Kind Culture > indian beauty

indian beauty

Tag: indian beauty

Plum Goodness Grape Seed Cream Reviews

Beauty, General, Reviews, Skincare

Last week, I realised that I still had a few more products from Plum left to review so I decided to do a quick poll on whether you guys wanted to see more reviews from this brand or not. Thankfully, you all weren’t fed up of seeing me talk about this brand.

This post is a review is on the Light Stay Day Cream and the Night Cream from the Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn range.

A little about Plum Goodness…

Plum Goodness is an online-cosmetic brand, based in India, that was founded by Shankar Prasad in July 2014. The brand is one of the first 100% vegan brands in India that are completely committed to ensuring that their products are ‘safe and good’ – not only are the products cruelty-free but they are also free of parabens, phthalates and SLS.

One of my favourite things that I like about the Plum Goodness brand is that they do not promote any skin whitening products, something that is unfortunately rife in India’s cosmetic industry, and they also keep all aspects of their line as ‘good’ as possible. The products all feature the ‘1% For The Planet’ logo, meaning that Plum Goodness give 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations that are dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Light Stay Day Cream ☀

The Plum Goodness Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Light Stay Day Cream is a combination of sun protection, everyday hydration and nourishment, with long-lasting SPF30 protection, healing sea buckthorn oil and nourishing grape seed oil. The non-greasy formula absorbs very well, while the natural anti-oxidants of both the sea buckthorn oil and grape seed oil helps to prevent sun damage to skin. On the Plum Goodness website, the light stay cream is recommended for those with normal, dry and combination skin types, and it is recommended that you apply the cream on the neck and face every morning.

The day cream is priced at Rs. 475.00 (Indian rupees) for 60ml, which is approximately £5.00 – please do bear in mind that the exchange rate can fluctuate, and the price could be a little higher for someone purchasing from outside of India. I bought the cream on sale as part of the Berry Bundle, at the time it was worth Rs. 1050 and I was charged £11.92 for it but normally the bundle is worth Rs. 1,440.

Review

The day cream smells exactly like the face mask and foam scrub from the grape seed and sea buckthorn, I can still mainly smell the grape seed oil in the cream. I found the texture of the cream to be very light and smooth, once I blend it into my skin the cream moisturizes the skin without being too oily, I’ve actually been using this cream before applying makeup and it works well at smoothing out my skin. There have actually been times where I go out without any foundation or primer on because the cream works just that well for my skin, bear in mind that I use the Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Foam Scrub before applying the cream.

The Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Nurturance Night Cream 🌙

The Plum Goodness Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Nurturance Night Cream provides hydration and nourishment to your skin overnight, ensuring that your skin has the optimum level of moisture content, gets its supply of essential nutrients, and allows skin repair to take place. The night cream prevents dryness, while the grape seed and sea buckthorn oils nourish, heal and repair skin. The vitamins A,C,E & minerals from grape seed oil supply essential nutrition to your skin while the polyphenols, beta carotenes and essential fatty acids from sea buckthorn oil for skin repair.

The night cream is priced at Rs. 550.00 (Indian rupees) for 50ml, which is approximately £6.00 – and like I mentioned before, I bought the cream on sale as part of the Berry Bundle, which at the time it was worth Rs. 1050 and I was charged £11.92 for it but normally the bundle is worth Rs. 1,440.

Review

When using the night cream, I could mainly smell the grape seed oil in there and of course as it’s a night cream the texture is thicker and richer than the day cream. I normally use this on a daily basis, after I have used the foam scrub from the same collection, and I must admit that I am very impressed with the quality of this particular cream. The night cream works well at hydrating my skin throughout the night and makes my skin feel soft right until the next day. What I also love about the night cream is that I don’t have to use much of the cream for it to work, sometimes I apply the minimum amount possible and it is nourishes my skin. I’ve been using both the creams with the foam scrub from the same range as part of my daily skincare routine and my natural skin as never looked so good. 👌🏽💆🏽‍✨

If you are from India, then you can order directly from the Plum Goodness website. If you live outside of India, then you can order the products by emailing hello@plumgoodness.com

I hope you all enjoyed my Plum Goodness Grape Seed Cream Reviews.

