FOTD: Wearable Neutrals

Supposedly this was going to be a Japanese-style natural makeup look but I don't know... I'm not 100% content with it. I just think I could have done a better job. I also wish I had my individual bottom lashes. I misplaced them somewhere.

I wore my Heart Jewel Lashes again in this look. They're okay in my opinion. Someone asked how they compare to Elise lashes and well, I certainly like Elise better.

Bottom lashes make a huge difference! Please ignore my messy hair, though. I was too lazy to properly style it today.

face
- monistat as primer
- MAC studio fix powder
- Dusty pink blush from Coastal Scents 26 combo palette (apple of the cheeks)
- Too Faced pink leopard bronzer (cheek contour)

lips
- nivea lipcare spf27
- maybelline colorsensational lipstick in born with it

eyes
- udpp
- milani runway eyes eyeshadow palette in catwalk (medium brown color on inner half of the lid)
- coastal scents 26 combo palette (dark brown color on outer v)
- too faced the natural eye palette ("sexspresso" - cool dark brown color along the upper lashline & outer half of lower lashline, "heaven" - matte cream color on brownbone and inner corner, "nude beach" - glittery peach color on the center of the eyelid just to get the shimmery finish)
- stila smudge pot gel eyeliner in black
- false lashes (upper: heart jewel lashes #16, bottom: elise - unknown number)

My *I gotta make my hair look sexy somehow* pose, LOL.

I was inspired to do this look after seeing The Makeup Piggy's tutorial. She's very talented! I think I'm more and more interested in Japanese makeup in general; flawless face, natural eyeshadow shades, nude lips. It's so sophisticated and 'grown up', don't you think? :)

Skindinavia Dance! Makeup Finish Review

I'm ready for a review! I used this face mist when I went on my Borobudur trip. The weather was, as usual, hot and humid so it was the perfect chance to test it out. Skindinavia says that Dance! was created for professional dancers, clubbers, and active women in general. It claims to be able to hold your makeup for 16 hours; basically a dream come true for lazy touch-uppers like me!

Skindinavia Dance! Makeup Finish
All night hold resisting perspiration, shine, and makeup slippage. Maintain coverage without touchups.
Price: $19 for 2oz, $29 for 4oz. (I bought it for Rp 240.000 from Esio's shop at Female Daily forum).
Direction: shake well, apply over makeup once daily or as needed. Spray mist 2-4 times 8-10 inches from the face.
Ingredients: Water, alcohol denat, PVP, polyhydrostearic acid, isononyl isononanoate, ethylhexyl isononanoate, PPG-3 benzyl ether myristate, poloxamer 407, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, sodium cocamidopropyl PG dimonium chloride phosphate, methyl perfluorobutyl ether, perfluoroisobutyl ether, gluconolactone, methyl methacrylate crosspolymer, phenoxyethanol, glycereth-5 lactate, dimethicone PEG-7 phosphate, N.2,3-trimethyl-2isopropyl butomide, sodium benzoate, caprylyl glycol, fragrance.

Key benefits:

• Surface cooling technology holds temperature to avoid melting or sliding
• Greatly extends makeup wear
• Revives fatigued makeup
• Formulated for very active use
• Saves up to 50% of makeup usage
• Helps control shine

I was sucked into buying this after reading really convincing reviews on Female Daily forum AND makeupalley.com. I've never tried using any type of face mists before so I was really curious. After I tested it out a few times, I'm convinced that this product does prolong the wear of my makeup but not without a cost; it takes out moisture off of my skin. When I first sprayed it on my face, it felt lightweight and it took away the powdery look. But after a few hours being outside, my face started to feel drier than usual. This might also be because of the foundation I was wearing though. I was using MAC studio fix powder that day and this foundation can easily look cakey at times.

So I used it again last night with my MAC Face & Body foundation. The temperature was a lot colder even though it was still pretty humid outside. After hanging out for about five hours, I came home, looked in the mirror, and noticed that my makeup still looked fresh (blush and eyeshadows were still intact) so I think this works better paired with liquid foundation than powder foundation. Even though so, I have to remind you again of the drying effect. If you have dry skin, this probably will make you look extra cakey (unless you don't wear foundation and just want your blush or eye makeup last longer - in that case, I would highly recommend it!).

