18:00

SNP Prep Peptaronic Toner Review

SNP prep peptaronic toner review India for Indian skin

peptaronic toner review by indian blogger

SNP Prep Toner review Peptaronic toner

Korean beauty brands made a grand entrance in the Indian markets in the last 3-4 years and the way they have captured the market and the interest of the result conscious consumers is praiseworthy.

I remember a few sites starting out and taking baby steps in 2018 - 2019 with exclusive curation of Korean beauty products and brands, like Limese Connect, SkinBae, etc. Now all the e-commerce giants in the makeup and beauty space, be it Nykaa or Purplle, have a well-stocked storefront for most big-ticket Korean brands like CosRX, SNP Prep, etc.

This is my first blog post where I talk about my experience with Korean skincare products or K-beauty, and just wanted to briefly share how I marvel at their strategy and the confidence that they have in the effectiveness of their products. I was quite apprehensive to give these a try because I am not always one to buy into any hype. But alas, I gave in and bought what looked like the most reasonable skincare product from the entire array to select from. A huge bottle of the SNP prep Peptaronic toner with HA and peptides.

SNP prep peptaronic toner review by Indian beauty blogger Bangalore

Now let me tell you this, even though I was exploring and learning about the most commonly used ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide etc in 2018 - 2019, I was not as invested in learning it all very seriously. The skincare community was also more relaxed and result-based than granular research-based.
I think the Isolation during the first few lockdowns of Covid- 19, Maskne and the "rise of Skinfluencers" in 2020 kind of pushed me to learn more, to solve my maskne issues, to be relevant and provide value to you as my reader. Because it is simple you gotta level up if your peers do too and you gotta learn more to solve your issues.

This is where the Peptaronic toner from SNP prep with its ingredient list and the promise of what those ingredients can do, caught my eye. Funny enough, I started using this after a few months still. But have been using it for a few months now, with no success at finishing it!
It really is a humongous bottle and a project to finish. Let's not make the blog post so, and finally get started with the review, starting with my three Ps for a review - Product, Packaging and Price.

Price -
750 INR at Full price for 320 ml of Product
Available on Nykaa, Sublime life, Limese and Purplle
Click below to shop from Nykaa - affiliate link.

Packaging -

So for the packaging, I can start by saying that like any other Korean Brand SNP prep also has very unique, yet cute and minimal packaging.
The Peptaronic toner comes in a transparent, pink plastic bottle with a very simple dispensing mechanism, no dropped or spray bottle etc. Nothing fancy there.
It makes the use very easy, as you can just drop the product onto your palm or cotton pad and dab it lightly on your face.
The entire peptaronic range by SNP prep comes in a baby pink and white packaging. Be it the toner or serum. The toner bottle comes in a cardboard box, with like I mentioned, a very minimal pink and white box with a glossy and matte finish.
They detail out what the components of the products are and not much thereafter.

Packaging of the peptaronic toner

Quantity and review of peptaronic toner

Product -

Before I share my experience, this is what they claim, as mentioned on the product and the website -

Formulated with 5 different types of Hyaluronic Acid and 6 different types of Peptides, the toner helps maintain oil and moisture balance to keep your skin radiant and clear. The peptides also help boost the skin's natural 'plump' appearance, leaving the skin looking refreshed and revitalized.

FYI - Peptaronic stands for Peptides + Hyaluronic, Hence the name Peptaronic clearly tells you what constitutes this SNP prep product.

The texture of the product is not very runny or liquidy like you'd expect out of a mist toner or traditional toners, but slightly thicker and more like a serum.
So the consistency is somewhere between a "traditional toner" and "traditional serum" consistency. A clear solution, with no colour to it.

The toner smells very subtle and floral. Like a small bouquet of roses and some assorted fragrant flowers hidden inside. I am not very worried about fragrance in my products so I am fine with it, if it irritates you, this might be a flag! But, the fragrance usually fades away quickly.

This is my recommendation on how to use the SNP Prep Peptaronic toner in India, for Indian skin -

Best if you use the toner in a small quantity, on an already moist/damp skin. Take a few drops on your palm and dab it across your face gently on damp skin.

In this climate, at least in Bangalore's dry climate, you need to make sure to keep your skin damp to increase the absorption of the peptaronic toner. Otherwise, the toner application is patchy and sometimes tends to get a bit oily when the toner isn't absorbed properly.