Don’t forget to comment, share and follow.

 

– Sonam

P.S: For more skincare reviews, click here. 

Plum Goodness Green Tea Face Wash Review

Beauty, General, Reviews, Skincare

Today, I thought it was about time that I shared the fourth post of my Plum Goodness review series, I had so much planned for the new year that I kind of forgot to share this post, I know that I’ve done few posts on this brand already but I needed to get through the series. This post is a review on the face scrub from the Plum Goodness Green Tea range.

About Plum Goodness…

Plum Goodness is an online-cosmetic brand, based in India, that was founded by Shankar Prasad in July 2014. The brand is one of the first 100% vegan brands in India that are completely committed to ensuring that their products are ‘safe and good’ – not only are the products cruelty-free but they are also free of parabens, phthalates and SLS.

One of my favourite things that I like about the Plum Goodness brand is that they do not promote any skin whitening products, something that is unfortunately rife in India’s cosmetic industry, and they also keep all aspects of their line as ‘good’ as possible. The products all feature the ‘1% For The Planet’ logo, meaning that Plum Goodness give 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations that are dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Green Tea Pore-Cleansing Face Wash

The Plum Goodness Green Tea Pore-Cleansing Face Wash is part of Plum Goodness’ Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn collection. The face wash is made of 100% biodegradable, natural, skin-friendly cellulose beads, no plastic whatsoever, that gently buff away debris and dead cells. The face wash is also made of Glycolic acid that helps gently remove older, surface skin cells, which can otherwise cause dull complexion and clogged pores – and acne. It also contains green tea extracts, retaining the polyphenols (the real antioxidant stuff), which is safe and effective in keeping your skin clear.

On the Plum Goodness website, the face wash is recommended for those with normal and combination skin types, but is not recommended for people with very dry skin, acne-prone skin and for those with extremely sensitive skin. When applying the scrub, you simply need to wash your hands and splash some water on your face, take a small amount of the face wash and gently rub it over your faces in small circles – once your done with the scrub use water to remove the lather/foam and pat your skin dry.

The face wash is priced at Rs. 345.00 (Indian rupees) for 75ml, which is approximately £4.00 – please do bear in mind that the exchange rate can fluctuate, and the price could be a little higher for someone purchasing from outside of India but I was charged exactly £4.00 for the scrub.

Review

Initially, I used this face scrub straight after using the Green Tea Face Mask, so my skin was pretty clear to begin with, but it’s the perfect scrub to use if your skin is breaking out, the face wash was so gentle on my skin despite having (huge) spots.

This face wash was surprisingly mild, considering how strong green tea can be in beauty products and also taking into account my sensitive skin, it worked wonders for my skin. After washing my face, my skin was visibly clearer and firmer, the effects of the face wash lasted for most of the day which is a bonus for me. This is perfect for anyone who wants to help control break outs, acne-prone or mildly sensitive skin, although if you are unsure I would recommend you ask a specialist before using it. 👌🏽‍✨

If you are from India, then you can order directly from the Plum Goodness website. If you live outside of India, then you can order the products by emailing hello@plumgoodness.com

I hope you all enjoyed my Plum Goodness Green Tea Face Wash review. Don’t forget to comment, share and follow.

 

– Sonam x

P.S: For more skincare reviews click here. 

Plum Goodness Green Tea Face Mask Review

Beauty, General, Reviews, Skincare

Today I wanted to share with you all the third review of a series of reviews on some products that I ordered from Plum Goodness, it has been a little while since I did another post from this series. (This whole season has mainly been about skin care but I do have some different posts coming out soon.)

Are Plum cruelty free?

