GLAMEGO - NOVEMBER, 2018

My excitement with receiving a box at the start of the month has actually gone! Once upon a time I used to eagerly look forward to it. Now, I hate repeating in every post that products are being repeated. I am annoyed because I have been receiving this box for over a year now and they are already running out of ideas.  Hence I’ll get straight to the review.

The box this month, comes in the cyan shade and has a lady adorned with ethnic jewelry. One product didn’t quite fit into the box hence the edges of the box had ripped.

(Price and product details are mentioned in the Product List)

#5FactsAboutUs

1-Lulu and I became friends at a camp in the year 2005 even though we were acquainted with each other since 2002.

2-Lulu and I have a serious disagreement on “Capital Punishment”.

3-Lulu and I both speak French.

4-Lulu and I love twizzlers!!!

5-When street shopping Lulu understands what the vendor is saying and I am good at bargaining.

The products for this month:

Activated Charcoal Powder for Natural Teeth Whitening by Health Vit:

This is my favourite product this month. I actually am looking forward to using this because I am scared of going to the dentist’s for a teeth cleaning session. I’d rather opt for an option that I can use at home. This is an Indian brand and is made and manufactured in India. On opening the cap the bottle is sealed with foil. The instructions mention dipping your wet brush in the powder. I’d instead recommend using a spoon and taking a certain quantity in your palm for usage to prevent clumping. I will definitely be writing a thorough review of this product.

SESA Mud Hair Spa Kit:

This spa kit helps nourish your hair, prevent hair fall and stimulates hair growth. This is a product that we had earlier received in July.

The kit comes with a sachet of shampoo and hair serum each and two packs of hair masque. Now, I don’t really go to mess with my hair too much for fear of damage. Hence I am not sure how I feel about this product. I know I will end up using it. My love for experimenting has no limits. As I mentioned in our post from July, store bought hair products are way out of my comfort zone.

Water Lily Body Mist by Bio Bloom:

               

Like the Valley of Flowers perfume we received in the July GlamEgo box this perfume too smells like men’s perfume and that is not a bad thing. This product is paraben and alcohol free and can be used on all skin types. People sensitive to strong smells may want to stay away from it. The smell though initially strong, gradually mellows down with just a lingering hint on your skin.

Ulti Matte Liquid Lipstick by Bella Voste:

We had the option of choosing a shade we wanted. I chose No.4 Cinnamon and Lulu chose No.1 Gothy Plum. This is my first liquid lipstick. I had read a whole bunch of reviews on liquid lipsticks and had stayed away from them as a matter of choice. But since we got this in the box I thought, “Oh well might as well try it out.” Usually I just know that a product won’t suit me because I know what suits my skin and I am extremely careful about what I will put on my face.

This lipstick claims to be Silky Smooth (It’s just smooth.), give full coverage with full matte finish (True.), long lasting and transfer proof (Absolutely true.), vitamin-E for moisturizing lips (A big fat lie.), excellent coverage and intense colour pay off (Very, very true.), one stroke application (Yep.), perfect adhesion (Of course.), Colour does not bleed on lips (True again.).

The lipstick does almost everything it claims but it is not moisturizing at all. In the picture you can see lines accentuated on my lips. I prepped my lips by exfoliating it with a lip scrub by Neemli and then used the Mango butter lip balm by The Body Shop (This is the best balm to moisturize your lips and keep them hydrated.) I Let it stay on my lips while I photographed the products for the blog and once I was done I applied the lipstick and it set really quickly and in under two minutes it made my lips so dry that I could feel the lipstick tighten on my lips. It was like wearing a clay mask on my lips. Since it is transfer proof it is very difficult to remove as well. I am currently typing this post after applying coconut oil on my lips and around my mouth so I can easily remove the lipstick without being too rough on my lips because excess exfoliation on lips is not the best thing.

I love the colour, I love how a little product gives such deep colour and I love how it makes a difference to my face but I don’t like how dry my lips feel. I don’t like dry lips but all liquid lipsticks tend to dry out ones lips and hence I’d recommend this only after one has properly prepped their lips. I in fact recommend that one skip blotting of excess lip balm and directly apply the lipstick.

Use this product if and only if you have a lot of time before you get ready and have ample time to take it off before going to bed.

Cocoa Butter Formula by Palmer’s:

                 

The final product is a sample sized moisturiser that claims to keep one moisturised for 24 Hours. I haven’t tried this product and will be giving it to my mom to use as she has a lot of travelling to do and likes carrying travel friendly products.

Like I mentioned in last month’s GlamEgo review, even in this month’s box the Bella Voste Liquid lipstick contains SLS and Parabens. What do you think about GlamEgo not sticking to bringing us SLS and Paraben free products?