The above application method works best because of the various types of Hyaluronic acid in the Peptaronic toner I guess. With Hyaluronic acid, it is always, ALWAYS recommended that you have your skin at least slightly damp, as it holds on to moisture, and makes your skin supple. But when applying if it doesn't get that moisture, it puts strain on your skin causing your skin to produce more sebum. Hence the heavy oily feel!

Peptides are great to maintain a healthy skin barrier and this toner supports a healthy skin barrier for sure. I think now it is time for me to share my experience and my thought on the toner.

My experience with the Peptaronic toner-

So what I'm sharing here is strictly for a sensitive and acne-prone skin type and also keeping in mind the Bangalore weather which fluctuates from cold to hot and is dry most of the time. I will cover how I layered this toner and how I used this only with moisturizer or anything else.

My first impression of this product was to use it in my nighttime routine because it was slightly on the heavier side and not a very misty toner. so I started using this toner every day for getting used to it and understanding how it feels on my skin with different kinds of skincare actives and just by itself. as explained in the above product section this toner is a little viscous and is on the heavier side so I'd like to use this for the goodness of the HA and peptides especially when my skin was feeling a little tired or dry and since I was using this mostly during the winters the climate also was pretty drying, driving my skin to feel even drier.

After using it for a couple of days I did see a few breakouts this is when I was using the toner on dry skin, not on damp skin. This is what made me understand that this particular product has to be used on damp skin and after I started doing that I did not face any similar issues of a breakout or redness or oily skin, but I did try it again on dry skin to confirm that this problem was because of application on dry skin and I was proven right.

So what I feel of the product is what you would like to know after all, right? To put it shortly I love it.

Especially to boost the skin’s retention of moisture and make it supple during winter this works very very well. I layered this toner with serums containing niacinamide and with moisturizers containing ceramides and they seem to be working the best in combination.

I also started using it during my daytime routine and layered it with my Vitamin C serum, the layering sequence being Vitamin C, Mist, Toner and it seemed to work well. When using this I skipped using any other product containing HA as well. I also went on to use this only at night as it started making my skin slightly oily as the weather got warmer. It felt heavy on the skin during the daytime so I skipped it.

I tried it with my moisturizers, a few different ones, and it all felt the same during the day. A tad bit heavy and oily.

So apart from the things I tried and the experience that I had I really liked what results from this product showed me. This is a toner you would want to get if you want your skin to look glowing and supple. this is not a product that will help you miraculously transform the texture of your skin or reduce dark spots etc, but it will give your skin a healthy appearance and a healthy field which I think is something that I go for especially during the winters in Bangalore. The appearance of pores is also reduced considerable e when using this particular product as in general, the skin barrier remains healthy due to the ingredients of this particular toner.

Pin this Review

You would find a lot of reviews about the SNP prep Peptaronic serum and toner on the internet, But not many are relevant for Indian skin or weather. Hence I hope this helps you, If you have any other questions feel free to drop me a message on Instagram - @Priyanjana is my handle or drop me a comment below and I will respond.

I can say I recommend this product for normal to dry skin, for use at night, without much layering. and that in short is my review of the peptaronic toner.

I would love to try out more K-beauty products like the SNP prep peptaronic toner and share my view on how they perform on Indian skin and conditions. Let me know what you'd like to read about next from a combination, sensitive and acne-prone skin person!

23:52

All about Double cleansing for Indian Skin

Double cleansing | Skincare basics for Indian skin

Heya there!

I hope you are doing okay, amidst this global crisis.

I know we are all struggling in our own ways, but each of us has something to be grateful for, Hold on to that. Practice gratitude exercises, not every day, but don't forget, it is very important to count your blessings now, more than ever.

Even if that is as simple as healthy skin, that you are grateful for. If that is not the case, let me tell you how to get started, and let's start with getting squeaky clean skin, while keeping it healthy. THAT IS the first step to good skin after all right!?

This method or skincare trend, which has been essentially around since makeup, has gained the spotlight it deserves pretty recently.

It is as simple as it sounds and perfect for Indian summer and Indian skin. Double cleansing.

If you have heard about it, you must have thought "How to double cleanse" or "How do I get started with double cleansing" or "when to double cleanse, will it suit me" or even "Do the products I own work for double cleansing". Well, now the last one can be different for each one of us. But I will try to get you started and clear all your doubts to the best of my ability. So let's start!

