My January 2013 Favorites

I'm so excited i get to do this kind of "monthly favorites" post, now i guess i have officially joined the beauty blogger community (woohoo!). So January has passed, and i have a few new items i got to try. Some were alright, not the best but others i found to be my new go-to. I was in search for a new lotion that's pure organic or at least has more natural ingredients (i am currently slowly switching all my beauty/skin care products to natural cruelty free paraben free products and all that sort of stuff, it's part of my new years resolution!). 

While doing research, i bumped into this AHAVA skin care, where they use natural active dead sea minerals as their main ingredients. Then i remember once my mom was telling me about how good and amazing dead sea minerals are for our skin, they have the main supplement for maintaining a healthy skin. So i ordered it online from id.strawberrynet.com. The honeysuckle and lavender scent is lovely, it doesn't have that strong scent since i'm not fond of lotions that has scent that can overbear your personal smell or it beats your parfume, now this one doesn't actually do that. It feels light and velvety, very moisturizing but doesn't leave a greasy feeling afterwards. I think it's great use for summer or for someone like me who lives in a tropical weather and the 400ml bottle is such a great deal. I say this is my current favorite for body lotions! 

As for my hair, i'm sure i'm not the only breastfeeding mum that experience hair loss and i was kind of freaking out at first so i did a little research to cure my little problem. They say biologically, our body is releasing some sort of hormones to regain the vitality back, the hair loss is actually a sign of "renewal" so that new roots are replacing the old ones that's why we have hair loss. But of course i feel i could help encourage this renewal process by actually taking care of it, and again i was curious to find out more about another french brand PHYTO that caught my attention. The first thing that i like is of course the ingredients they use is plant based which is just perfect! I don't know what is it with french brands but most of their pharmacy brands are so gentle and chemical free, i found my self drawn into more and more of their products, i mean, what's there not to love? 

Generally, my scalp can get oily but my ends are pretty dry so sometimes after i wash my hair it gets frizzy during the day it is so annoying i ALWAYS keep a small comb in my bag if i forgot to bring it i instantly panic. Anyways as a starter, i decided to try out PHYTO creme de jour. The texture is like a light cream and it does feel a bit like a serum, you just need like pea size and it goes all the way focusing on my ends. The smell is slightly herbal (you can instantly feel its plant-derived). The thought that this thing is silicon free, sulfates free, and it seems to be non toxic it just fits to my liking. I finally found a hair product that is gentle and actually 'takes care' of my hair. I am definitely going to continue trying out more of their products! 

The KORRES lip butter glaze is my recent favorite among my other lip balms from this line, it's nos doubt i am highly addicted to everything about KORRES. The mango butter lip balm jars are amazing but i was never fond of dipping my fingers in lip balms i always feel it's a little disgusting and non hygienic. So when i found out the wild rose lip balms also come in a tube, why not give it a go? It's definitely a January favorites. For the other products i loved last month was the MAC lipstick in fanfare, the color just looks easy and natural for me, REVLON nails in minted, BOBBI BROWN shimmer brick which honestly i very rarely use but last month i tried to play more with it. The last one of my recent moisturizer purchase is the LA ROCHE POSAY hydreane legere (another french pharmacy brand), after a month of using this product i'd have to say i like my AVENE hydrance optimale SPF 25 hydrating creme better (another french pharmacy brand!). The La Roche posay hydreane legere feels a tad heavier than the Avene and the downside it doesn't have spf which the Avene does. So i guess once i finish i'm definitely going to repurchase the Avene again, but the La Roche Posay does the job for now. So that was my January favorites!

Products mentioned above and where you can find them online:

1. AHAVA lavender & honeysuckle botanic body lotion

2. PHYTO Creme de jour

3. KORRES lip butter glaze in wild rose

4. MAC lipstick in fanfare 

5. BOBBI BROWN rose shimmer brick

6. LA ROCHE POSAY hyreane legere

THE NO MAKE UP DEWY LOOK

So i haven't been out for like ages, my kid had a terrible horrifying cough and blocked nose so i caught the terrible fever from her which made us a house prisoner for like almost two boring weeks. Last Saturday night we (me and husband) finally had a night out meeting my best friends, of course i had to drag him since he's been on a juice fast as in he's on a detox means no food at all other than drinking juice (yeah he's crazy but crazy amazing!) i don't know how he does it but it seems working, he's lost five kg's only within five freakin days! 

