Mikan's Sanctuary

Yassssss it's not even day 10 of this month yet but I already splurged my resources for new make up items. It's quite a challenge having a high class taste with a middle class pocket. Kelas menengah ngehe emang yeee maunya belanja belanji doang. Nabung apa itu nabung hah hah hah?? Budak kapitalis tidak mengenal adanya nabung.

(NAON)

Okay let's back to the main topic shall we? So last week my sister asked if I wanted to buy this lippies, too. (the name is LA Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss WHY IT'S SO MOUTHFUL L.A, WHY??? It's as if your R&D people closed their eyes to pick random words from the ballot and mixed everything. I'll just call this as lippies or lipsticks for the rest of this post) After much consideration (mainly on whether I have enough money to splurge) (not to mention on the amount of time we spent being confused by the different appearances of the swatches available all over the internet) I decided to buy Playful and Secret, while my sister decided on Bazaar, Fleur, and Dreamy.

I wanted a blush baby doll pink, yano', I kept buying the toned down terracotta color unconsciously and in the end I don't have much variation on my lippie colors. I am always envy by those flawless china doll-like models or bloggers or make up artists who rocks the blush baby doll pink so effortlessly. On some swatches, Timeless and Tulle looked bright neon pink, on others Playful is the bright neon hot pink one, my head hurts. Never thought there would come the time where choosing right lipstick shade would be as difficult as choosing career path.

Finally we met today after lunch time to get my lippies from her. I was kind of nervous because the night before my sister shared the pic and said that 'PLAYFUL TERANG BANGET WARNA LUARNYA PERSIS KAYAK PINK LOGO L.A GIRL' and I was like 'FUUUCCCCCKKKKK DON'T SAY THIS IS ANOTHER NICKI MINAJ SHADE FOR ME!!!'

Here's all five of it.

Here's from another angle:

L-R: Bazaar, Fleur, Dreamy, Playful, Secret.

And yep that's my sister in the background.

Here's the swatch on my inner arm:

L-R: Bazaar, Fleur, Dreamy, Playful, Secret

Annnnddd you can guess. The word 'FUUUCCKK FUCCK GIMANA INI GIMANA INI' didn't stop flowing out of my mouth the moment I swiped Playful on to my arm. Fuck. I'm screwed.

I planned to swatch all five, especially because the 3 shades are my sister's so obviously I won't bring it back home and can't try it unless I'm with her. But we were meeting at IP Food Court, and the lighting was so bad, there were countless of lamps but especially because of this the source of light is unfocused and no matter where we stood or took picture, there were always some backlights. We tried our best to take proper pictures.

Me wearing Bazaar. No edit coz Imma lazy ass.

... malah ini yang pink-nya wearable duh aing mah. I should've chosen this shade instead of Playful. Though this is still a bright pink instead of soft blush baby doll pink, it still looks okay on me. The thing is, my siblings and I are too used to share stuffs so much so when one purchase something, the others won't purchase the exactly same items. Be it novels, comics, toys, even food. And also, make up. I always feel it's a waste of money owning the same things as my sister, even though we live in different place and sometimes I needed stuffs she owns and vice versa, it's much practical to own whatever we need no matter if it's the same items or not. But well habits die hard~

At this point, I was trying to remove the drying lippies with wet wipes, and suddenly my sister said 'is this a make up remover wipes or just a regular wet wipes? Because there isn't anything such as make up remover written anywhere on the packaging' and there were more cursing as I tried to rubbed off the lippie furiously and I was grateful the food court was half empty. In the end I gave up and only put one more shade: Secret.

Secret~

Lemme tell ya: I fell head over heels for this shade. It's SO PRETTY a vampy, dark blood red matte shade, as black as your heart (ngga) I can't stop checking out the mirror to adore my lips. It's so bold, my friend Rere commented that this is not an everyday shades but devil may care, I love this shade, I can rock it and I am confident wearing it, I may as well wear this--until I'm getting sick of the shade lol. Ngga sih. I can't wear this to class. It's too bold. Not to mention being one of the only two girls in my class who wear lipsticks, a super bold one can be easily noticeable.

Bonus: Here's my sister wearing Fleur.

Fleur on my sis

It turned into a pretty neutral terracotta with subtle hint of orange. A wearable nude color on her. And then she suddenly said, 'jangan bilang ini warnanya sama ama NYX Stockholm....'



Dearest readers, if you're wondering how can a woman owns a mountain of lipsticks with the same color, here's more or less on how it could happen.

