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Product Reviews

Anti-Aging Serum Varnya {Product Review}

Swathy · January 25, 2011 · 19 Comments

I know you people have not heard of this and it is not a brand. Now, of course, I have said this time and again that I love facial oils and do not mind trying some. So, do you remember my review of LashMantra? This product, Varnya, has been developed by the same lady, Leon. Before getting into discussing my experience with the product, this is the link to the website. Let me give you a brief introduction to the product.
About Varnya
The name of the product itself is so wonderful that it makes you try it. Varnya is a Sanskrit word which means glowing complexion. This anti-aging serum provides 9 benefits to your skin – reduces fine lines and wrinkles, evens out skin tone, repairs damage caused by UV rays, repairs Acne, tightens sagging skin, fades age spots and blemishes, moisturizes and makes your skin soft and supple, tightens pores and brightens up a dull and sallow complexion. I know it sounds too good to be true but wait till you hear my experience. You can read about the ingredients here. It is a completely organic and natural preparation using botanical and cold-pressed oils.
Now, an interesting thing about this product is that you can get it custom made too. Well, Leon will send you a questionnaire in which you can discuss the type of your skin, allergies you might have, any skin diseases or disorders, your pregnancy conditions or nursing issues and make the product for you based on your answers. Now, why are such questions important. The serum contains some essential oils which are not preferred when you are pregnant or might interact in a negative way if you suffer from hormonal imbalances or have some allergies. So, I would say this is the best service any customer can get directly from the creator. Also, Leon has been testing this product on herself since a year so this is not a just-made product for earning money.
My Experience with Varnya
Now, I would love to discuss my experience with the product. I received Varnya a month ago around the same dates.So, I have been using this product without fail since a month except 2-3 days in between. So, let us start with how much does it fulfill its claims.
  • Claim 1: Reduces fine lines and wrinkles: I would not vouch for its reducing fine lines under my eyes but I would definitely say that my neck line is visibly less prominent and the change is marked not just-so-subtle. Regarding the fine lines under the eyes, I would say that I have not been sleeping properly so can’t blame the serum for not doing the job.
  • Claim 2: Evens out skin tone: Yes, it evens out skin tone really well. My forehead was much more darker in shade than my cheeks and chin which was always a problem for me. I did try a lot of things but nothing worked. Now, my forehead and cheeks are more or less of the same shade.
  • Claim 3: Repairs damage caused by UV rays: I have a skin which is very much vulnerable to sun exposure. The minute I step out int he sun, my skin literally changes color. I have had sun allergy since I was a kid. My face was horribly tanned and even more so my neck. When seen as a unit attached to my shoulders, my neck looked horribly dark. Well, as you guessed, my skin has turned its own color. And, of course, I have been told that I have become fair which means my tan is all gone.
  • Claim 4: Repairs Acne: A very funny thing happened when I was writing this review. My skin is not acne-prone or break-out prone but yes, sometimes, even I do get pimples and stuff. So, lately after November Acne attack (an experience which I have yet to share with you all), I did not get breakouts. So, I could not test this serum for how well it deals on that claim. But, by the end of the evening, I find a very angry red full of pus breakout on my neck. So, I decided to let this review rest for two-three days and test out Varnya on the breakout. I apply Varnya on my face and neck at night and go to sleep. And, voila!! In the morning, I found that the breakout had reduced to almost an extent of 60% and appears to be healing. So, another plus for Varnya !! Another credit I would give to Varnya was that it healed the acne scar on my forehead to a large extent.

Update about the breakout: It is completely gone without leaving a scar or anything by the end of the day.

