Tag: tips

AS EASY AS 1,2,3,4,5

Bagi saya, bermain dengan makeup mata itu menyenangkan. Area mata adalah satu-satunya bagian pada wajah yang dapat menerima beragam warna, tanpa terlihat aneh. Ulasan beragam warna pun akan mampu mengubah penampilan dalam sekejap.

Berdasarkan pengalaman, banyak teman yang ternyata masih saja clueless akan penempatan serta pengaplikasian warna eyeshadow, terutama jika mereka membeli sebuah palet eyeshadow yang hadir dalam beragam warna. Mereka bingung, warna mana yang harus diusap di kelopak, di ujung luar atau di sudut dalam mata. My favorite for this makeup problem: REVLON PHOTOREADY Primer+Shadow. Jika kita ingin bereksperimen dengan warna-warna yang belum pernah kita coba sebelumnya, palet terbaru dari REVLON ini sangat membantu.

Dalam setiap palet terdapat 5 warna, lengkap dengan petunjuk aplikasi untuk masing-masing warna yang terdapat di balik kemasan. Petunjuknya pun dilengkapi dengan nomer 1 sampai 5, untuk langkah demi langkah pengaplikasian warna. Yes, it’s that easy.

My tips:

–        Aplikasikan sedikit untuk tampilan smoky eyes yang lebih natural di pagi hari & touch up lebih untuk gaya smoky eyes yang dramatis untuk makeup malam hari, karena pigmen warnanya sudah cukup pekat.

–       Selalu gunakan primer sebelum mengaplikasikan warna lainnya dalam palet. Primer akan membuat riasan mata bertahan lebih lama dan mengeluarkan warna seperti tampak pada palet seasli-aslinya.

Produk REVLON yang saya gunakan:

REVLON PHOTOREADY Primer+Shadow #510 Graffiti

REVLON PHOTOREADY Primer+Shadow #515 Renaissance

REVLON PHOTOREADY Primer+Shadow #525 Avant Garde

REVLON PHOTOREADY Primer+Shadow #535 Pop Art

REVLON Powder Blush #02 Tawny Peach

REVLON Colorstay Eyeliner #Black

REVLON PHOTOREADY Concealer #002 Light Pale

REVLON Colorstay Lipliner #Red

REVLON Colorburst Lipgloss #018 Fire

REVLON Colorburst Lipstick #090 True Red

Please check out my video tutorial below to see how I achieved ROMANTIC & BOLD LOOKS BY REVLON.

Romantic Look

Bold Look

“STYLE IS A WAY TO SAY …

who you are without having to speak.” Rachel Zoe.

As much as I hate to say the cliché “don’t judge the book by its’ cover”, but this world we’re living in is JUDGEMENTAL. We might not be a reality star TV which is being followed everywhere by the cameras, but looking sloppy could trigger some staring and sharp comments. That’s why (secretly or not) we dreamed of that runway look. 

But, do we really have to dress up everyday and style ourselves for hours before we walk out our door every day? Fortunately, not. That’s what I learned when I attended TRESemmé Indonesia’s event “Your Access to Runway Beauty” last Thursday in Senayan City, Jakarta, Indonesia. Because we’re not Kate Moss who can pull off a stylish look just to get our groceries, fellow Indonesian blogger/fashion stylist Dewi Utari shared her “how to pull of Spring Summer 2013 trend into every day life”. On two models, she showed us the magic of styling, which involved a tight leopard dress and embellished top and mini skirt without looking overboard by adding jackets as an accent.

At the event, Herman Tjoa from Talents Salon, also shared his tips for daily makeup and hair styling. Spotted: bright blue eyeliner and matte fuchsia lips for makeup, which are so Spring Summer 2013. And what intrigued me and (I bet) all the guests at the event, were his various tips on daily hair styling. Natural, undone and messy hair to be achieved by hair tousle, the right tools and of course (the most important ones) hair styling products. On models, Herman applied hair mousse to bring out the best of hair texture. And he also shared how to spray hair spray correctly, since most women seem to exaggerate on hair spray application. Actually, just one spritz for each section that you want to hold longer is enough. Check out the picture above how Herman told one of the models to bend down so he could shake her hair to break the tight curls and bring out the volume. Apparently, it’s that easy to achieve salon’s hair at home by ourselves if we have the right products and know how’s.