Okay. There were too many incoherent babbles up there. Let's really start the review.

WHAT I LIKE:

To tell you the truth, my L.A Splash Smitten Lip Tint in Lovegood arrived earlier but I forgot to take the on hand swatch picture so I write this entry first. I can't help but comparing these two products here.

• Unlike LA Splash, this lippie doesn't smell. One plus point.
• The staying power is more or less the same, both are still pretty and vibrant even after being scrubbed furiously, used for eating, drinking, even smeared by sauce and mayonnaise. Alas, the cleaning is a bit of a hassle. It has to be cleaned by an oil-base make up remover or cleansing oil or it won't budge.
• CHEAPER. Like almost 1/3 CHEAPER. I got my LA Splash for IDR 150k and this babies are only IDR 55k each. Huuuggee plus point.
• Though there are differences in packaging, both are sturdy enough and I have no objection over the color choice of both so I like both which comes in a clear tube, enabling us to see the color of the content.
• The formula doesn't tighten or cracking when drying.
• Vibrant enough with one swipe, though not the case for lighter color. Like PLAYFUL. I applied two coats and my lip color is still visible (salah sendiri warna bibirnya gelap banget)
• The stopper is placed several centimeter from the tube rim instead of directly on the rim, so there is less products smearing the top of the applicator wand.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

• It dries longer than LA Splash Smitten Lip Tint. Even after dry, the surface is still quite sticky. I swatched both at the same time on the same hand. After a while, the LA Splash is completely dries with smooth surface, doesn't smudge, doesn't stick, while the LA Girl is still sticky to the touch. This can be annoying.
• The applicator has a round tip with a slight flat slanted surface on one side instead of the doe foot shape of LA Splash applicator. This shape turns out to be more difficult to use when trying to swipe the liquid evenly.
• This is I think the case of almost all matte liquid lipstick. They dry the lips. So before applying, I have to put a fairly thick amount of lipbalm, wait for several minutes, and then apply my liquid lipstick. I also have to pay more attention to my lip's before and aftercare, applying lip balm before sleep at the very least. But this isn't really a big problem since I prefer matte finish than shiny gloss finish (because my face has already full of oil so I can't really appreciate the additional oily shine)

Will I buy more? With the amount of  other items on my bucket list (including more LA Splash from Lip Lustre and Lip Couture series, Sleek, Dose of Color, and Stila) I don't think the repurchase will happen anytime soon. Unless I unexpectedly got like five or ten million rupiah fell onto my lap without any attachment whatsoever lol. But I do want to buy some more shades from this series, including Bazaar. I need to have that pink shade.

Anyway, another bonus picture from my sister:

L-R: WnW Rosebud, LA Girl Bazaar, LA Girl Fleur, NYX SMLC Stockholm

Same shades, different texture.

*deep sigh*

Baru ngeh ada draft ini di folder lol. Kayaknya hasil ngerandom ga jelas. Bahkan gue didn't bother namain tokoh-tokohnya. Judul juga sekenanya. Yah gitulah. Enjoy

Biasanya dia selalu suka hujan.  Tapi tidak hari ini.


Mungkin karena hujan sekarang begitu deras, seperti air bah yang ditumpahkan begitu saja ke atas kepala. Tampaknya Zeus sedang menguras kolamnya dan menjadikan bumi sebagai tempat pembuangan, entahlah. Atau mungkin ada naga yang sedang kena gangguan saluran kencing dan tidak bisa berhenti buang air. Ditambah Boreas yang memutuskan untuk muncul lebih awal dari seharusnya, tanpa sadar warga bumi belum menyiapkan mantel tebal berbulu sama sekali di musim begini. Andai saat ini dia membawa payung, payungnya akan terbalik dalam hitungan detik dan terkoyak percuma.


Mungkin juga karena dia merasa seluruh semesta tengah berkonspirasi untuk menyoraki kemalangannya.


Sementara manusia-manusia lain yang terjebak di jalanan bergerak secepat kaki mereka mengizinkan menuju tempat terdekat yang bisa memberi perlindungan sementara, dia menghentikan langkahnya. Termangu. Menengadah, langit di atas menggelayut kelabu; tak lagi dia ingat apakah itu karena awan hujan masih menggelayut tebal atau karena matahari sebentar lagi permisi dari melaksanakan tugas harian. Butir-butir besar air berjatuhan di pipinya, tanpa ia bisa lagi membedakan apakah itu hujan atau air mata. Tanpa lagi bisa membedakan apakah ia menangis karena menangisi nasib atau karena matanya perih kemasukan air.


