Tag: review

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.

 

 

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

NEW LIPSTICKS TO TRY : CRAYONS!

I’m in love with jumbo lip pencils. Pronto.

It seems like almost every beauty brands have one, from Revlon to Nars. Even Kate Spade came up with one. They called it Colorful Lipstick Crayons. Yes, this is a grown up version of crayons to put on your lips. Inspiring and creative collaboration between Kate Spade and Poppy King (the lipstick queen), I just love the playful packaging and the trio chubby lip pencils inside, named: Pop, Fizz and Cheers!.

As any chubby pencils, they’re unbelievably easy to apply, with the help of very creamy and moisturizing texture. I was using lip balm underneath in the above pictures, but I did skip lip gloss as they already give enough shine. Richly pigmented (just like they wrote in the box), we are encourage to mix the three colors as we wish. I believe the Fizz color is the shade that can tone down two other shades and add shimmers to the almost matte colors.

Anyway, I tried three individual crayons (it’s twist up, so no need for sharpener) by its’ own. Start with lined the lips, then fill them up with one swipe (cause I don’t like thick colors on mine). Their long lasting power is great and like crayons for kids, they’re fun to play with. Try if you don’t trust me. 

POP – shocking pink

FIZZ – shimmer peach

CHEERS! – coral red

CC CREAM : THE NEXT GENERATION

Did it live up to its “Color Correcting” name?

I purchased Rachel K Neutral CC Cream Blemish Balm in Singapore for the urge of trying what’s so hype about this so called the next generation of BB Cream.

Who is Rachel K, anyway? K, shorts for Kum, won Miss Singapore Universe title in 2009, and now a successful beauty entrepreneur, thanks to her love of make up. And CC Cream is one of her latest product, claimed to be a much-improved and refined BB Cream. With additional beneficial ingredients that are not in most of the BB Creams formula such as White Tea Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Deep Sea Water, Macadamia Nut Oil, Natural Vitamin E & Epidermal Growth Factor, Rachel K CC Cream promised to bring forth the quality of real skin-dewy, fresh, elastic with a glow.

Enough said, I followed the instruction on the box to apply. Five dots needed for each application: forehead, nose, both cheeks and chin. I applied on clean, moisturized skin so it looks a bit oily as you can see on the ‘before’ picture above. I blended with my hands, to get the feel of the texture. Its’ thick and gel like texture is a plus point as it’s easier to blend, just make sure you blend quickly before it dries. I didn’t smell any scents, so I supposed this CC Cream is fragrance free. Another plus points.

Unlike any BB Cream that I’ve tried before, this CC Cream sets to a matte almost powdery finish. But, since I have very oily skin, I still use face powder for the final touch. The matte effect did seem to last for about 4 hours on me throughout my day, before I have to touch up again. The neutral color is perfect for my skin tone, it just disappeared and made my skin look brighter.

As you can see, it did correct my skin tone, especially the redness around both side of my nose. Unfortunately (this is the minus point), it didn’t cover pimples and dark circles. So, I suggest you use extra help (read: concealer) for this matter. For above picture, I didn’t use any concealer at all. I promised myself, the second time around, I’ll use my under eyes concealer and MAC Studiofix as the final touch.

Overall, I felt comfortable using this CC Cream, as it felt like a second skin (but much better) without those heavy feelings like liquid foundation. I’m ready to convert to CC (next brand to try and review, CHANEL), as currently I prefer more effortless and natural makeup for daily look. How about you?

 

 

DRY HEELS, BE GONE

If fish pedicure eek you, this product will save you.

Before they are cracked under high pressure, treat your feet with some tender loving care. Dry heels is one thing, cracked heels are not pretty and they hurt.

Thankfully, this classic yet sometime neglected problem because they’re down there unseen, has a solution. The Body Shop Peppermint Intensive Foot Rescue. I tested it on my son’s quite severe dry heels, because fortunately I didn’t have the problem.

I rubbed them on my son’s feet before his bedtime and put on his own socks. The texture is buttery, thicker than The Body Shop’s other favorite, Body Butter. It melts easily upon rubbing and the scent of peppermint oil smells great. It really helped my son’s dry heels overnight. When he took off his socks in the morning, the patchy parts on my son’s heels are 95% gone. He was happy with the result and the mother (that’s me) was surprised to see how this product really rescued overnight.