The last but certainly not the least session of “Your Access to Runway Beauty” event was the appearance of Top 3 Asia’s Next Top Model (ANTM). When Jessica from Thailand (she’s the winner by the way), Kate from Taiwan and Stephanie from Philippines showed up, the crowds cheered for these three TV’s reality stars which look way taller and prettier in person. First visit ever to Indonesia, the ANTM’s trio shared their beauty tips and makeover experience during the show’s filming. If you remember, doing their own hair styling was one of the challenge for the models and TRESemmé was the hair official sponsor for ANTM. Jessica, Kate and Stephanie rocked the runway for the finale with their ultra shiny hair, albeit the different hair style. It was great to see and chat with them in person, they do have that same personas as we saw in the TV show and great looking hair.

 

STRICTLY FOR LADIES

When in doubt, and yes when you’re having one of those bad hair days, wear headband.

It’s one of the Spring 2013 trend, and a look that’s super easy to pull of by anyone. But how on earth can we differ ourselves from those elementary school girls?

  • First: slim is way better than wide. Blair Waldorf’s style is over, people.
  • Embellishments such as crystals, pearls, studs will put an adult stamp on your look.
  • Think of your hair style. Don’t just brush your hair, swept them up (like Olivia’s hairstylist did) or put a flick on the ends (like Kerry’s hairstylist did).
  • Dress your age, dear. Go for more structured ensemble, and stick to solid (not pastel) colors.

 

ELECTRIC BOOST

Bored of your eye makeup? Take a hint from Thakoon Fall 2013 show.

Deep blue with shimmering gold glitter for the eyelids. Quite dreamy, but very refreshing.

NARS makeup artist, Diane Kendal, did this look for Thakoon which was a juxtaposition between winter and summer.

If you want to give this look a try for a perfect weekend night out, you might want to tone it down a level. Use a deep blue eyeshadow with a matte texture from lash line to the crease. Stay clear from using winged eyeliner, and tap a bit of gold eyeshadows with shimmer (instead of glitter) on the center of each lid. This will do that eye-catching trick. 

BEST EYE MAKEUP FOR NO EYELIDS LADIES

No lids? No sweat. Here’s how to do your eye makeup, the Fall 2013 style.

Anthony Vaccarello : Use an intense pop of color like deep burgundy. Leave the rest of makeup matte and try a no mascara look for a change.

Douglas Hannant : Neutral color is always a winner. Line upper and lower lids with black liquid eyeliner for definition. White eyeliner pencil on the bottom lids will make your eyes look wider, try it.

Helmut Lang : Strong brows are good compliment for no eyelids ladies, so make sure you shape your eyebrows perfectly. Apply eyeshadow base/primer and try a glossy color for a modern yet edgy look.

Derek Lam : Play with eyeshadow textures for more minimal and sophisticated look. Metallic shimmer on the center of eyelids will give an iridescent touch to the whole face. 

Dolce & Gabbana : Inspiration, Sophia Loren. Flicked eyeliner is the best trick to achieve the feline style, and don’t forget that crimson lips to compliment this glamour look.

SUPER DRY SKIN?

Moisturizer is NOT your one and only beauty savior. Read on.

When your skin or the climate is acting up on us, making our skin drier than usual, reach out for these products.

1 FRESH SUGAR FACE POLISH
Yes we still have to exfoliate to get rid of those dead skin cells on the surface.

2 LA MER THE HYDRATING FACIAL MASK
Face mask is the essential product to keep our skin plump and well-hydrated.

3 L’OCCITANE DIVINE EXTRACT SERUM
It’s just not another layer, OK? Facial serum can give us added moisture into deeper layers of our skin, which moisturizer can’t do. That’s why it costs more too.

4 CLINIQUE MOISTURE SURGE EXTENDED THIRST RELIEF
Dry skin is one thing, but dehydrated skin is another problem. Without any hydration help, our skin would be flaky, itchy and feel tight.

5 KIEHL’S MIDNIGHT RECOVERY CONCENTRATE
While we were sleeping, our beloved skin is regenerating. A potent night serum will work its’ charm and magically transform dry skin to moist skin over night.

 

MAKEUP TO COMPLEMENT YOUR OVERGROWN BANGS

Yes, beauty is pain. The once tidy and short bangs will eventually grow and itch and split.

But wait, before you cut it and repeatedly going through the same bangs experience again, it’s saver to keep it growing..at least for now. Still spotted at the Fall Winter 2013 runways, overgrown bangs are apparently still ‘in’. Seen here at Emilio Pucci and Anna Sui, and on the red carpets like Kerry Washington and Diana Agron.

The ‘almost poked your eyeballs’ style need a serious makeup. You see, bangs draw the focus to your eyes. Clip your bangs while doing your makeup and let’s start.

