Vanity Rehab

Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts

Saturday, December 29, 2018

The Thirst for Best and Worst of 2018.

2018 is coming to an End and I am very Excited about the New Beginnings with 2019!(will announce it soon) Yayyy! Now, who doesn't get excited with the 'Best' and 'Worst' lists and conclusions!? Best and Worst Movie of 2018, Best and Worst Gadgets of 2018, Best and Worst Cars of 2018, Best and Worst Diets of 2018, Best and Worst Smartphone Trends of 2018, Everything Best and Worst of 2018...... But wait, You were Expecting a "Best and Worst Natural Beauty and Lifestyle products of India 2018 Round-up" from Me Right? Infact, that is what anyone would expect that from any Beauty Blogger. But, i decided to Swim Against the Current! Because, just like that fish in the picture below, A Truth Flashed in my mind.

First, i thought i will do a Best and Worst of 2018 breakdown but, later when i was about to list them all, a Question Flashed in my head: Is there ever an 'Absolute' for Best? Can that Thirst for 'The Best' ever be Quenched? Nah...Not really. The WAR will Forever be ON! For example: Some people Love Eggnog whereas some people Loathe it(i am one of them). Some people Love Ranveer Singh(i am one of them) and some people Loathe him! So, It's always "To Each His Own". Agree?

I am not telling this Randomly but by my Experience. Because, all these products were 'Best' for me in one climatic/water condition but when i used them in other climatic/water conditions, they weren't really 'The Best' ones. And sometimes, a product dearly loved by my friend or family member was an Absolute nightmare for me! Every one of you might have gone through similar experiences. Right? So, i decided to provide a link to all the products that i Loved at one point or the other and Let YOU DECIDE what could be THE BEST for YOU according to your preference and the conditions you live in. And, since this post has a political vibe to it, let me make it clear that i am not against any blogger who chooses to do the Best and Worst listings. This was just My Personal Choice. Do Not Miss the End. ;)

Here is the picture of all products without that huge red sticker:

So, here's the List of Review links:

(click to read)

Seer Secrets Aloe vera & Guduchi Hydrating Retexturing Facial Serum Review.

Seer Secrets Lemon Cypress Japanese Mint Active Silver Ion Deodorant Cream Review. A Boon for Chronic/Bed-ridden Patients and Trekkers.

Fun Review: BON Organics Pet Soap Review.

BON Organics Jasmine Water Review. Much more than just plain ol' Jasmine and water!

Seer Secrets Sabdariffa Tisane Herbal Tea Review. An Excellent Floral Source of Vitamin C!

LOTD: Jaggi Jasoos - A look inspired by Jagga Jasoos.

Seer Secrets Rambutan, Dates and Liquorice Lip Scrub Review. A Gourmet Lip Treat!

Seer secrets Raw Mango, Paprika and Mint Lip Plumper Review. One Hot Lippy Deal!

Forest essentials Iced Pomegranate and Kerala Lime Body mist Review.

Review: Seer secrets Jasmine and Orange Soothing Yogurt Enzyme Body cleanser Review.

Review: Forest essentials Iced Pomegranate and Kerala Lime Silkening Shower wash Review

Bon Lip Stain/Tint - Strawberries(Red) Review. A product that any Natural beauty Lover Couldn't Live Without!

BON Rose Gulkand Toner Review. A GEM from BON Organics.

Seer Secrets Quantum Quattro Gemstone Bath bar Review. A Gem or A Grim?

Do Bandar Citrus Lip Butter Review.

Pro Nature Organic Atta Vermicelli Review. A 'Health'ified and 'Taste'ified Staple.

Soulfull Millet Smoothix Review. A New Launch from Soulfull.

Pro nature Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Review. The Magic of Organic Himalayan Apples.

Juicy Chemistry Choco-Mint Lip Butter Review.

Aroma Essentials Neem Face wash Review

What did you feel about this post? Felt like Sharing it with everyone? or, Felt like throwing a bucket full of Eggnog at me? :P Leave your Honest opinions in the Comments Section below.When i am saying "Honest", I Mean It! I Really Mean It! Ranveer singh promise! Kasam re kasam Simmba kasam! :D

See you all in 2019 with Exciting New Plans! ;D

Infinite Love,

Siri.

