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Just Gossip Vol. 7 – What did I pack in my travel beauty kit?

Swathy · February 19, 2013 · 15 Comments

So, I just wanted to do a small post on travel kit packing tips. Will talk about the clothes later. So, lemme tell you my travel kit is generally the heaviest which my mom always keeps on complaining about!! But, my effort is always to keep it as small as possible.

Since my trip was almost 10 days, I had to ensure everything was there. Since I don’t use makeup, that keeps my kit lighter comparatively. Let us talk about skin, hair and miscellaneous items separately. Then, we will move to talking about modes of travel.

Skin Care

Face Wash – Nivea Aqua Effect Refreshing Face Wash
Moisturizer – Nivea Creme
Sunscreen – MVO Moisturizing Face Screen + MVO Kid Safe Screen
Lip Balm – Nivea Essential Care + Nivea Pomegranate lip balm
Body Lotion – Nivea Body Milk + Johnson’s Baby Lotion
Compact – Faces Mineral Pressed Powder
Face Oil – MVO Anti-Aging Oil+
Makeup Remover – Himalaya Baby Wipes
TBS Body Gloves + Face Buffer

This looks like a Nivea store 😀 Ok, one sunscreen is enough. You might want to carry a new bottle so that you don’t run out of it accidentally. Since I use face wash as a body wash as well, that was enough! And, I have no different moisturizing routine for night and day so that was equally fine.

I had actually carried a smaller bottle of Nivea body milk but I ran out of it so I had to get the Johnson’s. I could have spared the compact and face oils as I didn’t even use them! Well, they were not exactly heavy. Baby wipes are must from removing sunscreen to cleaning the hands in absence of water. And, body gloves and face buffer was for exfoliation purposes.

Hair Care

Hair Oil – Sesa Hair Oil + Parachute Jasmine Oil Sachets
Shampoo – Pantene Lively Clean Sachets (3)
Leave-in Serum – Dove Vita Oil Serum
Comb – TBS Wooden Comb
Hair Clips + Accessories

I skipped the conditioner because leave-in was enough and I wasn’t sure how long would I get to get ready. You can skip the oil and go for the conditioner. If you use a brush, you might want to check out if there is a travel version of that brush available as well in a smaller size.

Miscellaneous

Oral Kit
Maybelline Colossal Kajal
Perfume Sample
Soap Strips
Medicines – Paracetamol + Pudin Hara

Well, according to where you travel and what your preferences and problems are, you should take those medicines. Like, if you are prone to allergies, taking an Avil tablet or if you are prone to motion sickness of any kind,land or water, don’t forget those tablets.

Air Travel

Ok, you need not carry the entire kit in your handbag so you can keep some of the essentials outside like face wash and oral kit if its an overnight journey (international flights), moisturizer, sunscreen, lip balm, baby wipes and compact.

Keep the comb outside with other hair clips and accessories. Keeping the soap strips might help when you do not have face wash handy but if you are a sanitizer person, you can take that. And, some of the medicines should also be carried in your handbag.

Train or Road Travel

Since you do not have to divide the baggage, you can keep the entire kit with you in an accessible place. Oh, yes, do not forget hand towel for especially train and road travels at ANY cost.I am mentioning this because sometimes I do 🙁

Does oil leave buildup on hair? {Your Opinion}

Swathy · February 18, 2013 · 6 Comments

So, today, I have a very interesting observation to share with you and ask a question. We apply products on hair and claim that even a shampoo can leave buildup on the hair so isn’t possible for even the hair oils to do the same?

Well, why did I think of this? Honestly, it was a random thought and I am not able to think of the context in which this thought entered my head. When I racked my brains on this topic, I came to a conclusion why it might be so.

All the commercially available oils have additives and some percentage of them is mineral oil. And, mineral oil creates a layer on the hair strands so it is quite possible for it to leave a residue. Even if there is no mineral oil, the other additives can leave the residue.

Now that we have got the commercial oils out of the way, what about the vegetable oils or the pure oils? Yes, I am including all the cold-pressed and organic claiming brands.

One observation is about pure coconut oil. In some post lately (I don’t remember which), I had read that if the coconut oil is freezing in winters, it is pure. This claim is wrong. It is the property of coconut oil to freeze even if it has additives added to it in some quantity.

Anyways, coming back to the topic, I was concerned about all the amazing oils which I use, whether expensive or inexpensive, what if they leave a residue? Well, my answer is the purer oils don’t leave a residue but still it is good to clarify the hair every month.

I love using this ginger infused vinegar DIY. I remember doing this sometime in January or December and will do it in some days again. If you ever feel your hair looks flat even after washing it well, it might be time to clarify your hair.

What do you think?

Does Coconut Oil make the skin dark?

What do you love about Yourself?

Some Random Product Reviews – Part III

Swathy · February 17, 2013 · 12 Comments

Nyah Honey! I Love Strawberries & Jasmine Natural Handmade Bar

Price: Rs 200

My Experience
This was a brand which Roshni introduced to me and I got this soap from flipkart. Well, it did sound really exotic but unfortunately it fell flat during usage 🙁 No, its not that bad but its expensive.

Anyways, as you can see in the pic, it has a glycerin top part and is like a natural bar below it. And, one of its edges has a hard scrubbing side. And, it really is very harsh. I got scratches on my body after using it 🙁

Overall, the soap was fine. It did not moisturize my skin but it did not leave it dry either. But, overall, I did not fancy the soap much!

Olive Tree Virgin Olive Oil Soap

Price: Rs 99 (I guess!!)

My Experience

I didn’t know it could be used on hair as well, read it just now 🙂

This product, I picked up from Ratandeep, a well-known supermarket in Hyderabad! It looks tempting, isn’t it?? Ok, its a solid white colored soap which doesn’t lather AT ALL. But, cleanses really well.

My guess is that it is probably the famed castile soap which is made of pure olive oil which lathers minimal and cleanses really well. Also, it lasts reallyyy long so the price justifies the product.

Yes, being used to lather, it was frustrating to use it in the beginning but now I like it a lot. I would definitely suggest you to pick up some if you stay in Hyderabad.