If navigating the overwhelming - and often overpriced - world of beauty products & services feels daunting, use bpb’s tried-and-rested list of current favourites, ranging from Cetaphil to woah-is-that-the-bill(?!). Includes recommendations from dermats, authors, formulation experts, hairstylists & beauty editors.
111Skin’s masks and eye creams were used backstage at Gabriela Hearst and Erdem fashion week shows to achieve that clean, glow-y look. The pricey but much coveted Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask is ace, and cheaper if you pick it up while travelling. Until then, Nykaa’s seductive Cross Border store stocks it.
Shop here, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,490 for a single eye mask.
No one wants to love a celebrity-launched beauty product - in fact, hating on it is so much more fun - but it’s hard to find fault in actor Deepika Padukone’s 82E moisturiser. Full marks for ruby-red glass jars, creamy smooth online ordering experience and lightning speed delivery (we received ours the next day), as well as for the product itself - light but luxe ultra-hydrator with serious glow-imparting abilities.
Shop at 82E.com, Instagram, Rs 2,700 (watch for constant sale promo codes).
If your body is a wonderland, then Aminu plans to treat it so. Their whimsically packaged glass bottles dispense - among many other things - a midnight black exfoliating body wash; a Vitamin B Self Love body lotion; and a spa-worthy “yes-to-glow-no-to-grease” Vitamin C body oil that you should use on post-shower damp skin for criminal softness.
Shop at www.aminu.life, Instagram, starts at Rs 780.
Professor and Dr Augustinus Bader uses his many degrees and wins - biomedical scientist, physician, expert in the field of stem cell biology & regenerative medicine - to make supremely effective and stunningly expensive skincare. If you want to start small, spend 5k on the foaming cleanser to see instant brightening; at the other end of the price spectrum is their brand new serum that delivers pure retinol benefits without skin irritation and sensitivity which is a big win. Yes, it’s the same bright Bader beloved by Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham.
Not yet available in India, shop while travelling, Instagram, starts at approx Rs 5,000.
Ayca’s body of work includes a bath and beyond experience that is free of parabens and full of formulations passed down for three generations. We love that the body washes and lotions are not overly fragranced and look spiffy on the bathroom shelf.
Shop at www.ayca.in, Instagram, starts at Rs 475.
Ask to be let into this private Instagram page and you will find that they ship super cool beauty brands not available in India, like Supergoop, Ultra Violette, Summer Fridays, Paula’s Choice and more within 3 working days. They do add duty to the final price, though.
DM on Instagram @thebeautystoreindia.
In beauty girls we trust, and after their mini beauty fridges we lust. Spotted on almost every self-care shelf, the pricey Masque Vivant smells strange but instantly glows you up. Beauty blogger Sakshi Kabra (Isle of Glow) who is on her third tube, recommends you add one of BR’s serums or baking soda to the mask for that extra glow!
Shop via Kosa Wellbeing or at The White Door, Instagram, approx Rs 4,450.
Kim Kardashian’s glow minus the downtime. If that got your attention, come with us to The Bombay Skin Clinic run by celebrity dermatologist Dr Batul Patel who is often the first to bring trendy Hollywood (FDA-approved) treatments to India. The Hollywood Peel (fangirls include Angelina Jolie and the Kardashians) is a quick gentle procedure. Vitamin C cleansing milk, Hydradermabrasion, carbon peel, lasers, seaweed wraps and competent technicians work together so you can finally glow the hell up. Effects last for a month.
South Bombay, Bandra, Andheri, 7506737366, Instagram, Rs 10,000.
Mamta Mody, senior beauty editor at Tata CLiQ & Tata CLiQ Palette reveals that the most stunning arches in the country have been blessed by Suman Jalaf. The trusted and hugely coveted brow guru is known for her microblading skills and for creating thick natural-looking eyebrows. If you’re already blessed in the brow department, Mamta recommends trying her bespoke shaping and tinting services.
Suman travels between London & Dubai with annual pit stops in India; book an appointment via Whatsapp +971 54 250 6811 or DM @browsbysuman.