'Swimming against the current' image source: Google images.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

My Blog is Robbing Me! It's High time i Break "it"!

Robbing me not off My Money but My Life.

Let's Begin with 'That "Cliche" Story'...

I belonged to the clan of kids whom people called 'Good for Nothing' category. Yes, i was good for their definition of 'Nothing'. In my definition, Nothing meant Everything. I was Differently Abled in my Mind. My world was Different in Dimension......Those Zillion Cloud forms, Those Mesmerizing Leaves when the Sunlight passes through them, That Soft Soil in my Fist, The Dust that Puffed up in to Glowing Curls against the sunlight when mum was Sweeping, The Amusing World through that Translucent Yellow paper which came wrapped around the Natraj Eraser and etc., etc., etc.,

To put in a filmy way: 'Saavli patharon se meri dosti thi...chaal meri kya hai Mitti jaanti thi...' (Tweaked lyrics of 'Safar' song from 'Harry met Sejal'.)

And also, Picture this: Sounds Cliche but, I am kinda 'Him' in terms of Mind.

Yes, the Un-forgettable 'Ishaan avasthi' from 'Taare zameen par'. <3

So, obviously, Everyone around me used to get super Annoyed with my Meagre Score cards. However, This Routine Ended with the End of my 'League O' Literacy'.

And then my "League O' Blog" started. I thought i will Blog away to Glory while trying to Save the World and it's Beings through my Conscious Beauty blog.

And then........Pop's up....... "Multiple Sclerosis"! A Chronic Nerve Degenerating Disorder.

Because my Nerves are Degenerating, The Wiring in my Brain got Messed Up and my Energy levels have hit Rock Bottom. Fatigue has become my Super Star Symptom. Whenever i am working up my brains to churn out a Write-up in that Standard 'Blogging Format', my Brain is screaming - "Gimme a Break"! "I'm Exhausted Already"!

That Format is constantly making me think about all those Writing Rules i Must Follow, 200 words, Keywords(I mean, how am i supposed to stuff keywords like: Insurance, Gas/Electricity, Mortgage, Attorney, Loans, Lawyer, Donate, Conference Call, Degree, Credit and so on and on and on... just to earn a dime?)
CPC, SEO, Page views, Social media/Internet-Presence/Visibility, PR and what not! With all of these Occupying my Mind and Exhausting my Brain Big Time, I am Totally Missing Living My 'Magical Dimension of Life'. That is My 'Life'. How can i Live without my Life!?

So, It's High time i Break "it": "The Rules"!

Here's the Big Decision:

I am not going to write in that Format Anymore. In fact, i am not going to write much anymore. Meaning, my 'Image:Write-up' Ratio in a Blog post will be '90:10' or even '99:1' if needed. From now...My Images will Speak for me. or, in this case: Almost 'write for me'.

By Doing this,
(Sing with this tune in head: The lines and the tune in which the li'l kiddo sings at the beginning in 'Calvin Harris - Slide'. I tweaked those lyrics.)

I Might.....

Miss the Opportunities...

Miss Network-ability...

Miss Possibilities...

I Might...I Might...

I Will.....

Empty my Blogging Rife...

And Live the Gamut of Life...

Live the Gamut of Life...

I Will... I Will...

*
After all, What can be Bigger than 'A Gamut' of Life. Right?

*

So, is MS the Culprit? Hmmm...Yes and No. 'Yes' because it Reduced my Ability to Write a Blog Physically but, 'No' because it couldn't Disable my Mind's Ability to See the World in that Unique Dimension.

So, From Now, I am going to be a "Differently Abled Blogger". :)

I may not Blog as Regularly but will definitely Blog 'Differently'. :) I will Keep Sharing with you 'The Gamut of Life' that i Lived.
*
I want to Thank all of my 4 or 5 Regular readers from every single cell of my body for still Sticking around even with my Snail paced Blogging. Thank you so much guys... :) <3

So, what do you feel about this decision of mine? Let me know in the comments section below. :)

************************************************************

Infinite Love,

Siri.

That Screaming Model: Me. :)

Pic Taken by: Dear Hub.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

#Life with MS - A Twilight Saga...

