Author Archives: Adi

Avon Advanced Techniques Straight and Sleek Conditioner Review

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by Adi

Hello pretty ladies! I am here with a review for a conditioner today, one of my favorite ones at that. This is the Straight and Sleek Conditioner from Avon’s ‘Advanced Techniques’ range. They have many different shampoos and conditioners in this range for different needs but since I don’t like to experiment much with my shampoos, I decided to try out this particular conditioner. So let’s see how this product fared for me 🙂

Price and quantity:

Rs 199 for 200 ml, available on discount quite often though. I think I got mine for Rs 139.

Shelf life: 3 years

My Take on the Avon Advanced Techniques Straight and Sleek Conditioner:

The conditioner comes in a sleek grey opaque plastic packaging with a flip-open cap, the mouth facing downwards which would make life easier when it starts to finish. The consistency of the conditioner is a bit thick, just like other conditioners and there is nothing particularly distinctive about the fragrance either, though it is quite pleasant.

What makes this different is that the this conditioner does everything it claims to do  – it makes the hair smooth and shiny, it minimizes split ends and frizz and above all – it makes your hair look straighter. Sure, your hair won’t look like it has been straightened or rebounded, but it does look considerably less wavy.

My recommendation is that you should use this conditioner according to what your hair type is and the result you would like to see. If you have relatively straight hair already, then you have two options: either apply the conditioner to just the ends of your hair (the tips) to smooth them out and minimize appearance of split ends. Or, you can apply it on the entire length of your hair to get that ‘straight and sleek’ look. I have straight hair naturally and when I apply this on practically the whole length of my hair, my hair looks a lot straighter – which is great for those sophisticated, sleek looks that you require for some outfits.

If you have frizzy hair, then too this is a great option because it tames frizz to quite an extent. In this case, you should definitely use it on at least the lower half length of your hair if not the entire length or wherever your hair tends to get frizzy like the ends of layers if you have a step/layered haircut. As with any other conditioner, try to not let this get on the roots because conditioners tend to weigh down your hair a bit and reduce volume.

What I like about this Conditioner?

  • Very reasonably priced for the quantity provided
  • Lives up to its claims
  • Convenient packaging
  • Does not take extraordinary effort to rinse off completely
  • Leaves hair soft, smooth and shiny
  • Reduces frizz
  • Pleasant fragrance

What I don’t like about this Conditioner?

  • Well if I have to be really picky I’d say that I wish it wasn’t available only through agents 🙁

MABH Rating: 5/5

Final word: 

This is a great conditioner and it lives up to its claims. Moreover, for the price it is quite a steal as it’ll last you quite a while. I think girls with slightly frizzy hair especially will love this. It is definitely worth a try.


Will I Repurchase?: Absolutely!

Avon Simply Pretty Color Last Lipstick Poppy Review and Swatches

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Hello pretty ladies!

I am back with a lipstick review after such a long time 🙂 this time it is the Avon Simply Pretty Color Last lipstick and this shade is called Poppy. I also have Almond Beige from this range, which has already been reviewed on MABH. Although Avon has changed the packaging of these lipsticks, the shades are still the same. Old wine in a new bottle, haha!

Price and Quantity:

Rs 259 for 1.7 g

My Take:

The lipstick Poppy is a very cool toned pink shade. It is a light pink with a sheen to it, so when applied, it sets to a satiny finish. The texture of this lipstick is quite creamy which makes application quite easy. The fact that the bullet is so thin also makes it easy to apply directly onto the lips without having to use a lip brush for the corners of the lips.

But here ends the good about this lipstick. Before I start, just scroll down and have a quick look at the lip swatch. Believe me when I say that this is the BEST lip swatch I could come up with. You’ve probably guessed by now that I have a bone to pick with this lipstick. Let’s begin.

The application of this lipstick is so patchy and it is unbelievable. I swipe it once and my dark upper up barely has any colour payoff. I swipe it the second time and it somehow wipes away the colour from some parts of my lips, leading to more patchiness. The coverage is so poor that even after more than 6 swipes the natural colour of my upper lip still manages to peek through. As if all this wasn’t enough, it also settles into fine lines! And it transfers to my teeth!

From a ‘Color Last’ lipstick the first thing you would expect is excellent staying power, right? Well in that case this lipstick does not exactly disappoint but it does not perform miraculously either. It stays on my lips for about 5 hours at best, which is not bad but I was expecting better.