Our go-to handbag mist, the Beauty Elixir is all you need this summer. Use liberally on your daily commute, to set make-up or to tone your skin in the a.m. We love its dewy, non-sticky finish; pair with Vinoperfect serum for a sun-kissed glow.
Shop online here, here or here, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,450.
This everyday cleanser is a constant in our beauty stash, recommended by dermatologists across the board. It’s a gentle lover, this one, available for three skin types and at all chemists. So easy on the pocket in a sea of face washes that often want to take us to the cleaners.
Shop at your corner chemist, Instagram, Rs 615.
We’re over the moon that our favourite faux lash freelancer Chand, now has his own salon, The Glam Lab. Credited with regularly laying the foundations of fake lashes for celebrities like Jacqueline Fernandes, Malaika Arora and Aamir Khan, Chand is skilled, efficient and reliable. No EyeD required.
At Waterfield Road, Bandra, 7290845713.
New for spring, this chubby twist stick is a coloured moisturising balm that you can sweep across your lips, eyelids and cheeks. Expect a natural glow with a super subtle flush like you’re fresh off a headstand. Also our favourite for summer: Chanel’s Les Beiges water based foundation that feels like wearing nothing at all. This patented lightweight formula is composed of 75 percent water, delivering a burst of freshness upon application and lasts up to 8 hours.
Order via the Chanel store in Delhi, Rs 5,525 for the foundation.
We love brands that launch with a single product and do it well. Behold the Clearica Anti-Acne Cream, a super effective, quick-fix-hating, high-performance product that uses their proprietary Pentaphyto process to holistically treat five conditions that cause acne. The result is clear skin, yes, but also a certified Clearica glow that is the cherry on top. PS: We love that Clearica has a “Plant Library” with 4,000 unique plant extracts, 25,000 botanical fractions and 1,000 pure compounds. Leaf through it?
Shop at clearicaskincare.com, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,200.
Celebrity make-up artist Clint and his haul of fame constitute soap bars, balms and oils that he makes from scratch under the label Clintskin. We love his milky white face and body bars speckled with pink, made from goat’s milk (sourced from Mumbai) and rose petal powder (from Jaipur) that moisturise, prevent break-outs and brighten skin. A little glint by Clint? Yes please! New favourite: youth elixir face balm that also makes make-up last longer.
DM on Instagram, 9321842739, starts at Rs 250.
Our favourite hairstylist Samantha Wadhwani (she has a spanking new salon in Bandra) swears by this throw-in-your-purse pressed powder and brush root touch up that really stays; you can even swim in it! It’s free of nasties and doesn’t give your hair the stiff/sticky hair mascara feel. You can buy it on Nykaa for about 8k but know that it’s half the price if you shop while traveling outside the country. In fact, Allure magazine called it the “35 dollar secret to skipping a colorist appointment”.
Shop Color Wow in 8 shades here, Rs 8,240.
We’re not big fans of K-Beauty (or K-dramas for that matter; don’t @ us) but this one we love! When we’re running late, we skip all a.m beauty steps to just slap this on below sunscreen and we’re good to go. Consistent usage has shown us visible skin improvements, fewer breakouts, and less diminishing of our savings considering its price tag. Notes: it feels a bit slimy on application but the feeling lasts only a few seconds; contains 92% snail mucin but claims to be cruelty free.
Shop at K-Beauty haven Limese.com, Rs 1,450.
Everyone’s favourite Instagram toothpaste has expanded its family; say watt’s up to Daybreak’s new teeth whitening pen, whitening strips and a sonic electric toothbrush called Buzzz. Throw the pen in your bag - about 20 applications - and use 30 mins before eating or drinking; works super well to prevent coffee or wine stained teeth. Couple this with “clinic-like” whitening strips (both use a new tech called PAP) for a smile bright enough to guide ships home.
Shop at atdaybreak.co, Instagram, Rs 649.
