Thank you again, Home & Decor!

"The one thing that you have that nobody else is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can", - Neil Gaiman.

So happy to receive a lovely surprise in the first morning of my July! Would like to share with you another article about me and my little business in Now People, Home & Decor magazine, June 2014. I consider my self a lucky person for being able to create my own creative output, have fun with it and at the same time make money from. To be honest, my experience as a new mother was truly an eye opener, my daughter is my inspiration. I keep wanting to create and produce something useful that i would use around the house, and my dream is to share that to other homes, other families. I personally think it is important how you project your brand to the world, it should reflect your mission and vision. 

For me, since the beginning i knew i didn't want to just sell my products, i want my brand to inspire, to have added values. That is why giving back to community is only a small part of the brand activity that we here, in Chic & Darling is doing. We will expand and hopefully have bigger range of home living goods that serves lots and lots of homes. My story is mine to keep and mine to share. I am happy that perhaps our brand has inspired other new business owner to start their own, especially in the home living industry. I strongly encourage new business owners to find their own story, create their own unique style, figure out what works and what doesn't on their own terms. If you fail, get back up and try again. Although i believe what they say, "copying is the best form of flattery", but it is still not cool. So be creative, tickle yourself!

No matter how hard you copy others, you will not be like them because you are you and others ARE others. It is not the same. In my humble opinion, God has given us the best of human potential. Might as well make the most of our lives by living the life we want, because we all, owe that to ourselves. 

Thank you for reading i hope you enjoy what i shared today :)

Stay kind, be humble. 

My Talullah turns 2 year old!

Though this may sound a little unusual of me but this project was a long and hard decision to make. When i knew Lulla was going to turn 2 this year, i immediately had my mind bombarded with plan and ideas. I knew this time, i wanted to have a little party for her. We didn't have it on her 1st because we thought we didn't want to overwhelm her too much too soon and keeping it intimate was best, and it was. So this year we decided to have a little celebration. But not long after, I was choked by the calendar that her birthday may be on the same day as the 1st fasting day. I was like "Oh no!!", this is going to be trrrriicky. 

In my country, the government has been indecisive in deciding what day should be the 1st day of Ramadhan it always confuses the hell out of people! And of course in most family's tradition, normally people would prefer to spend their first break fasting only with their families. "But what i am going to do?"," Lulla's birthday is on the 28th (which is on the saturday) and what if that day is the 1st fasting day?". I had all this confusing questions that nobody can answer because nobody knows for sure. Hopefully by next year, with the new election coming up, our new President can be firm on these issues. *fingers crossed*

So i had weeks of contemplating while still surveying for the perfect venue. I had long long discussion with my husband whether we should just do intimate family dinner, friends only playdates or have it at home. Until one time, i decided to just call it off and not have anything at all because i can't seem to overcome the thought that if i do have a party but nobody comes (yaiks!!). Buuuuut, a magical thing happened, i had a glimpse of insight that i should just have it anyway, invite the closest most dearest people in our lives and that i should accept the possibility that some people may not be coming. 

Alrighty, so i had only ONE freakin week to prepare for E V E R Y T H I N G. Lucky i had ordered the birthday cake weeks in advanced, so that's checked. I came up with simple ideas for the party decoration which i insisted to make it on my own so hopefully that my little girl would think cool of me one day (hahaha!). All the food was pretty much well thought of, it was not so hard on deciding the menus. We had bakso noodles (meatballs and noodles), siomay and dimsum (some call it yam cha), Nasi Bali (balinese mixed rice) etc. Here is the birthday invitation i made with a talented friend on the very last minute which i completely love! 

Here is a little DIY i did for the party decoration. You can pretty much you tube everything, because i did and boy i had fun!. All the materials are available in local book stores, don't worry, it's pretty much easy to find. Incase you're wondering, I did not particularly decided on a colour theme or even any theme. I just intuitively picked the colours available on the stores that caught my eyes. 

Customised party bunting is a must. I use photoshop, scale it on 18 cm x 11,5 cm for each, print it on A3 paper and voila, my buntings are ready!

She received so much presents it's so overwhelming, but i did't let her open it all at once. I told her she can only open 4 presents a day, this way she get to really focus, appreciate and enjoy each present one by one. To be honest, I did't really expect a 2 year old birthday party can be so intense, i consider not to have birthday parties every year. I woke up with flu the next day, but seeing so much love thrown at her makes it worth while. 