 

 

 


IF PICTURES CAN SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS

An adventure to the land of million bricks.

I’m going to share my family experience in Legoland, Malaysia. Seriously, our visit was right on time. We went on January 8, 2013, while everyone (well…almost) has gone back to work and school. So the park was quite empty, there were no queues at any of their rides and attractions.

Legoland Malaysia which opened last September 2012, is a theme park located in Nusajaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is the first Legoland theme park in Asia, and my youngest son is such a big fan of Lego bricks, so (like any loving parents) we decided to take the boys there for their school holiday.

Since we visited from Singapore, our plan was to take a shuttle bus straight from Changi Airport to Kota Raya Terminal in Johor Bahru, then continuing by taxi to our hotel (Thistle). It turned out to be a cheap yet complicated one hour transportation. Due to immigration purpose, we had to drag our luggage down from the bus to the immigration two times. And the bus will leave us no matter what, if we didn’t show up at the appointed stop within 15 minutes. Guess what? The immigration process took longer than 15 minutes.

Of course, we got left behind by the shuttle bus. Two times, on the way to Johor Bahru and on the way back to Singapore. Such no luck with shuttle busses, we ended up paying more for cab fares.

I hope my pictures (for more, click here) can tell a lot about our one day visit to Legoland. We had fun, nevertheless all the transportation and immigration problems.

INFO

–       There are seven themed areas, named The Beginning, Lego Technic, Lego Kingdoms, Imagination, Lego City, Land of Adventure and Miniland.

–       Miniland, where all the Asian landmarks (such as Singapore Flyer and Petronas Tower) at, have been recreated using more than 30 million Lego bricks, on a scale 1:20.

–       Some attractions like Legoland Express, Dino Island and Pharaoh’s Revenge will close at sunset due to safety reason (aka darkness). So make sure you plan wisely.

–       Maximize your Lego’s craving in “The Big Shop”. Literally the biggest shop at the whole park (there are 5 in totals), it offers the largest selection of Lego toys in Asia.

–       There are three restaurants indoor and four open air restaurants to choose inside the theme park. From western meals like pizza, pasta and chicken wings, right down to local delicacies like prawn mee and nasi lemak.

–       There’ll be Legoland hotel, but it’s still in progress, reportedly open in 2014.  Check out other hotels nearby. We stayed at Thistle Hotel, which have free shuttle to Legoland, a very nice pool and spacious room. It takes 30 minutes from our hotel to Legoland.

TIPS

–       If you can manage your time freely, visit the park at the low season.

–       Check their website regularly, as they might have ticket discount for early birds (which only available for online purchase).

–       Use the strongest SPF that you can find.

–       Bring hats, sunglasses, umbrellas (anything to protect you and your family from the blazing sun and thunderstorm).

–       Even though you might not get lost (trust me, it’s so easy to get around), get a map when you first entered the gate.

–       Don’t bother to bring your baby stroller, just rent it there.

–       Too much to bring? Rent a locker. It’s located at the gate as well.

–       Bring extra clothes, just in case you got soaked from all the fun (but wet) attractions.

–       If you decided not to eat inside the theme park and opt for fast food feasts, the Medini Mall which located just outside the theme park, has Burger King and KFC. Make sure you told the friendly people at the gate that you’ll be coming back to get a stamp on your hand.

–       Wow, mall outside the theme park? Don’t get too excited, dear. It’s not what you think it is. The stores were BLAH (I wish they move the Johor Premium Outlet there). Trust me, nothing exciting, except Burger King and KFC. LOL.

–       Go early, be there when the park opens at 10AM. If the park is not crowded, you’ll be finish at approximately 4PM (rode all attraction one time). They close at 6PM.  

–       Instead of going adventurous like us, I recommend to take a complete tour package, especially if you’re travelling with babies or toddlers. The transportation from and to Singapore sucks.  

 

 

 

CLEANING IS EVERYTHING

For me, my makeup tools are my investment, just like my bags..(OK) and shoes. LOL. I do take care of them regularly. Do you?

Seriously, how often do you clean your makeup tools? Me, I do it once a week. One, they’re not cheap and I want them to live as long as me. And… I can’t bare to imagine those bacteria and oils transmitted on the brushes and sponge.

