STAYING DRY

Babies and diapers... in our modern days, they're literally the 2nd most important item to stock up other than milk ! Otherwise, all the magic that comes out from the babies' bottoms will cause a severe mess. Yes, there has been a debate that cloth diapers are better, but for myself and Denzel more importantly, disposable diapers are simply more convenient. Plus, washing all that junk off in the laundry room doesn't sound appealing to me either. Therefore, even months before my son was born, I was fixed that I shall find disposable diapers that will suit my son perfectly.

I bought a couple of diapers brands ranging in all sorts of prices in the beginning to see which I liked most. But, the very first diaper my son's buttocks came in contact with were MamyPoko ExtraDry(s). My hospital just happened to provide these but immediately, I liked how they stayed dry for a long period and as a Disney fan, of course I enjoyed the Mickey Mouse prints as well (LOL.. well presentation is important!) ... Little D then came home, and I began experimenting with the other diapers I bought earlier, and I still liked MamyPoko Extra Dry the most. The sizing was perfect for my not-so-big baby, they didn't inflate much, and being reasonably priced was an added bonus. Fast forward one and half year later, Denzel is still a MamyPoko baby ! Only now, he has transitioned into the MamyPoko Pants Extra Dry as fastening tapes is becoming a chore for an active toddler. With a soft elastic waistband, my son's tummy is never irritated. In fact, he enjoys slipping his legs through the "pants".

SHOPATVELVET X MKOESNADI

I have worked with shopatvelvet for a couple years, styling their campaigns & catalogs while also getting to know them as a brand & what their visions are. Designing my very first collection from scratch has been a fun, unforgettable, yet a difficult task for me.

My style changes from year to year and I wanted to reflect these feelings in the clothes I produced. The older I get, the less trendy I wanted my closet to be. So two keywords I kept in my mind was : timeless & effortless. Some of the pieces I designed were inspired from clothing articles that I can always count on when I have exactly 5 minutes to walk out of the door... And the rest of the collection? Simply things you can mix & match, create day-to-night looks with... All in a mix of neutral color palette & a dash of abstract floral prints for a wee bit (or a big bit depending on how you wear it!) of feminine vibe.

Here I am posting the full lookbook of the collection with myself as the model. You might have already seen some of the photos on Instagram, but a full view is always better right? Plus, perhaps you can pick an extra or two styling ideas from MY own version instead of the catalog version online.. Well, they are both styled by myself I hope you all will love my collection as much as I do.

shop my collection on www.shopatvelvet.com or at The Goods Dept, Happy Go Lucky Bandung, or Widely Project Bandung.
and do not forget to tag me to your ootd/purchases with #shopatvelvetXmkoesnadi. I would be happy to check out what you got !

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".

POP ART

You know the nice thing about blogs is how we can evaluate the changes in our lives through our posts. Whether it's style-wise (from dorky to chic -amen-).. photo-wise.. or in my case, from dating to married and to becoming a mom. Up until today, I've never written about any baby products because mainly... I prefer writing about something that still has the style aesthetics Glister and Blisters is used to.. and when it comes to baby bits and bobs, I prioritize functionality over style (except for my son's clothes! I put a jacket on him even if it's hot *evil mommy grin*) So I thought there is no point of babbling about 'useful' baby products when you can find mountains of reviews online already. Today's one exception though !

Because.... my favorite pushchair brand, Bugaboo, (not that I have a second pushchair LOL.. but I have tried others that belonged to my friends) has just released their fourth collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation. Even before Bugaboo contacted me, I purchased my own Bugaboo Bee based on my interest and likes, so this is proof that I wrote "favorite" not because I am sponsored. My Bee has never had any form of facelift so it was exciting to be able to get my hands on their Marilyn Monroe set (yup, we get the canopy AND a matching tote bag!) early. I know some of you might give me that "hmmm Marilyn Monroe for a boy? selfish mom" look... Well, since the prints are repetitive and the background base is black, I didn't really get the 'girly' feel too much.. But If you still disagree with me, not to worry.. Bugaboo's still got 3 other prints for this 4th collaboration.

AND FALL COMES...