Sesuatu—atau seseorang—menyenggol bahunya dari belakang. Tidak kuat, tapi mungkin karena ia tengah melamun—atau efek belum makan sejak kemarin—kakinya sempoyongan. Lalu jatuh tersungkur.


Samar, telinganya menangkap suara seseorang yang berteriak panik.




Dia tidak lagi kedinginan, itu hal pertama yang dia sadari. Dia tengah terbaring di atas sesuatu yang lembut, hangat, dan wangi, hal kedua. Lalu kelopak matanya bergerak-gerak, membuka sedikit, cukup untuk selarik sinar mengintip masuk. Silau.


Kering, hangat, lembut, dan terang.


Dia terduduk tegak tepat ketika pintu di seberang tempat tidur yang tengah ia tempati terbuka. Sosok seorang pria berambut cokelat gelap berantakan muncul dengan senyum canggung. Sebelah tangannya membawa cangkir yang isinya masih mengepulkan uap tipis.


“Er—hai.”


Sapaan yang sama canggungnya.


Dia mengerutkan kening. Otaknya masih berusaha memproses dengan baik dan benar tentang mengapa dia tiba-tiba saja tengah terbaring di atas tempat tidur yang tidak ia kenal, di dalam kamar yang juga tidak ia kenal, lalu seorang pria yang sama sekali tidak bisa dia ingat kenal di mana muncul begitu saja, ketika hal terakhir yang dia ingat adalah tengah merenungi nasib di bawah hujan.


“Siapa kau? Ini di mana?”


Si pemuda menganggap pertanyaan bernada kebingungan itu sebagai sebuah sinyal hijau yang mengizinkannya untuk mendekat. Pemuda itu menarik kursi lalu duduk di samping tempat tidur. Cangkirnya masih dipegang. Cengiran bodoh itu juga masih saja terkembang.


“Ini kamarku. Kau tiba-tiba jatuh di depan pintu masuk kompleks apartemenku,” pemuda itu mengaku. “Kau kebasahan, terus kayaknya pingsan. Tidak mungkin kutinggalkan kau terbaring begitu saja di pinggir trotoar. Jadi kuminta satpam membantu membawamu ke sini.”


Matanya memicing, mengamati si pemuda. Tidak terlihat aura psikopat atau mesum pemerkosa, namun ia bisa saja salah. Pemuda baik-baik macam apa yang mau-mau saja membawa masuk seorang gadis yang terjatuh di depan tangga rumahnya, tanpa tahu identitas si gadis?


“Ini. Coklat panas. Minumlah,” si pemuda menyodorkan cangkir itu padanya. Dia masih diam mengamati beberapa saat sebelum lengannya terjulur untuk menerima cangkir.


Hal lain yang dia sadari ketika mengulurkan tangan, dia tengah memakai kaus yang juga tidak dia kenal.


“Mana bajuku?” Dia memelototi si pemuda dengan tatapan menuntut.


“Hei, kau bisa sakit kalau kubiarkan dalam bajumu yang basah kuyup itu,” si pemuda membela diri.


“Jadi kau sembarangan mengambil asumsi dan berkesimpulan kau berhak menelanjangiku?”


“A—aku tidak lihat apa-apa!”


“Yeah, yeah, kayak aku percaya saja,” dia mendengus sarkastis diiringi guliran bola mata. “Kita sama-sama dewasa, kan? Tak perlulah kau gunakan alibi klise a la anak SMP begitu.”


Si pemuda mengedikkan bahu. “Yah, Aku tidak sebrengsek itu untuk mengambil kesempatan ketika kau tidak sadar.”


“Terserahlah,” dia menanggapi malas, seolah ditelanjangi seorang pemuda asing tidak lagi menjadi masalah besar. “Anggaplah itu bonus karena kau menyelamatkanku.”


Dia menyeruput coklatnya. Hangat.


“Ngomong-ngomong, kau kenapa? Kupikir kau jatuh karena kusenggol, tapi aku berani sumpah senggolanku tidak keras. Tapi kau mendadak jatuh dan pingsan.”


“Ho, jadi kau membawaku masuk karena ngeri dituntut tuduhan penganiayaan, jadi kau mau menghilangkan barang bukti dulu?”


Pemuda itu menghela napas, seolah lelah. “Kau tahu,” ujarnya, “kalau kau lebih berminat menghabiskan waktu dengan melemparkan tuduhan tidak berdasar sepanjang hari, dengan penuh hormat aku permisi dan kutinggalkan kau sendiri sampai kau puas. Atau kau bisa bekerja sama dan mulai benar-benar menjawab pertanyaanku. Terserah kau.”