Enough with the update about the husband, so short story i was excited to be putting make up again on my face (sounds a bit too shallow isn't it hahaha). I was after the natural no make up dewy radiant look since i had been feeling a little bit under the weather, my face was also looking a little swollen from the flu recovery. I needed to feel uplifted again, so i figured i'd use my favorite highlighters which is the benefit high beam and ysl touche eclat which is my go to for brightening under the eyes, just perfect for my puffy eyes. 

This is what i eventually worked on my face: as usual i start with a moisturizer, Avene hydrance legere spf 20 (i usually use this in the morning during the day but i felt like something just light to moisturize my face in the evening) and then i work through the other bases with lioele rich pore balm to cover my t-zone, lioele shimmer blooming pearl base only on my cheekbones area. Then i rub one my of loveliest BB Cream in luminous silk from Holika holika, this is their only BB cream product that contains no parabens (but i LOVE their Aqua petit jelly for during the day!), i found the luminous silk just perfect for an evening out, it gives more natural coverage without looking cakey. Trust me, if you are after a BB cream, go with the Korean brands, they're the first to create with the idea of BB creams.To finish up with my base, i swirl my favorite  brush the real techniques brush to my KORRES wild rose mineral foundation powder (i'm in medium beige) and work it through my face, believe me, i have SO MUCH LOVE for this powder foundation! For covering my acne scars and dark spots i use the bourjois healthy mix (i love this more than my MAC select cover up, it just perfectly blends in to my skin flawlessly) and for the final covering, i dab on the YSL Touche eclat (in number 1,5) just right under my eyes and voila my eyes looked ready to go!.

After i was done with the bases, i put on the eye primer Stay don't stray from Benefit and i just use my ring finger to gently put Benefit high beam on my eyelid since i didn't feel like using any eye shadows that night. I couldn't have a night out without an eye liner so i use my number one favorite eye liner, it's the Bobbi brown gel eyeliner in the color graphite shimmer ink (i wasn't feeling having a striking eyes so i avoided the blank color). For final touch up on the eyes, i use the Mac eye shadow in white frost in the corner of my eyes to enhance the reflecting light. 

Enough with the eyes (i purposely didn't use mascara in case you were wondering), one of the things i love about the Benefit high beam i can use it anywhere i want, but of course the fun part is putting it on the top of my cheek bones! For blush i used my Bobbi brown Pot Rouge lips and cheeks in powder pink no.6 which the creamy texture goes perfectly with the Benefit high beam to give that healthy natural dewy look. 

Last bit is the lips, i went with NYX in midnight dinner which is a gorgeous dark fuschia with a little hint of red vampy. I love NYX lipsticks but i found it can be a bit smudgy throughout the night where you need to fix it and layer it again one more time. Nevertheless, it is very pigmented and extremely moisturizing which is great for the price if you are looking for an affordable great lipstick! To moisturize my lips i pop in the KORRES lip butter glaze in wild rose, the perfect matching color with the NYX lipstick (i am absolutely hooked on KORRES i try every single one of their products, i will give another blog post on them if you like!) 

So, that was it on my face and by the way, i had an amazing time with my girls catching up and laughing on the silliest things. oh i just love them!

Products mentioned above and where you can get them online:

