Health obsessed, product junkie, cosmetic hoarder, beauty expert: As the former-Beauty Director of leading women’s magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Women's Health in India, I’ve been all these things at once. And even after writing on health and beauty for over 15 years, my appetite for delicious skincare and sumptuous makeup hasn’t dimmed...

 
 
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@vasudha.raI

Ok so the photos are a bit hazy, but it was so awesome winning the Beauty & Wellness Voice of the year at the #cosmoindiabloggerawards2019, with my lucky charm @payalboparai ❤️
Ultimately, what really matters is how authentically you’ve lived your life. But, despite the stress on individuality, we live in a one-size-fits-all-world. Fad diets, skincare, makeup and superfoods sweep across millions of women without taking into account their own unique needs. But, at the end of the day it is up to us to choose exactly those things that work for us. I’m all for personalisation. So how do you find your ID? —————— Diet: There’s no guarantee that a wellness trend is guaranteed to work for you. So you need to learn to read your body’s signals. I tried intermittent fasting, however, the full 16 hour fast did not work for me. I felt tired and fatigued, so I fast only for about 12-13 hours and then eat breakfast. Incidentally I met an ayurvedic doctor recently who also told me not to fast because I have very high vata dosha. People with high vata shouldn’t fast and should not eat raw foods. ———————— Makeup: My mother wears kajal and looks beautiful in it. My best friend would never leave home without a line of kohl. But I figured out at a very young age that kohl did not suit me, not one little bit. So instead of trying to follow what everyone else did I chose lipstick - the brightest, baddest red - and made it my signature. You’ll know when something’s your signature. When you wear it your skin will shine and you’ll feel like the best version of yourself. ——————— Skincare: Here’s where personalisation is most important. Every skin is different - you may have oily, dry, normal or combination skin, with concerns that range from dullness to wrinkles, pores or an uneven skin tone. No expert or blogger can determine your skin type for you, its up to you to understand and then nourish your own complexion. My mother had pigmentation so I use vitamin C serum, I have pores so I acid toner. But over that I have also personalised my skincare with the new Clinique ID moisturisers. I chose the Hydrating Jelly because I love it’s texture the most. In fact, even my mother loves the Hydrating Jelly, and she is very discerning about skincare. (Contd. in comments below)
#30daysofbeautifulskin I’m often asked what’s the best spot treatment for a zit. Something that destroys the goddamn thing overnight leaving no sign it even existed in the morning. While there are many spot treatments in the market I found that they either caused purging or left my skin dry and scabbed (I’m looking at you benzoyl peroxide.) Then I discovered this little tube at a German pharmacy and I knew I found the best spot treatment, EVER. .......... I want to begin by apologising to everyone because Tyrosur is only available in German pharmacies. But my aim is to bring you the best (not the most convenient) skincare, and in that regard this ticks all the right boxes. The transparent gel in this tube can be used on cuts, scrapes, burns and breakouts. Plus, it’s safe enough to be used by children as well. This will prevent even the deepest, most painful cystic acne from breaking out. If you apply this at the first sign of a pimple, this will demolish it overnight. The best part is that somehow this makes the breakout less red, meaning that it fades without leaving a trace. What’s your favourite spot treatment? I’d love to know.
#30daysofbeautifulskin The bottle on the left is what I recently finished, the one in the centre is what I’m using these days, and the box holds a bottle that I’ll use next. Could it be that I’m obsessed with my vitamin C serum? ........ Any self respecting Skincare addict will always have a stash of vitamin C in their arsenal. I stopped using it for about a year in between. My skin was OK, but when I started using it again in October last year, in just a few days, I felt like I had shed my skin. Brighter, clearer, smoother and more radiant, if you use a good vitamin C serum then you know how potent the results can be. ............. This one is one of my favourites. Yes, there are a lot of dupes in the market but I believe in originals. So this one is the OG serum for me. Others I love are the @obagimedical Professional C 20%, and @zelensskincare Power C (which may not suit oily skin). @drunkelephant is good for those who find this @skinceuticals serum too drying. ........ Unfortunately we don’t have any really potent C serums available in India. There’s the Sesderma one, which doesn’t give those potent brightening and smooth ending results. Among the ones available here I like the @kiehlsindia Powerful Strength Line Reducing concentrate. It has 10.5% vitamin C, which works very well for those with oily skin. ....... Do you guys use vitamin C serums? I’d love to know your favourites.
