Did the Iraya Saffron Elixir and Kokum Butter hand cream match my expectations as herbal skin essentials for Summer?
Hi Everyone!!
Today I am reviewing one of my favorite brand in the herbal beauty range, Iraya Beauty & Wellness, true to its name the brand has always been my first choice when it comes to selecting Ayurvedic and natural products for my skin. I have a real sensitive skin and mostly prefer Ayurvedic or natural hand made products. Moreover during pregnancy, it becomes all the more essential to use natural products as to stay away from any chemicals as far as possible! Thus these days I have been reviewing mostly the natural cosmetic brands.
Iraya Saffron Elixir and Kokum butter hand cream
On my radar today are Iraya Saffron Elixir and Iraya Kokum Butter Hand cream. Lets check out how these two fare with my break-out prone pregnancy skin in harsh summers. I have been using both these since past one month now and I feel I am ready to do a review.
IRAYA SAFFRON ELIXIR REVIEW
Iraya Saffron Elixir Review
Since ages, Saffron is well known for its skin lightening properties in Ayurveda. Knowing the inclination of Indian Women for fairer skin, I have always heard mothers and grandmothers telling their daughters to drink Saffron milk for a fairer skin. During my pregnancy, amongst other random advice, I too got many advice on drinking saffron milk for the baby to born light skin( Not that I fell for it! 😛 ). Well, I am not much of a fair skin loving person, but yes I would love to have a clear, pigmentation free, smooth skin. I have pigmented skin with many dark patches & dry areas. Especially during pregnancy my under eye circles have become more prominent and darker in colour compared to rest of my skin, leaving me patchy, which I totally hate. Pregnancy is known for its skin pigmentation and breakouts due to hormonal changes in body, thus I picked up Saffron elixir for the sole purpose of lightening my dark patches with an ayurvedic preparation. ( I stopped using fair & lovely and such creams soon after my high school period!)
Iraya Saffron Elixir skin lightening cream reviews
Description
The cream says, Prescribed in Ayurveda as ‘ Miraculous Elixir’ for the skin, saffron elixir is a handy gel based adaptation of kumkumadi, an absolute classic! This saffron elixir is relied since ages top lighten the skin and brighten up the complexion. The skin cream boasts of improving the skin texture and complexion! The brand claims all its products to be 100% vegetarian and never tested on animals (Yaay!!)
Packaging and Price
The Iraya Saffron Elixir comes in a heavy glass pot with a silver lid, though the jar is transparent but due to the saffron colour jelly inside it looks Orange (Yes Jelly! :D)
Price 695 rupees for 50 gm
Iraya Saffron Elixir Review
How I fared with Iraya Saffron Elixir:
The Saffron elixir comes in a pretty cute packaging which looks really lovely and authentic from outside, however after a certain time I find it difficult to scoop out the cream from inside the jar with fingers, I so wish it came in some tube kind of packaging which would be more hygienic to use. The elixir is basically feels like a gel on application, however it is not smooth as a facial gel.
Ayurvedic skin lightening gel
The elixir is more like a jelly that has a thicker consistency and a very little dollop of it is enough for one time application. Due to its jelly like nature it becomes imperative to clean your face and apply the jelly on moist skin as mentioned as it soon turns dry and sticky on the skin. On a proper application, it penetrates the skin properly, leaving it smooth and velvety. The Iraya Saffron Elixir has actual strands of saffron inside it which stick to your skin while application, which means you get the real feel of saffron (smell included) in it, however it can be a little weird at the same time. (I normally remove the strand if at all any one sticks to my skin :P)
Iraya Saffron Elixir on skin
A thicker coat applied on my hand skin shows the jelly like texture which is difficult to penetrate the skin properly, thus its advisable to take it in small proportion and massage it well to see the proper effect.
Iraya saffron elixir for skin lightening
Its been almost a month and my jar is half complete already, I have not yet faced any break-outs or rashes or oiliness with the cream till now. The elixir proves to be really nourishing for my dry skin and I find a major change in my dark patches. The pigmentation has reduced comparatively, however not gone completely. My skin feels soft every time I apply it and although it is not become fair but bright, clean and moisturized. It seems to be great for oily or combination skin during summers and the lovely smell of saffron is something to die for. All in all, I find the elixir quite tempting.
Pros of Iraya Saffron Elixir
1. Smells lovely and has jelly like texture.
2. Penetrates deep in the skin and leaves a velvety soft feeling.
3. Decreases Pigmentation and brightens the skin on regular use.
4. Completely natural and Ayurvedic cream with no side effects.
Cons of Iraya Saffron Elixir
1. The Glass jar is not only prone to breakage but also becomes a little unhygienic to use.
2. Expensive for 50gm of skin cream.
Rating: I would rate Iraya Saffron elixir a 4.5/5 with its natural pigment clearing properties, I think it is a boon for prego women and I will surely buy another one, once I finish using this one.
IRAYA KOKUM BUTTER HAND CREAM
Iraya Kokum Butter hand cream
Kokum Butter is well known for its skin healing and elasticity restoring properties since ages.The Kokum butter is rich in antioxidants, vitamin E, citric acid and may essential fatty acids that helps improve skin flexibility and nourishment.
Description
The cream says, “A special hand softening cream that contains oils of sesame, kokum butter and sweet almond oil. Wonderfully moisturizes and nourishes the skin, heals cracks and softens skin to prevent skin peeling. Helps preserve soft and beautiful hands, perpetually!”
Packaging and Price
The Iraya Kokum butter cream comes in a heavy glass pot with a silver lid, though the jar is transparent but due to the white colour of kokum butter it looks White.
Price 395 rupees for 50 gm
Iraya Kokum Butter Cream
How I fared with Iraya Kokum Butter Cream:
The Kokum Butter hand cream comes in a pretty white colour glass jar similar to the saffron elixir, however it does not smell that yummy! 😛 It obviously smells of Kokum, which is precisely why I do not like the smell much as I some how can not stand the Kokum smell.
Iraya kokum butter cream for soft hands
The white cream is quite thick in consistency but smooth to apply and easily penetrates the skin leaving it oil free and satiny smooth to touch. The cream did not irritate my skin or create breakouts, which is a good thing. It left my skin moisturized for long hours.
Iraya Kokum butter cream review and swatches
I love applying it on my elbows as that is the part that is most dry and flaked on my hand, the kokum butter hand cream smoothens the dry skin and keeps it moisturized for long hours. However I cannot comment on its healing power for cracks or prevent peeling as I have not noticed any major change in the tiny cracks that I have developed on my elbows.
Pros of Iraya Saffron Elixir
1. Penetrates deep and leaves back a satin soft skin.
2. Moisturizes dry and flaky skin really well.
3. Completely natural and Ayurvedic cream with no side effects.
Cons of Iraya Saffron Elixir
1. I did not like the smell much personally.
2. The Glass jar is not only prone to breakage but also becomes a little unhygienic to use.
Rating: I would rate Iraya Saffron elixir a 3.5/5 for its moisturizing properties, I might not go ahead and buy another cream however as I do not like the smell much.
Hello! I am Hami Keshwani, Owner and Editor in Chief of this Blog! I have been blogging since 2011 and Fashionmate is my first baby. Know more about me in the about us page!
