Clinique Clarifying Lotion 4

Clinique, as a brand, has always intrigued me. Their dazzlingly bright facade, shop assistants dressed in starched white coats, their clinical display of products and that smell that's so typical to Clinique. It could well be intimidating to some! Thankfully, the first time I entered their store at the Oasis Mall in Bangalore, I was quickly put at ease. The SA Pandu deserves a special mention. He was genuinely warm and helpful.After he asked me some questions about my skin and skin care routine, he filled out my questionnaire and identified products he said would help improve my skin. Although he picked out a bunch of exorbitant stuff, he was also considerate enough to suggest that I start with their patented 3-step products seeing me get overwhelmed! These were available in smaller starter kits. I picked up the No.3 one for combination skin. Pandu was sweet enough to invite me to the Clinique skincare brunch later that week which I unfortunately didn't attend. Cut to the chase, I really liked the products I had picked up and got them in full size.

This Clinique toner however is the no. 4, for oily skin. I really like this toner. It smells mildly medicated and has a gorgeous pale blue color. (Though I liked the purple color of the No.3 toner better)

I have been using this toner for more that 3 months now, twice a day and still have half a bottle left! It is recommended to be used with a cotton pad in gentle but firm strokes.

I wouldn't say it has dramatically changed my skin but yes, I can notice my pores getting smaller/tighter and my breakouts are fewer. I also use it near the eye as a final step to my cleansing routine. It stings if it enter the eye but does a fine job of removing residual kohl etc!

The bottle comes with a screw on mint colored cap and whilst it doesn't screw to a terribly tight fit, it is snug enough to be safe for travel.

This toner is part of their three step process. To get the best out of it, it is highly recommended that you use the cleanser and moisturizer from the same range. I used to use them and really did like them both too. However, my skin is breaking out now and I have currently shifted to the tried and tested Cetaphil cleanser and moisturizing lotion at the moment since they are medicated.

It's pricey at Rs. 1400 for a 200ml bottle but it will last you at least 5 months of liberal usage. It is not available online and I would strongly recommend getting a skin analysis done at a Clinique store before you pick one up. Unfortunately, Clinique retails only in select cities.

If you still don't believe that a toner is important in your skincare routine, this one might change your mind.

Birthday Haul

Hi all you wonderful people, it was my birthday last month. Yaey, happy birthday to me :D

Now, birthdays are a time when everyone is allowed to go a little bonkers and I did. A bit too over the top actually and then of course I fell prey to the usual guilt trip! What is with women and guilt? Why do we have to constantly battle with ourselves to feel good? Anyway, I chided myself for feeling guilty. I mean, what’s done is done. So although I went overboard with my shopping and after my little, fun trip, my account balance was exactly half of what I had to begin with (yes, I went that crazy) I pushed those nasty guilt pangs away and decided to enjoy the outcome of my retail therapy. And what better way to enjoy than share? Since I haven’t been particularly regular with my posts on the bog, I thought I’ll do a little haul post. This was also a kind of reward for making healthier meal choices. Not that I am not eating the occasional calorie laden goodie (and oh, it is good!) or the insane binge, my meals have been more thoughtful and considered choices. So yaey to that J

Birthday Haul

I bought a ton of stuff as birthday gifts to myself, both online and in-store.

I went to a local, newly opened mall and as soon as I entered, I knew I was home. The first store I walked into was Clinique. Clinique stores/storefronts had always piqued my curiosity. The well-lit facade  the shop assistants in their white coats and that Clinique-y smell! Back in the day, on my student pocket-money I could never even dream of going there, even for a look-out but now that I am on my own and earning, 

Clinique was one of the first pit stops. This was my second visit to a Clinique store and they haven’t failed to impress me with their professionalism, yet again. Although my original plan was to buy only a cleansing lotion and one of the famed chubby sticks, I picked up a makeup remover and a kohl liner as well. I was  a tad bit disappointed with the chubby stick later since the shade, is the same as my lip color. So much for colored lip balms! The SA was a delightful lady who gave me some skincare tips and offered a free sample of their anti-blemish face pack and moisturizer! Moreover, Clinique is celebrating the Hindu festival of Diwali in India and are offering a beautiful box packaging for all customers. Clinique is also celebrating October as the Breast cancer awareness month, so I also received a booklet on same and a pretty pink awareness ribbon.

Haul from Clinique

Next on the list was MAC. I have wanted to buy a MAC blush since forever and I finally laid my hands on the gorgeous Gingerly! I love how it makes my face all warm and happy! A beautiful plush glass in Amply Pink and the MAC blush/powder brush meant another small hole in my pocket.

Haul from M.A.C

A compulsory next stop was The Body Shop. You see, I am starting to notice that my pores are rather large and TBS’s tree tea pore minimizer seemed like a God-send. A night face lotion from the tea tree range, orange body butter, a dragon fruit lip balm, BB cream and a pair of gorgeous lavender bath mitts later, I was grinning ear to ear!

Haul from The Body Shop

Birthday Haul

Like I said earlier, I also shopped online. I am currently addicted to watching movies and sitcoms over my laptop. This is rather disgraceful for a person who until recently, found her solace in the magical world of books. To rekindle that magic, I ordered a few books online. I bought a bunch of titles:10 super stories about mom and me, To kill a mocking bird by Harper Lee, Losing my virginity and other dumb ideas by Madhuri Banerjee and Can love happen twice by Ravinder Singh.

Now, I wouldn't really have picked up those titles but I wanted to ease back into reading and picked up something light, for the brain and pocket alike ;)

The real reason for me trying to shop online was to pick up the Jillian Michael's  30-day shred DVD. I read some wonderful praise about it and decided to give it a try. I am still on Day 3 and loving it! I am really lazy in the exercise department and I thought that since Jillian’s workouts are only 20 minutes a day, I could as well stick with her! And mind you, they are some mean workouts!