Gadis itu terkekeh, hampir saja tersedak coklat panasnya. “Baiklah, baiklah. Kau pria sibuk membosankan, aku paham. Ayo mulai pertanyaanmu.”


“Kau tidak membawa tas atau barang apapun yang lainnya. Kau bukan sedang kabur, kan?”


Gadis itu mengangkat alis, berusaha terlihat tidak peduli padahal beberapa saat yang lalu jelas-jelas ia tengah merasa menjadi orang paling malang sedunia. “Kau berharap jadi detektif, begitu? Sayang sekali, cerita sebenarnya tidak sedramatis itu. Tasku hilang di stasiun karena aku terlalu sibuk meratapi wawancara kerjaku yang gagal. Semuanya di situ. Uang, ATM, kartu identitas. Apartemenku masih satu jam lagi dari sini dengan kereta dan aku bingung pulang pakai apa, jadilah luntang-lantung sampai depan kompleks apartemenmu.”


“Bagian mananya yang tidak dramatis, coba,” pemuda itu menggeleng-gelengkan kepala.


“Mengejutkan kau masih bisa tertawa-tawa begini.”


“Well,” dia kembali memusatkan perhatian pada cangkirnya, “shit happens.”


Si pemuda mendengus. Memutuskan untuk berdiri dan keluar. “Baiklah. Kelihatannya kau tidak butuh dihibur atau—“


Bila si pemuda terkejut karena tiba-tiba saja gadis itu menarik kausnya, dia lebih terkejut mendapati tangannya tanpa ia sadari menahan kepergian si pemuda. Kenapa?


“Kau…” si pemuda terdiam sejenak, ragu-ragu. “Menangis?”


Kelopaknya mengerejap, dan dia baru sadar ada butiran-butiran bening yang tengah mengalir deras, mengaburkan pandangannya. Jemarinya meraba pipi. Basah.


“Aku—“


Kenapa dia menangis? Apa diam-diam, meski dia menampakkan sikap tak peduli ketika menceritakan kisahnya, hatinya belum bisa merelakan kesialan itu? Bagaimana dia sudah mencari kerja selama setahun belakangan tanpa hasil berarti dan tabungannya sudah menipis. Bagaimana empat bulan lalu dia terpaksa menyanggupi posisi sebagai pegawai magang dengan bayaran alakadarnya, dan tiba-tiba saja sebulan lalu mendapati dirinya diberhentikan dengan alasan perusahaan sudah tidak lagi memerlukan pegawai magang. Lalu teman-temannya yang satu persatu meninggalkannya karena ia selalu menolak ajakan keluar karena harus berhemat. Lalu mobilnya tiba-tiba saja ditabrak pengemudi mabuk ketika tengah diparkir, dan sekarang terpuruk di bengkel tanpa dia sanggup membayar.


Apa semua orang mengalami kesialan yang sama banyaknya di pertengahan dua puluhan? Kalau iya, mungkin ini penyebab dari munculnya sindrom pertengahan dua puluhan.


Man. Kali ini hidup benar-benar menendangnya telak.


Pemuda itu urung keluar. Dia duduk di tepi tempat tidur, di sebelahnya, melepaskan cangkir coklat panas dari genggamannya dan meletakkannya di atas meja samping tempat tidur. Dia tidak memberontak, juga tidak berusaha menyalahkan atau membenarkan ketika si pemuda mungkin menganggapnya sebagai sinyal penerimaan. Lalu lengan-lengan besar itu melingkarinya. Merengkuhnya lembut. Membaringkan kepalanya di dada si pemuda.


Tiba-tiba saja, dia menyadari, sudah terlalu lama semenjak terakhir kali dia merasakan sentuhan manusia. Bukan, bukan sekedar sentuhan basa-basi seperti ciuman sapaan atau jabat tangan, tapi sentuhan yang sungguh-sungguh ditumpahkan hanya untuknya. Yang seolah ingin menyelimutinya dengan selubung kehangatan, yang seolah ingin memberitahunya untuk tidak perlu kuatir dengan dunia. Seolah, ingin memberitahunya bahwa ia tidak sendiri; ada orang lain yang cukup peduli untuk memberinya kehangatan, memberinya perlindungan.