Making time. The new me!

This is 2014. I can't believe it has taken me this long, to write another post since my last one. It has been probably over a year. I have missed this blog, i have missed writing (especially about beauty and oh not to mention how many beauty updates and you tube videos i have actually missed!) . I do, i have missed writing where i don't actually give a damn if even nobody reads it! Like seriously. I can't believe how much i actually truly missed this blog until i start writing right now. 

Well, the truth is, i was in awe, flattered and moved. Some people (and most are strangers, believe it or not) that personally emailed me, contacted me, messaged me saying that they actually enjoyed reading my blog. Some of them actually read it religiously that they started buying (beauty) things that I actually liked and wrote about in my blog. They say, i should keep writing. I was like, WHAT? FOR REAL? The fact that there's real people that actually read and enjoyed my blog, now THAT feels surreal. I know it has been way too long since my last post, and believe me i have a hundred list of excuses why i had not been writing and a another million list of regrets of why i should've!

You see, so many has happened in my life over a year. Imagine that, over a year! Now i have regrets of not writing and recording that every single day of what i failed to do, of what i have achieved, of what i felt and learned. Now i want to make sure i don't add on to more days and months of missing out on my own life. They say, your life will be flashing before eyes. Only a year, but i felt i have missed a lot on writing about such good stuff. So here i am, with a whole new commitment, that i will (not just try) but START writing again. Not just for you who actually do read my blog (Can't thank you enough, by the way, you guys are such sweethearts!), but for me, for my own sake, my own sanity. 

Life has been pretty crazy for me. Crazy hectic! It is not easy being a mama, a parent to be exact. It has been bittersweet, juggling between being a full time mother and wife with endless home chores, balancing with work life to taking care of my own self. I do not get to rest like most people in this house. But i 'm pretty sure i'm not alone. I get up before everyone and sleeps after everyone. I salute all moms now. So how will i make time to write on my personal blog then? I don't know how but i will make time. My mom always say, if you don't make time, there will be no time. This is the same with every other things i have taken for granted like doing sports or even praying 5 times a day. Let's just say, now i will make time for the important things i know i will regret not doing 2 or 5 years from now. These are the simple happiness i should focus on my self more. Because now i clearly remember how writing on this blog made me so happy. It actually saved me so much. It saved my time from wandering stupid things. It saved me from worrying about things that don't happen. It saved me from my own post natal depression. It saved me from getting up again and having the courage to chase for my biggest wildest dreams. This blog, saved my life.

In 10 years from now, i want to be able to do a flash back on my blog, have a giggle and feel proud i did most of the things i always wanted to do. So here i am, finally making time to come back and write. This time, for sure, my blog will feel a little different. I will not just write and share about my beauty experience but i will also write about what i feel, think, love and learn through my ups and downs. I know that my blog will have more fun, because it makes me happy. As a start, i would like to share with you one of my biggest dream:

 www.chicanddarling.com 

Thank you for reading, until my next story!

Back with new holy grail! (Paraben Free)

Hello! i am back, it has been forever since my last blog post. Things have been crazy busy, i now focus most of my time running and growing my small home business www.chicanddarling.blogspot.com and especially my handful 13 months daughter keeps me fully occupied. Anyways, i haven't done much testing, researching and buying much new products as i was before but i did come across some new ones that instantly became my holy grail. Some of these products has been on my wishlist and i am super stoked i could finally got my hands on them!

Make up removal: Micellar Solution BIODERMA, Sensibio H20

This baby has been on my wish list for too long! It was so hard to get my hands on them as we don't sell them on my country so i had to ask and begged (yes i begged for make up and skincare it sounds so pathetic! haha) some people to get it from overseas and Thanks to my husband who transited in Dubai from St Petersburg, he finally came home with these pack. Turns out it is definitely worth the hype, it is probably the most gentle, consistent make up removal i have ever came across. It didn't take off completely a a strong waterproof eye liner and mascara but it's lovely for everyday use which i don't normally wear any heavy eye stuff. J

Pore Primer: Etude House Pore Ever

This came out a surprise. Was just looking for an alternative of the Benefit porefessional and boy wasn't expecting this out to be even better. Hence minus the paraben and obviously it has a cuter packaging! What a catch!