Pic: *The Twilight Saga*. Clicked and Edited by - Yours Truly. :)

The Light, The Dark and the Twinkles in between.

'Multiple Sclerosis'- A Chronic Autoimmune Degenerative Nervous condition that i am suffering from.

Now, why am i calling it a Twilight Saga?

Because #LifewithMS is exactly it! Our #LifewithMS goes on like a Twilight that is born out of both the Dawn and the Dusk.

Our Twilight Saga:

What do you get to see after an Evening twilight?

The Sun goes Down, the Stars come Out.

The Moon will Shine and Feels so Fine
*Inspired from The wanted 'Glad you came's Lyrics.

Us 'MS'ers life is sometimes like this Evening Twilight after which, even when it's Dark and Gloomy, we get to experience 'Twinkling Star' like moments and feel the 'peaceful Moonlight' like Embraces that Soothe us like Heaven.
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But Sometimes, it is like one of those evening twilight episodes, which after set, makes our life Dark like a No-Moon Night. We feel totally Blank and Helpless during this phase because, we feel like doing a Lot but can do None! Absolutely None!
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And sometimes, it is like the morning twilight which after rising, drenches our life with the happy Golden shine. We Walk well, we Talk well, we Breathe well and we Eat well.
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This may look like an Endless Twilight Saga for us 'MS'ers but right now, i myself am lucky enough to choose to see it as: No-moon days come only once in a while. Rest of them are like the other Two twilights filled with Stars, Moon and the Golden Sun.

I called myself Lucky because, My illness hasn't progressed to a Disabling state yet. This may be because of the Homeopathic treatment that i am undergoing or my Will power. I don't know yet. It's very confusing. Like...Really. :P

This post is dedicated to each and every #MSwarrior out there who are very bravely going through this Twilight Saga of myriad experiences. <3:*

Lots of Love,
Siri.

Are you an 'MS'er? or do you know anyone who is one? How bravely are you or the one you know are living this Twilight Saga? Let me know in the comments section below.

*
P.S: I wanted to write this on World MS day 2017 that was on May 31st 2017. But i just didn't because i did not want people to just read this on that one day and then forget about it forever. I wanted to let you all know that we go through this Twilight Saga every single day of our lives while not really knowing if we will ever be cured. So, please Share this Article to As many people as you can(especially in India) whether it is MS day or not. Thank you. :)
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Follow Me on Facebook and Instagram to Support Me. And also, please Rate my Blog on Blogadda. Please find the small Blogadda Rating Box on the right Side bar under the Instagram widget.

More MS Articles: The MS Chronicles: A year with MS.

Today is 'World Multiple Sclerosis Day'-2016.

Multiple Sclerosis and Me. The MS chronicles..

The MS chronicles: The 'Torture'...sorry...The 'Symptom' Fest!

*
Colour version of the Twilight saga picture. The Dark rising to Light or the Light falling to Dark. How do you choose to see it? Let me know in the Comments section below.

*I clicked this at my parents place in AP.

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Love,
Siri.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Natural Beauty/Home/Pet Product Finds at "Savayava Siridhanya Mela - Millet Exhibition and Trade Fair", Bengaluru.

Hello.. Hello.. Hello.. after a long looong loooooong episode of Disappearence! :D

After joining as a "Freelance Photographer" at 'The Green path Organic state', i've got too many events(like, events hosted by Agriculture minister/projects(like, for 'swiggy' app) to shoot, edit and post that i am getting too exhausted and am finding absolutely NO TIME to write over here! :(

But, one plus point of this job is that i get to attend events like this one: "Savayava Siridhanya Mela - Millet Exhibition and Trade Fair" that was on March 26, 2017 at the Govt. Model Primary school play ground, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru. The Objective of this event was to promote the local super food: Millets and Organic/Non-Toxic products.

Although it was too hot and draining in an open ground with no trees whatsoever, i managed to browse a few interesting stalls that displayed products worth a glance.