1. AVENE hydrance legere SPF 20

2. Lioele Rich pore balm

3. Lioele shimmer blooming pearl base

4. Holika Holika Luminous silk (i'm in shade#2 natural beige)

5. KORRES wild rose mineral foundation (i'm in medium beige)

6. Bourjois healthy mix foundation (you can easily find it in drugstores like WATSON)

7. YSL Touche eclat 

8. Benefit stay dont stray eye primer (not sure if they ship to Indonesia)

9. Benefit High beam highlighter

10. Bobbi Brown gel eye liner

11. MAC eye shadow

12. Bobbi Brown pot rouge lipstick & cheeks (not sure if they ship to Indonesia)

13. NYX lipstick in midnight dinner

14. KORRES lip butter glaze in wild rose

15. Real Techniques brush buffing brush from the Core collection set 

The 2012 biggest beauty discovery

HANDS DOWN, this is definitely one of my biggest, wait, let me correct that, THE BIGGEST beauty discovery in 2012. It all started around mid year of 2012 where i stumbled upon this brand from Greece called KORRES. The first thing that caught my attention was the mango butter lip balms which I LOVE (my favorite is in the wild rose and pomegranate) and then i started doing some more research on their brand like their mission background and stuff. Turns out i fell in love with it deeper knowing the ingredients they use and their philosophy. Speaking of ingredients, a little background i must share that during my 'new phase of new addiction' i was also obsessed on switching to natural/organic products that is also paraben free. So, when i found KORRES and started learning about their products, it was just like THIS IS IT. The lip balms were the first products i tried (i will post another review on them!) and then their body care is also great its one of their best sellers. But not until i was curious to try their mineral foundation which i thought would probably be'so-so', at that time i was loving my bare minerals matte but then i decided to give it a go. By the way unfortunately we don't have a KORRES store in my country, hopefully soon though!, so i had to order KORRES online (through id.strawberry or sometimes amazon). The first time i tried to apply this to my face i used the real techniques brush and i didn't have high expectations BUT to my surprise the texture feels so light and it glides in my skin so well. The most amazing thing it gives a natural flawless look with a medium coverage (which is perfect for me, but it is buildable!). I was like. whoaa...this isn't what i expected. It is just the perfect powder foundation especially living in tropical weather where you can feel cakey wearing make up because of the sweat and humidity during the day. KORRES mineral foundation is such a breath of fresh air, not only it is much cheaper than the bare minerals, it is 100% natural. Currently i am hooked with everything about KORRES, and at the moment their mineral foundation is my go to foundation if i feel like dressing up a little (i don't normally wear foundation on a daily basis i think i am just blessed i don't have a reason to cover so much). If you are looking for a lightweight sheer foundation then you should definitely give this baby a try, because for me, KORRES, you really rock my world! 

check out their official website: http://www.korres.com/

note: sephora also carry them (not sephora singapore though such a shame!)

Products mentioned above and where you can get them online:

KORRES wild rose mineral foundation

A mindful blessing (part one)

When i first found out i was pregnant, i wasn't jumping around or being lifted up by my husband like in the movies. Instead i stood silently looking at the test pack for about eight minutes just alone in the toilet, absorbing and feeling amazed.

"Wow!", that was my first thought. I had just submitted my resignation letter and we only had been married for almost four months. The question "Now what?" barging in thousand times attacking my mind at that same time surrounded by that overwhelmed feeling especially right after i first shared the wonderful news to my husband.

We were just starting to fit in into our new roles as husband and wife, along came this bundle of joy. All those mixed feelings were overwhelming along that little worry slip right in bit by bit. The worry of not being able to be that "little girl" anymore, the worry of pregnancy defect, the worry of being incompetent as a parent, the worry of labour, most of all, the worry for this little one in my tummy.

As my pregnancy grows, seeing my first ultra-sonogram was our first kick to reality that this is really happening! Oh my GOD, we are going to be parents. HELLO THERE LITTLE ANGEL! Suddenly all those worries slowly slipped away replaced by a feeling of gratitude and joy.

The doctor that was suppose to do our first check up dr Indra N.C Anwar SpOG in Bunda Hospital Menteng, suddenly called in canceling our appointment and we were being replaced by a much younger doctor, dr Irham Suheimi SpOG. To our surprise, we both clicked instantly with this doctor, he was bubbly and kind, informative and was patiently answering my 27 list of basic pregnancies questions (in which i wrote it all down on a note book looking more like a journalist rather than a patient). The doctor prescribed me folic acid 5mg daily which is the most mandatory medicine for pregnancy, it is a B Vitamin, it reduces the risk of a birth defect (it is even best to take before pregnancy) and duphaston that we were told helped strengthen the womb's early stage. Which later i found out that this medicine is not necessary at all, most search engine says, it is given to women who are trying conceive or have had repeated miscarriages, also used for women with breast and genital cancer along many others reasons but it all lead to irrelevancy to my own condition. So i stopped taking them. Then why was this given to me?

One question after the other, as i started to enjoy my new role as being happily pregnant, i also began being super critical. On my second month, i decided to have a mindful pregnancy, being pregnant is wonderful and a natural thing but we are too consumed with the modern world that we are unconsciously treated as a commodity by doctors and commercial hospitals, we are often too easy to believe whatever they dictate us to. So I took up a lot of reading, i dig in a lot into great birth and pregnancy sites which i found in handy, i carried a book in my bag almost everywhere i go. I didn't want to spend a moment missing information or a new knowledge. I affirmed my self that being critical is not the same as being paranoid. It is my nature to know my own body and it is my responsibility to care for this baby that is growing inside me. Not that i dont trust a doctor, but I should not leave everything to my doctor. 