One day in September... In the midst of our busy schedules, we managed to pull off this mini series of photos for LOFT 20 (find out more about it by following it on Instagram : @LOFT_20)... And God must have been on our side that day.. From the nice security guys whom for once didn't expect any form of tipping... Beautiful sun resulting beautiful flares... the happy hormones that swooshed through our veins as we review the photos from the little camera displays.. and last but not least, no traffic at all that day!

photographed by Calvin of Moreno Photography // Concept by Jo Widira // All dresses and wardrobe by LOFT 20

WHERE ARE YOU?

I can't say enough thanks for my first few clients who trusted me in taking over their campaign and catalog stylings. I mean, back then... I haven't quite graduated from uni.. I had ZERO portfolio work. ZERO real-life sighting on how a stylist/photographer works (let alone being a stylist/photographer myself).. and Instagram might have existed but it was still the Blackberry age in Indonesia.. So, it was only my blog that existed. But yet again, a handful of clients believed in me.

SHOPATVELVET was one of those peeps (see my first work for them here!). I still remembered how awkward and nerve racking it was for me to meet them after I was recommended (yes !!! recommended !! such a 'jackpot' word and moment for me). Truthfully, I was scared. Thoughts scrambled through my head : "what if I sucked? what if they regret hiring me? what if I screwed up and everything looks shit? this is their promotional material girl !!! it's not school grades where you can retake any failed classes"... Yes, I am one of those panic peeps. But, I still took the plunge. and Guess what? Fast forward three years now, I am still rummaging through piles of their clothes before each photosession and dear Lord, I can't imagine having another job...

While I may only blog every couple of months, Glisters and Blisters is still my baby. I am not as excited to be infront of the camera as I used to be. However, this blog has bridged myself to the things I now do for a living. Blogging only started off as a fun thing but I never expected this. I do like to dream big but I never expected big things.. because, when you expect the rain to simply stop but you got sunshine and rainbow instead, you will be thankful instead of disappointed. slight pessimism? well, depends on your point of view.

So my 'lesson' for you all today (and tomorrow and whenever you read this), take that plunge. Believe in yourself. Work your ass off, have confidence and patience !! Remember that Nothing great comes for free. and if you feel like you're failing, take a look at babies and count how many times they fall and tumble while trying to walk/stand.

*ps dont forget to check the rest of the pics of the lookbook I style and photographed for shopatvelvet last month*

UJUNG KULON

I rarely update on my trips/holidays nowadays mainly because I don't have a shadowing photographer like most bloggers do. Despite that there are no usual outfits photos to go with this post, I still felt like sharing this Idul Fitri break holiday destination because I haven't seen such natural beauty in quite a time... I've been immersed in my city lifestyle for so long that I forget, just beautiful views of the ocean can make me smile at ease. This holiday season I hopped over to Pulau Peucang in Ujung Kulon. The clear blue waters and white sandy beach is still on the island of Java ! Yes, no need to go to maldives or whatever for clear blue waters and great diving spots... indonesia has got some of the best in the business!

finally utilizing my Peter Pilotto x Target scuba-material-ish top.. I had to layer it with another wetsuit because I didn't want the sexy hole in the back giving me an otherwise not-very-sexy 'masuk angin' (what is the english for this?? only us Indonesians use the term..) Excuse the non flattering baggy pants.. that was actually my husband's brother's training pants.. I didnt bring any pants/legging/swim leggings or whatever they are called.. so I borrowed whatever was available at my cottage..

APRIL UPDATE

Not sure when this goes online but I am typing this up on a Saturday night. I saw Captain America earlier today and kept thinking about Agent Romanoff's mid length hair and how did Nick Fury came back from the dead (I desperately needed to go to the toilet during that segment)..

Anyhow, enough on the Captain America random thoughts. FINALLY sharing my current favorite jeans on the blog today! I think it made a couple of appearances through my Instagram but  I never managed to get it on the blog.. 95%of My free time when I am not attending my clients or not replying my clients' queries is now for Denzel (the other 5% is doing random stuff like playing Cookie Run par example - hey! We humans all need some time for a little randomness that makes us happy). I was on the roof per usual doing my outfit photos and my son came with my helper .. so I thought it'll be nice to have non-iphone-front-camera shots together once in every while right?

DENZEL & I

I think it has been a year since I was able to post every other day for the blog and it feels like it's a big accomplishment for me to be able to make TWO posts in a week ! Being behind-the-lens most of the time means that I rarely have proper pictures of me and my son together (except for poor quality front iPhone camera pictures..) so I was happy that me and Denzel had our proper photoshoot with a couple weeks ago. Very excited to share the great results as opposed to just posting on my Instagram account.

ON THE LOFT

Honestly, not being over the top or anything, I was pretty shocked that my last update was exactly a month ago (I thought I was still in the two week zone). Time goes by quicker than ever since Denzel was born. In my head, I keep planning that I want to post at least once a week, but that plan always fails. One because I underestimated in the amount of time needed for nursing (apparently, it takes almost an hour for my son to suck the milk off the whole bottle, sometimes even more, and sometimes he refuse to suck and just smile at me!).. Two, whenever I'm done with nursing duties + putting Denz to bed, I need to catch up with my client's queries and emails.. That leaves me no time even for a short moment to get my eyes shut and by the time I finish Denz' last bottle of milk at about 1am, I don't even bother to wash my face and just doze off. I don't think I need another explaining why the blog is sorta abandoned.

I was waiting my late client the other day at my studio, so I thought why not play with some of the pieces from LOFT 20 and have it shared here ! If you're wondering what LOFT 20 is, please have a look at the Instagram page @LOFT_20 ;) [and if you're lazy to click the link, loft20 is one of my latest projects where I rent out dresses and props. mostly fro prewedding purposes but any event will do!) I haven't got time to set up a proper web let alone facebook for it. So, instagram will do for now !

HELLO FROM LITTLE D !

Saying hi to all of mommy's followers ! I'm so sorry for the delay of my blog posts, been taking care of this little dude for the past 6 weeks and I'm not complaining at all ! Actually, I am pretty blessed that he's not tough to chill so that I can sneak in some work in between which now includes one of my newest projects : LOFT 20 (will tell more about that soon...) meanwhile you can get a sneak peak of it on LOFT 20's instagram @loft20 .. I have my first post-partnum outfit photos, but baby's crying and I better jet off from my computer. Until then !

- denzel at 10 days old -

NOT QUITE DEFLATED

Hello again everyone ! It's been awhile since I hit blogger.com on my browser's most visit lists. I've had my delivery about 2 weeks ago and I am still trying to adjust to my new routines while having to swallow all kinds of weird confinement meals everyday (not the type of foods you'd like me to photograph nor discuss here). I've been meaning to write but just as I get myself settled infront of my laptop, there's always something that forces me to get away from it. Either it's feeding, baby poop time, some guests, or a list of other things that needs to be prioritized.

Like all expecting moms, I knew that I was going to be busy moments before and after my son is born (yes it's a boy even I've never mentioned on the blog before...) and I'll be on confinement and the only place I'm allowed to go out to is *errrrrrrr* the hospital... so I planned ahead and saved some of my maternity outfit photos in hand for this little photo absence days. not exactly sure when I'll be having the time to post again but hopefully I can get some of my little dude's photos on the blog! :)

COMPILATION

browsing through countless sources is one of those things I do on a daily basis. Both for my own pleasure and for my job as a stylist. Since I am out of outfit photo stocks (yes, I 'stock' them in my harddrive and edit + upload whenever my schedule fits), I thought I'd share some inspirations that have been whirling in my mind.

LaFLEUR // RED GARNET

I've always disliked how men associate women as gaptek (an indonesian slang that stands for 'gagap teknologi' or technology failure) creatures. But moreover, I dislike it even more when they apply the theory to me. You see, my relationship with gadgets has always been good ever since I was young. When the other girls turn up to their daddies to get the newest pretty phone, I am the one who’d ask for the smartest phone out there (my -6 myopic degree didn't just magically appear you know...) And up till' today, my main priority for gadgets is still it's technological features. But it doesn't hurt when a 'brainy' gadget comes with 'beauty' perks. One of those gadget would be the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 LaFleur Collection.

With the great features and it’s sleek “Red Garnet” glossy coating, what's not to love about this tablet? I can not only complete my daily tasks but its “Red Garnet” color also makes a great fashion statement. It’s even better because red garnet is one of my favorite colors of the moment and just by carrying the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, I can incorporate my favorite shade into my looks effortlessly.

BOY OH BOY...

I was ,again, happy to see Alice Dellal grazing Chanel's Boy Bag Campaign for this Spring Summer 2013. Photographed by the same 'Einstein' behind the bag, the stable-set campaign is utterly beautiful. Just like the Boy Bag itself, the pictures evoke the right balance of edge and elegance. Since it was first introduced just a few years ago, the Boy Bag has been undoubtedly one of the most-coveted bags ever. I bought my gold one last year and somewhat I crave for another one. and fyi, I'm the type that doesn't crave the same bag in different colors - unless it's that bag I ultimately love. Thank you uncle Karl for all of this wishlist...

MINI ME

I've had mix feelings whether to share this with my blog readers or not, but as time goes by, I feel that now is the best time to announce it ! So yes, some people have been asking, and some I've told personally.. I'm pregnant now !!!!!!!!!! Actually I'm five months plus preggo already (yes it took me that long to decide whether or not to share the news with the readers). It's not that I'm shy or anything, but I simply don't like the idea of people snooping too much about my family. I just find that matter something super personal. But then again I also thought, my body will start inflating (it already is..... doesn't show much because I don't like tight clothes even when I'm not pregnant anyway. I always like loose-everything when possible) and I don't want to think that I'm hiding the pregnancy news as if I had a MBA situation (I AM legally married despite the fact that I never shared the photos or news on the blog)..

Anyhow, I am blessed that I have not been getting any morning sickness or stuff like that. I still work on a daily basis (but I try to limit myself so that I don't get too tired!).. actually, I prefer working than staying at home being unproductive.. my little one even managed to travel through the looooonnnngggg road trip I did in December ! and I can still eat my favorite foods (except sushi and sashimi unfortunately. I'll curb my lack of sushi diet when the baby is out!!) In the mean time, I still hope that I will be able to keep this blog updated as my tummy gets rounder. I hope you'll bear with my welcome-to-motherhood style posts ;)

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.

LANVIN POUR MINNIE MOUSE

So, I didn't make it in time for the Lanvin Press show on Tuesday as I was still at work. Regardless of that, I still got my hands on one of the cutest USB sticks I've ever got from the fashion house! Not only it was adorable on the outside, the 'inside' was also filled with photos of Lanvin's latest accessories and this video I'm sharing today. Apparently, Disney's very own Minnie Mouse is getting her own customized dress made by Alber Elbaz himself. The blue jewel-elaborated piece was a stunner but I personally would still like to see some sort of red or pink dress on Minnie. I guess that I am one of those people who associate childhood characters with colors - blue cookie monster, black batman, belle's yellow dress, etc...

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.

ON ROUTE : JAVA TO BALI

As always with holiday posts, better late than never! Having no stable connection and postponed photoshoot dates throughout the flood made me able to focus on the photo editing of my road trip from Jakarta to Bali in December/January (you can check out my route here). This trip was definitely memorable. Not only did I visit new cities throughout Indonesia, but this was also my first time doing a road trip in my own mother country. It was clearly a difference experience from previous road trips I've done overseas. I wouldn't exactly say the roads are better.. just to name a few 'obstacles' I encountered : giant road holes, duck crossing the road during while riding at 100km/h in the middle of the night, riding on a boat where the captain of the ship crashed into the deck and other ship THREE times -I thought I was gonna sink into the water seriously-, and more. But nevertheless, I still had a great time ! Like with all travels, sometimes it's the crazy and scary moments that make it memorable and worthwhile.

3000-ish kilometers (Jakarta - Denpasar - Jakarta) may sound little if you're driving around Europe, but that amount took us all a total of 13 days to get through. 13 remarkable days actually.. There were days when we drove from dawn to dusk (correction : most on-the-road days actually..) and some days where we just slacked off with the room service. I'll write more as the pictures come out below :) Who knows maybe some of you might grab the GPS and start your own road trip for your next vacation !