.:: canton bay, fd event, icy blue ::.

minggu lalu diajakin cinde ikutan kuis di fd yang berhadiah goodie bag produk-produk dari MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder dan parfum Sean John, sekaligus juga makeover gratis gue dateng lebih awal dan sempet keliling-keliling metro sembari nungguin cinde dateng. lumayan lagi big sale, akhirnya dapet satu floral tops abis itu sempet ke sogo dan kinokuniya juga, sebelum akhirnya cinde telepon dan bilang udah kelaperan. akhirnya kita langsung janjian ketemuan di canton bay. gue inget nih cinde emang pengen banget nyobain canton bay setelah berhasil gue racuni hihi.. jadi gue usulin makan disitu. gue belum bisa beralih dari menu favorit gue disitu, ifu mie seafood (27.5k). sebenernya sih, pernah juga icip-icip menu lainnya kalo pas makan bareng orang lain, tapi tetep aja gue selalu pesen ifu mie kalo kesitu. udah hooked banget deh. cinde pesen chasiu wonton noodle. gue icip sedikit juga pastinya, enak dan gurih.

ifumie seafood

chasiu wonton noodle

selesai makan kita ke atrium mall, dan ngintipin acara session sebelumnya sampe akhirnya giliran session jam 4. dan kita berdua sebenernya udah ngincer makeover di MAC, apa daya nasib gue kurang beruntung. gue dapet makeover di estee lauder, sementara cinde dapet di MAC! huhuhu.. iri sekali… karena di MAC antri, kita ke estee dulu. di estee ini gue cuma ditanya mau dandanan dramatic atau romantic. abis itu makeup artist nya mulai bekerja. sayangnya di depan gue ga ada kaca, jadi ya cuma dipoles-poles dia, sambil pura-pura tertarik sama produknya. sementara itu, di MAC makeup artistnya nolong banget. ga pelit ilmu. jadi sambil nonton cinde dan orang-orang sebelumnya didandanin, gue juga asik nonton karena makeup artist nya share banyak tips. jadi pengen belanja kosmetik! huhuhu.. padahal udah bertekad ga mau terlalu gila lagi sama yang namanya kosmetik, tapi begini deh kalo ada yang menarik selain makeover sebenernya ada booth lukis juga di MAC. jadi kita tinggal duduk dan langsung dilukis dan hasilnya boleh dibawa pulang. udah pengen aja gue.. eh begitu dah ga ada yang antri, pelukisnya pergi istirahat batal deh…

abis itu kebetulan cinde juga udah kelar di makeover, dan udah jam 5, dimana berarti kita udah boleh ambil goodie bag nya. akhirnya ambil goodie bag, dan kita pun langsung ke lantai 5 buat nyobain icy blue gue denger tentang icy blue pertama kali di surabaya. waktu itu gue lagi ke tunjungan plaza dan di depan mall banyak spanduk-spanduk icy blue. sayang di dalem belum ketemu tempatnya udah keburu capek duluan. batal deh nyobain. makanya pas gue denger icy blue juga ada di PS gue jadi pengen nyobain, apalagi gue kan jarang juga ke PS

blueberry-redberry fro-yo topped with pink mochi and longan

post-makeover

awalnya gue pengen nyobain fro-yo rasa lychee. tapi karena ga ada lychee campur rasa lain, akhirnya kita pesen blueberry-redberry mixed ukuran medium seharga 32rb udah termasuk 2 topping. untuk toppingnya gue pilih pink mochi, cinde pilih longan. trus kita duduk deh di bagian belakang resto yang kebetulan masih ada meja kosong. yum-yum.. fro-yo nya ga perlu pake topping juga udah enak. beda sama fro-yo lainnya, disini fro-yo nya udah berasa banget. sayang cepet banget cairnya. baru dipoto bentar juga udah mulai mencair tuh. topping nya so-so sih. lapisan gula mochi nya sih lumayan tebel, dan topping yang dikasih juga cukup banyak, sampe dua kali mochi nya jatuh. menurut gue, lumayan banget buat selingan

anyway, sambil makan sambil ubek-ubek goodie bag yang kita dapet. isinya ternyata makeup pouch dan beberapa jenis sample. yah walaupun cuma sample lumayan juga ya.. karena ada beberapa produk yang emang udah gue pengen, jadi kan bisa cobain sample nya dulu sebelum beli first impression gue..
- estee lauder pure in white. so-so ya.. wangi sih enak dan elegan, but i prefer yang lebih floral atau fresh
- dkny women ~ belum cobain
- mac prep + prime skin refined zone treatment. LOVE this one. gue pake di daerah hidung di atas mac prep + prime yang gue pake semuka, dan ternyata begitu dipoles bedak lagi, pori-porinya keliatan jauh lebih mulusss. sayang oil control nya so-so sehingga ga terlalu tahan seharian. tapi overall sih sepertinya worth to buy.
- mac studio fix foundation in nc30. dulu gue sempet pengen banget beli foundie ini. tapi karena gue pikir rada berat akhirnya gue urungkan niat gue itu deh. ternyata pas nyobain sample nya ga terlalu berat juga tuh. tapi warnanya waaaaay too dark for me.
- clinique turnaround concentrate. sebelumnya gue pake paula’s choice bha, walau akhir-akhir ini suka males makenya naga-naganya sih gue lebih suka clinique. begitu dioles berasa silky smooth, almost siliconey. dan pas bangun pagi juga ga berminyak dan ga juga bikin kering. and a little goes a long way.
- clinique moisture surge lip gloss in raspberry. the colour doesn’t really show. cuma memberi kesan seger aja. tapi ga bikin kering dan juga not sticky, which is good.
- estee lauder advanced night repair~ belum cobain
- estee lauder perfectionist serum~ belum cobain
- estee lauder anti wrinkle cream~ belum cobain

.:: konad first-timer ::.

i’ve been eyeing konad for so long that i finally took a plunge and bought the necessary tools a couple of weeks ago. but it wasn’t until yesterday that i finally found the white polish! the thing was the white one wasn’t available and i insisted not to buy any other color coz i thought white goes with every color. so i was really happy to finally find the white one. yaay! so this is my first attempt at stamping with konad.. it’s not exactly neat, but i am quite happy with the result.. i think i may have found a new addictive toy!

.:: this holiday… ::.

. it was all about the rediscovery of my passion. i haven’t seriously bake for a little more over a year and i enjoyed every morning (of my holiday) baking, making pudding and even a little cooking. i was having the time of my life. seriously. i hadn’t realized how much i missed doing those activities, but i really love doing those things, even though i’m such novice

. went to watch G-Force 3D with bf. it was funny, but nothing extraordinary. bf liked it a lot more than Up though *roll eyes* prior to the movie, a trailer for Christmas Carols was played. i can’t wait!

. after the movie, i went to Skin Food and bought two bottles of nail polish. they were so gorgeous it was impossible not to! i resisted to buy a third bottle *proud* but now i can’t get it off my mind. should i get it this weekend?

. feli asked my sis to buy her a bottle of cherry red TFS polish during her trip to SG (it’s a lot cheaper down there), and i really wished i could keep that to myself. haha.. maybe i’ll get it for myself next month. my sis bought a bottle for me too, in a reddish brown shade.

. i wanted to get the red and black chequered shoes from CnK, but it wasn’t available at SG. my sis, however, bought me another pair, which was even more gorgeous than the one i wanted

. i love cute tidbits. like these candies. i was actually hoping for a lot more, but my sis only bought me three packs. well, it’s better than nothing

. she also received a free mobile strap for purchasing the candies, which of course she passed on to me

.:: something blue ::.

i’ve had it for a year, yet i never touched it. and how stupid i was! it’s the best barry m (out of the three i currently have). the texture is really creamy, one layer is more than enough. i couldn’t resist to put on two layers though the finish is really glossy, i didn’t even feel the need to coat it. it’s pretty on its own! however, i really hate the fact that barry m takes ages to dry (all the waiting is worth it though).

now, look what matte about you did to the color. it turned the pretty, glossy navy blue into this breathtaking, fabulous shade of blue. i am speechless. it’s really pretty!

.:: high gloss or gorgeous matte? ::.

been holding myself back for quite a time and i finally jumped into the matte nails bandwagon my essie order arrived yesterday, and of course i couldn’t resist not to try it! i had painted my nails red the day before and those glossy nails looked stupidly cheap compared to the mattes. not that i hate glossy nails! but i am completely in love with matte right now! my only question was : why didn’t they invent this earlier?

anyway, i played around with my red nails and here’s how it looked like. i know, i know. it’s the worst application ever. i haven’t got time to fix it, i was just too excited to post this

and here’s what i used : two layers of skin food polish, one coat of TSF top coat, and one coat of essie matte about you.

.:: the orange bucket ::.

i did a little clean-up yesterday, and apparently i have 32 bottles of nail polish, ranging from like revlon (my least favorite), beautistyle, the face shop, skin food, vov, etude house, nyx, rimmel, barry m to china glaze and opi, excluding the top coat, base coat and vitamins. admittedly most of them are cheapos, i’m not really into buying expensive ones, coz i’ve never managed to finish a full bottle of polish *swt* however, i must admit that opi is far more superior than the cheapos in terms of … everything! *emang harga ga boong*

i put the bottles in one of the orange buckets i got from kumbarsari market, and when my mom entered the room, she made a comment, why don’t you arrange your stuff neatly. put all your nail polish together instead of those mumble jumble of stuff. and i said, mom, those are all nail polish bottles. she innocently thought i was putting other stuff inside the bucket along with my polish collection, and she was, like, staring like i was mad. c’mon mom, i’m trying to stop adding stuff to my collection, so that mumble jumble wasn’t that bad. right? right?

however, all those “i’m not going to buy any more polish(es) until i use up some amount of what i have at home” just don’t seem to work anymore.. first thing i did after i cleaned up my polish collection (and of course polished my nails) was logging in to the internet and ordered a bottle of essie matte about you! it’s not exactly a nail polish, so that doesn’t count. right? however, i can’t help but drooling over other stuff as well. i mean, it must be fun to have more colors to experiment with the mattifier! that makes sense, does it not?

anyhoo, i painted my nails the face shop in red brown.. i think i’ve had it since the 6th semester of college this is definitely one of my favorite muted red color, too bad TFS doesn’t have this anymore ( i think ).

.:: nyx (and skinfood) mini haul ::.

mecs, a fellow FD-er helped me order these cuties over the internet. i originally ordered three bottles of nyx girls polish, the other one being pink salmon stars. too bad that one was being out of stock

nonetheless, i’m glad i have the chance to lay my hands on the other two. as far as i’m concern, nyx girls polish is currently not available here in indonesia. so the only possible way to have it is to order it online. lucky for me, mecs opened a po just when i desperately lemming for these. such pretty bottles, aren’t they?

i’ve tried the purple hearts one, and the polish itself is actually not too extraordinary, except for its unique chunky glitters! the texture is nothing like i’ve ever tried before, it’s almost similar to glue. but that’s probably just so the chunky glitters could stay put on my nails the finish is not glossy, so top coat is a must. i think i’m gonna need to get some pale purple and pale pink to be used as a base, what do you think? sigh, i’m trying really hard to stop shopping for any new nail polishes, yet there’s always a reason to get another one, then another, and another…

the chrome eyeshadow (in chrome) is something i saw when i visited the eX counter, but haven’t got the chance to buy. the PO offers lower price, so there’s no reason not to get it, right?

when she confirmed that the items had safely delivered to her house, i saw another interesting item in her store, which is green skinfood nail polish. green is something i could hardly resist, so i ordered it along.

