Tag: review

NEW LOCAL BRANDS: VOTRE PEAU & FÉRNANDO

I don’t know about you, but I always feel safe when I tried new skincare products that created by well-known dermatologist. I met dr. Kevin Maharis at one of the beauty event last year, and great to know that he and his brother, dr. Ricky (also a dermatologist) launched VOTRE PEAU & FÉRNANDO. 

If you go to their website, you can see that currently they don’t have too many products yet. But from the look of the packaging (I love the illustration) and the quality of the products, I am pretty sure this local Indonesian brand will bloom soonest. 

They sent me four products, two skincare and two liquid lipsticks to try. 

VOTRE PEAU VITAMIN C SERUM

One of their best selling product, this serum is an anti-oxidant to be used before everything else. My first impression: a very nice non-sticky serum, easily absorbed and didn’t leave any strange glow or shimmer on skin. I love it already! Comes in pump bottle and thick gel texture. The grapefruit scent is not over-powering, and I can’t wait to see my skin getting better using this. They claimed it can reduce the appearance of dark-circles under the eyes area, too. I’ll update you guys on this matter.

VOTRE PEAU BRIGHTENING SPRAY SAKE ESSENCE

Yes, Sake. Apparently, sake contains kojic acid which will delay pigmentation and brighten the skin. They claimed that this is safe for sensitive skin and no side-effects, even if we use it several times daily. Comes in spray bottle and matte watery texture, this actually have no scent. First impression: very refreshing, and sprayed evenly. And like the serum, it didn’t leave any stickiness or any greasy feeling. 

FÉRNANDO MATTE LIP CREAM 

They sent me two shades to try: RUSSIAN ROULETTE & SPICE ROUTE. Love the glamorous packaging which reminds me a bit of KYLIE. First impression: when I swatched on my hand, they dried fast and I have to use cleansing oil to wipe them off. Long live longevity, indeed!

Russian Roulette is red coral-ish. It’s a very bold red, which I believe will be in this year. Bye bye nude! 

Spice Route is a dark mauve. An everyday must-have if you’re not a big fan of red shades. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: GAYA SPA WELLNESS, JAKARTA

Indonesians love Body Massage, me included.

Lucky us, spa treatment here is more affordable than the rest of the countries in the world I’ve visited in my life. And their treatments are much better, IMHO.

For us, Jakartans, just seating down in a car, (or worse) driving the car, can wreck havoc to our body, because of the darn traffic. So…yeah…we need spa treatment every weekend. And guess what? This specific spa treatment in GAYA SPA JAKARTA is recommended to do once a week. And it only took us 60 minutes to do so.

They do have lots of traditional massages, from Java to Sumatra and Sulawesi, but last week I went there to try their TRADITIONAL BODY MASSAGE TREATMENT: a deeper layer massage using thumbs and long strokes, which claimed to help release muscle tension and improve blood circulation.

When I entered the spa, it was really quiet, such a contrast with all the construction that happened outside (because it’s located on a really crowded street). SInce they’re using Spa Essentia products, we can see a whole array of the products on display. 

My room which named Martup is the couple’s room, it was huge with a separate shower and bathtub. 

First thing, foot bath with flowers and essential oil. Very relaxing first step before the body treatment. 

My therapist, Lili used her gentle yet powerful strokes with warm essential oil for the massage which felt heavenly. After the treatment, she recommended not to take a bath at least an hour after the treatment, because my pores were open due to the massage. She offered warm towel wipes, but I decided to let it be and went around afterwards with massage oil on my skin LOL. Luckily, it didn’t feel as sticky as I thought. 

After the treatment was done, the therapist brought your choice of hot drink to the room. I opted for their ginger tea which tasted really good.

This is a nice place to visit for traditional spa treatments, the ambience supported the feel and the whole treatment was heavenly. I’ll be back for sure to try their other treatments.

Remember to call first before your treatment to do reservation. Visit their website here for more infos. 

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: VOV ALL DAY STRONG EYE COLOR & LIP COLOR

Thanks VOV Indonesia (@vovmakeupid) for sending me their latest products to review
which comes in a pretty black makeup pouch.

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Unlike most of Korean brands which concentrate on skincare products, VOV strengthened
its position in Indonesia to be the only K-Makeup who concentrates on colors
makeup. And these are their latest innovations eye & lip colors makeup: ALL
DAY STRONG EYE COLOR & LIP COLOR. Both come in chubby retractable matte
pencil packaging, with a big round tip.

Here’s my review.