For a pretty pricey stuff, I'm a bit disappointed with the packaging. I wish it had finer mist because sometimes you get huge water drops in one spritz that takes forever to dry.

Pros

• helps extend the wear time of makeup, including blush, eyeshadows and eyeliners too,
• helps control shine so you don't have to do touch-ups as much,
• could be really handy for people that can't wear silicon-based primers.

Cons

• can be a bit drying,
• pricey,
• packaging could be better.

All in all, I wouldn't dare to declare this as my HG product because I don't see myself using it everyday. I think this would come in handy on special occasions especially during night time but that's about it. I'll stick with my monistat primer during day time because I wouldn't risk looking too cakey in broad daylight.

Eh, weird...

Me again!
I'm well aware that my comment link disappears on posts that don't have comments yet. Pretty weird, huh? I tried reverting to my old template (before I screwed it up, haha), reverting to classic blogger template, and a few other things but all to no avail.

Just want to let you guys know that I'm working on it! I hope it'll be resolved soon. I honestly don't want to install a third party commenting system.

Meanwhile, if you want to talk, there's a shoutmix box OR you can just comment on my previous posts that already got comments.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

*UPDATE*
I got it figured out! Now the comment link appears on all post, yay! Apparently I corrupted my css code. I'm such a smart ass! Anyway, I'm glad it's resolved. Happy commenting!

Must.Remember.Sunscreen!

If anyone cares to see how the Heart Jewel Lashes look when worn, please go to my previous post. I've updated it with some EOTD pictures wearing the lashes. I am a bit disappointed with the quality though; the band is too stiff for my liking and you can see some uneven pigmentation on the lashes (inner part is lighter in color).

Anyway, my plan to see the crop circle had to be postponed again because apparently someone died in the location and now the police had to close it down. I saw it in the news that the guy was trying to take pictures of the crop circle but he fell from a cliff. Seriously, what are the odds? But we still went on a short trip to Borobudur temple. It was a super hot day and I forgot to bring my sunscreen lotion, unbelievable.

my *omg I'll be getting a really dark tan after this* face
some pics I took...

I'm not that good of a photographer, but take my word for it: the view from up top is so beautiful. If you visit Yogyakarta, you must see Borobudur temple!

*PS: Yep I changed my blog layout! I've always wanted to have that clean, white background. I think it's good enough for now. What do you think?

*PPS: Still figuring out why the comment button disappeared. It seems to be fine on posts that already had comments.

Heart Jewel Fake Lashes

You guys know I love falsies.

I found a new brand that I haven't seen anywhere else before; it's called Heart Jewel Lash. I'm pretty sure it's a Japanese brand but the lashes are actually made in China. What makes me excited is the fact that 1) it's fairly cheap, and 2) it comes in a beautiful crisscross design which reminds me a lot of those expensive Japanese dolly wink lashes.


I bought it for only Rp 29.500 a pair (that's not more than 3 bucks) at Matahari Department Store. I have yet to try them on but I bet they'll look awesome! I'll update this post with more pics once I got the chance to rock these lashes. :)

Heart Jewel Lash #16

*UPDATE:
Don't buy these if you're new to wearing lashes! The band is too stiff so it's kinda hard to adjust. I still like the design, though. I think it's a nice pair to wear on a date, it's not too dramatic but it still gives the eyes some definition.

Anyway, everyone is talking about the crop circle that appeared in a rice field in Desa Berbah last Sunday. I was planning to see it today with my friends but it rained so hard I decided to postpone it. I believe it's man-made, though. I mean, come on, this is Yogyakarta. Lots of artists and uni/college students live here. I'm sure it's just a prank. An awesome one, that is!

Reunited

Hello!
Just a standard, non-intricate smoky purple makeup look for the weekend.

with fake lashes...