GLAMEGO - OCTOBER, 2018

(Price and product details are mentioned in the Product List)

As always GlamEgo unveiled this month’s products at 12am on October 1^st. Was I excited about the box? Not really. I think my excitement is slowly ebbing away. (Probably because I have other exciting things happening in life.) This month’s box has the same theme as the one my mom has for the home. With Diwali approaching, house cleaning and getting rid of things is the theme and GlamEgo box echoes the same. This month the theme is “Deep Clean”. This is a nice concept. We all love our make-up but we also like boasting of healthy skin. Hence, the contents of this month’s box will help with just that.

The box has blue feathers against a black background and looks very pretty. Until last month I had personally liked the Baby animals box from the Mother’s day theme but this box is definitely Pretty!

The products for this month:

Votre Face & Neck Scrub:

This “Spa Exfoliant” boasts about reducing wrinkles, scars, evens skin texture and colour. Now GlamEgo’s USP has been the whole concept of bringing to their subscribers products that are Sulphate and Paraben free. Yet, this product has both of them. (After a quick check of other Votre products we have received in the past, none of them mention parabens and sulphates.) I am now not sure how to feel about this.

Detox Face Mask – Activated Charcoal & Gentle Face Mask – Four Clay by Neemli:

Last year we had received the activated charcoal mask in our box and back then I remember we got a generous pack of 75gms which was a full size product unlike the one received this month. The card says it’s a T Zone mask but you can use it all over your face. Having used this product previously I can vouch for how fresh it makes one feel post usage. It is actually a summer essential because that’s when your skin is at its oiliest.

                    

The Four clay mask is yet another sample size product and the card says it is for the cheeks. This mask is a clay mask and helps detoxify and clarifies skin while keeping it hydrated. Since multi-masking is the latest trend I guess GlamEgo decided to send both masks as a way to help people with combination skin. I haven’t used this product before. I do plan to use it in the near future after I finish using my older sheet - masks and masks!!!

Elenblu  - Crayon Gel Eyeliner (We get to pick either Regal Blue or Emerald Green .)

This is my second Elenblu product. I had liked the Mascara we received in our July box. As it happens, I had started using eyeliners by the time I was 16. My friend had taught me how to use it and I have had an eyeliner with me at all times since then. Of course with so many brands coming up with products and so many colours to choose from one tends to hoard. Hence, when I saw an eyeliner I wasn’t too excited especially since we had only two colour options to choose from. Since I already had two green liners and only one blue liner I obviously chose the Regal Blue liner.

I tend to draw wings that make my eyes look feline. Therefore the outer edge of my eyelids have a thick line that becomes pointed towards the end. Let me tell you, it is a task to achieve that with this crayon as the line is thick and you can’t really get the same precision as you do with liquid liners or liners that have thinner cores. It also took me at least 3 swipes to get the colour to look as dark as it does in the picture. The crayon consistency is powdery and it smudges. You could probably use it as an eye shadow instead. I would certainly not recommend using this on your waterline. Furthermore, the crayon is not retractable and needs sharpening. Going by how powdery it is I doubt it will survive a sharpener. I am actually very disappointed with this product because there are far better products out there at prices much lower than this.

Seer Secrets - Lip Scrub :

When I saw this product I just laughed at what Lulu and I had spoken about just a day before the box contents were revealed. We were sure that we would get yet another product which we had received in a previous box. Further more Lulu and I both got our boxes today and what do you know!

The product had hardened and was like a block! I of course pursed my lips and sent Lulu a picture of this.

Then, Lulu sent me a pic of her scrub and we laughed it off!

Since we got this product in May I have already used it and like it as a quick remedy for chapped lips. If you have a lot of Matte Lipsticks or Gloss in your collection you can use this scrub to prep your lips for smooth application and as it happens smoothening your lips helps glide the lipstick easily preventing it from accentuating lines on chapped lips.

What are your thoughts on the box this time? Did the label on Votre surprise you too? Did you want something specific in the box? I actually predicted getting a repeat product, a mask and the newly launched Foundation by Bella Voste.

GLAMEGO SEPTEMBER 2018

“If we may make a suggestion, Glamego if you really need to send ‘repeat products’ please do give us an option to choose from a range of products so that we may pick and choose the product we’d like another tube/jar of.” This is from our post reviewing the August GlamEgo Box and what do you know!

This month, we got to choose products of our choice. All the products were ones sent in the previous subscription boxes. We also got to pick our choice of box and I chose the one with the “baby animals”.

Product 1 choices – range of Bella Voste Lipsticks, Bella Voste Lip Contour kit, Manna Kaddar Glo Illuminator, Bio Bloom Face Oil.