1 Rimmed them nicely. While eye shadows might not show too much, cause your bangs are covering your upper lids, you need more eyeliner. Pronto! Black, blue, violet, go beyond your wildest color possible.

2 Skip your eyebrows makeup. Don’t even bother to filling in the sparse. Clear eyebrows gel will do to tidy up. That’s why always, always groomed your eyebrows professionally.

3 Doubled or tripled your mascara usage. Long, curly and full lashes are important key to make your eyes pop, even though they’re almost half covered.

4 Put extra shine stopping powder on your forehead, please. Because split bangs on the forehead look childish and untidy. And the caused of that split bangs is…(you guessed it) shiny, oily and sweaty forehead. So keep the forehead matte.

5 Never neglect your lips. Keep it lined properly, and fill them in with a nice matte or glossy lipsticks. No need to go strong if you wish. Keep it neutral, but lipstick is a must.

6 Use highlighter on upper cheekbones. It will bring out your best feature even though your forehead is being covered. 

MAKE UP TIME : HOW LONG DO YOU NEED?

Unless you have your own glam team, some (well, OK…most) of us don’t really have two hours to sit tight and do our makeup.

Check out your own routine. If you’re a simple type, all you need are probably loose powder and lipstick. But, seriously..who do that nowadays? Me? I need minimal 30 minutes to get ready and I am definitely NOT a morning person. At all. But this is what I do if I only have 5 minutes to spare (thanks to waking up late-I’m only human).  

Minute 1 : After my skin care routine (cleanser, toner and serum), I’ll apply BB or (lately) CC Cream. They are easier and faster to blend than liquid foundation. I finish with a pat of loose powder to eliminate unwanted shine.

Minute 2 : Sweep one color of eyeshadow. I prefer the one with shimmer texture and natural color, as it’s fool proof and will make my eyes look brighter.

Minute 3 : Line eyes with pencil, preferably in dark brown. Easier to smudge with cotton bud, no need to hassle with eyeliner brush. Then, curl the lashes sans mascara.

Minute 4 : Dust the apples of cheeks with a shimmery powder blush. It will give that extra freshness I need.

Minute 5 : Finish the whole makeup with sheer lipstick or tinted lip balm. Another fast and fool proof trick to stop me from looking pale.

Personally, I believe this 5 minutes makeup is just like putting on a good base for later touch ups during the day. You can always add up whenever you have the time later on, such as concealer for under eyes, mascara, and that red hot lipstick. 

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.  

 

 

 

FRAGRANCE TOUCH UP-DO YOU REALLY NEED ONE?

Coco Chanel once said “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future”. But wearing too much perfume is a definite etiquette faux pas.  

So, how to not over-applied your fragrance? Do you really have to bother to touch up your fragrance in the middle of your daily activities?

Layering your fragrance smartly will help. A lot. But there are more tricks than just using the same body wash and lotion as your fragrance.  Learn more about the secret of layering:

–       If you are the statement perfume fan, like Chanel No.5, leave it alone. Pick unscented bath and body products to compliment the (already) statement perfume.

–       No range of bath and body products for your fragrance? Such shame, but you can try to stick to the same fragrance family. If your perfume is citrusy, then go for citrusy shower gel and body lotion. Same goes with floral, etc.

–       Don’t forget to spritz your hair. But as some fragrance might be high in alcohol which will dry your hair gradually, do it last, after you dried and styled your hair. Or, you can use a few drops of perfume oil which will be a good frizz tamer.

–       If there’s no deodorant for your favorite perfume, no sweat. Deodorant won’t affect your fragrance layering. Make sure you pick the most lightly scented deodorant.

–       You all know the steps, start with body wash (it could be shower gel or good ol’ bar) that matches your perfume, then hydrate with body lotion (for normal to oily skin) or body butter (for normal to dry skin). Last but definitely not least, apply a drop of perfume oil or rollerball perfume where you’re about to spritz your EDT or EDP normally. Remember, the more moisturized your skin are, the longer your fragrance will last.

 

MY FAVORITE FRAGRANCE RANGE:  

Hesperides Grapefruit by FRESH. The range include: shower gel, soap, body lotion, EDP and rollerball.

Musk by KIEHL’S. The range include: shower gel, lotion, EDT Spray, Essence Oil and Essence Oil with Roller Ball applicator.

White Musk by THE BODY SHOP. The range include: shower gel, deodorant, EDT, perfume oil, body lotion, body crème. They even have body powder & body mist too.

Amazing Grace by PHILOSOPHY. The range include: bath & shower gel, body crème, body oil mist, body spritz, body butter, hand cream, body emulsion, deodorant, solid perfume, fine perfume & spray fragrance.