Holy Haul!

I don't know if you noticed but it's been sooooo long since my last haul post. For one thing, I literally never HAUL anymore lately. Like, by definition, buy so many makeup in one month. And also there was this whole fuss about 'haul' where some people relate it to 'bragging'. But on second thought, whatever! I love other people's haul post. It's like browsing through items you just purchased after shopping without actually spending money. It's fun.

But this haul is actually accidental. I ordered all these stuff separately, *hoping* they'll arrive one by one. So, most importantly, I can pay them one by one. But since I ordered those around Eid al-Fitr where most delivery stuck in custom, these babies arrived all at once. I'm seriously broke right now. *story of my life*

This is the product I ordered the earliest. Real Techniques brush, by Samantha Chapman, one of the two sisters from pixiwoo channel on Youtube. She and Nicole (the other sister) use this brush a lot in their videos. They're great makeup artists and this brushes are good enough for them so I figured, let's give them a try! I purchased the Core Collection and the Stippling Brush. Just because, a girl can never have too many foundation brushes. Yup.

When Urban Decay and Tarte were having Sale, I also ordered these pretties. The Urban Decay cream shadows were only $3 and still available at Urban Decay website. I think it's a final sale until they're all gone. The shades are limited, though. I ordered mine in the shade 'Grass' and 'Midnight Rodeo'

I snatched Tarte Amazonian Clay blush during the Friend and Family sale. Everybody raved about this blush so I figured it was a right time to purchased it. I got mine in the shade 'Tipsy', which is described as 'coral' because I don't need another pink blushes. Originally I wanted to the shade Blissful, which is a warm peach, but it was out of stock at the time so 'Tipsy' should be fine.

And the one I'm the most excited about... Another foundation! Well, I've been a good girl. I think I almost run out of some of my foundations so that justify me to buy a new one. Haha. And I've always wanted to try Chanel (and Dior) foundation. So, after watching pixiwoo's video about 'Guide to Chanel Foundation' I decided to go with Mat Lumiere. I asked Putri what would my shade be, and she recommended 40 Beige. She was right, it matches me perfectly!

Well, I'm so happy with my recent purchase and can't wait to try them all!!! Hopefully I can report back in this blog as soon as I can.

[Review] L'oreal Curl Impact Collagene Mascara

L'oreal Curl Impact Collagene mascara is introduced as curl-fixing volume mascara with:

• Spiral brush innovation for tapering every single stands of your lashes
• Amplifying collagen formula for curl, volume and no clump
• Smudgeproof for 12 hours

First of all, I gotta admit that I was having trouble with the wand, that is the spiral applicator, the first time I tried this mascara. Since mine came with press release box sent from L'oreal, I didn't have any instructions on how to use it. This is how the spiral applicator looks like.

Apparently, each part of the brushes has it's own purpose. First, to pack on volume to your lashes, use the back part of the arch. And then the side of the arch to emphasize the curl. And the tip of it especially to the outer part of the lashes. And nope, no gimmick. It's kinda hard to take a detail picture of the applicator but because the back part of the arch is wider, it holds bigger portion of your lashes. And I love how my lashes fit very well in between the bristles and the product coats every single strands of my lashes. This also great for my lower lashes. I always have trouble applying mascara on my thin lower lashes. But the applicator really holds my lashes, give it more than just definition but packed it with extra volume! So I have to say that this mascara really excel in term of volumizing.

image taken from here

Can not say the same about the curling effect, though. First of all, no matter what the ads said, I firmly believe that mascara CAN NOT make your lashes curled (I'm talking serious curl, like a backward-C, not just a little lift). So I always curl my lashes first before applying mascara. And I can see how this mascara weighed my lashes. I usually curl my lashes until it's lifted and I can see my lashes top the upper line of my eyes. But after I apply this, especially by the middle of the day, my curl has weighed down until the tip is parallel to the line of my eyes. Not that it's back to it's natural shape, but still, the mascara is not doing it's job.

