First Impressions Review : My Envy Box

It has actually been quite some time since the monthly subscripton box fad entered the Indian market. However, I was first introduced to this concept around 4 to 5 years ago by YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen also know as Missglamorazzi (Check out her channel -she's awesome!) where she would review Birchbox (www.birchbox.com) every month. I was quite fascinated with the idea of receiving personalised beauty, lifestyle and grooming samples from high-end brands to up-and-coming brands. The best part was you pay a stipend amount each month and you don't know what items will be sent to you! Even though there were plenty of these subscription boxes popping up online for us beauty lovers here in India I was always very skeptical of indulging in them. (No way could it be half as good as Ipsy or Birchbox!) 

Let's fast forward to a week ago when I happened to stumble across My Envy Box through Instagram. Immediately, out of curiosity I checked out their website and Facebook page and was convinced that I should at least give it a try. (maybe it was finally time to cave into one of these subscriptions!).

It was all very effortless. I made an account and signed up for the December Box which was priced at Rs.850. (cash on delivery) Promptly, I received an e-mail informing me that my order was processed. Here's when it got weird. They informed me that while my order was being approved I could fill out the Beauty Profile (a bunch of questions to gauge your skin type, scent preference etc.) on the website in the meantime. I was required to enter a Customer I.D. which I had clearly not received and so I was unable to proceed. 

Long story short I wrote to them and after no response I felt that my order was not approved. Funnily enough they delivered the parcel today (1 week after order placement) with absolutely no heads-up or call from the courier guy - nevertheless, you can imagine my surprise to see the parcel waiting for me. Christmas has definitely come early! Here's a look at what was in my box.

The quality of the box itself is nice (great for reusing or up-cycling). Inside the box was a 20% coupon code - a 'Christmas Special Treat'. There was a total five items - three were sample sizes and two full-sized products.

Babor Mimical Control Cream 2 Sample Sachets

Babor Mimical Control Cream : The price for the full-sized product (100ML)  is Rs.5,499.

Suganda Sweet Orange Lip Balm (10 gms) Full-Sized Product

                                       The actual price for this tiny lip balm itself is Rs. 600

Paco Rabanne Eau My Gold! Sample

                                        The price for the 100ml perfume is Rs.4,900

Avene Eluage Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate 3ml Sample

                                            The full-sized product is for Rs.1,200 (15ml).

Bomb Cosmetics 30 gms full-size product 

                          Bath Creamers & Bath Mallows full-sized product is for Rs. 195.

Overall I am quite happy with everything based on appearance. I'm uncertain at this point whether I will actually like the products enough to purchase a full-sized one or sign up for a longer subscription period. 

So to sum up it up:

I spent Rs. 850 and the total value of the products (full-sized) is Rs.12,394. I think that's a pretty sweet deal!

For more information on My Envy Box you can check out their website www.myenvybox.com

Have Your Elf A Merry Little Christmas

It's that time of year where all of us last-minute shoppers are scrambling to find those 'perfect gifts' for our favourite people. I've scouted Pinterest over the last week and chosen my favourite pun-intended Christmas gift ideas.  Hopefully these cute ideas will help guide and inspire you. Enjoy ! 

Perfect gift for a mother, daughter, friend, sister, girlfriend or even grandma! The most inexpensive nail varnishes start at Rs.20 - Rs.40 (the kind that are sold in local trains!) and of course you get a variety of nail polishes in the mid range by brands like Revlon, Miss Claire, Maybelline, Avon etc.

All you need for this is a hand wash soap dispenser ! The options are limitless - you get the Bath and Body Works ones in the market as well as regular inexpensive brands. Alternately, this could be given to anyone with the tag 'We WASH You A Merry Christmas'.

A sweet gesture for someone who loves to cook or bake. Purchase a regular whisk or a fancy one (that's up to you) and fill it with Hershey's Kisses (or any chocolate for that matter!).

A practical gift for the season. The variety of chapsticks and lipbalms in the market is endless. You can choose from Nivea, Vaseline, Maybelline, The Body Shop, Burt's Bees and Carmex to name a few. 

Suitable for the light-hearted who love a good laugh! For a variation you could purchase Green tic tacs or Green M&M's and use this tag line "Grinch Pills: Feeling little grouchy? Holiday spirit can't be found? Just try these little 'grinch pills' they're the best medicine around ! Whether eating a whole handful, or eating one or two... these tasty little 'pills', take the Grinch right out of you! "

Disclaimer : These ideas have been taken from the awesome website www.pinterest.com

Collective Stationery Haul

There’s just something about having pretty stationery that makes me feel good. That being said I’m the kind of person that generally doesn’t like to spend a bomb for a cute pen (unless it's a ‘Harry Potter’ one – then you bet I will!), so it was a blessing for me to discover my new little stationery shop – ‘Mota’s’.