ALL DAY STRONG EYE COLOR

They sent me three shades of eye color to try, SL 211 (Silver Salt), PK 101 (Diabouquet) and BR 802 (Nude Foundation). As the name stated, SL 211 is shimmery silver, PK 101 is light
pink with shimmer and BR 802 is a pretty caramel shade with matte texture. I
believe it’s the only matte in the range. Please … please make more matte
shades in the future.

Personally, I don’t like to use shimmer and creamy eye color because I have oily lids and the colors will look ugly by noon. But with this VOV ones are different. Even though the two out of three shades, SL 211 and PK 101 are shimmery, they didn’t end up with oily lids
look. Judging from the swatch I did on a piece of paper, not even a slight of oil shown after 24 hours.

The best part: the shades stay true even if I don’t use eye primer and they didn’t crease by the end of the day.

I recommend to use these as eye shadow, not liner, because the tips are kind of big and round which make it difficult to reach small corner. And, make sure you blend fast after applying, because they tend to set faster than any eye color pencils I’ve tried. I love to bring these as a part of my traveling makeup kit, as I don’t have to worry they’ll be
broken to dust.

ALL DAY STRONG LIP COLOR

Being K-Makeup, their shades are limited to pink, red and orange. I wish they’ll
extend to nude shades because I really like their texture. They sent me three shades:
PK 101 (Pingvely), RD 302 (Smoke Red), and OR 202 (Coralster). As you can see
on the swatch I made, PK 101 is more to fuchsia than a true pink, RD 302 is a
brownish red and OR 202 is coral with touch of pink. These shades are lovely
bright, perfect to wear with nude eyes look.

Very smooth and creamy texture, therefore really easy to apply (you can skip lip
liner because these can act like one, too). Unlike some K-Makeup lipsticks I’ve
tried, these are super pigmented and gave matte finish without exaggerating any
lip lines. And hardly any kiss-up…yes, they’re transfer-proof but no worries,
they’re easily remove by cleansing oil.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: L’ORÉAL INFALLIBLE

December is a month of joy for me, indeed.
Thank you Sociolla and L’Oréal for this exclusive box, L’ORÉAL INFALLIBLE BOX,
which I received before the range was even launched in www.sociolla.com. I’m honored to be one of the chosen bloggers to review them first.

So I’ve heard a lot of good things from International Bloggers and Vloggers about the liquid foundation in this range. That’s why I’m beyond excited to unbox this red box (see my instagram @shintarosvita).

These are my thoughts about each of them:

STAY FRESH FOUNDATION

They claimed that the foundation will last until 24 hours, but seriously who wore it that long? My ordinary day with foundation on usually last from 9 AM to 9 PM at the latest, so it’s like half of what they claimed. On my super busy days, I rarely have time to touch up, so yes … I need a champion liquid foundation for my super oily skin. And this one
fits my criteria. Besides the long lasting factor (it’s not easily rub off),
the fact that it comes with pump bottle, has medium coverage, and matte but not
flat texture instantly won my heart. It gave me this fresh and natural skin
look, without getting cakey in the middle of my activity. I’ve received two in
the box, shade number 115 (Nude Beige) which is too light for me and 220 (Sand)
which is too dark. So I mixed both, and voila! I found my perfect shade.

MAKEUP EXTENDER SETTING SPRAY

Funny thing, I just watched Nikkia Joy’s YouTube about how to stop your makeup getting oily & shiny. And in the video, she sort of ‘rearrange’ makeup routine. Instead of primer first, she used setting spray first before everything else, and again at the very end. Yes,
two times of setting spray. So, I tried Nikkia’s trick with this Setting Spray.
I like the chunky matte spray bottle and the scent (which reminds me of
cinnamon), but when sprayed, the mist were a bit heavy, so be careful when you
have your clothes on. Once sprayed (shake well first), let it soak and dry,
especially if you use this at the end of your makeup routine. It did make my
blush hold for a lot longer (usually my blush will disappeared by mid-day). As
for the rest of my makeup, I still need to blot here and there, but at least my
foundation and powder stayed intact, not on the blotting paper.

PRO-CONTOUR

I guess this will work for those who want practicality on their makeup routine. Highlight & contour in one palette. For me, it’s a bit tacky to pick one up without touching the other. Since I have very light skin tone, number 813 (light) works best. The highlight shade
gave subtle sheen, and the contour is matte. Make sure you apply after
foundation before powder to make the shades more visible.

