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 - JUNE 2018

This time GlamEgo robbed me of the joy of anticipation by revealing each product by way of a guessing game on the 31^st of May! Given the trend of my boxes arriving late I had given up on expecting them soon. Yet suddenly on 7^th, I got a text early in the morning telling me that my box would be arriving! Oh the joy! Of course I had to tell Lulu about it but she of course probably just rolled her eyes when I was telling her. (She most definitely did!)

Without much ado we now present you the June 2018 box. The box has a lady with a purple odni covering her head blowing a bubble gum and the tag line reads – “I’m not regular sthri.” As seen in the picture.

The products for this month:

Vért Solid Perfume

This handmade perfume is called “Love Potion” and has cocoa butter, almond oil, bees wax and fragrance oil/essential oil and is alcohol and preservative free. The directions further specify that the perfume needs to be stored at or below 25℃ in a dry place and ought to be consumed within 6 months from the date of opening the product.

I am not particularly a fan of solid perfumes and I asked my mom if she’d like to try it and she nodded her head. As soon as the box came I handed her the perfume.

Amma tried a bit of it on her wrist. It smelt really strong and it smelt of jasmine but really strong. The aroma doesn’t wrap the person the way body mists and perfumes do but when you pass by the person you get a mellow whiff.

Amma says this is one instance where ‘little is a lot’.

SESA Hair Oil

“SESA is a rare combination of 18 herbs, 5 nourishing oils and milk processed with ancient “Kshirpak Vidhi” which helps to remove infection and gives nourishment to scalp and roots.”

I am a little bit of a paranoid ninny. When I picked this product up, the first thing I noticed was “Caution – To be used under medical supervision”. I am used to using the hair oil my mum prepares with a ton of healthy ingredients so I have never ventured out of my comfort zone where hair oil is concerned. That’s why I am a little hesitant in using the product. We’ll of course post a product review in due course.

Aroma Magic Coffee Bean Scrub

            

What caught my attention with this scrub were its ingredients listed at the back – green coffee bean extract, honey and organic coffee Arabica powder. The reason why it caught my eye is because almost all my friends have switched to drinking green coffee! This apparently is a healthier version of coffee.

I am currently using the Aroma Magic – White Tea & Chamomile face wash and am loving it. I love face scrubs too and tend to use them twice a week. I like scrubs that aren’t too harsh and prefer mild smelling scrubs. This scrub has a faint coffee aroma and is not too overpowering and that is a huge plus!

Bella Voste Lip Contour Set (We get to pick a shade of our choice.)

This lip contouring set has two things:

1. A lip liner and

2. A lipstick.

I have never used a lip liner before and this was my first time trying it and all I can say is that it outlines my lips but that’s about it. It reminded me of my childhood where we used the dark colour to outline the details while we coloured the insides with a lighter colour.

I chose the shade Victorian Rose and Lulu chose Planetary Plume. I don’t know why it looks light in the picture but it looks really dark on my lips. I love the shade as it suits my skin tone and I love how people stare at my face :P

I am looking forward to enjoying the lipstick and scrub and we’ll probably do another review on bella voste lip products soon!

Also check our previous Glamego Box reviews 👉 

January Box, February Box, March Box, April Box, May Box.

GLAMEGO- MAY, 2018

I love the new magnetic boxes. They are sturdier and make great storage boxes and come with cute prints on it.

I keep telling everyone that I have too many lipsticks and that I don’t need more but I realised that I am always excited about getting a lipstick in the GlamegoBox. (though we’ve had quite an overdose of Bella Vosté)

As expected, Bob messaged me at 12.00 a.m on the 1^st with the list of products for this month’s box and at 12.10; Bob and I were busy checking out the shades online. This time we got to choose a shade of our choice for the Bella Vosté Lipstick and the Bella Vosté Nail Polish.

This time we have cute baby animals on the box to commemorate Mother’s Day. The theme of this month’s box is the Beauty Emergency Kit. Though the products really wouldn’t fall under the category of “Beauty Emergency”, I would say that Glamego has redeemed itself after last month’s not so satisfactory Box. Also, the fact that a lot of people complained about delay in delivery of their Box last month including Bob who also ended up with a leaked Island Kiss Lip Balm.

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

The products for this month:

v BELLA VOSTÉ SATIN TOUCH LIPSTICK

FULL SIZED PRODUCT

SHADE: 20 (NUDE TEASE)

PRICE – Rs. 225/-

If at all I have a complaint with the Bella Vosté lipsticks, it is that the shade names very rarely match the true colour of the lipstick. The Nude Tease is actually a dusty pink. As the name suggests, it does give a smooth, satin finish. My lips were slightly dry before I applied it but post application they felt moisturised. The colour pay off, like in all the other Bella Vosté lipsticks, is excellent. I have two coats on in the picture. I loved this lipstick. (more so because I finally chose a shade that is not similar to the ones I already have and also it suits me) One con would be that the lipstick leaves a stain even after using a wet wipe, make-up remover and lip scrub. But for the price of the product, we can overlook that.