Conveniently wedged between ‘Balaji’s Restaurant’ and ‘Cheap Jack’ on Hill Road, this little party store can go completely missed. I love this shop because they sell affordable stationery from adorable erasers, funky pencils, tin boxes (all made in China) to printed paper and embossed cards (USA companies). They also have an abundance of Pinterest inspired party décor.

These are some of the items I purchased in the past year. 

Floral Print Tin Can- I had been eyeing this little box for a month before I finally caved and picked it up. Priced at just Rs.195 you really can’t go wrong.

Jumbo Pink Eraser- As if I needed another eraser in my life. I will say that I just couldn’t resist this for Rs.40.

Embossed Cards / Envelopes- These were by the brand Papus and I loved the fact that these were absolutely blank so that I can personalize them however I want to. You get 4 A6 embossed cards and 4 envelopes for Rs.120. You might get these in bulk at Crawford Market (but who has time or energy for that?).

Printed Paper Stack- These were by a brand called Craft Easy and you get 50 sheets (5 each of 10 designs) of printed-paper. These were around Rs.250 and the paper quality is excellent.

Die-Cut Notelets- These were by a brand called Papermania and you get 18 pieces (6 designs). They look extremely elegant and lovely for gift tags or notes.

Shopping Tip: Visit Mota’s frequently as they keep adding new stock every two weeks or so.

Mini Hill Road Haul

Hill Road is one of my favourite streets to shop at mainly because of the cute stuff one can get for really affordable prices. Since the year 2014 if you've been to Hill Road you will have noticed ladies (and gents) carrying stands with tons of necklaces hanging on them. Usually they quote anywhere between Rs 250 - 400, however, if you're lucky (like I was) then you might just find a random vendor selling them for just Rs 100 !!

Rs 100 

Rs 100

These statement necklaces look great on Kurtas and some of them can even be worn with western outfits. They also make for great gifts. It's amazing how Forever 21 sells similar necklaces for double or triple the price! Make sure you look out for these the next time you pass Hill Road (or Linking Road).

Rs 180

 If you're on Hill Road you must pop into the shop called 'Mota's'. They have a huge stock of Christmas decorations as well as general party items. Since it is holiday season the entire store has only Christmassy stuff but otherwise they have a huge variety of cute stationery.

Rs 180

In love with this gold spiral Christmas tree I picked up on a whim at Mota's.

Happy Holiday Hill Road Shopping ! 

NIVEA Lip Butters

If you’re one of those girls that suffer from chapped lips (like me) then you need this product in your life.  I first heard of the Nivea Lip Butters through the beauty community on YouTube somewhere in 2013. It was one of those products that every beauty blogger was raving about and naturally I was sucked into the hype. When it finally made its way into the Indian market (which might I add took a while!) I was super keen to try them. Unfortunately, only two of the flavours made it to our stores (Caramel Cream and Raspberry Rose). Nevertheless, something was better than nothing! Now, I had tried a lot of lip balms in my life before these, including those from Burt’s Bees and Carmex, so I was sure that these lip butters weren’t going to perform any miracles for my chapped lips. But, after a year of using this product every single day I can safely vouch for its effectiveness.

Caramel Cream: This is my absolute no.1 lip balm-chapstick. It hydrates the lips and makes them softer as time goes by. Ever since I began using this product I haven’t really faced chapped lips like I used to (they have been chapped barely a handful of times). It glides on your lips very smoothly and is transparent (thank you Nivea!). There is no weird taste to the product and the smell is divine (if you like caramel-y scents!). Reapplication of the product is required every few hours or so.  

Raspberry Rose: I have one major problem with this one and that is because it applies as a pasty pink which looks horrendous against my skin tone. Apart from this, it still does everything else it claims to do.  I prefer to use this as an overnight lip treatment. 

Pros:

You get a ton of product in such a tiny tin.

Provides intense moisture and softens lips

Sturdy packaging (and cute!)

Affordable
Great smell and taste

Cons:

Some may dislike using a finger to apply the product.

The product can get dirty if your finger is not clean.

Sometimes difficult to open the tin if your nails are short.

Not easily available in Mumbai (you have to be lucky to spot these!)

Would I repurchase it?  : Absolutely! (Caramel Cream only!)

Priced at around Rs 190 (it varies) and available at our Mumbai versions of CVS / Boots -
‘Beautiful’ (17^th road, Khar) ,  ‘Beauty Hub’ (Dr.Ambedkar Rd, Bandra), ‘Beauty Forever’ (Pali Market, Bandra) and New Beauty Centre (Santacruz).

Hope you enjoyed my very first Blog post !