Make over

Hey y’all!

Today i would like to talk about the brand ‘Make Over’ that i recently chanced upon in Central Park Jakarta. I frequently visit Central Park, and i passed by this brand alot, but i never had any interest in it. I has always thought it was just an imitation version of Make Up Forever. However, December 2014, i was in Central Park, and i was searching for some glitter to use as an eye shadow for the new years, and Make Over just happened to have it. As they were having a promotion, i looked around and i left the shop with 2 a lip stick, 1 eyeshadow palette and 2 glitters. Although i have not tried the lipstick, i can say i am extremely and pleasantly surprise at how amazing the products are. Did i mention they are extremely affordable too. This is their website if any of you are interested. http://www.makeoverforall.com/ Anways, here is the eye shadow palette i bought. i find the colors so pretty. when using your fingers to apply the eyeshadow, the colors also felt very creamy. However, when you use a brush, it can get alittle messy. Is this what other bloggers refer to as chalky or powdery? I never understood what that meant. But basically, if you use a brush, just expect some fall out to happen. If you use your fingers though, all will be good. This was a swatch with no base or anything whatsoever. HOLY CRAP. THIS IS SOOOO PIGMENTED. It was only swatched once by the way. This is why with this eyeshadow, i always use my fingers. These are the swatches with flash. I mean, i think the product speaks for itself. This has 8 x 3,5 gr of product in it, and it cost 289.000,00 IDR (24USD) I think that is amazing value for money, especially since with this product, alittle bit goes a long long way. I love this palette, and it is my go to palette every time i use eyeshadow. Especially for night time, or party time. If you guys can get your hands on the palette, i would say give it a shot. Till then, D

The Body Shop Haul Part 2

So, in the previous post, we spoke about their sunscreen+moisturisers.

Today, lets go into their Vitamin E series.

I bought 2 of their Vitamin E series product.

The first one is their

VITAMIN E OVERNIGHT SERUM-IN-OIL 28ML (RP309.000)

On the website, it claims that it will help

“Wake up to beautiful skin with new Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil, a technical innovation combining the power of a serum and oil to indulge, replenish and recharge skin with moisture overnight.

• 8h beauty sleep for your skin
• Skin feels recharged, replenished and softer
• Skin looks fresher, rested and more radiant
• Our highest concentration of wheatgerm oil
• Non-greasy, fast-absorbing formula”

Concerned about my sensitive skin, the sales lady assured me that this is gentle enough, and very moisturising.

After trying it out almost daily for a few weeks, i can safely say, this is not the product for me.

It is simply too heavy for my skin.

Every time i use it, i would wake up with enlarged pores and a ridiculous increase in Blackheads.

I think i am simply not suited for oil products.

The Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil reminds me alot of the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (which i also happen to not take to liking).

To be honest, both products were highly raved about. I remembered all my friends telling me about the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate and how much they loved it, but it just never worked well with my skin. But to those of you who loves oil type moisturisers, The Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil would be a good one to try out.

When i apply the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil, my face feels slightly hot. I am not sure if that is normal, but i notice it everytime i apply it. I do not think i will continue using the product anymore as it does make my blackheads worse, and it enlarges the pores around my cheek area.

In all honestly though, it makes my face so soft, smooth and supple after each use, so i can see why people like it so much.

My face feels so moisturised and hydrated, and it is not too greasy to the point where hair will stick on your face. I normally like to massage it into my face for a good minute, and usually after a good 5 minutes, the oil is absorbed into the skin.

I do believe that sometimes even though the product maybe amazing, it might not work with your skin type. I am so disappointed that the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil did not work for me, but hey, i think if you have dry skin or normal skin, you should definitely give this a try.

The other Vitamin E product i got was one of their best sellers.

VITAMIN E MOISTURE CREAM

On their website, i found this

‘

We all want to keep our skin fresh and healthy-looking. Treat your skin daily with our bestselling daily moisture cream containing nourishing Vitamin E to hydrate and leave skin feeling silky soft and beautifully smooth. The moisturising effects of Vitamin E can help to ward off dryness and keep skin hydrated.