My first hand book was the infamous"What to expect when you're expecting" by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Meizel (this book is so famous that this year in 2012 the book will soon be adapted into a film released by lionsgate!). Lucky me, a dear friend then gave me the second version of the "What to expect "Eating well" when you're expecting" which i found EXTREMELY useful to keep up with a healthy diet during pregnant. I am a lactose intolerant so i found many substitute on dairy products. It also gave me ideas on how to maintain my nutrition level by creating and serving myself a selection of yummy healthy food from fruits and vegetables, to lean meat. Although i believe to never deprive myself during pregnancy but thanks to this book and thanks to MY MOM, i am more aware and again, mindful with what i eat. Not to be rigid, i can still enjoy other junk food once in a while (pregnant or not who doesn't enjoy a guilty pleasure?). Being pregnant is the time to fully enjoy my body and food at the same time being smart. One good thing my doctor reminded me that the myth of eating for two is misleading, people use it to excuse themselves to over eat, while being healthy is far more important than being overweight. Eat like normal, watch your nutrition, quality is always better than quantity. A big baby inside does not guaranteed a healthy baby. I want a normal labour so I always make sure i eat in a decent portion. One of the BEST tips from this book is to eat six small meals a day followed by little healthy snacks in between instead of eating three big meals a day. This way, not only it helps to maintain nausea, it keeps a good balance of any weight increased. One awesome tip from my mother is to eat my fruits before each meal also works, the fiber from the fruit moisten up the small and larger intestine, which helps loosen up the organs and digest each food. This way, i keep my metabolism intact and i never had constipation like most pregnant women would say in their first semesters. With all these awareness i feel more awake and alive! So far this book works like wonder for me. 

Another of my favorite read was the controversial "The contented little baby book" by Gina Ford. While most majority baby books are adapting the "feeding on demand" concept, Gina Ford is like a breath of fresh air to me. She firmly believed that having a baby should not turn one's life miserable due to sleepless nights and continuos feedings. We as parents should be able to find middle grounds to what the baby's needs and ours. She confirmed that a baby's cry for help is not all the same, it is our duty to learn to listen, associate and identify each different cry. Starting a good routine as early as possible is a good start of discipline and balance (such as setting a time frame for light and heavy feedings throughout the day and night manages baby to have longer sleeps at night WHICH give us back our sleeping hours!). Although i didn't entirely agree with all her theories, but the rest of them made sense to me, i also dont want a clinging baby but i want my baby to be happy and independent. Nevertheless, i think this book gives a whole different perspective on parenting, which is great!

Apart from all the readings, i also started attending workshops and seminars, from free classes to paid ones. I found some pretty good free prenatal yoga classes at the middle of my second trimester (mixed theories on when is best to start yoga, some say the earlier the better, some say it is best when you hit your four months). My baby steps on pregnancy became a snowball effect of information and knowledge. I found myself fully in tuned with my mind, body and spirit. This whole process gives me a contented feeling and relaxation, i never thought i could enjoy being pregnant so much!

The long awaited one

Accompanied by Coralie Clement

This little gem is my best friend. We met during our university years in a beautiful quiet city in Western Australia, Perth. We both share the same interest in art, movies, beautiful little details. Now, she is a self taught jewelry designer, owner of AMARU handicraft and a wife. 

Model: Kusuma Anggraini 

Stylist: Thanking my mermaid Syifa Septiarawati for all the fun :))
God bless you girls. Thank you for our collab, get ready for our next project!

The sweetest escape #2

  

Kawah Putih, West Java. April 2011

Situ Patengan, West Java. April 2011 

The Green Forrest. The Sweetest escape.

I found this cool place accidentally while i was browsing the net desperately looking for a nice quiet place. As i bumped into the site, i couldn't help myself but instantly falling in love with the little resorts in the pictures already and I thought, hmmm the mountains would be nice for a change. 


There is a small path just down the hill from my room to the creek and to a small bridge. Waking up to the sound of the creek and to the birds chirping, that first morning felt surreal. The view from my balcony room was oh! absolutely breathtaking. I had an absolutely pleasant time and a wonderful stay.