A post shared by Kind Culture (@kindcultureuk) on

Plum Goddness is an online-cosmetic brand, based in India, that was founded by Shankar Prasad in July 2014. The brand is one of the first 100% vegan brands in India that are completely committed to ensuring that their products are ‘safe and good’ – not only are the products cruelty-free but they are also free of parabens, phthalates and SLS.  The products all feature the ‘1% For The Planet’ logo, meaning that Plum Goodness give 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations that are dedicated to protecting the environment.

 

The Green Tea Clear Face Mask

The Green Tea Clearn Face Mask is made of kaolin and bentonite clays for a natural cleansing and exfoliation of the skin. The face mask also contains extracts of green tea, to stop the acne formation cycle in its tracks and the glycolic acid sweeps away skin debris and prepares the skin for self-renewal.

The face mask is priced at Rs. 490.00 (Indian rupees) for 60g, which is approximately £6.00 – please do bear in mind that the exchange rate does fluctuate but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference in the price for someone purchasing from abroad.

Review

My first thoughts about the face mask is that the smell of the green tea is very subtle and clean. The consistency of the face mask felt very smooth, creamy and almost mousse-like. Once I applied the face mask, my skin did tingle for 5 minutes and I felt like the mask was stretching and tightening my skin and as it dried. It’s important to bear in mind that I do have sensitive skin, so not everyone will have the same kind of reaction that I do.

As the mask had completely dried my skin stopped feeling as tight as it did before. The smell of the green tea mask was actually very soothing and although it’s recommended to leave on the mask for 30 minutes, I ended up keeping it on for (approximately) 45 minutes – I was watching a film and lost track of time.

After washing the face mask off my face, my skin felt incredibly smooth, I generally don’t really have big pores but they were barely visible after using the mask. The black heads and a little bit of oil that I normally get on my t-zone was gone and my skin had an amazing post-facial glow that I normally get after going to a salon. Despite not having acne-prone skin, the mask worked amazingly at clearing my skin.

I still have two more products left to review from this series, and I’d love to know what your thoughts are on it!

If you are from India, then you can order directly from the Plum Goodness website. If you live outside of India, then you can order the products by emailing hello@plumgoodness.com

I hope you all enjoyed my Plum Goodness Green Tea Face Mask review. For more skincare reviews, click here.

Plum Goodness Grape Seed Face Mask Review

Beauty, General, Reviews, Skincare

Today I wanted to share with you all the first review of a series of reviews on some products that I ordered from Plum Goodness.

Who are Plum Goodness?

A post shared by Kind Culture (@kindcultureuk) on

Plum Goddness is an online-cosmetic brand, based in India, that was founded by Shankar Prasad in July 2014. The brand is one of the first 100% vegan brands in India that are completely committed to ensuring that their products are ‘safe and good’ – not only are the products cruelty-free but they are also free of parabens, phthalates and SLS. The products are renowned for being both high-quality and affordable.

One of my favourite things that I like about the Plum Goodness brand is that they do not promote any skin whitening products, something that is unfortunately rife in India’s cosmetic industry, and they also keep all aspects of their line as ‘good’ as possible. The products all feature the ‘1% For The Planet’ logo, meaning that Plum Goodness give 1% of their sales to non-profit organizations that are dedicated to protecting the environment.

The Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Renaissance Face Mask

The mask is made of kaolin and bentonite clays for a natural cleansing and exfoliation of the skin. The grape seed oil is rich in polyphenols (anti-oxidants), Vitamins D, C, E, flavonoids and essential fatty acids, while the sea buckthorn oil heals skin damage naturally without skin irritation.

The face mask is priced at Rs. 450.00 (Indian rupees) for 75g, which is approximately £5.25 – please do bear in mind that the exchange rate does fluctuate but it shouldn’t make too much of a difference in the price for someone purchasing from abroad.

