Favorites, Product Review

Current Favorites -March Edition

Before I start, I know it is a bit late to write about March favorites but I have added a lot of diverse genres under this monthly favorite category. Hope you will find something relevant for your choice. I could not write a February favorites post either, as I had too much work at office. I work in a bank and the last 2-3 months of a financial year-end always become crazy. Anyway I took a small vacation and now I am well rested. So back to writing 🙂

Skincare:

Laneige Water Bank Moisture Essence : I have already reviewed about this product in my blog. Please read it here. This has been included into my daily skincare routine. I am totally in love with this one.

Laneige water bank moisture essence (Image courtesy – Nykaa)

Avene Triacneal Expert Soin Emulsion : I have been trying the Triacneal emulsion from the brand Avene for the past 3-4 months. This drugstore product contains retinal which is very effective for improving skin elasticity and removing fine lines. I will write about my detailed experience in a separate post definitely. So far I have liked this product although it gave me one or two pimple initially but not a breakout.

Avene Triacneal Soil Emulsion – Image courtesy Nykaa

Make up :

Masaba Nail Polish (Guts) : Tried the summer yellow nail trend as well. I bought the nail paint from the Own it like Masaba range from Nykaa. I loved other colors from this range earlier.

Own it Like Masaba – Guts (Image courtesy -Nykaa website)

Etude House Dear Darling Tint : I got it as a free gift because I bought some other products from this brand. Heard a lot about Benetint but have never tried them. I actually felt tints will not be suitable for my lips as I have a bit of pigmentation on my upper lip. But I guess due to staying home for more than a year, the pigmentation situation has improved. The tint worked for me. It gives a very natural color to my lips. Does not feel like I am wearing lipstick. Also, it is super affordable even if you buy it.

Food products:

Kadha Mix (Immunity Booster) : Not sure if it has improved my immunity level but it claims to contain a pretty good list of great ingredients. I drink it as a replacement to my morning tea. It has a zing and definitely feels good after drinking a full cup of kadha in the morning. During this covid times you can give it a try.

Darjeeling Tea : Recently visited Darjeeling (like every other Bengali) to take advantage of working from home :p. Bought a pretty good load of Darjeeling tea from one of their oldest tea shops called Nathmulls. They have teas ranging from 100 Rs for 100 grams till 100000 Rs for 100 grams or may be more than that. So you can buy based on your budget. One thing is assured. Their tea is pretty awesome.

Snackible Waffles : Snackible is a very well known healthy snack maker. I absolutely loved their oatmeal stroopwafel which costs just Rs 60 per piece (40 grams). All their snacks are baked and very tasty. I also tried their Belgian chocolate and cinnamon waffles but I did not find them right now at their website. May be they are out of stock.

Snackible Stroop Waffle – Image courtesy Snackible website

Show recommendations :

Here is a full list of shows/ movies that I have watched (not specifically in March, may be in the last 3 months).

  • If you want to watch something funny, feel good, light, relatable or just want to watch something for your eyes only (talking about fashion and stuff) try Ginny and Georgia, The bold type, Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. If you are more into thriller/murder mysteries do watch Versace, The Serpent and Criminal UK on Netflix and The Undoing on Hotstar. Versace is the dramatic depiction of the assassination of Gianni Versace. The Serpent is also based on a real life con-man cum serial killer Charles Sobhraj. Criminal UK is a collection of criminal interviews (Kit Harington aka Jon Snow and Kunal Ayyar aka Raj from Big Bang Theory in one of the episodes). I saw some finest performances in all three. The Undoing also offers a lot of twists and turns. It kept me hooked but I found Kidman’s acting a bit too dramatic.
  • Watched 2 movies – I care a lot and Eyes wide shut on Netflix. I liked ‘I care a lot’ just for Rosamund Pike’s acting. The story was weak and they could not use Peter Dinklage in my opinion. Eyes wide shut is a pretty old movie and also the last movie of Stanley Kubrick. I would call the movie ‘interesting’.
  • I also watched The Big Bull on Hotstar which is based on the life of stock broker Harshad Mehta. I did not like it because I watched Scam 1992 earlier and I felt whoever has watched Scam 1992 is not going to like the Big Bull because the performances were simply not convincing and the story was rushed. It failed to capture the depth of the characters. So I will recommend to watch Scam 1992 on Sony liv.
  • I rented Snyder Cut from the app Bookmyshow. Those of you who do not know Zack Snyder who was the original director of the 2017 released Justice league left midway and the movie was later completed by Joss Whedon. So the 2021 released Snyder cut is Zack Snyder’s version of the Justice league. Of course it was a 4 hour long movie but at the end of it you are surely going to like it. Personally I really liked the last 1 hour. You can feel the sincerity and passion of Snyder behind this movie.

