Swathy and Sky

You are here: Home / Archives for oily skin

oily skin

Himalaya Purifying Neem Scrub and Purifying Neem Face Pack {Product Review}

· · 20 Comments

I used both the products in conjunction to maximize their potential. So, lets get to reviewing them separately.
Purifying Neem Scrub
Price: 65 INR for 50gms
Ingredients
Neem and Apricot: Key Ingredients
My Experience
This scrub is for all skin types. It is a creamy scrub but not so creamy that it will break you out.The granules are gentle and not sharp that they scratch the skin but the density of granules is comparatively less. That is one disadvantage but the exfoliation is gentle and doesn’t irritate the skin at all. The scrub would suit all the skin types except the one with acne problems. It will suit sensitive skin too. A drawback is that it doesn’t help with the blackheads 🙁 The scrub makes the skin looking brighter and fresh. The scrub also doesn’t leave any kind of residue after getting washed off and leaves the skin supple. It doesn’t dry the skin out and make it feel stretchy. A good scrub if you want an emergency fixing up of your skin.
My Recommendation
Yes!! It is a good scrub at a very nominal price.
Purifying Neem Face Pack
Price: 65 INR for 50gms
Ingredients
Multani Mitti, Neem and Turmeric: Key Ingredients
My Experience
It is muddy green in color and really smells weird. I can’t classify the smell but it is somewhat between herbal and chemical.The face pack is specially for normal to oily skin. I have combination skin and I have used this pack on alternate days after using the Neem face scrub. The result is a supple skin but I did not feel the pack did something really extraordinary to my face. The scrub gives better results. When applied, the face pack does feel cool and soothing on the skin but it doesn’t really help with breakouts.
Applying the face pack is easy enough but the face pack is more granular than clay which makes an uneven application sometimes. The face pack also doesn’t dry out consistently. It takes around 20 minutes to dry out completely and really gets hardened while it dries which gives a nice toned result. Removing the face pack is not so difficult but not so easy also and while removing you can feel the granular texture of the face pack. I wish the face pack was more creamy instead of granular. Overall. I found it to be an ok product. The result is again a fresh looking skin. It doesn’t leave the skin stretchy or dry instead makes the skin hydrated and supple.
My Recommendation
A good face pack which can be given a try and it is very much affordable. You might like it or might not like it but it will suit you definitely.
PS: Product sent by brand for consideration.

I know my skin type!!!

· · Leave a Comment

Ok, so this may sound really weird coz I have been blogging about beauty since more than a year and till now, I was unaware of my skin type which is one of the most basic principles of beauty – identifying your skin type. I always though my skin was dry, then I came to the conclusion that it is normal to dry and then, I thought its just crazy, gets oily when it feels like (under hot sun and I sweat a lot) or dries up in winters sometimes like really crazy. But, lately, I have been really analyzing my skin. Its very simple if you pay attention but we sometimes simply tend to ignore taking everything we know for granted. I have big pores around my nose and my nose is generally shiny so obviously I have a combination skin and everything I apply on my face makes me greasy so I could have concluded this long back!!! Anyways, better late than never 🙂 But, even now, I can say that I do have skin which tends to be more dry. 
In all this, I have realized one thing – skin type has to be deduced almost very periodically. Our skin texture changes in every season (even on a day-to-day basis during seasonal changes or any other health conditions) and also due to the products we use. Seems pretty obvious, I know but when it comes to applying we fail. So, we are having summers now. Will our skin go drier or oilier??? You never know!!! So, keep it light in the morning and heavy at night. Ok, if you don’t have a cooler or an AC (which I am completely against, it makes you lazy!!!), applying anything on skin can make you feel suffocated and hot. Oils are a big no-no in the summer time, though, I am still using my facial oils. Go for serums and hydration lotions and do suggest me some, please!!! Both face moisturizers and body lotions. I am out of both and have no idea what to go for coz every thing seems so heavy and thick. And, invest in blotting papers (do tell me where you got yours :D). 
Btw, if you are looking out for sunscreens or sunblocks, do consider Neutrogena coz they have really great sunscreens – ageshield if available in India is good otherwise the other one with spf 50 is amazing. Review would be coming in the month of May. It is costly but worth it. Do try out the sample before buying but it suits oily and combination well. Not sure about dry skin so do give it a shot!!! And, grab your sunglasses and full sleeves cotton clothes or elbow-reaching gloves and scarves and umbrellas and bottle of water whenever you step out of your house and enjoy!!!!! Btw, don’t forget to analyze your skin and identify your skin type correctly.

Do you feel too oily after applying sunscreen?

· · 5 Comments

Well, I hate applying sunscreen because it makes my skin feel like a frying pan even though I have normal to dry skin. None of the sunscreens suit me and I am always in search of new ones. These days I have shifted to Biotique sunscreens and lets see what I have to tell you about them. Now, every day after my bath, I apply a moisturizer (no particular brand) then follow up with sunscreen after 5-10 minutes. So, the fresh feeling which comes to my skin after having my bath vanishes the moment I slather on anything on it and my skin turns dark on its own accord. Ok, I want to say that this does not mean that I apply loads of product. I use very little product but still it happens. So, today, similar kind of thing happened and I was not in a hurry so I took time out to try out a simple trick to curb the oiliness.

I used tissue paper to blot out the oiliness. Spread the whole tissue paper on your face and press gently but firmly. If the skin is too greasy, tissue paper would stick to it. So, keep on blotting till the stickiness in your skin disappears. Do not forget to blot your neck and chest areas too. And, the result was a soft skin with a glow on the face. My face was no more sticky and greasy. If you also suffer from the peculiar problem of skin darkening after applying anything on skin, that would disappear after this step.While choosing tissue papers, go for paper ones instead of mixed ones or cloth ones. Probably a toilet paper would be even better for this job but I have no idea. The best would definitely be blotting papers if you find them. And, finally, if you want, you can do a little touch up with a compact and face spray or mist.

One more thing I want to add is that do the blotting of your skin every time you find your face becomes greasy. It will also help you remove the dirt and extra product from your face which would otherwise be blocking your pores. And, it also helps you look fresh and dewy all the time. So, make tissue papers a part of your essentials-on-the-go. You might even be wondering why I did not opt for refreshing wipes. Frankly, I do not like them. They leave a film on my face which I absolutely loathe and then it becomes drying for my skin. If it suits your skin, you might want to go ahead with them but then contain a lot of alcohol (most of the times) and preservatives which I prefer to avoid. Hope this helps you as well as it did help me 🙂