.:: nail polish haul ::.

a package from farrelucu came last month..

inside,

i am sooo dissapointed. first, the processing time was unbelievably long. i ordered and transferred the down payment two months before the package arrived at my door.

when they finally arrived, i was so excited i quickly torn the wrappings, and the bottles were 99% covered in cellotape. look what it did to the labels! i’m a sucker for packaging. i love cute stuff. this isn’t cute at all! *almost reach boiling point*

what’s more, i paid for SIX items, and there were only five of them. i asked the seller, and she said she would check with her sister, and she clearly said i’ll let you know later.

a week later, i realized i hadn’t heard from her. so i buzzed her, wanting to confirm about the missing item. it turned out she forgot all about it. she then said she was going to phoned her sister in indonesia to send me the item ASAP.

still, the seller didn’t have any conscience to contact me, and i had to ask about it four days later. and guess what, the item is still not shipped. this time, the seller said her sister is going to send it the next Wednesday, which was like a week later!

although i finally got all my items, i’m sooooo not happy with the experience.

~one unhappy customer~

.:: TBS vit c skin boost ::.

TBS describes this product as :

A light, refreshing gel that boosts the skin’s smoothness, radiance, and vitality, leaving if supple and conditioned. Now with even more concentrated vitamins and super conditioners.

Key Ingredients :

Vitamin C – Is a naturally powerful antioxidant that helps protect the skin against damaging environmental elements, such as the sun, pollution and cigarette smoke.   Helps neutralise free radicals, which are destructive molecules that attack cells and harm the skin.

Orange oil – Has a sweet citrus scent.

Grapefruit essential oil – Is known to balance, relax and revive the senses. Has a sharp and refreshing citrus scent.

i’ve finished my second bottle, and i still have a mixed feelings toward this product.

having a combo-oily, acne-prone skin, i’m always on the lookout for something that doesn’t break me out and, if possible, makes my face oil/shine free.

at first, i was really impressed by the silky smooth finish this product gives upon application. i was guessing the product contains silicone, but i never really checked, until a couple of weeks ago. and yes, quite a lot of silicone derivatives are listed on the ingredient list. since i’m using this as my sole moisturizer, i kinda expect it to provide more skin nutrients than just those long ‘-icone’ list.

texture is transparent gel, easily spreadable onto skin and doesn’t feel oily. the product is contained in a small opaque bottle with a pump. both hygienic and convenient.

it doesn’t break me out, it doesn’t make my face any more oilier than it should be, and it makes makeup glides on easily. it also has a citrus scent which is just lovely. however, i don’t feel any major improvement on my skin condition. so i think i’m going to try out other vitamin c products from other brands. up next is revlon absolute c total radiance essence.

.:: barry m ~ in a blue mood ::.

Barry M ~ NP 295

3 layers

texture is a bit runny and that makes application harder than it supposed to be. nonetheless color payoff is terrific, though i need several layers in order to achieve a perfect milky finish. it doesn’t show in the picture, but it’s a bit turquoise-ish, and for me, nothing can go wrong with turquoise. i simply love it!

i have a tinge of regret for grabbing only three bottles of barry m polishes while i had the chance.

.:: victoria’s secret ~ layers of love spell ::.

today my friend, di,  who lives in singapore mentioned that she saw victoria’s secret lotion in watsons. i wanted to show her the ones that i’ve been drooling over for a while, so i browsed their website and voila! i found three new scents in their secret garden collection ( i don’t know how new it was, since it’s been quite a while since the last time i visited victoria’s secret website, but at least it’s new to me! haha.. )

the range is called layers of love spell, and three scents are meant to be mixed, matched and layered to create our own unique version of vs’ best-selling fragrance, love spell. gasp. how cool is that?

the three new scents, soft raspberry, fresh cherry blossom, and warm coconut, come in the sweetest packaging ever. soft, delicate colors and logos dominated the packaging, and it kinda reminds me of crabtree & evelyn ( am still regretting the fact i didn’t grab one of those c&e perfumes and lotions while i could! ). i’m hooked!

these are limited edition, so i’m trying to figure out a way to grab it, fast!

forget the fact that i have at least 10 bottles of body lotions/creams. i want these!

the original love spell

soft raspberry

plays on the sweet fruitiness of Love Spell

it’s pink.

ITS PINK.

I.T.S P.I.N.K.

need i say more? the packaging is totally appealing. and i’ve always loved fruity scents. so this one is definitely interesting!

fresh cherry blossom

plays on the light floralcy of Love Spell

cherry blossom has been one of my favourite scents of all time.

and i would definitely love to find out vs’ version of cherry blossom.

warm coconut

plays on the indulgent sensuality of Love Spell

this is my least favourite one, i still can’t imagine layering a coconut-smelling lotion over my hands and legs.

but i would probably still like to try it out if i have the chance.

.:: east java beauty : peacock ::.

not so long ago, sari ayu launched the 2009 collection, cantika jawa timur.

and i say : you just gotta love it!

i only hauled on the two eyeshadow palettes, coz they’re simply the most appealing among the collection. i gotta say that sari ayu has done a wonderful job in capturing the beauty of indonesia by the peacock design they applied to their 2009 collection. best of all is their compact size which fit even the smallest makeup pouch, so it’s perfect for traveling. i love it!

its high pigmentation also gives great color payoff. it is so great that UDPP is not necessarily needed. it doesn’t crease, and it stays put for hours. for less than IDR 30k, in my opinion, it is absolutely one of the best in the market. i just wish they have more palettes in their collection. but, the nice design is definitely a major improvement, compared to their previously simple forgettable design.

merak kasmaran is a really nice palette which consist of teal ( i heart teal! ), deep purple and yellow. all three of them are highly pigmented and, quite surprisingly, complement each other, creating a colorful bold look. i’m not really into yellow, but i quite like how it works with purple. the three colors really reminds me of a peacock. haha.. really creative.

the two-sided applicator is not so bad either. its sponge applicator works great for applying the eyeshadow, and its tiny size is also great for applying the colors as eyeliners. the brush, on the other hand, is way too small for me to feel comfortable blending the colors together. well, let’s look at the bright side, it is truly soft and its tiny size is indeed perfect for traveling. value for money!

.:: l’oreal elseve re-nutrition night serum ::.

l’oreal came out with a whole new range, re-nutrition, and the word “night serum” was too intriguing for me to simply ignore it. i was never really interested on the range before, as it is intended for people with dry or dried out hair. i was afraid that this range would be too moisturizing for me. but when i spotted this particular product on the shelf, i was instantly sold. i mean, night serum? too good to miss.

the night serum came in a tall opaque white bottle with a yellow pump attached, so it shouldn’t be messy for traveling. i love the packaging. sleek yet sturdy. the only minor problem with it is the fact that i couldn’t see how much product i still have left. but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem because it’s so huge that it should last for quite some time.

the serum is a cream-gel in texture, but it’s not sticky at all. it contains royal jelly which, as i quote from its website, has been widely recognised as a cure-all for many centuries. the instruction is to apply 1 or 2 squirts of the serum to hair and that’s what i did, concentrating on the tips and steering away from the roots. and voila, say hello to well moisturized, soft, manageable, sweet-smelling hair.

the amazing thing is, it lives up to ALL of its claims. it doesn’t leave any marks on my pillow, and it’s so weightless that i don’t feel like putting anything on. and the morning-after-result is absolutely fantastic. *am not saying that i have fabulous hair, but i love to think that it feels so much better than usual

all in all, this night serum is definitely one of the best and i will totally use it constantly. am now considering to try the whole range of products *lol*

.:: the face shop silky flower ::.

silky flower green make up base & foundation

i was rummaging through my makeup case when i found this sample set. i almost forgot about this little gift my friend, miss o, gave me several months ago. i was instantly curious to try it out, as i was in a primer-addiction state. the silky flower sample set consist of a 2 ml sachet of green makeup base, and a 2 ml sachet of silky foundation. although it may seem very little, it was actually enough for more than two weeks of use.

ingredients list

green makeup base is supposed to neutralize redness. and this silky flower makeup base delivers. only a tiny bit is needed to cover my whole face, otherwise everyone would think i’m a casper wannabe. it evens out my skintone without making it looks pale, and preps skin for makeup. i believe foundation glides on more smoothly with this on. however, despite containing some silicone, this product doesn’t offer a silky smooth effect like most siliconey-based primers.

NB 23

the foundation came in a very orangey shade, that i was worried it wouldn’t suit me. so, on first try, i was being extra careful and applied only very little of it. i noticed that upon application, the color was actually okay, it blends with my skintone quite well. but it doesn’t perk up my complexion like some other products do. also, it doesn’t deliver in terms of oil control. i believe this foundation is more on the moisturizing side, hence better suited normal/dry skin. on a brighter note, texture wise, it’s very blendable and able to soften the appearance of pores. plus, both makeup base and foundation gives a healthy glow to my face.

.:: parles vouz ::.

OPI Parles Vouz

~ 2 layers ~

day 1

oh i really love this shade. i can’t believe i’ve waited this long before i finally bought it. it’s just the perfect shade of lilac. sweet and romantic. feminine and sexy. it’s even suitable for office wear. well at least i think so. haha..

this is my favourite purple nail polish, ever!

even my sister, who always hates those vivid or dark colors i usually wear, said it was a very nice color.

.:: MAC prep+prime ::.

though i found mixed reviews about MAC prep+prime, it didn’t stop me from trying this product myself. at first, i stopped by MAC counter at PS only to buy Studio Fix Fluid. unfortunately, they didn’t have my shade at that time. instead, the sales assistant offered this, and despite the fact that i was eyeing MUFE HD Primer at that time, i fell for this instead. i finally got the transparent one.

MAC describes this product as
“An ultra-fluid lotion formulated with special-effect silicones. Calms and soothes the skin, blots away excess oil, and evens out skin redness. Improves the laydown and application of foundation or powder.”

the primer comes in a convenient black pump bottle, containing 30 ml of product. a little goes a looong way, and the pump allows me to control how much product i wanted, thus i never experience pumping too much out of the bottle. the primer comes out as iridescent white lotion, but turns out transparent when applied.

ingredients include dimethicone and some other silicone derivatives, and i really love the velvety smooth effect of it when applied on face. it also contains pearly shimmers that helps perk and brighten my face up, without looking like a disco ball ~ just a luster and sheen look which i really like.

in terms of oil control, i think the primer does quite a good, though not extraordinary, job. makeup seems to last longer with this primer on, which of course any primer should do. it also shrinken the appearances of my pores, but once again, the effect is not that long lasting.

anyhow, i’m really happy with this product, though i may still venture to other brands once i run out of this one.

i’m thinking MUFE HD, the blue one is kinda interesting.

or Smashbox Photo Finish. but it’s unavailable in indonesia

i’m also eyeing some Korean primer for daily routine, especially those by Etude House. those cute packages..