It is consistently appearing on our bestseller list and has a dedicated group of devoted beauty fans. Because this cream is quickly and easily absorbed it won’t clog your pores and you can apply make up directly on top for an even finish, whatever your skin type.

• Hydrates skin leaving it smooth and fresh
• Light and easily absorbed
• Use daily for softer, healthy-looking skin
• Use fingertips to apply to face and neck after cleansing and toning
• Suitable for all skin types, particularly dry skin’

When you open the jar, it has a pretty strong alcohol smell, which i think is weird. After checking their ingredients list….. well, lets just say i am not well apt in the chemicals and ingredients section, so i will just list down what the ingredients are,

‘Aqua/Water (Solvent/Diluent), Isopropyl Palmitate (Emollient), Sorbitol (Humectant), Lanolin (Emollient), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), Cetyl Esters (Emollient), Steareth-2 (Emulsifier), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Ceresin (Stabiliser), Triethanolamine (pH Adjuster), Tocopheryl Acetate (Antioxidant), Steareth-20 (Emulsifier), Carbomer (Stabiliser/Viscosity Modifier), Methylparaben (Preservative), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Butylparaben (Preservative), Ethylparaben (Preservative), Hydroxycitronellal (Fragrance Ingredient), Propylparaben (Preservative), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Geraniol (Fragrance Ingredient), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Cinnamyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient), Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone (Fragrance Ingredient), CI 14700/Red 4 (Colour).’

Now, let me first clarify, i have no clue what these ingredients mean, but seeing how there was an ingredient that is called ‘Cinnamyl Alcohol (Fragrance Ingredient)’ and a ton of fragrance ingredient added, i am guessing Body Shop intentionally wanted their product to smell like this?

Anyways, smell aside, the texture of the cream is very light. When i apply it on my face, it feels watery and cooling to the touch. It does not get absorbed instantly, but after massaging it into the face for about a minute, it gets absorbed fully. The strange part however, is everytime i apply the Vitamin E Moisture Cream, in a few hours after application, it seems as though my t-zone will get insanely oily. It is almost as though the Moisture Cream induces more sebum production. If that was the only issue i had, it might have still been fine, BUT, i also found that the morning after i apply the Vitamin E Moisture Cream, i would always end up with slightly more enlarged pores. URGH.

I also did not find the Moisture cream to be very hydrating. So if you guys have dry skin, this may be extremely inadequate for you.Though in comparison, i think that the Vitamin E Moisture Cream does cause alot less damage in comparison to the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil. But overall, both is a no no for me.

In Indonesia at least, Body Shop products are not exactly in the cheap range, so as sad as this is for me,  both products will be either thrown or given away.

Till then,

D

The fall back plan

i think that everyone should always have a fall back plan. Well, maybe not everyone, but i like to play things safe, so i like that safety net there. As i mentioned in my previous post, my face is a mess right now.

Doesnt it look like a cat scratched my face? ewww. Anyways, when shit like this happens, i always like to know that whatever products i use on my face (at least until i am all healed) will not be rejected or cause any additional issues. My fall back plan ladies and gentlemen, is the almighty awesome PAULA’S CHOICE!!!! i always ALWAYS rave about this brand to all my friends and relatives when they ask me what i think is good, and i found out that most people have never heard of this brand before. What a pity, it is such an awesome brand.

So for those of you who has never heard of PAULA’S CHOICE before Here is their link, http://www.paulaschoice.com/

I personally love and use their Resist Series, i swear by them, but as many of you may not have heard about them, i decided to talk about all my tried and tested Paula’s Choice products and share why i love them so much. There are a ton loads of product that i think are so good, but today i will talk about my top 2 most loved product from them.

So What 2 products do i swear by?

First:

RESIST ANTI-AGING CLEAR SKIN HYDRATOR

Lets start with the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator

Urgh! i love this product so much, i do not even know how and where to start!

First, the texture is really quite unique, it is pretty thick, silky almost gel like cream, but when you put it on your face and rub it in, it feels light. The product also gets absorbed almost instantly, so you wont have hair (especially you girls with long hair) sticking on your face for the rest of the night/day.

It also smells alittle funny, i do not think they put any fragrance in it, but the smell does not bother me, in fact after awhile i kinda like it.