Youtube Channel:

I have started following 2 skincare special youtube channels. First one is Doctor V. She basically reviews different products and their ingredients and advises people of color which ingredient is going to work for them and which can be harmful. I have learnt a lot about ingredients from her.

Another channel is Doctorly where 2 skincare specialists debugs different types of skincare myths. The thing that I liked about them was that they call a spade a spade. Never advise to follow the trend and just give their honest opinion about skincare products or rituals.

Hope you liked the mini reviews. Have a nice day guys 😀

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Food

My top 5 favourite tea brands (available in Indian market/online)

Are you also a tea person like me? Do you also love to explore different flavours of tea?Then probably our tastes will match 😉

So here are my top 5 favourite tea brands from India.You will find a variety of flavours from them.

Organic India: ORGANIC INDIA is the first company in the world to introduce the sacred Tulsi to the international market as a delicious herbal tea. Tulsi, also called the Holy Basil, is revered throughout India as a sacred herb infused with healing powers. It is considered to be the ‘queen of herbs’. Abundant in antioxidants, our certified organic Tulsi Tea is not only great in taste but also offers relief from stress, increases energy and boosts the immune system. Organic Tulsi tea blends and infusions come in delicious flavors and are available in tea bags or in the loose-leaf form – which come packed in boxes, canisters and in bulk.In India this brand is available across major super markets, Bigbasket, FAB India stores and also in Amazon.For international shipping you can directly order from their website.

My favourite flavour : Tulsi Ginger Turmeric Tea, Tulsi Cleanse and Tulsi Masala Chai. Typically for 25 tea bags you will have to pay for around INR 150-200.Quite a deal for taste plus health benefits 🙂

Teatrunk : I discovered teatrunk from instagram.Their cute logo, unique flavours and packaging caught my eyes.I ordered their apple spice variant instantly and it got delivered within 2 days.Trust me all my guests who tasted that one asked me where I got that tea from.It is really gooood!!!Tea Trunk was founded in 2013 by Tea Sommelier Snigdha Manchanda to source teas direct from farmers and craft them into unique blends.You can shop from their online store for different health benefits or just by for the unique taste. You can also buy teaware from them.

My favourite flavour is definitely Apple spice tea.It comes for around 500 bucks for 15 tea bags.Little pricey but worth it!

Teabox: Teabox is another online discovery of mine.Teabox offers a handpicked selection of the freshest and the finest teas from India and Nepal. Our catalog features
a wide selection of single-origin teas from over 150 tea gardens across Darjeeling, Assam, Kangra, the Nilgiris, and Nepal. In addition, there is an exciting range of iced teas, flavored and non-flavored blends to choose from.You can directly order from their website.They offer both teabags and loose leaf tea and you can sort them based on health benefits or your taste preference.Their website is also very informative.Even if you are ordering for the first time no need to hesitate as you will get enough information regarding the taste,color,aroma and basically whatever goes into it!

My personal favourite is Paan rose green tea.The complex flavors of paan that come together will definitely ease you with your festive indulgences. Fennel, rose petals, green cardamom, it’s all there for a complete paan experience.It comes for INR 349 for 100gms.

Teame : This one is a pretty affordable and easy to find brand in supermarkets especially Godrej nature’s basket.Also you can order them online as well. TE-A-ME brings alive a wide spectrum of feelings, through a fascinating range of Iced Brews, Black Tea, Green Teas, Flower and Fruit Infusions. 

My favourite one is apple cranberry tea.TE-A-ME cranberry apple is made with real apple, cranberry, rosehip and hibiscus. Cranberry apple drink is best for summer time as a mocktail or ice tea.It comes for around 200 bucks for 25 tea bags.The color looks dark pink…I know quite unusual for a tea 😀

Ripple Tea : Last but not the least this one I discovered during my latest visit to Munnar,Kerala. We visited the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations and the tea museum and bought varieties of tea from their store their.You can also buy them online form the link given.

Most of their teas are very affordable within INR 200 range for 100 gms .I particularly liked their black ginger tea and the oolong tea.Worth a try!

Hope you liked the post and will buy a few ones for yourself 🙂

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