MAKEUP FOR MATURE SKIN: HOW DO I DO MY MAKEUP THESE DAYS

Spot your fave?

The more age we have, the more skin problems we are facing. I’m like seriously thought I’m currently dealing with mature skin problems. After some serious googling, I fit almost for every characteristics of mature skin. Problem number one is Skin Hydration. If you’ve been following me, you’d know that I did Botox and Filler, so I don’t really think that lines and elasticity are a problem for me now. But I can feel that my skin is getting thinner, pores appear larger, papery skin especially on under eyes, though I have less hormonal acnes (which is a plus). 

Up, close and personal, no filter!

Don’t get me wrong, I do love makeup. But applying one on mature skin was no joke, people! 

First: base makeup. 

I’ve been Foundation-Free for about two years now. During pandemic I threw out all of my foundation due to lack of wearing and expiration date. Anyway, it’s not easy to apply foundation to dry skin, and I don’t intend to. Instead, I use green corrector to deal with redness around my nose and my chin, and concealer (yes, concealer) on the whole face. I didn’t apply concealer under my whole eyes, instead I did what Wayne Goss taught us from his YT, only on the very inner corner when the lines are immobile. And finally, setting the whole face, with translucent setting powder.

Cheeks

Only blush, no contouring for me, because I like it simple. My favorite blush is obviously not a matte blush, I prefer a soft metallic finish that reflect light and gives a second-skin finish. I applied not on the cheekbones, but slightly higher for a lifting effect. No highlighter needed, save time and money!

Eyes

I have droopy eyes since I was born, so winged eyeliner is a must. I use tape to draw the winged eyeliner, stick them on the outer corner of the eyes toward the end of the brows. It’s easier that way, trust me, and it gave me the precise and balanced flick. And use the eyeliner pencil to line inside the lash line (but just on the center, not on the corner to avoid smudging). For mascara, I just apply on the middle and lower lashes for that baby doll look. 

Lips

Definitely staying out of matte texture that might exaggerate lip lines. Currently I’m using Lip Gel, that mimic lip stain a la Koreans. If you want more shine, do not blot. Do pick a bright shade, because it’ll help to also brighten the whole face. I also try to avoid lip liner, because IMHO natural shape lips gives more youthful look. 

Tips
To make makeup last longer, avoid layering too many skincare products. Stick to serum and SPF or moisturizer and SPF, remember: hydrating is key.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

FUNGAL ACNE SAFE ANTI AGING PRODUCTS

Even though I do not recommend using any actives while suffering from Fungal Acne, but I know that our biological clock is still ticking and aging is unstoppable. So if you still want to use anti aging skincare products while you’re still dealing with fungal acne, here’s some of my recommendation (tried and tested by yours truly).

ESTEE LAUDER ADVANCED NIGHT REPAIR SYNCHRONIZED MULTI-RECOVERY COMPLEX

Yes, they renew their formulas last year, so this is a newer version of one of the most loved serums in the world. And I’m not surprised why. Bifida Ferment Lysate is number two on the ingredients list, which is one form of probiotics, known to help prevent skin damage. It also contains Tripeptide-32, which might be able to help reduce and prevent fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin elasticity and firmness, by supporting our skin’s collagen production. 

Personally I love the texture (you’d know the product is worth the price when it glides luxuriously on skin-you can’t cheat this). It has a slightly orange color, with a slight yeast scent (but disappear within seconds). As it is an anti-aging and hydrating serum, it gives that healthy looking skin once applied. You can see it’s there, you can feel it’s there, but it’s not sticky or uncomfortable. 
Sometimes, if I feel too lazy to layer on additional moisturizer on top, I just apply two layers of this serum at night time. I can see and feel the result in the morning if I layer them on top of each other. Actually, even though the name said Night, this serum can be used in the morning as well. 
Yes, it is pricey, but trust me, pricey stuffs come for many reasons. It costs IDR 1.750K for 50ml. 

S.NATURE AQUA SQUALANE MOISTURIZING CREAM

I guess this is a new K-beauty brand, not very commercial, but Director PI recommended it in one of her YT videos. It’s a very simple packaging, too simple in my opinion, they should’ve given us the flip-top cap instead the classic cap. Ingredients wise, full of goodies: 15% Squalane (which is an emollient) is number two on the list, followed by Glycerin which is a humectant. So yes, if you’ve been following my blog, you’d probably know that I have to layer humectant and emollient for a moisturizer, to make sure that my skin is moisturized and hydrated enough. 

Check out this list from incidecoder.com and you’ll see all the goodies inside. 

