A hair-pampering session with Himalaya Herbals...

Was what I had two weekends ago.


The nice people at Himalaya Herbals had decided to treat some of us bloggers to a hair-pampering session (to introduce us to their range of hair-care products), and so I'll be telling you about the little treat I had.

Uhh... it's a bit of a picture heavy post, this one.

Review: Himalaya Herbals Nourishing Skin Cream

We are pretty big Himalaya Herbals fans here. From their Neem face pack to their facial cleansers. So, when I found myself broke and in a hurry to travel somewhere a few years ago, I reached out for the cheapest and least dodgy moisturiser I could find in Guardian. If HH masks and cleansers worked, why not their moisturisers?

It took me 3 weeks to realise that this cream is meant for the body, not the face -- with a name like "Nourishing Skin Cream", who would have guessed? It worked just as well though. I have been using it ever since whenever my skin is in a bad spot and I have to go back to the basic wash - tone - moisturise routine.

Review: Himalaya Herbals Refreshing Fruit Face Pack

My adoration for the Himalaya Herbals Neem Face Pack is such that I now hold all its other products in higher esteem (which as far as the Acne-N-Pimple Cream goes was a terrible mistake. It did nothing. *sighs*) So, when looking for a more moisturising mask to use in between the Neem mask, I of course turn to good 'ol HH again,

This mask is described as a mask for blemish-prone, normal to dry skin. It promises to exfoliate, deep clean, fade blemishes and even minimise wrinkles! With ingredients like Apple, Cucumber, Fig and Papaya it sounded so yummy I snapped it up immediately.

How it works
Primarily, with the inclusion of the acid, Pectin, from apples, this is an AHA mask that exfoliates your skin chemically. So although it is less drying than the Neem mask, it isn't more gentle. In fact it stings slightly when applied and my face looks redder after this mask, and calmer after the Neem mask.

It does contain "Fullers Earth" so it absorbs excess oils, shrinking blackheads and allowing the AHAs into your pores. And as it is exfoliating, it will also help fade blemish scars and (a bonus for some, not for me) it will makes your face fairer by causing your tan to fade faster.

Experience
I was petulantly disappointed that the mask didn't smell like some glorious fruit salad! After all the ingredients did sound so very yummy. Instead it smells...well... like nothing much. Very natural, and not unpleasant, just rather blah.

It rinses off a lot more easily than the Neem face mask does, so it's also good to use when I'm too lazy to scrub and scrub and scrub.

I was not blown away by the immediate results this mask gave. My skin did feel smoother but not radically so, and at least it wasn't dehydrated. But over time I find that this mask's exfoliation properties helps increase the efficacy of the Neem mask and other facial treatments I care to use. It has also helped fade the brown marks left by bad blemishes.

Conclusion
Although not an outstanding can't-live-without-it favourite, at RM24.90 this large tube does make a great buy. It's a good staple to have in my beauty arsenal and it definitely helps clear my skin up - if more gradually than my impatient self would like.

My Favourite Things: Himalaya Herbals Gentle Face Wash Cream

When I first met this face wash on the shelves of my local pharmacies here, I wasn't so sure about it. After all, no one I know was using it. I couldn't find anything on it on Makeupalley (henceforth known as MUA). And it didn't seem thaat impressive. And there were no big ad campaigns claiming it to be any Superhero or anything.

But anyhow, I wanted to give it a try. I could feel it calling out to me to bring it home (ok, that's stretching it).

And so I did. I bought my first 150ml tube (because that's the only size it comes in) for RM16.90 (introductory price, I think. It's now RM21.90). And I fell in love with it.

I know it says "For normal to dry skin", and I have combi/oily and pimple prone skin, but somehow, it still works. It never breaks me out and it doubles as a general makeup remover as well. I find it doesn't work well in removing heavy eye makeup, but that's fine as I usually use Vaseline or cold cream for that anyway.

It includes cucumber, aloe vera and Indian gooseberry as some of its main ingredients, but you can read more of that here.

I love the way my face feels after a wash - soft and clean. Perfect. None of that tightness that some cleansers give.

If I did have a gripe about this product, it would be that I can't always carry this product around with me everywhere I go because of the hugeness of the tube. I'm not one to have extra travel size bottles or containers lying around (not yet anyway), and I so wish they'd come out with 50ml size tubes. If they ever did, it would be perfect.

As I now start on my third tube, my crush has developed into a full-blown love affair.