The Indian middle class, to which I belong, are renowned for our value for money mentality when it comes to spending cash – may it be on clothes, groceries, trips, cars, electronics, anything. Hence the multi-national companies when they customise products for the Indian consumer – more bang for the buck is what they know we look out for; and hence they aim for the cost focus, if they want to cater to the mass market. But even amidst all this value searching, I personally yearn for an occasional luxury to satisfy my aspirational needs.

My usual goto brand for skin care is The Body Shop – their products promise organic and natural and some items are value for money and feel great. This time, as I was clearing out the expired and used up bottles, I wanted to try something new – two names came to mind – L’Occitane and Forest Essentials – both will be a trade up as they sell at higher price points. The premium tag builds aspiration to own a small piece of luxury.

L’Occitane of France is world-famous and has a cult following in personal care. Their products are drool worthy – beautifully packaged and feels like silk. Forest Essentials is a home-grown brand from the Uttarakhand district in north India. The usp of the brand is the promise of nature’s beauty fixes through formulations made from the principles of ayurveda. Sounds unique and very Indian; but at a premium price band.

And tempted to own a piece of this ayurvedic luxury, I indulged in some shopping. Like all beauty products, the promise starts with the packaging and Forest Essentials have aced it. The motifs on the boxes are beautiful and uniquely Indian.

My purchases were not extravagant; being a first time buyer, cautious would be the more the appropriate term. I am not a beauty expert and there is no intention for a  product review here. All the details on the below products are extensively covered at their beautiful website. I only wish to share the goodies I bought – Soundarya Advanced Serum with 24 Karat Gold (to be applied on the face, one of their best-sellers), Honey Lemon Rosewater (a facial cleanser), Amla, honey & mulethi (a hair cleaner) and Cold Pressed Organic Virgin Oil Coconut (cures all).

They also gave me a few product samples to try and enrolled me  in their loyalty programme called the Soundarya (meaning beauty in Sanskrit ) Club.

I am thrilled with the items and let’s see how they play out.

Thanks for reading and wish you all a wonderful week ahead.

Till next post, take care !!