Why is double cleansing good for Indian skin and climate?

The tropical climate equals sweat, dust, pollution coming together to clog your skin. And I am hoping you are also applying the proper amount of sunscreen all year round but especially in summers, be it physical or chemical, which needs to be cleaned off properly. Then, if you are wearing makeup on top of it all, you can't even think about missing this. No, no! That will be criminal.

There are a few benefits for different skin concerns too like double cleansing is great for textured or mature skin. But today, we are focusing on Indian skin and why it works very well because of the climate overall.

Double cleansing is a simple two-step facial cleansing method typically done using an oil-based cleanser first and then followed with a water/gel-based cleanser.

First things first, since this is a straightforward thing, you might be thinking "how do I select my products". Right? But to do that you must know why the need for this? I have linked a few articles at the end for you to read and help you decide from few options for various skin types

First and second cleanse together form the practice of Double cleansing

SO here goes the How to Double cleanse for Indian skin-

Step 1 - Oil-based cleansing

The first step is aimed at cleaning any makeup/sunblock off your skin or any trapped sebum and oil gently. The oil or balm helps in tackling the stubborn particles off of your skin. This can be done by an Oil or a balm-based cleanser. If you want to give this a try without spending anything, try using a little bit of coconut oil for this step.

Micellar waters are also good, based on what I have heard from my skincare blogger friends, but I didn't find it helpful. But that also depends on the skin type, and theirs is different than mine. So feel free to give this a try if you have micellar water lying around your beauty cabinet!

How to - Take the required amount of the oil or balm and gently massage onto your skin, till the makeup visibly melts and comes off. In case, you don't have makeup on, the skin starts feeling slightly calm and tight, that is when you need to stop and rinse or wipe off the first cleanse product.

Introduce a little water to emulsify before your rinse it off with water, especially in case of cleansing balms. Immediately follow up with the next step in for the double-cleansing, while your skin is still damp.

Step 2 - Gel / water-based cleansing

This step is very helpful to clean off the dirt and the residue, if any left, from the first step. This step is the familiar step for all of us and you can go right ahead with your favourite face wash to cleanse everything off of your face and neck. Don't forget the ears if you have sunscreen on!

The second cleanse makes sure to clean off the remaining dirt or product along with the residual first cleanse product.

This completes your Double cleanse! Easy peasy!

Some points to remember when starting to double cleanse -

- ALWAYS, double cleanse at night or during your PM routine. Your morning routine should not start with double-cleansing if you don't produce a whole lot of sebum while sleeping.

- If possible, do not wash your face with a cleanser the following morning after double cleansing the previous night.

- NEVER double cleanse twice a day. It will strip off all the natural moisture of your skin and leave it feeling super dry.

- You don't have to double cleanse every day! Adjust the frequency according to your requirements and skin's needs.

- Don't layer on two cleansers with strong actives back to back.

- Follow up with the next steps of your skincare routine, immediately!

Now that you know the how-to and essentially the dos and don't of double cleansing, it is time to tell you the whys and why I love this trend so much and why it is perfect for polluted Indian cities!

- Increase of product absorption

Since the skin is all clean and prepped without being all dry and stripped of natural moisture, it absorbs the right amount of the product and the products work well in a shorter than expected time.

- Helps improve skin texture

The thorough cleaning and slight massage of the facial skin help over time to improve the skin texture. This applies to slightly textured skin or skin with usually larger pores. Clean pores or skin bumps, equals fewer bacteria or clogging, equals usually healthy acne-free skin.

- Gentle way to cleanse

Even though we use two products, the first step of the oil-based cleanser gently breaks down everything and cleanses without drying out the skin completely and maintains the natural oil of the skin barrier. Stretchy, squeaky clean feeling skin is actually dried skin, which doesn't happen with this!

- Great for cities with High Humidity or pollution

Even if you stay inside the house in cities like Kolkata or Delhi, you sure will get a whole lot of dust and pollution in, and the skin will show that. Cleansing this way ensures, you don't have any of the unwanted things clogging your skin's pore, causing issues.

I say this because double cleansing works particularly well for me in Kolkata, which is an extremely Humid city and has high air pollution.

I am writing this article based on my own experience with this method, it took some time for me to get used to this. But now, I cannot think of my skincare routine being complete without double-cleansing.