I would say if you have dry skin, this probably wont be the best choice for you. But if you have oily skin or combination skin, this might just be your holy grail moisturiser.

Another reason why i love the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator so much is because it is extremely acne friendly. Whenever i have slight redness, or i feel as though i have an acne coming along, or even if i am having breakouts already, this moisturiser helps so very very much. By the next day, most of the redness will be gone (if i have not broken out yet). And if i have already broken out, i notice that my pimples would have shrunk by the next day. I love it. I will restock this like crazy at the next sale.

Did i mention it is also anti-aging?!?! HOW MUCH MORE AWESOMENESS CAN YOU WANT FROM A PRODUCT?! The Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator is a holy grail product that i will always fall back to whenever i break out, or whenever my skin simply is not in too good a condition.

I highly highly recommend it to all my friends and family. You guys should give it a try out too!

Second Holy Grail from Paula’s Choice is the

RESIST C15 SUPER BOOSTER

This baby, TheResist C15 Super Booster, was the first product that i bought from Paula’s choice. It was the product that convinced me, this brand was not only talk, but their products are indeed effective and simply fantastic.

This is not the first oil type product i tried. I have tried the one best seller one from body shop, Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil, and i have also tried the one from Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. I hated both. Though both were very hydrating and made your skin feel supple and bouncy, they also broke me out everytime i used it. They were both so rich that it clogged my pores with every use. I would wake up the next day with an increased amount of blackheads and enlarged pores. And mann, that look is not pretty on anyone.

The Resist C15 Super Booster however, felt like a dream come true. It is not near as hydrating as the Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil or the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate. But! For my combination type skin, it was more than adequate. The texture is not as thick or heavy, so it feels nice and light on the skin. Like the Resist Anti-Aging Clear Skin Hydrator, it has a smell to it, but it isnt that strong nor is it unpleasant, and disappears as you apply it to your face. The best part about it, is how it brightens up your complexion and lightens all the scarring and dark spots you have.

The first night i used it, i noticed my complexion was at least 1 tone brighter the next morning, and as i have been using it pretty often for the past year or so, (i lost count of the number of bottles i used up, and gave away) i noticed a few weeks ago that alot of my acne scarring and my freckles have faded.

Did i mention this helps with anti-aging too!?!

Paula’s Choice has ruined me for life. With such amazing products as these, every other product i have tried or tested after has failed in comparison. They have raised the bar way too high!

May i mention that the prices are pretty affordable too? I always wait for their sales (which normally go from 20-30%), but their original prices are

RESIST ANTI-AGING CLEAR SKIN HYDRATOR (USD 29)

RESIST C15 SUPER BOOSTER (USD 48)

I cant even begin to express how great i think these products are, but greedy as i am, i will keep looking out for better, cheaper alternatives.

Until then, these 2 products will be my fall back products

Till then,

D

PMD 1

Remember my first post about the clarisonic?

I do use it daily, but the results it gave me pushed me to want to find an even better product.

After a few days of research i chanced upon the PMD, and IT ARRIVED IN THE MAIL TODAY!!!

OH YEAA.

Excited, i ripped the box open, plugged it in, and used it right away.

BAD BAD STUPID RETARDED ME.

Like the clarisonic, it was a disaster.

Sorry, it is a disaster.

I look as though a cat scratched my face, i have red streaky lines, and did i mention, the pain. Oh the pain.

Girls and boys, this is a reminder that you should always ALWAYS read the instructions before doing anything.

I was going to do a body shop review part 2 but with my face in this condition, i do not think experimenting with other products seem like such a smart move.

I will let my face rest for a few days, and hopefully post the body shop review part 2 soon.

Till then

D

The Body shop Haul Review

A few months ago, some time October, i went to The Body Shop planning to purchase a Kabuki Brush,

However, i met an amazing sales lady, and that plan to buy only 1 item, became a large large haul.

I went home with 2 brushes, 2 serums, a moisturiser, 1 night cream and 2 sunscreen+moisturisers.

I planned to review them all today, but that might be too long a post,

so i will stick to the sunscreen+moisturisers today.

First lets talk about

MOISTURE WHITE SHISO UV PROTECTOR SPF 30 (RP399.000)

For the longest time, i’ve been looking for a sunscreen+moisturiser, so when the sales lady brought me to the sunscreen+moisturiser section they had, i was instantly sold!!!