.:: brush cleanser ::.

thanks to cinde who participated on the first batch of makeuprocksmyworld pre order, i was able to lay my hand on this fabulous product. it has no brand label whatsoever ( at first i thought it was one of signature minerals’ products but i didn’t see any sign of SM logo on the bottle ) and the color of the liquid is a little bit off, but it works wonders. it came with a flip cap lid, not with a spray nozzle.

according to makeuprocksmyworld, one of these steps should work.

1. If you have a spray bottle, you can put some amount into it and spray the brushes with it. Then swipe your brushes on a piece of tissue until the color disappears. Repeat if necessary.

2. Pour out enough amount into a bowl or jar, and dip the bristles of your brushes. Then swipe your brushes on a piece of tissue until the color disappears. Repeat if necessary.

well, i tried the second one, as i don’t have a spray bottle. i poured out a small amount of liquid into a small bowl, and a strong smell of alcohol came through. next, i dipped my beloved EM flat top brush onto the bowl and all the liquid seemed somehow absorbed. swiping the brush on a piece of tissue quickly showed some result. the dirts/products clinging onto the brush was slowly, but surely, fading off, leaving marks on the tissue. and after three or four dips, the  brush was (almost) like new. far more effective, efficient, and easier than using warm water and shampoo. the best part is, it’s so inexpensive, only 50k for 200 ml of liquid. not bad, huh?

i’m particularly happy with my purchase, though a bit disappointed that makeuprocksmyworld couldn’t find what i’ve been lemming for : beautilicious victoria and alyssa palettes. oh well, at least my wallet is happy that i didn’t get any new eyeshadow palettes.

.:: winter candy apple ::.

semenjak gue liat limited edition BBW yang ini, mata gue langsung pink. iya lah kalo ijo mah duit jadi winter candy apple ini salah satu wangi  di edisi khusus natal. setelah berpikir keras dan menimbang-nimbang, akhirnya gue pesen juga di FD market plaza. dah menjelang akhir desember tuh, jadi cuman kebagian mini size nya aja. isinya sih dikit banget, cuma 2 oz, alias seperempat full size nya. tapi ga apa deh daripada ga kebagian hehe.. gue sukaaa wangi nya. manis banget kaya permen gitu, cocok sama namanya dari segi tekstur, keawetan dan lain-lain sih sama aja sama lotion BBW lainnya. ga lengket, dan tahan lama. saking sukanya gue sama lotion ini, jadi sayang dipake hehe.. abisan kecil banget sih, ntar cepet abis kan sayang. hehe.. tapi ukurannya yang mini ini jadi cocok buat travelling or dibawa-bawa di tas. sayangnya, begitu gue dah beli, ketemu orang lain yang jual dengan harga jauh lebih murah. huhuhu.. telaaat…

.:: more body shop haul ::.

baru pake raspberry dua kali, dah diracun lagi sama diana… ada koleksi baru di SG : wild cherry. duh.. pengen!

.:: mineral makeup ::.

.what it is.

mineral based makeup consists of natural mineral elements of the earth, such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and iron oxide. titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are known to carry the added benefit of being a natural sunscreen with protection levels of SPF 15 to 20.  moreover, mineral makeup eliminates ingredients like talc, fragrances, synthetic dye, preservative, known as potential skin irritants. thus, it allows skin to breathe while protecting skin from pollutants. plus, it reduces risks of allergic reaction or acne breakouts.

note that some mineral makeup also contain bismuth oxychloride, an inorganic white pigment that may or may not cause a reaction to skin. for some people, bismuth oxychloride causes itching, especially when their face sweats. though it is a common ingredient in traditional makeup, it is used in a higher concentration in mineral makeup, hence the reaction.

however, those who doesn’t react to bismuth may enjoy the benefits it offers. bismuth oxychloride gives makeup a silky feel and good adhesion, which help makeup to stay on skin longer. it is light reflecting, thus camouflages lines and wrinkles, and offers a glowy effect.

.products.

the most basic range of products consist of foundation, finishing powder/veil, and concealer. to complement all that, there are also blush on and eye shadow. most brands break down their foundation into several categories, depending on skin type and color, giving customers a lot options to choose from.

.application.

most mineral makeup comes in the form of loose powder, including their foundation and concealer. to get the best of mineral foundation, a fluffy brush of nice quality is needed for the swirl-tap-buff routine.

first, swirl a small amount of foundation with a brush. then, tap off excess until no foundation is visible on the bristles. finally, buff foundation onto face in a swirling, circular motion until you’re satisfied with the coverage.

for more coverage or a dewy look, you might want to try applying the foundation wet. spritz some amount of face spray onto brush before swirling some foundation onto it. same thing goes for mineral concealer, the only difference is obviously the brushes

.brands.

there are limitless brands you can find out there. in addition to that, a lot of makeup company also jump into the mineral makeup hype and provide their own version of the stuff.

unfortunately, most brands are not widely available in our beloved country.

.trial and error.

unfortunately, i haven’t tried a lot of brands. those i’ve tried are :

- foundation : ciel minerals, prestige skin loving minerals, everyday minerals, lumiere

- finishing powder/veil : ciel minerals, everyday minerals, silk naturals

- primer : fyrinnae powder primer, pure luxe eraser

- concealer : everyday minerals

.:: the return of oceanus ::.

waa.. oceanus beneran balik *pinch self* kemaren-kemaren masi sangsi karena blom liat langsung, dan hari ini kebetulan jalan-jalan sama miss o, pastinya tujuan utama gue ya toko the body shop. dan yang pertama gue cari tentu saja oceanus.. karena gue cinta mati sama range ini. dulu pas masi kuliah sempet abis beberapa botol EDT nya.. padahal jarang banget gue beli parfum berulang-ulang! sayangnya, range oceanus yang sekarang ini ga terlalu lengkap. contohnya EDT nya ga ada yang ukuran besar, tapi cuma ada ukuran 30 ml seharga 149k. yah, demi mengenang masa lalu, jadi gue beli deh mumpung diskon 15%, walaupun kecewa juga ga bisa nyetok ukuran gede nya. hehe.. ga lupa gue juga sms cinde onde, soalnya dia dah titip mau EDT nya juga yang ukuran gede. tapi cinde ga jadi karena ga mau yang kecil ( emang gatelan pake yang ukuran kecil ya cin? hehe.. ) selain itu body lotion dan shower gel nya, cuma ada 1 ukuran. 400 ml! gila mau diminum kali ye… kapan abisnye kalo segede gitu.. hehe.. jadi bener-bener ga ada minat beli itu selain itu juga ada body mist nya, kalo ga salah 109k. ga minat juga, mending EDT nya kemana-mana.

trus lanjut sama range raspberry yang juga sama-sama baru “terbit”. ada body puree, body butter, body scrub, n shower gel. gue cobain body puree nya di lengan gue. kesan pertama, ringan banget dan keliatannya ga bakal tahan lama. gue jadi ga terlalu minat. ternyata pas dah di mobil dan sampe rumah, wangi nya malah makin kecium. enak banget deh wangi nya.. hiks.. jadi kepikiran, mumpung masi diskon kan? haha..

selanjutnya japanese cherry blossom yang ditunggu-tunggu. di deket kasir, dah dipajang tester nya. walaupun belum boleh dijual. ada body butter, EDT, body puree, dan shower gel. kayanya reed diffusernya ga keluar disini? atau mungkin sekedar belum dipajang aja yang paling bikin gue nyaris melonjak kegirangan yaitu harganya. ga ada label harga sih di testernya, tapi berdasarkan info dari SA nya, body puree nya 139k dan EDT nya 229k. not so bad, eh? seneng juga, karena gue kira bakal jauh di atas itu harganya. hehe.. sayangnya, kata SA nya juga, yang diskon nanti EDT nya aja trus ada paket-paket gitu aja. moga-moga dia salah info ya. tadi si keliatannya dia ga terlalu yakin jawabnya.

karena si miss o mau beli moroccan rose, jadi gue “dipaksa” beli satu barang lain, soalnya diskon 20% all product cuma berlaku kalo beli 2 produk. bimbang deh, karena banyak banget yang pengen dicoba! pengen ini, pengen itu. akhirnya settle di tea tree oil aja, yang jelas-jelas keabisan

abis itu buru-buru kabur seribu langkah sebelum tergiur lain-lainnya ( terutama sih vit c micro refiner nya, lagi 25% ).

pulang, diceritain diana yang baru aja dari warehouse sale TBS di sing. ampyun.. mending jangan disebut deh detail harganya disini. sakit hati banget saking irinya hahaha… bener-bener sedikitnya diskon 50% aje.. salah satunya vit c skin boost nya kira-kira jadi 120k ( kurs 8000 ), separo harga disini! huhuhu.. sayang diana baru pulang ke jakarta, jadi blum ada rencana balik sini lagi.. kalo ga dah gue titipin!

sebenernya tujuan utama ketemuan sama miss o itu bukan buat shopping tapi memanfaatkan voucher sushi groove yang waktu itu dapet. yah mayan lah jadi ga terlalu banyak keluar uang buat makan. hehe.. tapi sialnya lupa bawa kamera! kenape ye gue kaga jodoh banget poto-poto sama miss o. HIKS! anyway, gue pesen chicken katsu don, gara-gara baca ulasan kiyadon diblognya onik hehe.. tapi gue ga terlalu doyan ah yang di sushi groove ini, asin bener.. dan cepet bikin eneg. masi enakan chicken katsu curry don nya

ngiler deh liat di periplus banyak mass paperback baru. ada the other queen – philippa gregory yang dah gue incer-incer selama setengah taon! ada sundays at tiffany’s – james patterson! de el el! tapi masi inget tumpukan buku di rumah

.:: gradation nails ::.

Etude House in RD 104
Revlon Top Coat

my first attempt at gradation nails. it’s nothing near perfect. i still need a lot of practice

.:: brownish pink nails ::.

Beautistyle in 174

what i love about beautistyle is its affordable polishes, which come in rangeful of colors. plus, the polishes are quite long lasting too. the picture above was taken on day 5 and the color still sat nicely on top of my nails without chipping ( i only applied one coat and no top coat, so it’s just amazing ). i’d suggest this color for a professional unequivocal look.

.:: turned up turquoise ::.

China Glaze in Turned Up Turquoise
TFS Base Coat
Revlon Top Coat

got it from a fellow FDer. although it’s brighter than what i had in mind, but i fell in love right away. nothing could ever go wrong with turquoise. haha… i love the texture, i don’t have any difficulty applying it, just one coat is enough to get beautiful intense color. the finish is a bit different from other brands, it’s very silky and soft to the touch *ternyata ini bedanya brand mahal sama murah hahah.. love it! and it lasts really long. been using it on my feet nails for more than a week, and it’s not chipping at all! this is quite amazing, considering i only applied one coat and i wear pump shoes every single day.

.:: oceanus is back? ::.