This multi-tasker has both, beauty and brains. Sold in sexy glass jars with raven black crowns, this summer-perfect aloe gel can be applied on your scalp and face; beauty blogger Sakshi Kabra also uses it for sunburns and while shaving her face. Yes, she shaves her face and swears by it over waxing and threading. Watch her do it here.
Shop at www.thedearist.com, Instagram, Rs 708.
Boujee babies, if your parents are millennials and don’t have pets, chances are they’ve saved a bundle. Use your cutest toothless smile to baby talk them into buying you Dr Sturm’s Baby Bum Cream that guards well against nappy rash. PS: If you need someone equally fancy to apply it, Ms Jayshree (call 9920017141) is a massage expert and a favourite amongst many babies in "The Towers". IYKYK.
Shop here, Rs 2,730.
The best cheap-chic moisturiser out there, e.l.f.’s Holy Hydration Cream leaves your skin feeling pepped and plumped, and its delicate texture is great for summer. We bought our first jar last year after we read a New York Magazine editor’s testimonial stating that if she blind tested Holy Hydration, she would “definitely think” it was a fancy, luxury night cream.
Shop here, Rs 1,260.
We’ve been using this clear brow and lash serum for months now, and have almost stopped using our regular mascara. Almost. We’re not sure we can corroborate their “boosts lash volume” claim just yet, but we can confirm conditioning benefits - it is made with amla extract & Fenugreek - and love how it imparts a wet, glossy comb-through look for brows.
Shop at www.forestessentialsindia.com, Instagram, Rs 1,225.
Coconut water for summer but make it a shower oil! Say hello to Good Earth’s Amritam Coco Loco bath and body rituals that are splashed across our heat routine. If the in-shower virgin coconut oil the colour of Maldivian waters with currents of Neroli, doesn’t spell summer, then what does? The full Amritam line (see hand, face, body and hair) is rooted in ancient Indian wisdom and created with COSMOS certified ingredients, and 5% of net sales go to Recycle India Foundation. Coco channel!
Shop at Good Earth stores and online here, starts at Rs Rs 1,500.
If Gwenyth Paltrow’s courtroom drama provided you with constant entertainment this summer, the least you can do is (ski) lift up this entrepreneur by investing in some of her less insane ideas like this Martini Emotional Detox Bath Soak. The “body-and-spirit-centering” bath salts are made from epsom salts, chia seed oil, valerian root and are great for post-gym soreness. If you don’t have a tub, get the detox scrub.
Shop at goop.com while travelling, Instagram, starts at Rs 3,269.
Like its founder Elizabeth, this new beauty label was born in Kerala and for a short while, bre(a)d in Paris, where Elizabeth worked with a cosmetic ingredient supplier for a year. The result is a mix of two marvelous worlds: imagine old ideas and ingredients from India formulated in France and returned avec plaisir. Named after the Malayalam word for virtue, Gunam’s bounty is indeed virtuous, offering us responsibly created, clean creams, cleansers and oils. Our pick: this bundle starring a multi-tasking liquid exfoliant, built with acids and blooming with tuberose + a rich sunset-hued multi-correctional face oil bearing 14 plant oils, extracts, and actives. Slick!
Shop at www.gunambeauty.com, 7736945888, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,800.
This celebrity cult favourite is a big hit at the bpb office. Born in LA and officially sold in India via the Leader Healthcare Group, iSClinical plays just the right amount of hard to get; you have to call the supplier who delivers it home or track down one of the exclusive Indian retailers. We love their pricey but long lasting Cleansing Complex face wash (they just launched a face polish version as well) and ultra velvety Reparative Moisture Emulsion.
Leader Healthcare Group, 8588838838, Instagram, Rs 4,310 for 180 ml of Cleansing Complex.
It’s still hard for us to switch to a non-aerosol deodorant but we know we musk…er must. We tried and quite liked Juicy Chemistry’s grapefruit and peppermint organic deo made up of nourishing butters and clarifying clays, bursting with citrus-y scents and cool currents of mint.