It can also vary for you, if you do try let me know in the comments! If you do not have a set skincare regime Down yet read -

How to establish a basic skincare routine!

Now as promised - here are a few articles which helped me start my double cleansing journey, hope this helps you too!

13 FAQs on Double cleansing Double cleansing basics

Hope this helps!

Love, Priyanjana

15:53

Nykaa Mega Republic Day Sale Recommendations!

12:38

Skincare Basics For Indian skin | CTM routine

Basic skincare routine for Indian skin

We often think that all the skincare trends are suitable for us.

WRONG!

Worth a try, most definitely, but not suitable always. The trends usually are not always perfect for Indian skin. Like the Korean skincare rituals, the Chinese Gua sha or even the skincare products that are all the rage from Japan, the UK, or US markets, might not be a perfect fit for our skin in different climates. So we need to be extra mindful of how we design our skincare routine.

Also, we oftentimes have no idea how to actually follow a skincare trend correctly. SO, I am starting a series of skincare basics, which will cover the How to- for the trending skin care methods and the very basics as well. But keep in mind, there are a bunch of different trends that keep coming and going, but I will only be talking about the trends I have personally tried and both liked or disliked.

What will you find here?

You will get to know
- what is the method for
- what does the method do and why it is worth a try
- what are the products I have tried the method with
- why it worked or did not work for me
- The method is best suited for whom
- When should you do this
- some product suggestions for different skin types - Please always consider That I might not have personally tried each product in this category.

Let's get started then and for this post I will be covering the base, to build upon for skincare. Trends or not.

A Basic everyday skincare routine consists of 3 steps - cleansing, toning, and moisturizing, hence CTM.

Cleansing to clean the dirt, pollution, sebum, and oil off, and also hopefully sunscreen once a day.

Toning to calm the skin, balance the pH, or prep the skin for the next step.

Moisturizing introduces either a layer to hold skin's natural moisture or a step to introduce hydration and moisture topically to the skin.

The method is best for the maintenance of healthy skin and not targeted at solving any skin issue, specifically. You may choose products that target issues. But in a simple sense, this Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing routine is for the upkeep of your skin, facial, and body. This is the quintessential daily routine to start off your skincare journey.

A cleansing, toning, moisturizing routine is worth a try by everyone, men and women alike. In any case, skincare isn't gender-specific. A CTM routine is for all skin types, but definitely, the products vary in each case.

AGAIN, This is the most basic routine and perfect for beginners and skincare junkies alike. You can build upon this, add more steps but removing anyone step from this three-step routine is not recommended.

Indian beauty blog How to Skincare basics CTM routine

Products I currently use for my CTM Routine

Products For A CTM Routine -

For products, I will not mention a long list, because I have been following this routine, along with sunscreen for as long as I can remember.

But here are some pointers to look for, in each of your products, regardless of your skin type and the climate you are in -

- Use a mild cleanser, one that does not make your skin feel dry after use, true for all seasons.

- Steer clear of toner with alcohol, they are usually drying and damaging for certain skin types.

- You can also tone with a floral/herbal mist or water, and these are usually the most gentle products to prep the skin.

- Moisturizer should leave your skin feeling nourished, not sticky, or heavy on the skin, or oily. If any product does that, don't use it. simple.

But to give you an Idea, currently, I am using the Simple skincare refreshing face wash, Kama Ayurveda Vetiver water, and Vaunt BBFF cream cream as products that relate to the CTM steps. I will soon be posting full reviews for each of the products, so will link them here, in case you want to know more about the mentioned products. Also,

In the video below you may see a step or two more, that is what I mentioned when I said you can build upon a CTM routine.

It definitely works for me. It works for the majority of people and is suitable for all men and women with all skin types, of course, the products vary in each step of this three-step routine.

These three steps of the CTM routine should be for both your daytime and nighttime routine.

Focus on protection and maintenance as keywords for day and nourish and correct for the night and choose your products according to that.

So I will keep this simple and close the when, why, with what, and how in one post itself.

Also, here are a few don'ts -
- Do not wash your face with a strong cleanser both times a day. - If you feel like you need a stripping face wash {which you don't!}, use that at night, to clean off all dirt and sebum and follow up with a nourishing routine. BUT keep this to the minimum to maintain a healthy skin barrier.
- I know it doesn't fall under the CTM routine, but don't skip your sunscreen. Try to find a moisturizer with SPF if you want to stick to three products.

