Hi Everyone! Long time no post. As you may have known, I just got married a little over a month ago, and things have been pretty hectic. I was in my hometown for quite sometime, so I was out of my usual set up. I have to say, being away for home with my family and friends have changed the way I am within the past 3 months. I value the time I have more with my parents and sister, and I also got to reconnect with old friends, which have been awesome.
Our wedding might not be exactly the way we had hoped, but God had blessed us in so many ways. The ceremony and reception went as smoothly as possible, and all thanks to our family and friends and wedding team for the fabulous cooperation! If you don't know already, an Indonesian wedding, typically in Jakarta, is usually bigger and much more complicated compared to the simple and intimate weddings in the US, which I and Ocep both love. It was a grand experience for both of us, with around 700 guests came to our reception.
My day started at around 3 AM. My makeup artist and hair dresser came to my hotel room a little bit after 3.30, and started the process right away. Then the photographer came at around 5.30 am. We hired different makeup artists for my bridesmaids, mom, sister, mom-in-law and sister-in-law. All to be more efficient and save time. We had our ceremony scheduled at 10 AM at the church where I came to know Christ. It meant a lot for me to have our ceremony there. After the ceremony, we then had the Chinese tradition, tea ceremony, or what we call tea-pay. It's where we respect our elders from both sides of the family by serving them tea and usually the elders give red envelopes or jewelries as the wedding gifts.
I'm so glad I had my two besties that kept me laughing throughout the day!
One of the traditions what we followed was the veiling of the bride by the parents. I had on my hands Yosef's corsage which later I would give to Yosef in exchange for my bouquet.
I have to say there are a lot of things in life they don't teach at school - being a bride is one of them. I've heard different stories, but when I finally get to experience it first hand, I feel super unprepared. Nevertheless, I'm trying to enjoy this phase of my life as much as I could. It's not as hard as I make it sound to be. It really isn't.
First of all, let me just sing praise for my very own wedding coordinator, my beloved mom. I do hire a wedding planner, but no one can replace my mom's position in this wedding. She's the most supportive mom, and she's super resourceful. She's the one who went vendor hunting when I was still away. She, with the help of my dear dad of course, went all around Jakarta to plan for my wedding. She could get a bit carried away sometimes when she thinks of every single detail. It may seem like she cares more about the wedding than I do, which is not entirely untrue. This is her first ever wedding to plan, but she's not new in event organizing. Working at humanitarian organization for 32 years, she'd been the go-to person when it comes to organizing and executing events. She should consider this a new career.
Planning a wedding is hard as it is let alone planning when you're on a different continent. I just got back home a little less than 2 months before the wedding. We decided to have the wedding in Jakarta instead of in the US because most of our families are in Indo. It just makes more sense (even though the more details I have to think about the more I question our decision). The US wedding culture, at least for most weddings I've attended to, is simpler and intimate. It's not the case for Indonesian wedding. I used to grunt with mockery at the fact of inviting a "friend of a relative who's the second cousin of" which is what Indonesian weddings do. Some of my perspectives have changed since then.
What changes:
While I had my own expectation about my own wedding, I had stopped to try fulfilling every single one of them and started seeing the bigger picture.
Despite of our decision to have our wedding in Indonesia, there was a gap in my heart knowing that I didn't get to celebrate with my loved ones here in the US and to not have a garden-theme wedding like I had always wanted (outdoor wedding is tricky during September to December when it's rainy season in Indonesia). On the back of my mind, I thought of throwing a little party for ourselves with our close friends, making it simple and intimate. Yet, with Ocep's new job, our new home, and the wedding prep in Indo, the thought was shoved right where it started, on the back of my mind.
One day, one of my dear friend, Cecyl, texted me asking me and Ocep to go to dinner with here this past Saturday. She said the location was a surprise, and it was to send me off to Indonesia since I am going to go back to Indo real soon. She didn't tell us anything else other than to dress up for it was a fancy dinner.