So, here i am sharing with you all my finds at the event. :)

This lovely old lady Ms.Sharmila joshi who is a practitioner Aroma therapist(NAHA) USA and the Founder of 'Swati aroma wonders' had such a huge spread that it compelled me to stop at her stall. She had a multitude of 100% Natural products like Kajal, Lipgloss, Eyeshadow, Face powders, Kumkum, Body perfume, Gel for Grey hair, Steam distilled floral/herb waters, Balms, Soaps, Cold pressed Oils, Baby care products and much more. If you want to have a look at the whole catalogue that lists a huge range of products, just mail me and i'll forward you the pic.

She also teaches a Certificate course in Aroma therapy. If interested, contact her at sharmilajoshi@gmail.com

Lipgloss(It did not give any noticeable colour payoff though :/ ) and other Makeup products.

Amazing smelling Vetiver water.

Next i stumbled upon this Interestingly named Brand called "Do Bandar"(which literally translates to 'Two Monkeys') :D It seems to have been founded by two girls who are best friends. And while naming the brand, they finalised on what they call themselves..i.e, 'Do Bandar'! Ha ha ha :D

They had interesting Natural soaps like 'Vanilla Cinnamon', 'Basil-Camphor-Turmeric' and much more. They also had Natural Pet soaps and Paw balms that made the 'Pet lover' in me really happy! :) <3

Their Website: dobandar.in

Finally, there was this Home products related brand called "Bubble nut wash" that makes Eco-friendly and Skin friendly Laundry and Dish wash products made out of Pure 'Soap nuts' plucked from trees in Himalayas.

Their website: bubblenutwash.com

Here's the product that stole my heart! <3 If you want to know what it is, wait for it on my Instagram! ;D My Instagram id: 'vanityrehab'

I also Stumbled up on a Brand called 'Habicaf' that makes ready to consume South Indian style 'Chicory based Coffee decoction'. Being a Filter coffee lover, i tasted it, loved it and had to buy one. They practice Eco-Friendly grounds disposal and also use them in many different ways like composting and fertilizing. (will share a pic soon)

Their Facebook page.

There was this 'Cooking Millets in different ways' Live Demonstration going on. But, i had to leave because the heat was exhausting me and i couldn't bear it anymore. Anyways... no loss because, i myself work at a place where they have a Restaurant called 'Forgotten food: Meet the Millet' that specifically serves food made out of Millets and i get to savour it everyday! ;)

Have you attended this Exhibition/fair too? If yes, i would love to hear your experience. :)

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Love,
Siri.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

My experience at the 'Sukrishi Organic Farm/Food Forest', Bangalore. Part 1 - The Food Forest.

Ever heard of a Food forest? Few weeks ago, I've been to one. And that too in Bangalore!

Yes, I visited the Amazing "Sukrishi Organic Farm" in Nelamangala, Bangalore. Mr. Jayaram, the M.D of the 'Green path Organic state' chain and Ms. Asha, the Marketing manager and also a very good friend of mine, invited me to visit the farm.

At first, i thought 'ok... it would be just another Organic farm among many that already exist. But, i was proved totally Wrong!!!

Once i reached there, what i realised was that it is not a regular commercial farm by any means! but mainly a Primitive, Self sustaining and Biodiversity preserving "Food forest"!!!

As opposed to modern Monoculture, a Food forest needs very little human care and provisions for growth. Because, it houses the 'Biodiverse' environment which provides almost everything the plants/trees need. Awesome right!?

The Sukrishi organic Farm/Food forest which is spread across 40 acres was where the foundational stones of the Green path were laid in 1998. Back then, it was a total Barren Land which no one found useful except Mr. Jayaram sir. Because of his strong determination and efforts, this waste piece of land is now an Alive and Majestic Lush Green Food forest.

Scroll through the pictures for a tour of the Food Forest/Farm and witness the
invaluable experience i had.

..................................................................................

First of all, Meet Mr. Jayaram, a Lawyer in the past by profession, the Man behind all of this. He is the Happiest Man i've ever met! Always smiling and always ready to celebrate even the tiniest thing life has to offer. Love love loooooved him to bits! (And he kept calling me 'Kid' the whole time! :D)

Inspired by his Mother Smt. Nagamma, whom he calls 'Mother of Nature', He started several Eco initiatives in Karnataka. His Aim is to inspire people to adopt an Eco-friendly lifestyle through easily replicable models of sustainability. And after meeting him, I can say for sure that he will succeed. :)

Say Hello to Ms.Asha, the lady because of whom i got to live one whole amazing day in my life! <3 :* She is 'Fun, Energy and Compassion' all wrapped in one piece that anybody will easily fall in love with! <3 and look at those dimples! <3 <3

Aaaand Let's Start the Trip!

