Lookfantastic launches its Indian site--but wait, is that really good news?

Being a skin sleuth, I'm always on the lookout for great value in skincare/makeup, especially when I'm stalking browsing online shopping destinations for beauty products. A discovery I made yesterday was the Indian site of lookfantastic.com, a UK-based shopping site for hair and beauty products.

Now, you'd imagine me squealing in delight when I chanced upon the Indian counterpart of the popular website. My initial thought was that finally, we Indians can now access some of the most coveted beauty brands like Alpha H, Aromatherapy Associates, Eve Lom, Elemis, Omorovicza and others right here in India. No more stalking the international site.

The Indian website also says this proudly, "Bringing Lookfantastic to India'. Surely, this must be a godsend to us.

Sadly, not all things that appear promising in the beginning turn out so. And here's where I got down to some serious sleuthing. A comparison between the two sites. Warning: nerdiness ahead!

Lookfantastic UK	Lookfantastic India
Free worldwide delivery if you make a purchase over GBP 50, which thanks to Brexit is now INR 4518.	Free worldwide delivery if you make a purchase over INR 6,000. So, wouldn’t it make more sense to purchase from the international site? Just saying…
If you are spending less than GBP 50, the tracked cost for India is GBP 9.99, translating to INR 902.	If you are spending less than INR 6,000, the tracked cost is INR 1,000. So, there’s no clear advantage over the international site.
Prices are listed as prescribed by the brands	Same here, except that in some of the large-format Indian departmental stores like Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop etc., you’d find the same products for a lesser price! For instance, the Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Skin Protectant is priced on this website for INR 2,592 whereas the last time I checked in Sephora, Mumbai, it was priced at INR 1,800 or thereabouts. How is that even possible?!
Delivery times are listed as per UK delivery timelines	Same here, which baffles me because international delivery to India takes much longer, and longer still if the order gets stuck in customs. However, the wording on the Indian site regarding shipping/delivery is identical to the international site. Which brings me to the false impression one gets that when you are shopping from the Indian site, you are getting the product from within India, hence, in a quicker timeframe. Not true! Your order will still be delivered to you from the UK, which beats the purpose of the Indian site.
Reviews—the all-important factor, next to price, that makes a buyer click ‘Add to Cart’. The reviews are left by international buyers, naturally as it is an international site.	Same here, which is logical to an extent, except that when buyers comment on shipping/delivery times, they are talking about their own countries.   Indian buyers need to take this into account when reading the reviews that are automatically replicated from the international site onto the Indian site.
You get almost any brand that you can think of here, especially convenient when you are looking for specific products that are not yet released in India. For instance, the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil, which I have had my eyes on for a very long time.	You don’t see all of the brands listed on the international site here. I was so hoping to see the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil on the Indian site.
You can buy fragrances from the UK site. I had my eyes on the much-talked about Chloe.	No mention of fragrances here

The only good part about this whole branching out initiative is that your orders, be it on the international site or the Indian one, are synchronised so you can have a uniform record of everything that you do. If anyone can give me a valid reason as to why I should buy from Lookfantastic India, as opposed to Lookfantastic International, I'm all ears! For now, I'll stick to the international site, thank you!

Thanks for making it this far.

Have a lovely day!

Do you really need sunscreen on a cloudy day?

Image: monsoonsalon.com

Ah, the relief that monsoon brings—cool rainy days to beat the harsh summer heat, especially in a hot, humid city like Mumbai. While I know that friends in UK, US and other places are enjoying their summer and clear skies, for a change, we Mumbaikars are rejoicing the refreshing monsoon.

A change in the season usually indicates a change in skincare too. So, while I’m ditching the cooling ingredients that were my go-to in the summer, talked about in detail here, I’m more careful than ever about continuing using sunscreen.

Many people, including my beloved husband, believe that ‘no sun = no sunscreen’. Not true! Just because you cannot see the sun does not mean its rays don’t reach you.

UVB rays (which cause burning/tanning) and UVA rays (which cause ageing) are nasty things that must be avoided, not because you care about vanity but to prevent skin cancer.

On cloudy/rainy days, you may not get burned by the UVB rays as the clouds block them, UVA rays still manage to get through the cloud cover and cause skin damage. Experts even say that if the UVA rays bounce off the edge of certain clouds, their intensity increases. Furthermore, if the cloud cover is thin, they may not be able to block even the UVB rays.

Bottom line is ‘don’t forget your sunscreen’.

Enjoy your monsoon!

