Beauty

South Asia is one of the most sun-intense regions on earth. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal — across the entire subcontinent, UV index levels regularly reach extreme highs, humidity is significant for most of the year, and the combination of heat and pollution creates daily skin stress that most globally marketed sunscreens were never designed to address. Add to this the fact that the majority of international sunscreen formulations were built around lighter ski

If you have spent any time in Asian skincare communities, you have come across it. In Korean beauty forums it is called a grail, meaning one of those rare products that people swear changed their skin permanently. In Japanese department stores it outsells products that cost a fraction of its price. In China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan it has had a waitlist at various points in its history. In India, where SK-II officially launched in 2026, the first question most skinca

Two months.  That is how long the Style Essentials team has been using the Magical Blends Skin Plumping Serum and Light Hydrating Gel before sitting down to write this review. Not two weeks. Not ten days. Two months of daily use, before forming an opinion worth sharing. Let us start with what Magical Blends actually is, because the brand deserves context before the review. It is a customizable skincare system built around the idea that one size does not fit all skin. You pick

International Fragrance Day on the 21st of March felt like the right moment to talk about what has been on the Style Essentials desk for the past few weeks. The Fonzie Folksy Travel Set, four Eau de Parfum spray bottle in one compact kit, has been in steady rotation with the team, and it has earned its place. The set comes with four 10ml Eau de Parfum spray bottle named O' Live It, Evenfall, The Gallerie, and Runway Bows, each in a bottle slim and light enough to keep in the

I received the Moondew Mogra Toner and Glow Getter – Gotukola Face Serum from Dusky India and have been using them together for a few weeks as part of a simple morning and evening routine. The pairing is positioned as a two-step ritual designed to refresh the skin, restore hydration, and support the barrier using plant-based ingredients rooted in traditional formulations. The first product I incorporated was the Moondew Mogra Toner. The mist is lightweight and settles quickly

The REFINE Beauty collection arrived at the Style Essentials PR desk, and the first thing we noticed was the packaging—egg-shaped, compact, and more considered than most makeup at this price point. The brand was launched in 2024 by co-founders Firdose Ghauri and Mahima Kotwal, and the story behind it is straightforward—two friends who looked at the Indian makeup market and felt that most of what was available was either too serious, too repetitive, or too generic for skin ton

I received the 2% Alpha Arbutin Depigmentation Serum from PHD and have been using it consistently for a little over a month, applying it once a day as suggested. My focus was straightforward: a few lingering dark spots from older breakouts, uneven tone around the nose, and mild tanning that never seemed to fade completely even with regular skincare. The first thing I noticed was the texture. The serum is lightweight, almost watery, and absorbs quickly without leaving behind a

We received the Blurre Pudding Blush from Luxiora Cosmetics for review and tested it over a few days. The texture is the first thing you notice about the blush. It feels soft when you press into the pan, but it doesn’t stay creamy on the skin. Once applied, it spreads out thinly and settles quickly. There’s no dragging, and it doesn’t move around after blending. The shade looks loud in the pan but reads much softer on the face. A light tap gives a fresh pink flush rather than

Grey root touch-ups have long been associated with salon visits, long processing times, and permanent colour commitment. A growing category of hair makeup is now changing that equation, offering temporary solutions designed for speed, ease, and everyday use. Truth & Hair’s Root Touch-Up Hair Mascara enters this space with a crayon-based format aimed at instant grey coverage without traditional hair colouring processes. Priced at Rs 750, the Root Touch-Up Hair Mascara is posit

REFINE Beauty has introduced a new line of everyday makeup products that focus on ease, versatility, and design-led appeal. Launched in 2024 by Firdose Ghauri and Mahima Kotwal, the brand positions makeup as something to be used intuitively rather than followed through rigid routines. The current range includes three core product categories: lip balms, lip-and-cheek tints, and blush-highlighter sticks. All products are designed for Indian skin tones and built around multi-use

LEAFOBERRYY has launched Mucin Fusion Face Serum, a plant-based hydration formula positioned as a vegan alternative to traditional snail mucin products. The serum focuses on moisture retention, skin comfort, and texture support, using botanical ingredients known for their binding and cushioning properties. The key ingredient in the formulation is okra extract, a plant-derived mucilage that naturally binds water and creates a soft, plump feel on the skin. Often associated with

Every December, something small begins to shift in salons. It usually starts with a quick conversation, a picture saved from Instagram, or someone walking in saying, “It’s Christmas… do something fun.” What follows is almost never just a manicure. Festive nails have slowly grown into a tiny ritual of their own, something people look forward to as the year wraps itself up. The colours change first. Reds become brighter, whites turn frostier, greens look deeper than they do at

There’s something almost meditative about watching a Korean woman go through her evening routine. The movements are slow but certain: a pump, a pat, and a pause. Steam curling from a basin, the faint scent of green tea, the quiet patience and care performed without rush. Such care is not vanity; it’s habit, and it’s how generations in Korea have ended their day by following a ritual that feels closer to rest than routine. What the rest of the world calls K-beauty began here,

Festivals in India are not quiet affairs. They’re loud, dazzling, and stretched across weeks of pujas, late-night card parties, and the...

Your twenties are a paradox. It is the decade where skin still carries the softness of youth, yet where the choices you make begin to...

There was a time when a single grey hair could send people into panic mode. A quick pluck, a box of colour, or a rushed salon booking —...

Look around any big city café and the faces start to rhyme: lifted outer brows, inflated mid-face, identical lips. The aesthetic is...

Let’s be honest — most skincare trends come and go like monsoon pop-ups on your Instagram feed. What’s hot one month (blue tansy oil,...

There’s something about the right perfume—it doesn’t just finish an outfit, it finishes a sentence. A few drops behind the ear, a little...

Monsoon is a strange season for skin. On some days, it feels drier than winter. On others, the T-zone turns into an oil slick by noon....