#30daysofbeautifulskin So a few weeks back I was talking to a freind about my favourite serums (pictured above). So she said ‘why don’t you do a comparison between both - after all both seem to be equally popular’. So here goes: ........... The @loccitane Reset Nuit Serum is by far thier best selling Skincare product. I discovered it when I was invited to do a talk about the immortelle oil in this product, when they launched it in Mumbai. However this post isn’t sponsored obviously. I love this serum because not only is it moisturising, it leaves my skin feeling smoother and more radiant. It’s supposed to be for night use but I wear it in the day too over my vitamin C serum. This product would be better for younger women as it provides toning and hydration. The immortelle oil in this serum also helps calm inflammation and prevent breakouts. I always knew L’Occitane had great products for the body but it’s quite a lovely surprise to see they have great Skincare too. .................. @esteelauder Advanced Night Repair is probably the serum that I’ve been using for more than a decade. I always tell people if you want to choose just one product for your skin make it this one. I like to also use this during the day as well. This one has potent anti ageing components so I wouldn’t recommend it for someone in their 20s. This also contains retinyl palmitate (a mild form of retinol) because of which it is not suitable for pregnant women. I use this also to heal any rash or scratch on my skin - ANR helps everything heal without leaving a mark. ............ The biggest difference between these two is that Estee Lauder’s ANR is double the price of the L’Occitane serum. Still, you get what you pay for. The Reset Nuit will give you hydration and glow, while ANR will improve your skins tone, texture and elasticity year after year. Choose what you like.
Such a beautiful evening yesterday at the #paroglow workshop. We will do another one around the end of March - who will join us? #Repost @parogoodearth with @get_repost ・・・ To glow is to radiate from within and without; it is to have the body, mind and soul in harmony with each other. And this begins with self-care. @vasudha.rai began the ‘Paro Glow’ workshop by stressing the importance of energising our actions and creations. Even our skincare rituals must be mindfully begun, with love for ourselves. And that is when they will truly heal our skin and body. ⠀ ⠀ #ParoBotanica #Botanical #Dailyrituals #Skincare #Urbansanctuary #Ancientwisdom #Personalluxury #ParoGlow #Selfcare #vbeauty #lookluxeliveclean
#30daysofbeautifulskin When I look for a beauty product I don’t go for what’s convenient. Actually I don’t look for convenience in most things. If I invest in anything - be it friendship or skincare - it has to be worth it. In beauty I look for results, which is why a lot of the products I choose may not be available easily. However I can say that my choices are always (more or less) foolproof. But I digress, I wanted to talk about essence. ................. I bought this @pyunkangyul Essence Toner a few months back along with the Hada Labo Premium Gokujun Premium Hyaluronic Solution from @yesstyle. I got both products in about two weeks without paying any duty. Unfortunately the Hada Labo Lotion broke me out terribly, but the Pyunkang Yul Essence Toner is another story. .............. Those who know me well will remember that I don’t really enjoy Korean Skincare - too cutesy and gimmicky for my taste. I didn’t believe in essences either, but decided to try one after I heard someone at yoga raving about them. I chose Pyunkang Yul because it’s based on traditional Korean medicine, like sort of the Ayurveda of Korea. The range is very clean, no-nonsense and at least this one product is beyond impressive. ............ Essences are supposed to work like fertilisers in skincare, helping other products work better. I pat it on after my Lotion P50 in the evening and as the first step in the morning. I find that I need to use much lesser serum after I use this essence and even on its own this product works very well. The main ingredient in this product is astralagus, a herb that is also commonly used in Ayurveda. It calms down the skin and reduces redness, meaning that it is especially good for those with rosacea. I find that this product hydrates the skin, yet absorbs very quickly without a trace. Over the last few months it’s made my skin softer and eliminated the redness up to 95%. It’s fragrance free, which is always a plus in my book. I love it so much that I’ve already ordered another bottle. What do you guys think about essences? Which ones are your favourites? I’d love to know.
#30daysofbeautifulskin Even though I’ve been using a lot of amazing skincare and eating a ton of nourishing food, I’ve barely had any time to write a decent review. So for the next 30 days I’ll share what makes skin look and feel amazing. First up is this dope retinol serum. ........... I love @zelensskincare. I’ve tried all three of their Treatment Drops and enjoyed all of them for different reasons. The Power C is an oil-based serum with 20% vitamin C, which significantly reduced my mothers melasma. Their Power D contains provitamin D with lipids that are are structurally similar to those found in the skin. Power D is amazing for those with damaged skin. I tried it on someone who’s skin was burnt and pigmented from the sun and it made his skin smooth and clear within a month. And now I’m using Power A, which contains two different types of retinoids that are released slowly into the skin to prevent irritation. Now I’ve used retinol before but it makes my skin so sensitive that it burns - I always stop using it within a month or two. But I faced ZERO irritation with this serum. When I apply this every alternate night (on other nights I use Lotion P50) I wake up with skin that looks and feels like butter. This is also an oil based serum but it did not make my skin oily at all. However I’m not sure how it would work on those who have very oily skin. Also the percentage of retinol is not mentioned anywhere on the product or the website, which I always find annoying. Still, this is the best retinol serum I have ever tried. And that’s saying a LOT. .............. Available at @theofficialselfridges or you can order it to India from @cultbeauty, but you have to pay duty when you order online.