Texture-wise, it is a light cream/thick lotion. Unlike moisturizer in a gel form that ‘disappear’ when we apply it, this cream glides like satin on skin and gives that healthy glow look without the sticky feel. You can feel and see it’s there, but in a comfortable sense. And I prefer a thick lotion for my current skin condition (dry and sensitive), IMHO it sits better under makeup instead of gel or water cream moisturizer. 
Unfortunately, this brand is not officially available in Indonesia, but I bought it online from my regular trusted seller. It’s not cheap for a 80ml tube, it costs IDR350K. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA & SCREENSHOTS FROM INCIDECODER.COM

FIRST HAUL OF THE YEAR (JANUARY 2022)

Opening a new year with these haul. Hope this year we can do more beauty haul. Did I hear an “amen”?

HATOMUGI SKIN CONDITIONER

The most affordable hydrating toner one can possibly get. Since I’ve been doing CSM religiously due to my current dry and sensitive skin state, I need one big bottle that does the job. It contains Job’s Tear Extract aka some form of Barley, which is high in vitamin B3 aka Niacin. And barley is known to soothe and moisturize skin, helping to promote the replenishment of the skin’s protective barrier too. Yes, I love my barley as much as I love my oat. 
Price IDR 80,5K for 500ml

SIMPLE MICELLAR FACIAL GEL WASH

If you need a good and affordable deep cleansing facial wash, without upsetting your dry and sensitive skin, this is your best bet. And yes, it is also safe for Fungal-Acne. Now the Water Boost range from Simple is available in our local drugstore (yeay!) and sometimes they go on special price too. 
Price IDR 80K for 150ml

BARRY M NAIL PAINTS

I bought the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint before, and I was impressed by the fast drying performance, the gel-effect result and its’ easy to manage brush. But, the con is: it doesn’t last that long (4 days max). So, I decided to buy another range, another shade and their base+top coat. 
Price (each) IDR 70K for 10ml 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: PACIFICA KALE DETOX DEEP CLEANING FACE WASH

A superfood based cleanser? Here’s my first review in 2022.

Kale is one of the world’s top 10 superfoods. So super, they even called it ‘the best vegetable’. It contains the highest beta-carotene content among green and yellow vegetables, and is rich in vitamin C. I wonder why many people still wandering around Centella Asiatica (please people, move on already!). Yes, I think this ingredient is so under-rated. By the time I wrote this post and published it, local skincare products seem to roam around Centella and Mugwort. Seriously?!?!

So why do I love this? It is the closest thing I can get to Youth To The People Superfood Cleanser. I can say it’s a pretty close dupe, not only based on ingredients (see below for the lists), but also a save and splurge factors in mind. I haven’t tried the Youth To The People, because I don’t want to spend a fortune for a face wash, so I can’t say much about it. Both of them are not officially available in Indonesia, but I bought Pacifica in iHerb (IDR 147K for 147ml) and Youth To The People costs IDR 720K for 237ml (from a legit online market place). 

Other than the high price difference, Pacifica is Fungal-Acne safe, while Youth To The People still contains Polysorbate 20 and Sorbitan Laurate which might be triggers to Fungal Acne. 

But this is not a comparison review, I just review the Pacifica ones. 

It smells like green juice, more herbal than the actual kale, which some might find it distracting, but I am fine with it. It’s refreshing IMHO. It foams up nicely, without over striping the skin, but it didn’t leave any weird or filmy layer after cleanse. 

Texture: clear runny gel
The foam


Please do not rely on any face wash (including this one) to wash away makeup. You need to double cleanse if you wear makeup. This is the perfect second cleanse for me, and I only use this as part of my night time skincare routine. FYI, I use gentle cleanser in the morning. Stay tune for another review!

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

BEST OF 2021: FUNGAL-ACNE SAFE SKINCARE

Still in pandemic period, lots of stay at home, but grateful to make it safe and sound till the end of the year 2021. Yeay, we survived 2021, guys! Be grateful.

This will be a very short list, as I didn’t explore much this year, as my skin became more sensitive lately.

If you want to know what ingredients to avoid if you think you have Fungal Acne, and which products are safe to use, you can check this website.

Without further adieu, let’s see who made it to my short(er) list this year.

FIRST CLEANSE

FACE WASH

SERUM

MOISTURIZER

SPF

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

DECEMBER 2021 HAUL

Closing another pandemic year with these hauls.

PYUNKANG YUL MIST TONER

This is not my first purchase, I repurchase because it’s a very simple toner with super minimal ingredients. It’s not viscous, doesn’t have fragrance in it and I use this for CSM. Though it’ll be great if they change the sprayer, because it doesn’t spray evenly.
Price IDR 156K for 200ml 

COSRX HYDRIUM WATERY TONER & COSRX TRIPLE HYALURONIC MOISTURE AMPOULE

Some people can’t tolerate Hyaluronic Acid, maybe because I believe it works better on hot and humid climate. Fortunately, HA is safe on my oily and fungal-acne prone skin. I wish that I found these two sooner, as both works well together for optimal skin hydration.
Price IDR 282K for 40ml (ampoule) IDR 225K for 150ml (toner)

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

DAMAGED SKIN, IRRITATED, SKIN BARRIER: HOW I REPAIR THEM IN 4 DAYS 

I screwed up. My skin was angry.

