Iraya Kumkumadi Balm - Review
September 24, 2015
When I was not yet born and 'comzily' (as Junior says) living inside my mother, she heard that having saffron or kumkumadi would lighten the soon-to-be-born's complexion. You see, my mom is fair while my dad is a dark, handsome man. Anyway, she soon started this practice of having kumkumadi in milk each day. In this process, to cut a long story short, my mom's skin tone definitely improved while I came out in this world in exactly the skin tone God had planned for me.
Jokes apart, my mom loves me very much just the way I am. And I never faced any issues in life for the same. That said, there is something so beautiful about having an even skin tone. It does not matter if you are fair, medium or dark; but an even skin tone and healthy skin is what you must try to achieve. While a good lifestyle and a healthy diet is of utmost importance, let us see if this product has any contribution to good skin...
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Product Description
Please refer picture below.
Ingredients
All good-for-you natural ingredients! Have a look...
Cow's Milk, Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum), Chandan (Santalum Album), Lodhara (Symplocos Recemosa), Kadambak (Anthocephalus Indicus), Palshphool (Butea Frondosa), Gorochan (Serpend Stone), Keshar (Crocus Sativus), Khus (Andropogon Muricatus), Manjishta (Rubia Cordifolia), Carnauba Wax, Bees Wax, Kokum (Garcinia Indica), Raktachandan (Pterocarpus Santalinus)
Packaging
Comes in a chubby frosted-glass tub with a silver screw-open lid. There is another protective foil that covers the mouth of the tub, as seen in the picture below. I am not sure if you would like to travel with this glass tub as it is a bit heavy. I personally did not, even though I wanted to. That said, sometimes glass containers are needed to preserve the potency of the contents; for example - essential oils and perfumes. If that is the case, then I am completely okay with it.
Price
INR 795
Quantity
50gms/1.76 oz.
Shelf Life
2 years from date of manufacture
How To Use
Please refer picture below.
My Experience
I like how Iraya has named this product. It is truly balmy in consitency. It feels heavy, can feel greasy too. Again, as Iraya has clearly mentioned, you need to apply a very small amount. Inspite of having dry-combination skin, I need very little to cover my face and neck. It would take ages to finish this product. The reason is that it tends to melt on contact with skin or fingers. So warming it up on your palm or fingers before application would be a great idea to spread it easily.
It smells like a combination of saffron, sandalwood, and bitter almonds. You know how in India, we put saffron in our badam milk and desserts. This reminds me of those things, which is definitely a good feeling for a person like me with sweet teeth (Yes, I have sweet teeth, not a sweet tooth!).
In spite of its greasy-balmy consistency, I love this product. I love it even more than the Iraya Kumkumadi Facial Oil that I reviewed some time back.
I first got this product in summer at which time I could not use it much as it felt heavy. I liked it quite a bit then too but decided to wait till the weather got cooler. Then a month ago, when I started having a few whiteheads and eruptions which is rare for me, I decided to start reusing this. Within a few uses, my skin started to return to its normal state. With continued usage every night for a month now, my skin looks healthy, nourished, and much better. I see an overall improvement in skin tone and skin quality. It has faded the few new marks that I had on face. However, the stubborn pigmentation I have around the mouth is still there. Overall, my skin definitely looks more even and brighter now. And I am happy. I am confident that it will show even better results with prolonged use.
If you have oily skin or live in warm weather conditions or if you dislike its balmy nature, I suggest the following ways to use it:
- Use it as a face pack or mask, at night. Keep it for an hour or as long as you can. Then wash it off. Or...
- Apply as a cream at night. Keep till bedtime. Then lightly rinse your face to get rid of the superficial greasy feeling but not washing it off completely. Or...
- Use very little and sleep with it. This is what I do, since I have dry skin. I like to believe that I am getting maximum benefits doing this way.
Inspite of using very little, I see good results. That is the best part. If I had to use more, I would have probably never continued using this as it would have felt quite heavy. But the beauty of this balm is that you can use the tiniest bit and still see results.
The amount in the swatch pictures is a lot of balm! I would need just a little of that in reality.
Please remember to use it at night when you are at home in order to avoid exposure to sun, dust, and pollution. Depending upon your skin type and weather conditions, you can adjust the amount and duration of usage. But this works!
Pros
- Improves the overall quality of skin - evens and refines
- Open pores seem smaller
- Excellent in nourishing skin
- 100% vegetarian
- Not tested on animals
Cons
- Feels heavy
- May not be suitable for warm weather conditions
Overall Impression
I will be discontinuing its usage for now as it is a huge tub and I also need to test some other products. But this is a must-try product considering the results and the wonderful all-natural ingredients. The only issue can be the balmy consistency which can be taken care of, by sensible usage. That said, I would love it if Iraya can provide this in a tube to control the required amount. I do not want them to change the consistency as I fear its effectiveness may be lost. They do have a gel form other than the oil form I reviewed on the blog; but I am yet to try that. This product is surely a winner and I will keep going back to it whenever my skin needs a boost. You must try it!!!
Cafe-o-Meter Rating: 5/5
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