Grease be gone: Why blotting papers are the ultimate summer saviours

Keeping in line with the summer theme, here's another product type that is essential for those who live in hot, humid climates. The Blotting Paper. A nifty little pack that I absolutely cannot live without, be it summer or otherwise, but especially during summer.

The concept of a blotting paper is simple--it's made out of absorbent fibres, not paper literally although Clean & Clear make one that is papery/plasticy and absolutely terrible, but I digress. So, good blotting papers are thin soft papers, almost linen-like, that you gently press on the skin and voila! The grease is gone and you're left with fresh-looking matte skin. And I'm not exaggerating; the gratification you get when you see the grease (and sweat) on the paper cannot be underestimated.

It is important to note that the skin needs both moisture and oil. So, depriving the skin of these two essentials in the hope that you won't get oily during the day is a big mistake! Instead, give the skin what it needs so that it doesn't overcompensate for lack of oil--the skin will always produce oil because that is how it functions--it needs oil to protect itself from dryness, environment, etc. But you can use blotting papers to keep the excess oil at bay. 

Most papers contain oil-absorbing agents or are made out of materials such as flax seed, yam or hemp. The Palladio Rice Paper ones contain rice powder, while the Glo Minerals blotting papers are made from abaca tree leaves. The Boscia Clear Complexion ones are dusted with willow bark and bamboo extract. Sadly, the ones available in India don't quite do the job. So, the three blotting papers that I like come from Korea and Japan.

1) DHC Oil Blotting Paper
These were the first ones that I tried and I love them. The pink packaging is cute but can fray over time. The oil blotting paper itself is slightly smaller in size compared to the Innisfree one mentioned below but you get 100 sheets in one pack.

2) Skinfood Natural Fresh Oil Blotting Paper
The Skinfood oil blotting paper made from natural hemp is cheaper than the DHC one and comes in a more practical packaging. There is a rubber-like flip open packet, which keeps the papers secure. Also, you get 100 sheets in one pack so overall, these are my new favourites considering performance, price and packaging.

3) Innisfree Eco Beauty Tool Oil Blotting Paper
These get the job done but come in not-so-great packaging. The oil blotting paper itself has one side textured, which gives a good grip on the face, while the other side is polished smooth, which unfortunately slides on greasy skin. Also, you get only 50 sheets in one pack. So, yeah, will not repurchase these.

The best part about blotting papers are that they are inexpensive (anywhere between 3-5 USD or 180-300 INR) and last a long time. One pack usually contains about 100 papers and depending on your usage, it can last anywhere between one to three months.

Cool for the summer: ingredients to look out for in your summer skincare

Summer, according to me, is the most challenging season of the year. In Mumbai, you have two seasons practically speaking--summer and monsoon. You can no longer feel the winter cold possibly because of climate change, so skincare is geared more towards being sun-proof and summer-friendly.

One of the best things to do to your skin topically is to hydrate it and keep it cool. Mists are a great way to do that. And if you keep yours in the fridge, even better! Another way to keep the skin cool is to use products that contain cooling ingredients, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, cucumber, green tea, aloe vera, bamboo, rose and possibly many others. The products can be anything from cooling masks to hydrating toner mists. Here are some of my favourite cooling skincare products:

1) Fresh Spa Imperial Caviar -30 degree Cooling Mask
This hybrid between a night cream and a face mask is my holy grail skincare product. It contains arctic peppermint oil, which gives an instant cooling and toning effect together with other ingredients such as caviar and snow cladonia found in the most pristine Russian landscapes. 

2) Aroma Magic Activated Bamboo Charcoal Mask
This face mask is loaded with Himalayan clay and bamboo charcoal powder along with cooling ingredients such as panthenol, red sandalwood and aloe. Lately, this has become my favourite skincare product but for a very different purpose. Watch this space to know what I use it for. :)

3) Aloe Derma After Sun Repairing Mask
This aloe-enriched gel face mask is uber cooling, especially when you leave it in the fridge and use it after you return home from a hot, humid day. It also contains other cooling super ingredients such as mint, chamomile and purslane, a herb that is also used in salads! Sadly, I don't think Aloe Derma sells this mask anymore. I tried finding an active link for it but couldn't come up with anything.

4) Leejiham Tea Tree Toner Mist
Leejiham is a renowned Korean skincare brand and this spray mist is my first purchase from them. This power-packed mist contains 70 per cent tea tree extract along with other skincare goodies like niacinamide, witch hazel, cucumber, aloe, grapefruit extract, orange fruit extract, apple fruit extract, lemon fruit extract and lime fruit extract. A skincare cocktail, in short!

