Month: October 2012

STARS AS STARS

Lindsay as Liz and Nicole as Grace? It will only happened in Hollywood.

A bit surprised when Lindsay Lohan was finally cast as Elizabeth Taylor in the movie “Liz & Dick” which will premiere in the US this November. I mean, LiLo? Seriously? I loved her in “Parent Trap”, but her life now isn’t really a good example for younger generations, no? Let’s just hope when she finally decided to tie the knot, she won’t end up with a track record of 7 husbands like Liz. 

Luckily, Grace Kelly, the actress who married Prince Rainer III of Monaco and became Princess in 1956, will be portrayed by Nicole Kidman. Personally, I think she got the gracefulness of a Princess and I can’t wait to see the movie “Grace of Monaco” which will premiere in 2014.

MALE MAGNET FRAGRANCE

As fashion lovers, we all know one must have fashion item in our closet which will make us look sexy, elegant, ultra chic and efficient for any events in our life. Little Black Dress, who doesn’t have it?

Just like a concept of Little Black Dress that every women should (read: must) have in their closets, Guerlain, a classic beauty brand since 1828, launched La Petite Robe Noire (means LBD in French). And just like LBD, that makes you feel good and powerful every time you wear it (which explained why we all have more than one inside our closets due to addictiveness to LBD), Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire does exactly that. Once you sniff it, it becomes addictive.

I attended the launch at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Jakarta yesterday to find out more about the sassy fragrance. “Guerlain as a brand, was and still a favorite among royalties,” said Raj Prem Bhojwani, Director of PT Aura Essence, who is the third generation of sole distributor that brought Guerlain to Indonesia. “Our first Indonesian President, Soekarno was a fan of Shalimar perfume,” he mentioned about the most famous Guerlain’s fragrance which was created back in 1925.

As an expert in the world of perfumery long before anything else that followed like make up and skin care, Guerlain did La Petite Robe Noire differently. “We collaborated with duo Kuntzel and Deygas, renowned visual artist with works such as “The Pink Panther” to create the character and advertisement. And the beautiful glass bottle is almost an exact replica of the 1912’s design L’Heure Bleue and Mitsouko by Guerlain in 1919,” explained Caroline Lesueur, Guerlain Asia Pacific Marketing Manager.

I enjoy the lovely presentation with Nancy Sinatra’s song “These boots are made for walkin” playing on the background (click to watch the ad here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzgUfhnAjjs). And even more when they spritzed the fragrance on a piece of uniquely blotter made from fabric like a cloth tag. Frankly speaking, at first I was expecting a different scent, more grown up fragrance like the other Guerlain’s fragrances. But surprise surprise, it doesn’t. At all. It reminds me of a rose macaron. Sweet and creamy. All the sweet temptation came from floral scents like rose, jasmine and orange blossom, fruity cherry, apple and blackcurrant, and powdery notes from white amber and musk.

Actually this 2012 La Petite Robe Noire are the latest version of two previous La Petite Robe Noire which were exclusive and limited edition thus only available in selected markets, back in 2009 and 2011. But this time, Guerlain made it available to the mass market by their in-house perfumer, Thierry Wasser.

As an Eau De Parfum lover, I do wish La Petite Robe Noire will be available soon in EDP, as for now they only available in Eau De Toilette (EDT), Body Lotion and Shower Gel.

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noir price list in Indonesia:

– 30 ml EDT, Rp 610.000
– 50 ml EDT, Rp 830.000
– 100 ml EDT, Rp. 1.230.000
– 200 ml Body Lotion, Rp 590.000
– 200 ml Shower Gel, Rp 475.000

 

FASHIONABLE MONSTERS

No. I’m not going to talk about Lady Gaga. Halloween is coming, and I stumbled upon Japanese affordable yet chic label for costumes inspiration.

Even though Halloween is not our tradition in Indonesia, it’s just fun to dressed up if there’s any Halloween party invitation. This Japan label which amazingly so low priced (you can get a pair of jeans for US$10), is apparently a sister company of Uniqlo. Unfortunately, they don’t have any stores outside Japan. The name g.u (reads jiyu) means free in Japanese, and translated to free from high cost clothing. How clever.

I love their “Fashion Monsters” ad on their site, which styled men, women and children in wearable clothes but unique make up plus accessories from gothic to angelic. Just perfect for Halloween, and we can wear the clothes even after the party is over.

Roses are red, Rose Kashmirie is ….

the latest fragrance from Les Parfums De Rosine Paris. To find out more about this niche brand and its’ latest venture, I chatted with Marie-Hélène Rogeon when she visited Jakarta yesterday.

