5 Great Things in November

Let's skip the cliche and jump straight ahead, on to the 5 best thing in November!

1. SHINee World Concert V; is the probably the best thing ever happened in the entire 2016 (aside from my last Japan trip of course). It's money well-spent with how amazing and breath-taking the performances were. The 5 of them truly glow on stage, and I just cannot not admire them for being able to singing while executing choreographies after choreographies for almost 3 hours straight. Once again, I feel very thankful to have them as my favorite group.
2. World Trigger; I picked up this favorite series again after semi-hiatus for a year or so. Although not as popular as the other WSJ title, and it can certainly be if it's a little bit more flashy, I wouldn't trade the intricate and complexity of World Trigger for popularity. There's a certain darkness to this story which you'd miss if you're not reading too much into it, I think that's the reason why I'm inexplicably in love with it.
3. Not buying any single makeup/skincare product; is an achievement in itself, isn't it? I almost cave in a couple of times, especially with the black friday and all the crazy sales, but in the end, I survived /pat self/
4. Side project; I landed myself a freelancing project earlier this month, and I was promised more. I'm so excited! The work pays well for it loads and extra cash is always a welcome!
5. Found out awesome trick for pinterest image; I always wonder how did some blogger manage to pin entirely different image on their pinterest than the one in their blog. Now I found out the neat trick behind it, I'm ready to implement them soon!

What great things happened to you this November?

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3 Things You can do to keep Your Oily Skin Moisturized

Having oily skin, word ‘moisturizing’ doesn’t exactly sound friendly to me, rather, it’s intimidating. At some point in our life, we’re guilty of skipping moisturizer either at night or in the morning. Still, keeping our skin hydrated is a must since not applying moisturizer could trigger our skin to produce even more sebum. Now the dry season has already settled, this becomes a dire need. If you’re still struggling to find the right way, here are a couple of things and products you could try.

Use Light-weight and oil free day moisturizer

Lots of moisturizer right now cater more to wide variety of skin, including oily skin. Words like ‘oil-free’, ‘clarfiying’, and ‘mattifying’ easily lure us in, and whereas there’s nothing wrong with it, make sure to do thorough research, because sometimes, they could be  either ‘too rich’ or ‘too mattifying’. I find watery or gel formula to work best in maintaining the moisture without making my skin looks greasy later in the day.
You can also try: Laneige Light Balancing Emulsion, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisture Lotion

Pick the right sleeping mask for night care

If moisturizing at day is too much for your skin, then you can compensate it by pampering them at night. After cleansing your face thoroughly, put your moisturizing mask of choice. I love to wear sleeping mask, the one you can wear to sleep, and greets you in the morning with fresh, dewy skin.  Not only plumping, they also helps restoring and brightening your skin. Extra thing to pay attention to is the scent, most of them now comes with heavenly, relaxing smell that helps you to have better sleep as well.
You can also try: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, Jurlique Rose Moisture Plus Moisturizing Cream Mask

Try facial oil

Oil on oil sounds like a nightmare, but trust me, the right oil can make a difference. Facial oil actually maintains the natural fat in the skin which helps skin to properly moisturize itself. The right oil also balances and regulate sebum production in the skin, neat, right? Make sure you use lighter oil in summer, and turns to heavy ones when needed in winter.
You can also try;  Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Pai Rosehip Biogenerate Oil

How do you keep your oily skin moisturized?

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Product Empties #02

Lo and behold, I’m back from another noble mission that is emptying my products. I actually emptied a couple of products not long after my first Product Empty #01 back in August, but I waited for another month to collect more empties. 2 months later, here are the products I managed to use up.

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore Clearing Facial Exfoliator; I wrote about this exfoliator back in my The Body Shop Favorite post. This was in the old packaging, but formula wise, it’s more or less the same with the one being on sale now. This facial polish is gentle, even to sensitive skin, and helps controlling oil/sebum production of your face.
Repurchase? Yes, already did.

Jill Stuart Rose & Tuberose Hand Cream (review); being my favorite hand cream in the whole world, it’s no wonder I’m already down to my 5th tube. This hand cream is super lovely, not only in term of scent but also formula and application. Despite its thick consistency, it sinks quickly to the skin and leaves my hands feeling smooth.
Repurchase? Yes, yes, and another yes, I’m already using my 6th tube.

Kiko Long Lasting Stick #27 Burgundy;  I was so surprised when I discovered that I already used up all of this, because I didn’t remember using this as much as the Rosy Brown one. Anyways, this super-duper creamy and long-lasting  eyeshadow stick is highly coveted in beauty world and one of Kiko’s hyped product. Obviously for valid reasons; high pigmentation, non-creasing formula, wear-time.
Repurchase? Yes, but I want to try another colors.

Rimmel Panorama Long Mascara in brown; to be completely honest, this mascara didn’t do much. No volume, not as lengthening either. It did but when I used it certain way aka. Hundreds of coatings and lots of wiggling. I want my mascara to be fuss-free and this definitely doesn’t fit the bill at all.
Repurchase? Nope.