Here is what was promised

‘An easily-absorbed, oil-free cream that helps protect the skin against UVA and UVB rays, and prevent the formation of dark spots and skin discoloration. Suitable for all skin types.’

And one of the reasons why i bought it was because the lady said that it will help whiten my freckles and acne scaring too.

But after almost 3 months of usage, i can’t say i am too ecstatic about the results.

Lets talk about sent and texture first.

It does not have much of a scent, and texture wise, it is not too thick. Feels like a lotion.

However, when put on the face, though moisturising at first, after a few hours, your face feels like a total grease ball.

Let me mention that i have combination skin though, so maybe those with dry skin or normal skin may appreciate this more, but if you have oily skin or combination skin. This is really something you might want to think twice about.

In addition to the weird oiliness it seems to promote, it also that it does nothing, NOTHING AT ALL, to help lighten my acne scars or pigmentation or discolouration or freckles.

URGH.

RP399 = SGD43 = USD40

SO NOT WORTH THE MONEY.

Next lets talk about

VITAMIN C DAILY MOISTURISER SPF30  (RP319.000)

This is what was written on their site

‘Hydrate and enhance your skin’s natural radiance while protecting it from damaging UV rays with a lightweight, easily-absorbed lotion.’

Sigh. Again, i was promised by the sales lady that my complexion would be brighter, whiter. Lies. All Lies.

The same problem as the Moisture White Shiso UV Protector, I was a total grease ball by a few hours.

And this has a strange stinging feeling everytime you use it.

It is bearable most of the time, but i remember that i was having ultra sensitive skin one time, due to over exfoliation, and boy did my skin reject this.

It felt as though my skin was burning, i washed my face right away, and stayed clear of the Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser

for a few days.

i do think that the stinging is normal though, cause a few year ago, when i was a still a teenager, i remember purchasing this product, and having the same stinging sensation.

I guess the Vitamin C causes the Stinging? to maybe…. increase blood flow to your face and make it look….. more awake (pardon my nonsensical theory) i have no clue.

But i have to admit, the smell of this moisturiser is heavenly. It smells so citrus-y and just so therapeutic to use when you wake up in the mornings.

This Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser sunscreen costs slightly lesser to the the Moisture White Shiso UV Protector

RP319 = SGD34 = USD32

Still not worth the money, but ….. much more acceptable i think.

In Conclusion.

I do think that they will make an amazing moisturiser to those who have dry or normal skin types.

I have extremely ridiculously sensitive skin , to the point where 80% of the stuff i buy breaks me out, but these babies did not.

That tells me that these are good products, i guess they just were not suitable for my skin type.

i still use these products often though, i like to pair these moisturisers with a drying foundation. They hold up pretty well in that case, i find that it also reduces the flakiness and cakiness when you put it under your foundation.

I also like the fact that it is a sunscreen and moisturiser in one. As these 2 has failed me, i am still on a hunt for the ultimate one.

If you gorgeous ones know of any good ones, please drop me a message.

Till then,

D

Clarisonic

So, what’s the big hype about?

For a while now, i’ve been hearing the people on youtube going all crazy about this ‘clarisonic’ miracle.

I just did not get it, this vibrating thing is good…. how? Why?

So my curiosity got the better of me,

I bought it!

First, let me say, i spent months and months, contemplating on whether i want it or not.

After all, at $180, this is a big big investment on something i may love or really hate.

Luckily, my lovely sister in law got her hands on it, and loaned it to me for a few months.

And this is the process on what made me decide to get it.

My sister in law had the Mia 2.

The minute i laid my hands on it, i was excited to try it right away, sadly, it wont switch on.

‘Did i break it?!?! OMG’ – i called my sister in law right away, panicking and apologising, but she told me i had to charge it for 24 hours first.

WHAT?!

OK.

During the long 24 hours, i researched on how to use the clarisonic, and read up more reviews on it. The reviews were pretty mixed, but i would say there are more good ones than bad.