  • Claim 5: Tightens sagging skin: My skin is not sagging or loose. It is still in its prime and looks great. But, still, I could see a difference Varnya made to the elasticity of my skin. After applying Varnya, you can notice that the skin is noticeably tighter and firmer.
  • Claim 6: Fades age spots and blemishes: Yes, it does fade blemishes. I do not have age spots but I have some patches of dark skin (kind of blemishes) on my neck which have reduced to a great extent.
  • Claim 7: Moisturizes and makes your skin soft and supple: Yes, it does moisturize my skin. In the winters (I am talking about Hyderabad winters), the moisturizing was not up to the level in December but now that the weather has turned warm, the moisturizing is good enough and next morning, your skin feels supple as if it is hydrated from within. This look lasts all day long.
  • Claim 8: Tightens pores: I am kind of double-minded on this claim. In the starting days I was using it, I felt that it did really tighten my pores but now I am feeling it is not. So, I am not able to decide on this one. My blackheads have reduced to a certain extent though after I have started using Varnya.
  • Claim 9: Brightens up a dull and sallow complexion: Absolutely true. It brings an undeniable glow to the face and keeps it like that for the whole day even if you go into sun and pollution and dust.
 Now, after I have analyzed the claims, I want to summarize my own experience in a few words.
  • Since I have started using Varnya, I have noticed that whatever product I use on my face in the morning gets absorbed effectively without making my skin oily and dull which used to happen earlier. Even my sunscreen settled on my skin well which never happened with me till date. I do not apply makeup so can’t say how it blends under makeup.
  • My skin is extremely vulnerable to sun so the moment I step out into sun, it used to turn dark and dull and tired. Since I have been using Varnya, that has stopped.
  • In simple words, Varnya protects the skin from external harms and repairs the skin well.
  • A single bottle of Varnya would last long if you use it in conjunction with some other facial oil or serum as I did. In a month, I ended up using only 1/5th of the bottle.
  • Now, comes the biggest downside of Varnya. It costs 72$ for 6 month supply. That’s really costly. But, there is an upside. An offer of Buy1, Get 1 free is going on the site so if you are interested, go and order one right now before the offer closes.
  • Before, I wrap up, I would include this that do not think this serum is only for dry and mature skin. Leon can whip up a serum for you depending on your skin type and condition so if you have an oily or combination skin, do not be afraid of trying this for your skin.
How did I use Varnya?
I did not use only Varnya because it was less on moisturizing in December and early January as I mentioned above. So, I used to mix 3 drops of Varnya with Rogan Badam. But, for treating the breakout, I used only Varnya – 10 drops.
Packaging of Varnya
The bottle comes with a dropper to ensure you do not apply more than necessary. It has a very subtle smell. To smell it, you have to peek into the bottle otherwise it does not linger around. I would say it smells funky but I do not mind the smells, especially, if a product delivers.
My Recommendation
You hardly need to ask it, right? It is an amazing product. Finally, a product which does what it says. So, I would definitely say that you should give it a try. It does not matter what your age is because it is not an anti-aging specific product but it is a skin repair and protection product which should be used everyday to get problem-free skin.
Disclaimers: I received the product from Leon for reviewing purposes. I have not been paid or influenced to write this review and I am not an affiliate of this product. This is my personal experience with the product.

Are you searching for a hair dresser in Hyderabad?