Padahal, pemuda ini orang asing yang bahkan dia belum tahu siapa. Tapi pelukannya seolah meluruhkan segala sisa-sisa pertahanan terakhirnya. Dia tidak lagi berpura-pura kuat. Dia tidak lagi berpura-pura tak peduli seperti yang ia tampakkan ketika mereka yang ia kira menganggapnya berharga satu persatu meninggalkannya tanpa sekalipun lagi menengok ke belakang.


“Aku merasa seperti memungut seekor anjing liar di tengah hujan.”


Dia meloloskan tawa geli, hampir seperti mendengus.


“Yah, bisa dibilang begitu.”


“Yakin nih tidak keberatan disamakan dengan anjing?”


“Kau sendiri tidak menyesal memungutku?”


“Well…” si pemuda berlagak seperti berpikir, tidak langsung menjawab. “Kurasa tidak buruk juga,” dia nyengir. “Tidak setiap hari aku beruntung memungut anjing manis sepertimu.”


Si pemuda belum melepaskan pelukannya. Tapi dia tak keberatan, karena dia pun masih ingin tenggelam dalam kehangatan seperti ini, yang membuatnya merasa seolah semua masalahnya tak berarti, dan dia akan baik-baik saja.


Si pemuda menggandengnya keluar, memperlihatkan meja sarapan kecil yang sudah penuh makanan. Rupanya sementara dia pingsan tadi, si pemuda sibuk menyiapkan makan. Dia mengerling jendela di ruang depan. Hujan masih bertalu-talu mendera kaca tanpa ada tanda-tanda akan berhenti. Mungkin ramalan cuaca tadi pagi benar tentang angin topan yang tengah mendekat.


Dia tidak lagi membenci hujan hari ini.

Hola there!

I actually wanted to show you my sister's and my lipstick swatches (we spent last Sunday's afternoon trying out all of our lipsticks at our front porch trying to catch the last sunlight under the thick overcast sky lol) but we own like one or two each from many different brands so I guess I best separate the review into several posts based on the brand. 

My lipstick collection

From left to right:

1. Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Color in Crazy for Coffee
2. Wardah Matte Lipstick in Cocoa Look
3. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Creme in Fleshtone
4. Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color in Sandstorm
5. IN2IT (a Malaysian brand) Gel Tint in Melon
6. A liptint sample from The Face Shop that I don't know the name of

My sister's collection

 From left to right (CMIIW I forgot to jolt down the series name and tone):

1. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey Douce
2. Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Sultry
3. Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel
4. Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color in Just Peachy
5. Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color in Rosebud
6. Milani Power Lip Gloss Stain in Macaroon
7. Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in Cannes Crush
8. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

For this entry, I will review the holygrail of cheap drugstore brand, Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color.  My sister owns Just Peachy and Rosebud, while I own Sandstorm shades. Here's what they claim on their website.

Lips take center stage! This 4-hour, longwearing lip color leaves a semi-matte, creme finish in one stroke. Glides on easily with rich, velvety color that doesn't cake, feather, or bleed. Made with hydrating skin-care ingredients: Hyaluronic Microspheres provide extraordinary adhesion to lips, an exclusive polymer complex offers cushion-like feel and texture, and natural marine plant extracts Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamins A & E help smooth lips.

Below are the swatches on my lips. Apologize for the lip-only picture and blemishes skin, I was too lazy to put full face base make up and hijab.

Bare lips

Yeah, that's my bare lips. While I like my lips shape (enough thickness with defined cupid bow and not too wide), I hate the color. See, it's that coklat butek with dark edges a la bibir perokok. I SWEAR I DON'T SMOKE YET I COULDN'T FOR THE LIFE OF ME COMPREHEND WHY I HAVE THE LIPS OF THE SMOKER. This made choosing lipstick a journey as difficult as the Sun Go Kong's journey of finding the scripture to the West. Trying to look for swatch references on the internet? Boom! The color looks totally different on my lips.

I'll show you what it means.

Just Peachy

 SEE WHAT I MEANT???? Just Peachy was supposed to be a nice sheer peachy-almost-bare look color. But here on my lips, it turned to be a very mod whitish pink. It's patchy, too, and didn't properly cover my lips in one swipe. I feel like cosplaying Nicki Minaj with this color. Where can I get that bright green wig again?

Rose-bud

 Thankfully, this Rose-bud shade works better than Just Peachy despite it's also being a bright lighter shade. It's brighter in reality, I don't think I can pull off the look with my bare face because the color is too neon bright and washed down my overall appearance. But with proper base make up, I think it's quite okay.