So when the 24 hours were over, i finally tried it.  When using it, it felt rough and scratchy. It was not really the most pleasant experience, but it was not the worst either. My face did feel very clean, but it also felt tight and dry. I checked my face to examine if there were any noticeable difference. NOPE. Nothing. I do not get it, why is this raved about so much? i decided to try it out a few more days before i give it my final verdict.

The next morning, regrets filled my mind. I woke up to a horrible outbreak! Sometime i have not experienced since 5 years ago when i first came back to Indonesia.

‘This is not happening?!’

Determined that this simply was not the product for me, i shoved it to one side and left it there. I was going to contact my sister in law to take it back, but for some reason or another, we always forgot. Either she forgets to take it from me, or i forget to give it to her. Either ways, the Clarisonic just laid there, on my bathroom shelf looking pretty for months.

After a while, i forgot about it, and my outbreaks cleared up.

I was watching my favourite youtuber frmheadtotoe one day , and she raved about it.

Them youtubers are just so convincing, especially after i watched gossmakeupartist( Wayne Goss) talk about how his clarisonic gave him problems too. And how he though it was due to his brush head

‘URGH! i am going to give this another chance’ i thought

Off to more researching, i read the bad reviews carefully. Studied what skin tyes were more suitable for which brush heads. How to use the clarisonic properly. So on, and so forth. There were a few issues that he mentioned/other youtubers/ reviewers mentioned that i thought might be causing all the problems

1) Frequency ( I used it 2x a day)

2) Pressure ( i was pushing it too hard against my face)

3) Time (the setting is set at 1 minute, but i can use it up to 2-3 minutes each time)

4) the brush head ( i tried the normal one)

5) Speed (I used the highest/strongest setting)

Thinking that changing the brush head would be a complete waste (it looks brand new!) and it cost $30 a head, so i decided to see and test if the problem lies with any of the remaining 4.

The first thing i did was to reduce my usage to only 1 time a day.

No more breakouts, but i still had that tight feeling around my face, and i did not see much improvements with my skin either. IE, i still had a bunch of blackheads and whiteheads and large huge pores.

Second thing i did was trying to use a light hand (IE, not pressing the equipment hard against my face) and also using the lowest setting . And to my lovely surprise, the feeling of tightness reduced quite abit, i also saw a slight reduction of blackheads.

At this point, i was alittle impressed, and the main reason why i would want a clarisonic was to reduce my blackheads.

I decided to try and see if sticking to the 1 minute mark would make a difference.

Sadly, not much difference in the reduction of blackheads, but the tight feeling of the face was totally gone.

OH YEAH.

Sold. I was totally sold. So i bought myself a Clarisonic PRO and i’ve been using it (almost) daily religiously. I give myself off days sometimes when i feel my skin is dry or over exfoliated. So far so good.

I even got a chance to change the brush head recently, (i switched to the sensitive skin one), and i think, it works so much better for me in comparison to the ‘normal skin’ one.

Conclusion:

Yes it does make your face feel cleaner, and yes, it help  with the blackheads and enlarged pores,

BUT,

is it worth USD$ 200++ in the end? ( i bought it before the ‘Smart Profile’ came out, paid $240 for my Clarisonic)

Plus, you have to fork out another $30 every 3 months to replace the brush.

Thats alot of money for a cleanser.

For me at least, i felt as though i can get away with (almost) the same results using a different product.

During the months that i took a break from the clarisonic, I tried out another product ‘Konjac Sponge’

and i have to say, they almost give the same results and the Sponge is only $10-$20 dollars.

It feels amazing too, but i will do a review on that another time

Till then!

D

A New Beginning.

It is always so inspiring to hear Eric Thomas’s speeches.

His famous ‘How bad do you want it’ got me thinking and made me realise, i want to do this.

I want to share what i know, what i think, what i experienced and what i feel with my friends. With you.

So as a form of commitment, let me lay down what topics i will touch.

1) As a person who absolutely love and adore to buy and try out make up, cosmetics and everything else, i will try to review weekly all the products that i have tried out, and give my honest opinion on it.

2) Every month, i will try and research and learn about a new Topic, that i find interesting, and write a summary on it

And thus begins a journey that i hope will help not only myself become a better, a more knowledgeable person, but will also somehow (hopefully) benefit you in some way or another.

D