Review

The first thing that I noticed about the Grape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Renaissance Face Mask was how easy it was to apply. The texture of the face mask is very smooth and slightly creamy, it generally smells very clean and the colour is a natural looking nude peach.

When I applied the face mask I did feel a bit of a tingling sensation, I do have sensitive skin so that is quite a normal reaction for me. After a few moments, the mask felt and smelt quite gentle, I could smell the grape seed oil more than anything else but I must admit that the smell was not overbearing. As mentioned before the recommended time to leave the mask on for is 30 minutes, but surprisingly the mask dried within 10 minutes of application. I left it on for the recommended amount of time, my skin did feel tight once it dried.

After washing off the mask, my skin visibly looked softer and brighter – I felt like I was glowing. Not only had the face mask manage to fade some of my dark blemishes but it also made my skin feel firmer than normal.

So far, I am extremely impressed with the high quality of this face mask, it’s the perfect mask to use to keep your skin looking fresh throughout the autumn weather – I cannot wait to share my review of the other products by Plum Goodness. 😄👌🏽💆🏽‍♀️✨

If you are from India, then you can order directly from the Plum Goodness website. If you live outside of India, then you can order the products by emailing hello@plumgoodness.com

I hope you all enjoyed my Plum Goodness Grape Seed Face Mask review.

 

For more skincare reviews click here. 

Himalaya Herbals Neem Scrub + Wash Review

Beauty, General, Reviews, Skincare

Today I wanted to share another Neem post with you all, since I know that you all love my posts on Ayurveda.

What is Ayurveda?

For those of you that are new to my blog (welcome!), you can check out my previous Ayurvedic posts by clicking on the images below:

  

To quickly define what Ayurveda is; it is a traditional medical science that was created by the Vedas in India which covers a broad spectrum of health and well being (from beauty to yoga and so on). Today the remedies that are provided by Ayurveda are well established in the field of beauty and alternative medicine​, in fact, a lot of the foundations of modern-day mindfulness and holistic lifestyles are influenced by Ayurveda. Those of you that have been following my blog will be more than aware of my love of Ayurvedic Beauty products and how passionate I am to show you all​ brands that are ​both cruelty free and ​well established in the field of Ayurveda.

Are Himalaya Herbals cruelty free?

Himalaya Herbals are a cruelty free brand based in India that are committed to creating natural herbal products based on the ancient traditions of Ayurveda. The company create a variety of products from haircare, beauty, bath and body products to toiletries – they even have a baby care range.

To check the cruelty free status of Himalaya Herbals you can check by typing out ‘Organique by Himalaya’ on the Leaping Bunny product search by Cruelty free International. You can also check the back of the Himalaya Herbals products for the No Animal Testing/Cruelty Free logo.

Purifying Neem Scrub Review

The Purifying Neem Scrub is made with a blend of Neem as well as Apricot which has quite a cool and gentle touch to it. The Apricot is used to scrub away blackheads and dead skin while the Neem is used for its natural anti-bacterial properties, leaving the skin clean and smooth. When using the scrub I noticed that the little scrub granules are not at all harsh on the skin, so it generally works well for someone that has quite soft skin.

Purifying Neem Face Wash Review


The Neem Face Wash is a gel that’s made using Neem & Tumeric and I must say it was surprisingly gentle on my skin, considering how strong both the main ingredients can be (also, it looks like Flubber to me haha). The Tumeric works to naturally control acne and pimple outbreaks and again the Neem is used for its natural anti-bacterial properties. After using the face wash the skin is left with a natural glow and the skin stays quite soft during the day.
Overall, both products work well for my sensitive skin, but I would recommend those with extremely sensitive skin to consult a dermatologist before trying Neem products.​ Whenever I use these products, I end up using them together – but you can use them individually.
Good news for all of my readers based in U.K, most of the Himalaya Herbals range is available to buy at Beauty Base. The Purifying Neem Scrub costs £2.59 and the Purifying Neem Face Wash costs £2.99 at Beauty Base.
I hope you all enjoyed my Himalaya Herbals Neem Scrub + Wash review.
Don’t forget to comment, share & follow.
– Sonam x

Lotus Herbals Apriscrub Review

Bath & Body, Beauty, Reviews, Skincare

I had to take a break from blogging because of my final exams, but I am so glad that my final year is finally over. If anyone that has gone through this phase in their life tells you that university is a breeze, they are either a horrible liar, or extremely lazy – this last year was a real challenge and words cannot accurately describe how relieved I am that it is over.

