I remember being fascinated with my Mom’s beauty valise – a vanity case which was like a treasure trove of colourful pots and jars of lotions, potions and paints. Her dressing table was my playground as I would brush my hair and make endless twirls to preen in front of the large three-sided mirror. (I would thrill in seeing myself reflected in triplicate)

My favourite was the powder box – a round metal container which was exquisitely carved, had a mirror on the inner lid, a pink powder puff and a mechanism which when wound up, would release a gorgeous tinkling tune. Every morning  I would eagerly wait to be rewarded (if I had been good the previous day) with a powdery dab on the underarms with the fluffy puff. My day would be made as I would float out to school in the cycle rickshaw, feeling very glamorous and grown up!!!

Now that I am all grown-up, I have gone through a myriad beauty trends and products; some successful and some disastrous, to know now what works best for me. As I mulled over this prompt, my top five came quite easily from all the plethora of stuff in my beauty arsenal.

Rose Water

I can’t thank nature enough for this wondrous product which works as a great skin toner, make up remover, skin soother, cools the skin from razor burns, and hydrates the skin beautifully when used as a face Spitzer on a hot day. It combines very well with fuller’s earth for a face pack which blots out all the oiliness from my skin while giving it ample suppleness. I keep a small spray bottle in my purse at most times.

** My fav: Combine rosewater in all your facemasks to add moisture to your skin. **

Henna

My favourite go-to for conditioning my tresses is Henna – a natural product which not only gives a lush tint to my hair but also makes them bouncy and heavy. The icing on the cake (for me) is the gorgeous earthy fragrance of henna that wafts in my hair all day long. I tend to use it once a month and skip it only in winters.

** My fav: Add powdered methi dana and a hair oil to the henna and soak overnight. After washing it off (no shampoo), apply oil and leave it in for a day/night and then shampoo to reap maximum benefit. **

Kohl

Kohl simply lights up my eyes which in turn become the highlight of my face and I can’t do without it for just that very reason. It looks exotic, doubles as eyeliner n eyebrow darkener as need be and I have now graduated to brown, grey, green, purple and blue pencils/liquids along with the faithful black.

** My Fav: Make catty wings or Cleopatra slits to give that extra exotic touch to your eyes **

Scrubs

I am addicted to the scrubs thanks to my mom’s zeal of whipping them up with her humble kitchen ingredients; every sunday me and my sis would be dutifully scrubbed with a combination of besan/oatmeal/rice/wheat bran mixed with cream/yoghurt/rosewater/milk and would emerge squeaky clean from the bath. I have become quite a fan of Blossom Kocchar’s aroma scrubs ever since a friend gifted me some. 

** My fav: Soak rice, almonds and rose petals in kaccha milk overnight.and grind the next morning with some milk. Its one of the most rehydrating scrubs for any and every skin type. If you don’t like the smell of milk, substitute with rosewater. This is great as a face and body scrub.**

Perfumes

I’d rather asphyxiate than breathe in body odour and give a world of thanks to the person who devised perfumes. I love smelling good and almost always pick out my body lotions, body washes, etc based on their fragrances. I can’t do without a dab of my favourites like Burberry London and Burberry Touch, to kickstart my day.

** My fav: Dabbing perfume behind my ear works the best. And spraying immediately on a towel dried body, locks it in longer for the day.**

Well, I have a few more like coconut oil, apricot oil, aloe vera gel, eyeshadow, green nailpaints, body glitter, lipsticks ………………… Ok there is more than quite a few 😉 So will stop here and bid adieu till the next post!

What are your favourite beauty products that you simply can’t live without? Do share with me, I would love to pick some tips too.

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Linking up this post with #thankfulthursdays bloghop by

Amrita Mayuri Tina Deepa