Iraya Basil and Mint Balancing Face Wash Review

This is a review of Iraya basil and mint balancing face wash for normal to oily skin. In Summers, our skin produces more sebum, so even dry skin goes normal. Therefore, this face wash would suit dry skinned people too in summers. It contains extracts of basil and mint essential oil, which clarify, soothe and tone the skin.

Balancing means something that creates a balance of natural oil in facial skin, by cleaning only the extra oil and not ripping the skin of too much oil and moisture.

Price: INR 345
Quantity: 150 ml / 5.07 Fl Oz
Shelf Life: 2 Years
Availability: You can buy from: Flipkart.com, Jabong.com, Joybynature.com or from Iraya stores in major cities. For discount, it is best to buy from Jabong.com as they offer 30-45% discount over weekends on a certain min purchase value, which includes beauty and skin care products too. There are sometimes good offers on purplle.com and nykaa.com too.



Most Iraya products come in either glass tubs or square plastic pump bottles with proper lamination. Pump is lockable but not travel friendly.

Brand claims and description:

Iraya basil and mint balancing face wash claims to deep clean without drying, purify and balance the skin by removing excess oil and impurities, leaving the skin refreshed and comfortable. This face wash does everything that it claims.

Aroma Magic White Tea & Chamomile Face Wash Review

Blossom Kochhar Aroma Magic White Tea and Chamomile Face Wash Review

This is a review of Aroma Magic White Tea and Chamomile Face Wash. It is suitable to all Skin types. I wanted to try out a face wash from this range since summers after hearing some great reviews. But at that time I was using Soulflower Baby Your Skin soap, so I postponed buying this face wash.

Everyday Pollution Defence

Price: INR 75 for 50 ml / INR 135 for 100 ml

Shelf Life: 36 Months from Mfg Date

Availability: You can buy from flipkart.com (here and here), amazon.in, joybynature.com, medplusbeauty.com, purplle.com, healthkart.com, slassy.com etc.

The entire tube was sealed with lamination. The flip-open cap is sufficiently tight and this face wash can be carried easily in the purse without worrying about leakage.

Aroma Magic Face Washes come in 50ml (a very tiny cute tube) and 100 ml packs. I bought this White Tea & Chamomile one in 50ml packing, to first try how it fares for me. I really LOVED it so much that now I want to try all other variations suitable for my skin type. By the way, there are 4 more variations of Aroma Magic Face Washes:

1. Aroma Magic Strawberry Face Wash for All Skin Types
2. Aroma Magic Lavender Face Wash for Dry Skin
3. Aroma Magic Neem & Tea Tree Face Wash for Oily Skin
4. Aroma Magic Grapefruit Face Wash Skin Lightening & Pore Tightening for Normal to Oily Skin

PACKAGE DESCRIPTION AND INGREDIENTS:

Use within 12 months of opening the pack

Not Tested on Animals

My Experience with Aroma Magic White Tea and Chamomile Face Wash:

I usually don't go ga ga over the packing as long as the packing is sensible and there is no product wastage. But I just fell in love with the color of this tube and the face wash - it's gorgeous.

Aroma Magic White Tea & Chamomile Face Wash with microbeads

I thought these are Jojoba beads. But ingredients list says it contains hydrolyzed protein beads. These micro beads are added for mild exfoliation and are not very dense. A single bead comes out with the facewash once in a while. The beads are soft and can be crushed easily. I crush the bead on any dry area of my face and just rub.

Aroma Magic claims that this face wash is 100% free of parabens, soap, alcohol, artificial coloring and fragrance. Besides the lovely color from natural ingredients, this face wash has a beautiful mild fragrance which lingers on for long after washing the face. The fragrance comes from the essential oils in it.

I have an oily T-zone with normal cheeks, which go dry in the winters. Usually any facewash or facial soap I use suits either my t-zone or the remaining normal skin. This is the first face wash ever which leaves my skin squeaky clean without causing any dryness and without enhancing my skin pores.

I used it after removing my eye makeup and it gently cleansed every trace of oil and makeup residue without drying my skin. I hadn't used soap on my face for more than 10 years and now I don't feel guilty using this face wash as it is free of soap.

I simply loved this product and totally recommend it to those who travel out daily in dirt and pollution. I don't need rigorous face cleansing daily so I might be using it on alternate days. But I am definitely going to try the other variations in the next summers.

Update 1 July 2014: It started drying me badly in extremely cold months, from mid November to Feb. I restarted using it from March and it worked well as before without drying my skin. But I was in Gurgaon in April and it created painful dry patches on my face. It overdries skin in dry dusty climate. 

Back in summers, it is again working extremely well. I even used it as a foot wash and it kept my feet soft and helped repair the dryness in my heels.

This small tube lasted me so long I almost got bored of it. But it is damn good and total value for money. I want to try the lavender one next, which is meant for dry skin like mine.

Olay Natural White Foaming Cleanser Review

This is a review of Olay Natural White foaming facial cleanser.

The actual size is half of what you see in the pic above

Quantity: 50 Gms

Price: INR 99

Shelf Life: 24 months

Easily available online and in physical stores 

It is a clear/colorless gel and smells like orange flavor kids bath products. Comes in a sturdy travel-friendly flip-open pack.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION AND CLAIMS:

Its foaming gel formula help removes sebum, dust, dirt and make-up residues to help keep your skin looking radiant.

