Tag: photo

MY FAVORITE MAKEUP BRUSHES

Call me experimental..but I do love to collect brushes. So far I have 21 brushes in my collection.

Most of them I bought online after watching beauty vloggers raved about them. Some were the result of impulse buying, that ended up as ‘misses’ brushes. Let me put it in a more simple way: I don’t like them all. 

So, which one are my faves?

From top to bottom:

MAC168: this is a large angled contour brush, which of course I use it to contour. It picked up powder nicely without fall out and even though the bristles is white, it cleansed easily with the right brush soap.

MAC217: I had this for ages until the logo faded away. I believe if cheaper brands made a dupe out of a brush, the original must be super awesome. And yup, this is my go to brush for blending eyeshadow on the outer area.

MAC 09: even though this is a small contour brush, I use it to apply setting powder on my under eyes area. Good brush shall multi task!

Coastal Scents Pro Blending Fluff: I bought this because it’s a dupe for MAC217 which apparently I already had. Why? Because I want to test the comparison. Not bad in performance, even though the bristles is more coarse than MAC, but hey..it’s so cheap so don’t complain. 

MORPHE M510: it’s a round blender for eyeshadow application. Some might find it’s too big for the eyelids alone, but I have wide eyelids, so it fits just fine. Sometimes, I use this for applying highlighter on upper cheeks too.

ZOEVA102: a vegan taklon foundation brush. Not a vegan myself, but I love this brush. I use this to blend liquid foundation as it won’t leave any weird strokes on my face.

ZOEVA106: I bought this as a set with other Zoeva brushes on this list (Classic Set Brush), and this one also has vegan bristles. Super soft and big enough to dust loose powder all over my face. 

MAC266: my go to eyeliner brush, as I love gel eyeliner. This made application super easy, as I also love to do cat eyeliner.

MAC208: I believe it is 208, as it’s so old…the logo already faded away. But the performance of the brush is still like the first time I used it. This is an eyebrow brush, I use it with brow powder.

OVAL FOUNDATION BRUSH: this is a dupe of Artis oval foundation brush which costs like 10 times more. And of course this has no brand, costs only IDR 50K. Pretty dense bristles, I was skeptical when I first washed them as I was afraid all the bristles might fall off after the first wash. Turned out after hundreds of washes, it’s still look the same. So yeah…never judge the performance by its’ price. 

MAC Isabel & Ruben Toledo 129SE: I love limited edition, but living in Jakarta made it harder to get one. My husband bought this for me in Malaysia. Even though this is a powder/blush brush, I use this every day as a blush brush. The fluffy round bristles made the blush looks so natural..like glow from within. 

ZOEVA142: Last but not least, concealer buffer brush. A handcrafted brush which I use to apply concealer around the eyes. I rarely use it to cover acne or brown spots, as I prefer to use my finger to pat concealer on spots. 

So yeah…that’s all folks. My suggestion if you want to collect makeup brushes:
* Acknowledge your need, not what you want (hello impulse buyer!!!)
* Find review of the brushes
* Deciding to save or to splurge (expensive ones do last longer)

Next on my brush bucket list is the fan brush…I’m thinking to get one right now…hmmmm

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

NO MORE BAD NAIL DAY

Just like hair, I always feel good when my nails look pretty.

That’s why I’m excited when I got invited to the launch of REVLON COLORSTAY GEL ENVY LONGWEAR NAIL ENAMEL earlier this month.

At the event, I found out from their Brand Manager, that Revlon was actually launch nail polish first before everything else way back in 1932. They surely upped their nail game with these latest innovation!

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Personally, I love gel nails for their shine, fast drying and long lasting factor. Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Longwear Nail Enamel covered two out of three! They look like gel with the shine (thanks to the formula which contain optical brighteners) and they’re long lasting too (they’ll chipped after 7 days on me). Even without the ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat, they already shine like gel nails.

Yup…there are two steps to achieve these nails. The color comes with base, so no need to apply base coat beforehand. After color, then top coat. Very time-saving indeed, no need for UV light. And best of all, these nail shades allow us to change as often as we want (they’re really cheap at IDR 70K a pop). As for removal, just use your regular nail remover without any hassle to go to the nail salon to remove your gel nails. Easy peasy!

I tried the shade “Queen of Hearts”, a pretty bluish bold red shade. Pretty, right? In total, they have 10 shades…and I’m already thinking to change to that cute turquoise shade named “Dealer’s Choice”.

Thanks Revlon Indonesia and Fimela.com for having me and fellow bloggers.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

WHY I LOVE KYLIE LIP KIT?

It took me awhile to buy this super famous lipstick from Kylie Jenner.