We were a bunch of people from different walks of life and we all had a happy colourful welcome with the bougainvillea garlands which i loved so much that i decided to wear it that whole day! :P Because, vivid hot pink bougainvilleas are one of my most favourite flowers ever! <3 :)

And they showered us with loose bougainvilleas too! The Best Welcome I ever had! oh! And we even had an aarthi given which made us feel almost like goddesses! :D But, most importantly, it shows how much they love and respect their guests.

After the lovely welcome session, we walked through these lush green(almost romantic) pathways to enter the Forest.
*Romantic because, the day turned cloudy with thick 'monsoon'y black clouds that made the whole forest look like a movie type romantic setting. :)

The first thing that cought my eyes were a bunch of these lovely white Hibiscus plants. They were of our native Indian variant which, i you are a regular reader, would already know how much i love. <3
If you are New here, please Read: "D.I.Y Ancient Indian hair pack recipe" and "Healthifying and Beautifying Rose-Hibiscus syrup recipe" to know my love for native flowers.

Now, this should definitely remind you of your childhood! right!? Ha... the yum yum yummmmmy sweet and sour Chinna usirikaya/Ari nellikai/phyllanthus acidus, a much lighter and sweeter country variant of Gooseberry sprinkled with some salt and chilli powder delighted my tastebuds every single day when in season! *drool* *drool*

Sapota/Chikkoo/Sapodilla tree. Not really a fan of this particular fruit because most of the times, i got to have only the hybrid variants which taste lifeless. But, these native Indian fruits looked so beautiful on tree, that they did tempt me a lot because i remember from my childhood memories, how yum they taste.

Press! Reporters from Suddi T.V. were also there to shoot and feature the Farm/Food forest in their channel. Aaaaand i will appear on T.V. for the first time! Yaaayyyy!! A really funny incident happened while shooting. I'll tell you what it was in another post because, then, this already long post will seem endless. :D

The T.V. show anchors and the camera man in work.

What do you think both of them are so eagerly shooting?

THE COCOA FRUIT! Yes! There were Organic Cocoa trees! They use these beans in the Brownies that they serve at their 'Forgotten food' restaurant. I am a regular at this place and trust me, thay taste real good.(Planning to review the restaurant soon!) :)

Asha broke a ripe Cocoa fruit and showed us. Don't you think the inner white segments resemble a Custard apple?

We did not just see the fruit, we ate it too! It tasted like a tangier version of our regular custard apple. Loved it! But, the meat was really thin and less creamy when compared to custard apple's. It was an unique unforgettable taste we got to experience and it definitely leaves you craving for more.

After that, we walked through some more forest pathways and reached..(see the next picture)

This bit of land where they cultivated Non-hybrid, Non-G.M.O and Organic Beans.

Asha plucked a few of them and told us to taste it. I was skeptical at first because i never had it raw. But, oh my.. it was so fresh, juicy and crunchy that i wanted to have atleast 10 more. <3 And because it was Organic, we ate it directly from plant without even washing. :)

And then, all of us walked a little more to reach...(see next picture)

The Rain water Harvest pond which is the main water source that sustains the Oraganic cultivations of this farm.

The worn out mini Open theater/stadium kind of structure in front of the rain water harvest pond. May be we can do some bird watching there...i guess.

And then this Lovely Japanese lady 'Rie Goto' of 'Masala tours'-Bangalore visited the farm. After travelling 180 countries, she decided to settle permanently in Bangalore, India and also adopted an Indian girl who is nearly 25+ now. She even worked with Mother Teresa! She definitely was an amazing woman. <3
*The Masala-tours.com website is in Japanese but has an option to translate it in to english. :)
*Here's her Facebook link.

She bought a packet full of Organic Non-G.M.O Adzuki beans for Jayaram sir.

And also some saplings of the same for the farm.