Indian beauty blog Skincare basics CTM routine vaunt skincare simple skincare india

That is all for now folks! If you have any questions reach out to me on my Instagram - @Priyanjana or Drop me a mail on priyanjanamns@gmail.com

The next skincare "Trend" I will be covering is Double cleansing. A perfect trend to follow if you use a bit of makeup and are regular with sunscreen, especially physical sunscreen.

Stay tuned for the same! Thanks for reading through, Hope you like the next post in the series. Pin the image below for future reference!

Pin This!

Pin this for future

Loads of love,
Priyanjana

12:07

Regrettable purchases of 2021 - Self Care edition

Every year we all give in to the hype of a product sometimes or make a purchase based on discounts during sales. I am no exception and I did give in to the temptation and ended up purchasing a few products which I ended up hating.

Here is a small detailed list of the top three purchases that I regret making in 2021. There were a few more, but they weren't as bad as these. so here goes,

The first place on the list goes to -

Neutrogena dry touch ultra sheer sunblock review indian skin blog

Neutrogena Ultrasheer dry-touch sunblock

This physical sunblock has all the filters required and looks like a really good sunblock with SPF 50+. This also works for UVA and UVB rays. I will in a few days write a detailed review of the sunscreen, so more about the product will be detailed there. For now why I personally did not like using it, especially for my face.

- Made my skin greasy and dull after a few hours

- Caused major breakouts

- Feels heavy on my facial skin

- Even if a slight amount gets in your eyes, it BURNS like hell.

- Needs a lot of time to be absorbed by the skin and for the white cast to go

- I end up rubbing it in, causing my skin to inflame sometimes.

These six points are why I would never use the Neutrogena ultra sheer dry-touch sunblock on my facial skin. I do use it on my body now, and it still feels quite heavy on the skin, but apart from that, it is a good sunblock for the body. Avoid for the face!

SIMRASA Luxuries Hair Gloss

This purchase was made by getting hyped up by all the rave reviews I saw for a few months on Instagram. The skin and hair influencers raved about the effects this hair gloss or hair serum had on their hair. I, on the contrary, hated it.
It's not that I had anything against the product, I even tried to use it in various ways and like it a bit more, but couldn't. And the best or worst part is that I got this on sale - on a Buy 1 get 1 sale. So I have two of the same thing and one is an unopened bottle! 😑 But that said, the reason why I don't like these personally -

- Extremely strong fragrance, which doesn't fade away even after a few hours and gives me a headache.
- The fragrance is not a mellow one, it is pretty strong and hits you in the face. Even though it is actually pleasant for a few seconds, then things go down for someone with a sensitive nose like mine.
- Makes my hair oily in a day and weighs down hair. For context, I have very dry hair and a normal scalp.
- The effect, of smooth, frizz-free hair, stays for a few minutes only. Nothing long-lasting.
- Expensive for what it does for me, 1299 INR for one 50 ml bottle.
- Tried mixing with hair masks, didn't see any difference by using this.

I will in any case be using this up by mixing it up in hair masks because I definitely don't want to waste it. But I also don't find myself reaching out for it. Hopefully, I will be able to use it up before it expires!

Earthi Ayurveda Facepack Cream

At first, I was so intrigued by the Product when I saw this. This was one of the first products the Brand had launched and was so impressed with the packaging and the concept of a Facepack cream that I gave in and purchased it.

Little did I know that the packaging is what will be the letdown for the entire experience of using the product.

these are the few reasons why I didn't like the experience of using it, even though the product itself is not bad.

- The biggest fault is the dispenser nozzle. You have to push down on it, as you would for a serum dispenser. and the product gets stuck and dries up. Making it impossible to get to the product.

- I had to take the product from the pipe of the dispenser to use, making it very unsanitary. Since it comes in a bottle, it can't really be taken out by anything.

- Even when the dispenser did work, You have to push through a lot to get some product

So my grievance is major with the experience of using this face mask. The Face mask itself is interesting to use in terms of texture and how it feels afterward.

But the claim of de-tanning etc hasn't shown till now for me, but I haven't been able to use it much to comment as such also.

This essentially sums up the list of products I didn't enjoy using in 2021. Like I mentioned above, there are a few others, but these three take the cake.

The next post will list out the products which I absolutely love using overall.

Till then stay safe and keep commenting on your views!

Loads of love,

Priyanjana