Why? Because online shipping from KylieCosmetics.com is surely not available to ship to Indonesia where I live. But then if they can do it, the tax will be absurd..more than the price of the kit itself. And….the online shops here are charging us cray cray. Some sold them for almost IDR700K per kit (while it cost only USD$29 online on KylieCosmetics). It almost doubled the original price when converted to our currency.

So I decided to wait until the whole hype is cooling down, with the hope that the price will decrease. And they did! So I bought CANDY K LIP KIT for IDR600K (including shipping-not bad) from my regular online shop here in Indonesia.

I picked this shade because I believe I haven’t had this colour in my collection. After the unboxing video happened, first thing first…the scent. The liquid lipstick does have a quite strong scent..like vanilla/butterscotch scent. But the scent won’t stay there forever after applied. The texture is quite liquidy but after applied, it turned matte shortly. The wand is long, so it does make applying session more easy and picked up the liquid in enough portion for one use. I believe one layer is enough, as if you piled it up it might get cracky.

Have to admit…I looovvveee the lip liner. It is very opaque in texture but not drying at all. I never attempt to fill the whole lips with the pencil though, but for lining…it is the champion so far! Minus factor: this ain’t no automatic ones, so have to sharpen manually.

Don’t you think this shade looks very photogenic? I love how it felt on my lips..it’s not super drying (you still need to moisturise before applying this), and somehow I believe my lips look plumper and bigger when I use this. Still far from Kylie’s though..LOL.

As for the longevity…it might slipped off if you eat oily foods (especially on inner lips), but it won’t transfer on a cup when you drink. Touch up is needed, but do make sure you wipe the whole thing off before, as it might get tacky if you applied on top of the previous one.

Final verdict: come to think of it, the quality comes with the price. Since they come in pair (lip liner and liquid lipstick), somehow it sounds affordable for this super hype brand. Anyway, high end lipsticks can go way beyond for just the lipstick itself. But my suggestion for all Indonesians who want to buy this online in Indonesia..don’t pay more than IDR600K.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

WHERE DO I GO FOR FACIAL?

I got questions about this a lot.

Frankly speaking I don’t like facial that involves acne or blackhead extraction. It hurts. The only thing that I love about facial is simply the massage. Don’t we all?

But then again, we all need facial. At least, once a month to clear out those clogged pores because a simple exfoliation with scrub at home just won’t do if you have problematic skin like me. Please don’t try to pinch that thing out of your skin, because it’ll cause pores trauma (yes, pores can have traumas) and make them look larger than life. 

I trust JAKARTA AESTHETIC CLINIC to do my facial. They called it “COMEDONES PEELING” (peeling komedo in my languange-bahasa). The clinic itself doesn’t look like an ordinary clinic, I always feel like going to a spa when I entered their door. Private rooms with spa music and very modern and comfortable chair, this skin clinic belongs to dr. Olivia Ong, dipl. AAAM, an aesthetician and Anti-Aging Specialist. 

Here are the steps of the treatment:

1. Cleansing to remove makeup, dirt and oil with cleansing milk and facial foam.

2. Peeling will be applied on clean skin. It’s a very straight forward procedure, using a clear peeling gel (which is exclusively available in this clinic). This peeling gel will absorb into the skin to soften any clogged pores in about 3 minutes with hot steam on, therefore it’ll be easier for the beautician to extract the comedones later.

3. Extraction process is less painful than the other facials I’ve tried elsewhere. That’s because of the peeling which already soften the comedones and during the extraction, hot steam will always on. 

Warning: explicit image of my comedones. LOL. 

4. Mask time. Using a clear gel mask with a cold steam. Don’t worry, it’s not as cold as you imagine..just like a cool breeze which I believe will tone down the redness after extraction process. Mask will not be hardened after 10 minutes recommended time with cold steam always on. 

The whole process only took about 30 minutes. Very simple yet effective facial. 

Here’s the complete address and phone number to call for further information about JAKARTA AESTHETIC CLINIC.

JAKARTA AESTHETIC CLINIC
Jl. Gunawarman No 11
Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
021-72793150

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA (yes, I did a selfie during this peeling facial LOL).

ACE YOUR BASE

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I’m a new comer in this liquid foundation saga, actually. I used to wear compact foundation in powder texture because I believe it will help me look matte all day long. Well….I was kinda wrong. Though it did look matte when applied, compact foundation have its’ cons. In some dry areas, compact foundation can look unnatural (like people can tell if you’re wearing foundation), and for dry skin it might result in cracks along side of nose, under the eyes and smile lines. Not good.

That’s why these days I believe in the power of liquid foundation. As I age and so does my skin, liquid foundation really does help in terms of even out my skin tone and if I chose the right one (shades and textures wise), it can do even more, like conceal imperfections and create those clean & flawless look.