5) Whamisa Organic Flowers Eye Essence
Whamisa is another well-respected Korean skincare brand. Their packaging is drool-worthy but what's most exciting is that they carry some really well-formulated products that work. I had never used eye cream in my life so buying this was a gamble. I did not know what to expect. However, in the first use itself, I noticed how the eye cream left my eye area feeling cool and tingly, not in a menthol sort of way but in a very subtle and refreshing way, thanks to cooling ingredients like aloe and green tea.


More information about cooling skincare ingredients can be found here.

REVIEW: Tosowoong Osory Oil Emulsion

One of the constant challenges for an oily-combination skin type is to find the right kind of moisturiser. You want something light (not greasy/shiny) and if a moisturiser gives you more than just a beautiful after-feeling, you have yourselves a winner!

A strong contender
The strong contender in my stash is the Tosowoong Osory Oil Emulsion. Tosowoong is a leading Korean beauty brand, famous for creating products using the best natural ingredients such as tea tree, aloe, propolis, camellia, bifida ferment, and many others.
 
Now, to the most interesting part of the product name--osory! Osory is Korean for badger, the furry animal that resembles a beaver and a weasel. Apparently, the moisturiser contains oil derived from the animal--don't ask me how, as there is no information documented about this online, or at least in English. Now, Koreans are known to derive natural ingredients from creatures such as snail (its mucus is known to be anti-inflammatory), bee (its venom is known to stimulate collagen), red algae and crustaceans, which are known to produce astaxanthin, a super antioxidant. But many Korean brands are happy to show you that they cultivate snails responsibly. So, let's assume for a minute that our friendly little badger is not harmed as well.

What does the moisturiser contain
Okay, now that we have the controversial part out of the way, let's focus on why someone would use badger oil in skincare. While there is not much research available online about the benefits of badger oil, there is some indication that it contains unsaturated fatty acids, which when applied topically help repair the moisture barrier of the skin. I have spoken about the moisture barrier previously here, and why it's important to maintain it. Repair your moisture barrier and you will have taken care of acne--it's as simple as that.

This moisturiser also contains squalene, a natural oil that is very similar to the sebum that our skin produces. Squalene is anti-bacterial and also helps compensate any oil loss from the surface of the skin, thus helping repair the moisture barrier.

Another ingredient in this moisturiser that helps repair the barrier is meadowfoam seed oil, which is an antioxidant. It's worth mentioning that all of these three oils are super light on the skin, which is essential for an oily-combo skin type.

Packaging
The product comes in a sturdy, non-fussy bottle with a screw-on lid. The bottle is not very practical as it has a slightly wide mouth so you typically end up with more quantity than you need. A pump style bottle would have been more practical.

Price (and er, fragrance)
For me, using this product has been a mix of yays and nays. Let's start with the nays. Apart from the price, which ranges between 22 USD to 32 USD (roughly 1,450 INR to 2,000 INR for 150 ml), which could be a nay for some people, the product has a strange smell. I cannot even begin to describe it but I can tell you what it's not--it's neither floral nor fruity, it's neither medicinal nor grassy, it's something else entirely. If that's how the badger oil is supposed to smell, then I get it.

Performance
Once you get over the fragrance part, there is good news waiting for you because the product works. To begin with, you only need a little so that justifies the price. It is absolutely 100% non-greasy so perfect even for summers. When I tested this initially, I did not have major acne to test it on, so please excuse me when I say that I cannot attest to the acne-reducing claim. However, the ingredients should technically work in reducing acne. What I did notice, though, is that it made my face less oily than usual, which is not a surprise because the ingredients are meant to do exactly that. By adding the right kind of oils to your skin's surface, it stops the skin from overproducing oil. When the skin has the right amount of oil, pore clogging is down to minimum, thus reducing acne. I would imagine that you'd need to use this regularly along with using the right kind of cleanser (not the oil-stripping foaming washes) to see sustained results.

Availability
I actually won mine in an auction on Tosowoong's own ebay store. So, I ended up paying 13 USD for 150 ml. But last I checked, the ebay store no longer holds auctions. However, the store continues to sell the product at the full price of 32 USD. You could also get it for cheaper on websites like RoseRoseShop.

Skinsleuth Says:
While the moisturiser is a downer in terms of fragrance, it is light enough to use while maintaining the essential oil-moisture balance. For these reasons, I would recommend the Tosowoong Osory Oil Emulsion.