Tag: review

LIBERATE YOUR SKIN FROM HEAVY WEIGHT FOUNDATION

Frankly speaking, I’m not a huge fan of liquid foundation. See, I love to do my makeup as quick as possible, and using liquid foundation with brush and the need to blend them didn’t attract me. Until…

Yves Saint Laurent introduced their latest foundation, YOUTH LIBERATOR SERUM FOUNDATION. It’s the first serum-foundation by YSL and infused with the latest skin science, Glycanactif Complex, which does 3 actions in 3 compartments of skin for lift & pump effect. Let’s just say it works long-term under the skin as well as instantly gives that glowing complexion at the surface. 

I tried shades B30-Beige, and I love the result. My first selfie pic on the left shown myself without any foundation and concealer. The middle pic shown after using foundation only. And the after pic on the right shown after I set the foundation with powder. Surprisingly, even though the texture is quite thick, it was very easy to blend without using a brush. I pumped twice for the whole face only and it didn’t take long to blend. 

As for the coverage, it is a medium to high coverage foundation. So as you can see, I didn’t use any concealer to conceal my uneven skin tone (worst part on both sides of nose). Very good to hide any redness and small blemishes. I did feel like my skin glows from within without using any brightening powder, and even after I set with a non matte face powder, it’s still look naturally dewy. Thanks to YSL’s Color Tune-Up which reduces the appearance of the visible effects of time & magnifies skin tone to add a natural healthy glow to the complexion. 

It lasted really well throughout the day and the best part, it didn’t cake. Don’t be surprised if the shades look a little bit lighter on your face once applied, because it has SPF 20/PA++. The shades somehow will tune in to your own natural shade by time. 

Of course it’s a winner for me as it does save my time doing my makeup with a glorious glowing from within result. 

  1. I can skip my face serum
  2. I can skip my sunscreen
  3. I can skip my concealer

Yves Saint Laurent Youth Liberator Serum Foundation, now available in Indonesia at retail price Rp 750.000. Remember to always pick your shade correctly. 

SPRING FLING

Don’t you just love Spring makeup? Showered with gorgeous bright colors, Spring translated to be one of the most wearable makeup in the beauty business. Don’t trust me? Check out these looks by Make Up Store.

It’s great to know that our very own Jakarta, Indonesia has the first concept store in Asia which resembled the one in Make Up Store’s native Sweden. When I met Elaine Fong, Marketing Manager Make Up Store for Singapore & Indonesia for the Spring 2014 product launch previously, she said, “Even Singapore & Hong Kong haven’t got one.” Now that they have more than 200 stores worldwide, their Plaza Indonesia store is the must visit ones for beauty addicts. Check out my pics of the store above.

Make Up Store has different collection for each 4 seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. So you can imagine how walking to the store feels like. Lots and lots of makeup products, not to mention they also have range for tools, body care and face care too! This Spring, Make Up Store presents three collections and looks: FUSION, POETIC & DELUXE.

For red and pink colors fans, you’d be delighted with FUSION, a futuristic & eclectic interpretation of two feminine colors.

How to get FUSION look:

  • Blend the new Marble Eyeshadows in Blue Venato & Volcano to create colorful composition.
  • Apply Eyepencil in Not So Dark to complement the eyeshadow shades.
  • For a waterproof result, mix Cake Eyeliner in Dark Grey with Mixing Liquid to frame the eyes.
  • Stroke Volume Mascara to the lashes for that thick luxurious volume without the clump.
  • Pick your gloss. LED Lipgloss in Hot Pink, or Lipgloss Wand Duo in Clementis.

If you consider yourself as an artistic & dreamy, you’ll love POETIC. Sheer, romantic and light, this look also focus on nail decorations, perfect for nail art.

How to get POETIC look:

  • Blend Marble Eyeshadow in Rossi Asiago which is great as blush too.
  • Apply high pigmented Microshadow in Tiffany, Harlequin & Cava to create rich colors & long lasting result.
  • For more intense result, apply Eyepencil in Not So Dark to create that beautiful dark grey color.
  • Decorate your nails with choices of Flowers or Butterfly.

Last but not least, is my favorite look above all, DELUXE. The name said it all, it shows a luxurious look for those who enjoy all the good things in life. Perfecto! I tried the DELUXE look myself (as you can see at the pic above), thanks to Yani from Make Up Store Indonesia.

