Light Rites: Forest Essentials Natural Makeup

Light Rites: Forest Essentials Natural Makeup

The makeup range is fragrant and subtly textured, the lip and cheek tints hint colour and skin formulations silken in touch and feel

In hindsight it feels like an escape. Amidst the inescapable complexities of the pandemic year, I began to treat my face like my punching bag in 2020. Come what may, every day, I would massage it with a Kwansha (a massage coin) or a rose quartz massage roller, apply oils, serums, night creams, day creams, face packs, obsessively remove blackheads that I could not see in my mirror and generally smother it with attention. As a person who, for decades had firmly believed that physical exercise was the best skin care routine in the world, and makeup looked great but mostly on others, this new craze added novelty and provided me distraction in locked up life.

So last week, when a lime-coloured potli embellished with silver gota arrived from Forest Essentials, bouncing with the luxury beauty and wellness brand’s recently launched natural makeup range, I was only too happy to smoke it up.

 

Forest Essentials’ new makeup range.

This review you read here is because all the products I found in that kit are lovely to hold and use, gentle on the skin and luxurious in experience. Most importantly for a fan of Indian rose when it comes to scents in makeup, oils, face packs, even face wipes, the delightful gulaab fragrance in these products came as a sweet surprise. The tinted lip serums in soft Gulaab Jal and Anar Rasa hues, the Gulab Khaas kajals in Charcoal Black, Earth Brown and Cobalt Blue (deep blue kajal is my everyday shringar, I love it so much that I can even wear it to sleep), the Gerua cheek tint from the Noor Nikhar range (the other shade is Gulaabi Noor Nikhar), and the Nayantara Clear Lash and Brow Serum are products that do their job effortlessly and like a silken wand. For the cheek tint, all you need is a deft use of your fingers and the colour begins to softly blush on your face.

The packaging architecture of all products syncs with the lightness they extend in experience. The slim lipstick cases are subtle even when they are in pale gold, the transparent serum tubes are discreet.

 

Gulab Khaas Kajal.

 

It was after trying these and the Silk Skin Tints (light base makeup formulations) that I returned to the Forest Essentials website for more information. The word “skinmalism” used on the website to describe these skin tints is about right, it does feel like gossamer mulmul, that moves over your skin gently and then you quickly forget it is there. This diaphanous quality shimmers in the lip tints too, a refreshing moist balm that seeps into your lips, weightless in texture.

The kaajal sticks are not as intense as I would like, however they double up well as eyeliners.

The Som Rasa Silk Skin Tints are available in four shades. I tried Chandan and Gehnu given my wheatish skin colour. There is Manjistha, for slightly darker honey skin and Gulab Pankh for rose tinted complexions. Sample sachets (which I tried) are for ₹295 each and 40ml bottles are priced at ₹2,750 each.

If you must try a couple of products before buying the range, I recommend the Anar Rasa Lip Serum, the Gerua cheek tint and the Gehnu Silk Skin tint. Sensuous makeup with well-chosen Indian names.

Lip tints at ₹1,295, cheek tints, ₹1,350, kaajals for ₹775.

Buy the collection here.

The writer received a complimentary kit of Forest Essentials’ Natural Makeup range. The review is written independently and based on personal experience. The recommended products do not contain any sponsorship or affiliate links.

Banner: Madhu Rasa tinted lip serums from Forest Essentials