You can see from the swatches that this shade is washing out my skin tone. So I’d say this is buy-able only for fairer girls with lighter lips and a lot of patience (to get rid of the patchiness!).

What I like?:

  • Reasonably priced
  • Does not bleed
  • Satin finish
  • Staying power is on the higher side, though not extraordinary
  • Stains slightly as it fades so lips are not completely devoid of colour

What I don’t like?:

  • The colour won’t suit every skin tone – it doesn’t suit mine!
  • Not pigmented enough to show up on dark lips
  • Extremely patchy application
  • Transfers a lot onto teeth
  • Settles into fine lines
  • Available only through agents

 

Rating: 1/5


Final Word: 

I just didn’t expect this from Avon. Even if you do manage to apply the lipstick properly, the shade in itself is really tricky to carry off. It is really annoying how this lipstick turned out because it probably would have been among my favourite lipsticks; I just love such shades of pink!

Cleansing, Toning and Moisturizing (CTM) Routine and Why It is Important

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Hi ladies! Most of us know about CTM and what it stands for but very few of us actually follow all the steps one by one in the required order for the routine to benefit our skin. We end up skipping one step or the other – for instance, I never used a toner, I didn’t know what purpose it served and I didn’t think it was important.

And in the summer months, even after washing my face I don’t feel like applying moisturizer! But here is a breakdown of each step and also why you should follow the complete CTM routine religiously 🙂

Cleanse:

Cleansing is the step that is quite commonly followed by all women. Most of us cleanse our skin before going to bed or after getting back from work. This step involves complete removal of all makeup – foundation, blush, kohl, mascara, lipstick, everything! The key is to also focus on your problem areas like around the nose if you get breakouts or have a tendency to develop blackheads. For this purpose you can use any cleanser – you can choose a mild or a strong one.

My go to cleanser all these years has been the Ayur Deep Pore Cleansing Milk, and I can vouch for this. Another decent pick is the Lakmé Deep Pore Cleanser, which I have reviewed on MABH.

Don’t forget to exfoliate your skin by using a gentle scrub once or twice a week! I recommend the VLCC Indian Berberry Facial Scrub 🙂

Tone:

Toning is the step that most people miss out on. While the need for toner has been debated by cosmetologists in past, it is considered necessary by many since toning helps reduce the pore size and get rid of dead skin cells that contribute to dullness. Hence toning clears the skin from within and at the same time it also reduces the possibility of breakouts and further blackheads from developing. Good toners include rosewater such as the Dabur Gulabari and Banjaras rose water for normal to dry skin. Oily skinned beauties could also try tea tree oil as a toner.

Moisturize:

Cleansing and toning leave the skin bare and the pores open, and so, especially in the drier months, skin tends to lose moisture. If you don’t properly moisturize your skin, it could look sallow and patchy and may even wrinkle faster. So a good moisturizer is crucial. Be absolutely sure to pick one that suits your skin. If you have dry skin, opt for a heavy moisturizer that is specially formulated for dry skin. If you have oily skin, look for an oil free moisturizer that hydrates your skin without making it greasy. Do NOT skip moisturizer even in the summer months. If it’s too hot, use a light moisturizer that doesn’t feel heavy on your skin.

Why the entire CTM Routine is important for your skin?:

More often than not, cleansing doesn’t remove all the impurities in our skin. That is why it is followed up with toning. Toning focuses more on dead cells – the fact that it removes the leftover impurities is like a bonus – it’s not the main job of toning. So if suppose you cleanse your skin, but don’t tone – some impurities will be leftover. Or instead you tone, but you’ve applied very light makeup so you don’t cleanse – toner alone won’t be able to get rid of all the impurities and it won’t even be able to reach the dead cells. Similarly, after toning, if you don’t moisturize, your open skin pores tend to lose more moisture leading to dry skin. And we all know that dry skin ages faster! So all three steps are required and they are required in conjunction 🙂

Remember, the CTM routine is an investment for your skin 20 years from now 🙂 Even if you are blessed with beautiful, blemish-free skin, put in a bit of effort starting today to ensure that your skin still looks fabulous years later. Your skin will thank you 🙂

Hope you girls found this post helpful. Cheers to flawless skin! 🙂