Not sure what I did, I didn’t over exfoliate, I didn’t try new products, I didn’t change my skincare routine. It certainly not caused by weather change, since I didn’t go on my winter holiday (thanks Covid). 

Maybe, it was just one of those hyper-sensitive days? My skin was extra dry, dehydrated, sting, burn, red, basically all the bad things that can happen to one’s skin. It even went to my neck, and it was hard even to open my lips.  

So how do I make my skin back in tact, in just 4 days? Here are my new healing routine (and I’m going to stick by it for awhile until it fully recovered)

HEALING AM ROUTINE 

  • Cleanse with cool water and gentle facial cleanser
  • CSM with DIY’s Oat Water (soak cotton pads with it and leave them on for 10 mins max)
  • Apply moisturizer with soothing purpose (aloe, propolis and allantoin are my go-to)

HEALING PM ROUTINE

  • Cleanse with cool water and gentle facial cleanser (again with VANICREAM GENTLE FACIAL CLEANSER)
  • Spread Hyaluronic Acid Serum evenly
  • Spray with Thermal Water, and while still damp, go to next step
  • It’s not slugging method, apply petrolatum jelly as thin as you can on damp skin (and only on problematic areas).

TIPS:

  • Do not exfoliate at this damaging period. Also, watch out for hidden ingredients in your current skincare routine that might have exfoliating properties. 
  • Don’t use any face oils, occlusive like petrolatum is better to prevent TransEpidermal Water Loss.
  • Never apply petrolatum jelly on active and fungal acne.
  • Using petrolatum jelly on face is not pleasurable. Use it at night in a full AC room is preferable. 
  • Avoid any alcohol and actives.
  • Avoid trying new skincare products at this time.
  • Avoid sunscreen until fully healed, please stay indoor when you can.
  • Stay at home until your skin healed, because wearing mask and makeup will aggravate the damaging condition. 
DAY ONE & DAY TWO
DAY 1 & DAY 2
DAY 3 & DAY 4
DAY 3 & DAY 4

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW & SWATCHES LIP GEL BY LIZZIE PARRA

During this pandemic, I have to admit that I rarely wear makeup, might as well any lipsticks. But lately, the condition in Jakarta, Indonesia was getting a lot better, so I attended some offline meetings and meet-ups already (which required one, obviously).

And I feel you, as it’s already hard enough to keep our makeup not melting, it is not easy to find lip color that won’t transfer on the mask. If there’s any, some of them are super matte, made my lips dry and lip lines more noticeable. I believe, the appearance of lips lines will make us look older. 

Enter Lip Gel by Lizzie Parra or as we locals said BLP Lip Gel. I believe this was my first time ever trying one, and I’m glad I did. I believe this specific gel texture was introduced by the Koreans, as we see those high shine effect on idols’ lips all the time. Personally, I think it looks like applying nail gel on lips. But, these are quite different. It claims to be a gloss-meets-stain tint that feels extra comfortable on the lips. 

I might say, it does feel comfortable, not sticky at all. It contains Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E, that won’t leave our lips dry, with a smoothing effect to lessen the appearance of lips lines. For those who love high shine effect on their lips a la Korean’s Idols, you’d definitely enjoy these. Personally, I love to blot with a piece of tissue, so it only left a natural stain to minimize transfer on the mask. 

Do not worry that they will be hard to wash off. Some of us might swatch it on the back of our hand, and found it hard to erase, because of the stains. But our skin on the hand is different from our lips. It is easy to take them off, as long as you are using a specific eye and lip makeup remover (I recommend using the bi-phased ones). 

Priced at IDR 109K each, they are also vegan, paraben and cruelty-free. They can also be use as eyeshadow or blush if you wish. 

SWEET PEA
SWEET PEA

Like a dark cherry. It looks darker in person than in this picture, though. 

MAGNOLIA
MAGNOLIA

I think this shade suits me the most. I love that it helps to brighten the whole complexion. 

CARNATION
CARNATION

It reminds me of poppy flowers. Super if you love red lips. 

MARIGOLD
MARIGOLD

When pumpkins meet oranges. Great if you dig coral’s shade. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

FUNGAL ACNE SAFE PRODUCTS UNDER IDR100K 

Compiling for the basic skincare routine, easy to find online or offline here in Jakarta, Indonesia. Prices are correct by the time I post this.