PRO-LAST LIP COLOR

These are serious lips business. I’ve tried so many lipsticks in my blogging life, but none compared to the lasting power of these babies. When I did the swatch on my hand, it took me two times of cleansing oil to erase them (don’t try to wipe them off with micellar water, it won’t work-trust me). They’re dual sided, liquid lip color on one end and clear lip
balm on the other. Liquid goes first before the balm, as the balm supposed to
lock and sets the color for their claim of 24 hours coverage. As you can see,
the liquid lip color is not matte, in fact they’re more glossy and shiny. It did
apply easily but can get a little dry on mid-day. I suggest to totally reapply
after eating, as it can get flaky if you do touch-up only. Of all six shades
I’ve received, my favorite is number 201 Everlasting Caramel (end right).

From L-R: 223,123, 211,113, 221, 201

NEVER FAIL LIPLINER

First of all, it already won me over their retractable packaging (I dislike sharpening). But be very careful as you twist, as it’s prone to breakage due to their super creamy formula. Just like the name of the product, their shade names are descriptive & super straight forward. It glides easily to frame lips and give that matte full lips look if worn alone
(always moisturize first). FYI, I have a soft spot for muted neutrals, so my
choice will be Nude and Rose.

Thanks @sociolla and @getthelookid for this exclusive box. To shop now, click here.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: MAYBELLINE LIP FLUSH BITTEN LIP

Thanks Sociolla for sending me these new
fabulous lipsticks to review.

Featuring three gradient shades in one lipstick
bullet, this lipstick will surely help those who wants to achieve that
Korean-inspired ombre lips look. Without the hassles of having to cover the
whole lips with foundation and powder, then applied two, or even three lipstick
shades from different bullets, these lipsticks are killing it in terms of
practicality.

Let’s swatch them, shall we?

From Top to Bottom order: OR 01, RD 01, RD 03, PK
01

Verdict:

  • Texture: ultra creamy and glides smoothly on
    bare lips (sans lip balm).
  • Scent: fruity like melon. They claimed to use
    colors that are infused with natural food grade pigments (but still…avoid
    licking them).
  • Final result: it looks glossy on the lips, but
    surprisingly not sticky. Subtle sheen and not shimmery, it gives this naturally
    stained look.
  • Durability: need to reapply after drinking and/or
    eating.

How they looked on my lips. RD1 and PK1 are almost similar in term of shades. If I have to pick my favorite shades will be RD3, the darkest of all four shades that they sent me. 

If you want to try them now, go to SOCIOLLA.COM
now because they’re having a promotion. For every purchase of 1 piece of
Maybelline Bitten Lips, get 30% off. And if you buy more, 3 pieces of
Maybelline Bitten Lips, you’ll get 50% off. Awesome, right? So click now before
they sold out.

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA & PINKY MIRROR

FOOD REVIEW: BISTECCA

Went to this fancy Italian-American steakhouse
and martini bar by the Union Group. I was surprised when I entered BISTECCA for the
first time. Actually, it wasn’t as spacious as I thought it’d be. But, it
turned out to feel homey with very dim light. 

For appetizer, I tried BISTECCA CAESAR SALAD.
It was fun to see the server scraped the 24-months old Parmigiano Reggiano
Cheese. Served with Crispy Anchovies and Garlic Croutons, I love how the cheese
sort of melted in my mouth. Very tasty salad.

Another appetizer: JUMBO SHRIMP COCKTAIL.
Literally, three jumbo shrimps served with their homemade cocktail sauce, lemon
and super crispy iceberg lettuce. Recommended.

Off to their pasta. GOOSE LIVER RAVIOLI. With a
mix of Parmigiano cream sauce and white truffle oil, these are kind of salty
but definitely tasty.

Main: BURGER IL PRIMO. Properly marinated
ground beef with layers of tomatoes, truffle and eggs. Served with French
Fries, it’s definitely an alternative if you don’t feel like eating steaks.

Being a sweet tooth that I am, I wouldn’t skip
their mouth-watering desserts. Just check out their instagramable BAKED ALASKA.
It’s literally on fire as the server fired the rum and poured them around,
giving those baked aroma and color to the meringue coating. The sweet taste
from three layers of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry) with
chocolate cake on the very bottom, are balanced with almost bitter baked meringue A must try!

Another must try dessert: ESKIMO BAR with
Butterscotch Sauce. Vanilla ice cream coated with thin chocolate, with sprinkles of crispy butterscotch. Yummy!

Me and Aziz from the Union Group. Thanks for
having me, Bistecca. 

FOOD PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE FULL DAY IN YOGYAKARTA?

