SOMETHING FROM LAST YEAR

First post in 2015 ! Last couple years I usually do somekind of a recap post, but since I have not been blogging diligently, I think clicking the 'older post' button wouldn't be much of a problem for all of you (that is if you're still interested in my archives of course!)
What was interesting in 2014 was that it was one of those years I had a drastic hair change (only happened 3x in my life -this one included-FYI) Once I got I bob in high school, which I thought was horrific.. then a medium length cut in 2013, which grew out into my normal length pretty fast despite the fact I had regular trims. I don't think that I uploaded the 'change' onto the blog, but I knew I did on Instagram. you can call this as a late update I presume.. Midyear, I finally got the guts to color my hair after considering 'will it be brittle? will it look brassy?" for 100x at least. I hoped for a really soft ombre anyway, so going 1-2 shades lighter wouldn't be hair-treathening at all I thought. I sat down with a colorist my friend had recommended me one afternoon. I saw the oozing red cream as he squeezed it out of the tubes. I didn't panic because I trusted my friend and the stylist anyway. We both thought that my hair type wouldn't absorb color in easily so we left it in slightly longer and bam, when we washed it out, it came out Ariel Red.
Since I'm not a fan of those bright and loud hair colors, duh of course I panicked. I mean I liked it but it's not really me, and I wouldn't want it permanently. I know some people would be incredibly happy if they got that bright red (especially when no bleach was involved!) So, I sat again in my colorist's chair darkening my ends. At this point, I was pretty damn sure that my hair will be fried.. I thought it was just hair though I could just chop it off.. but I was wrong, my hair still came out healthy. but ! it still wasn't that dark.. and today's photos was where my hair was at that "middle stage".

THE HAIR POST

less is more when it comes to my daily beauty routine.. that includes the air dried hair & sleep in a bun type of thing.. getting stuff done or getting more sleep is much more on my priority list than looking like a doll everyday. But, when I do have the time (..and will) to put more effort in doing my hair, etcetera.. I like to pick up the curling thongs. A couple of weeks ago, I was sent this automatic rotating styling tool (click here for a video demo by me) from Beauphoria and I'm hooked on the bedhead curls they give to my locks! and if that's not enough to convince myself, took me a flat rate on 10 minutes to do my whole head.

LIQUID SAND

boo much for the lack of updates again. Not only do I not have the time to take any outfit pictures, I also have been pulling clothes from my 'daily drawer' for almost 2 weeks now. What is the 'daily drawer' if you're asking.. Well, that drawer basically consists of my favorite staples in either black/grey/white. The drawer simply allows me to create an outfit even if I am blindfolded. Very convenient I know.. It's like going back to my uniform days during high school.. The only drawback is that it does get boring (but sometimes I'd rather look boring than having to wake up earlier to plan an outfit.. sleep is too valuable) and Geminis like me tend to avoid monotony too much. and so, this is where nail polishes come to the rescue.

Just a simple swipe of a bright shade is all you need to perk up that daily drawer pieces of mine. Bubbletalk Shop probably knew that I'm going through a 'boring phase' and they sent me this OPI Mariay Carey Liquid Sand set. Upon unwrapping, I quickly put on the bright red-looking bottle on my fingernails. When it dried, I really couldn't stop rubbing it's gritty sandy texture (my fingers even sneakily make time for a rub as I type this). Taaa-daaaa, a pop of color into my dailywear without the need of sacrificing my sleep time.

NEW MANE

It seems that I am destined to have my hair uncut and messy. I always fail at making a hair appointment that fits my schedule nicely. Either that or... Some more important duties came up last minute and that forces me to call off the session with my stylist. Until last week that is, I, at last, managed to get my mane done undisturbed. Since it has been almost 7 months since my last chop, I was able to convince myself that the good old bangs need to come back... And no, I didn't chicken out last minute like I used to.

50 SHADES OF ENAMEL

Honestly, I haven’t been sleeping well for the past few nights, but on the good side that makes me a productive blogger! Since it’s weekend, I’ll be sharing one of my beauty rituals that I can only do when I’m on a break : nails. They may be tiny but they sure can take outfits to the next level. In the past, I have shared a couple of my favorite nail polishes, but today, I’ll be introducing my latest nail lacquer discoveries courtesy of Bubbletalk Shop.

I was first introduced to this online retailer of nail polishes a couple months ago. Since I always buy nail varnishes online anyway, the shop and I was a match. Plus, with a whole range of nail polish brands out there, including the hard-to-find-in-Indonesia Ciaté varnishes, AND great pricing, there’s not to love about Bubbletalk Shop.. But today’s ‘star’ is not Ciaté, but it’s Ozotic. Read on to find out why it’s special..

CHOP CHOP

Firstly I'd like to apologize for my absence for the past week. I've been working like a horse on several projects (one of them I'm sharing today!) and the last thing I wanted to do after meetings, shoots, or even just looks-simple-but-time-consuming writing is sleep. I think that sleep is crucial to a productive day. Whenever I get a good sleep, I am capable of waking up at 5 and actually get things done minus my usual procrastinating!

