[Review] Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

I finally had the chance to purchase a moisturizer this week, and I went out of the department store with Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. It is suited for dry to normal skin. So far, I've been pleased with the texture of this moisturizer. Though it's a bit thicker, in density, compared to the bottled version of the same product line, I don't feel like my pores are clogged up and oily due to the creaminess. Its claim of being a 24-hour hydrator has been true so far. I put on this cream in the morning and at night, before I go to sleep, and my face doesn't feel dehydrated and crinkly. Another thing to point out, I noticed that my skin tone has a healthier glow after I put on this cream. 

The glycoprotein, one of the main ingredients in this product, helps with the extreme dehydration, suitable for the present hot summer weather. Not only for the hot weather, the glycoprotein also protects the face from the winter winds that freezes our skin's pores and dehydrates it. Another essential ingredient is the "Squalane", a botanical lipid that restores the face's moisture due to its insipid and effective nature. 

I feel comfortable with my brand new skin and so far, I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase. 

-Gloria

Clarity [Mood Board]

It's a Monday night and I just had to share these images of some of the amazing and immaculate skin these models have. They are probably a tad bit airbrushed, but who cares? It's close to what they actually have, and I'm jealous. This got me thinking of some saying that I've read before in a beauty article: it goes a bit like this, "the skin you have in your 20s is simply youth, the skin in your 30s is the skin you have been taking care of, and the skin in your 40s is the skin you truly deserve." Cheesy but it has some truth to it. Maybe, we should stop being lethargic and start becoming efficient in our daily skin regime, even at a young age. With reality and its increasing competition in the career and education realm, stress and exhaustion had cunningly stolen our skin's youth. Wrinkles, dark spots, under-eye dark circles, dullness, and many more queuing to be listed. It's summer, enjoy it while it lasts (3 more weeks for me). Drink that min. requirement of 1.5 liter water each day, soak in some sunny vitamin D, restore moisture on your face through face mask, and relax. 

Products:

1) Clinique's Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20

2) Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion 

3) Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Skin Brightening Exfoliator

4) The Body Shop's Vitamin E Cream Face Cleanser

5) Philosophy's Hope In A Jar Oil-Free

Read My Lips.

There is something about bold lips that shows confidence in a woman's ensemble. Bright lips, either matte or glossy, is undeniably effortless; it gives the impression to people that you don't try too hard to look polished. Lately, I have been amping up my face routine to ensure that I have a presentable complexion when I match it up with my bright colored lips. When I put my hair up in a high bun, I prefer to pair it with a bright colored lip stain and some mascara on my curled lashes. From that undemanding routine, I feel less terrified thinking about being too casual when I leave the doorstep. 

I heard, bright lips carry people's attention and wandering eyes towards your lips. 

To pull off bright lips:

1) Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil 

2) NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage

3) Obssesive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Meta Red

4) NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Luxembourgh or Yu

5) Sephora Collection Creamy Lip Stain in Always Red 01

-Gloria

Ain't Laurent Without Yves.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture in Coril Fauve (12)  ($34) is without a doubt my all time favorite lip stain. My mind is already creating a list of possible colors to get from YSL for my next beauty purchase. I wasn't really a lipstick/lipstain/lipgloss-kind of girl until I realized what a game-changer this product really is. The texture is surprisingly really smooth and thin. My lips does not feel trapped under the content of this product. The color is not as sheer as I thought it would be, which was a good thing, and the stain really lasts (5+ hours). It also has an extremely subtle but glossy finish to it. I read about this product a couple of months ago, and it mentioned that the creator of this product used the same ingredients as people who would want to make shiny hard candies. Sweet?

Work Etiquette

I recently started interning at a media TV company, and I thought to myself, what is the appropriate amount of make up I should put on my face. I personally hate putting on foundation or BB cremes so I'm definitely skipping that process. After stumbling on this picture of the beautiful Chinese model Liu Wen, I knew that this was the perfect amount. I love the subtlety of nude colors and the natural glow she has on her moisturized skin. I want to be able to go to work and have a face that feels comfortable when I'm talking. You all have experience a dried-up face moment, when you feel like the surface of your face is too frozen to move from the layers of make-up and ineffective moisture present. Let's avoid that..

To start things off, I would moisturize the skin after taking a hot shower. The fresh heat will aid the moisturizer and give your face a healthier and natural glow. Then I would use a dab of concealer on some part of the skin that needs to be covered up. A hint of pink/red blush is perfect to show your boss that you are alive and ready to work (NARS blush in orgasm). Then I would start on the eyes, apply some natural color eyeshadow like Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow in Ample Amber. It's bronze-pink color that has a tad bit of shimmer in them. Then I would apply a thin line of black eyeline, and to top it, very black mascara on the lashes to make my eyes pop. 

Afterwards, I apply my favorite lip balm, Burt Bee's Lip Balm (Peppermint) , and a hint of color with a soft pink/nude lipstain that includes a lip moisturizer too. 

For those who don't have a natural glow like Liu Wen, you can use Benefit's High Beam to enhance your complexion. A little swab is about the right amount. 

For the nail lovers, I discovered an amazing YSL nail lacquer color. It's called Bleu Cobalt N17, and it has the most beautiful cobalt blue color I have ever seen. It's the right amount of shimmer and silvery highlights.

-Gloria 

All White Everything

Been craving for some white nails and I finally got the chance to buy it from Skin Food, one of my favorite korean-brand beauty shop. I broke the white nails chain by adding a bit of sparkle with Sephora by OPI , which I ordered online through Sephora. The Sephora one has gray mini sparkles amalgamated with larger white sparkles. When used alone, it can be perfect for a night out. Hope you guys are having a great summer so far!

-Gloria

Asian Glow

Image was found in tumblr without a source.

Curled lashes, foundation, contouring, red lips, perfectly brushed brows, and straight hair. I love this entire look because of it's effortlessness and yet, it's still effective for almost any occasions. The pop of red color on the lips is the quick solution to brighten the face and adds accent. 

Eyes: I personally use Shu Uemura's eyelash curler that a friend gave me, and I would definitely recommend this product. The curls last for a really long time. 

Foundation: I don't really use a foundation for my skin because sometimes, it feels like my pores are extremelly trapped and dried from foundation. I also usually get breakouts the next day. However, from what I heard, Giorgio Armani has some few excellent foundations, and so does Make Up Forever HD Foundation.

Contouring: Bronze + hint of blush. Some of my favorites are from Sephora products, NARS in Orgasm color, Maybelline, and Benetint. 

Red Lips: Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar in Harlot , NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella, and YSL Rouge Volupte in Red Muse are some of my favorite colors in the red spectrum.

Hair: Straightened hair + Bumble and Bumble Grooming Creme or any natural hair oil (Argan, Moroccan, Coconut, Jojoba oil) 

-Gloria

[Review] Moroccanoil

Moroccanoil Treatment purchased from Amazon (I live in Jakarta)

Currently, I'm using Moroccanoil Treatment which took me almost a year to consider to try it on. One of my best friend recommended it to me after having a successful encounter and result with the product. It took some time to find a reliable seller that garnered a few hundred reviews from buyers to earn my trust. I got the product shipped from Hong Kong in two weeks. For indonesian readers who are interested to purchase this product, email me for further questions and info of where to buy it locally in Indonesia. 

Basically, Moroccanoil Treatment is an essential hair oil that is purely filled with omega-3, proteins, and many other vitamins (no alcohol or unnatural ingredients). These pure and organic ingredients help nourish and transform hair into the best state it can be: smooth, light, manageable, nourished, and frizz-free. It comes with different sized bottles and different versions of hair (light, dark). All the information is available in the link I have given. 

The price tag is worth the product. I've used this product for couple of months now, and I'm 3/5 on the way to the bottom. It made my hair much more manageable to tame and style. It also nourished my hair because I can definitely see a difference in my hair's shine and texture, although the difference was not massive. Most of all, I love how the oil doesn't leave my hands sticky, and it directly gets absorbed into the hair strand leaving my hair non-greasy and light-weight (A lot of hair oil products have failed in this certain requirement. They always somehow made my hair much more heavier than it already is.) 

So far, I enjoyed this product and would most likely buy it again in the future, but for now, I'm still in the search of better hair oil out there. 

I've read in a lot of blog reviews and Sephora reviews that many despise the aroma; however, I thought it was very exotic and the smell takes me back to the caribbean sea. It does have a very pungent natural fragrance, but it is nothing like how people have described it oh so dramatically. 

I've recently gotten my Sephora stuff shipped and I'm excited to share my reviews and thoughts in the upcoming posts.

Cheers,

Gloria. 

[Review] Red Stain

You can purchase this from Sephora, Benefit website, or Amazon for international buyers.

I love Benetint by Benefit when it's used on the cheeks, not the lips. Truth to be told, when I apply Benetint on my lips on a really hot weather, it makes my lips crack and look super dried. What I dislike the most is that the stain doesn't last for more than an hour on the lips.
When applied on the cheeks, Benetint gives me this rosy natural glow that I adore. If you're looking for that, Benetint is the perfect product to buy.

-Gloria