Lip Balm: Nuxe Reve De Miel

I only have good things to say about this baby. I am glad it has been on my wish list and i couldn't be happier when it finally landed on my hands. I recently have very dry ugly lips that putting lipstick was a challenge, but this lover is a true savior. What i love most about this lip balm, it's extremely moisturizing i instantly fell in love with the gorgeous texture and the feel on my lips but it's not oily or shiny, as a matter of fact it gives a matte effect. How is that possible in a lip balm? hell yeah!

I was looking for a serum that i could use at night time. I didn't want anything fancy or too expensive (as you know, most serums are goddamn expensive), but i wanted something organic or natural and of course, affordable! Some minor crows feet are starting to show and what would possibly help? I came across Burt's bees ageless serum, all the written main ingredients caught my attention; it has pomegranate (which known for high antioxidant) and evening primrose oil (good for anti aging stuff). So far it may have not been showing too much difference, and i hate going to bed with that oily feel on my face so i don't really use it regularly. I think i'll give it time for a better judgement. see ya!

The infamous MICHAEL TODD True Organics

Lemme tell you something, this thang changed my life!!!!!!!!!!!

I really don't know who to thank or who i can give a big bear hug to but HOLY JESUS (ok i'm not even a christian) if there was ever one brand that blow my mind on the first impression than this is it my friend, this is it!!! i'm even all psyched up writing this blog at the moment, can you tell? (hahaha you should see my face right now i probably have stars in my eyes). I do have a few people to thank for those who have seriously recommended me this brand, some of them were my blog readers like Dewisya, Thanks love :)

So anyways, i heard good stuff about The Michael Todd's line, i heard beauty blogger raves about them and read their reviews but it didn't really intrigued me to get them up until recently my skin was itching for a good switch to a real organic thing. So i did try Origins (and yes i still love some of their products), i tried REN (bloody expensive! so much for ditching the high end brands hahaha), don't get me wrong, i still think highly of some of the organic brands i tried but nothing compare to these babies right here ya'all, i'm telling ya, i could obviously saw instant result even on the first time.

Ok, let me get into the details now, at first i was pretty disappointed that their official website doesn't ship to my country, Indonesia, but i found them on Amazon.com (again, such a life savior!) and i can always send them to my brother in law who lives in Washington DC as an option if i don't feel like paying that extra shipping cost you know it's a rip offfffff! So i was browsing on their official website and thinking which product should i get because as you know looking into skin care lines can be a little too overwhelming you want to try this and that but then i tried to focus with what i actually need (the official website is pretty informative which i will put the link down below) and i decided to get the honey and oat cleanser because they say this is the best for combination skin and the cranberry antioxidant because i was looking for anti aging stuff but didn't want to jump into serums yet (you know that theory, make sure the basics are good first before you make that next step).

The first time i tried the honey and oat cleanser, it felt it was tightening my skin without leaving any dry patches after it dried out and when i slathered on the cranberry antioxidant toner, that's when i felt there's some serious thing going on in my face, it felt warm at first like a warm tingling effect you just know it's working and the feeling after i was just blown away. This is it, this is my new holy grail item, i think i'll try to stick to this one (we'll see how long it last), not only it is affordable (the 210ml honey oat cleanser is $24 that's around Rp.240.000 and the 230 ml cranberry toner is $18 that's around Rp.180.000) it is organic, and if you look up at the ingredients list, usually most skin care brands first item on their ingredients list would be water (aqua) but you'll find aloe vera as their first item on the list which i think it explains everything (you can google it why aloe vera is good for your skin, i'm not gonna  start preaching here haha!).

I know probably for my fellow Indonesians can be really difficult to get a hold of these products if you do mind ordering through Amazon because it can get tricky (been there done that!), but if you are willing to risk it, i think it's worth the shot. I did send them an email asking whether they would ship to Indonesia and they promised to work on that so hopefully we can enjoy improvements on their service REAL SOON!

If you are into organic or natural skin care or thinking of switching to one, i really recommend this brand but again, i can't promise you what works for me works for you, so make sure you go out there, do your research to see which product suits you best before you decide to make any purchase, personally for me this is definitely worth the investment because these babies are legit!