My favorite cleanser is probably the most affordable and most loved by bloggers : Daiso Detergent for puff and sponge. In Singapore (when I bought it), it only cost two dollars. So cheap, yet so effective and hard to get (mostly sold out). Not only removing any makeup build-ups on sponge and puff like it said on the packaging label, but it’s great for brush as well. Though I wish it smell nicer (like baby powder, maybe?) instead of just scentless, but for two dollars a pop, I’ll keep my lips tight for now.

This is how I clean my makeup tools with the detergent.

–       Pour warm (not hot) water inside a small bucket and stir a bit of the detergent until creating bubbles. Don’t expect any extravagant bubbles, though.

–       Dip inside all the makeup tools, leaving the handles on top.

–       Soak for 5 minutes, stir until you see the water color changed from clear to yucky.

–       Wash under clear warm running water until clean perfectly.

TIPS :

– Wash at night. Put them on a clean dry towel to absorb any wetness and let them air dry. Make sure it’s totally dry before you use them, or else they might smell.

– Another best cleanser for makeup tools (especially brushes), is baby shampoo. It’ll keep the softness and suppleness of the brushes.

 

 

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING  

As years gone by, I learned the importance of having the right night skin care. 

I’ve tried more than my fair share of night creams and serums, but my my my…it was so hard to find the right one. I want it light, non greasy, absorb immediately, yet effective and proven overnight without causing redness or worst..breakouts. A lot to ask, right? And I finally found: Make Up Store Hydra Night.

One of the skin care line from the Sweden’s beauty brand, exactly did what I wanted in a night cream. Simply called Hydra Night, don’t be fooled by its’ simple and chic dark packaging that looks like a cream jar. It’ a pump, which I thought is better and more practical, rather than you have to clean spatula after each used. Who has the time to do that, anyway?

I love the velvety texture, can’t explain it, but it seems like a mixture of cream and lotion. And the scent is not overpowering (some night creams are so harsh it made me hard to sleep), smell more vanilla-ish than flower-ish. The absorption is very good, and it didn’t leave any sticky or (worst) oily feeling. Applied on cleansed skin at night (two times pumped for the whole face), I believe it made my skin look more toned and very well hydrated (after that Air Condition blasted for more than 8 hours). When I used it on the back of my hands, they also feel soft and look rosy. It’s my current favorite night cream, I may say.

BEAUTY REVAMP

Never a better timing, no?

My first blog for 2013. I’m going to share my attempt for beauty revamp. This is not a beauty resolution, just a slightly different products changing.

So, what changed?

Powder Foundation to BB Cream
I used to love all the coverage that Powder Foundation gave me, but lately BB Cream feels a lot lighter. Not to mention, the final glowing result after BB Cream absorbed and adjusting to my skin, it’s fantastic. From now, I only use Powder Foundation only for special occasion, if I need more coverage.
My pick : KIEHL’S ACTIVELY CORRECTING & BEAUTIFYING BB CREAM (which will be launch this year in Indonesia-thanks for Kiehl’s Indonesia for letting me tried it before launching date).

Lipstick to Jumbo Lip Pencil
Or Lip Crayon or whatever they called it. I love how effortless it is to line and fill lipstick in the same time. No more wrong outline lips, especially if you’re bright lipstick fans like me.
My pick : NARS VELVET MATTE LIP PENCIL

Nail Polish to Nail Stickers
My hero when I’m too lazy to wait for ordinary nail polish to dry. Might be tacky for first timer, but when you got the hang of them, you’ll become a nail stickers master. Warning: it might chipped easily, but for me it’s perfect. I never put on nail polish for more than 3 days anyway, to avoid dullness and yellow looking nails.
My pick : OPI PURE LACQUER NAIL APPS

Loose Powder to Mineral Powder
Lately I’ve noticed redness around my nose. Ordinary loose powder won’t do the trick to reduce them, so I switched. Mineral powder, especially the ones created especially to reduce redness seem to work for me now. No retouching required and it doesn’t crack when I smile, so perfect!
My pick : CLINIQUE REDNESS SOLUTIONS INSTANT RELIEF MINERAL POWDER