Chatted with me and media friends, the ever kind Marie dressed head to toe in Issey Miyake’s famous pleats that evening. “I love it. It’s so comfortable. And it’s so addictive, I must warn you. Once you wear it, you want more,” she smiled kindly. Addictive, just like all her fragrances creations for Les Parfums De Rosine.

Born into a family of perfumer, her grand grand father created Eau de Cologne for the Emperor Napoleon III and special wax for his majesty’s moustaches. Her passion for fragrances created original and wonderful compositions made from natural essences, mostly roses. “Roses has different colors and smell from one another. Some might smell fresh, some fruity like raspberries or blackcurrant scent. And roses are the easiest to mix with other ingredients. It’s the only flower that can be extracted into rose oil and rose absolue.” She explained further that rose oil will be used for top notes because of its’ very long lasting power. Meanwhile, rose absolue will be used for middle and base notes.

Les Parfums De Rosine only uses roses from Bulgaria, Turkey and Morocco. “Best in term of smell. For top notes, roses from Bulgaria is best. For one kilo of oil, we need 1000 kg of rose petals. We use only the petals which are harvested early in the morning to retain their freshness.” For Marie, creating fragrances is like creating music. “It’s not like I’m going to the lab and create the formula. It’s more like writing music composition.”

For her latest creation with fragrance designer François Robert (which have been working together with her for the last ten years), she was inspired by Bollywood. “It’s not something usual in France to watch Bollywood movies, but when I saw it, I felt the joy and colorful life. It’s like rose petals are flying everywhere in the Bollywood movies,” she laughed. And it didn’t take long for her and François to create Rose Kashmirie. “He lived in India before, so it was a fast process for me and him to create it. And he’s a traditional perfumer, so he knew instantly what I wanted in the first place,” she added.

Rose Kashmirie is a marriage between floral and spicy notes. This new oriental rose is beautifully balance with an astonishing accord of Bulgaria rose oil and red saffron from Cashmere. To magnify its’ scent, more scents were added like Chinese Peonies, Absolue rose of Damascus, Vanilla, Indian Vetyver Roots and Sandalwood. “Personally, sandalwood are my second ingredients that I love beside roses. It gives power and the touch of elegance to every fragrances,” Marie admitted.

Like other fragrances from Les Parfums De Rosine, it’s beautifully adorned with tassle. But this one, as unique as the scent itself, the tassle is very colorful with colors identified in most Bollywood movies such as yellow, green, and pink. For myself, this oriental categorized fragrance is warm and mysterious. When Marie passed around the saffron stuffed inside a tiny bottle and a rose oil bottle to be smell together, it’s so extraordinary how the two ingredients created a unique scent I’ve never smelled before. It’s going to be a night fragrance for myself, because of its’ sensuousness. When I asked Marie what kind of women that she sees using this fragrance, she answered: “Those who are sophisticated yet joyful towards life.” 

Rose Kashmirie by Les Parfums De Rosine will be released this October.

HOW POSH CAN A BEAUTY PRODUCT BE?

Eventually, most people are really curious about what beauty products do celebrities use. Sometimes, we can’t really believe it’s really what they’re using, because of celebrities endorsements. One of the privilege of being a superstar. 

But when they didn’t do the advertisement for the product, and they just tweeted it casually with the picture of the product itself, would you believe that they really really love that product? Please be the judge.

Meanwhile, (if you ever believe in it), this two beauty products are @victoriabeckham favorite. She tweeted about them. The hand cream is from a little-known beauty brand called Royal Apothic, which manufactured this US$20 hand cream in Los Angeles. I bet this vintage-inspired tube hand cream will be sold out in no time in Anthropologie’s store where she bought it.

By the way, this is not the first product that Victoria ever mentioned on her twitter account. Earlier this year, she exclaimed: “Loving this face moisturizer!! Also mixes well with makeup”, for Lancer Dermatology AM PM Nourishment Treatment. Gonna go get them?

THE FAIRYTALE STORY OF A FASHIONABLE PRINCESS

Once upon a fashionable time, somewhere between Paris Fashion Week, there was a fashionable princess from the land of a thousand smiles, seated at most front rows. And this is her story…. 

Ranked the 5th in the 2009 Forbes’ List of 20 Hottest Young Royals, Sirivannavari Nariratana is the only daughter of Crown Prince Maha Vajralongkorn. Yes, she is the royal granddaughter of Thailand. She plays badminton (a competitive one) and she’s no stranger in Paris Fashion Week, as she is a designer and already presented her collections at the last edition of Paris Fashion Week last year.