L’Occitane Roses et Reines EDT Roller Ball; back before I discovered my love for woody-citrus-y scent, I was all for roses. Roses et Reines is a lovely concoction of Grasse rose, Bulgarian rose, Moroccan rose and Turkish rose; a dream in a bottle for roses lover. Compared to other roses fragrance from L’Occitane, this doesn’t smell as ‘granny’-ish, rather young and light-hearted.
Repurchase? Maybe, but not now.

Jill Stuart Stay True Gel Liner 02 Artistic Brown; okay, first; I love how easy this eyeliner is. As someone who rarely use (and cannot to save my life) eyeliner, this gel liner wears like a dream. It glides smoothly on the skin without tugging, stays put despite my oily-lids, and the brown color is rich enough to define my eyes. BUT, the tip crumbled easily. I cannot remember how many times I ruined it, in fact, I think the sole reason why I ran out of it was because I broke it so many times.
Repurchase? No, unless they strengthen the formula. I’d try the traditional gel liner instead.
 

MAC Amplified Lipstick in Cosmo; solidified amplified as my favorite formula of MAC lipstick. This one is not only creamy, but also pigmented, and long-wearing. The classic MLBB shade for my skin tone, being the only ‘neutral’ color in my lipstick stash, it’s no wonder Cosmo got a lot of wear. A truly lovely lipstick, I’d repurchase it if I wasn’t curious about similar color like Twig or Brave.
Repurchase? No

Laneige Deep Pore Cleansing Foam (review); You may refer to my old post about this cleanser which I posted back in May. I love how it does its job but as a fan of rich, creamy cleanser, I wish it has thicker in consistency. Nevertheless, it’s a lovely cleanser, especially if you have oily skin like me.
Repurchase? Maybe.

What products did you empty recently?

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Baby Blue Picks

Baby blue is a coluor that I collected unconsciously. Before there were navy and burgundy, young me was in love with this colour, and while I no longer purposely look for them anymore, I think a part of me who was enamoured by this colour is still left somewhere within me.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask; this ultra-rich, cooling gel is the most famous product from Laneige. An overnight mask that carries the benefit of Hydro Ion Mineral Water, evening primrose root extract, Hunza apricot extracts as moisturizing agent, promises you an appearance of well-rested skin in the morning. I love using this when I have to hit the gym in the morning, so even if I didn’t put any makeup on my face, my skin still looks fresh and ready.
 

Laneige Balancing Emulsion; targeted for normal to oily skin, this non-sticky gel helps moisturizing the inside of your skin but maintaining matte appearance outside. I love how light weight and absorbing this emulsion is, plus it actually works really well to brighten up my skin and helping acne scars to fade faster.
 

Beyond Alice in Wonderland in Signature Alice; part of Beyond Korea & Alice in Wonderland collaboration. This loose-pigment is perfect for festive season. This dreamy powder blue pigment is incorporated with green glitters that makes it show up as turquoise on the skin.
 

Disney Alice in Wonderland Body Mist; to be completely honest, I purchased this on a whim for the sake of my love for Alice in Wonderland. This body mist smells of raspberry, not something I usually go to, but the energizing sweet scent is perfect for gym morning.

What's your favorite baby blue items?

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Jill Stuart Beauty Talk #04 Tuberose & Rose Body Milk & Hand Cream

Colder months definitely call for these two to keep your skin from being dry, or worse; flaking. I had experienced horrible frost-bite which left my fingers swollen from lack of moisture, and it left me super paranoid to live without hand cream. The hand cream that 'saved' me back than was this one from Jill Stuart, and it took me a while until I can start using another hand cream. While I was at it, I picked up the body milk from the same line and I'm glad it's as lovely.

Tuberose & Rose Hand Cream; this hand cream has thick consistency that promises thorough hydration, but it feels light-weight and fast-absorbing at the same time. Enriched with calendula extract that doesn't only moisturize but also heals irritated skin and makes it suppler. Due to its thickness, it feels very rich and applied, plus it has gorgeous scent which makes the experience of using it very pampering.

Tuberose & Rose Body Milk; just like the hand cream, the body milk has the healing properties of calendula extract, shea butter and mango seed oil as emollient, and many roses derivatives such as rose-hip oil and damask rose & wild rose extract. The body milk is thinner in consistency, almost runny even. It leaves my skin feeling soft and plump without being too-heavy which is perfect for the weather here.

What's your favorite body milk and hand cream?

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The Turqouise Concert Look

Tomorrow is finally the day that I've been waiting for, SHINee World Concert V! When speaking of SHINee, of course you'd be reminded of their iconic turqouise color (or what we call as pearslcent sky blue). Of course I feel compelled to incorporate the color into my makeup as well.