10.10 pm. there was a beep coming from my ol’ phone and i checked the sms, expecting to see someone familiar’s name. it was actually TBS.  ha it must be the sale onik had mentioned previously. to my surprise, there were some twist and turn. here goes the complete message :

THE BODY SHOP PEOPLE ONLY SALE
from 9-15 march. Grab exclusive special delivery items, 15% OFF on Oceanus & New Raspberry. Plus 20% OFF on any 2 products. T&C apply.

and i was like, WHAT? O.C.E.A.N.U.S? THE Oceanus? does that mean they will bring ALL of the oceanus range? coz if they meant perfume oil, it would be very dissapointing. despite all that, i’m jumping up and down to the possibility of them bringing the whole range back. oh i do wish they do! i miss those lovely green EDT bottles!

BUT! haven’t got the chance to visit any TBS store this weekend, so i can’t confirm any of those news myself. plus, i’ve checked TBS website ( UK, US, Sg ) and no sign of oceanus around, except for the perfume oil and home fragrance oil. blah!

more updates on JCB. it’s for real! Sg now has the JCB range in stores. it seems that the news regarding JCB coming into town is true! OMG. i so can’t wait til next week.

.:: JCB, finally here ::.

di negara lain, JCB ( Japanese Cherry Blossom ) ini udah sampe muncul-ilang-muncul lagi, disini kaga muncul-muncul. parah bener kan TBS indo. tapi akhirnya mereka sadar juga kalo orang sini banyak yang minat. berdasarkan artikel di Cosmo ( gue sih kaga baca juga, tau dari fellow FD-er aja haha.. ) katanya TBS Japanese Cherry Blossom ini bakal di-”terbit”-in 16 Maret! yippie yippie yaay yee.. it’s about time!

karena gue dah ada EDT nya, sekarang gue ngincer body puree nya biar klop :

berapa tuh ya nanti harganya.. nyesel abis ga beli di UK, jelas-jelas disana harganya cuma 8.8 pound.
disini ntar gue prediksi 229rb ato bahkan! semoga aja kaga mahal-mahal biar gue bisa beli

kepikiran juga si body butter nya.. tapi ga ngerti dah harganya berapa ya tuh ntar *lol*

.:: vov color song nails ::.

VOV Color Song Nails in 7842

~ day 2 ~

ini nail polish yang gue beli waktu kemaren belanja sama miss o. sebelumnya gue ga pernah bener-bener tertarik sama nail polish keluaran vov. tapi namanya lagi terobsesi sama kuteks, jadi ngiler juga haha.. dan malah baru sadar kalo ternyata bagus-bagus! yang bagus-bagus sih sebenernya justru menurut gue yang glittery gini, kalo yang warna-warna kayanya ga terlalu banyak dan masih std. yang gue suka dari kuteks ini ukuran dan bentuk glitter nya yang macem-macem. dari yang segi enam, persegi panjang, sampe pitik-pitik kecil. dan warnanya itu lho. turquoise plus silver gitu. mana tahan lah gue liat warna turquoise begini

tekstur sih biasa aja, kayanya juga ga terlalu tahan lama. gue pake base dan top coat, setelah beberapa hari juga dah sedikit jelek di deket kutikel. yah tapi karena lucu, jadi gue bisa maklumi deh!

sayang fotonya rada gelep..

.:: beautilicious ::.

one or two years ago, i stumbled upon this marvelous website of a malaysian beauty brand, Beautilicious. one thing that piqued my interest at once was of course the beautiful design. slim women figure, cardboard packaging, cute yet feminine and elegant design, all reminds me of stila, benefit, too faced and bloom. being a packaging-whore, i am blinded by the uber cute packaging, especially those of the makeup kits. the great thing is, they cost a lot cheaper than those high end brands!

so i was more than happy when i heard that my friend, cinde, was planning to sell malaysian makeup stuff. i quickly racked my brain, to remember that cute website, and after googling it for a while, i found it! i asked her whether she was able to provide the stuff from beautilicious, and she said yes. i was thrilled. but, happy as i was, i now am in the middle of a mind-battle.

whether it’s..

victoria

alyssa

or dessert bar

of course the other kits are just as tempting, but these three are the ones that i couldn’t took my eyes off!

.:: all nine ::.

is it wrong or abnormal or weird to want all nine of these :

.:: huge dillema ::.

whether to get :

this

Skin Food Mushroom BB Cream

this

MAC Mineralized Satin Finish ~ or MAC Studio Fix Fluid

this

Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation

or this

Bourjois 10 hour Sleep Effect

*ga penting banget ya dilema nya kekeke…

.:: pop! ::.

Etude House Nail Decoration in RD 104

~ day 0 ~

4 layers

pop!

that was the first word that came to mind while looking at my recently polished nails. the color itself was actually very sheer, so it took four layers to have those vivid-fun-bold result. it was a pain in the ass, but i had no regrets. the end result was just fascinating!

the pic didn’t really do the justice as in real life, it’s more lively yet feminine and sexy! it’s actually more pinky in reality. i think it’s a combination between red, pink and orange *now, now what am i trying to say?* it also contains silver shimmers which add such adorable sparkles. love it love it love it!

as per my last post, i still think that the texture of this nail polish is not by any chance the best. but i think i can cope with it as it produces such a pretty color! and four layers didn’t feel  like four layers at all, which is pretty cool as well.

the combination of norah jones, dark sky and rain, and having all my nails so beautifully ( though not perfectly ) painted, i had my mood lifted up to outer space. no kidding!

.:: etude house nails in purplish brown ::.

Etude House Nail Decoration in BR 305

2 layers

~ day 3 ~

what i love about this nail polish :

* it’s a gorgeous mixture of brown, opera mauve, and purple *

* mostly appears like soft reddish-brown *

* but i swear there’s a tinge of purple visible under certain circumstances *

* ever so slightly shimmery, very pretty! *

* comes in a simple yet undeniable cute bottle, with etude house signature symbol  on top of the pretty peach-coloured cap *

* doesn’t chip easily, even after the fourth day *

what i HATE about this nail polish :

* kentel gila! at first it blends quite well, and two easy polishes at each nail seem pretty fine. after some time, it’s getting thick and harder to be applied, which frustated me to the max. the formula sucks!  *

darn, i need some nail vitamins!

.:: clinique rouge longtemps ::.

so. i won a quiz held by FD and Clinique (yaay!)

i’m totally psyched!

as soon as i had the chance to visit the mall, which was yesterday, i went to Clinique booth in Sogo to claim my prize, which was a Clinique lipstick, in my chosen shade!

you know that most of the times free gifts come in the most horrible shade you could ever imagine, so i’m so glad that this time i could choose my own shade.

after i got my hands full of swatches, i finally settled on long last soft shine lipstick, or rouge longtemps, in “tropical coral“.

it’s a really lovely shade. instead of coral, it appears mostly bright pink on my lips, with only a hint of orange. it doesn’t dry up my lips, instead moisturizes my lips very well. after some time, i didn’t even feel like wearing any lipstick at all. yet, it lives up to its claim and lasts all day long, even after some sorbet, i could still see the color on my lips. and still, my lips are still quite well moisturized.

packaging wise, i think the silver stripey case looks like something that a 30-something woman would bring in her purse. rather blah! so, it took some time to get used to. but since i’m really satisfied what’s inside it, i can cope with the packaging.

i learned that it retails at 180,000 IDR. worth every penny, if i may say.

all in all, i really love my new lipstick, and even tempted to run back to clinique and buy an orangey lipstick!

.:: cherry blossom ::.

when i first found TBS Japanese Cherry Blossom collection, it was love at first sight. it has a sweet floral scent, with key ingredients :

Top notes of:	Fuji apple, chinese magnolia and osmanthus flower
Heart notes of:	Star jasmine, japanese cherry blossom and japanese persimmon
Base notes of:	Sandalwood, hinoki wood, and fruity musk

i have a bottle of Japanese Cherry Blossom EDT, and i think it has a very flowery scent, very feminine yet lively. the scent is just amazing. and the packaging is just C.U.T.E!

downside : the range never reached Indonesia, and now i can’t get any of those stuff though i’m longing for the body puree and body butter! *smashing head to the wall* i don’t have the heart to use this on daily basis, as there’s no way i will be able to repurchase it!

to make amends to the bad bad decision i’ve made several months ago, i bought a Cherry Blossom body cream from Bath and Body Works. there are actually quite some range of cherry blossom fragrances produced by BBW, including Cherry Blossom, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Blushing Cherry Blossom, etc. i settled with the Cherry Blossom one because among the three range, it was the only one that has quite a similar smell with the TBS i have at home. or at least, i thought so

key fragrance notes include Cherry Blossom, Dewy Watermelon, and Red Plum, and upon application, i could smell the scent of flower pods. fragrance is very light, not overpowering and leaves skin fragrant, supple and well-moisturized. plus, it leaves no trace of greasy or sticky feel to skin. yet, the creamy texture hydrates skin just as any body lotion would. it’s neither better nor worse.

oh how i wish there are BBW and VS stores here!

.:: santa’s gift ::.

i’ve been such a good kid this year
that
santa decided to drop some gifts
for me!

Bloom Bath & Body Pamper Pack

MAC Prep+ Prime

Biore Cleansing Oil

.:: purple mood ::.

Rimmel London in Pompous ( 610 )

2 layers, no base coat *oops*, no top coat

~ pic taken on day 3 ~

what i love about Rimmel 60 Seconds :

* dries up really fast ( d’oh! ) *

* doesn’t streak, even a bit *

* has a glossy finish, even without an additional layer of top coat *

* am really sad i only have two bottles of rimmel *

.:: girls day out ::.

the long awaited reunion finally took place. it was a gloomy wet saturday morning as i drove to TA. the girls had decided to gather at eleven, but i decided to come early so i could have some me-time browsing through the stores.

i was tempted to buy a green sparkly nail polish by skin food, but decided to consider other options. i found a soft turquoise one at vov, but they didn’t have any testers, and even if they did, i wouldn’t be able to try it on my nails, since all my nails were already polished. so i decided to wait for my friends and ask for a second opinion, and move on to etude house. do you know that they – in unison – greet every girl entering the stores with such a lame sentence, “welcome princess!!” yes they did actually say princess! they had this buy one get one promo, but the BA said it was only for members, though no visible sign stating such words. so, even though those super cute vintage-looking packaging was screaming my name, i could do nothing but leave empty-handedly. of course, all the BAs quickly sang “thank you princess” in unison, you would feel like burying your head on the ground. enough with the freakin’ greetings already!

anyway, it was eleven, so i walked to our meeting point, eaton. santi was already there, and soon, the crowds joined us, cinde, cherlee, ika, and oleen. nini showed up late, when we were already munching on our delicious lunch – i had kwetiau goreng penang, as usual.

after lunch, we swapped christmas gifts, and i received a 4 gigs kingston flash disk – in pink! i’m totally lovin’ it, as now i could finally return my bf’s fd, which i had kidnapped since long time ago the others received an equally creative gifts, including camera case, party clutch, cosmetic case, soaps, and some of us even received a set of tupperware jars and a set of spoons! well, the instructions were to give something useful, and i believe all the gifts would somehow be useful for the recipients

then came the shopping-tour-’round-the-mall. one of us was looking for a dress, and some of us ( miss o and i ) was extremely interested in every single beauty shops, skin food, etude house, vov, yves rocher, body shop, while the others were more on the neutral side. or maybe, they thought we were both crazy!

but, all those beauty craze did have its usefulness. my friend, cinde informed me that she was using kanebo freya clay wash. and hearing the extremely affordable price – for a kanebo – i was just shell-shocked. looking at cinde’s flawless skin, plus i was browsing through sevreal japanese skincare websites just a couple of days earlier – and drooled over several stuff, i could no longer resist the temptation. when the others went home and i was left alone, i finally went to a kanebo counter at metro. the BA suggested that i use the one from raphaie range, instead of freya, which were intended for teenagers, so i blindly agreed and bought raphaie moist up cream soap. the BA didn’t give a lot of information, and a part of me suspected her of trying to sell the more expensive stuff, but i was really satisfied with the product from the first try, so.. there’s no need to complain. i’ll update you with reviews later on, after i use it more religiously over some period of time, and also if i’m not to lazy to do it. haha..

another finding was skin food grey nail polish ( GR 901 ). i’m so into dark polishes right now, although some people gasp at the sight of my nails! i was torn between grey and navy blue. but all my friends agreed that gray was so much better, so i finally bought the grey one. the BA kindly gave us free samples, although each of us only bought a bottle of nail polish.

ow, and i also bought garnier light eye roll on. i saw this kind of eye roll back when i was in uk, but it was quite pricey for a drugstore brand, and i’m so excited it’s finally here with a much cheaper price!