When applied, the texture of the mascara is soft that I can keep layering it without clump. But once I stop and let it dry, the mascara dries into this sticky rubbery consistency and I can not comb through my lashes anymore. Now that stickiness is kinda annoying and feels uncomfortable especially when my upper and lower lashes meet (happens when I don't curl my lashes) they, well, stick together.

When they say that this mascara is smudgeproof, that is so true. I didn't wear it for twelve hours but so far I've never had any smudging experience with this mascara. As smudgeproof as it is, this isn't a waterproof mascara. In fact, this mascara can be easily removed with just warm water. Which is my favorite part because I'm all about being practical! All you have to do is wash your eye area with water and rub it gently. The mascara will be easily removed, turned into a rubbery flecks form. Super easy without dirty black smear around the eyes.

Here's how the mascara performs on me.

bare lashes.

mascara on upper and lower lashes. not curled.
See it yourself and be the judge.

To gather this post in some points.
Pros

• Applicator really works wonder!
• Volumizing effect
• Smudgeproof
• Super easy to remove

Cons

• The spiral applicator takes time to get the hang of with (Shouldn't be a problem if yours come with instructions, though)
• Uncomfortable sticky consistency
• Doesn't hold curl

That's my experience trying this mascara. However, my blogger buddy, Nisa, doesn't seem to have any problem with some of my cons points. So check out her review here. If you're interested with L'oreal Curl Impact Collagene mascara, it's available at L'oreal counters at IDR 129k.

[Review] L'oreal Base Magique Transforming Smoothing Primer

Phew! Such a mouthful name for a product. Let's just call it Base Magique, shall we?

Base Magique is L'oreal's first face primer. Now, you might have seen this product before, probably with different name. I know I have. That other product has a completely identical look except it goes by the name 'L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base'. Now, don't quote me on this, but *I THINK* Base Magique is the name that's distributed around Asia. Because most bloggers who's reviewing Base Magique are asian-based.

Now, onto the product.
Base Magique comes in a clear glass pot with screw lid, which is not really my cup of tea. I don't fancy having to dip my fingers into the pot and the wide opening makes the product so easily exposed to the air.

The texture is velvety and it has rosy shade that suppose to instantly brightens up the complexion. When I apply this I can see the difference on areas with and without primer. The area with primer has matte velvety surface and my pores also covered very well. It makes foundation and powder application so much smoother. This primer plays a role in oil control and extend the longevity of my foundation. Specifically for the pore covering effect, I even tried it on my sister. Her pores are quite large but this primer masked it very well. I'm impressed. I can't really say much about the brightening effect because I don't see this primer interfere the undertone of my foundation. This can also be worn alone on naked skin if you just need a mattifying effect.

I usually dip my middle finger and warm the product at the tip of my finger before application. You don't need to apply too much product, just focus on areas that are oily or has pores that needs to be covered. In fact, because of the texture, layering it caused the primer to balls up. I apply this with patting motion. One dip is enough for my t-zone and another dip the cover the pores on the side of my nose. I don't apply this all over my face because I find it unnecessary. I never apply primer all over my face but of course it's just my habit for the sake of efficiency.

Please note that this is a silicone-based primer. So if you have any reaction to silicone, than this might not be the one for you.

Except for the packaging, after all I'm very much happy with the performance of L'oreal Base Magique and definitely recommend it. And L'oreal is doing a good job with their first primer. L'oreal Base Magique is available at L'oreal counters for IDR 149k.

[Review] Revlon CustomEyes Shadow and Liner in 'Party Pops' & Waterproof Mascara

Hey guys!

So this is going to be another sponsored a review. This time I'll be reviewing the newly launched CustomEyes line from Revlon. I believe this line consist of two products, eyeshadow palette and mascara.

CustomEyes Shadow & Liner in Party Pops

The palette comes in a sleek rectangle compact with transparent lid so you can easily distinguish one palette from another, especially if you have more than one of these considering all the packaging looks the same. There are five eyeshadows inside with sweater pattern on it, altogether in one pan. Looking at the back of the packaging, these eyeshadows are numbered. 1 is the lightest color all the way to number 5 which is the darkest color in the pan. And there's also a picture, suggesting how to put these colors on your eyes. But of course, there is more than just one way to apply these colors.