Saturday came, and we got ready in time when Cecyl said she would pick us up. I had Ocep to put on a black bow tie to match his black suit, making it real fancy. I decided to go with my favorite floral dress that I wore to a wedding not too long ago. You may have seen it from this post. When Cecyl arrived, and as we were going out of our door, she told us that our other friends, Fenny and Marlene, wanted to join us at the last minute so we had pick them up also. When we got to their place, Cecyl told us to stay in the car since she was just going to knock at their door and let them know that we were there. She then came back to the car telling us to wait inside since they were still getting ready. I kinda knew where the dinner was going to be at that point =).
The Surprise
I rang the door bell, Ocep was behind me. The door was opened, and all of our close friends were there shouting, "SURPRISE!" The night just got better and better from then on. I was smiling all night until my jaw hurt. They turned Fenny & Marlene's backyard to a fancy garden party, complete with the pretty lights and center pieces. There was even a two-layer Indonesian cheesecake as the wedding cake made by our dearest friend.
I've started experimenting with makeup about 5 years ago. I've tried, discovered and also been disappointed with so many things from drugstore makeup. When I just started, I didn't really know where to start. I just started grabbing products that caught my attention from the counter.
Despite of the affordable prices, when I started on trying a bunch of products that didn't work, it added up and it wasn't affordable anymore. Nevertheless, my fondness of makeup drove me to continue trying out new things, and I enjoyed the process.
Now, if you are like me, you may enjoy all the experience of trying out new and shiny makeup. I hope you get to try any of the products below or if you've tried them, let me know what you think! If you just want to know what works, at least for me, then keep on reading!
Face Primer: Rimmel Stay Matte primer
I've featured this several times in my blog posts. I used this on my friend when I did her makeup for her engagement photo shoot. She told me that her makeup didn't budge all day. It stayed through out the day, even after being all out under the sun. I love this primer, I no longer have this just because I've had so many others I need to use up, but I totally recommend this again and again.
Foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish foundation
I looked at my foundation drawer (yes, I've hoarded so much that I have a drawer dedicated just for foundation) long and hard. This is not an easy decision, but I decided to go with my old time favorite that I know it works and is loved by so many people. The coverage is amazing, and it gives naturally foundation. (The one I have on the picture is the old packaging).
I never really had a problem with my under-eyes until I tried under eye concealers. Haha. Isn't it ironic? It's like the saying " You never knew what you have until it's gone", but in reverse! I tried on under eye concealers, and I just like the way it looks on my so I never put on my makeup without it anymore! If you've been following my blog, you may have known this already, but I still want to sum up all the ones that work for me. These are all tested and approved by yours truly.
Amazing Concealer Corrector
I've talked about this time and again. I first saw it on Tati's video, and I couldn't wait to try it out myself. It comes in two different shades, one is pinky salmon aka the corrector, and the other is yellow aka the brightener. When I first put on the corrector, it looks kinda cray. The consistency is so thick, it cancels out any darkness or discoloration. The brightener does what exactly it's supposed to do, it brightens under the eyes. One thing that I want to point out is that since it's so thick, it can get cakey pretty easily. Make sure to smooth out under the eyes and blend blend blend!
I still remember the very first time when I saw the Golden Gate Bridge for the very first time. It was almost 8 years ago. Time surely does fly. We live about an hour away from the city, and we like to come up and visit new places every time we go there. I can't say the same about food, though. We always end up sticking with the food we have tried and loved, just like the wings and diced chicken from San Tung Restaurant. You'll find more recommendations below. Ocep is very good in finding out new places for us to explore. Even though we feel like we have visited all the spot there is, there's always more and there's always new things to go to, like the annual Cherry Blossom Festival at Japantown in April. I recently posted a video of some of the places mentioned below!
If you're visiting SF for the very first time, you should go to all the places mentioned in any SF travel guide because they are the landmarks, but I'm trying to steer away from the typical tourists attraction like Pier 39, Lombard Street or the Golden Gate Park in this post. Below, you will find my recommendation on all of all the places I've been to and all the food I've had!