How to get DELUXE look:

  • Use Eyeprimer before applying Microshadow in Old Lace & Thistle for more long lasting effect, especially if you want them to last the whole day.
  • Complement those colors with Eyepencil in Not So Dark.
  • To add more shimmering effect, dust Eyedust in Sparkle & Umber.
  • Lipstick in Bittersweet will nurture and color your lips in the same time.
  • Top the lipstick with more sparkle using LED Lipgloss in Elegance.
  • Set the brows with Brow Set Fix in Tinted. Your guy can use them too!
  • Color those nails with Nail Polish in Jessica. It screams spring!

For more updates on products or promotions, follow Make Up Store Indonesia’s instagram @MAKEUPSTOREINDONESIA and their Facebook Page: MAKEUPSTORE-INDONESIA

DEFINITE MUST TRY FOR CULINARY EXPERIENCE

If you love to eat as much as I do, there’s a (quite) new bar&grill in Jakarta that you have to try.

Bluegrass Bar & Grill is located at Bakrie Tower in Kawasan Rasuna Epicentrum, Kuningan, Jakarta. They claimed themselves in their facebook page as an Asian Fusion Restaurant and American Restaurant. I went to this restaurant before they moved to a new location, and I personally love this one better. They have a quite large space to separate the smokers and non smokers, and the bar is the heart of the it. The ambience is quite masculine, do not expect girly things inside, but it’s cozy enough for family dine out (they have Kids Meal!).

When I visited BlueGrass today, it was lunch time, so lots of working people and I spotted some expats having their lunch break there, too. Miranda Tobing, Marcomm Manager for BlueGrass said, it’s much more crowded after office hours with lots of expats and younger crowds on weekdays. I can imagine the empty bar at lunch turned crowded after the sun goes down. 

From Miranda’s recommendation, I tried the appetizer, their signature mocktail, their best seller burger and the yummiest dessert ever! Let me break it down.

Perfect Chemistry: Very very refreshing but not too sweet mocktail. Combination of peach, lychee, kaffir lime leaf, lavender & peach syrup with fresh lime juice. It was a hot day, so this cold mocktail did live up to its’ name. Perfect!

Margarita Grilled Shrimp: Not even a touch of fishy smell from the grill prawns (maybe because they marinated it with Tequila?) and I love how they served them like satays. And the fruit salsa is very fresh, it really complement the taste of the grill prawns.

American Classic Burger: As classic as it can be, with a choice of bacon (turkey or pork). And yeay! They served chips, rather than french fries (lots of restaurant bored me with these burger companion). Also on the plate, fresh coleslaw. The homemade beef patty was marinated well and it didn’t taste dry. And the buns… they’re soft without crumbles and delicious.

Banana Cake: This made me bananas! What can I say, I have sweet tooth. Served warm, this sweet banana cake has this incredible sugar frosting on top which taste cold when you put them inside your mouth. Incredible warm and cold combination of dessert. Me likey!

MY HANDS ARE VERY BUSY

Being a health freak that I am, I wash my hands (I think) more than normal people do every day. Dry skin on the back of my hands and torn cuticles are the most disgusting problems when I forgot or too busy to care for my hands.

I typed (when I work to write for magazines or to blog), I deal with chains & the necklace making tools (when I work for my accessories online store) and I do my own laundry (I don’t trust my helper, pronto!). So, imagine how busy my hands are every single day. And…how often my hands being washed, dried, dirty, wash and dried again. Over and over.. Well you got the idea.

That’s why I keep my hand cream close. That close! I always have one in my beauty bag to travel and I keep one closer, on my bedside table. I tend to slathered more at night time. Me resting, and so do my hands! As you can imagine, I’ve tried plenty of hand creams. Many..many brands. But I found my hands keep coming back to L’Occitane. The good and trustable, Shea Butter Hand Cream. It absorbed quickly as 1,2 3, I love the tube packaging and the scent reminds me of Provence. Apparently, I’m not the only fans, as one tube of Shea Butter Hand Cream is sold every three seconds around the world. 

This year, Shea Butter Hand Cream celebrates its 20th anniversary (Yeay! Congrats!). And L’Occitane Indonesia invited me to try their famous signature hand massage and manicure in their pop up booth at Pacific Place, Jakarta, yesterday (thanks L’Occitane Indonesia). After the hand massage and manicure at the booth, I believe it’s very easy and time saving for all of us to try this hand treatment at home, instead of just slathering on hand cream to keep them hydrated. First, scrub for one minute with L’Occitane One-Minute Hand Scrub then rinse properly. Dry your hands with towel, and apply your choice of L’Occitane Hand Cream liberally on the back of the hands (& palms if you wish). Finally, brush on Shea Butter Nail & Cuticle Nourishing Oil on the cuticles. Voila! That simple and fast. 