When I received this palette I was actually a little bit worried. To be completely honest, if I were to pick one of these palettes my own, I wouldn't pick Party Pops. For one thing, I don't wear bright colored eyeshadows. I usually stick to neutral colors. Another thing, the colors in the palette look too sheer for my skintone I was worried that they won't show up. However I was worried over nothing, really.

The colors show up just fine on me. The peachy coral eyeshadow (no.1) is a bit hard to show up but I just need to add primer underneath (I use Revlon Colorstay concealer as base). And this might show just fine on people with lighter skintone. Other than that I don't have complain with the pigmentation. Here's the swatches of the eyeshadow.

All the eyeshadows in this palette have shimmery finish. They're a tad powdery but I don't experience too much of a fall out during application.

Now the color selection might lead you into thinking that this is a 'goody-two-shoes' type of palette where you can only create subtle eye look. Well, at least that's what happened to me, judging from the pastel-y colors. But again this palette proves me wrong. This palette is so versatile, you can create many different themes using the color combination, from subtle romantic look, to bold smoky look.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with this palette and actually thinking about trying the other palettes. If I'm not mistaken, there are 6 different palettes available and each retails for IDR 100k, which I think is pretty affordable.

Here's two looks that I created using this one palette alone.

The first one is more of a subtle look. Suitable for your date or whatnot. Not impossible for work place if you want something no too extravagant but still playing with colors.

You can also create a smoky look with this palette.

CustomEyes Mascara

This mascara comes with an adjustable bristle. So you get two different finishes in one mascara. Setting 1 gives you long and dramatic lashes while setting 2 gives you long and define lashes. If you think you can memorize which setting is for what, it’s all written on the tube.

The adjustable dial placed on top of the tube with tiny arrow, all you have to do is simply turn it until the tiny arrow pointing at either number 1 or number 2, depends on which you look that you want.

I'm not too familiar with the concept of two in one bristle. Some people said there are some of these at the market but to me, I'm new to this. And the idea of having two bristles in one mascara really sold me out. So basically when you turn the dial to setting 1, the bristles will align while when you dial it to setting number 2, the bristles will stagger. So you'll end up with two different finishes. The bristles is made of plastic and is very comfortable to use it also separate my lashes very well.

The two different settings may sound like a gimmick but they do deliver differently. Setting 1 gives me enough volume. It promised to deliver 'drama' to your lashes but I think it still suitable for daily look. While setting 2 gives just a definition of what you already have, nothing extravagant. In fact, I think setting 2 is way too natural on my already thin lashes *sigh*. The two settings do make my lashes look longer. The only flaw I found is the mascara weigh my lashes a little bit. So after I curled my lashes and put this on, my curl kinda weighed down although it doesn't go back to it's natural shape.

The texture of the mascara is kind of dry. But it doesn't set too fast nor clump so you can wear it in layers. I got mine in color "Blackest Black" which is so true. I love how it adds color and defines my lashes perfectly. It's waterproof and I experienced no smudges during the day.

My bare lashes. As you can see, they're quite a lot but each of them are thin so in general my lashes look thin and super straight.

My curled lashes

This is how setting 1 looks on my lashes

Here's setting 2

One layer of Setting 1 compare to several layers of Setting 2. Setting 2 in a layer is way too thin for my lashes. So you can get dramatic look using setting 2 but you'll need several coat.

This mascara is another product that worth to try from this line. It's available in two colors, black and brown. And available for IDR 100k each.

Don't forget to check out review from Fifi and Hanna, they have the palette in different colors. Also, our reviews are being featured in Revlon Indonesia Facebook Page. Don't forget to check out the page as well.

L'oreal Paris Fall/Winter Romance Issue

Have you checked out the latest collection from L'oreal? It's called L'oreal Fall/Winter Romance Issue.

This collection consists of 5 products, everything you need for you face, eyes and lips.