The Face

If you are a regular reader, you might know that I'm really loyal to my base routine, or another way to say my face routine is boring. The concert will take around 3 hours or more, so I need my base to stick all day along. Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint locked with MAC Select Sheer Pressed Powder is my go to for long lasting, and sweat-proof face. For blush, I'm borrowing my mom's Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy in shade Pink Kiss. This bright pinkish mauve blush has golden speckles that adds beautiful glow to the cheek, plus it lasts a whole day.

The Eyes

is where the star of the show will be. First, I'll concear the dark area on my eyelids and under eye with Nars Creamy Concealer, then using cotton-buds, I will be packing Beyond Cream eyeshadow in Signature Alice, a powder blue pigment with green glitters that create a perfect shade of turqoise. Lastly, I will run Majolica Majorca Lash Aesthetic mascara for long, flutterly lashes.

Finishing Touch

Lately, I simply cannot got without a touch of Burberry Eyeshadow in Gold Pearl on my cheek-bones, of course I will be adding them as well. Another thing I've been crazy with lately is Clinique Pop Lips in Berry Pop, the formula of this lipstick is one of the best I've ever tried, pigmented, creamy, and non-drying, it's so hard to stop using this

I will probably be posting the look on instagram or facebook. What's your favorite concert look?

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On Downsizing My Bag

Downsizing my bag is something I've been wanting to do for a while. As silly as it sounds, I'm incredibly anxious when I realize I might not be carrying something that I might need (even if in the end, it turned out I don't). It's the exact reason why I demand my bag to be huge and heavy duty. However, I realized carrying that much items with me isn't doing good for my health. I've ended up with sore shoulders too many times to count now, and for that reason, I made downsizing my bag to be my 2017 goal.

It seems like my plan has to be start earlier because I was gifted this bag early October. I've been eyeing this bag; Ted Baker Otillia since it landed on local Ted Baker last September. The bag fits all the bills that I need from a bag; boxy, structured, comes with detachable strap, cross-body. If I had not plan to downsize my bag, I might not bother with this for its size, but seeing as my goal is to carry less, it is the perfect size.

The bag has the cutest details ever, from its rose gold hardware (bows, clasp, and zip), to the inner leopard and rabbit prints. It's made of bovine leather which is smooth on the flap but textured on the body. At first, the size intimidates me, but seeing as this is something that I need to do (for the sake of my weeping shoulder), and the bag is the most beautiful bag I've ever seen, I'm fully intending on making this 'downsizing my bag' works. Wish me luck!

Do you bring big or small bag? What do you think of downsizing your bag?

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Fragrances for Colder Weather

Colder months call for warm, rich, and woody scents that inspires the image of cosy log and its tcrackling fireplace. Fragrance is a personal thing, and These kind of scents just happen to be the one that I'm leaning toward to despite living in tropical country. I do love myself some roses, but for room fragrance and perfume, amberwood, teakwood, or citrus with hints of spices is where my heart truly rest.

For The Room

I didn't have trouble with sleeping until 2014 and it got worse in 2015. I turned to candles, they weren't easily available here and Bath & Body Works was the only place to go. At first, I tried the popular calming scent like lavender or water, but none of them work until Mahogany Teakwood, which is blend of teakwood with lavender and geranium. Another favorite, Black Tie, has rich sandalwood and aromatic sage in it. Both smells very rich and luxurious in my opinion.

You can also try: Mahogany Teakwood Room Spray, Bergamot Water, Fireside.

 

For Body

Fragrance is personal thing, and as I discover more the world of perfume, I realized I'm more often ended up in front of the monochromatic shelves of men's perfume than the woman's dainty looking ones. The perfume I've been sniffing more than the other has one similarity; citrus (more specifically; amalfi lemon) as its top note with some woods and spices as base. This blend draws both warmth yet freshness from the citrus side. Voyage d'Hermes EDT and Gucci Guilty pour Homme are two of my favorites.

You can also try: Burberry Mr. Burberry, Zara Man Silver, Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia.

What's your favorite fragrance for colder months?

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To do November

It's November, 2017 is just around the corner, but let's appreciate 2016 a little more by doing 5 productive - okay, it might not be that productive - things this month!

1. Watch SHINee World Concert V; SHINee is probably my favorite group ever, and I do not simply miss the chance to watch them live. After their last concert in Jakarta back in 2014, they're coming back again, this time as five. And I can assure you I won't be able to move on from November 12th for a long time.
2. Use pinterest more; I just applied for rich pin in pinterest, so, hopefully, it'll get me more active in pinning.
3. Saving for Korea Trip; I'm going to Korea with my parent and sister in January, so, naturally, I have to save for then.
4. Pick up birthday presents; there are two birthdays in this month; of my sister and my best friend. While I've picked one for my best friend, I still haven't pick anything for my sister. I've been thinking of getting her something from Stradivarius since I won't be able to afford this with our upcoming trip lol.
5. Use up old lipsticks; I have two lipstick that I've been neglecting, one from Jill Stuart and one from MAC. After getting two new ones in September, I feel incredibly guilty for still not using up these two, hopefully, I can finish them by the time this year ends.

What's your plan for November?

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