K18 has all the girls spending their lunch money on tresses over dresses. Currently buzzed about by everyone’s favorite hair stylists (bye, Olaplex), this label “engineered with biotechnology”, has beauty editor Meher Jadhwani gushing. “I've been using the patented K18 mask for over 6 months now, and it's been a game-changer for my heat-styled hair.” She says this mask is not for you if you are expecting instant results. The best part: you can apply on damp post-shampoo hair, and wait just 4 minutes before applying any product or styling your hair.
Shop at k18hair.co.in, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,080.
Our go-to beauty blogger, columnist, podcaster and author of Ritual and Glow, Vasudha Rai swears by face massages because they “firm and tone the skin, remove wrinkles and add radiance”. She recommends Kama’s moringa oil because of its multi-tasking abilities - can be used on the skin and the hair for its anti-dandruff properties. “I like to follow the Tanaka Face Massage or TheMoments channel on YouTube”.
A super-facial skin studio, retail store and doctor-led beauty curator all rolled into one! We haven’t tried their facials in Pune yet - many swear by them - but we do love shopping their online store where Dr Pooja Shah Talera puts together her trusted recommendations from iSClinical, BR, Coola and if you’re up for breaking an FD, the Light Salon LED medical grade face mask which really does work and will probably help you save money on facials in the long run. Pssst: Limese does a much cheaper Eclair LED mask (Rs 7,500), in case you want to start slow.
Book an appointment & shop at kosawellbeing.com, Instagram, Rs 49,950.
It’s hard not to judge a book by its cover at Litrahb where glass bottles as delicate as ballerinas, hold seasonal, micro-batch perfumes. This season, you can shop for an airy Rose; a tongue-and-cheek Imported Cherries and Exported Mangoes; and a tuberose smoked with cedarwood that calls itself Wearable Anger.
Shop at www.litrahbperfumery.com, Instagram, starts at Rs 5,000.
We’re blushing at the thought of Nars launching at Shoppers Stop in the second half of 2023! The Turbo After Glow lip balm in sheer cherry red is all your lips need to wear this summer. Special mention here for the Dior Addict Lip Glow (001) for when you don’t want to wear lipstick, but still need your lips to pop.
Shop Nars at Shoppers Stop soon; Dior Beauty at Palladium & Jio World Drive.
2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Sir Fraser Stoddart uses Organic Super Molecular Vessel Technology to make skincare ultra effective and ultra pricey too. Ease into the Noble experience with the 7 dose Prime Radiance Serum. If you are willing to put a dent in your rent, friends in high places recommend the Exceptional Chronobiology Sleep Mask.
Shop while travelling, starts at approx Rs 5,300.
If there’s a fire starting in your heart, let it be this Adele-inspired candle that’s bringing you out the dark. Novo Koyo’s Rolling in the Deep flame pays homage to the singer, re-imagining her lyrics as an organic soy candle with deep notes of amberwood and faint kisses of French Vanilla. This “empowering, uplifting” scent is exactly what our daily routine needs as the ongoing Mercury Retrograde reaches a fever pitch. Leaning on feelings and fragrances as two strong pillars of experiences, Novo Koyo likes to connect scents with popular music. Can you hear the notes….of French vanilla?
Visit novokoyo.com, 9915161993, Instagram, candles start at Rs 1,100.
Our go-to spitz and slick routine comes via an excellent homegrown-global collaboration - Pahadi Local x Ayu. Couple of their restorative rose-saffron mist sprays, followed by a few drops of cold pressed oil made with apricot kernel from the Himalayas, feels like the perfect micro spa routine before bedtime.
Shop at pahadilocal.com, 7506336263, Instagram, starts at Rs 500.
Delicious enough to lick - founder Kavita Khosa actually once said that it is so free of nasties you can eat it - the Mitti mask is a thing of beauty. Built in small batches with raw organic honey, antioxidant cacao & certified organic Ayurvedic botanical actives + clays, it’s the cooling face food you need this summer. Also big heart for their neon pink hair oil (cold-pressed Himalayan hemp, apricot oil, solar infused kalonji) which is luxe enough to undo all childhood Parachute-oil-before-school trauma.
Shop at india.purearth.asia, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,200.
