Reliable Reinforcements for Days When I'm on Roaccutane

Hi guys!

In this entry I am going to share you my current favorite body care and lip care. If you’ve been following my blog for some times now, you’ve probably already known my current struggle with acne. As I stated earlier, I am currently taking Isotretionin.

If you are not familiar with the name, Isotretionin, you’re probably familiar with names like Accutane or Roaccutane, it is an oral medication for severe acne. If you’ve been dealing with acne and no treatments seem to work, Isotretionin would be the last desperate reinforcement. In short, it works by modifying the oil production on your whole body into minimum and also kills bacteria. Which is why this is the last medication to choose because it’s pretty aggressive. It affects the whole body in order to treat just your face.

Even before I was on Roaccutane (in this post, I’m just going to call it with the name you’re already familiar with) my skin is already really dry and sensitive. Imagine how dry it gets when I’m on Roaccutane. My skin now is really dry, scaly and so darn itchy. Not to mention my problems with chapped lips. Those conditions are so uncomfortable so it’s essential pick the right body and lip care, while I’ll leave the whole deal with my face to my dermatologist.

So these are the products I’m relying on lately.

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

I wear this on daily basis. Yes, you got that right. Since my skin has gotten really dry, I needed to ascend from lotion to body butter. Speaking about consistency, body butter is a lot thicker, stickier and it gets even stickier when you’re sweating. Definitely feels uncomfortable for daily basis. I usually wear body butter at night, before bed. But my skin is horribly dry and desperately long for high level of moisturizer, that body butter even feels comfortable on daily basis (so imagine how dry is it now).

Shea Body Butter is perfect for very dry skin. Then again she butter is famous for moisturizer. The texture is a little bit thick and doesn’t spread as much as other body butters for different skin type. But I love the long lasting moisturizing effect. My skin feels very comfortable wearing this. There are two variants for very dry skin from Body Shop. The other, I believe, is Mango Body Butter. But scent wise, I prefer Shea Butter. I love the delicious milky scent as it relaxes me. Also makes me wanna lick it sometimes. Thank God for self control.

Nivea Med Protection Lip Balm SPF 15

This lip balm, hands down, is a winner. With or without Roaccutane, I can't live without it. I’ve been using this lip balm since I was still in school. There are even times when I have two or three of this lip balms at once just so I can keep it in different purses of mine. And I never ran out of this simply because I lost it most of time, and without even bother trying to find it, I just repurchased.

So it’s a no-brainer that I turned to this lip balm when I’m on Roaccutane. My lips were not only dry, but really dry, cracked, peeling and bleed. It was like a evil party on my lips! But I kid you not, this lip balm fixed them all in just a night. Not the bleeding part, but at least it dried the next day and the pain was gone. I love the highly moisturizing effect this lip balm gives me. On days where the dryness were severe, I consistently wore this every single day. But the moisturizing effect lingers even if I forgot to wear this for a day or two. This lip balm is very affordable and easily found in drugstores and supermarkets.

Water

Okay last but not least is water, even though it's not really a "product". Do I really need to explain? Since Roaccutane aggravates dryness, adequate water intake is crucial. Remember that water is the only liquid that provides hydration. And I personally believe that it does not count as a drink unless it's water. Other colored beverages are basically just foods in liquid form.

The picture above is my daily tumbler. It might look huge, but I always run out even before noon. My water intake is usually about three or four times the volume of the bottle. Speaking about tumbler, anyone has any recommendation of a good tumbler that shuts really tight? Mine might called 'Lock & Lock" but really what it does is just 'Spill & Spill'.

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So yeah, those are the things I rely on lately. Keep in mind that I am just sharing with you what I use on daily basis while I'm on Roaccutane. I am not going to advice you whether or not you should take it. But if you're thinking about taking one, you must consult with your dermatologist first.

[Review] YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain

I’m back with another lip product review. I rarely do review for lip products. In general, I think most of them, whether drugstore and high end, deliver pretty much the same performance. I mean we’re talking about lipstick and lipgloss. In the middle of the day, they will fade. And I don’t want to end up with a bunch of reviews saying just about the same thing. However, if I ever decided to write a review about lip products, there must be something special about it.