For face.
Base Magique Smoothing Velvet Primer

For eyes.
Curl Impact Collagene Mascara
Super Liner 24Hr Gel Liner

Open Eyes Pro Eyeshadow Quad


For lips.
Color Riche

L'oreal Paris representative contacted me and asked me if they can send me the latest L'oreal Fall/Winter collection for review purpose and share it on my blog. And this is what they sent me.


The package is crazy huge, I literally didn't expect them to send this much products. But I'm so excited to try those.



They send me four out of five products from Romance Issue collection along with the CD filled with the information about the products. I've tried some of products and can't wait to share it with you.

Stay tuned.

Clean Your Face Using Cleansing Oil

The first time I used cleansing oil is when I was attending Shu Uemura beauty class at the mall. They introduced me to their cleansing oil, which they claimed to be sold for every 20 seconds in Japan, and I was hooked. Seriously, if I could afford buying cleansing oil regularly, I’m not going back to my other cleanser (unfortunately I can’t so I still keep some cleansing milk and other kind of cleansers).

On that beauty class, I was taught on how to use cleansing oil. It’s a bit different than how you use most cleansers but it’s actually really simple. However, some people apparently are not really familiar with the application so I figured I’ll share a step-by-step direction on how to clean your face using cleansing oil.

First is to pump some of the oil to your palm. You can use one or two pumps, depends on how much make up you're wearing. I usually need two pumps when I have waterproof make up on.


Apply cleansing oil directly to your face while dry, with your make up on and everything. I usually start from the area that is the hardest to remove. When I'm wearing waterproof mascara, I usually apply the cleansing oil on my eye first. But it's not necessary, just a habit of mine.


Most cleansing oils are mild and don't sting eyes. Right now I'm currently using MAC cleansing oil and it works fine around the eyes area. Massage your eye area gently. When the waterproof make up comes off, it's gonna smudge all over your eyes and definitely will look dirty but it's fine.

Continue massaging the product all over your face until you can see all of you make up comes off.

Once you have the oil spread all over your face, splash a little amount of water to your face. The oil will turn into a milky consistency. Keep massaging your face and you'll see all the dirt dissolved. You can add more water as you spread it all over you face.

Once you feel all of your make up has been removed from your skin, rinse it. And you're done.

See? Super easy. This step-by-step tutorial might look confusing at first but you'll easily get the hang of it. So far, cleansing oil is my most favorite way to remove my make up. No tugging the skin, you'll need only one product only remove all of your make up, you don't even have to use soap afterward and face feels squeaky clean without feeling dry.

Hope the tutorial helps.

[Review] Guerlain Parure Gold

I finally had a chance to try my first Guerlain foundation when there was a buy get one get one free deal (Guerlain! I know, right?! All the ladies in my family went completely nuts). So, long story short, I end up with this foundation.

Here is product description from Guerlain website.

“Guerlain has slipped a magical blend of Gold Radiance Pigments and Precious Rejuvenating Complex enriched with Oil of Myrrh into this fluid foundation. The pigments light up, smooth and correct the complexion instantly, and the complex revives the youthful radiance and vitality of the skin.
Evanescent and supple, the wonderfully smooth texture glides over the skin, providing perfect light-weight coverage. Fine lines fade away, imperfections seem to disappear.
Discover the full range of six shades designed specifically to rejuvenate the skin and revive the complexion’s healthy glow. Luminous and ultra natural, each shade is warmed with yellow gold and pink gold pigments that smooth away the signs of time and fatigue.”

Parure Gold comes in basic Guerlain foundation bottle. You know how Guerlain have the same packaging for all of their foundations. But most of them come in gold bottle. While the one that actually named “Gold” comes in a black bottle. It’s a shiny glass bottle and a little bit heavier than most foundation bottle I have. Something to be concern about. I keep this in my traincase instead of my vanity because I’m worried I might accidentally hit the bottle and drop it, knowing how clumsy I am. The bottle is equipped with a pump. And on the side of the bottle there’s a little ‘window’ so you can see how much product you have left inside, which I think is a nice touch.


