the festive season has already begun, I'm sure pretty girls night be pampering themselves with luxurious sessions at salons ;) And for those busy bees like me, who cannot spare enough time to visit a professional beauty parlour, VLCC has its Party Glow Facial Kit to make me glow for the special occasion and that too at the comfort of my home.

Almost a month ago, I tried VLCC Anti-tan Facial Kit and the result was too good that I wanted to try another variant in the range. VLCC has total 7 variants in their single facial range, and this time
I tried this Party Glow Facial Kit.

Product Claims:A revolutionary, 6 Step Facial System that helps you get that Facial Glow at the convenience of your home. It’s a Do It Yourself Facial Kit, which allows you to get your facial done, all by yourself. It comes in the form of a Kit which combines all the steps that a facial session needs combined with products made of natural ingredients & VLCC’s years of expertise.

Similar to the other facial kits that VLCC offers, this one is also a 6-steps facial system. The steps are followed in specific order with specific product type. You will find 6 individual sachets or tubes which are numbered for easy reference. The ingredients and usage directions are also printed on individual sachets to guide you perform the steps without any confusion.

Step 1: Comfrey Cleanser cum Toner

Prep your skin by massaging Comfrey cleanser cum toner on the wet skin, massage for few minutes and wipe it off with a damp cotton pad. This cleanser not only removes external impurities off the skin but also minimizes pores as a preparatory step. Comfrey is a flower whose extract helps to promote new skin cell growth. It has anti-inflammation properties too.

Step 2: Indian Berberry Face Scrub
This unique scrub enriched with Papaya Seed & Dates extracts that exfoliates, retextures & gently moisturizes the skin. A thin layer of this scrub should be evenly spread all over the face and neck. Leave it to work for 2 minutes and then gently rub it to slough off dead n damaged skin. My dry skin felt really soft and deeply moisturized after rinsing the scrub from the skin. It also reduces tanning to certain extent. Dates also also said to have anti-ageing capabilities. I liked that unlike anti tan facial kit, its not a powdered scrub.

Step 3:Saffron Massage Gel
After the gentle scrubbing, I paused for few minutes to relax the skin. And then used ultra light gel enriched with Mulberry & Saffron extract. The gel helps to lighten & brighten the skin while giving supple feel. Both the ingredients used in this gel naturally improve the appearance of skin by restoring lost radiance, as they are believed to treat dark spots and blemish too. I found it so soothing and smelling lovely.

Step 4: Snigdha Face Cream
This cream is enriched with skin-lightening co-agents like Mulberry and Lemon Peel extract that lightens skin pigments without dehydrating the skin making it visibly fairer and radiant. There is no doubt in the efficacy of the product as you start noticing the difference as you are through first 2-3 steps. The cream penetrates easily with light massage and you may feel like touching the kissable soft skin ;)

Step 5: Insta Glow Face Pack
The pack is the finishing step of the facial as you might be expecting. It has to stay on the skin until it dries up completely which may take around 15-20 mins, so you may need to sit and relax patiently. After you wipe it off with wet sponge or cotton pad, this creamy pack with Lavender and Rosemary extract will brighten the complexion, giving you a characteristic luminosity. Further filled with goodness of Saffron & Hazelnut extract, this pack is bound to add to your glow instantly. 

Step 6: Oil Free Moisturising Gel
Considering this gel as an additional step, I feel it provides you with a protective shield from harmful UVA & UVB rays for its SPF 15 with PA+ formula. You may or may not follow this step, but if you stepping out immediately after getting your facial done, then its a must-do so that the delicate skin may avoid external sun damage. I wish the SPF rating would have been higher.  

The brand claims this facial kit is for single use, but I'm sure one can easily get atleast two facial done in the quantity offered. I advice to follow up with the same facial routine to maintain your renewed skin every 3-4 weeks for lasting effect.

Price n Availability: Rs. 250. 

Hope you find the product review helpful.

*PR Sample.