You can easily find these L’Occitane products at L’Occitane authorized boutiques. Please be aware of counterfeit products, especially via internet sales. Where to shop? Please visit L’Occitane Indonesia’s website here. 

LIKE A SHOT OF CAFFEINE 

Pardonne-moi for such a long (too long) hiatus. You don’t wanna know why. But anyway…I am back!

This time, I’m going to review about body scrub from JUARA. One of their top product, Invigorating Coffee Scrub. JUARA, which actually means ‘champion’ in bahasa Indonesia, is 100% vegetarian, no animal testing, paraben free, contains no artificial colorants, sulfates or phthalates skin care products. Judging from these only, this brand is already a winner for yours truly. 

As you can see from my pictures above, the color of the scrub is dark, real dark. As for the texture (imagined grind coffee beans), it’s not as rough as I imagine it would be when applied and scrubbed. Some scrub made my skin red afterwards, but this one left me with no red marks. You might wonder about the coffee scent. Well, somehow, for me it smells more like a combination of chocolate and coffee. But yes, you definitely can smell the coffee there. 

I applied on dry skin, before shower, scrub and rinse. I love how it contains gentle, sulfate-free cleansing agents, so it acted as a cleanser too. No need for shower gel afterwards, even though it didn’t produce any foamy effects while rinsed. Touched with water, it gave this moisturizing feeling on my skin, a bit filmy. But…after I dried myself with towel, I can definitely feel the softness on my skin. And the chocolatey coffee scent did last longer than any shower gel I’ve tried. 

So, is this product a ‘JUARA’? You bet!

You can get JUARA products, here.

JUST LIKE THOSE CITIES THAT NEVER SLEEP

So do our skin.

For me, I don’t need breakthrough research and surveys about how lack of sleep can do bad things to my skin. The result(s) will be seen instantly in the morning, when my beauty sleep was lessen due to lots of things. Surely, they don’t call it ‘beauty sleep’ for nothing. Eyes look dark and puffy, and worst..skin look dull and prone to acne. 

Seriously, how on earth does sleep can save our skin? Well, according to medical research, lack of sleep leads to increased levels of stress hormones in our body. It can cause inflammation within the skin that subsequently leads to an acceleration of aging. Sleep deprivation also reduces our skin’s ability to stay hydrated and supple, leading to   a dull & dehydrated appearance. And…those with poor sleeping habits might have trouble with skin sensitivity and irritation due to a reduction in the skin’s ability to protect itself from chemicals & pollutants in the environment.

It’ll be nice to know, that our skin have their own ability to repair themselves at night. But it’s hurtful to know that as we age, our bodies naturally produce less melatonin, which affect our skin’s ability to repair itself at night. So, what to do? I love slathering on serum and cream before I go to bed every night, knowing that we naturally lose moisture during sleeping time. And lately, my favorite will be Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II. The 2013 version of their best selling and iconic Advanced Night Repair serum, combined the process of purification & synchronizing of night time repair so skin will look better and younger. 

At the press launch, the Estee Lauder Indonesia’s team applied it on the back of my hand, let it soak for two seconds, and sprayed water on top of it. They told me to flip my hand, and what do you know…the water didn’t fall down! It surely acts as moisture magnet and deliver non-stop hydration for the skin. The other additional benefits are anti-pollution technology to reduce the appearance of skin damage caused by UV rays and pollution, anti-oxidants to protect and repair damage to skin from daily ravages and hyaluronic acid to keep skin hydrated. 

Easily absorbed with no scent, I use one pump from the pipette every night on my face and neck area before my usual night cream. The result after I use it for almost a month now: let’s just say, my skin looks well rested in the morning even if the owner did not. 

BEAUTY IS NOT (ALL) PAIN, IT’S A SACRIFICE

I’m writing about eye brows embroidery. Lately, it’s booming everywhere in Jakarta, with all those different names and numbers.

Why did I say “Sacrifice”? Imagine this, for a woman who washes her hair and face each time she takes a bath, it is a BIG DEAL. No water for 7 days near the eyebrows area is a BIG DEAL for me. Yup, I also freaked out about the idea of doing local topical anesthetic, since the heavy anesthetic I had when I got caesarian to deliver my first boy didn’t work on me (thanks to all those pain killers I took). Let’s just say: I am P.A.R.A.N.O.I.D.