Enter my current favorite, Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain. Wow that’s mouthful! The product just launched in Indonesia recently and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, given the reviews it received around blogosphere. I have two of those, which are #6 (Camel Croisiere) and #9 (Rouge Laque).

In my eyes, #9 is an intense warm red. The usual shade of red that I’d easily fall for. While #6 is a reddish orange.

Based on the information on YSL’s website, they describe this as a mix between gloss ad stain. It gives ‘the texture and shine of a gloss with the long-wear of a stain’. Lip products these days, they’re hybrid of everything, it’s kinda hard to draw a firm definition. However, YSL described this as stain, then lip stain it is.

Speaking about the packaging, I think it’s ‘blah’ looking. I mean come one, if they could come up with luxurious packaging like Rouge Volupte, why can’t they do the same with this one? It’s a plain black square with gold lid. There’s a window on the tube so you can see how much product you have left inside. However, I love the applicator. It’s wide and has pointy tip. Perfect for fast and precise application.

The texture is watery the way lip stain usually is. It glides easily on the lips and delivers medium coverage, more than the coverage lip gloss usually gives. You can wear it in layers too. I usually apply one layer, wait until it dries and sets on the lips, and then add another layer for more opacity. Or wear it like lip gloss and just apply it at the center of the lips. I still have to get used to the scent that this product has. It’s this sort of fruity slash chemical kind of scent which I don’t really prefer. It doesn’t linger, thankfully, but I could do without it.

I went to this Beauty Workshop held by YSL when they were introducing this lip stain and the recently launched Forever Youth Liberator.  There I was told that this lip stain is absolutely transfer-free which I think is an overrated statement. After it sets, it does transfer a little but the majority of the pigments stay on the lips. After meal, I found the lip stain in the inner past of my lips fades while the rest stays vibrant. I really appreciate that, but wearing vibrant lip color with fading shade in the inner part would look ridiculous so I always touch up after meal. However, without meal – and maybe, smooching – the color does last long. Even after the gloss disappeared, it leaves stain that gives enough color on the lips. Now the long lasting part might scared people thinking it would be drying. And I’m so glad that I get to tell you that this product feels really comfortable as long as I have it on my lips, it doesn’t feel drying at all. Excellent!

Despite some mundane flaws, like the packaging and the weird scent, overall I’m crazy about this product. Even for a moment I had this idea to throw away all my lip gloss and replace it with YSL Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain. Unfortunately, that’s not possible. And here’s one thing that really irritates me, and please correct me if I’m wrong, but up until now I still couldn’t find an MLBB shade in the collection. The color runs more opaque than it shows in the little window, which is the case with #6. And thanks to the harsh lighting at the mall, I thought the shade would look tame but I left the mall and realized that it is more intense than I thought it would be. If you happen to know any nude-ish / MLBB shade in this collection please recommend me. Because it’s getting embarrassing to visit the counter back and forth, just to convince myself that I couldn’t find what I’m looking for.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres Glossy Stain available at YSL counters and retails for IDR 285k.

 

 

 

[Review] MAC Kissable Lip Color in So Vain

If you're wondering why am I doing this review now while the collection had launched months ago and everything has sold out now, well, MAC Shop MAC Cook MAC just recently launched in Jakarta (here, we call it just Shop MAC). Not every MAC limited edition available here so I decided to went ahead and ordered the product before the collection launched here. My order has arrived long before Shop MAC launched in Indonesia. Which I think is kind of unfair for Indonesian customers, having to wait so long. 

 The packaging is the usual lipgloss-type of packaging, only with slimmer and taller tube. It comes with a doe-foot applicator. The packaging of limited edition collection always excites me. I love it when MAC does different design for their limited edition, like their Wonder Woman or Give Me Liberty London. In this collection, the carton box comes in a colorful color with polkadot motive, but unfortunately it was just an insert. Inside is just the usual boring black packaging *sigh*.

Anyhoo, Shop MAC collection is now available in every MAC counters in Jakarta. The only product that caught my interest in this collection is the Kissable Lip Colour which is repromoted from Peacocky collection. In general, it's a hybrid between lipstick and lipgloss. I always fall for liquid lipstick, so it's not hard to see why this product appeals to me.

