i am pretty conscious about my skin care. on most days i rarely wear more than the moisturizer to the supermarket, but i am very particular about what goes on my skin.
let’s get the basics aside. i am 27, with a few years of experience (gonna be 27 forever, sue me). i have normal to dry skin, stretching all the way to parchment paper during winters. i live in the wonderfully tropical madras where the seasons only go hot, hotter and hottest.
so i bring to you the top 5 best skincare products for indian skin that ACTUALLY WORK!
AWESOME PRODUCT 1 : coconut oil: this will be the one thing i carry to the hypothetical deserted island. you are probably already groaning and planning on skipping this article. hey, hold on.
coconut oil is panacea. EOD. but iam religious about using coconut oil on my face and body every morning before my bath. this 10-min treatment has helped me keep my skin in very good condition. also counteracts the effects of the hot-as-hell showers I take. and i use ONLY coconut oil to get rid of my makeup – works like a charm and cleans like magic!
AWESOME PRODUCT 2 : nivea dark spot reduction creme: may sound mad to you, it being a men’s product. i have spent years on everything from plain jane Evion cream to olay, l’oreal and even the herbal range. so let me tell you why this works
– it’s non greasy and matte. it makes a superb base for foundation or the BB cream.
– i found the liquorice extract to actually work. face is nicer and old acne marks have lightened.
– is absorbed quickly and you would need a very tiny quantity to cover both face and neck.
– soooooooper cost effective!
AWESOME PRODUCT 3 : plum goodness grape seed extract night cream: years of obsessing over semi-existent wrinkles and lines had me try a multitude of creams. i have finally settled on the plum goodness. its my right-now HG night cream.
– very little quantity needed
– face is super soft and hydrated in the morning
– dunno about the wrinkles but face seems fresher and brighter
– cost effective
– organic, no animal testing, earthy goodness.
AWESOME PRODUCT 4 :neutrogena helioplex sunscreen: madras =sunny days, so i try to be religious about my sunscreen use. after much research, this is my HG sunscreen. its light, non-greasy and truly truly works. take it from a girl who has lived her entire life in the land of endless summer.
AWESOME PRODUCT 5: st.Ives body lotion: a happy accidental find. i had been shuttling unsatisfactorily between nivea, Vaseline and jergens when I came across this. I highly,strongly and emphatically recommend the st.ivea body lotion range. iam partial to the Collagen-Elastin lotion for its sheer magic on my skin.
AWESOME PRODUCT 6 : nivea lip butter: i lean to the nivea brand. (been using their FRESH deo for almost 17 years now). have tried so many lip balms during college, none have worked for me like these lip butters. the packaging does have its cons in the hygiene and difficult-to-open department.
BONUS PRODUCT : betamil gm: awesome as it is, i too suffer from the odd pimple. quite rare and mostly just 1-2 (touch wood, lime-chilli, alum crystal and all things evil eye negating! phew!!) what saves my day is betamil gm. it’s antibacterial, antifungal and steroidal, so works like magic in just 2 days.
BONUS PRODUCT : boroline: like mints i always have a tube or two in every handbag and makeup pouch. it’s my HG for most skin related issues. mild rashes, cuts, puppy claw scratches to dry skin and chapped lips. one over night application of boroline and hello jolie lips. who needs hand creams when you have this puppy.
bonus skin care tip: on occasions of troubling zits or those days when i have an event to go, this is my fail-proof method to get rid of the zit easy and fast. crush some aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid) or ASA/ecospirin if you’re in India, and make a paste with a tiny drop of water. apply the white paste on the zit. works in hours like magic!!
disclaimers and other notes
* as goes without saying, i aint no medical expert and dont prescribe/endorse any of the above.
* not a sponsored post. just sheer love.
* amway’s balancing toner is what i have been using for the past 2 years but do you have a recommendation for me?
* i am yet to find my HG face wash. i have tried, loved and love many washes and scrubs but yet to find my soul mate there. will update the post when i find it.
in the mean time, let me know what your fav face wash/scrub is, i will give it a shot!