.:: fd beauty auction ::.

shopping while doing our deeds. why would you say no to something like this? especially when there are some brand new stila items!

the thread was launched last month, and what a great response it has been receiving! i was especially excited to see stila on the list. it was stila all over glow in peachy keen which was offered for a much lower price than the retail price. so i made my bid, and it was not exactly “war” so i ended up with the adorable item for about one-third of the retail price. it felt really good!

after that, i always keep my eye open in case there was another stila item offered. there was actually a very interesting item that i would lovingly buy. it was stila pink pallette. gorgeous, totally gorgeous!! but the ladies have learned the lesson by now, and the war has begun! not to mention that i forgot all about it on the last day of auction, and when everyone was doing their part in the war, i was actually at lost, i didn’t even realize there was a war going on. so i didn’t win that one

the last auction i took part in was for stila convertible color in lilium. it was offered for 45k ( a real deal! ). i want this one so bad. so i waited until the last 15 minutes before i made my last bids ( the other FDers are fierce during these times ). thankfully the internet connection was amazing, after having disconnected half an hour before. my eyes was transfixed to google mail and FD, and i kept refreshing those two pages. my heart started to beat faster as people bid for higher prices, and i kept replying with a higher price ( what else was i suppssed to do? ) and at last minutes, i saw another posting after mine, and i hopelessly tried to post a new reply i was just posted another reply less than 30 seconds before, so i had to wait for the 30 seconds to end before i could post my latest reply. i hit the post button over and over again, finally the 30 seconds ended, and the clock still displayed 05:00. yaay! the stila is mine, baby! it felt really good to win!! i really need something to cheer me up, and this stila really does the trick xixi..

.:: friday nite out with friends ::.

jumat kemarin, gue janjian ketemu lia, reth & lei, my best buddies in 2nd and 3rd grade of high school. kira-kira terakhir ketemu mereka hmm… 5 or 6 months ago?? hahaha.. dah lama juga ye. dan seperti biasa juga susah banget ngumpulin empat kepala ini jadi satu. akhirnya setelah perencanaan mendalam, akhirnya kita sepakat buat berkumpul di (mana lagi) gading. jam 5 teng, gue cabut dari kantor dan langsung melaju ke arah kelapa gading. lucky for me, jalanan bebas macet. yaay! sekitar jam 6an, gue dah menginjakkan kaki di area la piazza, dan langsung menuju ke dalam mall.

berhubung yang lain belum dateng, akhirnya dimulailah acara window shopping. setelah keluar dari farmer’s market tanpa menenteng apa-apa, gue melaju ke watson. di watson, masih berlangsung acara lebaran sale, walau lebarannya dah kelar dari kapan tauk.. ga masalah juga sih buat gue inceran gue : body scrub vivelle yang banyak disebut-sebut di FD dan membuat gue penasaran. kebetulan gue lihat lagi diskon 20% dan jatuhnya juga lebih murah dari farmer’s market. setelah memilih-milih dari aneka “rasa” yang tersedia, gue ambil “rasa” avocado dan papaya, walau maksud hati pengen juga sekaligus nyamber semuanya sekaligus hehe… selain itu, gue juga ambil body scrub merk vienna, “rasa” coklat, karena tergiur wanginya yang bener-bener persis es krim coklat!

setelah keluar sambil menenteng kantong belanjaan, gue melanjutkan acara (window) shopping gue ke sogo, yang notabene sedang menggelar sogo big sale, up to 50%. belum banyak baju yang gue sentuh, telepon berdering menandakan teman-temanku yang sudah tiba. akhirnya gue pun berlalu dari sogo buat menemui mereka.

dinner kali ini, atas persetujuan sepihak, kita makan di sushi tei yang terletak di area mkg 5. ga pake lama, kita diantar ke meja dan sofa empuk di area pojok. dekor dan suasana restoran ini, boleh lah.  cukup nyaman dan sofa-sofa nya yang tinggi, plus pembatas di atasnya, cukup memberi privasi buat pengunjung. di masing-masing meja. karena gue anti-sushi, jadi gue langsung aja bolak-balik menu-menu “normal” yang ada di sushi tei ( normal as defined by me ). langsung mata gue tertumbuk di menu chicken katsu curry, yang biasa gue makan  di noodle bar semasa di perantauan jadi langsung gue pesen menu itu, sekaligus iced lemon tea. tergiur sama dessert-dessert nya yang menarik hati, tapi karena takut kekenyangan, jadi gue skip dulu.

selagi menunggu pesanan makanan, kita, seperti biasa, bertukar gosip-gosip ga jelas, sambil cekakakan ga tentu arah, sampe-sampe pengunjung yang duduk di belakang gue protes, dengan men-sssssssttt-in kita. duile… maap de mbak. situ juga bacotnya gede, kita ga protes! mau duduk sepi sendiri, makan noh di rumah huehe..

ga lama, pesenan kita dateng, dimulai dari aneka minuman, dan diikuti yakiniku don reth, chicken katsu curry gue, dan sushi-sushi pesanan lia dan lei. sedikit berkomentar tentang penampilan makanan gue, sushi tei can do better, surely! piring yang digunakan, ga beda jauh sama piring di warteg, mengutip komentar reth. bedanya, cuma motif jejepangan yang terlukis di atas piringnya.  separuh piring terisi nasi, sementara separuh lainnya terisi chicken katsu yang disiram bumbu curry plus dua potong wortel dan dua potong kentang. tentunya, mereka setidaknya bisa merapihkan penampilan bumbu curry nya yang ga bisa dibilang rapih. porsinya juga cuma sekedar cukup, timpang banget dibanding harganya (IMHO), apalagi kalo inget porsi yang biasa gue makan semasa di perantauan, yang bisa  2-3 kali porsi di sushi tei ini kalo dari segi rasa, gue patut mengacungi jempol buat rasanya. kalo belum pernah makan makanan serupa, mungkin sedikit iiigh sama tampilannya. tapi sekali coba, pasti suka sama rasanya yang nyam-nyam.  at least, itu yang terjadi sama gue. hehe.. satu jempol boleh deh.. ga perlu dua

selesai menyantap porsi masing-masing, akhirnya kita memutuskan buat memesan dessert. aneka wafer ice cream udah kita tunjuk, dengan jawaban yang sama dari pelayannya. abis.. abis.. itu juga abis.. akhirnya kita pesen pino dan coffee ball, yang ga sepenuhnya coffee, karena.. lagi-lagi.. abis! pino,  satu porsi berisi enam potong dark chocolate truffle berisi es krim vanilla. rasanya, hmm yummy! sementara coffee ball ga kalah enak. semangkuk kecil penuh berisi aneka bola-bola es krim aneka rasa. sepatutnya ya es krimnya cuma rasa kopi, tapi karena abis, jadi dicampur-campur sama green tea, coklat, dan entah rasa apa lagi untung, rasa-rasa dessert yang kita pesan cukup enak, sehingga mengurangi kekecewaan kita atas habisnya menu-menu dessert lainnya.

ngomongin tempat-tempat dessert yang enak, sempat terpikir buat mampir lagi di cafe du chocolat. tapi rasanya, perut ini dah ga kuat menampung makanan lagi. walaupun itu seporsi dessert yang gue cinta..

.:: aloe sun bb cream spf 20 pa+ ::.

*pic courtesy of http://www.skinfood.sg

i finally had the chance to purchase bb cream through a virtual friend who was leaving for a holiday in korea. i’ve never got the chance to see any bb cream in real life before, i could only drool over the reviews in forums or beauty blogs. bb cream has been out for quite a while now, and it has been raved everywhere. so it’s only human that i was eager to get my hands on it. so what is bb cream anyway. bb cream a.k.a blemish balm cream is said to be half skin care half make up. supposedly it provides good coverage just like a foundation, and helps improve skin complexion. it has healing properties like skin regeneration, pore tightening, skin toning, and other interesting features like oil control, anti wrinkle, and so on. to be honest, i don’t buy any of the skin enhancing features. although it may do all the magic, the reason why i chose to jump into the bb cream craze was because i currently have no liquid foundation and this bb cream may be very useful for any beauty-on-the-go routine, a.k.a i don’t have to deal with those powder foundie and brushes in case i have to do my makeup routine anywhere else beside home, e.g in the car!

anyway, i chose skin food’s aloe sun bb cream, because it is said to have an oil controling properties. since i’ve never seen the real thing so i randomly chose shade #1. thankfully, i spoke to Lala about this matter before i made a final decision she’s using shade #2 and it fits her better than shade #1 which is very pale. and i do think that she has a very fair skin, so i went with her selection. and it was the right thing to do! yaay…

when a package arrived on my desk last week, i couldn’t wait any longer, i finally gave up to the temptation and tried the product in the middle of the night (3 am to be exact). and i have to say, i’m hooked. i’ve experimented with this product for a couple of weeks now, although not regularly, and i’m quite content with it. it provides a medium coverage, which, IMO, is enough for everyday life. the texture is quite thicker compared to regular liquid foundation, thus i only need a teeny meeny bit to cover my whole face. the best part is, it gives a very nice dewy look with a healthy glow (the use of sunscreen may also contribute to this fact.. *i think*). in terms of oil control, i think this product has an acceptable oil controlling feature. my nose may appear a bit shiny in the middle of the day, but the other areas of my face are just okay. sometimes it doesn’t really annoy me, but i do wish it covers up my pores a bit more *lol* again, i can’t blame it all on this product, as i prep my skin with sunscreen. ooh, and this product also offers spf 20 pa+. not much, i know, but it’s better than nothing, right?