But, having a chat with Anggie Rassly herself(the lovely lady behind Brow Studio by Anggie Rassly), made me at ease. She said, “I’ll add the anesthetic cream if you still feel any pain while I do your embroidery.” Consultation with her is the first baby step before the whole brows embroidery thingy. She’ll ask about your best eyebrows moment, that moment when you felt you did great on drawing your own eyebrows (get some pics taken while at it). If you’re satisfied with her drawings, then it’s a go. Anesthetic cream was applied by her assistant, then she put the plastic wrap on top of each brows for about 15 minutes. And it all began.

Using embroidery machine, Anggie showed me the new super tiny needle that she’ll use for my eyebrows. Did I feel the pain of the needle? Well, between yes and no. Because she only did it on outer layer of the skin (epidermis), let’s just say it didn’t hurt that bad. It was like a quick repeatable pinches. She used golden brown ink on my eyebrows, judging from my eyeballs color (Anggie won’t pick a color based on clients’ hair colors because she know they changed all the time-so me!). The whole process took about 45 minutes for me, but just a tip, spare more time to chat with Anggie, she’s really a great chatter even if she just met you that day. She said, “by chatting, I’ll know a bit about my future clients’ characters. From there, I can decide which shape of eyebrows suited for her/him.”

Ehm, him? Yup, FYI Anggie has many men clients. Apparently they wanted to get rid of their bushy brows. One of her men client, was an 11 years old boy. Seriously? “Yes, his mom brought him here, because he was playing around with a scissor and accidentally cut off his own eyebrows. So I fixed them for him,” said Anggie.

Here comes the hardest part (at least for me): not washing your eyebrows for a week. No water, no cleansing milk, no toner, no nothing near eyebrows. Pronto! So what a girl should do? Here’s what I did: I didn’t wash my face in the shower like I used to do. I used facial wipes to clean my forehead, stayed away from any eye makeup for a week and washed from eyes down only. It should do the trick, even though at the fourth days (as I’ve been told by Anggie) they’re going to be itches and flaking process (see my pics for details).

My verdict after the whole eyebrows embroidery thing? I regret all those moments in the past when I have to draw my eyebrows early in the morning while I was still sleepy and I regret that awkward moment when I popped out of the swimming pool with no eyebrows in tact. Nowadays, I wake up every morning with beautiful eyebrows. And….if I have one till two more years of these beautiful eyebrows in tact (that’s how long they’ll last so I’ve been told), I am a (really) happy woman.

Brow Studio By Anggie Rassly
Jl. Gunawarman No. 57, Kebayoran Baru
Jakarta Selatan
Telp : (021) 7067 3337 / 0811 1890 283 

 

THE CRISPIEST KATSU EVER

Don’t call yourself one of the Japanese foods’ fans if you never tried Katsu at Katsusei.

Located at two of prestigious malls in Jakarta, Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia, Katsusei just opened their third outlets in Gedung Sentral Senayan 1. And to introduced their latest menus and Special Lunch Set, fellow medias and bloggers were invited to their outlet in Plaza Indonesia, to have lunch with the owner, Sylvia Gunawan (she’s also the founder of MIKA Japanese Bistro which I’ve previously featured here).

Known for their delicious and crunchiest cutlets, Katsusei is a franchise Japanese restaurant from Utsunomiya, Japan and the first and only katsu-specialized Japanese restaurant in Indonesia. “We made our own fresh panko (that’s bread crumbs, btw) at least twice a week to keep the crunchiness of our katsu. Even the vegetables were cut one hour before lunch time to keep them fresh when served. And try our rice, it’s the best quality of Japanese rice,” said Sylvia during the press event last Wednesday.

First, we were served with the side dish, Atuyagi Tamago. Steamed egg rolls come in layers, served cold with shoyu and horse radish. The unique flavors of sweetness from the eggs and saltiness of shoyu made this side dish a good starter before the main course. Then came the hot soup, Miso. No fishy taste and smell, nice soft seaweeds and fluffy tofu made this soup a warm welcome for the long awaited crispy cutlets. What I love about Japanese culinary is their tradition. And Katsusei offers the authentic recipes right down to the DIY making of their secret recipe sauce, Tonkatsu. Small bowl and crushed stick from wood was provided to grind our own Tonkatsu sauce. First, get some sesame seeds, grind with circling motion then add the sauce just the way you like it. I enjoy doing it and hearing the crunchy sound of sesame seeds being grind. And the crunchiness didn’t stop there, as the main course arrived. Mixed Chicken and Shrimp Fry served with lemon slices arrived at our table, looking delicious and so golden, just like those food plastics I’ve seen when I entered the restaurant. Served with the DIY Tonkatsu Sauce, I can feel the crunch (thanks to the fresh Panko) as I bite and the softness of the chicken and shrimp inside. It was like a blast of flavors, a combination of sour, sweet and savory in a bite. And even though I’m not a big fan of white rice, I really love Katsusei’s rice. It wasn’t as sticky as other Japanese restaurants I’ve tried, just a great taste of white rice. I believe because the Japanese people are so picky when it comes to their rice. “All the authenticity of Katsusei’s menu are supervised by our Japanese Head Chef, Mr. Takeshi Kato, so the quality was unquestionable,” add Sylvia.

