Fair & Lovely BB Cream Blogger's Meet

   Last month the pretty people from Fair & Lovely had organized a bloggers meet for a few ladies and I was one of the lucky ones who got to attend it. It was an extravagant affair lasting a couple of hours held at The Novotel facing the very famous Juhu beach.

   The event started with our emcee Freisha welcoming us all wholeheartedly and toasting the day that lied ahead of us with a round of sangria. Next came in Mr. Dushyanth Jayanty, Marketing Manager of Fair & Lovely at Hindustan Unilever Limited who introduced the new Fair & Lovely BB Cream to us with a small and compact speech. We were then paired into groups of two by a simple chit system and made to introduce each other by telling three unusual/quirky things about each other which served it's purpose of breaking the ice between all us girls.

   What followed next was a day full of fun and innovative games which were given a twist to appeal to the fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers in us. We gathered around in a big circle and played a glamorous version of passing the parcel with two rounds of "Passing the Tiara" followed by a few memory games. The first one had us naming things related to fashion and beauty from A till Z in sequential order until others got stuck while the other had us making a crazy story by adding a sentence each to the story. Then we had games which we played in groups of four. Each team had to pick up a name for themselves - We chose the name "Lovely Ladies" for ours. One with crossword puzzles where the team fastest to find the beauty related words won. The next where we were shown a basket full of beauty essentials for just ten seconds and had to jot the most number of things that we remembered the fastest to win. The third was named "What's in your Bag" where points were assigned according to stuff we carried with us that day which my team won that too all because of safety pins that one of my teammates had coincidentally bought on her way to the meet earlier that day! The last game of the day was the most intense of them all where we were supposed to jot down brand names for bags, shoes, cosmetics and perfumes much like the name, place, animal and thing we used to play in our school days. What made these games all the more fun was the fact that winners for each one of these were gratified with Shoppers Stop vouchers, delicious and tempting chocolates and more.

   In order to keep up our energy levels throughout the event, we were kept well fed right from the moment we entered the venue. Starting from sandwiches and our choice of beverage from amongst tea/coffee for a light breakfast to the lavish lunch with dozens of options including a very tasty hot and sour soup, a few varieties of salads for the health conscious, to the lasagna, noodles and more for the foodies and pav bhaji, anda bhurjis and dahi bhallas for the typical Mumbai-style food lovers in us. And don't even get me started on the desserts - Portions of chocolate brownie, a delicious pie, a cheesecake and a unique combination of gulab jamun and gajjar ka halwa to give us a sugar rush! The repeat glasses of sangria to keep the merriment continuing didn't hurt either.
   In between all this fun and festivities, each of us bloggers were taken into a room, one at a time, where we were introduced to the new Fair & Lovely BB Cream via their skin experts followed by a screening of a short promotional video. We got to try out the BB Cream firsthand and see the difference it made in seconds to the appearance of our skin. Also, this was followed by a fun styling segment where we got to dress ourselves in clothing accompaniments and accessories. Our interactive session ended with us having to pick up a chit which decided the look that we had to create in our blog posts incorporating the Fair & Lovely BB Cream. My chit had "First day at work" written across it, so I ended up creating a look of the aforementioned theme along with a detailed review of the Fair & Lovely BB Cream which you can find here.
   To add to all the fun, we had a desk with quirky props like feather boas, huge sunglasses, masks, pretty hats, mustache and lip cutouts set up against a background of a Fair & Lovely BB Cream board at a corner of the room where we got to pose and get clicked. We girls ended up getting clicked a bazillion times, after all which girl doesn't love to get photographed. We got copies of the pictures at the end of the event to cherish and reminisce of the memories and friendships we made at the event.

   The event ended in a novel way with a pageant of sorts where each of the blogger got awarded with a title to fit her personality or looks the best and the Fair & Lovely beauty experts placing beautiful tiaras on our heads and giving us a bag full of goodies. We toasted to what turned out to be a beautiful day before saying our goodbyes to each other and to our gracious hosts but not before clicking one last selfie.