Product 2 choices – Votre night cream, Nature’s Co red wine gel, Elenblu mascara.

Product 3 choices – Mcaffeine face packs, Vedic line facial kit, Kronokare face spray, hair spray, Bio Bloom body mist.

Product 4 choices – Blossom Kochhar face scrub/ face wash

Product 5 choices – Bella voste nail polishes

Please note that different products keep getting added to the list of choices.

The products that I chose for this month:

v MCAFFEINE CHOCO CAFFEINE GLOW FACE PACK (for oily skin)

SAMPLE SIZED PRODUCT (25 gms)

PRICE – Rs. 359/-

We received this in our February, 2018 box. Bob has also reviewed the product in our post on Mcaffeine products. I haven’t used this product yet but I chose this as Bob used it and liked it. The product smells of cold coffee with chocolate drizzle :p. The face mask is clay based and contains Argan oil and Vitamin E.

v BIO BLOOM FACE OIL

FULL SIZED PRODUCT (15 ml)

PRICE – Rs. 1499/-

We received this in our January, 2018 box. was planning on purchasing a few essential oils and concocting my own mix for my face and then I saw this product and promptly chose it. I an almost done with my previous bottle and would definitely recommend this product. I have extremely oily skin and this face oil hasn’t caused any breakouts for me.

v VÔTRE NIGHT CREME  

SAMPLE SIZED PRODUCT (30 gms)

PRICE – Rs. 1200/- for 30 gms

We received this in the May, 2018 box and this is the night cream that I am currently using. I apply this cream after the serum and before the Bio Bloom face oil and unlike a few other night creams, it doesn’t make your skin oily or feel heavy on your face.

v BLOSSOM KOCHHAR AROMA MAGIC COFFEE BEAN SCRUB

SAMPLE SIZED PRODUCT (20 ml)

We received this is in our June, 2018 box. I have enough face washes to last me a year and then also the Cetaphil face wash that just never seems to get over (!!!) So I opted for the face scrub. The product claims to revive, fight ageing and impart glow.

v BELLA VOSTE NAIL POLISH

SHADE – PERFECT PICK (13)

This is the only product I’m not pleased with and it’s my fault L . I had earlier chosen a maroon shade and after a few days I realised that I hadn’t booked the products from my personal account *eye roll*. So I had to choose products all over again. I had initially chosen the Manna Kaddar glo illuminator but that was out of stock and the Bio Bloom face oil was added to the list of choices. The shade of nail polish I had picked was out of stock and this was the only one available. The colour is very similar to the metallic nail polishes that I already have. :(

Whilst, we’ve enjoyed getting to pick products from earlier boxes and stock up our “resources”, I am hoping that GlamEgo sends us new / fresh products/brands that we haven’t received earlier. Some beauty tools perhaps. *fingers crossed*

GLAMEGO AUGUST 2018

Happy Friendship Day folks! Show us some love and ‘follow’ us on our blog and ‘like’ our page on Facebook and Instagram.

“Teri meri banti nahin, par, tere bina meri chalti nahin!” aptly describes the relationship that Bob and Lulu have with Glamego. We’ve said this in our Story and here we go again- we shall be putting up ONLY honest reviews even if that means being ‘un-friended’ by certain folks out there :D.

If you’ve read our previous posts on the Glamego box, you’d know that our only grouse with them has been them sending ‘repeat products’ from the earlier boxes. If we may make a suggestion, Glamego, if you really need to send ‘repeat products’ please do give us an option to choose from a range of products so that we may pick and choose the product we’d like another tube/jar of.

There are two repeated products in this month’s box. While I was happy to receive the eye mask as I wasn’t subscribed to Glamego the month they first gave that out, Bob wasn't particularly pleased to receive it again. Now, if she had a choice to pick the Nature’s Co. cream again, I bet she’d have been happier with the box.

 (Price and product details are mentioned in the Product List)

The products for this month:

v BELLA VOSTE´ LIP GLOSS

FULL SIZED PRODUCT

SHADE: 02 (RUST CRUSH)

PRICE – Rs. 599/-

I have a tube of this lip gloss in the shade Mercier Rouge that I received in the January, 2018 box. I’m not particularly a big fan of lip gloss. I like the Mercier Rouge, it has good colour pay off for a lip gloss and lasts long. The Rust Crush is a nude shade with a tint of dusty rose and is ideal for office and perfect for glossy nude lips when you have a whole lot of colour going on, on your eyelids.

Bob chose the shade Turf Tan (01) and her tube of lip gloss had dried up. Here are pictures of it !!! L

v MONDSUB GOLD EYE MASK

FULL SIZED PRODUCT

PRICE – Rs. 200/-

This is the second repeat product. Bob received this in her December, 2017 Box.