Wearing Rose-bud

Here's a full-face picture of me wearing Rosebud and my daily casual make up the other day.

And the last is my own lipstick, Sandstorm.

Sandstorm

This one is a perfect bare lips / MLBB (my lips but better) shade for me. A nude-but-not-washed-out-as-if-I-was-left-out-in-the-cold-all-night color. I like wearing this for my daily make up (attending classes, for instance).

Now go check other reviews and swatches on the internet. I'll put one here for easy comparison.

SEE HOW DIFFERENT THEY ARE?????


WHAT I LIKE:

Seriously, this lipstick is like the hidden treasure of all make up addicts, professional or amateur. It does all it claimed it does. The color is vibrant and opaque (for the darker shades), so soft and creamy when applied (albeit sometimes the stick is a bit dry so it doesn't glide as smooth as it should be), and last quite long. I mean 4-hour staying power is amazing for a below USD5 lipstick. I guess the darker the shades, the longer it stays because when I was using Sandstorm, even if I eat and wipe rightafter, there's still some color left. When I swatched the lipstick on my hand, it left some stain even after I wipe it down. It gives a satiny-mate finish. I think the darker the shades, the more matte the finish is, but I have to wait until I own more shades to prove this theory.

You like quality products yet too broke or too cheap like me? This product is the best choice.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

That being said, doesn't mean I don't have any objection over this product. Being as cheap as it is, there are some aspects that had to be traded off to keep the price as low as possible without hurting the company (okay I'll stop here before turning this post into an economy lecture). In this case, the traded off aspect is the packaging. I'll be frank. I HATE the packaging. It's so flimsy and cheap and frail as if it would break apart at the slightest touch. I also hate the cap and tube model because I have to be very careful and close the cap veeery slowly so as not to chip the lipstick on the cover. The possibility of breaking the stick also bigger because of the packaging.

But well with the price as cheap as IDR 37k (bought it as a preorder from a user at FemaleDaily Forum) I don't have any space to complain, aren't I? Still planning to buy more shades, though, despite my fiery hate of the packaging. I'm intrigued. Even when I'm sure I can't rock the light shades lol.

On an unrelated topic, MY LA SPLASH SMITTEN LIP TINT LOVEGOOD JUST ARRIVED and I'll get my LA Girl Matte Flat Finish Pigment Gloss from my sister tomorrow so expect swatch post anytime soon! :3

After posting morning routine, it's only normal to follow that up with a night routine right right riiiiiggggght???

So I'll post that now while I still have a few MB quota left on my modem (CREYYYSSSS)

The same products for 1, 2, 3, and 6, and since I've reviewed the products I'll skipped that (.....) and jump to 4.

HAHAHA okay I'll just mention the name here.

1. Hada Labo Gokujyun Ultimate Moisturizing Cleansing Oil

2. Hada Labo Gokujyun Ultimate Moisturizing Face Wash

3. Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence

4. Tony Moly Timeless Series: Ferment Snail Toner and
5. Tony Moly Timeless Series: Ferment Snail Emulsion

I bought this in a bundle with the Emulsion, for ₩ 31,000. YES IT IS EXPENSIVE but I guess since it's a 2 bottles deal it's ₩15,000 for one and quite cheap??? (SELF-DEFENSE MODE: ON). It is said that it's made from the secretion of golden snails fed on Golden Tea plants (which, they claimed, is organic green tea plant sprinkled with pure gold colloid as fertilizer or some sort) It is claimed as anti-wrinkle, whitening, and moisturizing. Although I was indecisive on whether I'd use this for myself or gave it to my Mum, in the end, I gave it to my Mum because I haven't bought anything for her save for some mask sheet packs and I feel guilty (DON'T TELL HER PLEASE). Several days before, I got Prestige Creme D'escargot sample from It's Skin and I liked it so much because only one drop of cream can make my skin soft, smooth, dewy, brighter tone, and smaller scars and pores. Plus it protects my skin from the harsh winter wind. However, the price for the actual size is about ₩60,000-ish (SOOOBBBSSSS) and I can't afford that so I've been looking for cheaper alternative of snail treatment products.

My sister said not everyone is suitable for the snail treatment products. On the assumption that the It's Skin snail product is suitable for me (never EVER do this like EVER) I thought it would be suitable for my mother, too. But I didn't buy the It's Skin, instead, I bought Tony Moly because it's cheaper (LOL) and it has bundle promotion so I got the toner and emulsion.