FAUX BOB

It's always nice when you return to your 'comfort zone' pieces (that's a mixture of cotton, knits, and leather for me) every once in a while. I am also obsessed with tucking hair ends, and fluffing them up into turtlenecks. I managed to create that faux bob effect in the first picture. All I need is the winter weather now..

OUTRAGEOUS NEON

As mentioned in my old post, I've always been the dark colored nail girl. It's either the no polish, neutral lot, or dark for me and nothing in between. Well that policy changed when I saw opi's blinding mini packs. Turns out they give out the right amount of perk to any summer outfit.

I WANT CANDY

Remember Aaron Carter's I Want Candy song from ten years ago? Well, that's exactly what my head started repeating when I saw this editorial online. British-based makeup artist Karla Powell teamed up with talented lens-man Ryan Handy to bring this wonderful retro mod beauty editorial to life. This may not be the typical Easter bunny post, but... Any pastel-related work will do right? ;) HAPPY EASTER LOVES !!

BAG REVEALED

In another click and a couple for scrolls, the content of this bag will be revealed specially to my readers. I don't usually like people rummaging through my sack; one because it's always messy (stray smelly cash and receipts), two because I don't like it when they have reached my notebook/agenda. But due to the amount of emails & questions I get, I guess it's better to dedicated today's post to it. a big bag is essential for me. the clutches that I post on the blog? well, they're just my 'lunch time' bag when i don't need to bring my life (..literally) with me..

WHEN WORDS LEAVE OFF, MUSIC BEGINS

Music : something that I rarely (or even never?) discuss in Glisters and Blisters and in real life. It's not that I don't enjoy a good tune or two but these days I just can't find a good song that I can listen to forever. Spinning through my iPod wheel, most songs you'll see in there are either original oldies tracks or newly improvised jazz versions of those old tracks.

This changed a bit after I first heard an Indonesian song, Serba Salah (wrong in every way). It's not everyday that I find a new Indo song I love. But this time, I was pretty hooked. For this past 3 weeks, I'd listen to Raisa's song at least once a day through various radio stations. But, like I always do, I never bothered googling or asking anyone what the title nor who sang it. Well, this week I found out. It was Raisa Andriana.

TAKE ME TO PORTOFINO

Majorly in awe with the Dior Cruise 2012 campaign, photographed by Ellen von Unwerth and modeled by Monika Jagaciak. The cheerful and lighthearted images were a great contrast to the usual mature campaigns that Dior produces. Winged eyeliner, rouge lips, crown-teased hair, this cruise collection evokes that sexy pin-up girl look while retaining Dior's understated elegance.

M I N G D Y N A S TY

Currently hiding from all the crowd that's gathering in my house during this Lunar New Year thanks to a sudden diarrhea I got earlier in the morning. I'm not going to be narccistic for the day, instead I'd like to share this particular model that I've been drawn to. Say hi to Xi Meng Yao. Or more familiarly, Ming Xi.

At a towering height of 178cm, this Shanghainese beauty made her dirst debut at Givenchy's fall 2010 couture show, a first for Asian. As if that's not cool enough, she was handpicked by the fashion house's own designer, Riccardo Tisci to strut the catwalk. Ming Xi believes that Chinese models play an important role when China is a growing force within the luxury market.

MINUS SEVEN

For about 80% of my friends, a party or dinner invitation means a great excuse to dress up, head to the hair salon, and to get some pretty makeup on. As for me, I was a part of the 80% number. But now? I've turned into a lazy arse when it comes to curling irons and eyeshadow palettes. If you read Garance Dore's "10 Degres de Sophistication", my level has dropped from an 8 or 9 into a 5 (minus the messy bun part as my hair is pretty easy to tame without much labor anyway) for the weekends. and if I got nothing important to do, I would drop to a level 4. These photos represent that "level 4 weekend", as I like to call it now. No makeup, a breezy tank dress, and a pair of sunglasses to hide under... oh, and the hat would be a nice add-on if I lived somewhere outside indonesia (with the exception of bali..)

Daily Regimens

the question 'what makeup and/or skincare do you use?' has popped out numerous times ever since I blogged. so here we go. As you read this post, you'll notice that I'm the mix and match girl whether it comes to makeup or skincare. I don't believe that in order to get maximum results, you have to use products from the same range. I've tried tons of skincare options and so far these mismatched brands I'm using works the best. please note that this is not a sponsored post. this is just a matter of sharing..