This is a ‘crystal collagen’ eye mask for the under-eye area and claims to moisturise, rehydrate and regenerate the skin under your eyes. It also claims to reduce wrinkles around the eyes making the skin soft, delicate and bright eyes even more vivid!

Can’t wait to try this one!

v VÔTRE SILVER RADIANCE JELLY MASK

v VÔTRE GOLD REJUVENATING SLEEPING MASK

SAMPLE SIZED PRODUCT (30 gms)

           PRICE – Rs. 1200/- for 30 gms

The Votre products are now available at Sephora. The consistency of the Silver Mask is like jelly with glitter in it. A little quantity is to be applied all over the face and washed off after 10 minutes. The Gold mask is a leave-on mask, to be applied overnight. It is creamy with glitter in it.  

I haven’t tried any of the products from the box this time. Look forward to our future posts and we shall review these products in detail on using them.

Daily-use Eyeliner

My foray into “eye make-up” began with a little stub of Lakme Kajal that I found on my grandmother’s dressing table. This was in college. I asked her if I could borrow it. I nervously drew it along my lower waterline and admired myself in front of the mirror.  The next year, I grew adventurous and started with the liquid liner on my upper lid and since then, rarely has a day gone past when I’ve not had the eye liner on.

I stopped lining my lower lash line with kajal a few years ago as I was told it made my eyes look smaller.

I started off with the Lakme Insta Liner (which I don’t like now, owing to its thin brush). My favourite is the Lakme 9 to 5 Black Impact Eye Liner and I always go back to this one even though I may at times venture out and buy a different brand.

 I am currently alternating between 4 eyeliner/pencils in Black.

BRAND	COST	QUANTITY	WHAT I LIKE	WHAT I DON’T LIKE	WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Lakme 9 To 5 Black Impact Eye Liner	Rs. 250/-	3.5ml	· Thicker bristles to draw thick lines ·   Good colour pay off ·   Dries soon        ·   Easy to wash off	Not water resistant	Yes!
Nykaa Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner - Super Black	Rs.299/-	5 ml	· Water resistant!!! · Rich colour pay off and glossy · Thinner bristles to draw fine lines	· Make up remover resistant too! · Since it dries too soon, not easy to correct mistakes	Yes
Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - Black	Rs.525/-	3 gm	Lovely matte finish The brush tip is best to draw wings	Hardens soon Takes long to apply	Erm...
Bella Voste Gel Eye Liner Kajal- Velvet Black	Rs.399/-	1.2 gm	· Glides on smoothly · Quick and easy to apply · Good colour pay off	·The‘line’ remains intact but the colour leaks on to the eye lid after a few hours · Difficult to wash off	Ahem !

Lakme 9 To 5 Black Impact Eye Liner- The only downside to this liner is that it’s not the slightest bit water resistant and if you aren’t careful while washing your face or yawning at a stretch, you’ll end up with a bald patch towards the inner corners of your eye. But this is what I like about this eye liner too. It can be easily washed off. Since I apply it daily, I don’t like to spend too much time or use a make-up remover just to get my eyeliner off.

Nykaa Black Magic Liquid Eyeliner- I bought this one recently and the first week, I wasn’t too comfortable using the brush as its bristles are sparser as compared to the Lakme brush. Now I have gotten the hang of it and manage to draw thick lines and wings. The finish is glossy. The liner dries up the second you apply it and a stray speck cannot be wiped off with a damp Q-tip.  I wouldn’t recommend this eye liner for beginners or those who end up sneezing the exact same moment you’re applying the liner (happens to me all the time!). You can splash water on your face and eyes all day long and probably even use a mild soap and this liner won’t budge! A bit of a pain to remove on a daily basis.

Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner- I use this only for functions as it takes time to apply. It comes with its own brush. The kohl was never smooth to begin with and it has only gotten harder over a period of time. The finish is matte. This wouldn’t be ideal for those who prefer thin lines. It is perfect for a winged eyeliner!

Bella Voste Gel Eye Liner Kajal- I got this is in the March Glamego Box. This has got to be the smoothest eye pencil I’ve ever used. It glides on smoothly and can also be smudged easily for a smoky effect. The only issue I have with this liner is that it smears on to my upper eye lid ( after a few hours), making it appear like I have black eye shadow on. Also, it is difficult to wash off.

I prefer eye liners to eye pencils and since I’ve stopped lining my lower lashline ( I would use pencils for the lower lashline), I’ve stopped buying black eye pencils. The reason I love the Lakme eye liner the best is because of the thicker brush. I generally apply a thick line, with wings at the ends. Also, since I apply it daily, I need it to wash off easily without applying too much pressure on the eye lids.

Which one would you go for!