Out of all available colors, So Vain is the only color that really attracts my attention. In my eyes, the color appears as soft peach with a hint of coral. It reminds me a lot of MAC Kinda Sexy, in different finish, of course, since Kinda Sexy is a matte. So Vain is an MLBB type of color that is easy to pull off and suitable for daily lip color.

The consistency is soft and creamy. The product distributes easily and gives a smooth and even finish. Remember that NO lip products will appear smooth on chapped lips, so never forget to remove dead skin before applying lip products. However, with no lip problem, I experienced no streaking and it doesn’t settle into my fine lines. The finishing reminds me a lot of luster finish, with less glossy appearance. It gives light to medium coverage and enough to covers my dark lips. It wears comfortably on my lips without feeling dry at all.

In my opinion, the only flaw I found would be the staying power. The color fades in about less than three hours with me just watching movie while having drink. Don’t expect anything after meal because the color just significantly wiped off with nothing left. I think lipstick and lipgloss in general can do better than that, even after meal. I don’t usually complain about my lipstick fading, especially after meal, but this one literally disappears. So that’s something to consider because that means you’ll need to re-apply more often and you’ll use more product. 

 

This Saturday, MAC and JOY magazine are throwing a launching event of Shop MAC collection at MAC counter in Grand Indonesia with Stella Lee as the host. You are very much welcome to attend and check out the collection yourself!

[Review] Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

First time doing video review!!!! Definitely not at all easier than blogging.

Anyway, I finally came up with my thought and review about Revlon Lip Butter. Although, in a nutshell I'm just gonna say that I love this!

• Gel formula to keep lips stays soft and moisturized
• Mango butter, shea butter and coconut butter to boost the hydrating effect on the lips
• Medium coverage with shiny finish
• Vanilla scented
• 20 shades available
• Available at Revlon counters for IDR 75k

So what are you waiting for? Coat your lips in butter - without risk to your waistline!

[Review] Make Up Forever La Boheme Palette

La Boheme Palette is Make Up Forever's first baked eyeshadow palette. According to the website,

Six new limited-edition shades in extremely pearly springtime pastel tones. The baked powder technology ensures fine, intense color particles for eyeshadows with 50% pearly particles and a paraben-free formula. Incredibly fresh and luminous makeup and intense, Bohemian chic eyes. The eyeshadows of this palette glide on with fingertips or a brush for two different results: applied dry for a sheer, luminous and natural effect or wet for an intense look, filled with pearly particles.

The palette comes in a cardboard packaging with patchwork design and stitches all over. With a purple ribbon on the side, it opens up like a book and displays six eyeshadows in convex form, placed side by side. I'm not really excited with the placing of these eyeshadows. It creates super messy sparkle between each other after application.

This is my very first time trying out baked eyeshadow. Baked eyeshadow is promoted as eyeshadow that needs to be applied wet for vibrant finish. While dry application gives you subtle and sheer finish. All these times the word 'sheer' holds me from purchasing baked eyeshadow. And yet, out of curiosity, I decided to give this palette a try.

Six eyeshadows in this palette are Green Lagoon, Vegetal Green, Beige, Parma Purple, Brown and Coral. Natural Green and Beige have pearly finish while the others have sparkly finish.

Dry application.
Apparently, when applied dry, these eyeshadows are not super sheer like I thought it was going to be. In general they deliver great pigmentation in subtle colors. The shimmer and sparkle don't really show up which makes it appropriate for day time look. However keep in mind that eyeshadow with sparkly to glittery finish are really prone to fall out, especially when applied dry. Green Lagoon is the only color that applies sheer even on top of primer. Brown is a bit chalky when applied on it's own as you can see in the picture below, but a layer of primer underneath it could totally fix the problem.

Wet application.
Considering baked eyeshadows are meant to be applied wet, obviously these eyeshadows give the best performance when applied wet. The colors are more vibrant and they have sort of a metallic touch to it. Wet application really emphasizes the undertone and the shimmer and sparkle in these eyeshadows. Which makes some of these even prettier and other are even scarier, depends on whether or not you like glittery eyeshadows (Eventhough it describes as sparkly, Parma Purple and Coral look more glittery rather than sparkly). Wet application also decrease the chance of having glitter fall out since it automatically turns into a creamy consistency. It sticks better to the base and applied effortlessly. Lagoon Green shows its true color when applied wet. It has a beautiful greenish gold shimmer which makes it unique. I didn't understand why they named a turquoise eyeshadow as green, but I can totally see it once it applied wet.

