I used to get manicure pedicure done at the salon once a month but the manicure never lasted more than a week. Then I started doing it once a week at home and now don't need to go to a salon for it. Money saved... atleast 1000 bucks per month saved. 

Below is the step by step instruction with product details. I chalk out an hour for this over the weekend. 

1) Fill a bucket with hot water... not too hot... enough to be able to dip your feet comfortably in it. I have bought a round, wide bucket specially for this. 

2) Add a foot soak. There such few options in India of this. I generally use Body Shop's Peppermint Reviving foot soak but am looking for cheaper options now. MRP of this is Rs 895. Add a few crystals of the soak in the water and dip the feet in it. And also the hands. 

 3) After 10-15 mins, use a nail cutter to cut nails on toes and fingers. Then I use the attachment below to remove all the dirt from the side of my nails. It is a very helpful tool and effectively removes dirt and dead skin. I use this for my fingernails also.

4) Use a pumice stone or foot scrub like below to remove dead skin from the feet. Scrub well specially on the sides of the feet.

5) Apply a foot scrub to the feet and hands. I use Body Shop's Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot scrub priced at Rs 595. It is quite good and a little quantity goes a long way. Scrub well. 

 6) Use the smoothing foot scrub like below to clean the feet and hands. I have the one from OVS and have also used from Oriflame. Any brand should be good. Wash the feet and hands after using this and wipe them with a clean cloth.

7) Use a cuticle remover. I don't have too many cuticles but this does help in cleaning the nails. I use it only on my fingernails and not on toes. Sally Hansen cuticle remover priced at Rs 650 (I think). This bottle should last a year if used once a week. A little goes a long way. 

Apply the gel on the sides of the nails and leave on for 15 seconds. Don't keep it for very long else it will dry off making it difficult to push back.

Use a cuticle pusher to push back the gel towards the nails. Cuticles are effectively removed. Cuticle stick from Colorbar (don't remember the price).

Shown below are pushed back cuticles. Wash the nails in soapy water and wipe with a clean cloth. I clean them off with the water with foot soak.

 8) Apply foot cream and massage feet. I am using Lush fair trade foot lotion which has peppermint and feels very relaxing. Priced at Rs 970 and should easily last a year.

Apply hand cream and massage. I am using Body Shop's Vanilla Bliss. It is limited edition priced at Rs 495. I think I bought it for 50% off. Love it. The fragrance is my favorite... it is thick enough to moisturise but gets absorbed easily.

9) Use a buffer to smoothen and give nails a shine. I use Colorbar's pack of 3 nail buffers priced at Rs 350. The colored side removes ridges and the white side gives my nails a shine.

10) And now the nails are ready for a paint. The base is Sally Hansen miracle cure. I don't think this does anything special and I am trying to finish it off.

And the nails are ready for the paint. I keep my nails short and use a filer only if required.

I use a darker, neutral colour for my feet so that it does need to be changed too often. I have applied Bourjois grey nail paint on my feet.

And a bright fuschia - OPI Dim Sum Plum on my fingernails.

And last... but not the least... Inglot drying drops. The cap is a dropper. 1 drop is enough for 1 nail. This is ok types... nothing great. I went to Inglot looking for a nice drying coat and the SA recommended this. Not too happy with it.

Its done... Leaving the 2nd toe blank is not a trend... the nails have broken off and I don't want to paint baby nails. That is the picture of my happy feet.
I will tell you a secret... I hate my feet specially the toes. They are so ugly. Sigh!!!

Those are happy fingernails...

I went to Select Citywalk last month. I was looking forward to visiting the Lush store. Guess what? The store has closed down. I had to google a lot to find any article about this. Apparently, it is exiting India and the store which are open are not receiving new stock. WTF!!! Why? I will miss it so much. It maybe pricey but it was absolute heaven. And why don't blogger write about these things? 

Anyway, I picked up this product in Mumbai few months back. It is priced at Rs 970 for 245 gm. Pricey but can easily last 1 year. 

The product comes in a black tub and is easy to access. I have not travelled with it so don't know if it spills.

It is light pink in colour and smells of peppermint. Love the smell... and the colour. It is very light... but moisturising. As soon as I apply it on my feet there is cooling sensation. It feels like water in texture but moisturises my feet and stays on all night. I apply it at night after washing my feet.

Will I re-purchase? Yes... very much. 

I don't use any Lush products loyally... I just buy them to add some zing to my daily routine. I think the products are too expensive to be part of my regular regime.
I purchased the beer shampoo few months back. Right now, beer is the new trend. I think it was sparked by Park Avenue's beer shampoo.
Anyway, I bought the beer shampoo. It costs Rs 530 for 100 gm.

Picture taken from the internet.