Bob has chosen the shade, Legendary, and we shall put up a picture of that once she gets her box.

v BELLA VOSTÉ NAIL POLISH

FULL SIZED PRODUCT

SHADE: 65 (ETERNAL DASH)

PRICE – Rs. 249/-

I chose this colour after seeing one of the YouTubers flaunting it and it looked lovely on her fingers. This is a matte nailpolish and dries within 5 seconds (yes! seconds) of application. I have applied two coats on my nails in the picture. The colour is somewhere between a dusty brown and lavender and that should explain my ‘not-so’ matching-matching picture.

When I told Bob this, she said it would be a good base for nail-art. (Bob and I are amateurs at nail art but if you would like us to share our nail art pictures with step-by-step instructions please leave us a comment below. Because if we can do it, so can you!)

And voila!

Bob has chosen the Shade No. 67 and shall share a picture of it upon receiving her Box.

v VÔTRE NIGHT CREAM

SAMPLE SIZED PRODUCT (30ml)

PRICE – Rs. 1550/- for 30 ml; Rs. 2350 for 50 ml

ALL SKIN TYPES

This product claims to be a multi vitamin and rejuvenating night cream that helps in moisturising and protecting the skin, increase cell renewal, assist the skin’s natural regeneration process and delay pre mature aging. (Now we all know which cream Wonder Woman uses!). This cream smells like a Brylcreem product and reminds me of the hair cream that my grandfather would use. I have used other products from Votre and liked them. We shall post a detailed review once we start using this product.

v ROHTO (ACNES) FACE WASH

FULL SIZED PRODUCT (50 g)

PRICE – Rs. 99/-

This is a new brand that is introduced this month. Bob also has it verified that it is indeed Japan’s No. 1 acne care brand and that this facewash is quite popular amongst the teenagers in Japan. This product claims to remove 99% of pimple-causing germs (0.9% lesser than the claims of our desi Advanced Lifebuoy- Lifebuoy hain jahan tandurusti hai wahan, laaifebuoooy) by controlling the skin heat and removing excess oil. We shall post a detailed review once we start using this product.

v SEER SECRETS LIP SCRUB

FULL SIZED PRODUCT (8 g)

PRICE – Rs. 261/-

This scrub has Rambutan, Dates and Liquorice and smells like the drink, Cosmopolitan. Like most lip scrubs, it is sweet. It claims to lighten lips and give plumpy-looking lips.  I used this once and it did a good job of smoothing my chapped lips. A must use before applying those drying liquid lipsticks.

I can’t pick a favourite this time. I loved the lipstick and the lip scrub and can’t wait to use the face wash and the night cream (which costs way more than the box itself!)

Bella Voste - Overview (Part 1 - Lipsticks)

Pssst… want to know a secret? Lulu and I have a super power! We can actually “see through” filters in photographs! Nah, I’m just being silly. Here’s the thing though, in this day and age beauty has become such a highly unachievable concept that one tends to Photoshop fine lines, skin tone and blemishes and marks and spots and dots and pigmentation and freckles and every other things that makes them look pleasing to people in their “real” world. What one forgets while doing so, is that all those added filters also changes the colour of the product they are reviewing, thereby misguiding their readers.

Bella Voste is a newly launched product in India and has collaborated with GlamEgo and Fab Bag, which is how Lulu and I managed to get our hands on these shades and products. Fun fact – the joy of getting the product in our monthly box/bag is one thing but the pain of choosing is on a totally different level. 😵

In the October and November Box, GlamEgo had introduced the Bella Voste Chubby Stick and The Bella Voste Pout Perfect. Boy! Did I have a tough time choosing a shade! Disclaimer: I know nothing about picking shades online. I am more of a, “I need to see the shade on my skin before I ‘okay’ it.” Enter Lulu, who has a ton of patience with the likes of me. She saw my SOS on WhatsApp and called and we began our “research”. We both had the Bella Voste page open in front of us with Chubby sticks displayed. One thing we both had agreed on was to not pick a shade we already had. After a lot of mulling and weighing the pros and cons, I picked Barbie Pink and she picked Hypnotic Rose.  The next day when I was casually going through Instagram, I saw GlamEgo had put up a swatch of the chubby sticks and the Barbie Pink I chose looked horrid! I immediately called Lulu and started having a whine attack. We decided the best option was to mail GlamEgo and ask them, if I could please choose a different shade, except my box had already been dispatched. 😞

When the box finally arrived and I tried the shade, I shared a pic with Lulu and showed my mom. They both loved it. Then I wore it when I went out and everybody liked it. Ever since, every-time I wear it I get a compliment. The same saga continued for pout perfect. The bottom line is this, too many filters ruins the shade.