Things to Do
- If you want to see a lot of things at once, you can try riding the SF signature Cable Car. I believe it has 3 different route, but the one I've been on is from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf. You can pay one all-day ticket and hop on/off anytime you'd like. There's also an option of 3-day,7-day and 1-way ticket.
-Visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market for a bite to eat, or more! This place is perfect especially for my foodie friends. Just like typical farmers market you may find at your local area, but bigger. It has different kind of food, from the kinds you find at the grocery store (aka fresh and organic produce) to ready-to-eat food like porchetta sandwich from Roli Roti. The area is located by the pier, so it's always nice to walk around and enjoy the view.
-If you're not afraid of putting out some sweat, go to Muir Woods National Monument. It's located just less than an hour away up north of San Francisco. I've been there a couple of times, and I love it! The national park gives you great view of beautiful redwood trees. Since it's surrounded by tall redwood trees, the hiking will be pleasantly protected from the sun. The trees form natural shade to the visitors. The parking is quite tight, so be sure to get there earlier. The two times I've been there, we always get there around noon, and even though we got parking space at the end, it was not fun finding one during that hour.
Muir Woods
- Another option of exploring and exercising at the same time is to go to Lands End. We started from the top with this amazing view of the ocean and the remains of what used to be an indoor public pool aka Sutro Baths. We then worked our way down and find ourselves a giant cave where you can go inside and hear the sound of the ocean water against the rock cave. Then, along the hike, we finally got to the Labyrinth which I just found out was destroyed last year due to vandalism (ARGH!). Fortunately it was already rebuilt as we speak. Let's hope it doesn't get destroyed again!
If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know that we decided to paint some of the rooms at our new place ourselves. I documented the process through Instagram stories. The first room's up is my space/office. I had been conflicted between painting the wall white or grey-ish shade, and I finally decided to go with a shade called 'Bay Waves' from Valspar. It was a last minute decision. I really wanted to paint my room last Saturday, so we went to Lowe's to get the paint. I literally just grabbed one of the brochure with paint samples picked one. For the painting equipment, I went with the good Amazon reviews and bought this kit. We have no complain about the kit nor the paint itself.
I watched many YT videos before d-day. I wanted to make sure that being first-time painters, we were at least prepared with what we'd put ourselves into. I didn't realize that paint nowadays are so much better quality. The paint I chose no longer blends quite easily and it doesn't have that overwhelming odor. We went with the eggshell finish because I thought for filming it would reduce the glare from the light. The sun is always up and coming from my window, which I'm not complaining.
Hello everyone! Sorry for being MIA. I just moved, and I'm still transitioning with the move and my work. It's still a mess at home. We still need to do a fix here an there, but it's getting there! I find that it is so hard to get inspired when everything around me is chaotic. Nevertheless, I am committed to be back on regular schedule fairly soon! Stay tuned!
One of them has been getting a lot more attention lately. It's about my "stolen" wallet. I still don't know what's going on, tbh. Watch it to know what I'm talking about!
My fiancee and I also worked hard on our very first travel video. We both love exploring new places, and living relatively close to San Francisco, there's always new places to visit. Check out our very first attempt to a travel guide =)
And if you've been following my Instagram, you could tell my latest fondness of luxury leather goods. I bought some preloved from ebay and a website called Trendlee. Check out my experiences!
And, if you dread going to have your eye brows done at the salon, try doing it yourself with this Sally Hansen Waxing Kit. I have a tutorial of how I do it!
I have way too many brushes for one girl. I don't do other people's makeup. I just have way too many. I just couldn't resist to try when I came across interesting brushes. I try to spread the love toward my brushes collection, but I find myself reaching toward the same brushes over and over again. Half of them are from the drugstore. Quality brushes do not need to be expensive.