FIRST CLEANSER

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER (IDR 29K for 125ml)

EMINA MICELLAR WATER DROP CLEANSER (IDR 37K for 100ml)
AZARINE CLEANSING MOIST MICELLAR WATER (IDR 39K for 100ml)
JOYLAB CLEANSING WATER (IDR 80K for 100ml)

SECOND CLEANSER

DERMA365 GENTLE CLEANSER (IDR 74K for 100ml)

BIYU PURE GENTLE CLEANSER (IDR 99K for 80ml)
PIXY WHITE AQUA PORE CLEANSE MICELLAR FOAM (IDR 48K for 110ml)
ERHA 2 FACIAL WASH (IDR 81K for 60ml)

TONER

SOLELUNA HYDRATING FACE TONER (IDR 72K for 100ml)

HADA LABO MILD PEELING LOTION (IDR 79K for 100ml)
SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN SOOTHING FACIAL TONER (IDR 92K for 200ml)

MOISTURIZER

GLOWINC POTION FOREVER+ PRO YOUTH EVERYDAY MOISTURIZER (IDR 99K for 25gr)

BLESS FACIAL MOISTURIZER FOR SENSITIVE SKIN (IDR 83K for 40gr). 

SUNSCREEN

BIORE SKIN AQUA UV MOISTURE MILK SPF 50+ PA+++ (IDR 60K for 40ml)

ERTOS SUNSCREEN GEL (IDR 50K for 20gr)

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA & INCIDECODER (GLOWINC)

REVIEW: MARY & MAY

Fascinated by their philosophy that aims for clean beauty that captures good ingredients in full disclosure, I decided to join the “Try Me Review Me” by Style Korean Global. 

Another South Korean beauty brand, Mary & May’s ingredients are all EWG green grade and free from 16 harmful ingredients that can cause skin troubles and irritations. 

As a freelance product developer myself, I do appreciate a thoroughly well-thought products. Of course, ingredients are important, but so do labeling, wording, and packaging. Personally, I believe Mary & May scored on all of these. Just look at the labels, no fancy names, easy to decode even for beginners, and they transparently disclose how much of the ingredients are included. They state their concentration in both, PPM (stands for Parts Per Million) and Percentages. I will explain more about PPM below on one of the products’s review, so you can get clearer understanding. 

I also appreciate a little note from their researchers, tagged on the serum bottle.

They note that Idebenone (one of their main actives) is not easily soluble in solvents, but they’re using raw materials with the appropriate technology to increase the solvents’ solubility and skin penetration rate.

Overall I can say that Mary & May has this luxurious feel and touch without the luxury price. 

Let’s start the review of each products, shall we?

WHITE COLLAGEN CLEANSING FOAM 
The first ingredient in the list is a whooping Hydrolyzed Collagen at 46.6%. You see, collagen is a major component of our skin and it will help to strengthen, hydrate and great for elasticity. It also has 1% Niacinamide to help with brightening, hence the name White Collagen. With milky white texture that foams up well (not overly foamy), it has a slight green scent but very gentle ones. On my oily skin, it cleanse them up without any slippery feel. But I believe, it’ll also do good on dry skin, because it doesn’t strip the skin at all. 

VITAMIN B5 + BIFIDA TONER
First, I love the thick glass pump bottle. Since I never travel anymore during this pandemic, I don’t mind glass packaging at all, and it’s great for the earth too. It contains 30,000 ppm of Bifida Ferment Lysate and 1,000 ppm of Vitamin B5 aka Panthenol. That means 0,03% of Bifida and 0,001% of Panthenol. So why they stated on ppm rather than the percentages? Well, actually it just sounds more sophisticated because ppm is commonly used in the lab. But personally, I think it’s better to write big numbers rather than zero point something, right? It’s watery and has a slight herbal fragrance, IMHO it’s better to use without cotton pads. I also recommend this hydrating toner for CSM. 

IDEBENONE + BLACKBERRY COMPLEX SERUM 
Taken from the note of their researchers, which is tagged on the serum glass bottle, the orange shade is the original color from the antioxidant that they use, Idebenone and Blackberry Extract. They said that Idebenone is better than vitamin C, to make skin more healthy looking with less hyperpigmentation and wrinkles. Basically, this is a good serum to reduce the visible signs of aging without feeling oily and sticky. It’s also fragrance free and placed inside an amber colored pipette serum bottle. 

IDEBENONE + BLACKBERRY INTENSE CREAM
At first, I was skeptical because of the name. But when I applied it with the spatula provided inside the box, I know why this cream is one of their best sellers. It glides smoothly, doesn’t feel heavy like most anti-aging creams that I’ve tried. It just melts and sinks right away on skin, giving it a slightly dewy but healthy (not oily) look. Beside Idebenone (500 ppm) and Blackberry Extract (63%), it also contains 5 types of ceramides, so it’s great to strengthen our skin barrier and helps to brighten as well. Oh, have I mentioned I love the sturdy yet luxurious feel glass jar? 

You can purchase Mary & May products, here. 

PHOTOS & VIDEO BY SHINTA ROSVITA