DIRECTIONS OF USE: Apply to wet face and gently massage with fingertips. Rinse thoroughly with water.

OLAY NATURAL WHITE FOAMING CLEANSER INGREDIENTS:

MY EXPERIENCE WITH OLAY NATURAL WHITE FOAMING CLEANSER:

This face wash had come discounted in a combi pack, along with Olay Natural White Fairness Day Cream - Rich. When I first used it, it stretched my dry skin like hell. I tried a few times with the same results, so it kept lying unused in my cupboard for a very long time.

A few months ago, I happened to use it again, when I could not find my regular face wash, and I am glad I retried it! It is a very good product and a great wash to remove makeup residue. You need a very small amount of this as compared to the normal face washes available in the market. This was the primary reason it was earlier drying me out: I was using more quantity just like other face washes.

As for making you fair and radiant, it does leave my face a little fair like I have bleached, but I don't believe facewashes actually do that. It simply cleans your face thoroughly.

Caution: Only a little more than a small drop is enough for face and neck. I do not use daily.

USING OLAY FOAMING FACE WASH FOR MAKEUP REMOVAL

I use it as a follow up to makeup remover. After removing makeup with L'Oreal Gentle Makeup Remover, a thin oily film is left behind. I wash my face with Olay Natural White Foaming Cleanser and only then I feel sure all makeup is completely gone. You can also use it as an after-step of oil based makeup remover.

It spreads easily and thoroughly cleans my skin, leaving a very cool, clean and refreshed feeling. The moment you touch this gel, you can feel how different it is from regular cheap face washes. It foams only when you rinse away with water and removes easily. Do not use around eyes.

If you have oily skin, or an oily T-Zone, it should work very well for you. If you have dry or combination skin, it should still work good for you in summers, when skin becomes slightly oily with sebum. Else do not use daily. I have personally found it does not dry out dry skin when there is some oil or cream on the skin.

It is worth a try.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub Review

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub Review

This is a review of Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub with blackhead fighting complex. This scrub comes in 40 gms and 100 gms tubes.

Price: INR 110 for 40 gms

INR 240 for 100 gms

Shelf Life: 36 months from Mfg date

PRODUCT CLAIMS AND INGREDIENTS LIST:

Helps to effectively eliminate blackheads from the very first use, and prevents their return, for clear & healthy lookng skin! Microbeads that can effectively, yet gently exfoliate skin. Blackhead Fighting Complex, penetrates deep into pores to dissolve excessive oil to help eliminate stubborn blackheads. Prevents new ones from forming with continuous use. Natural ingredient with proven oil control efficacy. Helps clear and tighten pores. For best efficacy, use in combination with other BHE (Blackhead Elimination) line products (daily scrub followed by warming treatment and cooling toner)

Dermatologist Tested
Oil Free
Allergy Tested
Non-Comedogenic

Click to see enlarged view

I had bought this scrub for my mother, who has a severe blackhead problem on her temples. I had a lot of whiteheads on my nose owing to my oily t-zone. and suddenly developed a couple of blackheads too. My Amway Artistry polishing scrub was not helping, so I gave this one a try and really loved it. I am using it regularly for almost 2 months now. 

MY EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SCRUB:

1. It took some 8-10 uses to eliminate the whiteheads and clear up the excessive oil locked in my t-zone.
2. There was a very hard whitehead on the slant of my nose and recently it helped uproot that too. But it did required patience.
3. Please do NOT expect miracles overnight. It does work with the natural cycle of your skin and helps clear skin with regular use.
4. It does not dry skin like other scrubs. You can feel soft, clean and brightened skin within the first use.
5. The scrub microbeads are neither too gentle, nor too harsh. I was using daily but developed redness on my cheeks due to excessive scrubbing. So I now use on alternate days.
6. There is a noticeable difference in pore size. It does help reduce skin pores. Results may vary if you do not use a toner after scrubbing. Use any good toner of your choice.

Can you see the Orange beads and the White microbeads?

HOW TO USE NEUTROGENA BLACKHEAD ELIMINATING SCRUB?

Shake the tube to ensure the settled beads mix well in the scrub. Wet face with water. Then take a pea sized amount and start scrubbing the target area gently. Do NOT use in the area around the eyes.

How to scrub your face. Move hands as per the directions in the picture

HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT FOR PEOPLE WITH SEVERE BLACKHEADS?

There are two more products in the Neutrogena Blackhead eliminating range: 

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Warming Treatment

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Cooling Toner

For people with severe blackhead problem, it is recommended to use this scrub, then use the warming treatment and finally use the cooling toner. My mom is using only the scrub.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub alone does not remove stubborn blackheads as such. It helps exfoliate your skin gently, thereby exposing the deep rooted blackheads. You can then follow it up with steaming and cleaning with a blackhead remover tool, just like a beautician does it for you during a facial. 

If you do not know how to use the blackhead removal tool, please do NOT use it without proper guidance. Do NOT try to squeeze out blackheads or whiteheads, though I can understand how tempting it is. Squeezing with nails can lead to scars and marks. Keep using the scrub and then use a good toner to close the pores after scrubbing. If you do not notice any positive results after a month or so, try this scrub along with the warming treatment and cooling toner from the same range.

Neutrogena is owned by Johnson and Johnson. This scrub is definitely better than other similar products available in the market and I really trust the skin care products from this brand (though I hate the kids skin care range from Johnsons and Johnsons).