Swathy · January 19, 2011 · 2 Comments

So, this is a kinda different post and before I proceed on with it, I am not endorsing or criticizing any of the brands or places I will be talking about. No one is paying me to write this. I am writing everything based on my personal experience and yours might differ from it so please bear with me.
So, apart from my disclaimers, I wanna say this that this post is for people who are in search of good hair stylist or hair dressers in Hyderabad. If you already have one, you are lucky but if you think you need someone better, go ahead and read the post. So, I have been thinking of a good hair cut since quite a long time and since it is my friend’s engagement in a week, I direly needed to go today. I have been having regular hair style changes for only a couple of times till now and I have tried a couple of salons like Naturals, Lakme and La Belle. To sum up my experience, I was not very satisfied any where. So, this time, I asked one of my friends for any recommendation and it was a HE. I know sounds kinda lame but his mom has been visiting the same parlor for past 26 years and he advised me to go there. It turns out that this said parlor is owned by a Chinese lady. Now, if you do not know about this fact, Chinese people are particularly good at beauty. Another of my friend also recommended another Chinese parlor to me she is a fan of and a regular at.
Now, let me make one thing clear. This parlor is not like the high-end salons which have become so famous these days but the similar to the concept of beauty parlors in the last decade. At home, employing some girls and not so into using high-end equipments. If you are a kind of person who loves high-end salon, this is definitely not for you. Since I did not like any high-end ones and needed some one, I decided to place my trust in my friends and went to the parlor. Of course, I was skeptical and was full of mind to beat up my friend in case I was any less satisfied.
So, I go to this parlor and ask for a hair cut. An old Chinese lady who is apparently the same owner I talked about came out. I ask her how much time would a hair cut take and she said 20 minutes. Ok, I did wash my hair at home because I am not very sure of the hygiene levels at the parlors and salons and also to save my pocket. So, I sit there to get my hair cut and as soon as I sit, the lady starts cutting my hair. I told her that I wanted something different from my hair and wanted a lot of layers at the back. So, I have naturally wavy to curly hair with a very less volume but a lot of fluff and have a huge forehead. So, my hair cut starts and in 15 minutes, she was done with chopping off and styling my hair. I kept my eyes shut coz I was afraid of what I might see. And, lo behold, when I open my eyes, I was like is it me?? I got a completely different look which I never thought would suit me. And, trust me, the hair cut is amazing. It makes my hair look voluminous and  full and covers my forehead well. I am looking younger, my hair is looking a wow which it never did till today. I can’t stop smiling looking at myself since the moment I walked out of there. It costed me 350 bucks which was fine.
So, I wanted to share this experience of mine and recommend the parlor to anyone who is looking for a good hair dresser. This is only for people staying in Hyderabad. The name of the parlor is Blue Heaven. It has two branches – one at Banjara Hills (just opposite to Ohri’s Banjara) and another somewhere in Secunderabad. Now, there is a catch in this whole thing. You need to get hold of the owner to do the hair cut. I was lucky that I landed with her. She is generally not available or does not provide the services on her own. So, in case you plan to go, do make an appointment asking for the owner. The phone number of the Banjara branch is 040-23370455. So, guys, once again, I am not endorsing but just recommending something which I loved.

Banjara’s Kasturi Turmeric Herbal Powder {Product Review}

Swathy · January 14, 2011 · 42 Comments

PS: My entire review might be wrong. Please do not base your judgements based on this review.   
I had written about Kasturi Turmeric long back and in my quest for finding Kasturi Tumeric, I came across Banjara’s Herbals brand. Consequently, I bought the Kasturi Turmeric Herbal Powder they were offering. So, here is my review of the product.
My experience with the product
I had used it long back so I do not have pics but it looks similar to the regular haldi we use at home. But, when I used it, it left my face so yellow that I had to wash my face twice with a face wash after using the mask. And, the products stings as opposed to the tingling sensations felt when using herbal products. And, then after washing off, it leaves my face completely raw.
My efforts to better the product
To avoid the yellow coloration of my face after using this herbal powder, I mixed a little of it with my regular homemade besan ubtan. Guess what, it turned the complete ubtan into yellow and still managed to make my face discolored.
I even tried mixing it with sandalwood and multani mitti and then applying on the face but that also did not work.
After so many efforts went fluke, I compared it with the regular turmeric and I somehow have a sneaking suspicion that this herbal powder is not exactly herbal but probably has a yellow color mixed in some powder. So, right now, I have mixed the powder with sandalwood powder and multani mitti and am using it as a scrub instead of a face pack.
My Opinion
My strong suggestion is that do not buy this product. It is just 35-40 INR. Not at all costly but completely useless product. In case you come across this product, just give it a go.
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