Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream (available here) - $13.99

Skin indulges in the beauty and bounty of the tropics with this skin-revitalizing body cream. Papaya and mango refine and smooth, uncovering healthy-looking, touchably-terrific skin. Beta carotene, aloe, cucumber and rosehip soothe and soften for a body beautiful awakening. Hypo-allergenic.

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream - Ingredients
Aqua, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Safflower Seed Oil, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Shea Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Anacyclus Pyrethrum Root Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Papaya Fruit Extract, Grapefruit Seed Extract, Cucumber Fruit Extract, Mango Fruit Extract, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Fragrance, Beta-Carotene (CI 40800), Caramel.

I completely forgot about reviewing it until it was almost over - hence the bald spot at the bottom :P

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream is my new favorite body moisturizer.  Filled with natural moisturizing ingredients such as shea butter and soothing rose and aloe, this body butter is rich and nourishing and just what my dry skin needs.  It's easy to apply, spreads easily, and is absorbed into the skin relatively quickly without leaving too much of a greasy residue.  The only fault I could find with this - and not too much of an issue for me - is that the product is quite heavily fragranced and might be a bit overwhelming for anyone with a sensitive nose.  That minor gripe aside, I find this a fabulous moisturizer, way better than my usual TBS body butters too!  It is a bit pricey but worth trying out if you are someone on the lookout for a heavy-duty body moisturizer.  I buy this from Whole Foods, but it is quite easily available in a lot of drugstores and online.

A Quick Makeup Tip for Indian Summer: Ditch that Black Liner!

My one go-to/must-have lifesaving makeup product would be a good, dark black eyeliner.  I look like a sleepy zombie without a little swipe of it along my waterline.  And that's a problem for me once the heat turns up in the summers.  I know there are a million summer makeup tips out there, and I have read tons of articles on how to stop that black liner from smudging.  Turn out, they don't really work, at least on my eyes!  Sure if it's borderline sunny outside, yes, smudging the line with a shadow might help set it but not in a proper, humid summer like how we have back home in India.  So here's my little summer makeup tip/gyaan:  Ditch that black liner, but you don't have to go nekkid eyed - opt for a brown-bronze eyeliner instead.

I have used a brownish-bronze eyeliner along my lower lashline - gives just enough of a darkness to my eyes.
I have also used a black shadow liner along my upper lashline, which I won't recommend for the summers.  I just couldn't find another photo to post :P

A dark brownish-bronze eyeliner is a fabulous color to use along the waterline:  It keeps the eyes from looking too bare, and you won't run the risk looking racoon-eyed even if it starts to smudge as the day wears on.  As a bonus, if you have small eyes, this won't make them look smaller the way a true black liner would.  Look for something that claims to be waterproof/smudge-proof for added insurance.

Oh, and that nifty little tip about using a primer along the lashline - I walked around Vegas blissfully unaware that the primer was forming a dryish patch along my lower lashline (happens when excess product mixes with the moisture I think) until I happened to check myself in a bathroom mirror.  And yes, I was with my husband, and no, he did not notice anything odd about my makeup even when I pointed it out to him :-|