Travel Shop Live

Hampi is in my to visit list for almost a decade⏳. Though it is not quite far from where I stay, it is not too close for a day visit and definitely not a place which can be explored completely in one day. However, none of us could take a day off and we had to make it a weekend trip with a stop in Davanagere. Needless to say we did miss lot of places😪, but managed to visit the most important sights. We started from Bangalore early hours of a Saturday (around 2 AM🥴) and, after few hours halt at Davanagere, reached Hampi around 3 PM. Since most places close by dusk, we thought of doing some sightseeing instead of checking into the hotel🏃. We visited Virupaksha temple first and from there walked up the rocks surrounding the temple. 2 Ganesha temples are located there. One of them have Ganesha statue on a open platform with no walls and only pillars - we couldn't realize it is a temple from a distance and didn't visit . Other one have statue inside the temple and is quite big,...

Final move towards the end of September made the empties list so long again I didn’t think I will club with October. However, being back home and no immediate trip planned, I started using my products not so generously🙈 and some of them got transferred to smaller containers went through October. So here I am👻. 1. Clinique lip balm: I always get these lip balms as freebies😜. They are not creamy nor moisturizing, but gives thin layer of hydration and slight tint of color. I used this one up faster than previous tube which I used almost 3 years ago. I got another one of these in brown shade (freebie too). I am not confining to one lip balm though - using Caudalie lip balm in French kiss along with it💄💄. 2. Clinique mascara: By now, I used quite a few mascaras from various brands and I feel Clinique makes the best mascaras👌. I find most mascaras even the high end ones get bit clumpy and stains my under eye skin before they dry out😰, but this one is most forgiving. I am using Mac...

Another month ending with my moving to another country. Not that I am complaining but only frustration is my gigantic luggage. So bunch of empties is a welcome sight🥰. 1. Lush R&B hair moisturiser: I didnt actually finish this one completely, but it is past the expiry date. However, I did used most of it. Cant say I like it very much though. It did not do much to my hair and I do feel it made my hair fall worse😒. I am using the moraccon oil hair treatment and it seems to fare well. 2. Lush Roots hair mask: One of my all time favorites. Though it did not help with my acute hair fall, there is not other mask I would replace it with. I probably should get a health check. I bought the bigger size of the mask, but couldn't open it yet.  3. Lush charity pot body lotion: I bought this one for the concept of it. Initially felt it is too thin to provide enough hydration, but it is quite enough for warm season. It got a pleasant fragrance which is very subtle but noticeable. I ...

I had to shift to a new place and, just like March, I had to discard as many products as possible - only this time, I just finished them fast rather than throwing them away with some quantity left. 1. La Shied sunscreen: During a bad acne phase, I had to use some intense medicines which made my skin sensitive and sunscreen became mandatory. I was bit skeptical to get this as the expiry date is quite close, but my sister convinced that it should be finished by then. I couldn't finish it up as I suspected and had to threw it away😕. I bought another sunscreen from India and got a Clarins tube as a freebie. 2. Cutex nail polish remover: I spilled most of this product and thus got finished before its time😟. My cuticles got lot dry after coming to UK and I was afraid that nail polish remover dries them further. Liked the idea of coconut in remover as it is known for hydration. Having said that, I still used hand and nail creams and cuticle oil to keep them conditioned. I got anot...

As I am in short term assignment, I am living out of suitcase and on travel size products😅. As the result, I ended up with huge pile of empties this month. 1. Lush face mask cosmetic warrior: My all time favorite Lush product. This is the first product I bought from Lush when I am struggling with bad skin due to change in location and nothing seems to work for me. My skin condition improved drastically after I started using this mask. It got lot of good ingredients which helps with acne and blemishes. Herbalism face wash, Cosmetic warrior mask and tea tree toner form my holy skincare trio🥰. 2. Soap&glory body butter: It is part of the S&G travel kit. It is a good moisturizer and is good enough even for winter months. I am not a big fan of the scent though. I don't think I will be re-purchasing it. I prefer Lush, TBS and Bath & Body works lotions. 3. Kevin Murphy Hair cream: I bought this in travel size from Nykaa. Never heard of this brand, so thought of t...