The shampoo is light brown in color and smells of beer (???). I have not smelled beer in a long time so I am not sure. It has a weird smell which stays on the hair all day. I don't mind it so much but everyone may not like it. A little shampoo makes my hair squeaky clean and moisturised. I still need a conditioner but I can skip it once in a while. The best part is it adds shine to my hair. 

I will not re-purchase it 'coz of the price. It is like a regular shampoo.... nothing extra ordinary. 

I have been using body scrubs these days. I use them once a week (on the weekend... no time on weekdays).

Here are all the body scrubs I have tried till date:

- Soap and Glory Body Buff: On my last visit to Sephora (almost 5-6 months back), I had kept some money aside just to shop at Sephora. I have read so much about Soap and Glory products and decided to try out something. This was the first scrub I used. It is priced less than Rs 500 (don't remember the exact price) for 50 ml. It is a plastic packaging... the packaging is quite famous 'coz of the funky writing on it. Personally, I didn't care much about it.
Apparently it has Babassu Oil (never heard of it) and sea salt.

The scrub is light pink in colour with darker beads for exfoliation. It has a strong perfumey smell... it smells like one of those bad, cheap perfumes. I don't like the artificial smell but like the fact that it lasts after a bath.

The beads exfoliate well. They are neither too harsh nor too mild.

Will I re-purchase? No... I do not like the artificial smell.


- Lush Sugar Scrub

I bought this sometime back from the Lush store. It is green in colour with a strong spice smell... Fennel or Cinnamon. A very interesting smell. It is dome shaped and very hard.

Picture- Taken from Lush website since I have used up my scrub.

I made the mistake of storing this on a soap dish in the bathroom. On first use, I found the scrub very harsh. It hurt. I didn't want to use it again but the storage in the humid bathroom loosened up the scrub and it got easier to use. Thats when I really started liking it... the spicy smell, the scrub was harsh enough to remove the dead cells and not hurt. It does not lather and yet cleans. After scrubbing, my skin felt smooth and moisturised.
Awesome!!!
Will I re-purchase? Yes... why not?

- Body Shop Strawberry Body Polish: A couple of times I wondered if I should buy this scrub and then decided against it. I generally had a scrub at home that I was using. Once Lush scrub was over, I came across a positive review on a blog and went and purchased it.

Priced at Rs 599 for 250 ml, it is pricey... I just checked some reviews online and the price has increased from Rs 445 to Rs 599 in 3 years. Ouch!!!
It comes in a plastic tube. Regular Body Shop packaging. It is quite big and I will not carry it while travelling.

The scrub is red in colour with kiwi seeds and smaller red exfoliating beads. The blacks beads in below picture are kiwi seeds. It lathers a lot and exfoliation is very, very mild... so mild that I wonder if any dead cells are removed. It is very mild and feels almost like a body wash... gentle enough to use everyday.
The best and only good part is the smell... it smells very strongly of strawberry and I love it.

Overall, it is a good product for those who like mild exfoliation... I think a scrub should work like a scrub and this one does not. It will make a good body wash instead.
Will I re-purchase? Nope... 

I am a big of Lush... even the store guy at Kurla store knows me well. He has a knowing smile on this face when I enter. I feel so guilty.
I have been trying out their soaps currently. I don't buy the same once twice... why should I when there are so many options to choose from?

Rockstar soap:
I am currently using this soap. It costs between Rs 300-400 for 100 gm and lasts about a month. Lush soaps generally do not last too long since they are very soft and melt easily.
It is bubblegum flavoured and for kids. Yep... I bought a kids soap. I love the smell... so bubblegummy.
It feels soft on the skin, glides easily and foams well.
The only problem is that the fragrance does not last beyond the bath. As a trial, the soap is wonderful but I will not re-purchase.

Honey I washed the kids soap:

This soap is meant for dry skin and I have normal skin (body... face is very oily) but I could not resist the smell of honey. Priced at Rs 380 for 100 gm, it is worth every penny. It feels soft on the skin... foams well... and the honey smell lingers after the bath.

I found the honeycomb at the end a little irritating but it can be removed. 

Generally, with soaps like these cleaning is not effective... meaning, you don't feel squeaky clean. Thankfully, that is not the problem with Lush soaps. They all make me "squeaky clean". 

Bohemian: 

This was the first soap I tried... I was attracted to the lemon scent. It is not as soft as the above soaps but does its job well. Priced at Rs 300, it is one of their cheapest soaps... and lasts longer than the others. 

Try it if you like lemon scent. It is a light yellow coloured soap with a lemon shaped design.