If you want to learn Organic farming or want to start your own Food Forest, head on to this farm because, they provide training in both! :)
For more information, visit Thegreenpath.in

Hope you all had the same invaluable experience through these pictures like i did on site. And wait, this post is just part 1. There is still part 2 where i show you the Bamboo and Mud cabin for stay and the Canines i met and fell in love with.
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Love,
Siri.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Fun, Friendship, Fatigue and Farm and Salman khan!

Hello everyone!

I am back! Finally! :)

Really Sorry for being absent for so long. I was unbelievably hyper active at the whole wedding event! Met some of my really awesome relatives and my 'Fun' knew no bounds.

But, *rumbles* and *raindrops*... after coming back, The "Fatigue" kicked in and i became hyper dull and sleepy. the whole wedding fun took a toll on my health(MS).

But, Blaaaah... Who cares... i'm happy and jumpy again! Because, at the wedding celebrations, i was shot by a large dose of medicine i.e., Happiness and Laughter, which successfully brought me back to life. :D

Let me share a few of my memorable moments with you:

When you have a maasi/Aunt like this, negative forces never dare to lurk around. She lit up the whole occasion with her laughter and positiveness even after all the horrible things she suffered with in the past. It is because of her that i survived the whole wedding without even a single fatigue episode! Love you forever Devi maasi <3

And my huge pillar of strength, the love of my life, my hub, carried me on his back when i had difficulty walking uphill in the scorching sun! ya..i decided to go for a mid-day mini walk/trek in the forest reserve which is nearly 5-6 km long! and with a little help, i successfully finished it! yaaayyyy!!!

Not just that, but, this old lady played a very important role too. She came near our home asking for food and shelter because she was not able to walk in the road and was about to faint due to the scorching sun.

After i invited her in, she had food and in the process started bonding with me. Before leaving, i gave her 100 rupees and instead of keeping it all to herself, she brought me snacks the next day which i guess would have costed her atleast 50-70 rupees!! Such people prove that it is 'Love' that rules the world.. not money. :*

She is an awesome, unusual and a really lovely person who is going to stay in my heart forever! Love you selvamma.. <3

Aaaaaand i met Salman khan!!!
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Yes, this is him. :D Look at the bracelet on his wrist! :D

And this humongous Bee hive was the special attraction in the wedding hall! :P Everybody were super scared but i was mesmerized because i never saw such a beautiful hive in my whole life. <3

You know they play a "Find the ring first" game with the newly weds? Yes, that one. But after the newly weds were done with their round of fun, Me and hub decided to re-live our wedding times.. :)

As i told you, I was super active the whole wedding...But, except for this one time, during a ritual, when i asked my mom and the ladies gang to repeatedly toss the contents from one 'soop/chaata' to another in the determination to get the shot right. But what i forgot was that the contents had turmeric mixed in them and the dust was puffing in the air. I forgot that "I am allergic to turmeric"!!! Within 15 mins, I was on the bed with super itchy runny nose and lots of sneezes. :P That whole night, It felt like i was dying.. :D

What could be more awesome than travelling by sitting on the foot board steps of the bus!? I always wanted to do that but since it is not possible in a public bus, i did that in our private wedding bus! The view you get to see and experience is unbeatable and unforgettable. *super happy*

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have definitely seen this Paw print mehendi design i made on myself during the wedding because i was seriously missing my non-human kiddos.

And after spending a wonderful fun time with me, this ladies gang became my another set of unusual but really lovely friends. :* They made me write my contact number on their hands! Ahem ahem.. i guess i felt like a mini size celebrity... :P :D <3

After coming back home to Bangalore, and after a week's rest, I went out to buy a bottle of my favorite Tulsi honey from the "Organic state" store opposite mantri mall. There, i became friends with Asha, the MD and she invited me to their 'Sukrishi' farm in nelamangala. So, i went there, had an awesome experience which i am going to share with you guys sometime soon.

So, this is all that was going on in my life. See you soon with reviews of some really awesome products one of which is THE "Product of the Year", a non-beauty haul and the farm experience.

If you enjoyed this post, i would be really happy to know that.. :) Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below. <3 --------------------*--------------------
Love,

Siri.

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