Review: Himalaya Herbals Nourishing Skin Cream

So I was on YouTube a lot lately, watching and learning new songs, and you know how these ads come up and you can't skip it? There was one on the Himalaya Herbals Nourishing Skin Cream, and because I'm a sucker for greenish blue stuff (plus I can't skip it right?), the ad kinda caught my attention. 

My stay in Taiwan has me paying more attention to my skin, and of late my skin has been so dry I could draw on it with my nails. I've been looking at moisturizers quite a bit, especially multi-purpose ones that do the job without me feeling sticky. 

You see, in Taiwan, especially during the colder months, it's almost compulsory to moisturize. I didn't for 2 days on my hands and my cuticles tore and started bleeding. Ouch. And because I would have on long sleeves and slacks even when I'm at home, it doesn't feel sticky at all to moisturize.

Here in Singapore, however, I moisturize and I feel oily, especially when I'm home and I'm just in shorts. I'd leave an imprint on my floor after sitting on it. >< 

So this thing caught my attention, and I decided to give it a try. The brand had its beginnings in India with the vision to combine bring Ayurveda to modern pharmaceutical-grade level. By going into extensive research so that there is a deeper understanding of the herbs used in Ayurveda, Himalaya Herbals was born.

Ayurveda is a type of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent, and has been around for more than 5000 years. Think of TCM, Indian-style. What Himalaya Herbals did was to do extensive R&D to make sure that the herbs used for their products are safe and up to pharmaceutical-grade. 

Himalaya has been granted the GMP "Good Manufacturing Practices" Certificate, and they were the first GMP-approved herbal manufacturing facility in India. From what I know of the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry, this certification is pretty hard to attain. Which means that Himalaya Herbals products are truly of high quality standards. 

Comes in 2 sizes so I have one at home, and another which I just stuff in my handbag. 

Because this is a multipurpose moisturizer that you can use everywhere, including your face, 

 the small one is great for carrying onboard airplanes. Moisturizing onboard IS A MUST! It's crazy how dry the air can be when you're on a flight so take care of your skin! 

The smell is light. I can't take overpowering smells on my body, and this is acceptable for me.

My hands get dry the easiest because I wash them a lot. Not when I'm out, but when I'm home and cleaning. It's like an OCD thing. Even though I'm going to get them dirty again before I'm done cleaning, as long as I walk to the basin I need to wash them. So in the end I always get dry cuticles which I get tempted to bite off which will result in them bleeding. Not a good idea. 

Thus I make it a point to moisturize them these days by carrying some kind of moisturizer in my handbag. Of late it's the Nourishing Skin Cream. =)

The key ingredients of the Himalaya Herbals Nourishing Skin Cream are Aloe Vera, Indian Kino Tree and Winter Cherry. We all know that aloe vera is great for providing hydration to the skin, but did you know that aloe vera is a natural UV inhibitor? Yup, it helps protect your skin cells from sun damage. 

The Indian Kino Tree is useful for treating skin conditions, and because of its antibacterial properties, it helps to heal cuts and promote healing. It also helps to protect your skin against dirty polluted air. The antibacterial properties also help to take away some of my concerns regarding such open have-to-stick-hand-into-product jar designs. 

As for Winter Cherry, in Ayurvedic practices, it is used as an anti-stress agent and promotes a sense of well-being. The winter cherry helps It's primary usage in folk medicine is as an aphrodisiac and it has been used as a love potion for hundreds of years. Hmm...some food for thought... ^.^

It's pretty rich when it comes to moisturizing functionality, so I really love having this on. You can also double it up as a hydrating makeup base so your face stays moisturized the whole day! 

The Nourishing Skin Cream also has excellent emollient and humectant (moisture-retention) properties, which means it prevents trans-epidermal water loss. In layman terms, it simply means that the moisture stays put where you apply it. =)

Favourite activity before I sleep these days - moisturizing everywhere. Maybe it's age catching up with me and me being paranoid about it showing on my skin, I've been more diligent with my body skincare. 

I wear a lot of shoulder-baring clothes, and I need them to look good and yummy. You know, just in case anyone gets near or some potential guy decides to put his arms around my shoulder. Lol! 

Never ever forget your neck ladies. You spend so much time, effort and money on your face to look youthful, so don't let the neck give your age away. Plus, the collar bone area is a really sexy part of your body. Keep it looking supple. ;)

Verdict: I really like it! 

It's really affordable ($5.30 for the 50ml bottle and $12.90 for the 150ml bottle) for a multipurpose cream. I can use it anywhere on my body as a body cream. And though it's moisturizing properties are pretty strong, it's lightweight enough for my face, and I can even use it as a makeup base. What's not to like? =) 

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Just for my readers!

I have 10 bottles of HIMALAYA HERBALS NOURISHING SKIN CREAM (50ml) to give away!

Just answer this question: 

Name a key herbal ingredient in this multipurpose 

Nourishing Skin Cream.

Send your answers to thatsilvergirlcontest@gmail.com in the following format - 

Answer

Name

Email

Contact Number 

Contest ends 15 March 2014 at 23:59 so hurry! First 10 readers with the correct answers win! 

Good luck!