The beautiful, true purple color eyeshadow is Diva by Heavenly Naturals. I haven't done any makeup look with mineral pigments for a while so I'm announcing this week as mineral makeup week. ;)

Diva has better staying power than other colors by Heavenly Naturals I have. I applied it dry on top of NYX jumbo eyeshadow in Black Bean and it stayed vibrant for about six hours. It did crease a little, but nothing majorly disappointing.

face:
- Monistat as primer
- MAC studio fix fluid foundation NC37
- LT Pro translucent loose powder in Ochre
- Medium pink blush from Coastal Scents 26pc combo palette
- Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer

eyes:
- ELF mineral eyeshadow primer
- NYX jumbo eyeshadow pencil in black bean
- Heavenly Naturals pigment in Diva (purple)
- Urban Decay deluxe eyeshadow in Zero (black - outer V)
- Urban Decay eyeshadow in Twice Baked (brown - crease)
- Too Faced eyeshadow in Heaven (nude - browbone highlight)
- LT Pro waterproofpencil eyeliner in black
- Maybelline The Magnum mascara

lips:
- Revlon superlustrous lipstick in Sandalwood Beige
- MAC cremesheen lipstick in Creme d'Nude

It's raining today!!! Kinda ruined my plan for Sunday. *sigh*
But it's okay, staying home with my boyfriend and cat can be fun too. What are you guys doing this weekend?

Recent Beauty Purchases

Well, most of the stuff pictured here has already arrived since late December but I was just too lazy to take pictures of them. This year I want to focus on buying stuff in my wishlist first before getting anything else. This means... no more impulse shopping at the cosmetics counter! I have this bad habit of buying either a lipstick or a gloss whenever I go to the mall. It's gonna be hard, but I know I've had enough lippies already, especially the nude/baby pink ones. If I were to buy a lipstick, it has to be either a bright fuchsia or a red shade. Other than that, I'd deserve some spanking, lol.

I encountered a Cetaphil spree on Female Daily forum, so I ordered these two. I've been using it for almost three weeks now and so far so good. I like the lotion a lot, I use it at night after applying my Vitacreme B15. Maybe I need to update my skincare routine post, huh?


Next I got my MAC Face & Body Foundation and Skindinavia "Dance!" facial mist. I've reviewed the foundation here and as for the Skindinavia, to be honest I don't see much difference in my makeup after using it. I guess I need to experiment more with it before I can do a full review.


I used up my Body Shop Grapeseed Glossing Serum (which I mostly use as heat protector) and instead of repurchasing, I resorted to CHI Silk Infusion. I first heard about it a long time ago from a Youtube guru. I recall her saying it smelled fantastic but nah, I'm not that big on its smell. It reminds me of a men cologne, actually. I'm sure I'm not alone about that but seriously though, wouldn't it be weird to have some guy smell your hair and goes "you smell like a man!" lol. Ehh. And the smell sort of lingers too... sometimes. :(


Nail stuff. I've never splurged on any of them until now. I don't like waiting my nail polish to dry so I bought Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I also bought OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil to Go. It smells great and it does the job. If you have extra dry cuticles, I doubt it will heal them completely though.


I received one My Scheming Beauty sheet mask as a gift from an online seller. I've never really been into sheet masks that much even though they're very popular here in Asia. I tried it without any high hopes but as it turns out I really like it! It makes my skin somewhat firmer and brighter. I know the instant effects of sheet masks are temporary but boy is it fun to indulge once in a while!


So yeah, those are all my recently purchased items. Let me know if you want me to write a full review on any of them. I do think I have to review Skindinavia Dance! because I haven't seen it much on beauty blogs. It has gathered some glowing reviews on makeupalley though!

Tagged!

Haven't done any of these in a looong time! I was tagged by Gingersnaps (hello, Ginger! Thanks for tagging me!) and I finally got it done.

1. Why did you create this blog?
I simply wanted a place in which I can share my thoughts about makeup. I really didn't think much about it when I first started. Basically I just wanna know how it'd go if I have a makeup blog, turns out I really enjoy it.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Beauty blogs, mostly. Although I do follow a few ones that has nothing to do with makeup.

3. Favorite makeup brand?
I have different favs for different line of products. For example I like Urban Decay a lot when it comes to eyeshadows, MAC for their foundations/blushes, and Revlon for their lipsticks/glosses.

4. Favorite clothing brand?
Uhh I don't have any at the moment. I buy whatever clothes that I think look good on me. I doubt that I'm fashionable at all. XD

5. Your indispensable makeup product:
Black eyeliner, for sure.

6. Your favorite color:
Purple and teal.

7. Your Perfume:
Kenzo Flower is my favorite at the moment. My mom bought it for me because it's her fav too.

8. Your favorite film:
I have lots! But I think everyone should see Fargo at least once.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
Lots of them, really. Though maybe I'd like to see Norway first because I heard it's beautiful there (but expensive) and they have awesome metal bands, lol. And Italy too, with my bf watching our favorite football team in the stadium. Forza Juventus!

10. Make the last question yourself and answer:
favorite Indonesian artist:
Iwan Fals, especially his early works. He's a true artist but a very under-appreciated one.

I'm tagging my blog followers or anyone who hasn't done this! :)

Review: Geo Berry Holic in Aqua

I got a shiny new pair of Geo circle lenses! They're absolutely gorgeous so I hope you don't mind me posting a few more pictures than I usually do. ;)

I bought them from an Indonesian online shop called Dazzling Room and I must say that their service is excellent. They reply to my message promptly and I got my package within two days. I bought my first pair from a different online shop and though their prices are a little lower, the shipping time is not as fast.

Geo CM-957 a.k.a. Berry Holic in Aqua

I think Berry Holic series is the newer version of Geo's magic 3-tone series. I've never tried the old 3-tone ones so I don't know how they compare. I simply chose CM-957 because the blue color is different; it's more like a teal color which is so unique in my opinion.

These lenses are not really opaque so they blend well with my eyes instead of looking anime-y. Under dim lighting, the color doesn't look vibrant at all on me (due to my dark iris), but under bright lighting, the blue shows up pretty well.

Enlarging-wise, it's pretty standard. I think my Ash Wings look bigger on me even though they both have the same diameter (14.00 mm). I'm not ballsy enough to try bigger lenses, haha. I know they're supposed to make your eyes look dolly but I find myself impartial to the obvious black outer rim.

room lighting - no flash

room lighting - with flash

As for comfort, I don't know why, but these are not as comfortable as my Ash Wings (yes, I soaked them overnight). Sometimes I can still feel them on my eyes while my Ash Wings are fairly unnoticeable once they're on. But it's not that bad, really, I can still wear this pair for more than five hours without any problem.

FOTDs!

The first two pictures were taken after dark so I had to use flash. The lenses look so obvious, huh? But I love it. Now I can get away with white eyeliner on my waterline. :D

Not naked, by the way, I'm wearing a tube dress!

This one was taken outdoor during daytime:

As you can see, under sunlight the blue color really stands out!

The last three pics were taken with natural lighting. My eye makeup is a simple grey-brown smoky look. Out of my 3947357397 FOTDs in this blog, I don't think I've done a look with grey all over the lid like this before. I just think greys tend to make my dark eyes look droopy. But now that I own these lenses, I can finally work it out. ;)

face:
- monistat chafing gel as primer
- mac studio fix powder nc35
- nyx cream blush in tea rose
- too faced pink leopard bronzer (on cheeks)

eyes:
- elf mineral eyeshadow primer
- heavenly naturals pigment in charmed
- urban decay eyeshadow in YDK
- urban decay deluxe eyeshadow in zero
- nyx dark brown eyeshadow from TS-03 trio
- revlon colorstay eyeliner in black
- maybelline the magnum mascara
- false lashes

lips:
- pac gorgeous liquid lip color in lilac sugar
- nyx megashine lipgloss in sugar pie

Okay, I'm done babbling! Basically I'm just happy with my new pair of circle lenses. I hope I don't get addicted in the future, haha. I think two is enough for now. Oh and, Berry Holic only comes in plano so if you need prescription, you might want to look into the magic 3-tone ones. They have almost the same design!

MAC Face and Body Foundation Review

MAC Face and Body Foundation is one of my recent makeup buys. I was looking for a foundation that I can wear when:
- it's super duper hot outside and I'm positive that Studio Fix Fluid will melt off my face the second I begin to sweat.
- I'm going for a night out and I know I'll be photographed. Studio Fix Fluid contains SPF so it will most likely make me look ghostly on pictures.

Face and Body, on the other hand, is SPF-less and waterproof. Perfect!
Or is it?

First of all, I got mine in the shade C4 which matches my skin really well (I'm an NC37 on Studio Fix Fluid). The texture is light but that doesn't mean it's easy to work with. I would say this dries/sets pretty fast so you have to speed up if you apply it with a foundation brush. I like to spread it using my fingers first (they kind of warm up the foundation thus making application easier), apply my concealer, then add another layer by buffing the foundation on my face using kabuki brush. I find that method working best on me.

Here's a picture of me wearing the foundation ONLY. I didn't set it up with powder because it actually sets itself and dries to a beautiful dewy finish.


In my case, it also works well with flash photography. It makes my skin look flawless.


But here comes my gripe about this product; it gets oily fast. This is another picture of me wearing the foundation WITH setting powder, after only an hour or so being outside. I definitely looked slicker than I usually am. It wasn't even a hot day!

With this foundation, I must blot every two hours or it'll be a disaster. Even my boyfriend noticed it. He thought I looked "sweaty" (his word) especially on my nose. In the picture you might think "oh that doesn't look too bad" but trust me, in real life it looks worse.

Matte finish foundations tend to look unnatural or cakey, but honestly I much prefer that to the slick look. Maybe it's because I've been an oily-skinned gal ever since I became a teenager, I don't know, I just don't like looking greasy.

However, I have to acknowledge the fact that this is made also for the body. And for that purpose, I think it does the job well and gives a nice result. It would help people who want to conceal discoloration or just to get that my-skin-but-better look. Once it's set, it won't transfer (unless you rub it really hard) and it leaves the skin looking naturally healthy. I mean, it would be weird to have your legs look like it has foundation on, right?

MAC Face & Body Foundation
price: $32/120ml
texture: watery, almost like tinted moisturizer
coverage: light to medium

Likes:
- nice color selection
- buildable coverage
- sets to a dewy finish
- photographs well
- good amount of product for the money

Dislikes:
- the smell, it just doesn't agree with my nose though it doesn't linger either
- turns oily within a couple of hours
- due to the nature of this foundation (it being waterproof), it's fairly hard to remove at the end of the day and might cause a bad breakout if worn on a daily basis

All in all, I think it's actually a good product; it's just not meant for my oily skin combined with Indonesia's humid tropical weather. If you don't need heavy coverage and have normal to dry skin, this foundation might worth a try. As for me, I don't know, maybe I'm just going to use it for night-outs when it's cold outside. And for sure I'm gonna have to carry my MAC Blot Powder with me!

Current Beauty Crush: Too Faced Sun Bunny Bronzer

Recently I got re-acquainted with my love of bronzers. I haven't touched them in a while because of laziness (they need proper blending unless you want to look like you got dirt on your face, you know what I mean?). So I went over my stash the other day and picked up my Too Faced The Bronzed and The Beautiful Palette. Out of the three mini bronzers in it, Sun Bunny got the least number of swipes because I was afraid of how dark it looks in the pan.

Eventually I managed to get out of my comfort zone and put Sun Bunny on using the included mini "flatbuki" brush. I was pleasantly surprised by the result! Not only did the bronzer blend easily on my skin, it also looked very natural on me. Unlike many bronzers I've tried before, Sun Bunny doesn't leave me looking orange or muddy.

where I put my bronzer on


The Sun Bunny Bronzer and the mini Flatbuki brush, aren't they cute? :)

The flatbuki brush is soft and dense. It's the perfect size for contouring my cheekbones. I've never really used it before because I thought it was too small to get anything done but clearly I was wrong. And by the way, I did a full review on the palette over here.

This is the look I wore on Saturday. I did a quick smoky look paired with pink cheeks and lips. Very simple!

FACE
- Monistat chafing gel as primer
- MAC Face & Body Foundation
- NYX cream blush in Boho Chic
- Everyday Minerals blush in Nick Nack
- Too Faced Sun Bunny bronzer
- Maybelline Clearsmooth Powder

LIPS
- Nivea lipcare SPF 25
- PAC gorgeous liquid lip color in Lilac Sugar
- MAC Creme d'Nude lipstick

EYES
- UDPP
- Stila smudgepot in black (base)
- Urban Decay deluxe eyeshadow in zero (all over the lid)
- NYX trio eyeshadow palette in TS03 (dark brown on crease)
- Thevi matte eyeshadow #250 (a matte, light warm brown color for blending NYX eyeshadow above the crease)
- Too Faced eyeshadow in Silk Teddy (browbone highlight)
- Maybelline The Magnum mascara
- LT Pro waterproof pencil eyeliner in black
- Elise fake lashes #10

Thank you for reading and may I ask what your favorite bronzer is? :)