Sigma F84, EcoTools Large powder brush, EcoTools blush brush,
Sigma E25, elf small stipple brush
I use different brushes for my foundation, depending on which one is clean ;), but my first pick is always the angled kabuki brush, Sigma F84. Sigma has different kinds from their kabuki collection, but I just like the angled one best because it is easier to blend those awkward areas like the side of the nose or under the eye area. I can easily pinch the brush for more targeted application. I really recommend this brush, and I think it's a great value for money.
I've always been a sucker for wedding. I love dressing up, which I don't get to do often. My friend asked me to help with her bridesmaids' hair on d-day. I was super excited for her wedding and for a chance to help out. I used the opportunity to pay attention to the wedding details, which help me to prepare for my own. The ceremony started at 11 am, yet the bridal party started to get ready from 3 am! The wedding was quite big, considering American weddings usually have less than 200 guests, my friends' had about 350 guests. I woke up at 4:45 on d-day. I guess I was as excited for the wedding. I arrived at the venue at about 6:40 and started doing the bridesmaids' hair. Time flies so fast, especially when you're having fun.
I had about 45 minutes to get myself ready - makeup, hair and dress. I was so glad I found a perfect dress from Asos. I paired it with my one and only Saint Laurent WOC, which I have talked about on my channel. I love how versatile the bag is. It certainly my main accessories to complete the outfit.
I found these inexpensive heels from Target! It's a dupe for Steve Madden 'slithur' sandals. The caged heels gives a little bit of edge to otherwise a very feminine look. Here I tucked in the chain, and it instantly converted the WOC to a clutch.
I work in a corporate office setting. The industry that I am currently in, professional business attire is required and expected. Fortunately, the the firm that I currently work for is more laid back and avid supporter of business casual. We still need to dress up from Monday to Thursday, but they allow jeans for casual Fridays.
I say this a couple of times before, that I do not wear makeup to work. I just didn't care enough to put extra effort in the morning. My morning routine usually takes about 20 minutes and it includes getting up, taking a shower, doing my hair and getting dressed. I do occasionally put on makeup when I have appointments to meet clients or when I wake up earlier than usual. Lately, I enjoy getting dolled up more because it actually makes me feel good about myself. I don't do it for other people, but I do it for myself. I think that's the key of my passion for beauty. It's for me, although it doesn't hurt when others give me compliments. ;)
For work, I keep my makeup simple and minimalist. I usually avoid liquid foundation because it tends to get heavy and I don't want to do that to my skin 5 days a week. I also come up with two-shadow look for more of a natural look. I stick with the same products most of the time. I guess my makeup concept for work is more to "enhance" what I already have, whereas on weekends I like to experiment with different products and looks.
I start with primer to smooth out my face and complexion. It's more crucial to use primer when you use powder foundation so that the powder has something to 'cling' on to. I'm currently using the Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost Instant Smoother. Mine is in the old packaging because I've had it for so long! Using primer helps the makeup stay put longer. I then apply the under eye concealer next. It's important to brighten under the eye area to make you look more fresh and ready for the day to come. I'm using the Benefit eraste paste in medium - another oldie but goodie.
I have relatively thick eyebrows. I used to not care about them as much, but when I got into beauty and makeup, I started to have them done every month or two months when I was lazy. I got into a phase where I just didn't care as much. Then I realized ever since having my brows done at the salon, they actually grow more unruly than they did before. I felt more self conscious, even though I'm pretty sure no one really pays attention. I tried this wax kit at home as a more convenient way to do at home, and I have to say I truly enjoy it. I save money and trip to the salon. I still do plan to get my brows done professionally for special occasion just because I haven't learned how to trim it better yet. I guess one step at a time. You can get the kit at Amazon for less than $5!
I love touching up my makeup with blushes. It gives the whole look more colorful and awake. I don't feel like I need to break the bank when it comes to blushes. Drugstore has a lot of varieties, and a lot of them are excellent in quality. I typically go for natural tone blushes that go with any makeup look. These are my favorite ones.