Also, Bella Voste must reconsider the names given to most of its shades of lipsticks. The names do not match the colours AT ALL. For eg, the Barbie Pink is not a candy/bubblegum shade of pink and the Hypnotic Rose is a deep shade of red.

Without further ado, we present to you an extensive but not exhaustive swatch and review of all the Bella Voste lip products we own.

Note to the readers: Products rated by Lulu are the ones she got in her Box/Bag ergo products rated by me are the ones I got in my Box, as this is a co-written review (In case readers wonder about the inconsistency of the post because we mention which colours suit us and which don’t.)

Type: The Ultimate Chubby Stick

Shade: Barbie Pink 03

When I hear Barbie and Pink together I conjure up a very candy –ish pop pink. Except this colour is not Barbie-esque at all. It is a rich shade of pink with a little bit of red thereby making the lips stand out and manages to make me look bright. (I have at times done away with eye make-up and any other sort of colouring on my face and with just the basic foundation worn this lipstick and that has still managed to make me look well-made.) This is a shade that has managed to make me look cheerful even when I haven’t been anywhere close to a smile. See what a little colour can do?

Suitable for all skin tones – if you are up for experimenting.

Lasting Power: As it is creamy and highly pigmented it lasts for a long duration. One can go about without touch-up for 6 hours.

Rating by Bob: 4/5
Price: INR 499
___________________________________________________________________________

Type: The Ultimate Chubby Stick

Shade: Hypnotic Rose 06

This shade is nowhere close to the shade ‘Rose’ or to the swatch shown on their website. It is a bright shade of red that would mostly suit the cool-toned. The Chubby stick is creamy and one application itself gives a good colour pay-off. The colour doesn’t bleed and lasts long. What I like best about this chubby stick is that it comes in a twisty tube that needn’t be sharpened.

Lasting Power: Long lasting product as it stayed on even after two hours of non-stop chattering and a hearty meal!

Rating by Lulu: 4/5  
Price: INR 499
___________________________________________________________________________

Type: The Perfect Pout

Shade: Truffle Trick 10

This is a Matte finish lipstick that is creamy and glides easily on the lip. In the spectrum of skin tones, I fall under the category ‘wheatish’, hence I like browns, maroons and reds and earthy shades of lipstick. As you can see in the picture, this brown isn’t too dark, hence I find it perfect to wear for work. (I always feel conscious that dark shades tend to draw more attention, I let it bother me only at work and not when I’m in my personal space.) What I like best about this shade is that it makes me look cold and distant. I give that vibe (at work) as it is, but this shade just manages to accentuate that on my face. Hence I love this colour even more.

Lasting Power: This is a matte finish lipstick which is also creamy. Unlike the chubby stick, its lasting power is reduced to merely 3 hours as it isn’t as pigmented.

Rating by Bob: 3.5/5
Price: INR 375
___________________________________________________________________________

Type: Satin Touch

Shade: Celebrity 18

It is difficult to be objective about a make-up product when the shade doesn’t suit you. Maroon lipsticks do not look good on me and hence this is one of the few lipsticks that I apply with a lip brush so as not to get too much of the product on my lips. For those finicky about the fragrance of the product, this one smells like Pan Pasand (remember the hard boiled, pan flavoured candy). Having said that, I must admit that the product is good as it is creamy and highly pigmented. It doesn’t feather at the edges of the lips.

Lasting Power: Lasted for an average of 4 hours.

Rating by Lulu: 3/5 (only because the colour doesn’t suit me)
Price: INR 135
___________________________________________________________________________

Type: The Perfect Gloss

Shade: Mercier Rouge 04

I have pinks, browns, maroons and nudes in my collection of lipware. When I saw Mercier Rouge it looked a lot redder on the website but when I finally had the product in my hand it leaned more towards orange and a darker shade of peach. This was yet another pleasing accident. Since I didn’t have this shade, I have no complaints. The gloss isn’t too sticky and easy to apply. You can apply it directly on your lips or on top of another shade to make your lips look glossier.

Lasting Power: On its own it lasts well until you eat something. It requires a touch-up after you have eaten. Hence durability may vary as per individual.

Rating by Bob & Lulu: 3/5
Price: INR 599
___________________________________________________________________________

With this we wrap up our review on the Bella Voste lip products. Up next is our review on their nail colours and eye/brow products.