.:: latest haul(s) ::.

hasil nunggak beberapa bulan

last minute shopping before going back to my hometown :

- rimmel lipstick in super sexy
- rimmel vinyl gloss in snog
- bourjois metallic eye pencils in radiant copper and noir
- wnw kohl pencils in electric blue, turquoise, and charcoal

nyx shopping spree(s), thanks to ftl and smiley!

- nyx tinted lip spa in sake
- nyx round lip gloss in strawberry
- nyx mega shine lip gloss in cady shop
- nyx rouge cream blush in hot pink
- nyx mosaic powder blush in plummy
- nyx concealer in a jar in green
mineral makeup haul :

- pure luxe cream eraser
- EM foundie in fair & fairly light, matte
- EM blush in apple
- EM concealer in sunlight
- EM concealer in mint
- EM STF in sunlight
- EM flat top brush
- EM eye shadow in silver
- Lumiere foundie in Fairly Light Beige, luminesse
- Lumiere foundie in Fairly Light Beige, cashmere
- Lumiere foundie in Light Neutral, cashmere
- Lumiere all over color in soft radiance
stila!

- stila lip glaze in watermelon
- stila pot rouge in lotus
- stila lipstick in juliette
last but not least, “kado” cantik hasil titipan dari angelia.. thank u so much dear! *big kiss*

setelah di”bongkar” :

- cathy cat colorist pop blusher
- SF aloe sun bb cream #2
- SF peach sake pore serum
- SF tea tree essence
- SF peach sake sun lotion spf 32 pa++
- a bunch of SF samples
- SF bath sponge

a more detailed look at the samples :

- SF newsletter
- SF rice mask wash off
- SF hop beer hair pack
- SF brocolli sun cream
- SF mushroom double care essence
- SF gold caviar serum
- SF fresh juice c cream
- coogi emulsion
- coogi toner

and i’m so in love with each and every item!

.:: chapstick ::.

image courtesy of ChapStick

i’m so definitely going to buy some more so that i have a couple to choose from, and more importantly, i won’t be running out of these life-saver items. considering its fairly cheap price, and the fact that it comes in a stick, it’s very convenient to use for everyday life. i still love my ol’ good bourjois baume de nuite, but it comes in a jar, which means i need either a lip brush or my hand! which is not very convenient when i’m doing an outdoor activity. so chapstick is definitely a life-saver for me, and it’s worth every penny. and it does the job really well, it stands up to what it claims to be, and it does make my lips looking and feeling healthy, within seconds! i’ve tried the cherry flavour one, and am thinking of getting strawberry, apple, or flava craze. or maybe i should just go and buy all of them? i am definitely hooked.

.:: my haul, this week ::.

fiuh, selain belanja buat keperluan lapak, tentunya harus belanja buat diri sendiri juga duonks jadi inilah hasil belanja gue selama hari sabtu, minggu dan rabu kemaren :

per-wajah-an :
- RoC Minesol SPF 30 *diskon £5*
- Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Foundation in Fair
- Bourjois Blush Concealer in Beige Clair *love at first sight*

per-pipi-an :
- Ruby & Millie Duo Blush On *dapet voucher £5 gara-gara beli RoC*
- Wet & Wild Rouge Powder Blush in Heather Silk & Pearlescent Pink *very cheap*

per-mata-an :
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Brownish Black
- 17 Eyeshadow Trio
- Barry M Dazzle Dust in Aqua Gold, Coral, Khaki, Cherry, Bronze

per-bibir-an :
- Rimmel Moisture Rich Lipstick in Mulberry Silk

per-badan-an :
- TBS Japanese Cherry Blossom EDT
- M & S Cocoa Butter & Vanilla Body Lotion
- M & S White Peach & Almond Body Lotion

per-kuku-an :
- Barry M Nail Paint in Turquoise, Spring Green, Navy
- Sally Hansen Nail Colour Thinner

per-alat-an :
- Vital Radiance Eyeshadow Brush
- Active  Brush *dirt cheap*
- Sun Kissed Brush *dirt cheap*

.:: prestige skin loving minerals foundation ::.

pertamanya, gue beli ini cuma iseng-iseng berhadiah aja. alasan pertama, karena foundie yang gue pake sebelumnya, dari ciel minerals ( shade fairly light ) dah sekarat. kedua, karena sehari sebelumnya baru aja baca di FD kalo produk ini termasuk MUA top picks. walau cuman satu orang yang ngomong begini, tapi cukup membuat gue langsung nyabet tanpa pikir panjang coba punya coba, gue ambil shade 01-fair, shade yang paling terang. pas pulang, baru ceki-ceki website prestige *telat* oalah, ternyata mengandung bismuth. emang sih gue pribadi ga pernah cobain produk yang mengandung bismuth, tapi santer terdengar kalo banyak yang ga cocok sama ingredient yang satu ini. jadi sedikit cemas juga..

langsung gue buka dan pake besok paginya. sedikit shock pas liat warna nya di jar. walaupun kemaren nya cobain di toko, tapi pas dibuka di rumah ko keliatan gelap bangets. apalagi kalo dijejer sama ciel. keliatan butek dan ashy. gue sampe cek ulang, bener ga sih itu shade nya yang gue ambil. berdasarkan label sih bener..

ciel in fairly light – prestige in fair

jadi gue coba pake aja. berhubung lampu disini koneng semua, jadi rada susah juga nentuin masuk engganya. nah begitu gue liat di natural lighting di wc kantor, ternyata warnanya masuk banget! ga keputihan, dan ga kegelapan. ga nyangka

dan setelah sekitar 5 hari pake produk ini, my verdict : me likey!!! kemasannya plastic jar yang lebih keliatan robust dibanding ciel. tekstur foundation nya cukup finely milled, dan ukuran jarnya lumayan besar, jadi harganya (£9.99) menurut gue cukup sangat masuk akal. walaupun shade nya di jar keliatan gelap, ternyata sangat masuk di kulit gue. pas banget! malah entah bagaimana, bikin muka keliatan cerah. finishnya juga halus. soal oil control, hmm sebenernya gue agak ga ngerti juga yah.. percobaan gue 2 hari pertama tanpa finishing, sengaja buat liat warna aslinya dan oil controlnya. ternyata pas sore muka terasa agak berminyak, tapi kalo diliat di kaca juga ga mengkilap. selanjutnya beberapa hari terakhir, gue set make up gue pake bloom compact powder warna flesh. dan sangat amat mengejutkan, ternyata dari sekitar jam setengah delapan pagi sampe jam setengah enam sore, muka gue tetep rapi jali. blush on tetep stay put, dan semua bagian muka gue ga ada yang mengkilap. muka tetep keliatan putih cerah dan glowy segar. sampe bolak balik ke wc buat meyakinkan diri kesimpulannya tetep sama. ntah gue yang ke-geer-an ato gimane ye. hahaha..

kalo dibilang compact powdernya yang bagus dalam soal mengontrol minyak di muka gue, rasanya ga tepat juga. ritual gue buat percobaan ini : Revlon absolutes eye cream – Revlon absolute c total radiance serum – Bourjois brush concealer – TFS black label concealer – Prestige Skin Loving Minerals foundie in Fair – Bloom compact powder. dan kecuali si bourjois, ritual lainnya sama percis sama pas gue pake ciel, dimana hasilnya ga se-oke ini, dan area hidung mengkilap pas udah sore. so i believe that this prestige foundation is actually doing a very great job *thumbs up* dan sejauh ini, gue kayanya blum ada break out gara-gara produk ini tuh. jadi mungkin gue ga masalah sama bismuth ( sekarang jadi pengen cobain range mineral make up nya bloom deh ) so i really really love this product, at least for now

duh duh duh.. jadi terpikir pengen finishingnya juga kalo begini caranya!

.:: pre order now open! ::.

please visit my mini beauty shop

http://fashionesedaily.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2321

limited space, limited time!

.:: shopping bag ::.

last week’s haul…

huh? eye pencils? blame it on aina now i think i’m addicted!

i finally get the chance to try this cutie mini bourjois! yaay..

depotted

these were on sale.. otherwise i wouldn’t get my hands on these.. i swear! :D

last but not least :

fiuh.. need to calm those acnes down

this week’s haul…
(this is what happens when i’m feeling blue)

benefit silky finish lipstick in my treat. one item off my wish list

colour institute pink beauty book. iseng-iseng berhadiah abis lucu sih.. and it was on sale too

bought this book impulsively. and i’m loving every page of this book!

ouw.. and i also got this book last week :

it was only £2!!

my shopping bag needs to go on a diet, don’t you think?
*sigh*

.:: sunscreen talk ::.

seberapa pentingnya sunblock atau sunscreen buat kita? mengingat tanah air yang super panas, kayanya udah selayaknya kita mengeluarkan usaha ekstra keras buat menangkal efek negatif sinar matahari. udah cukup lama juga gue mengabaikan sunscreen di regime perawatan kulit gue bahkan, terakhir gue cukup sadar diri buat pake sunscreen yaitu pas gue masi duduk di bangku kuliah, dimana setiap hari gue harus berpanas-panas jalan kaki dari kampus syahdan ke anggrek. waktu itu, gue pake Loreal UV Perfect Ultimate Protection Fluid With Mexoryl XL SPF 50/PA+++ *panjang ya bo namanya* yah dulu si gue pake-pake aja, tanpa tahu banyak tentang komposisi ingredients dan serba-serbi tentang sunscreen itu sendiri. pagi ini, gue dan diana *yang udah dengan sukses meracuni gue dengan racun tbs* sedikit membahas perihal penangkal matahari ini, sampe-sampe gue niat-niatin googling dan bacain lagi thread sunblock di FD sukses lagi diana ngeracun gue deh!

how to measure ?

kalo dulu jaman masi ga ngerti ( ya sekarang juga ga ngerti-ngerti amat seeh.. haha..  ) dan ga peduli banyak tentang urusan per-sunscreen-an, gue cuma ngandelin kata-kata SPF di kemasan si sunscreen. the bigger, the better tapi semakin lama, gue semakin ngerti kalo ternyata ukuran SPF itu cuma ngukur kadar proteksi terhadap UVB, yang menyebabkan sunburn, dan ga merefleksikan kadar proteksi terhadap UVA, yang diem-diem justru lebih berbahaya ( premature aging, keriput, skin cancer ). serem juga kan! makanya itu gue jadi bertekad mau rajin-rajin pake sunscreen kalo dah balik jakarta sekarang ini, pasrah aja dulu deh. hehe..

SPF, atau Sun Protection Factor, walo gimana juga masi tetep jadi salah satu pertimbangan dalam memilih sunscreen. emang ada benernya juga sih, the bigger, the better. but, ternyata di atas SPF 30 ga akan banyak ngaruh bedanya sama yang SPF 30. jadi harus menimbang juga pro dan con nya. salah satu con nya, semakin tinggi si SPF, maka akan terasa semakin greasy di kulit.

trus, gimana cara kita ngeliat perlindungan sunscreen terhadap UVA? ada banyak kandungan di dalem sunscreen yang bisa melindungi kulit dari sinar matahari, misalnya avobenzone, mexoryl, atau tinosorb. sementara kandungan seperti titanium dioxide atau zinc oxide buat perlindungan broad spectrum ( both UVA dan UVB ). jadi sekarang ga cuma liatin label SPF yang pasti tercantum dengan tulisan besar-besar, tapi musti meneliti tulisan ingredients yang mungil :p

untuk ngeliat seberapa proteksi yang didapet dari sunscreen, selain dengan ngandelin kata-kata SPF, ada beberapa standarisasi lain yang dibuat eropa dan jepang. 