But then my Mum said it's not suitable for her skin. She said first application made her skin soft and smooth, and it felt good, but over the course of a week, it gave burning-scar effect, especially on her forehead area. So it went to me again in the end lol. (emang udah nasibnya kudu buat gue kali yeee)

It's my fault I guess. I didn't pay close attention on whether it has exactly the same ingredients with It's Skin Creme D'Escargot. It's actually has 10-free formula so I think the effect on my Mum's skin isn't from paraben or something. My sister thought perhaps one of the ingredients contains AHA and my Mum's skin is sensitive to AHA. But then, over close inspection, this snail formula is fermented with white rice (...............) (WHY DID YOU JUST REALIZE THIS WHILE IT'S CLEARLY WRITTEN ON THE BOX, MIK????) I think my Mum can't stand fermented product.

I just starting to use this Toner and Emulsion for a week, though, so no result seen yet. So far I don't feel any flares or drying or burning sensation upon application. On the contrary, my skin feels dewy, tighten, and looks brighter the next morning. It's still too rich for day use, though, so I only use this for night. We'll see then.

6. Face Oil Mixture (Golden Jojoba Carrier Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, and Frankincense Essential Oil)
I use this after the essence, toner, and emulsion, because water-based products should be used below/before the oil-based products. Since I've written my review of this oil product, I'll skip it.

7. Neem Oil 

I just started using this for... two to three weeks (and not every night because it's smelly as fuck) and let me repeat that, THIS OIL SMELLS NASTY. I knew about Neem Oil's properties since I started learning about natural oils for skincare, but everyone claims the smell is unbearable so I kept rethinking over and over to purchase one and boy, they don't exaggerate the review. When the bottle is opened, the smell is only some kind of strong nutty almond-like smell and although it's really strong (notice how I repeat the word 'strong'?), I can still stand the smell. However, after it's applied to the skin, over the time, it gradually changes into a strong raw onion smell (YUUUUUCCCCKKKSSS) AND DID YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE RAW ONIONS???????? IT'S LIKE TEN KILOGRAMS OF RAW ONIONS SLICED AND HUNG UNDER MY NOSE. Even when I drink, I can taste the raw onion smell on my tongue :((

Tapi demi kulit yang lebih baik ya. Akan kujalani cobaan ini.

But the reviews don't lie on the effects, either. It does reduce the redness and size of my inflamed cystic acne, and then dries them. Only, since my acne's growing rate is so fast (I said this on the previous post, didn't I?) I have to apply it every night for a maximum effect and currently, I couldn't stand being tortured by the smell every night yet :(

So those are my night skincare routines. I usually put face mask sheet about once a week, and when I do, I skipped the Tony Moly Toner and Emulsion and sometimes skipped the Neem Oil, too. I've explained other masks that I use (clay masks, fermented oatmeal) on the previous posts about my homemade skincare here and here. I usually apply that once a week, too, alternating between clay mask and oatmeal. But since now I finished my oatmeal, I have to wait until I got my next month allowance to buy a new packet .___.

See you on the next entry!

Hi, there! I'm still buggered over the fact that the only camera I have is the crappy 3MP phone camera. I reeeally want to post some swatches and reviews about my make up, but how can I provide accurate information with a camera that couldn't even represent the right color, right?

At least for this post, I don't have to show the right swatch color /^0^/ So here it is:

Because I'm lazy as fuck, I use the same edited picture for my instagram and blog post.

And here's the list of the products plus my review and why I use this:

1. Hada Labo Gokujyun Ultimate Moisturizing Cleansing Oil I use this cleansing oil ever since Hada Labo released this in Indonesia. Compare to Korean Brands, and the natural oils for cleansing, this is way cheaper. One bottle for about IDR 60k. Since I'm broke af, I can't afford expensive face cleanser/face wash since it will be finished faster. Moreover, I've been using the face wash from Hada Labo longer and I like the result. This cleansing oil really wash down all my make up. I rub and massage the oil on my dry face, then rinse with water (supposedly lukewarm water but again, I'm a lazy ass), then proceed with face wash. And because it's so effective, I also use this as my eye make up remover (I use cotton to remove the make up) and brush cleanser. So versatile.

Btw, I usually only use cleansing oil to remove make up. But lately I've been using Neem Oil for my acne treatment before sleep, and it SMELL SO BAD and the smell stays long on my skin so now I also use this cleansing oil in the morning to clean the Neem Oil residue.

