[Review] Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil

The tagline reads "for sublime softness" and impressively, it delivers.

I purchased the B&B Hairdresser's invisible Oil through Sephora ($38) early this year and have used it for about 7 months now. My hair's thick, coarse, and dried-up do to chemical doings so it was prudent that I find an efficient oil-based hair product. After using Morocconoil and intending to experiment more with the eclectic range of hair oil products, I took the risk with this one.
There are two ways to use this: two pumps into your just-showered damp hair, or polish your hair during the day to maintain frizz and shine.
I usually apply it right after the shower. I have this odd belief that the heat can easily absorb the oil which maximizes the efficiency of this product; I also like the smell of it on damp hair. I find the smell to be incredibly subtle. It is there, but it creeps up on you. The mixture of six different kinds of oil (including coconut, almond, and grape oil) has produced a salty beach-like fragrance that I relish in.
Since I live in a tropical, often arid, weather here in Jakarta, this product's UV filters and heat-protection feature come in handy. I don't usually care for this feature but it is definitely essential for heat-styling readers out there.
The substance of this product is extremely light, sometimes too light, that it disappears within the dense layers of my hair. However, the result has been life-changing.
Though the price may be a bit exorbitant, I can assure you this 100ml bottle of pure luxurious oils can last for a really long time if used sparingly. It has been 7 months and I have only used up half of the bottle. It is a perfect hair oil product to use for the blazing summer days.

Comment or message me if you have any inquiries.
-Gloria

February Ladies: The Hair Factor

(From top left, clockwise: Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Georgia May Jagger) 

After scouring through the internet for couple of hours now, I found these four aesthetic pictures of leading ladies in the fashion (and movie) industry. W Magazine has done an incredible job depicting Amy Adam as a distressed damsel with naturally relaxed auburn hair reflecting the sun. Same goes for Scarlett Johansson's W Magazine shot and Georgia's February 2013 Vogue cover. Scarlett hair is tousled with that kind of "swoosh" movement that speaks "I am effortlessly hot". While Georgia pulls of this sultry relaxed look that has her hair looking texturized yet glowing delightfully. Jennifer Lawrence's newly-dubbed pixie cut illuminates sophistication with an inner rebellious edge. 

Throughout the shots, the ladies of February kept their makeup extremely minimal. Eyes were defined with brown and slightly bronzed eyeliner with a touch of mascara. While the lips speaks for itself. It holds a mysterious pose with its ever-slightly pink-tinted color. 

I am extremely excited to buy these two issues when it finally hits the shelves somewhere this week. 

Pull of these looks with Tarte's LipSurgence Matte Lip Tint in Nude, Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist in Matte Flesh, Urban Decay Eye Pencil in Hustle, and for a sublime glow use Benefit's Watt's Up.

(Pictures were taken from Vogue and W)

xx.

Catty Eyes

Perfecting cat eyes can be extremely arduous. To begin with, I was one of those girls that had a hard time drawing the wing-section of the cat eye. As soon as I got the hang of it, I wanted to experiment with different liquid eyeliners. One of my friends introduced me to Dolly Wink's black liquid eyeliner. My first impressions was unwelcoming. I have never heard of the brand before, so I was a little bit hesitant to purchase the product.

It was one of the best purchases I've had so far. The tip of the liquid eyeliner is smooth, fine, and effortless. The ink glides smoothly across my skin without any sudden halt. The pigment of the eyeliner is amazing, and with an eyeshadow primer, it is long-lasting all through the night. With such a fine tip, the ability to draw the wing-section of the cat eye becomes almost intrinsic. 

For readers that are in Jakarta, you can purchase Dolly Wink products at Sogo Department Stores. For international readers, Dolly Wink products are available at Ebay.

Cheers,

Gloria.

Diamonds

I'm a person that tends to lean towards soft and pastel nail polish colors. Because of that, I bought China Glaze's "Fast Track" (from the Hunger Games collection) and I've been in love with it. It's a champagne/slight beige sparkly nail polish that looks even better with a top coat; I use Seche Vite's Top coat. It has a nail strengthening factor that comes with the bottle, so another plus. Bear with me, my nails are in horrible shape. They are currently weak so I had to cut them short in order to stop myself from touching them.

This time, I decided to break the combo with Skin Food's "Green Bean Milk" turquoise nail polish, topped with Sephora by OPI's "Just'a Pinch of Glitter", and another nail that's just coated with Sephora's Just'a Pinch of Glitter.
Skin Food is a Korean cosmetic shop that sells an ecletic range of colors in different textures: creamy, rouge, and clear. Their colors range from baby soft to matte pastels to pop colors, and they are all pigmented very well.

I never go anywhere without having colors on my nails :)
-Gloria

[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

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 

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.