Another Japanese tradition, after the rich meals, we were served with a complimentary glass of hot Hojicha Tea. They said, it was good to dissolve all the fats from fried food. Even though all the cutlets were fried with Canola Oil (100% fat free), we still want more fat free, right? After sipping the rather bitter but very nice tea, desserts are coming. I picked the Coffee panna cotta, simply because I love coffee after meals. It was a really delightful food adventure day for me. 

FINISH WHAT I STARTED (MAKE UP EDITION)

They sure took a long way to be emptied, but as one emptied, time to move on to new beauties.

Here’s my thought of them:

  1. Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek : bought them in HK because of its’ packaging cuteness. The peachy color looks good on cheeks, not shimmering, but it didn’t win me on the long lasting category. Repurchase? I don’t think so.
  2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Eyebrow Pencil: bought them in BKK when I visited their salon to fix my brow. I love it, it stayed until I took it off, didn’t smudge when I accidentally rub my eyes (don’t you hate that when it happened?) and a perfect natural shade for my eyebrows. Repurchase? Unfortunately, this is the old version of their eyebrow pencil. But I’m definitely gotta buy the new one.
  3. Smashbox Contour Palette : bought them online. It did come with the small brush which surprisingly did OK contouring. I love how pigmented they are, even though for beginners, it will take a while to get used to blending the three shades right. Repurchase? Maybe.
  4. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion : bought them in Singapore. My holy grail of eyeshadow primer, which never fail. It has the right consistency of texture (not too liquid or too thick), it gave the matte look and last until I took my eye makeup at night. Repurchase? I had a new one already in my beauty case. Case closed.

THE MORE, THE MERRIER

I’m talking about 8, yes 8 in one beauty product.

Dr. Christine Schrammek (she was a dermatologist which created the first ever BB Cream in the world) would be very proud to see that she had created a craze in beauty business. While the first BB Cream was used in German on 1960 to treat post-op patients, it was getting hipper when it was introduced in Japan and Korea in 1985. Many Korean Pop artists used it to create flawless and healthy looking skin and (boom!!!) every one wants it….

… including me. Personally I love using BB Cream more than foundation for its’ ability to cover spots, acnes and all. For some beauty brands, it has evolved from being just a base makeup to more multi tasking skincare product. Like The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso BB Serum Inside, which has 8 benefits in one bottle. Allow me to break it down to you:

  1. Brightening
  2. Instant Hydration
  3. Natural Finish
  4. Easy Blendable
  5. UV Protection
  6. Soothing
  7. Evens skin tone
  8. Lightweight

At the launch event in Moovina, Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta, last week, Astrid Indrasari, Training Manager The Body Shop Indonesia explained “This BB Cream has lighter texture than the previous All-In-One BB Cream. And it was specially design for Asian market, including Indonesia.” Also at the event, dr. Amaranila Lalita Drijono Sp.KK, dermatologist shared her thought about BB Cream. “I believe that the whole idea about makeup, is to enhance your beauty, not to cover them. Which exactly what BB Cream did, it’s not an ordinary foundation or base makeup, but it has active ingredients for skincare to protect the skin from UV ray and free radicals.”

Shiso (which widely used in Japanese food), believed to reduce early melanin-making signals for brighter and luminous skin acts as the main ingredient. The other formula is vitamin C, liquorice and Community fair trade aloe vera from Guatemala, promised to brightens, soothes and protects skin against UV with SPF 25PA+++.

So, how do I like it? As I already have a fair skin color, can you tell from my pictures above that I actually got fairer? But look at the flawless finish and its’ ability to cover my dark under eye circles without the help of any concealer. I used one pump for the whole face and apply the rest on my neck. I can feel the different texture with their All-In-One BB Cream which I’ve reviewed previously here.  

This BB Cream is smoother, lighter and creamier with one radiant beige shade suits all. With the help of setting powder for the final touch, I believe that my skin stayed matte longer. The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso BB Serum Inside is now available at The Body Shop Indonesia’s stores, or you can buy it online here.