You can either wet your brush and then dip the brush to the eyeshadow or pick up the eyeshadow with dry brush and then wet it either by spraying it using setting spray like MUFE Mist & Fix or carefully dip to water (just a bit!!!!!). I recommend the latter because that way you get the eyeshadow soaked evenly and saves you from chalky application. I currently don't have any setting spray so I just touched the surface of the eyeshadow-covered of the brush on a wet tissue. (Not the best option, definitely thinking about purchasing Mist & Fix)

Click for larger image

I swatched these eyeshadows in three different form. On it's own, on primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion 'Eden') and wet. Most of the colors show up as pigmented on it's own except for Lagoon Green. But of course I always recommend applying eye primer as a base. And as you can see Lagoon Green looks much better when applied on top of a primer. While dry application is enough to make these eyeshadows stand out, wet application delivers more vibrant pigmentation and enhances the sparkle and shimmer of the eyeshadows.

As for the color combination. There are two colors that can work as highlight, which is Beige and Coral. And only one color that works as definition color, which is Brown. Beige and Coral look pretty as highlight. But constantly pairing all the shadows just with Brown could end up in boredom. But, back to the main inspiration of the collection. Bohemian is about living freely without following the conventional rules. So go ahead and be creative with this palette (which is more like an invitation for myself).

In the end, I'd recommend this palette. If you like or you wanna try baked eyeshadow. If you like or don't mind glittery eyeshadow. This palette doesn't disappoint.

I hope you find this review helpful for you. Especially if you are thinking about purchasing the palette, hope this review could be a reference. I tried to post this review as soon as I can considering this is a limited edition. If you're interested, Make Up Forever La Boheme Palette is available at IDR 525k.

Review on Benefit Lip Plump

Benefit Lip Plump is Benefit's idea of a lip primer. It claimed to be a primer for full and sexy lips. This primer gives a smooth base for full, voluptuous, sexy lips and help lip color stay on longer

By the way this lip primer has been sitting in my train case for quiet some times. I got it on my holiday to Europe, last July. And I haven't used it until these last couple of weeks. I remember this Lip Plumps comes with a "how-to" note, just like any other Benefit products. But of course I lost it already.

The packaging is a tube that comes with a wand. Just like a lip gloss usually looks like. So you can just dot the primer directly to your lips. Honestly, I always love this kind of packaging although I know some people might think that a tube like this could be unsanitary.

As for the primer itself, it's a creamy, neutral-tone color primer. Apply about one or two dots of this primer on each of your lips. Blend it. Wait a while until it's dry, then start apply your lipstick.



My first take when I first applied this lip primer, it does erase my natural lip lines. Which is a good thing because I have pigmented lip lines that usually visible even if I have lipstick on. Especially sheer ones. But I notice that this lip primer accentuates my fine lines inside my lips, that makes me look like I have super dry lips. Well, that's unpleasant.


It turns out, this lip primer doesn't absorb into lips. It stays creamy on my lips. So when I apply my lipstick, it feels like mixing your lipstick with a lighter color. Unlike eye primer that supposed to make eyeshadow looks more vibrant, this lip primer makes your lipstick color looks lighter. And that means you have to apply more pigments to get the actual color of your lipstick. I try to apply my lipstick directly form the tube and with a brush, and both give me similar results. Same thing happen when I do my lip liner. So that makes lipstick application twice longer.

Once I have my lipstick on, I notice no plumping effect whatsoever. And this lip primer does nothing to help my lipstick stays on longer. I have the same result with or without primer. My lipstick eventually fades in the middle of the day. This primer does help prevent dryness on my lips, though. I put this on under my Revlon Superlustrous that usually doesn't just dry on my lips but also literally dried my lips. With this primer, I notice no dry feeling. But it's the same effect I can get from my drugstore lip balm.

So, to sum up, this lip primer does no bad effects on me as well as it does nothing for my lipsticks. It's a shame though, considering how pricey this primer is. I don't mind to keep using it but definitely will not repurchase.