And this foundation was sent to me by Shiseido. At the box it stated: “An intelligent, long-lasting foundation that beautifully enhances your complexion with vibrance. Flawlessly undetectable. Like it belongs to your skin”. WOW! It had me at everything they stated already. So, here goes my review.

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Packaging: comes in 30ml frosted glass bottle with pump. One pump is definitely enough for the whole face and neck lines.

Shade: mine is Rose 3, because I have pink undertone. But they have neutral shades for more neutral undertones and golden shades for yellow undertones.

Texture: light but not watery. Very pigmented yet super easy to blend with sponge. And the fact that they come with SPF20, scored!

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Voila! That’s me after using the foundation.

I like the fact that it did settle very well on my combination skin, I’m really oily on T-Zone and dry on the rest. I only use under eye concealer on the pic above, so this foundation really gives that good coverage without feeling heavy. And it lasts throughout the day without getting cracky. Of course, I applied moisturiser beforehand and set with setting powder for more matte look. But I believe with this foundation, you can skip powder for that natural look. Give it a try and you won’t believe how comfortable this foundation sits on your skin.

PERSONALISED IS KEY

This week I got invited to IOMA Indonesia event. Unlike any beauty event I attended, this one was quite different and unique. 

All the guests were ‘challenged’ at TWG Tea Salon & Boutique in Plaza Senayan, to discover our own signature tea blends. As you might already know, IOMA is a number one personalised skin care, so discovering my favourite tea blend is so bespoke. 

I visited TWG several times before, and yes they have so many choices of tea. But at this event, I learned so much more. Apparently, they differentiate their over 800 choices of tea by two general type: Single Estate and Blend. And if you’re a tea drinker like me, wouldn’t it be good to know where they’re coming from and what’s exactly you’re drinking?

Of course, TWG only offers the finest tea leaves from around the world, some are very limited in production which made them more expensive than the others. And yes, they also carefully maintain the hot water to preserve the flavour and aroma of their tea. Turn out, 90 degrees Celsius of hot water is best. Not boiling water nor the hot water from dispenser. And they also use the finest white bone china to serve their tea, because they claimed it’s the best. 

And yes, they only use the leaves once. That’s why you can’t ask for hot water refill in TWG because it’ll change the flavour and aroma of your tea. Interesting, right?

We tasted five different kinds of tea to find out our own favourite, ranging from white tea to blue tea (don’t worry..they’re not literally blue). And my fave will be the white ones. The taste…the aroma…perfect!

Of course, everyone has different favourite as we all have different taste and all. Same goes with our skincare. As our skin are different, we need the precise formula to make it perfect. Enter…..IOMA MA CRÈME. 

Translated into MY CREAM, these are personalised skincare. Made especially for each of us, by doing skin check first before the Beauty Advisor at the counter mix them for us. 

By doing skin check (recommended at every 6 weeks), we’ll know our skin’s need. 

Very high technology, yet very practical..they actually mix them in front of you. Divided into DAY & NIGHT cream, MA CRÈME is actually 1 active base (moisturiser) with 8 variable skin serums (3 hydrating and 5 regenerating). Each drop depends on our skin diagnosis. 

I’ll review them after I use these regularly for four weeks, so stay tune for the review. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

MUST HAVE FOR A PERFECT DOUBLE CLEANSE

Well, it did what they stated on the product. SHISEIDO PERFECT CLEANSING OIL.

For me, double cleanse is a must. No matter how late I went home or how tired and stressful I am, I wouldn’t sleep with my makeup on. And since I wear makeup everyday, my skin deserves to ‘breathe’ perfectly at night.

I have to admit, it was quite a struggle finding the right first cleanser to remove makeup and dirt. I started using cleansing milk as teenager, because it was the only makeup remover available on the market at that time. Imagine how many cotton pads had been wasted by me. LOL.

By time, there are cleansing water and cleansing oil. As an avid user of waterproof and long lasting makeup, I’ve tried some of both. I have to admit, cleansing water is good for oily skin, but for powerful waterproof makeup, it just didn’t cleanse well. As for oil, some that I’ve tried previously, are either to sticky for my oily skin, some stung my eyes, and blurred my vision. Not good.

Until I found Shiseido Perfect Cleansing Oil.

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With key ingredients such as mineral oil, glycerin & grapeseed oil and minimal floral scent, this cleansing oil is my current favorite for my double cleanse routine. I believe oil remove makeup and dirt better than cleansing water, because as you might already know…some makeup do contain oil. So yeah, oil meets oil!

How to apply? They recommend three pumps on the instruction leaflet, but two pumps are enough for me. Pour onto palm then rub directly on face. After a few rubs, add a bit water, rub more until it emulsified. Then rinse with more water.