During my revision and exam time I had pretty much neglected taking care of myself I like normally would do, and had pretty much turned into a slob, but one product that I had been continuously using was the apricot face scrub called Apriscrub by Lotus Herbals that I had bought from India. Despite the fact that I was under a lot of stress during this period I have to admit that I hardly broke out with any spots, in fact it kept my skin relatively clear.

About the brand

Apriscrub is made for all skin types and it’s specifically made to remove dead skin and keep your skin looking fresh, from my experience it has significantly reduced the amount of oil that I get on my T-zone (the forehead and nose). The best thing about this particular scrub is that its made with an ingredient that people are familiar with, as naturally people can become a little apprehensive when using trying different ayurvedic products and it also does not leave a lasting smell. It actually smells like a nice blend of apricot and musk.

Lotus Herbals leaping bunny and vegetarian logos.

Lotus Herbals is an Indian herbal cosmetic company that pride themselves in their innovative use of ayurvedic ingredients and their ongoing scientific research – they even have a make up range. What makes them even better is that they are a cruelty free company, and they actually have the leaping bunny logo and green dot logo to verify that they are both cruelty free and have vegetarian origins. One thing that I have noticed about ayurvedic and herbal cosmetic companies in general is that they do not test on animals but the only problem that I have with some of these companies is that they do not always verify this, which can make consumers sceptical of them. The companies seem to make the assumption that we would automatically understand that the products are not tested on animals but I personally think that they tend to forget that being cruelty free and organic is not mutually exclusive.

Are Lotus Herbals cruelty free?

Compulsory brown and green dots on packaging

In India, it is still legal to test on animals but in the past few years there have been active steps in the right direction to make changes to the law. Before I had mentioned that the Apriscrub packaging had a green dot on the back of it; for those of you who are not familiar with products made in India it was made mandatory by the Indian government in 2014 to have a green dot on the packaging of cosmetic products, food and household items to signify that the product has been made with vegetarian origins for the majority vegetarian population. For products that have been made from non-vegetarian origins there will be a brown dot, or in some cases red dot, which will make consumers aware of what type of product they are purchasing.

Where to get Apriscrub

I bought the scrub for 245 rupees for 180ml in India, which works out for roughly £2.48. However, I am not sure if it sold in any stores in the U.K but you can order it from Amazon for £5.48 with free delivery, which is a positive thing considering that it is £3 more than the price that I had originally paid for but it is  definitely worth buying.

I would love to know your thoughts on this piece, and whether you all think that I should continue to write more about Ayurvedic beauty. I hope you all enjoyed my Lotus Herbals Apriscrub review.

Click here to read more skincare reviews. 

Patanjali Amla Hair Oil Review

Bath & Body, Beauty, General, Hair Care, Reviews

Patanjali Amla Hair Oil Review

Generally speaking, Ayurveda is widely regarded as a traditional medical science which originated from the Vedas in India but it covers a much broader spectrum of health and well being from beauty to yoga and so on. Today the remedies that are provided by Ayurveda are well established in the field of beauty and alternative medicine. It is definitely something that I have been quite keen in learning more about, those of you that have been following my blog for quite some time will be aware of my interest in Ayurveda, I’ve even blogged about an Ayurvedic beauty product before (Ayurvedic Beauty: Neem Mask ).