. PPD, atau Persistent Pigment Darkening, standar yang dikembangkan jepang. semakin tinggi nilai PPD, semakin tinggi proteksi sunscreen terhadap UVA

. PA, another standarisasi yang dikembangkan jepang, dengan ukuran paling tinggi PA+++ yang setara dengan PPD > 8

. Boots star rating system, dikembangkan Boots UK, dengan ukuran five star untuk menyatakan proteksi paling tinggi terhadap UVA

what’s inside ?

mengutip 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic, ada dua active ingredients dalam sunscreen :

. chemical : bersifat menyerap sinar UV dan mencegah sinar UV menyentuh kulit kita. misalnya PABA, oxybenzone, cinnamates, butyl metoydibenzoyl methan

. physical : bersifat merefleksikan sinar UV dari permukaan kulit kita. misalnya zinc oxide dan titanium dioxide

what to grab ?

sejauh ini gue jadi punya beberapa pilihan yang gue masukin wish list. pastinya si gue coba salah satu dulu ye.. tapi blum bisa nentuin pilihan deh..

Loreal UV Perfect Ultimate Protection Fluid With Mexoryl XL SPF 50/PA+++

 

 

 

ini yang jaman dulu dah pernah gue pake. dulu si ya biasa-biasa aja ya. dobel fungsi juga sebagai pelembab. oil control biasa aja. but, gue pengen coba yang anti dullness, yang warnanya ungu. baca-baca sih katanya lebih ga greasy dibanding yang transparent, yang dulu gue pake lemayan juga kan ungu gituh, sekalian jadi makeup base ajah *maksa* tambahan lagi, mexoryl disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu kandungan yang paling bagus buat ngelindungin kulit dari UVA, dan *gosipnya* ga terurai kalo terkena UV rays. yah buat gue yang ga bakalan sempet buat tumpang tindiih sana sini lagi.. denger gosip kaya gini jadi sedikit menenangkan. haha…

La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+ Fluide Extreme (PPD 28)

 

 

 

kalo LRP ini bener-bener.. gara-gara diana hiks.. diana emang deh.. diem-diem paling pinter racunin orang :D selain emang banyak di rave, gue juga dapet testi dari diana yang dah nge test produk ini di drugstore. huhuhu.. dah gitu dikasi liat webnya.. ugh langsung deh pengen semuanya selain si sunscreen buat wajah, gue juga pengen yang buat sensitive area dan lips! sayang nya, merk ini ga available di Indo dan UK. so there’s no way gue bisa beli produk ini dalam jangka waktu dekat.. hiks..

Boots Soltan Extreme Combi Face & Lip Protection SPF 25

baru aja liat-liat web nya boots.. ketemu ini.. duh keliatannya menarik. ga terlalu mahal. buy 1 get one. SPF 25 bisa sekalian buat lips.. jarang juga kan.. hahaha.. lapar-mata.com

RoC Hydra+ Bio Active SPF 15+ Combination Skin

 

gue tertarik karena produk ini diklaim contains silica. kalo ga salah juga pernah disebut ga greasy dipakenya. juga disebut cocok untuk area sekitar mata. pengen pengen pengen… hihi.. pengen ke boots jadinya…

RoC Minesol Anti Shine Emulsion SPF 30

nah gue masi ga yakin nih mana yang lebih bagus. kalo hydra+ multi fungsi pelembab dan sunscreen, range ini sih kayanya bener-bener fokus di sunscreen tok. pengen compare deh.. dan terutama compare harganya ya bok! hahaha…

The Body Shop Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer SPF 15

ini sih cuma bikin naksir karena gue dah keburu pengen beli skin boost nya. jadi pan sepaket gitu hehe.. apalagi kan ini moisturizer, jadi ga usa repot-repot dobel templak templok hehe.. tapi SPF nya mayan rendah juga ya. kalo inget jakarta yang makin terik, kayanya ga tenang kalo cuman SPF 15. mungkin alternate sama yang lain boleh juga sih ya..

Banana Boat Sun Wear Faces Oil-Free Daily Sunblock Lotion SPF 30

banyak yang rave produk ini ga greasy. maka saya pun tertarik hehe.. dan liat pengalaman orang lain, keliatannya juga gampang didapet di jakarta, dan harganya relatif ga terlalu mahal. so why not? active ingredients : avobenzone yang sedikit kontroversial ketidakstabilannya. jadi harus meneliti lebih jauh apakah ada kandungan lain yang mampu menstabilkan si avobenzone ini di dalam produk ini.

MAC Prep + Prime SPF 50

nah kalo ini dah dari beberapa bulan lalu pengen. pikir-pikir kan lumayan irit, beli base yang dah ada SPF nya. haha… tapi apa dinyana, pas gue telepon tanya harga, ternyata cukup membuat gue mikir dulu. akhirnya gue blum beli-beli deh sampe sekarang haha… ada yang mao beliin?  

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Protection SPF 30

another highly raved product, karena disebut-sebut ga pliket di muka. but, gue ga terlalu semangat sama produk yang satu ini, ntah kenapa. mungkin karena katanya baunya kurang enak :p tapi nambah-nambah list bole lah, sapa tau suatu hari tertarik. hahaha… botolnya juga lumayan lucu ( LOH? )

 

 

The Face Shop Natural Oil Free Sun Milk SPF 38 PA++

nah sekarang beranjak ke produk korea. jeleknya, ingredients nya susah diidentifikasi. di webnya juga ga ada keterangan yang pasti. tapi somehow gue tertarik juga, karena di FD ada yang nyebut ga greasy. hehe.. tapi keliatannya perlindungan UVA nya kurang mantep *mencoba menahan diri beli-beli ga jelas*

Skin Food Peach Sake Sun Lotion SPF 32++

kalo ini, pastinya karena dah terbukti keampuhannya buat bikin muka terlihat matte. kliatannya sih not bad, but kayanya harganya lumayan overpriced buat sesuatu yang ga ketawan ingredients nya. secara SF masih banyak yang pake tulisan korea :D tapi karena faktor keimutan botolnya, gue tetep tergiur sama produk ini. hahah..

Skin Food Aloe BB Cream SPF 20 PA

nah ini juga tertarik karena sedikit pengen cobain BB cream, yang blum kesampean sampe sekarang. hehe..  dan walaupun ga nolong banyak, mungkin kadar proteksi UV nya bisa jadi nilai tambah *alesan orang pengen*

how to reapply ?

everywhere, everyone says we need to apply sunscreen liberally and reapply every a couple of hours! buat orang pemalas seperti gue, ga mungkin banget kan gue kurang kerjaan cuci muka di kantor cuma buat reapply sunscreen! solusi lain, mungkin touch up pake bedak ber spf, yang pastinya tetep jarang gue lakuin.. haha.. tapi namanya juga usaha ya. pengennya sih pake spray aja. tapi blum tau deh, apa ada sunscreen spray yang tekstur nya cair dan bikin seger kaya face mist? i doubt that.. kalo ada sih, boleh juga.. multi fungsi! haha…

Skin Food Apple White Sun Pact SPF 25 PA++

 

 gue inget dulu pernah ditawarin pressed powder ber SPF di SF. kayanya si waktu itu yang layanin gue yang empunya, atau minimal store manager. entah deh. yang jelas sih niat abis. sampe dijelasin panjang lebar soal standarisasi PA. tapi dulu gue ga terlalu dengerin orangnya ngomong sih. haha… ups. sekarang malah pengen!

other areas ?

kalo bisa sih, gue pengennya sunscreen terpisah buat undereye. walaupun beberapa orang lain ga percaya sama eye cream, tapi kenapa juga ga pake terpisah kalo emang ada produk khusus mata sendiri. hehe.. just my 2 cents though… pilihan orang beda-beda toh. tapi gue tetep prefer pake produk terpisah sih

La Roche Posay Anthelios Stick Sensitive Area SPF 50+

 

seandainya merk ini available di indo, gue pengen banget nih item yang satu ini. diformulasikan khusus buat sensitive area macam mata, bibir, dan lain-lain.

No 7 Protect & Perfect Anti Ageing Lip & Eye Screen SPF 25

menarik banget yah keliatannya. SPF 25 buat bibir dan mata. tapi gue masi ragu sama eye screen bentuk stick gini sih sebenernya. bikin kulit sekitar mata ketarik-tarik ga yah

Boots Soltan Tender Places Lotion SPF 50

mungkin bisa buat gantiin LRP yang ga kesampean. hehe… kayanya sekarang gue jadi pengen yang ini nih… £3.99 untuk 15 ml. hmmm..

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15

semenjak pengalaman gue sama lip butter TBS, gue si ga terlalu prefer urusan perawatan bibir ditangani sama TBS. tapi ga ada salahnya coba di tangan kalo kapan-kapan ke toko. sapa tau lumayan oke. hehe..

selain wajah, tentunya area-area lain tubuh juga perlu perlindungan dari sinar matahari. apakah gue bakal rajin tiap hari pake sunblock buat badan? jawabannya… ga! haha.. body lotion aja suka males-malesan dipakenya, walaupun dah ketawan kulit gue kering banget ( justru itu kali ye yang bikin kering hehe.. ). sapa tau gue berencana beraktivitas di luar ruangan, mungkin baru deh gue cari-cari sunscreen lagi. haha…

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 *pics taken from various sources

.:: rimmel london lipsticks, me likey ::.

so, here’s the story. a couple of weeks ago, i wandered around the city centre and, as usual, i went inside some drugstores. i was just wandering around the aisles of superdrug, when i saw that there was a 3 for 2 promo for all rimmel london products! yumm-o… i’ve swatched their lipsticks on the back of my hands several times before, and it seemed very creamy and moisturizing. and such an irresistable promo is not something i should could skip. rimmel london has three kinds of lipsticks – each of which has a very wide range of colours to choose from – lasting finish, rich moisture cream, and volume booster. i spent soooo much time at the booth, and swatched so many different colours on the back of my hands. i have to say, they offer quite a “delicious” range of colours. almost everything looks so pretty nude, bright, dark colours, they have it all!! and i like most of them! so i found it hard to pick the best three that i wanted to buy. however, after spending some time thinking hard, i ended up with two lasting finish lipsticks and one volume booster lipstick :

left to right : flirt, coral in gold, asia
( sorry for my lack of skill in taking pics! )

flirt - i think it’s a lovely barbie pink colour. bright lippies is in trend now! and i’d love to jump in the hype head first. although i wouldn’t go as far as wearing a really really bright all-eyes-on-my-lips colour  anyway, flirt is not too shocking a pink that makes me wants to stay away from this lipstick. instead, it’s a nice flirty pink *just like the name suggest* which is bright, but quite decent for everyday use. okay, okay, weekend use what i mean is, the colour is flattering, naughty but nice! however, flirt contains tiny particles of glitters *barely visible* so it may not suits you who doesn’t like glitters on your lips. BUT! i think the glitters are reall really small that you hardly notice them, it’s just perfect.

