Month: February 2013

WHEN MAGAZINE EDITOR BECAME JEWELRY DESIGNER

 

Meet Myra W Dharyasa, the designer behind Piera by Myra, a jewelry line based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

She’s a dear friend of mine from my previous adventure as an Editor. We met and shared similar beauty products launches, events, trips…you name it. As she got married and had a cute son, she decided to quit her job as an Editor and move on with her passion..her love of chunky yet chic necklaces.

Earlier this week, I had a chance to reunite with her during her label showing, Piera by Myra latest collection. She named them “Contrast” as there are lots of clashing colors and materials for her label. Her website and online shop will be launch earlier next month, so I’ll keep you posted on this matter.

Here’s my chat with her about her jewelry line.

SR : How did you start your line?

MYRA : “Piera by Myra was established on January 2012, it started from an idea of turning my personal liking of wearing chunky and chic necklace pieces to a business. I thought it would be nice if I can create beautiful and unique pieces for people to wear and to accessorize themselves. For me, accessory is one of the most crutial fashion element in one’s style. You can wear a simple top or outfit, and bring on the super chic necklace and voila! It is always nice to see women with style not simply because they wear high end branded clothes but because they can accessorize their body with the right and stylish choices. That’s why I created the label to cater all these needs.”

SR : Where do your ideas evolve from?

MYRA : “Basically ideas come from everywhere, from fashion trend, colour palette and designs that are shown through apparels to fruits, architectural element, sceneries, everything that catches the eyes.”

SR : What materials and techniques do you favor?

MYRA: “Materials such as metallic chain, fabric such as velvet, satin ribbon, crystal beads, acrylic piece, natural stones, synthetic pearls. Techniques: Twist, braids, mix and match, layering.”

SR : How would you describe the line’s style?

MYRA : “Chunky but feminine, chic but sometimes witty, elegant and colorful. I like my necklaces to stand out.”

SR : What’s your design philosophy?
MYRA : “Creative, beautiful, unique, making a statement but wearable, and off course last but not least affordable.”

*Special Thanks and Hugs for Moza Pramita for becoming my model of the day

PIERA BY MYRA
Contact : (62-21)81381241471
BB Pin : 214D72BA
Website : http://www.pierabymyra.com 

 

ALWAYS DRESS LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO SEE YOUR WORST ENEMY.

Kimora Lee Simmons

DYNAMIC DUOS

 

My eternal search (and maybe yours, too) for that perfect under eyes concealer might be over.

Call me a late bloomer for falling in love with Korean beauty products. Guilty as charged. But as they said, “better late than never”, so did my experience with SKINFOOD Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream and SKINFOOD Salmon Darkcircle Powder.

The almost look identical products (both only 2.5gr, by the way), don’t smell like salmon. Taken from the SKINFOOD web site, the concealer contains salmon extract and oil, while the powder is rich in omega 3 fatty acid, vitamin A & E, with Nano-coating.

Too bad for us Indonesians, these dynamic duos are not available in Jakarta yet, so the nearest country to get them is Singapore or Malaysia. I got mine in Malaysia, both for RM 106.80 (you don’t have to buy in a set, they come separately). For the concealer, the nice girl at SKINFOOD Malaysia chose #1 (Salmon Blooming) for me, and the powder only come in one color.

What do I love about both:

–       Texture : The concealer is creamy, yet it didn’t leave any shine especially after I applied the powder. As for the powder, its’ super duper tiny particles (thanks to Nano-coating) set the whole concealer into a matte, soft and non-cracked looking under eyes. For above picture, I only use one (yes, one) layer of concealer and powder, after eye cream.

–       Blending Factor : Like soul mates, they were meant to be together. In this case, use together. Never swipe on concealer as it might show those lines, just pat lightly from inside corner to outer corner. Set with powder, dust them lightly with your own brush (don’t use the tiny puff provided which comes with the powder).

–       Coverage : Dark circles? What dark circles? Lines? What lines? I’m surprised to see how they also covered most of my milias (see those tiny bumps under my left eye? Perfect for corrective concealing of any kind, I must say.

 

 

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH THESE?

Love & appreciate yourself this upcoming Valentine.

By looking good, smell nice with these ‘love’ beauty items.