Reportedly a loyal customer of Pierre Balmain, she attended five shows at Paris Fashion Week recently. Check out her majesty’s styles. That’s what I called a “Fashionable Princess”.

FROM CAKE TO EYELINER?

I won’t lie, but I do love rainbow cake. But rainbow eyeliner? Seriously?

Well, if you decide to try, why not? After all, make up is about having fun, experiencing and finding your true identity. If you think rainbow eyeliner is hard to achieve, no worries. Nail Rock, the brand that created nail wraps came up with Eye Rock, Designer Liner. Named Disco, it contains four different multi-colored winged eyeliner, for a fuss free flicks. Rainbow style is just one of them, there are 3 more styles inside one pack, for monochrome bright liners.

Just like nail wraps, adjust, stick and go procedures are also applied here. Simply cut out your chosen eyeliner design, press and peel. They said it will last up to 16 hours, so it’s worth your cash (sold at Asos for £7). 

AN ODE TO JAKARTA FASHION WEEK

Be prepared, as the main fashion week in Indonesia is coming soon. Jakarta, are you ready to be rocked by the Korean storm once more?

Empty your schedule for one of the most awaited event by the darlings of Jakarta fashionistas, November 3 – 9, 2012. To celebrate the opening of this annually premiere fashion event in Indonesia, Lie Sang Bong, one of the top designers from Seoul, Korea will present his collections with Indonesian top designer, Sebastian Gunawan.

Originally from Korea, he’s quickly accepted as part of new generation of designers from Paris fashion scene since he moved there in 2002. Creatively combines the elegance of French Fashion with his Korean roots, his trademark is the architectural shape. Mostly ready to wear collections, Lie counts Lady Gaga and Rihanna as fans. 

Let’s take a look at his Fall 2012 Collection, which shown on the last day of Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. Eclectic set of dresses, jackets, covered with polka dots from materials like feather, fur and leather. Above the models questionable make up on the runway, the whole collection represented the creative fusion of culture and art with his well known geometrical shapes. 

Personally I can’t wait to see Lie’s collection for the opening of Jakarta Fashion Week 2013. Just a tiny sneak peek for his Spring 2013 collection which titled “Nostalgia”. It features retro elements and personal memories which incorporated with Lie’s avant garde style. See his sketch and some of his collection above.

Hopefully, I’ll be reporting live from the venue at JFW 2013. So, stay tune for more.

BATIK ‘R’ US

As Indonesians, we are proud of our very own Batik. It has been there for a longest time, but only 3 years ago, UNESCO honored our Batik as a “masterpiece of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity” right on this very day, October 2.

The recognition from the world is definitely a huge honor and also our responsibility as a big nation to preserve the heritage of batik, especially for the younger generation. Yes, of course we’re proud that many international designers such as Dries Van Noten and Julien Macdonald already used Batik or inspired by it, but we’re going to be more proud if we as Indonesians are wearing our Batik with pride.

So, in honor of our National Batik Day or simply known as Hari Batik Nasional for most of us, I asked some of my dearest friends to send their pictures wearing Batik. Check out how they wear theirs with pride and unique own style. Special thanks to Moza Pramita, and last but definitely not least, Ratu Ommaya and The Body Shop Indonesia’s team.  

WHITE RACCOON EYES

You remember this famous concealer mishap pictures of Nicole Kidman. A lesson for us mere mortals not to over do it on under eyes concealer.

I won’t lie, it feels good to know that even celebrities who have their own glam team can still experience make up mishaps. Yes, I know dark undereyes, panda eyes, raccoon eyes or whatever they called it can be such hell. But, there’s hope. Really. And please don’t copy Nicole Kidman’s makeup artist trick for her look above (most probably he or she is fired after Nic saw her own pic). The darker your under eyes circles doesn’t mean that you have to piled up on too light concealer and white powder. 

Trick to avoid tricky eyes concealer:
Best choice is to choose one shade lighter than your own foundation, pat a little concealer with your ring finger and dust your ordinary face powder on top with brush. Personally, I’ll never put foundation on top of concealer, because it’ll intensify more fine lines. So if you do have fine lines under the eyes already, I suggest you to skip foundation on top of concealer. And if you have dry skin especially under the eyes, pick a liquid concealer, rather than the creamy ones. More on staying power, easier to blend in so it’ll appear more natural. Yellow tone concealers are your best bet if you want to cover the raccoon eyes naturally, too.
Here are my own items/favorites:
– Soap & Glory Trick & Treatment
– Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat
– Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit
– Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage