Some hair TLC with Kerastase Masque Age Recharge

I have been super busy with work and other projects and it shows on my skin and hair condition. My fine straight Asian hair was soft and easily manageable, but because I have oily scalp I've always washed my hair on a daily basis without using conditioner afterward. In the past it was never a problem because I always try to make time for monthly hair spa session either at a salon or at home. But my last hair treatment was during my last holiday in April. From then, it's been work work and work.... So my hair strands are dry and brittle with tons of fall out all through the day, while my scalp is still oily. It desperately needs some tender loving care.

So last week I make the time to stop by my regular hair salon to purchase a hair mask. After the salon lady scanned my hair and scalp, she recommended Kerastase hair mask called Masque Age Recharge. To be honest, I only bought it is because she told me that I can apply this at night, go to bed and then wash it in the morning. I thought it saves me time since I don't have to waste 15-30 minutes waiting for the mask to soak in. I purchased my mask for IDR 480k (roughly equivalent to $48), cheaper than the price on Kerastase website but still more expensive than those sold in Ebay or Amazon. Pricey, but my hair and I were desperate.

Project Dongengan: Introducing Dongengan and Indonesia's traditional cloth

My sister and I have been busy with my not-so-little project outside work of creating a small clothing line made from traditional material sourced in Indonesia. It started as my sister's project of developing a fashion line and she asked me to join her because there are just too many things to do. Since I've always loved wearing things from her clothing line, I didn't hesitate to lend a hand.

The brand name is Dongengan, derived from the word "Dongeng" which in Indonesian means Fable. Currently, we only do custom order since we only have 1 or 2 of each materials, making it rather difficult to premade the clothes since people could love the materials but not the outfit.

Most of the materials we use in our line consist of batik, hand woven material with ikat mofit and hand embroidered material called songket. Each of the region in Indonesia has developed their own patterns and methods of dying the cloth and threads. It's just totally mind blowing to see the craftsmanship of each of the cloth and realizing the number of hours spent for creating a piece of cloth. Unfortunately, the rise of traditional materials to fame has been abused by textile manufacturer into creating batik and weaving patterns that are printed on cotton or silk. Since it's an automated process done by machine, the cost is much cheaper and this hurts the craft

I feel truly blessed to be involved in this project and hopefully through this project we can help to preserve our heritage of traditional materials.

To end this post, I will show you some of our creations. I will also provide updates on our projects and creations from time to time. Hope you fall in love with the beautiful materials as I do... :)

Songket Bali dress - made from hand woven material

Glowing pink cheek with Tom Ford Beauty Cheek Color in Wicked

My fascination with Tom Ford product started with its lipstick, but I am a blush collector by nature. So when I found a new love for a brand I would always try its blushes. Tom Ford Wicked Beauty Cheek Color in Wicked was not the first blush I purchased, but it is one of my favorite.

I purchased mine from a spree service and it takes forever to be delivered. Just look at how worn the box is. At the time the picture was taken, I've had it for almost 2 weeks.

Tried & Tested: Banana Bread Recipe

I have decided to share about my cooking adventure with you all. It's an adventure not because the difficulties of the recipe, but because I rarely bake. We've moved to our new house a little bit over a year ago and I just found out last night that I've lost my mixer during the move. That's how rare the occasion is.. the simplest bread recipe done once in year.

Anyway, the nephew drop of a huge bunch of bananas on Monday evening and by Tuesday evening they have ripened. I'd hate to throw away food, so I decided to froze a bunch of bananas to be used for smoothies. Then I thought I'll use the rest in banana bread. All I have to do was purchase a tub of sour cream, mix everything into one, and bake the bread mixture.

The result was a light and moist banana bread (or cake... I can't decide).

See the recipe after the jump :)

Traincase favorite - NARS Crazed blush

I thought I would do one post each week dedicated for a few of my beauty staples that I have been using over the years. None of the products covered in this categories are new purchases. They are just some items that tend to reach for because I know they will work, not because they're new and I'd like to try them on. Please keep in mind that what works for me does not necessarily works on others.. so try them for yourself and hopefully you'll find something that works for you.

The first product that comes into mind is one of my favorite blush, NARS Crazed. We don't have NARS cosmetics in Indonesia, so I was looking up blush swatches online for NARS Matahari vs NARS Desire when I came across pictures and swatches of NARS Crazed. I always have a soft spot for all thing raspberry colored. So I forgot about NARS Matahari and NARS Desire for a while (just for a while though) and googled for NARS Crazed. I was pretty gutted when I found out it was discontinued!

So I made it my mission to find it, purchase it, swap it, steal it, and basically I'd do almost about anything to get my paws on it. I spent months scouring ebay, amazon, MUA, and anything else I can think of to find it. After a couple of months, I saw a used NARS Crazed being sold online. This time, lady luck is on my side, since the seller lives in Indonesia and even in the same city as I am. The blush was worn for a couple of times before she decided to sell it, because it was too pigmented for her fair complexion. I was over the moon!

LOTD - NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi

I have always have a soft spot for chubby lip pencil, whether it's a $3 drugstore brand or a $30 luxury brand. I love them because applying lip color from a lip pencil feels much easier for me. First, the pencil shape let me hold it firmly, which gives me more control during application. Second, the tip of the pencil is round and pointed, improving my accuracy when applying compared to when using a standard lipstick. So, whenever I heard of a new chubby lip pencil, I will try them as long as I can get my hand on them.

Right now I'm loving NARS Satin Lip Pencil ($25), mainly because of its intense pigmentation and formulation. My lips tend to be dry and opaque lip color tend to emphasize the dryness. So I was pleasantly surprised when I tried NARS Satin Lip Pencil. There is not tugging on lips. The color goes on smoothly and it goes opaque in one stroke. The color is INTENSE.

LOTD - Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick in Bright Plum

I was not much of a lipstick girl. In the past, I probably only had 4 or 5 lipsticks that I wore for more formal occasions. But most days I used to dedicate my time to decorate my eyes (which I sometimes believe as my best feature) and just slapped on any lip gloss that I happen to find in my bag or my work desk. I never like how dry my lips feels after applying lipstick and how some lipsticks are heavily scented (everyone said it's vanilla scent... but for me they always smell like yucky old cosmetics). Lipstick tends to accentuate all my cracks and flakes of my lips (regardless of their finish). I also don't like how it wear off unevenly. When work gets busy, reapplying lipstick becomes priority #111 because I would need to stop working, grab a mirror and reapply my lipstick. The bottom line is I don't like it. 

Strangely two years ago, I decided to jump on the luxury brand band wagon. It started with a Chanel lipstick that I bought in Singapore duty free. The coverage was great, quite moisturizing and it wear off evenly making reapplication much easier. From then on, the rest is history. I just love wearing bright lipstick and how having bright lips seems to dress up.

My latest love is Burberry Lip Cover Soft Satin Lipstick (rrp $30). Okay.. to be honest, I purchased my first Burberry lipstick because of its packaging. All the beauty blogger was raving about its sleek gunmetal casing with magnetic closure. So I bought one just to have a try at the casing. Surprise surprise when I actually love the texture, pigmentation, and how moisturizing it is.

This week's polish - Deborah Lippman's Accross the Universe

Sometimes I wish I have the time to change my nail polish every other day. Unfortunately, I'm not the most patient person and applying nail polish can be quite frustrating for me since I almost ALWAYS smudge or bump my polish... sometimes even before I put the bottle down. It happens because I'm always running around... doing a dozen things at once. So most of the time, I just don't bother with polish. But from time to time, there are always colors that I just fall madly in love with and willing to spend hours sitting down doing nothing to make sure the polish is completely dry before going back to "stealth mode" and continue my day.

This week I'm rocking Deborah Lippman's Across the Universe ($19 from beauty.com). It's described as blazing blue and metallic green glam in sheerest navy (glitter). I stared long and hard at my fingers but couldn't find the "metallic green glam". Oh well, I love it enough to wear it to work almost for the whole week (though it's not really a work appropriate color... not for my office anyway).

Back from another hiatus...

Ok, somehow going on hiatus has become a habit of mine. I am juggling so many roles in life that whenever things get super busy, I need to drop some balls roles to continue juggling. I have been developing a small fashion house with my sister where she is in charge of the ready wear collection and production as a whole, while I am developing the traditional line. It has been a fun yet challenging year since sourcing and transforming traditional Indonesian materials are not as easy as it seems. But I'm proud to take part in promoting Indonesian materials locally as well as internationally (through various online media).

I will share some pictures of my treasured findings and design through this blog. Hopefully these images can inspire you or simply brighten your days :)

*Please note that most images are captured using my iPhone or android since I do not always have my DSLR with me*

Beginner's Guide to Perfect Falsies

Who doesn't dream for a thick, long and beautiful lashes that can instantly gives you a feminine look? When it comes to apply a pair of false eye lashes, I consider my self a total amateur. In the past, I have to dash to the salon just to ask the beautician to apply my false lashes. In the events that quick dash to the salon is impossible, I would spend almost 30 minutes fiddling with my false lashes before giving up and just go without falsies.

credit: marielucie.com

Those quick dash to the salon for help with false lashes sure adds up quite a lot. So I made decision to 'train' myself on the quickest, most efficient ways to apply falsies. In my mind, my final goal is to be able to put on a pair of false lashes while driving being stuck in Jakarta's traffic. I purchased boxes of false lashes and started wearing false lashes wherever I go... even when the occasion doesn't call for a pair of false lashes. Just imagine HY and I, went on a quick breakfast at 9am with me dressed in shorts, tank-top, and worn out rubber flip flop, almost no make up except for my eyeliner and thick falsies. It wouldn't look out of place, if only I applied it evenly and straight. Duh! Well, I needed a lot of practice and being stared at for having a crooked eyes is just a small price to pay.

My learning curve has resulted in a short list of tips, which hopefully would help anyone who is learning to apply your own falsies.

Amp Up Your Skin Moisture with Healthy Dose of Oil

Having a mother and sister with dry skin is somewhat a blessing. My mother, being an extremely busy woman who is as a well known professional in law and financial industry, takes a good care of her skin as she believes that being smart and beautiful are powerful attributes to have in her line of work. While my younger sister is obsessed with discovering ways to moisturize every inch or her skin with natural products from the reasonably priced moisturizers to insanely priced elixirs that is probably too expensive for daily use.

They said that I am fortunate to have my father's oily skin as our skin tends to age slower than those with dry skin. But before I turned 30, I started to notice the result of years of neglect to my skin. My feet, knees, and elbows are rough and darker than the rest of my body. I can also see dry patches on my legs and arms that are enough to cause a panic! So, I called my sister and she came over with her arsenal of tried and tested body oils.

Blue Master Bedroom Decor

This is my first home decor post!
Considering that I've spent a significant portion of my free time and a huge chunk of our salary for finishing and decorating our new house (or what I always jokingly referred to as our love nest... with HY rolling his eyes whenever I said that) it is only fair to blog about our efforts for making our new house a real home for both of us. To justify our taste in design (or rather the lack of it), we have zero knowledge of design. HY works in Finance and I work in Technology... so most of decor decisions are made based on function and value for money, with a little bit of artistic touch based on some articles that we read somewhere in home decor magazines. *wink*

Despite our lack of artistic taste, I've had a fun time picking up the wall colors, wallpapers and the coordinating curtain color in our new house, even though I couldn't really go all out with my color selection since HY prefers a neutral color palettes while I love bold colored walls. But I've managed to convince him to put the tiniest bit of color on our master bedroom. At the beginning, the in-laws thought that having a blue bedroom is a joke since their idea of master bedroom is more traditional with beige walls and solid teak furniture. Well, for me colored coordinated room is a dream come true! I have lived surrounded with beige walls all my life and having sky blue walls in our bedroom was the first sign of rebellion on my part... haha...

So I let HY choose his favorite shade of blue and I started planning my decor. The wall color is from Dulux Pentalite, which is an interior paint known for its lasting color and durability.

Beautiful and Smooth Skin, Thanks to Oats Face Cleansing Routine

I tend to splurge on skincare products because I believe it's an investment. As long as it has really good reviews, I don't hesitate on spending a part of my paycheck on them... just as long as it actually works. So when a friend suggested oats as a face cleanser to help clear out red patches caused by a reaction of my sensitive skin, I was hesitant. I mean, slapping breakfast menu on to my face can't be better than my face wash, a concoction of a well known dermatologist right? Boy was I wrong...

I decided to give oats face wash a try since HY got bored of having rolled oats for breakfast. I hate to waste food and though I can always mix the rolled oats into my muffin batter, I thought using it for skincare test is better for my skin and for my waist circumference (no muffins to finish off).

What's the benefit of oats for skin? Well, it's natural with no added chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin and oats is known for calming inflamed skin. Its rough texture also acts as natural exfoliator for you skin that I believe is safe enough to use on a daily basis. You simply adjust the amount of water you add to adjust its texture. For coarser texture, use little water. While if you just want a gentle exfoliator, you can ground rolled oats or use oats flour. Alternatively, you can soak rolled oats in water for a couple of minutes until they soften before using it on your face.

Coral Nail with Acrylic Nail Art

I've loved coral and blue/turquoise combination for ages. I think it all started back when I worked in a Melbourne jewelery store, during my college years. The color combination reminds me of an exotic beach in Greek isle

So I chose a coral nail for my manicure, but opted for a white acrylic nail art to instead of a blue/turquoise accent, just to make the coral pops up and my finger nails look brighter. I added a bit of glitter to help cover my nail tips, just to make sure the manicure lasts for more than 2 days. I also find that applying glitter at you nail tips help to masks any nail polish chip that you might get from doing housework... or from typing (bashing) the keyboard 10-12 hours a day.

I quite like the end result. Next manicure I will definitely go for coral & turquoise combo.

Back to Blogging

After almost a 2 year hiatus, I decided to start blogging again. I've been so busy and sleep deprived over the past year or so that I've spent almost all of my free time catching up on sleep. What have I been doing in the past 2 years? Well, I can probably make a list...

• I've turned 30... Well, I heard 30 is the new 20... I feel order physically, but I feel more carefree about life.
• I went back to university and actually finished my my courses. I still have to start my thesis though.
• Stopped collecting make up until I can at least make a dent on at least a dozen of my blushes.
• We had our first attempt at IVF. The result was negative, but we'll definitely try again.
• We built our first house! This is our largest project ever. We've now moved in to our new house for about 2 months. We've been putting up little decor here and there during weekend, which I will share with you more in the next couple of weeks.
• I've grown a fondness for batik fabric, Indonesia's traditional material
• HY changed job... twice!
• I'm starting a business venture with my sister on something we both love. FASHION!

Now that our house is completed, I have a little bit of free time to start blogging again. However, since I've made a promise to only purchase make up that I need and not what I want, I will share about things which interest me from fashion, beauty, food, recipes, decor, and anything else that caught my attention. Hope it'll be interesting enough to share with you.

Make-up For Your Eyebrow

One thing that we often neglect when applying make-up is to do our eyebrows (for me this is true especially when rushing in the morning). Most of my friends say that they can’t leave the house without a mascara or lipgloss, but a pair of well made eyebrows can actually frame your whole face and made it look a lot more polished than wearing tons of mascaras and lipglosses. Longer eyebrows can even make your face look younger. Especially the trend seems to favor thick, long, and dark eyebrow. Thus a well made pair of eyebrows is a must!

Here are my tips of having a beautiful eyebrows every time.

Vichy Normaderm Promat Ultra Mattifying Lotion

It's time for another skin care review. My main problem with my combination skin is that it gets oily (especially on T zone area) real bad but I keep having dried flaky skin on my nose (also on my T zone) and around my jaw. The oily face reduces my makeup staying power. It also makes most of loose powder oxidize after a few hours. While all sort of mattifying or oil free moisturizer makes the dryer parts of my face gets even dryer, and my makeup emphasized all the flaky. So it’s a bit of a catch 22… I need to get rid of my dried flaky skin so makeup can be applied smoothly, but I cannot use rich moisturizer because it’ll make my face even oilier.

La Femme Sparkle Dust Stack & Eye shadow

My small purchase of La Femme Sparkle Dust Stack and single eye shadow arrived on my door step Friday evening and I woke up early on Saturday morning to play the new addition to my La Femme collection. The only La Femme Cosmetics products that I have purchased before are the blush on rouge and the glow on rouge, which I obsessively acquired one by one. My good experience with the brand fueled my curiosity to try La Femme other products, which seems to be less popular than the blushes. I decided to try its eye make-up because I love doing eye make-up.

L-R: Iridescent Taupe, Sparkle Dust Stack #4 (consist of #5 Opal, #20 Chantilly, #7 Flamenco, #2 Rose Chiffon, #32 Ruby, and #38 Gypsy Wine)

Another update...

I'm doing another blogger template update because some visitors were kind enough to let me know that my old layout was doing crazy things when accessed using Internet Explorer. Since I have no idea what could cause the problem other than that the template was made to be compatible with Mozilla Firefox only, so the easiest solution was to replace the template with a new one that's compatible on both IE and Firefox. Silly me... I should've checked the template before hand rather than changing it only after a month!

So another face lift to this blog. It's only 6 months old and 2 face lifts already... Doesn't it a close enough reflection of the my own vanity :p

XOXO,

Nars Fall 2010 Collection

I'm in love with NARS Fall 2010 promo image of Daphne Guiness, who is the muse for Francois Nars' Fall 2010 collection. She did a wonderful job as I'm head over heels with the vibrant royal purple eye shadow, rosy lips, elegant brownish pink blush!