The texture is clear like water and more liquidy than other cleansing oils that I’ve tried, making this cleansing oil the most lightweight. At my video above, I applied matte liquid lipstick and waterproof eyeliner pencil which I found were the most tough ones to remove. But look at how quickly they were gone with just a finger rub. It must be the Shiseido original Gentle Quick Removing Technology which claimed to rapidly reach deep down into the pores to thoroughly remove dirt & makeup.

The after feeling: very clean, yet no oil residue on hands and face. It won’t make the skin looks matte, however it’ll leave that sort of dewy effect but not shiny. Skin feels soft and plump, not dry. And yes, you can use this for daily use.

AFFORDABLE YET DELICIOUS BEEF BBQ IN TOWN

Earlier this week, I tried this Korean restaurant in Lippo Mall Kemang, Jakarta Indonesia, named MUJIGAE.

Not a new restaurant, but I don’t know why it took me awhile to try this casual Korean Food Restaurant. But then, my son tried it first with his friends, and he said it was delicious, so there I went.

There are several Korean restaurants in my neighbourhood, but I must say this Mujigae has the best yet super affordable barbecue beef. I went with my son and hubby, so there were three of us and we only spent less than IDR 300K including drinks. Bring cash, because they don’t accept credit cards yet.

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Other than the barbecue beef, we also ordered Bulgogi (shown above). It was a successful dish also, considering they sliced the beef thinly and very well marinated (the meat there is very tender & tasteful). Different from the beef barbecue which you have to put on the pan slice by slice, the Bulgogi’s meat are already on the pan.

Comes with the DIY mini grill pan (how cute, right?), the con is: when the fire is too big, watch out for the splattered oil and overcooked beef. By the way, our barbecue beef and bulgogi come with kimchi and nori sheets too. For drinks, try their Mango Yakult (very refreshing!).

Recommended? Hell, yeah. I’ll be back for sure.

Jakarta, the old town

Well, here’s the new post after a very long Lebaran’s holiday.

I went to Kota Tua yesterday. Been too long, because I live on the very different part of Jakarta, on the south. Meanwhile, Kota Tua is on the north side. With all the crazy traffic jam, this will be my visit after a few years. Yeah..that bad. But actually I always have this soft spot for everything historical. So when traffic was not that bad these days due to Lebaran’s holiday, off I go.

Until the end of this month (July 2016), they have this exhibition “Kota Tua Ruang Kita”. 

It was a non AC exhibition place, so expect hot weather, but nevertheless it was a very informative exhibition, explaining this vintage part of Jakarta from then till now. Let’s just hope that Kota Tua will be one of Unesco’s world heritage soon (as aimed by our current governor who’ve worked very hard for this project).

This exhibition is held on the second floor of this old building. Downstairs is a coffee shop named Historia. And of course, I wouldn’t missed the chance to sip a glass of ice Latte.

A glance of Historia’s entrance (cool, right?). Coffee served by Tanamera, so it’s good. But I didn’t eat anything, so I can’t say much about the food. 

PHOTOS: PINKY MIRROR

Eyes Are The Mirror Of The Soul

So they said. 

Yesterday, I attended Exoticon, soft cosmetic lens brand event, and they introduced their new brand ambassador, Pevita Pearce. 

This brand has been well known since 2001 and ever since, they’ve worked with many Indonesian celebrities before as their previous brand ambassador such as Krisdayanti and Agnes Monica. 

At the event, they explained that as a pioneer brand for colored soft lens, Exoticon and their campaigns “Play It Safe” and “Love Your Eyes” which will help and remind customers to use contact lenses safely. Yes, we want our eyes to look beautiful, but beautiful must first be healthy. And they will show us how to use contact lenses correctly. Perfect for first user like me. Yeah, (to tell you the truth), I’ve never ever wear contact lens before. The idea of inserting something inside my eyes terrifies me. But maybe that will change after I know the safest way to use one. I mean, getting gold colored soft lens will be super awesome. 

And thanks to the technology called SDD (sandwich Dyeing Doughnut), Exoticon is safe and comfortable. Registered to Ministry of Health in Indonesia, this multi-layer polymerization technology will make sure the color won’t fade too. They have lots (seriously, lots) of colors and patterns. Some came with cute boxes too. 

If you’re confused which collection to choose (they have X2, A+ and ICE), because they are very different in design and pattern, they have X2 Society App. Available in Google play, try this virtual app to choose every shades from their collection. 

Choose your skin tone and choose along all Exoticon collection. 

Comparison is also very important, to see which one suits us best. 

In this app, we can also find out detail information about products and beauty tips. 

For further information, please visit www.x2.co.id

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA