Thursday, May 9, 2013

[Review] OPI Vintage Minnie Minis

Posted by monidreamalot at 10:37 PM 0 comments
Hello! This time I will impart my wisdom regarding a nail polish: OPI!

I bought this not too long ago, and I must admit, the main reason I bought it because it's very cute (LOL) and it's Disney!

So, as you can figure out, these nail polish came in a mini size (only 3.75 ml or 1/8 fl oz). It's inspired by Minnie Mouse, so the main color is red and pink! It came in 4 mini bottles in 1 pack.

Here's what it looks like:


So cute, right? There are 4 colors as I said, from left to right:
- The Color of Minnie
   You had this little mouse at "red".
- If You Moust You Moust
   You gotta pink what you gotta pink
- I'm All Ears
   Tell me how much you love this magenta shimmer
- RapiDry Top Coat
  Non-Yellowing. Ends smears, smudges, and streaks!

Here's a closer look:



 Let's discuss them one by one!

The Color of Minnie
Well, it's red. It's a quite bright red, but not yet orange. I wear this red for my Santa nail art. See HERE. I know on the pictures they look a bit orange, but in real life it's a very nice and flattering red. I really like this one!

If You Moust You Moust
This one is pink. The pink is really pink! At first I thought I'd be getting a nude-ish pink. I saw it in some blogs and somehow I got the impression it would be nude pink. That's why I was so shocked when I tried it. Either way, the pink is really pretty. Here they are on my feet. Again, pardon the hair!



 Oh, and I think it emits some sort of purple color under direct sunlight. I'm happy with this, because it will not bore me as much. So, it's pure pink while indoor, and pink-purple outdoor!

I'm All Ears
This is a really nice magenta color. It's the only one that has some shimmer / glitter in it.


The pic's pretty dark, but it's reaaally pretty in real life! Again, with this color I think there's a difference when you look at them outdoor. 

RapiDry Top Coat
It is what it is. A top coat that dries fairly fast. I think it does dries up fast, because when I was doing nail arts, I tried comparing this and the normal top coat (I used the one by The Face Shop). This top coat dried faster. But, maybe because of it, there's some gunk on the brush left so I have to clean them before putting the brush back into the bottle. And I think the texture is somewhat more viscous than normal top coat. Honestly, if I'm not in such a hurry I will prefer to use normal top coat over this. But sometimes when doing nail art I just can't wait to put the top coat on so that no dust or wind or anything can smudge my masterpiece. :D

Personally, I think buying nail polish in mini size is more beneficial. Since I'm using it only for myself, and maybe my sister, this is more economic. Kekeke.

However, the brush on these minis are also mini a.k.a. small, so sometimes it's harder to use and I have to brush and dipped it more times to cover the entire nail.

Overall, I really liked this version of OPI and I think red is a must have if you like nail polish. And also, the colors here are pretty rare but acceptable for your everyday look.

Repurchase? Umm, I would say yes only if I manage to empty these bottles. Because let's face it, we'll never run out of nail polish. And I would like to try other colors, too!

(I bought this for 150k)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Colette & Lola: Beautiful from the Inside Out

Posted by monidreamalot at 10:08 PM 1 comments

Hi, beauty lovers! Today I’m gonna tell you about a product I came across recently.

So my dad was celebrating his birthday on May 5th, and I was thinking of throwing him a surprise. My idea was to surprise him with a birthday cake on midnight! Pretty standard, actually. But I wanted to make it a bit special, so I was in the market for a great cake.

My dad really loves chocolate. His taste bud is a bit off, he really can’t tell which food is good or bad unless they’re REALLY bad it’s just inedible. But somehow he knows he likes chocolate, and can tell which chocolate product is good and which is not so good.

So I was going to buy a chocolate cake that my aunt was raving about. I visited their store in Plaza Indonesia and found out that they’re closed! The other store was in Senopati, and when I called them nobody answered so I don’t know if they’re closed too or what.  I was so sad... O.O

Luckily, I did not despair much as I was actually eye-ing this new cake company I found on Facebook. Their name is Colette & Lola! What a cute name.

I browsed their website and found the perfect cake I wanted, called Charlie Brown. Again, so cute! Their cakes are named and decorated so beautifully, makes you wanna lick your screen once you see them.

And one more thing, they offer delivery! Yay! I can just wait at home for the cake to come.

So I called them and they asked what time should the cake be delivered. This is perfect, since I can arrange for delivery when my dad wasn’t around. I told them to come at the 4th around 1 p.m. And they do come. And I almost squealed and jumped in front of the delivery staff. Why?

Let’s see.



Are you seeing what I saw? It’s so damn cute! It’s in baby blue, which is one of my favorite colors. Well, it’s not for me, but whatever! It’s pleasing for the eyes. It came with a card, a cake-guide book and 3 free cake pops! Cute, cute, and super cute! It was really a sight.


Here’s one from up close.



They provide straps so that you can carry them around easily. Love the idea! Because sometimes when I transport cakes they got smudged or ruined because they are not stable and really hard to carry around (normally people will bring lots of other things, like handbags and whatnot). But with this strap, the cake will be stable and can safely be transported.

And here’s the card. So thoughtful. I love thoughtfulness.


I’m not going to show you the message inside, because it was specialized just for me! Kidding. I’m one of the first buyers, so they sent me a thank-you card. Very thoughtful, right? You should buy one yourself and see what’s in it. I love thoughtful and nice cake people, not too business-y. Buying cakes are not all about business, people, it’s also about being nice and thoughtful. Okay. I might have said the word “thoughtful” too much. I’m gonna stop now. STAHP.

And finally, ladies and gentlemen, meet CHARLIE BROWN.

It's 61% dark chocolate ganache, crispy hazelnut wafer & cocoa devil sponge. Yum.

They asked me what I wanted for the wording. Kekeke. Pretty cheesy, I guess.

Sorry for the poor pics. I took these while preparing the surprise, minutes away from midnight, so I was in a hurry.

My first impression was: this cake smells really good. I left it open in my air conditioned room for maybe 5 mins, 10 mins tops while I took pictures and prepared candles. It was so fragrant that I can still smell it, though faintly, after an hour later.

This cake was really physically impeccable.

Here's when it's cut:



It was so friggin' delicious. The chocolate was... Heavenly. The texture smooth, with some crispiness from the hazelnut wafers! I wanna come home to this cake after a bad day and eat them mercilessly.

My father looked so happy. He, of course, had the first cake. The second the cake entered his mouth, he went big-eyed and said, "This is really good." And he ate like a 5 year old. LOL. My mom and sis and of course, me, loved it too!

Because it was midnight, and let's not fool ourselves, we do care about calories, we split the cake. One slice of heavenly chocolate cake for 2 people. It was sooo delicious, I'm sure everyone wanted a slice for themselves. After we finish the cake, we had a chat for quite some time. Funny enough, for the duration of the chat, everyone's hand keep touching the cake to eat fallen bits and pieces every now and then. LOL. Really can't get enough.

I had this again today after a long day at work. It really lifts up your mood. Of course, it's chocolate. And it's delicious!

I have to warn you, though. If you don't like chocolate, you might not like it. Or, it may turn you into a devout chocolate lover, who knows. LOL. In any case, Colette and Lola offers a wide variety of cakes, so if you really don't like chocolate, you can choose other cakes.

In the end, the surprise was a success! Thank you to Colette & Lola, and my mom and sis for helping me fooling my dad. LOL.

Repurchase? Yes! But I want to try other flavor, too!

5 out of 5 stars, literally death by chocolate. Love!

Oh, and sorry I didn't get to take pictures of the cake pops :( They were also cute and delicious. Actually they were meant to be pierced into the cake for decoration, but it was so cute I ate them first. LOL. There's an instruction attached to each cake pop on how to decorate the cake with it.