2. Hada Labo Gokujyun Ultimate Moisturizing Face Wash
I've been using this brand for... a year? More than a year? Can't remember. All I remember is that I've been using this since it's first released. AND I LIKE THE RESULT. Previously I kept changing facial foam. First was because the Pond's variant I used wasn't available in Malaysia, then I changed to Etude, but then that variant (I forgot what) was discontinued. Then I changed to Sebamed, and when I moved back here to Indonesia, turned out it's too expensive for me.

I love its smooth, supple, clean finish. It's tame enough for my troubled acne skin. It has sufficient foam, too (yes although I know that many claims non-foam facial wash with slippery finish is better for your skin, I don't like it).

3. Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence
 SKII dupe (lol) because I can't afford the SKII Essence. I bought that for about IDR 200k from Elevenia. Btw, during my trip to South Korea last January, I couldn't find any Secret Key shop. I guess just like BRTC, they only sell their products online and at some selected vendors like Watson and the like. I assume that's why they can sell way cheaper than SKII and the like. The reviews on the internet for this product is crazy, a lot better than Missha First Treatment Essence (₩42,000, they said it's half the SKII but still WAY TO EXPENSIVE). But... I don't know if it's because I don't use it everyday (there were days where I forgot to even wash my face lol) or I just didn't notice it, I've been using this for about 2 months but there is no considerable change on my skin.

Well smaller scar marks, more supple and dewy skin but that's all.

I guess it needs time lol. Or my acne is too many I couldn't notice any better improvement over other areas. (kreys)

4. It's Skin Clinical Solution AC Spot Essence
Bought this one during my Daejeon trip last January for.... can't remember. Somewhere around ₩ 7,000? or ₩10,000? I CAN'T REMEMBER HELP! But it's not overly expensive I guess, because I remember I need to think over back and forth many times if the products were more expensive than ₩10,000. It's really good, it has gel-like transparent formula, and absorbed fast so we can use it below the make up layer. It dries my acne without burning my skin like benozyl peroxide. Sometimes it's sting when I use it over large cystic acne or open cuts, though. Too bad the growing rate of my acne (I MAKE IT LIKE IT SOUNDS REALLY FANCY BUT ACTUALLY NO IT IS NOT COOL AT ALL) is faster than the healing rate of old ones (sobs). Previously I use this morning and night (minus several nights of overslept so I forgot to apply this lol), and since I use Neem Oil for my night acne treatment, I only use this in the morning. Not to mention it's almost finished, too, (sigh) and I don't know where to find It's Skin product here :(

5. Face Oil (Mixture of Golden Jojoba Carrier Oil, Frankincense Essential Oil and Tea Tree Essential Oil)
I've been using natural oil as face moisturizer/serum since December 2013. Although it's more like maintenance oil rather than healing one, over several months of using, I see many improvement on my skin. The surface isn't dry and scaly anymore (yes my skin is oily but the surface is dry) and I have less acne during my breakout period. I've been trying Chardonnay Grape Seed Oil, Passion Fruit Oil, and Golden Jojoba Oil. From my experience, you have to rotate the oil type for every 1 or 2 months for maximum effects so that your skin won't bee too saturated with the same content.

I guess because I stopped using face oil last year for about 3-4 months (because I have no extra money to buy the new one), my acne are all coming back again.

So Golden Jojoba Oil is good for combination and dehydrated (oily but dry on the surface) skin. So is Chardonnay and Passion Fruit, it's good for oily and acne-troubled skin. Frankincense EO is good to reduce scar marks and black spots, while Tea Tree EO has anti-bacterial properties that fight the acne.

Never, NEVER, EVER, put the essential oil directly to your skin because it's so strong it can burn your skin. Always dilute with carrier oil, 3-5 drops of EO/10 ml of carrier oil. Even Tea Tree and Lavender EO, in which people claims the only EO that can be applied directly as spot treatment for acne, is not for everyone. It's possible that some people is too sensitive to direct application of EO and can only adds more problems. So, always dilute, everyone.

So that's all for my morning routine! You might notice the absent of sunblock here. YES IT'S TRUE I DON'T HAVE SUNBLOCK BECAUSE I'M TOO POOR TO BUY ONE I console myself by saying that my BB Cream has SPF 40. I save other emulsions / creams with richer formula for night usage, because my skin is so oily, and putting anything too rich on my skin has breakout risk. Not to mention it will fasten the make up meltdown (lol) due to oil and sweat buildup.

Except during winter. My South Korea trip was during winter, and the air is so dry, so I put all creams that I have morning and night. Even then, I don't have oil buildup for the whole day. I guess that's the only perk of winter season for people with oily skin like me :))

See you on next post!