If you decided to try one please let me know and if you are already please share with me which one you have and how you like it :))) I hope you enjoy reading this post     xx

Products mentioned above and where you can get them online:

1. Michael Todds true organics Honey & Oat cleanser 210 ml (link to the official site click here Michael Todds true organic website or go to Amazon.com click here http://goo.gl/7DYh2)

2. Michael Todd true organics Cranberry antioxidant anti aging toner 230 ml (link to the official site click here Michael Todds true organic website or go to Amazon.com click here http://goo.gl/lXWGb)

Giving my hair what it deserves!

s

I have been contemplating on hair care and stumbled upon many organic brands, i'm finally calling the shots for this one. After probably 2 years of frequently using the Philip Kingsley body building shampoo and found out it has sulfates, it just broke my heart. Although it was not a mind blowing product i have used on my hair but it kinda did the job pretty well. Soon enough i found myself busy browsing and researching what could be the next big thing for my hair! 

So there were a few organic natural brands i have been eyeing on for months but did some research on them, reading reviews and you know stuff like that but this John Masters organic stood out the most. I don't know if its the sleek packaging (yes i'm a sucker for packaging! who isn't???) or the reviews that caught my attention first but so i decided to give it go. 

The first time i smelt it, it really has a strong lavender scent, it's hard to recognize that there's rosemary in it. If you are use to shampoos that smells yummy or sweet like a girly girl shampoo, you might not like this one because it has more a natural plant smell. I quite like it, it makes me feel i am not lathering my hair in chemical stuff and that i am actually giving my hair a real healthy treat. After drying my hair, my hair felt bouncier, although to be honest i haven't noticed anything massively different since i've only been using The John masters organics for about two weeks now but it's showing good signs already i'm definitely getting my hands on more of their products! What hair care do you use? Are you aware of the chemicals on your products? please share with me if you do have recommendations on organic or natural stuff that you like!

Now my hair can finally say bye bye to sulfates and parabens!

Products mentioned above and where you can get them:

1. John Masters organics Lavender rosemary shampoo

Natural products that are ALWAYS in my make up bag!

If you read my late blog posts, i have mentioned that i am quite depended on a few items from BURTS BEES and KORRES. I can't go a day leaving the house without these stuff, if i forgot just one i can go insane! The Burts Bees hand sanitizer is an absolute dream, it has that botanical fresh smell, it doesn't feel sticky or greasy (i have tried other natural organic brands and most of them leaves that sticky residue on the palms of my hands and I HATE THAT), specially love the sleek packaging and you just cant go wrong with the price (it's around $ 6.79 in amazon.com). 

Now another amazing product from the Burst Bees are the lipbalms, i have been raving about them since forrrrevahhh (read: since i first discovered them around 3 years ago!). I have a few in different shades but these two are among my top ones, the tinted lipbalm line in rose, red dahlia and tigerlily is my ultimate favorites and from the lip shimmer line i especially love raisin (it has the perfect tint!), papaya and watermelon. The different between these two lines, the tinted lip balms are more moisturizing and sheer but it brings out your natural lip color in a better way which is why i love it for an everyday use, like for example the shade in rose gives that subtle rosy effect on your lip and it doesnt look like you're putting any effort into it. The lip shimmer line is a little bit more pigmented, and it has that cooling tingling feel when you first apply it to your lips which i think is pretty lovely especially under summer weather. Although i rotate them every now and then, i personally like the combo of the rose tinted lip balm and the raisin lip shimmer to use daily, i like to add a little bit of the raisin lip shimmer to the centre of my lip just to give that glowy rosy natural shine.I cant believe it has been more than 3 years i've been using Burts bees products and i am still a big fan of them! What's your ultimate favorite daily lip balms, please do share with me! hope you enjoy reading this post. xx

Products mentioned above and where you can get them online:

1. Burt's Bees tinted lipbalm in rose (if you are in Indonesia you can go to this link http://goo.gl/2Eg3q )

.2. Burt's Bees lip shimmer in raisin (if you are in Indonesia you can go to this link http://goo.gl/3VDZ7 )

3. Burt's Bees hand sanitizer (just go to Amazon.com here's a direct link http://goo.gl/sV1MQ )

4. Korres body butter in Fig (just go to Amazon here're a direct link http://goo.gl/uKiRG )