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Rustic Art Aloevera Gel

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Price: Rs 150ml for 100gms

Ingredients
Aloevera Gel, Lemon Extracts (lemon extract acts as a preservative)
Pros
– perfect for oily or combination skin or even normal skin, especially in summers
– firms up the skin
– gives a glow
– increases the skin’s hydration levels
– dries up and gets absorbed very quickly into the skin
– products lasts really long
– can be used as a night treatment
Cons
– doesn’t do anything for pores size but then it doesn’t really claim that!!!
– its not organic 🙁
– don’t know if it really removes tanning
My Experience
The gel is colorless and comes in a sturdy plastic jar from which you can scoop out the gel. It smells of nothing, just a faint aloe vera smell. The texture is just like a dehydrated aloe gel. It goes a little (very little) sticky in the end just like the actual aloe gel does which can be simply washed off. The product will last you two-three months which is pretty good.
I really like it. The gel feels cool on the skin but that doesn’t last more than 10 seconds. It gets dried up and absorbed very very quickly so you have to apply it as quickly as possible otherwise it will dry up on your palm. The pros really say everything about what I experienced after using the product for the past one month. And, I have already recommended it to many people!!!
Dry skin people should also use it and since I was facing dry skin in the past month, I used to follow this with oil. And, gradually, I noticed that my dryness reduced and my skin became more supple and hydrated even though I was taking less of water. And, there is a glow on my skin which I completely love. I can also see that it has firmed up my skin really well, not that my skin was loose but I can see the difference.
Ok, so, the product is not organic which had disappointed me and I would love it if they get an organic variant too. And, I don’t think that it did anything for my tanning but I am not really sure on this point. If I do see a difference in the future, I will definitely report back. I also tried using it as a leave-in conditioner in my hair but it didn’t really work out. I shall try that again, though!!
Availability
Other Rustic Art products:

Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask {Product Review}

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I am definitely in love with the brand. Almost all of its products work so fabulously. And, I would love to try more of them. So, lets check out how this worked for me?
Price: 13.25 Pounds (Rs 1000 approx) for 75mlIngredients 

The sponges are made up of 100% cellulose
Packaging
I love the packaging. The whole thing came in a zip pouch as you can see in the pic. Don’t you just love it when you are treated special with such small considerations??? They sent two sponges two along with the mask to wash off the mask.
the sponges get hard after being rinsed in water but nothing to worry about!!!
My Experience

Ok, so I look almost like Shrek when I have this on my face. As you can see, its a dirty green to grayish in color and smells weird, frankly. It is supposed to have rose-scented geranium but the smell is no where like rose and I don’t know what Geranium smells like but it must be bad. The fragrance is also earthy and herbal which makes you feel good about the mask. And, the smell is not at all over-powering so no problems.
So, you are supposed to apply the mask in a generous layer after cleansing with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser and let it stay for 5-10 minutes before wiping it off. Well, I thought 5-10 minutes is pretty less so I let it stay for 15-20 minutes but actually you can wipe it off as soon as it dries. Now, the mask doesn’t dry off like other clay masks and doesn’t get hardened. It just dries off and makes the face a little stiff. That’s it!! So, you will know its time to wipe it off. So, use the sponges given, take one in each hand and wring it in hot water and wipe off the mask. When the whole thing is gone, splash cool water on the face and follow with a moisturizer.
So, how does it feel when the mask is on? Frankly, its awesome. It feels hot or warmed up to a comfortable extent (I don’t know if its a psychological feeling) and the first time I used it, it did tingle for 2 minutes on my face but never again. And, if feels comfortable to keep it on so you will feel nice. The warmth feeling goes away after probably 4-5 minutes. And, boy, you do feel like its a deep cleansing mask you have applied on. You can actually feel it working. And, what’s the skin like after washing off the mask?Well, I would say nothing special. Yeah, I know. It cleanses the skin well but it doesn’t make our face light like a bulb or something. Liz Earle has a separate mask for that. The skin looks exactly the same as before, just that its more dewy and soft and oil-free and may be plump too because it does look a little hydrated. The best part of the mask is that it is so good at removing the excess oils. It doesn’t make my face dry or anything. In fact, I would say that the first time I applied the mask, I was disappointed to find not much difference in the face. But, next day, I observed that there was comparatively less oil production. And, with regular usage of the mask, my face does produce less oil but then the temperatures are also cooling off to be fair. And, also after removing the mask, your face feels pleasantly cool and whatever treatment you follow up after the mask is absorbed really quickly into the skin. And, since we are talking about Deep Cleansing, you would definitely want to know about blackheads and pores size. So, as I have shared with you, much of my blackheads problem was solved due to using Groundnut oil for cleansing, the remaining ones did get removed along with the mask. And, the pores size do get reduced but that effect is temporary. Overall, I am very happy with the mask.