here's what I use for my daily skincare : I first wash my face with Cetaphil (this cleanser does wonders FYI). I cleanse and takeoff my makeup with this. Next, I apply SKII facial treatment lotion with a cotton pad and finish with either SKII UV Protection for day or Neutrogena Visibly Clear oil-free moisturizer for night. When I'm going out of the house, I put on Maybelline's BB Cream (in Fresh). It evens out skintone and for those who don't like sunscreen, this also packs a nice SPF 26.
Every 3-4 days, I scrub my face with St. Ives's Apricot Scrub and I also use SKII's facial treatment essence in place of my moisturizer. The essence wondrously brightens my skin. When the day is done, I use Chanel's eye makeup remover to get rid of my eyeliner.
When in comes to makeup, I like to keep it natural. My makeup procedure takes about 3mins (5mins if I feel like wearing mascara) every morning. I start by concealing my under eye circles with Bobbi Brown's concealer kit. I have it in 2 shades (beige and warm ivory) so I can mix it accordingly. I use Sephora's Concealer brush to even out the product around my eyes, then tap to blend them with my fingers. Invest in a good concealer brush as it makes your concealer go on 10x nicer and smoother on your face. After it the concealer has blended, I set it with ID Bare Minerals mineral veil. This helps the concealer to stay in place for the whole day.
Next, I line the top rim of my eyes with Maybelline's Unstoppable eyeliner (in brownie). I usually use Clinique's quickliner but I ran out the other day and this was the easiest to get. it's actually not bad at all (and it's only $6 or something?) I then smudge the eyeliner with the silver Dior brush. Last but definitely not the least, EYEBROWS ! I used to ignore my brows and they were unkempt. Now I regularly go for grooming sessions and I use Kate's eyebrow kit to make them nice and thick. If I feel like wearing mascara, I curl my lashes first then apply Chanel's Iminitable mascara in black.

there are lots of other makeup variations I do.. but I guess it's impossible to show every single one on this post. this post is the makeup that I apply on most days, including weekends :) I believe that good and healthy skin is the best foundation for any look.. also remember to buy concealer/foundation in the CORRECT shade. have a good weekend !

minerals

my daily makeup usually only consists of brown eyeliner and concealer, but sometimes I like to play around with eyeshadows too. Now, I usually stay away from colors but these samples from Naked Elements looks tempting. They're all hand-brewed with organic ingredients too by the way.. Instead of using only one color, I mixed the plum + wild blueberry + ginger one altogether to create a light smokey effect. My asian eyes normally 'creases' any color i apply, but these stay put for the whole day :)





eyeshadows from Naked Elements

tresses

Many of you have been asking about my hair.. some ask what I do to it, how I style it, and etc. Well, the truth is I don’t do anything other than regularly washing it (I’m not even that diligent with conditioner). No fancy salon treatments or anything. In fact, I’m actually one of those anti-salon person. Not that I don’t like being pampered, but I just don’t like having my hair look “too done”. But at certain times of the year, I might just say “yes” for a salon trip. One of this occurrence happened to take place on Monday. The Sunsilk Hair Studio had just opened a month ago, and because of its temporary existence, I decided to give it a go anyway.


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What’s unique about this beauty parlor is that it’s the first Sunsilk salon in Indonesia. The concept is a collaboration between Sunsilk and Qiqi Franky, an established makeup artist and hair stylist. If you have no idea what to do with your mane, try out one of the hair trends that they’ve set up. From the Fierce Crop to the Retro Red Carpet, there’s something for everyone.

The futuristic looking salon is divided into two areas : Zone 1 and Zone 2. The first zone which measures 249.95 m² holds a reception, photo booth area (yes, photo booth with those fancy lighting sets), a lounge, and a cafe brought to you by Spinelli. For shopaholics out there, you can also check out product displays where local brands such as Petite Cupcakes have their pieces for sale!




Now, in between those 2 zones, there are 7 gorgeous creations by some of Indonesia’s leading designers. These designs all reflect the 7 hair trends Sunsilk Hair Studio offers.

gold ornament cheong-sam style dress by Sapto Djojokartiko for the Sunsilk Hair Fall Range

intricate sleeves and collarline by Denny Wirawan for the Sunsilk Straight and Sleek range

The second zone is where all the beauty magic occurs. 10 washing booths, 26 treatment stations, and a team ready to help you out. Although you can get some creambath, a haircut or even your makeup done, I just opted to do the simple wash & blow dry process. Since my hair was ‘normal’, the stylist offered me to use the Smooth & Straight range. She first washed my hair twice then applied conditioner only to the ends because my roots were oily. I then moved to one of the chairs were another stylist named Harris blow-dried my hair. I told him that I don’t want the “vavoom big hair” effect, just make it natural and he listened to my instructions carefully :)




Verdict : I loved the results! The waves were not “too done” and they looked natural. My tresses were also soft and they smelled nice. With the friendly staff and stylists, Sunsilk Hair Studio is defo worth a comeback.


Sunsilk Hair Studio is located on the 2nd Floor of Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall, East Mall.
To book an appointment, call 021- 23581974.and remember ! it’s only open until 31 July. So, head there while you can
For more info, click on Sunsilk’s Facebook page or follow Sunsilk’s Twitter for updates or special promotions.