The best natural and cruelty free skincare – India Edition

India is the country that brought Ayurveda to the world. The centuries old Indian system of medicine provides super effective solutions for all your pitta, vata and kapha problems.

However, when it comes to skincare, super natural = preservative free = can last up to 30 days only if refrigerated. If you’re into that, check out Waterline – skincare so pure you can eat it (seriously).

For those who lack refrigerator space or prefer to store their skincare stash in their bedrooms/bathrooms – Kama Ayurveda and Forest Essentials give you all the Ayurvedic luxury minus the high maintenance. (On a side note, both of their hair care lines are top notch and I personally vouch for Kama Ayurveda’s Bringadi Intensive Hair Treatment Oil.)

Ayca is another all-natural Ayurvedic brand which brings more of a modern twist to Ayurveda by incorporating new-age aromatherapy to their products. Their Jasmine and Rose Body Oil is light on the skin and olfactory system. Perfect.

Moving on from Ayurveda to their Korean counterpart – Innisfree. (Note: Innisfree isn’t doesn’t have any ancient Korean medicine roots.) With stores around the country, they are definitely the biggest Korean skincare company in India — and I love them. The Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum is a best seller in its own right — use it as an essence and apply right after toner before serum.

Yes, this article is about skincare but a little organic, cruelty-free makeup never hurt anyone. Ruby’s Organics lipsticks and blushes are DA BOMB — super high quality at an unbeatable price point. Must buy.

The Beauty Dose – July 26

So today I discovered two exciting skincare news. The first is that washing your face with water that’s just been drained through raw rice makes it super radiant! It’s an ancient Chinese technique that’s still used today. That’s one more thing to add to my natural skincare routine 🙂
The second piece of news is this awesome new mask technology that looks like a regular ‘ol sheet mask but is COMPLETELY dry! Check out the review below.

Have a beautiful Tuesday, guys!

JULY 26, tuesday
 

Culture Insider: Skincare In Ancient China

Introducing Dry Masks - The Canadian Skin Phenomenon That's About To Hit Stateside

The 10-Product Summer Beauty Routine

How To Layer Your Skincare Products

5 Skincare Mistakes Every 20-Something Should Avoid

Confessions Of A K-Pop Star

The Beauty Dose – July 25

I’m a strong believer in aging gracefully. No amount of moisturizer & SPF is going to keep your face completely wrinkle free so it’s best to come to terms with it and instead of fighting time, make it your friend. Today’s pieces include tips on using the right products to maintain or improve the elasticity of your skin. But since beauty is skin-deep, the food you eat also impacts how young you look. So, I included a piece on turmeric, my favorite super spice. Enjoy and please let me know if I have missed anything you would like to see 🙂

July 25 – monday

Kim Kardashian’s Dermatologist On The Future Of Anti-Aging

6 Things You Didn’t Know About Your Beauty Products (But Should)

The Super Spice That’s Taking Over The Beauty Industry

 

The Beauty Dose – July 20

A good skincare routine + great products = best skin ever

Here’s some help to get you started on picking the right routine and products for your skin ❤

July 20 – wednesday

How To Find A Skincare Routine That Works For You

How To Get The Best Skin Ever In Your 20s

Best Skin Care Tips To Fight Pollution, Detoxify, And Prevent Dry Skin

5 Kinda-Weird Skin Products You Should Be Using This Summer

7 Wholesome Skincare Products To Perfect Your Summer Beauty Routine

The Beauty Dose – July 19

Self care is the best care. After all, if you don’t look after yourself first how could you possibly have enough energy to look after anyone else? Looking good is also proven to boost self confidence which provides an overall richer & happier life! Personally, a good skincare routine gives me time to focus on myself and has now become a meditation since I’ve started really focusing on the process.
I hope you enjoy today’s pieces that are about making your life brighter, with a little help from skincare.

 

JULY 19, tuesday 

How Beauty Products Helped Me Combat My Trichotillomania

11 Beauty Myths You Believed In The 90s

The Organic Moisturizer That Doubles As A Luminizer

Three Skincare Staples You Need This Summer!

What's A Good Skincare Routine For Dry, Sensitive, Aging Skin?

The Beauty Dose – July 14

Skincare can get complicated. From deciding what kind of skin you have to choosing the best product(s). I’ve been through every step imaginable and tried almost every popular skincare brand in the market. Lately, the brands that have really stood out, in terms of product quality, have been the less well-known ones. These smaller brands also tend to be about more than just skincare – some of them focus on organic ingredients to reduce their environment footprint, some don’t use ingredients that are known or even suspected to cause harm to animals, and some give back to the community by allowing consumers to set up a social selling platform. 

Today’s focus is on the lesser-known skincare brands – amazing products with beautiful intentions. 

JULY 14, thursday 

FEATURE: 5 Skin-Care Companies Doing Really Big Things

NikkieTutorials On Makeup Shaming, Glitter, And Her Epic Collaboration With Too Faced

11 Iconic Beauty Products That Are Still Best-Sellers

Gwyneth Paltrow And Juice Beauty Founder Karen Behnke On The Future Of Organic Beauty

Kim Kardashian Interviews Kylie Jenner About Her Best Beauty Secrets

The Beauty Dose – July 12

I have super oily skin so I’m always on the lookout for any products that help control it. Turns out jojoba oil is the next best thing to try! Its consistency is similar to the skin’s natural oil consistency and it balances oily skin & dry skin alike!

JULY 12, tuesday 

My Skincare Routine [Shrinking Pores & Fading Dark Spots]

Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Collection Review

The Little-Known Ingredient Korean Women Use To Fight Acne

7 Beauty Products Celebrities Use On Repeat

10 Musicians Who Are Busting Up Beauty Standards

The case for organic body oil

Lately, I’ve been paying more attention to the labels on my beauty products and less attention to the brand name. Mainly, I’m leaning towards organic and natural products. India has really great natural beauty brands like Khadi, Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda, to name a few. I’ve used numerous products from all these brands ranging from face creams to body lotion but none of their body oils have really struck a chord with me. Khadi’s body oils are too thick and don’t really absorb into my skin post shower. Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda body oils are less thick but heavily perfumed which can be a tad overwhelming for my olfactory system.

I live in Mumbai so it’s almost always too humid to apply body oil during the day. Which means that I usually give my skin a good scrub-down and a self body oil massage post shower and right before bed. The perfect body oil will be light enough to fully absorb into moist skin and heavy enough to leave my skin moisturised. Also, it can’t be too perfumed because a strong fragrance wakes me instead of helping me relax before hitting the bed.

After trying all the well-known natural beauty brands in India, I found Ayca’s Jasmine & Rose Body Oil and it was love at first application.

The oil absorbs perfectly, my skin feels moisturised the next morning and the scent is light and refreshing.