Dirty:
Yep... thats the name of the soap. It is a men's soap but I love it. This is my favourite (along with honey). It has a mint fragrance and feels cool on the skin. I swear... my skin felt cool and tingled (like when mint is applied). It is perfect for the summer. I don't remember the price and it is not available on Lush India website. MRP should be between Rs 300-400. The fragrance lasts after the bath also.
I will definitely re-purchase this one.

Most websites suggest that the soap should be chopped up into smaller pieces... they will last a longer time. I haven't tried it yet... but will do so next time.

Note- All pics taken from Lush websites. 

I am going to review a product I love... it isn't something I need but want.... its a common feature on this blog. If I start buying only what I need, my dressing table will be 3/4th empty.

I am falling in love with Lush products. They do have their misses but they are worth a try and they smell awesome.

I came across their massage bars.... its basically a soap style moisturizing oil. You have to rub it on your body and it melts turning into oil. The oil is absorbed in a few minutes. It is awesome for dry skin and being winters even oily skinned people can use it. I have a slightly oily body skin (face is very, very oily) and I love using it at night.

I bought the Soft Coeur (The Honeymooner) for Rs 550 for 100 gm (not sure about the weight).

Below pics have been taken after I used up 50% of it. I have been using it for more than 2 weeks and it will last for another 2-4 weeks.





The massage bar is made of honey and cocoa and smells like that. I love the smell.













I love smelling of honey before sleeping. It gets absorbed after a few mins (until then it feels oily) and does not stain the bedsheet or anything else.

I love it.

I am becoming a little obsessed with Lush despite the not so great shower smoothie last time. Actually, there are such few options in the market for body washes that Lush seems heaven sent.

I have been using a shower gel for more than 4 years now. Like everyone else in India, I used soap... then, I joined a travelling job and soaps became inconvenient. Carrying a wet soap and soap dish in a bag is torture. I have been hooked to body washes since. Also, they don't dry my skin unlike soaps.

Despite all this I decided to buy a soap from Lush. I bought the Lemon soap. MRP Rs 300 for 100 gm. The SA told me it will last for 20 baths. Lets see.



I also decided to try the solid shampoo. The last soap cum shampoo I used was Shikakai as a kid. Anyone remember it? Of course, Lush seanik solid shampoo is nowhere close to shikakai. I love the humorous writings on the pack. MRP Rs 620 for around 100 gm. The SA told me it will last for 80 washes which is more than 3 months for me. I use it on alternate days. If it lasts that long I wouldn't consider it expensive.



The soap is blue in color with some green.

So, after liking shower jelly I picked up Dreamwash shower smoothie from the store a month back. I have been using it for almost a month  and I am almost out of it.

I picked this up instead of the shower jelly 'coz I like trying different body washes. The BA had tried it on my hand. He wet my hand, took a bit of the product, scrubbed a bit and washed it off. There was no smell but my hand was squeaky clean. I like squeaky clean.





The smoothie is priced at Rs 1160 for 250 gm. Thats expensive... very expensive. The shower jelly would have cost around 900 bucks. It has lasted me around 3-4 weeks which is very, very less. The same amount of shower jelly would have lasted atleast 2 months.





The product is white in color and smooth... feels a little like talc. The main ingredients are aloe vera and calamine. It claims to cool the skin and take the heat out of troubled, sensitive skin.





Its usage is a major issue. I tried using the loofah but unlike the shower jelly it does not lather too much. So, I had to take a little product in the loofah... clean one leg... then take some more and then clean another leg. Very inconveniencing. On the 2nd day I decided to skip the loofah but I could not get any lather and my skin didn't feel squeaky clean after bath.

It did make my skin feel soft after bath. I don't mind that it does not have any fragrance... anyways, my body lotion covers up any smell.

Pathetic product... why would anyone create this and price it so high???

Will I re-purchase? No

Why?

1. Expensive... freaking expensive


2. Lasts for barely a month


3. Inconvenient to use


4. Better and cheaper options in the market

Hiya... I have been away and so no posts. My digital camera has conked off... beyond repair. One moment it was good and next moment gone. I will buy a new one this weekend. Currently, I am using my hubby's camcorder so please bear with me. The pics are a little hazy.

After work I was quite bored and decided to visit the SelectCity walk mall. Below is the Lush haul. I bought the Body Shop products few days back. 






Body Shop Peppermint Reviving Foot Soak: I have been using a shampoo as foot soak and decided to try this. There are not many options in the market for foot soak.







I have been looking for a good eye cream to prevent the puffiness, remove dark circles and fine lines. I picked this up from TBS.



















It is part of the Nutriganics collection







I actually went to Lush to buy the full jar of the shower jelly and came across this. Dreamwash Shower Smoothie. It has talc and makes the skin soft and smooth.













I like to experiment with masks and don't mind paying more for them. I picked up Cupcake which has a chocolate scent. It is for oily skin.