Meher Jadhwani, beauty editor and organic skincare formulator, who has tried her “fair share of sunscreens”, says that Put Simply is her new go-to for sun protection. This featherweight formula - feels non-greasy even when applied after face oil - with ceramides leaves no white cast, plus it has Centella Asiatica (Cica) and niacinamide to soothe and strengthen. “As a former inconsistent sunscreen user, I can confidently say this one makes my skin feel smooth.”
Shop at putsimply.co.in, Instagram, Rs 799.
Sanskrit for ‘light’, Roci follows the journey of two brothers across India, who attempt to capture the scent of Himalayan mountains, Mysore’s gardens, Maharashtra’s coastline and Rajasthan’s palaces in the form of striking black candles that offer up to 75 hours of burn time. These promise the whiff of beachside smoked figs, Kashmiri lavender, spice markets and Deodar trees (all vegan and cruelty free, of course). Coming swoon: Roci haute fragrances inspired by Indian mythology, built with the expertise of a Grasse perfumer.
Shop at www.rociindia.com, 9999712338, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,695.
Founder Colette and her cabal, whisk together lush, organic concoctions in their Pantry, elevating DIY to Oh Oh My! We imagine Wes Anderson starting his day with this Mendel’s-hued Smoothie Pink Non Soap Face Wash, where rose clay, minerals, pomegranate & geranium oils are suspended in pure aloe vera. Here's another pink link to their superfood blush coloured face mask that relies on beets and tomatoes for brightening. PS: pair the cleanser with this Lavender Dew moisturiser which is just as kind as it sounds.
Shop at www.theskinpantry.com, Instagram, starts at Rs 800
We’ve already tried and loved Suhi & Sego’s customised am and pm moisturisers, which is why we’re so happy to start each day by slathering on their new “face - care grade ” body lotion built with nourishing butters and nanocacao extract. The lotion’s fraternal twin - if you buy the body duo set - is a super fresh body wash that’s meant to hydrate and lightly exfoliate while it “takes the day right off you ”. Both leave behind a whiff of pear and tender rose, and a lingering musk of patchouli that will have your lover leaning in for a kiss.
Shop at www.suhiandsego.com, WhatsApp: 8448855357, Instagram, starts at Rs 900.
Run your hand over this pillowcase - a champagne - gold or a Wednesday Addams - black coloured one - and chances are, you will be adding a matching eye mask to your cart tout de suite. This ilk of silk calls itself Sunday Forever, a label featuring pure Mulberry silk bedding that promotes good skin and haircare; particularly good to tame frizzy hair while you sleep.
Shop at www.sundayforever.in, Instagram, starts at Rs 1,299.
The “sunscreen specialists ” over at SunScoop formulate sun protection yummies only, in different formats depending on your preferred application style, product feel and end goal. They have SPF sticks, drops, creams and gels; we love the no - white - cast luminous Glow and non - slick Matte versions. Bonus: sunny packaging that’s made for still life Insta - beach pictures.
The weather wizards at Supergoop make this wicked Unseen Sunscreen (SPF 40) that’s practically invisible. The oil free sunblock is one of the best we’ve used and is willing to work a second job as your make - up primer.
Shop while travelling at approx Rs 1,600 or buy via @thebeautystoreindia for Rs 4, 200.
The White Door’s talon managers give the best mani - pedis in the city; ask for their glazed donut manicure featuring the palest pale pink nails with a pearlescent finish that very quietly screams summer. They are also an official retailer for the super coveted but pricey Biologique Recherche products that we used to previously order from Pune.
The White Door, Bandra and Worli, Instagram, Rs 1090 for a manicure.
Dermatologist Dr Batul Patel can’t stop recommending ZO Skin Health which provides a potent dose of vitamin C (10 %) that brightens and redefines skin, promoting a more even skin tone and minimising the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. for a better priced, but still competent serum, she recommends the Sesderma Azelac RU.
Shop at The Bombay Skin Clinic, Rs 9,900 for Zo, Rs 2, 250 for Sesderma.
bpb Blush is a fee related property
Subscribe to bpb