Last week I had a very short trip to Yogyakarta with my colleagues at work. It was fun, considering the last time I went to Yogyakarta was about 10 years ago. It wasn’t even Yogyakarta, I went to Magelang for Thierry Mugler’s event, back then in my editors’ days. 

I had no expectations at all, so I might say..I was quite surprised with this super short trip. Me and my colleagues decided to do culinary stuff and just chill with no ambitious itinerary. We stayed at Greenhost Boutique Hotel, a small hotel with a seriously instagramable lobby. Even when we arrived at night, it looks cool. This is an eco-friendly hotel, so expect no hand towels, and no hair dryer. If you tried to dry your hair with your own hair dryer, the electricity in your room will go down. And never mind the air conditioner, it wasn’t a cold chilly room. Expect: ‘room temperature’ temperature. 

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But, at least the room is clean, and the pillows are not smelly. 

Since the breakfast is so-so at the hotel, we decided to try ViaVia. Within walking distance from the hotel, it was a small local bakery with decent brunch.

I’ve had better brunch, but I love the ambience in this bakery. 

For lunch, we went to Gudeg Sagan. ‘Wet type’ gudeg which I love so much, with gravy and no msg. And their Beras Kencur is ‘da bomb’. These meals reminded me of my childhood, eating gudeg with my mom in Pasar Cikini, Jakarta. 

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While in Yogyakarta, we didn’t want to miss visiting Lulu Lutfi Labibi’s workshop in Kampung Pekaten. Even though we got lost on our first attempt, it was literally a beautiful kind of lost, as we went through this beautiful village with vintage houses. 

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Lulu is famous for his drapping lurik’s creation, so it was truly a sight for sore eyes visiting his boutique/workshop. And of course, his place is so instagramable! 

To more affordable shopping place, we went to Lemari Lila. In this super tiny but cute boutique, I found a lurik outer for IDR400K only. And good to know, that they only created not more than 12 pieces for one design. So, bumping into others who wore the same thing is less likely. 

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Now, off for some coffee. 

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We went to Ruang Seduh for some decent coffee. They actually have the same coffee shop in Jakarta, which I like better, because they have more snacks and bigger/nicer space. 

For dinner, we decided to go to this nice restaurant that we found accidentally when we strolled down the street back to the hotel. Mediterranea Restaurant, owned by French chef, Camille Massard Combe or well known as Chef Kamil. When we googled it, this restaurant turned out to be number one restaurant in Yogyakarta in trip advisor.

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We were surprised because their prices are just super affordable for such a nice restaurant. They have this small shop which sells jam, bread etc, inside the restaurant, which reminds me a lot of Dean & Deluca. Must try if you’re visiting Yogyakarta. 

For something to bring home, we bought Monggo Chocolate. They do have this brand in Jakarta, but in Yogyakarta, they are cheaper. I love their strawberry chocolate, but for those who are more adventurous, try their rendang or red chili chocolate!

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One tip if you want to visit Yogyakarta: rent a car, so it’s easier to drive here and there. 

See you in another travel posts!

PHOTOS: SHINTA ROSVITA

REVIEW: YVES ROCHER RINSING VINEGAR

I used to have a very simple haircare routine, shampoo & conditioner. But with this expansive world of beauty, when they keep on creating new regime, of course I want to keep up.

Enter: YVES ROCHER RINSING VINEGAR. 

FYI, Yves Rocher is a very affordable French brand with a lot of range for personal beauty products. And this Rinsing Vinegar is actually not the latest haircare regime invention. People have been using apple cider vinegar as a final rinse to help clean scalp and hair from product build up. But as you know it, apple cider vinegar smells like stinky feet. LOL. 

Yves Rocher Rinsing Vinegar used organically-grown Raspberry, which off course smell like sweet not acid berries. So what did it claim to do? It promised to add shine to the hair fiber, and bring back beautifully radiant hair. 

As my hair had been curled & colored too many times, and I shampoo everyday, my hair does look dull and unhealthy. Since it’s very hard to find clarifying shampoo to wash product build up in my hometown, I’m so happy that I stumbled upon this product. Because it’s vinegar, the texture is watery and not foamy. So be careful when pouring it as the final rinse after you shampooed and conditioned your hair. Yup, use this as the final haircare regime in the shower, because it’s not a leave on. Yes, you have to rinse this away after you applied all over your hair & scalp. As I have very oily scalp, I concentrate more on scalp. It did make my hair & scalp feel cleaner and look shiny. I used it once a week, and that raspberry scent did last long. Overall, I’m satisfied with the performance of this product and thank goodness now it came in big size (400ml). But if you want to try first, they have smaller size (150ml).