Since I left near empty products back home, there are not many products finished in April and most of them are travel size packs. 1. TBS Shea butter body wash: this is one of my favorite body washes for winter. It moisturizing and have nice fragrance. My friend's uncle gave this travel size pack which came in handy as I am on short stays in UK. I am currently using Soap&Glory body wash in travel kit - I am living mostly on travel kits these days😅. 2. Wella shampoo & conditioner: I got them as part of my envy box . For travel size packs, they came for about 4-5 washes. I didn't notice any improvement with these products - I used them short term, however, my hair responds pretty quickly🤷🏻‍♀️. I am using L'oreal and Lush shampoos currently. 3. Origins roseclay mask: Last of masks in the origins kit I bought from KualaLumpur duty-free . This is my favorite of the four variants. With light pink color and slight granular texture, it gives mild exfoliation. I am ...

It is quite easy for me to go overboard with shopping, especially when I have short window abroad before getting back home😌. I have to keep a watch, else I end up with luggage struggles and bunch of un-opened products years later😪. So I am making a list to know where I got enough, the products I don't use much and the products I could get easily back home so I can avoid them. Lip products : this is one category, I can surely say I don't need anymore. I got enough lipsticks, lip balms, liners and glosses to last more than 2-3 years. Eye products : Eye-care: My body shop eye cream is almost over and I got Origins one as back-up which is going to last another 6-8 months. I could get another one of eye cream. I bought few eye masks too, but I don't think I will be using them regularly.  Mascara: I got enough both in samples and full size products. Sample mascara itself will last few months and my experience with benefit mascara taught me that it is not a good idea t...

Few of the empties are not completely finished this month. However, I had to travel and they were almost done, so had to tick them off☺️. 1. Rene Furterer Volumea shampoo: I liked this a lot when I bought the sample, but the full size one didn't give the same results😪. Maybe its because of the climate or this is one of those products where only samples work for me. It does clean well, however, I would like more results for the price and effort. I am not planning on re-purchasing at least not anytime soon. Now that I am back in UK, I would like to try some Brit brands. 2. Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen: I got it towards the end of my previous stay in London - with great difficulty, as it was close to winter then. It is one of the rare times I bought a product based on celebrity endorsement. The product is quite decent and gave hydration along with sun protection. I am using pharmaceutical sun screen suggested by sister and not so regularly either😶. I might try something from Lush...

1. Dior lipstick   in 663 Guipure : This is my first high end lipstick and the first lipstick I bought in Europe. Everytime I use it, I remember the time I bought it - in the middle of night, on the Ferry ride from Paris to London. Its dark pink in and slightly sheerer than I usually prefer, but with nice shine. Initially I used it on special occasions and later switched to more regular use and still lasted 3 years. This is undoubtedly the star product of this list. I opened Chanel stylo lipstick in its place. Its similar color and I resisted opening it for 2 years (points for my self control) and its worth the wait. The texture is super smooth, the pigmentation and finish  is amazing. 2. Clinique Chubby stick in Super Strawberry: Another one of the deluxe samples I got with my Clinique purchases (or is it free full size?). I love Clinique chubby sticks to apply on the go as a substitute of lipstick. I don't need a mirror and it have more color than a tinted lip balm. ...

1. Loreal hair spray for colored hair : I bought two Loreal hair sprays from SuperDrug in 1+1 offer. I kept this one since I colored my hair and gave another to my sis. I didn't notice much difference with this spray though. It lasted more than 2 years, however, I don't think I will be buying this again. 2. Aussie hair insurance hair spray : This is slightly more hydrating than the L'oreal spray, not enough for my frizzy hair though. I finished up both hair sprays at same time and don't have any new ones. I thought hair sprays are now easily available in India and they are, only quite expensive. I went back to serums. In addition to John Frieda serum, I have the Kevin Murphy curl enhancing serum. But sprays are easy to use and I want to get another one soon. 3. TBS tea tree wipes : These are the only makeup remover wipes I am using for the last 1 year. I didn't get another pack though - I want to stop lazing with the cleaning process. 4. TBS drops of youth ...

I started making filter coffee after almost 2.5 years, thanks to my friend who bought arabica coffee powder from Coorg - my most favorite place to have coffee . Anyway, coming to the topic in hand, I bought quite a few things during Black Friday sale. However, they are still in UK and I wanted few stuff. I tried not to repeat the products though - well, mostly. Mac: This is more of a splurge than necessity - I missed offers on Mac quite a few times in Nykaa, not this time. I wanted BB cream for a while and I missed it in Black Friday sale trying to decide between Mac and Clarins detox BB. The body shop tea tree BB cream is another option I am considering and is no longer available. So, when I saw the free lippie offer again, I stopped thinking and bought the Mac BB cream. I had to buy another product to be eligible for the offer and my first thought went to mini lipstick. But, since I got enough lipsticks and will be getting another free one, I decided to get mini pigment instead. I...