Here's Colette and Lola's info:

Website: http://colettelola.com/

Facebook: Colette & Lola

They will open their store in Senopati area. This product is part of ISMAYA Group, one of the reason I trust them, too!

Friday, April 26, 2013

[Review] innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Lotion

Posted by monidreamalot at 8:24 PM 3 comments
Heyyy, I'm back for a review! It's been so long.. Yes, yes, I know you miss me.. *delusional* *part of being me*

Ehrmm, okay. This time I'm going to talk about an innisfree product, the Jejubija Anti-Trouble Lotion! This is essentially a moisturizer, with an extra capability: to fight skin troubles! I read from other blogs that Koreans doesn't say zit or acne, they call them trouble. Well, it is trouble all right. Oh yeah, innisfree is a Korean brand (i love Korean brands, they're cheaper) whose spoke-person is SNSD YoonA! Love her. So damn beautiful.

Here's what it claims to do: "Enriched with torreya seed extract from pure jeju island, Jejubija Anti-Trouble helps control blemish for clear skin".

So the trouble here obviously doesn't include pore troubles, blackheads, etc. Just blemish a.k.a acne a.k.a zits.

Here's what it looks like.


It comes in a 100 ml tube, and I think it's quite hygienic. It doesn't leave a mess, as long as you don't squeeze the tube like you're squeezing lemons. LOL.

Here's the lotion part. Pardon the hairs >.<


It's not creamy, quite watery but not runny.


The scent is herbal-like, like lavender or something, and for me it is not disturbing. The smell pretty much disappear once you lather them onto your skin. However, fresh from the tube, the smell is quite strong.

I have a sensitive nose. I can't stand most perfume and weird smell, also dust. They make me sneeze uncontrollably. So, I guess it's safe to say that if my nose doesn't react to this smell, it most likely is safe for other people's nose. LOL.

What I really love about this lotion is that it has a cooling effect, which never hurt, since I live in a tropical country. It's hot all the time, and this really helps cool my face before I put on make-up, or before I went to sleep.

Also, it has calming or soothing effect to the skin, partly maybe because it's cooling. It doesn't sting, even if your skin is thin, or if you have some sort of wound on your face (in my experience).

As for the moisturizing and anti-trouble effect, let me just tell you about my skin first, since everyone's skin is different. Originally, I have no acne or acne trouble. I have combination skin, oily around the T-zone and extremely dry and flaky cheeks and temples.

It helps quite a bit for my dry-flaky skin, and for my oily parts it also works wonders. Sadly, it doesn't eliminate my dry skin problem though. But I have just the cream for that, I'll review them later!

For the anti-trouble part, well, at least it doesn't break me out. However, I notice I have smaller pores, but I don't know if it was really thanks to this lotion because I use a lot of products.

One other thing that I really like about this lotion is that it really smooths your skin! My skin feels really smooth and great and healthy right after I use this. I think this also helps when I put on my make-up, like it's creating a clean and smooth canvas for me to paint on. :D Oh, and it also absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave a greasy or sticky film.

So, here's the conclusion:

(+)
for people with normal to oily skin and they who want to have fabulous skin before putting on make-up
calming, soothing, and cooling effects
not greasy nor sticky
absorbs quickly
nice smell, though maybe not for all
lots of products in a 100 ml tube!

(--)
none for me! but maybe not for people with extremely dry skin, or people who's seeking for moisturizer for winter-time. I think this is not strong enough for that job.

That all being said, this is by far my favorite maintenance moisturizer. Meaning, when my skin is not flaky and dry, I can use this and be happy with my skin.

innisfree has a whole line dedicated to Anti-Trouble therapy, such as toner, serum, etc, but I've never use the others.

I rate this 4 out of 5!

Will I repurchase? Yes! However I don't think this tube will be empty soon, since there's so many products in one tube! Love!

Iron Man 3 in IMAX 3D

Posted by monidreamalot at 7:35 PM 0 comments
Long time no blog. Since I'm too excited, I'm gonna go straight to the point.

So, I finally got to watch Iron Man 3, in IMAX! The theater at the mall near my house just opened an IMAX studio! I've never watch moviex in IMAX before, because there was only one in my country and it's a bit far. Behold!


What is IMAX? It stands for Image MAXimum, created by a Canadian company. It can display images in greater size and resolution compared to the conventional ones. Also, the screen is not flat, it's curved; which supposedly help if you're watching from anywhere but the center.

The theater itself is also different with your usual movie theater, it was more steep, like an amphitheater. It is also bigger, wider. Conclusion, it is waaayyyy cool.

I watched Iron Man in IMAX 3D and it was awesome! My jaw literally dropped. The sound, the super clear images, the shrapnel that almost hit my face (read: cool 3D effect)... All in all, for those of you who haven't got the chance to watch a movie in an IMAX theater, please do so. It's quite an experience. It IS quite expensive, but hey, you're not gonna get it at home.

I mean, you can substitute movies in theaters with home cinema, or the cheaper substitute, movies in bed with your lamps turned off. BUT, this IMAX thing.. won't happen at home! Unless you're filthy rich and can build your own IMAX studio. And since most of us are not like that, it's better to save money and watch one movie you really like in IMAX!

Happy watching!

P.S. Iron Man is so cool. I can't believe Robert Downey Jr. isn't going to play in Avengers 2. Is it finalized, though? Anyone knows?

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover: Review

Posted by monidreamalot at 9:08 PM 0 comments
Hi there! I'm back again with a review of a point remover which I quite like.. Behold the Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover! So this is what it looks like.. I've used up 97% of it.. :D



Point remover means it's actually meant for eye and lip area, but I use this on my whole face.. This is a two-part remover, so you have to shake it before using them. See the layers below? It consists of light blue and darker blue layer.



 And when you shake them, you will get a yummy milkshake! Do not drink.


So you just put them on a cotton pad and swipe your eye and lip make-up off! It works with waterproof make-up, too! Here is some swatches from my waterproof makeups: Tony Moly Backstage Eyeliner and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin (which supposedly should last around 10-20 hours).



Here's after just one swipe of Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover:



And here's after a few swipes later. Voila!



I really like this remover because it really gets the job done. It smells a bit coconut-y, and for me it's an acceptable smell, not annoying at all.

One of the few things that I don't really like about this remover is that after application, it leaves your skin a bit greasy. This makes me feels like I need to wash my face right afterwards. I think this is a bit annoying.
Also, I don't know for sure if it's because of the remover because I use a lot of products, but I used to have an oily or combination skin, but now I have a dry skin! So after application, if I don't cleanse my face right away, my face will be soooo dry it hurts! This is definitely a minus. This started to happen around halfway through the bottle.

For price, I think it's quite cheap. It's IDR 90k for a 160 ml bottle. I used up this bottle in 5 months, and I use it almost everyday.

So, repurchase? Yes, if I don't find anything better to use soon. However, I bought Lioele Aroma Eye and Lip Remover recently, so I will be trying that out first. I'll review them later!

Thank you for reading my blog and please await my other reviews!



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Christmas in March!

Posted by monidreamalot at 10:10 PM 0 comments
Hey there.. So, after a long *not really* time, I decided to do some nail art. Yaayyy!

So I bought some of the tools online, and they're actually quite cheap, about IDR 85k for everything that you need. I also bought some acrylic paint for IDR 90k, which includes 12 colors, because nail polish is so expensive..

Lemme tell you what happened the first time I tried to do nail art with acrylic paint. Disaster. That's what happened. Just so you know, I did my research before I bought the tools and the paint, and that didn't prepare me for what was going to happen. I'm no artist, but I think I have a pretty good hand control if I know the design I'm gonna make. But I was wrong. So wrong.

I used a base coat as the first layer. I then confidently dip my brush into a white acrylic paint. And lather them onto my coated nails, trying to get the shape I wanted. And guess what? Acrylic paint crumpled. Crumpled. That's a word, right? Yeah, I mean they just won't separate and just being a blob. They're blobby. LOL. They just are not smooth. They also took forever to dry.

I spent about an hour to try to fix the acrylic paint, and this is just for the first color. I watch and re-watch some tutorials on youtube, and hopelessly watching how those professionals just dip their brush into the acrylic paint and lather them onto the nails and just like that, get the result they want. Like, how in the world the gap between professional and an amateur can be THAT big? Oh, maybe I'm not an amateur, just an idiot. I gave up.

However, being someone that's not that easy to defeat by despair (eww, the language!), I tried them again this morning. I did something different with the paint first, I dilute them in water. And, drumrolls, just like that, I got the result I wanted. Granted, it's a lot messier than what it's supposed to be, but, yayyy! I did it!

Seriously, though, there's like no mention of diluting the paint with water. I seriously watched those tutorials, and those pros just dip their brush into those paints straight away! Or maybe they and most people on the face of the earth knew that paints are supposed to be diluted in water. Maybe it's just me who wasn't using her brain again. Drat. Oh, well. I did it at last anyway. So, for you guys who thinks acrylic paint is useless for nail art, here's a tip: dilute them in water first. I actually found a girl on youtube who had the same problem. Maybe I should e-mail her to read my blog for solutions? LOL.

Anyway, for the second attempt, I decided to go with a santa design, since it's so cute! And it's March, and somehow March makes me imagine the color red, so it's a match! So here's my nail, and I did them with acrylic paint and lots of perseverance and concentration:





On the other four nails:


It's pretty good, right? Considering.. Hehehe.

A few mistakes that I made was that I applied the top coat too quickly so that some of the red kind of transfer its color to the white beard.. You can't really see that in these pics tho.. Lucky!

Another difficulties I'm facing is that I can't paint with my left hand.. So my right hand is now still bare.. LOL. Whatever. This is progress!

Anyway, I think I should do a different one for Easter. Still searching for the cutest and easiest design, though..

Well, my hands are getting busy helping me eat my Chef Tony popcorn, so.. Happy Christmas in March!

my first ever make-up purchase: Etude House BB Magic Balm SPF 30 / PA +++

Posted by monidreamalot at 8:20 PM 0 comments
This is my first ever make-up purchase! My first try at BB cream, too.

So, a little history first. For y'all who is dying to read the review, just skip this paragraph and search for the sentence "anyway, BB cream" :) Here goes. People who knew me during my teen years probably know that I hate shopping, any kind of shopping. Clothes, make-up, all of those things make me dizzy. Except for grocery shopping hahaha. However, I seem to experience a late puberty, because as soon as I turn 23, I also turn into a shopaholic. At first it was just make-up, then clothes, then shoes, then anything I can buy hahaha. There's also this teeny tiny little reason that if I think about it, really maybe is the reason why I have late puberty: I just graduated from dental school. Yeah. That must be it. The stress stopped me from growing and reach my potential, for shopping. The second reason is: I have a sensei, who is my best friend from dental school, that teaches me to shop. I don't think she ever really told me to shop or anything, but the way she shopped, especially during our trip to Japan, is astonishing. HAHAHA. Sensei, if you're reading this, congratulations, I'm no longer a student, but a colleague.

Anyway, BB cream. Yes, this is my first make-up and BB cream ever.

 

It claims to be a skin protection for environment and UV damage, provides natural looking coverage that nourishes, soothes, and corrects skin tone. Includes brush for clean and convenient application that delivers pore safe oil control and porcelain smooth complexion.

There. What? It includes brush? Yay! Yeah, that was one of the main reasons I bought this product. The other reason was because this is a balm, and at that time I didn't feel comfortable using my fingers to put stuff on my face. Pic of the brush:


It comes with cover for the brush, so it's definitely cleaner. That's a plus. And inside the container looks like this:





Okay, review.

First, shade. I'm Chinese, but I don't have pale white skin, my skin is a bit.. yellow? tan? olive? Actually until now I still can't find the perfect word to describe my skin. Anyway, it's darker than most Chinese but definitely lighter than Adriana Lima or Jessica Alba (why I used these ladies as a comparison is beyond me). As you may all know, BB creams don't have vast shade selection like foundations. Actually with this particular product, I think there's only 1 shade to choose from. For me, this shade is a little bit too light. It doesn't make people scream ghost or think I'm playing kabuki, but enough to make my face noticeably different from my neck. And you don't want that. Ever. So, shade: meh.

Second, application. The brush is definitely helpful with this kind of product, you don't want to dip your finger into the balm over and over again; that's unhygienic. I read somewhere that the right way to put on this is by putting some of the product onto a few spots in your face, like the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, then using the brush, even those marks with an "X" motion. It means like what it sounds, you make an X with your brush on your face to even the BB balm. This way, it will look more natural and not as cakey. I honestly think this is a very time consuming process, because as you can see the brush is not really that big, and to make the BB balm spread evenly and doesn't look cakey really is a pain. Because it looks cakey and you have to even that out really thin to make it looks acceptable.

Third, coverage. I didn't have pimples when I try it out, so I can't attest to redness coverage. But, on dark circles it... kinda blew. If anything, my dark circle got worse. It got darker, if that's even possible. I looked like a panda, or just got punched in both eyes. I had to redo my makeup and wash the BB balm off. Actually, my dark circle is not that bad, but whatever product I put on them makes them worse. I tried Etude Surprise Concealer Kit for Dark Circle once and it didn't work. I'll review them sometime later. Also, this balm makes whatever line on my face looks soooo noticeable.

Fourth, skin reaction. Okay, so my skin is a bit oily at that time, and I have never had breakouts, maybe just a pimple at one time because I didn't wash my face, or was stressed out like hell. The point is, I'm not a person who is easily got pimples. However, this BB balm has successfully break me out in less than 24 hours. At around 7 a.m. I put on this balm, and at 9 p.m. when I was about to wash them off, guess who came for a visit on my forehead? A pimple! A 1 mm red, puffy, frickin' pimple! I actually was trying to keep a positive attitude towards this BB balm, so I tried it again the next couple of days when the pimple healed. And it came. Again. Yeah, the pimple came again. So, I give up. And to top that off, the oil control in this product is not that good. I'm just a bit oily, and after 2-3 hours I gotta blot if I don't wanna look like a frying pan after frying bacon.

Fifth, scent. This balm has a smell of... I don't know, something sweet and maybe floral. It's pretty strong and might irritate some people. Irritate like annoying, not like skin rash, LOL.


Conclusion:
I don't think I'll ever buy or use this product again. I actually just use this for a little bit, the pic above is after I use them. Yeah, that's the end of this product's life in my hands. This product has a semi-matte finish, definitely not dewy though. Here's some pros and cons, according to moi:

(++): came with a brush, shade matches people with ultra fair complexion

(--): not for oily skin, breaks me out, does not cover my dark circle, have a pretty strong scent


Well, yeah, that's about it.. So, last but not least.. Here's some swatches:



Notice how the lines on my hand is more noticeable in the section with BB balm..

There you go! My first review! Please await my next reviews and posts!



Introduction: I'm a first timer!

Posted by monidreamalot at 5:09 PM 0 comments
Hi there! Introduction, introduction.. Well, my name is moni, I'm 23 years old at the moment and this is my first time creating a blog.. My English is so-so, but I like writing and thinking in English! So, sorry if you find mistakes here and there hehehe. As you may see above, I'm obsessed to beautiful things! But not in a creepy way.. Hahaha.

What I would like to post here are my makeup and skincare review and all of the new things I tried, related to beauty! I'm not by any means beautiful, but hey, at least I'm trying :p

Please enjoy your time on my blog, and I hope you find them somewhat helpful. :) So, let the reviews start!

P.S.: I'll try to dress up the blog along the way, too. But since I'm such a klutz with technologies, it may take some time. Please be patient and bear the oh-so-standard look for a while!
 

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