1.    Smashbox ‘Love Me’ Eyeshadow Palette

2.    Lancome ‘Blush in Love’

3.    Lipstick Queen ‘Look of Love’

4.    Ciate ‘Love Me’ Cuticle Oil

5.    Yves Saint Laurent La Collection ‘In Love Again’ Swarovski Edition

6.    Vera Wang ‘Lovestruck’

7.    Creed ‘Love in White’

8.    Love & Toast ‘Addicted to Love’ Lip Glaze

 

NEW KIND OF SNOW

The latest BB product from Laneige which actually feels cold as snow when applied.

BB Cream, is actually stands for Blemish Balm, but this BB from a Korean beauty brand which will re-open its’ first counter in Jakarta by March 2013, is totally different from any other.

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF 50 PA+++ (shown here in #21 Natural Beige) is a base makeup with BB function in liquid texture, not balm, not cream. Even the compact packaging is already different from any other BB, which usually come in tube.

Open the seal, and press gently to the cushion (don’t swipe) to pick it up. The first sensation when I applied, was that cooling feeling. No wonder they called it Snow. As for me, I like how the blue sponge (provided inside the compact) picked up the liquid evenly. It was so easy to apply, I just pat the sponge all over my face, including to both sides of the noses (my own ‘troubled’ zone). I admit I was quite surprised to see how well the coverage was, considering its’ very light (almost watery) texture. See the ‘after’ picture above, check out my under eyes circles and red spots covered quite well. As for the shades, I believe it suits my tone well, not too pinkish or yellowish, it just brighten the whole skin tone.

For my experiment, I still used my own moisturizer, but I skipped sunblock, as it already have a very broad sun protection. I patted on extra loose powder and voila! My face looked more matte and it stayed that way afterwards for about 4 hours on Jakarta’s humid and blazing heat.

According to the release from Laneige, this is an all in one product which offers whitening, sun protection, sweat and sebum resistance, soothing sensation and prevents makeup from fading. For me, it really did what it said and I really recommend this BB for those of you who have oily skin and eager to try BB product minus the heavy feeling and too creamy texture. And guess what? They came with a refill, so it’s really convenient to reuse the whole thing. 

NEW PLACE FOR CULINARY FANS

If having meal with your family and friends are important to you, check out this new bistro in Jakarta.

Yesterday, I was invited to try out 8 (yes, 8) new menus from MIKA Japanese Bistro. Located in Kota Kasablanka Mall, Jakarta, I love how Sylvia Gunawan (Founder of MIKA) decorated the whole place. “Actually this was my wedding theme also. When I got married, instead of just ordinary wedding stage, I used library as my backdrop. Because I love the homey feeling, so I brought home everywhere with me, including the decoration for MIKA,” said Sylvia. Vintage European interior is the main theme, even when they serve Japanese culinary. Vintage hard case books on the table, gramophone, old clocks, miniatures of Eiffel Tower … interesting, right?

Sylvia is also the creator of all the contemporary Japanese menus, with the help of Japanese chef, Takeshi Kato and Indonesian chef, Nicholas Stanly. Yesterday, they showed the guests how to make Seafood Omurice with Bechamel Sauce through an educating cooking demo. Sylvia also shared her knowledge about Omega 3 eggs, which apparently are the best eggs for omelette, cause they’re more fluffy and the yellow color are more tempting than ordinary eggs. And of course, they’re healthier.

What differs this bistro from other Japanese restaurants and bars which spreads a lot in Jakarta? It’s a perfect place to snacks, mainly Japanese snacks (although they also serve full meals). Because this bistro is presented in a casual café style, you won’t feel intimidated to order a five courses meal. If you observe the menu, they also serve cocktails, beers (aha!), smoothies, and … Espresso Martini (check for me!). They do have kids menu as well, so I can imagine MIKA as the place for everyone, from business people to housewives/bloggers like me.

My tip: try their Ebi cream and rice korokkee, the Fish Katsu on Egg Mayo and various mocktails & smoothies.

Want to see other yummy pictures? Click here. 

MIKA JAPANESE BISTRO
GF Food Society
Mall Kota Kasablanka
Jakarta
www.mika.co.id