coral in gold - this is the first colour i chose to buy, and although it’s quite a pretty colour, i think it’s my least favourite of the three. i don’t hate it, i just love the other two more it is an orangey lipstick with a hint of golden, and a frosty finish, which is not recommended for people with dry lips. i myself, is a person who has dry lips generally, if i’m being lazy applying lip balms over and over again. this lipstick tends to expose the crinkle on my lips, so i have to be take extra care of my lips before applying this. but the colour looks great when applied on well-moisturized lips, and if combined with bourjois lipgloss in beige theoric, it produces a natural look i would go for at most weekdays. i know the lipstick and lipgloss doesn’t really complement each other’s color, but that’s the only gloss i have in my makeup pouch, so i can only experiment with this gloss

asia - now this, i love! i heart this colour so very much. at first, i was hesitant, i was unsure whether i should get this colour or not, coz it looks a bit like my bourjois gloss at home. but i’m happy i did finally buy this one. it’s a very neutral brownish-pink colour, which is perfect for everyday use, really. and i was wrong, the colour is not similar to beige theoric. they are soulmates! if combined together, they create a very pretty lips. asian has a creamy texture, despite the fact that it’s a lasting finish lipstick. it doesn’t contain any glitter or shimmer or whatever, it gives just a creamy-matte look. and it doesn’t dry up my lips at all. granted, i try to take care of my lips *just in case, as a prevention* with my current HG lipbalm, bourjois baume de nuit, which i have reviewed previously.

overall, all three has great colours and textures and none of them really dry up my lips.  i love these new babies, and would love to try some other colours, if i have the chance to. :D

maybe i’ll post some swatches later on.. just maybe!

.:: korean beauty brands ::.

The Face Shop

TFS is probably one of the biggest selling Korean brands here in Indonesia. First opened in Indonesia in 2004, with all-natural theme, bright and white-decorated stores, and Kwong Sang Woo (a male!) as a model, it soon attracted lots of young women, including myself. As you may have already known, I had once suffered a TFS-addiction. Fortunately, the storm has passed. Although I’m still interested in some of their products, I can now proudly say I’m not an recovering addict :D

And now, 4 years after their first store here, TFS has gained an even bigger attention from our people. This can be seen from the numerous stores in most malls. TFS has also made a transition to an earthy store design, and most important, has raised their price in quite a significant amount

The Skin Food

I think it’s been around for about one-and-a-half to two years, and now they have three stores, one at eX, one at Senci, and the latest one at TA. They share the same theme in all of their stores, white brick wall and all, all to strengthen the image of the natural products they offer. One turn-off is the plastic bag. IMO, they would better impress people with paper or recycled paper bag, considering that they carry natural theme.

You can take a guess what kind of products they offer. Yes, it’s yet another make up and skin care store, targeted young women, with their cute packaging and delicious-looking products. They have unique food-themed lines, like apple, tomato, or peach sake lines, cheese mask, rice mask, coffee body scrub, cappuccino scrub wash, chocolate hand balm, lemon foundation. You name it! They have all the tasty names. The cupid logo also makes a great addition to their lovely packaging. Undeniably, these cute names and packaging are the main wow factor of the products. Not that they don’t provide great quality. In fact, they have pretty great masks, based on my experience, and others’ testimonials. And, they have really cute ads too..

Etude & Etude House

Etude is maybe the first Korean brand that landed here. Not quite sure about the fact, but I think it’s been here before TFS or other Korean brands. They used to have Song Hye Kyo as their model, which had caused lots of women to run to their stores and crazed over their products in the hope they would have soft and supple skin like hers. Too bad they let her go. Personally, I think their new model is not as cute – and not as famous – as Song Hye Kyo.

My biggest disappointment is that they carry only a small line of make ups and even smaller lines of skin care, compared to their competitors. But, the Etude House collection offers some really cute, unique and tempting items, looks very promising compared to Etude, especially with the new store at TA. Ooh I wanna go there! I used to use – and love – Etude House Green Grape Garden Lotion, quite a long name :D It moisturizes yet never caused me any breakouts, and I’m a huge fan of this range since I first tried it. I even considered to re-purchase, which rarely happens, as I love to experiment – not a good habit, I know. However, I think some of their products are discouragingly overpriced here in Indonesia, they almost cost as much as some higher end brands. But, maybe the new Etude House has a better quality, hence the higher price? Plus, some of their packaging is irresistable!

Laneige

Unlike the other brands discussed here, Laneige is one of the higher-end brand, a brand owned by Amore Pacific, just like Etude and Etude House. One great marketing step they have taken is to take Jeon Ji Hyun as their model. She’s quite famous, and I love her movies. I personally think that she has quite a sexy face. and I think Song Hye Kyo also has joined forces with Laneige, another great marketing step!

Their Water Sleeping Pack has received a lot of great reviews. I would jump and buy it in an instant, if only the price is friendlier for my pocket. It’s not that expensive actually, coz TFS also has a sleeping mask, and it would cost you only several thousand rupiahs less than Laneige’s. But I really need to calm down and put my wallet to rest for a while… *sigh*

Missha

I personally don’t consider Missha as one of the most popular Korean brands around here, despite the fact that it has reached even western countries like America. They are mostly sold in department stores, but I think they used to have a store at Senci. Although they have a decent packaging, I’ve never interested to really tried their products. Well, I’ve bought and tried their mask once, Green Grape Yogurt Mask. It’s a peel-off mask and has quite a lovely scent, if you ignored the alcohol scent, and gives my skin a firm and tight feeling. But honestly I don’t think I’ll repurchase. I can’t comment on their other products, as I have never experimented on those. But I had once seen several interesting eye shadow – loose e/s, refills, stick – when I took a peek at Missha’s counter. Unfortunately, some of the most interesting items are too shimmery or glittery and come in such pale colours…

Weirdly, they use Jang Dong Gun as a model. He may be famous, but I think his masculinity is too dominant and obvious. He doesn’t have a fair and beautiful skin that would attract me, unlike TFS’ model. Xixi..

VOV

VOV used to be available in some department stores, but I don’t see them anywhere nowadays. Admittedly they didn’t really wow me, with all the too-ordinary packaging and small range of products. But from what I’ve just seen on their website, they have made quite a progression. They have some cute eye palletes which come in lovely packaging.

Clio

I’ve just found out recently that Clio is a Korean brand. Haha.. It used to be available at Galeria, and I had once interested in their loose powder. It had a silver packaging, with a butterfly embellishment on top of the lid. Very cute! But I never got round to really buy it, and unfortunately it’s no longer available here *I think*. Their counter used to have bright yellow theme, a really eye catching counter that you wouldn’t miss when you walk in to the cosmetic area of the department store. Anyway, more about the brand, although Clio is distributed in Korea, the products are not actually made in Korea, instead, they’re made in Italy, Germany, France or Japan. As I browse through their website, I saw that they have really cute items, like baked blusher and eyeshadows, so it’s too bad they’re no longer available here. Would someone kindly fly to Korea and buy me some Clio products? Xixi.. Or even more so, please open up a store here *puppy-eyed*

Beauty Credit

I found out about this brand just last week when someone at FD mention Lotus Palace.  With the rocking horse logo (so cute!), this is surely something I definitely want to try. Too bad it’s not available in Indonesia But, to my surprise, just now, I found another blog mentioning about it being available in England. So I opened the UK website of the product, and yes, it is available in UK, but it’s only available online! Being such an extra-careful-person, I’m not really sure about giving my card details online *a.k.a gaptek

 

Lotree

Ooh how I wish they have these in Indonesia…. The packaging is dark purple, simple yet elegant. And they have some interesting items too *lately everything seems interesting to me* I’d like to try their products, if only… This brand is on top of my ooh-I-wish-I-can-try-some-of-their-products because they look sooo elegant and pretty… They should open a Lotree shop in Indonesia! Hiks…

Banila Co

just another cute korean brand, Banila Co offers lots and lots of nicely packaged skin care and makeup products. I’d love to try their marshmallow eyeshadow, just because they’re cute!

 

 

 

 

And of course the list doesn’t stop here, coz there’s just too many brands to mention, Skin 79, BRTC, Hanskin, Inissfree, Cathy Cat Colorist, etc etc etc..

if you love korean beauty products, or you love to stroll around at their counters, or you’re an avid beauty beauty forum and blog reader *like moi* you will discover that although there are plenty of brands in the market, but they’re basically selling the same thing. well, of course, not exactly the same thing, but what a brand has, is also carried by the other brands, same concept but with some differences here and there.. interesting. the great thing about this is you’ll discover some of the latest trends in korea! some of my findings :

1. TSF cherry red nail polish v.s TFS cherry red nail polish

2. TSF black sugar wash off mask v.s TFS peeling day honey black sugar scrub

3. TFS dewy flower peeling gel v.s TSF chlorella peeling gel v.s Missha Skin Clear

4. Laneige water sleeping pack v.s TFS raspberry root sleeping mask v.s TSF soothing sleep mask

5. Obviously, the many BB Creams carried by almost every Korean brands!

so it depends on what brand you particularly love. if you’re a big fan of TFS, then most likely you’ll go for TFS products. and so forth.. what’s your favorite brand? 

*pics taken from various sources on the net

.:: st. ives, and what i think about it ::.

sometimes, price matters. some products from high-end brands may be better than those sold in drugstores. but i say, it’s not entirely true. i’m sure that there are plenty of effective products that won’t break the bank. these newfound love of mine are another cheap products that shows significant result! i bought these about a month ago, and kept using it regularly, not only because these are the only ones i had in my bathroom just now, but because i really like these products. both are st ives. the first one i’m going to review is radiance cleanser apricot cream wash *what a looooong name..

this product contains micro beads that would exfoliate and remove the dead skin cells on the skin. it isn’t likely that i scrub my face everyday, but the beads are not that much, and they’re tiny. so i suppose it’s safe for everyday use, as suggested in the tube this cleanser is said to be suitable for combination skin -which is exactly why i purchased it! – and i must say it does live up to what it claims. when used regularly, it reduces the breakouts caused by products that didn’t suit me, which was exactly the problem i’ve encountered before i used this cleanser. so far, i’m quite happy with the result.

although it says apricot scrub, i don’t really feel it smells like apricot  not that it doesn’t smell good, it’s just that it doesn’t smell right, like some other apricot scrubs i’ve tried previously *maksa.com*  however, i didn’t find it annoying so let’s continue with the review. i bought the “blemish fighting” one, and the tube says it gently removes the surface oil, dirts and dull skin cells. i quite like the mini beads. it does a good job, and it’s not too harsh on my skin so i can use it more frequently than Skin Food Black Sugar Mask, which has lately been a little forgotten :p and just this morning, i tried to prove the effectiveness of this product when used as a body scrub. well, since it only contains teeny meeny beads, i think it’s not so great as a body scrub as it is as a facial scrub. good, but not great. but i like it nonetheless

wish i know where to buy them in indo. i’ve never seen these for such a long time ( i think they did sell these in indo once upon a time! ). anyone knows?

pics courtesy of Superdrug