My Recommendation
Yes, an unequivocal yes for all the oily and combination skin gals out there. It really works!!!

My Skin Care Routine by Ansh {Guest Post}

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Hello everyone, I’m Ansh from Vanity No Apologies and Swati has taken a back seat today 😛 I was quite confused when she asked to guest blog at her place since there were a gazillion topics in my mind but then I picked this one up since I’m a curious cat and like to know about other girls’ skin care routine. So I thought of letting you peep into my treasure of secrets.
For the record, I’ve combination/oily, acne prone and super sensitive skin. Yeah the worst kind imaginable! So, basically very few products suit me and I try not to mess up with my skin care because my skin rules me rather than other way round. Here I’ll share the very basic and natural things I use for my face and body.
Cleansing
I use honey and mix a few drops of lemon (2-3 max since I’ve sensitive skin) and use it to wash my face every morning. Honey is a great cleanser. I sometimes use raw milk and apply all over my face with a cotton wool and wash off after 15mins, regular usage has lightened my dark spots. As for the body, I use the masoor dal and turmeric pack whenever I’ve time. It has helped me with the tanning and reduced the elbow pigmentation.
Toning
We have all heard that rose water is a natural toner, so I tried using the Gulabari spray freshener and it was just HORRIBLE! It made my face red, blotchy and itchy. For a long time, I didn’t use any toner, simply because none of them would suit me and infact would give me allergic reactions. From lakme to aroma magic, I didn’t leave a single toner untried. So, now I resort to natural methods of toning my face. Most of the times I end up using over-the-counter products but keep in my mind to use a natural toner at-least before sleeping. I now use a home made green tea toner. For it, mix green tea leaves in hot water and add a few drops of tea tree oil and lemon. I agree its time consuming but worth the effort.
Moisturizing
I use aloe vera gel all over my face to moisturize. I’ve an aloe vera plant at home and get it direst from the leaf everyday and store the remaining in the fridge. If you don’t have it at your home, there are a lot of brands with aloe vera tubs to offer at great prices. I sometimes use the vitamin e capsules in the over-the-counter moisturizers. Other than that I use Liz Earle and Fab India. Instead of using a body lotion, I use olive oil + coconut oil on my body straight after a hot shower. It takes care of the dryness to a very great extent. Must for the coming winters.
Exfoliating
Take 2-3 tbsp of raw oats and mix it with honey and a few drops of tea tree oil. Regular usage of this scrub has shown a great improvement in my skin texture. I used the lemon and sugar scrub once and it was a disaster! So, this shows no matter how much natural and home made the tip might be, use your brains and go ahead only if it is meant for your skin type. I use St. Ives scrub too, so if don’t have much time then it is a good option as well. And I started using that clean & clear scrub but it’s of no use, save some bucks.
Face Packs 
Earlier I would apply face packs like a maniac..2 per day and then go on for months without even touching them once. No prizes for guessing that it never helped me. You need to keep your patience with the homemade things, don’t expect miracles overnight. Apply face packs atleast thrice a week according to your skin type. Applying a banana or curd pack to a very oily skin would only worsen the situation. So, keep your skin type in mind.
Papaya…yes that not-so-tasty (or the most yuck fruit if I’ve the liberty to say so!), yes that healthy papaya. I don’t even like the smell of it, so ripe and gross. But it does work wonders to your skin. Mash a ripe papaya and apply on your face. If you can’t bear the smell…then breath from your mouth silly and shut up your nose for those difficult 15 minutes!
You see how these mixtures use the ingredients which are very easily available. I agree they take a lot of time but you can do all of this while watching TV or something like that…time management! 😉 Hope it helped you and I’m here to answer your queries, if any.About the Author: Ansh is a Fashion and Beauty Blogger based in Delhi. Check out her blog at ‘Vanity – No Apologies’. You will find everything from her dress hauls to her reflections on the products she has used on her blog. Her particular specialty, if I may say so, is in how to deal with sensitive problem-prone skin which is, of course, very useful for all of us as the experience is first-hand. And, don’t forget to check out her blog. I am sure you will enjoy her blog.