Product Review - Fair & Lovely BB Cream

   Fair & Lovely introduced their new BB Cream to a few of us lucky ladies at a glamorous event held at the Novotel, Juhu a couple of days ago. I’m reviewing Fair & Lovely BB Cream and creating a unique look, my "First day at work" look that I created using the Fair & Lovely BB Cream as a base for my makeup.

   Product Claims:
   New Fair & Lovely BB cream is a revolutionary Fairness Cream that gives a Make-Up Finish. It combines the benefits of both Foundation & Fairness Cream.
- BB cream instantly covers spots, blemishes, dark circles and dullness to give you a fabulous make-up finish.
- It is enriched with Multivitamins that work from within to give you treatment like fairness.
- Its SPF 15, PA++ protects your fairness in the sun, and its matte texture leaves your face feeling non-oily, fresh and bright through the day.

   Price: Rs. 169/-
   Volume: 40 g.
   Shelf Life: 24 months.
   How to use: Apply the cream in dots across cleansed face and neck. Gently blend using finger tips.

   Also available in 9 g pack for Rs. 49/- and 18 g pack for Rs. 79/-

   The Fair & Lovely BB Cream comes packed in a rose-gold and white colored outer box on which all the pertinent information is printed. The product comes in a slender, attractive tube with a similar color scheme as the outer box and is fitted with a sturdy white colored flip cap. It is travel friendly and leak proof.
   The cream has a good consistency, neither too thick nor too thin, and has a mild pleasant scent to it. It is available in a single rose-gold tinted shade which suits fair to dusky skin tones but not so much for people with darker shades of skin. A small amount of the cream is enough to see visible change in complexion to give a much more even and uniform, healthier and fresher looking skin. It gives a light coverage against blemishes, pigmentation spots and marks, hiding lighter ones but isn't too effective against the more prominent ones. It feels very light on the skin, blending easily with the skin without forming an artificial looking cast to give a matte finish. It works well for people with combination to oily skin type without use of any other adjuvant skincare product but those with dry skin might experience flakiness which would need the use of a moisturizer. It does not cause my face to get oily or the skin to break out. Another plus is that it gives protection against UV rays with its SPF 15.
   Also, Fair & Lovely BB cream much like their other products are widely available in India and are pretty cost effective as well.

   Pros:
- Packed in a svelte, attractive and travel friendly tube with a sturdy flip cap. 
- Has a mild pleasant fragrance.
- A near perfect creamy consistency.
- A tiny amount gives optimal coverage.
- Provides light coverage against pigmentation spots, blemishes and marks well.
- Gives an even, healthy looking complexion.
- Gets rid of dullness to give an instant fresh appeal.
- Feels light on the face.
- Has a matte finish.
- Does not make skin oily.
- Blends well with the skin to give a natural look.
- Does not form an artificial looking whitish cast.
- Does not cause skin to break out.
- Can be used in conjunction with a moisturizer/concealer/etc.
- Protects again UV rays due to its SPF 15.
- Cost effective.
- Easily available across the country.
 

   Cons:
- People with dry skin might experience a little dryness/flakiness and would have to use a moisturizer in addition.
- Does not cover dark blemishes, pigmentation spots.
- Might not suit people with dark skin tones.

   Verdict: 4.25/5.  A new BB Cream in the market great for day to day use to get an instant fresh look with a clear, even looking complexion especially suited for those requiring light coverage and for people with combination to oily skin type.

   My "First day at work" look incorporating the Fair & Lovely BB Cream as a base for subtle natural looking makeup consists of a single thin stroke of eyeliner, oodles of mascara, a rosy tint of blush and a lipstick in a neutral shade. Would stick to the basic colors for the apparel with a blue top paired with a black skirt and accessorized with a broad brown belt to complete the look.