This foundation has a semi-matte finish and it delivers medium to full coverage. The texture of the foundation is thick although it doesn’t feel heavy at all. It actually feels comfortable on me. It blends smoothly despite the thick consistency and covers all my flaws flawlessly. If you want lighter coverage you can just mix it with primer. Guerlain website recommends mixing it with their L’Or - Radiance Concentrate but I personally think any primer will do. The foundation has a flowery scent that is pretty strong. From what I read, all Guerlain foundations (or products?) are scented. It kind of annoys me at first, especially when I'm applying the foundation around my nose but then I got over it. Thankfully even though it's scented I don't experience any allergic reactions to it, considering how sensitive my skin is. If you are not used to scented foundation especially this strong you can maybe try hold your breath when you're applying foundation around your nose? I dunno.

I wear this foundation with no primer and still, it performs a superb staying power. Oil control is also great. For reference, my skin type is oily combination where I tend to get oily on the t-zone and normal for the rest of the face. After around 5 to 6 hours, my natural oil starts to peek through especially on my t-zone area. But the amount of oil is minimum just to give me a dewy look. Sometimes I don’t even blot. I once wore this for around 13 hours, and for that long I just blot once. After 13 hours my make up looks the way it looks after 5 hours. The amount of oils stays minimum until the end of the day and my complexion still looks good.

Here's pictures of me wearing this foundation on different occasion. Click for larger images so you can really see the finish and coverage of the foundation.

As you can see, after 13 hours I think the amount of oil still acceptable and overall the complexion still look good.

So far, this foundation is almost perfect but it fails in one thing which is shade selection. As it mentioned before, this foundation comes with 6 different shades. Mine is number 3 which is Beige Natural. First of all let me say that I have this weird obsession with foundation that it has to be a better version of my skin. Therefore, the first step is to find the perfect match in terms of color. Parure Gold doesn’t come in different undertones. Judging from the shade that I have, beige natural, it supposed to have neutral undertone. That bugs me already. And it annoys me even more that what supposed to be neutral, in reality appears pink. And is pretty strong too. At first I thought it was just me, but when I applied my make up, my sister entered the room and she said, “Your foundation looks red!” Gaahhh!! That pink shade doesn’t get worse during the day, thankfully. It doesn’t oxidize on me. But still I feel very self-conscious when wearing this. Of course I can try to tone it down a little bit by applying my Ben Nye Banana Visage. But for the price, I wish I didn’t have to compromise to get a perfect match.

Because of the thick texture, I prefer dense brushes to 'push' and spread this foundation all over the face. I use my MAC 190 or EDM flat top brush. But because I try to tone down the pink, I apply this using my fingers in order to get lighter coverage so the pink undertone won’t be too noticeable. Note that this foundation has SPF 15 - PA ++ so it'll appear slightly whitish on flash camera. And the red undertone does not help either. So far, I don't rely on this foundation for special occasion especially if I'm about to take a lot of pictures.

To sum up, I think this is a great foundation but although it’s not perfect. Personally, I will continue wearing this foundation but I don’t think I’ll repurchase.

This foundation alone cost IDR 800k. Yes, I got this on BOGOF deal but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a very expensive foundation and this is the most expensive foundation that I own. I think the price is absolutely ridiculous. And with that price, I would expect to get a flawless product, including a perfect match for my skin but I don’t.

I know they’re selling the skincare benefits in it. It supposed to rejuvenate the skin and revive the complexion’s healthy glow. But as I said, I don’t care about skincare benefits in my make up, especially my foundation. First of all, I don’t wear this everyday so I don’t expect a proper result And I believe most woman already have their skincare separately without having to add a very expensive foundation to also works as their foundation. Yes, the performance of the foundation, as make up, is near perfect but I believe there are more options out there without having to shell out that much (note that, other Guerlain foundations don't even cost this much).

But of course that’s just my personal opinion. I would recommend this foundation if you:

• Have neutral or cool undertone
• Willing to pay an arm and a leg for a perfect foundation (If the shade matches you, then this could be a perfect foundation for you)
• Believe in skincare benefits in your make up