Amla Hair Oil Review

The Amla hair oil is produced by the company Patanjali, which specialise in Ayurvedic products and also sell food that are produced by people in the rural areas of India. Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, are typically used in hair care products and is used specifically for the purpose of strengthening the roots and thus preventing hair fall. On the packaging it also states that it can also be used to prevent split ends and the inevitable graying of hair; I assume that for you to actually see the results you would have to use it over a long period like most herbal products.

 

From my experience the best way to actually put the oil on is by taking a little bit of oil at a time, massage it on your scalp and then gradually work on the rest of your hair. It is recommended to keep the oil on for at least half an hour before washing it out, but this could depend on your hair length and type, I have left the oil in my hair for roughly 2 hours but it’s entirely up to you! I particularly like the texture of the Amla hair oil as it doesn’t seem to stick to your hands, but I must admit that it has quite a strong smell, so it’s definitely best to use on a day off.

The only real problem that I would say that I have with the product is the flimsy cap, I had to put quite a lot of cello tape around the cap just to secure it when I was travelling back from India to the U.K. In India, I had bought the 100ml bottle of the hair oil for 40 rupees, which works out to be just over 40p. Unfortunately, on Amazon it is sold for a little bit more than what it is in India but I guess that is expected, online it is sold for £4.60. Although that may seem to be quite a bit for a 100ml bottle of hair oil, it is actually worth buying as the oil itself works quite well in small quantities, so I would definitely recommend it to you all!

It would be great to know what your thoughts are on this post, and whether any of you have tried Amla hair oil before. I hope you all enjoyed my Patanjali Amla Hair Oil Review. 🙂

Click here to read my hair care review. 

Hesh Pharma Neem Mask Review

Bath & Body, Beauty, General, Hair Care, Reviews

Hesh Pharma Neem Mask Review

Today I thought that I should share a completely different kind of cruelty free product from India called Neem. The scientific name for Neem leaves are Azadirachta Indica and it’s quite a popular ingredient in Ayurvedic Beauty. Neem trees can be found across South Asia and even parts of the Middle East. For those of you who are not familiar with Ayurveda in general, it is a 6,000 year old science, or tradition, that originated from the Vedas in India. Ayurveda predominantly involves herbal remedies and medicines as well as yoga; there are many different branches of Ayurveda but it’s beauty and medicine are more established across South Asia. This particular product that I have shown is produced in India by a company called Hesh Pharma and can be bought online or in supermarkets like Tesco. The box that I bought was £1.20 for 100g at my local Tesco.

Hesh Pharma Neem Powder

The Neem leaves powder has natural antiseptic and antibacterial properties so it can be used on both the face and hair. When it is used as a face mask it reduces excessive oil and can be used as a hair mask for dandruff problems. The powder only requires a little water to be made into a paste and is best to wash off with cold water approximately after 10-15 minutes. When the powder is mixed it does look and smell a bit like mehndi/henna but please be assured that it will not stain your face or hair, the only thing you have to worry about is cleaning your sink after washing the mask off.

The rest of the powder needs to be stored in a cool place (or wherever you want to keep it). One thing that I personally find particularly useful about this product is that when I make the paste myself it is quite fresh compared to some of the other ready made face masks that I have bought. On the box it is advised to test this on your skin a day before using it on your face or hair to avoid any reactions you may have.

Indian Cruelty Free Logo

Hesh Pharma produce Ayurvedic products which means that all of their products are made from natural herbal ingredients and they also have a cruelty free logo to show that they do not test any of their products on animals. Unfortunately, there are companies that do test on animals in India so if you do decide that you want to purchase any other kind of Ayurvedic Beauty product do try to look out for the Indian cruelty free logo, it is normally found on the side of products like the picture above.

I hope you all enjoyed my Hesh Pharma Neem Mask review. Click here to buy the Hesh Pharma Neem Mask Powder from Amazon.

Read more skincare reviews here. 

Exit mobile version