It's #moanday alright. I feel like every Monday, I am super lazy and tired even though I don't typically do anything on Sundays. It's weird. Monday blues are for real. I love this bucket bag from Loft. I've talked about it again and again. One thing that I want to point out is that it doesn't have any zipper, so when I put down my bag, it is very easy for someone to look at the inside and take something. I can be a bit paranoid when I am using this in a public place. Other than that, I love the versatility and convenience of just throwing everything inside and not lose anything.
Every time I put on a bright colored lipstick, I almost always end up switching it last minute because I feel like my lips are on display. Nevertheless, bright lippies attract me. It's so ironic. I force myself to do it once in a while, not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to. I feel like I need to start doing what I want to do without being so self conscious.
This is my very first Saint Laurent purse and I was so excited when I filmed it. You might be able to tell how giddy I was in the video. I will talk more about it in a blog post, soon!
I really think under-eye concealer is one of the key things that makes a difference. On my good days, I can get away without wearing foundation, but adding some under-eye concealer to brighten up the area really helps in making me more awake and put together. I usually grab the Maybelline Instant age rewind dark circle treatment, but on days when I want extra coverage and extra flawless look, I go with Amazing concealer/corrector from Amazing Cosmetics. This is a relatively new find for me, but it's instantly become a favorite. I demonstrate how I apply it in my video, and you can see the difference side by side.
I'm rediscovering the foundation. It's my only foundation from Nars. When I first got it, the shade was too yellow for me and that was why it spent the first few months just sitting in my drawer. I gave it another try again, and I can't stop looking myself in the mirror. My skin looks so flawless, and it stays all day, too. I have a combo/dry skin, which is why I think it stays all day on my skin. I don't know if it would work the same for oily skin people. It makes my skin glowy and flawless. It can get to heavy if you use too much. You don't need a lot to get a medium-to-full coverage.
I featured the Wet n Wild blush in this shade comparing with Nars Orgasm on my instagram. It's a pretty shimmery blush. Nars Orgasm has golden-y shimmer, whereas this one does not.
For the longest time, I keep telling myself and/or other people that my favorite color is blue - sky blue, baby blue, light blue. I was so convinced that pink was just too girly of a color for me. I didn't like wearing pink top. However, for the last couple of years, I realized now that I am more drawn into the pink/peach/blush/nude colors than any blue hues. It just excites me more. I guess people do change, especially in taste and preference. I also love the YSL lipsticks. I post all about them not too long ago. The only thing that I'm a little bit bothered by is the scent.
I love wearing casual and comfortable outfits on the weekends( don't we all? ;) ). Pairing a simple tee and jeans is always my go-to when I don't know what to wear. Denim jacket has been my staple piece lately. It just goes with everything! It goes well paired with dresses as well as with simple ensemble like this.
I used to think denim on denim was a tad too much, ehm, denim. It is so '90s, yet I adore the look of it. It just instantly creates an outfit. I added some of my favorite pins on the jacket to make it my own.
Last weekend, I came across the Wet N Wild Au Naturel palettes at Walmart. There was a sign on the shelf "exclusive at Walmart". That sign and the very affordable price tag of $5.62 got me hooked. There was only two options, Nude Awakening and Bare Necessities. I picked up Nude Awakening simply because it was the only one left on the shelf. I didn't think it was gonna be resemble the Naked palette at all. I was just convinced that Wet N Wild is amazing drugstore brand. It doesn't sacrifice quality for price tag. They kill it when it comes to eyeshadows.
I fell in love in the first swatch! The next day I came back to Walmart and picked up Bare Necessities. It was that good. Especially with $5.62, you can never go wrong with that. I did a demo/tutorial/rave video on the Nude Awakening. At the time I shot that video, I still didn't realize that it could be a dupe of the Naked 3. Naked palettes have 12 shades, and Au Naturel have 10 shades on the palette. I'm not saying that these palettes have the same exact shades of the Urban Decay most coveted palettes, but some of them are so darn similar. I'll let the pictures speak for itself.
I feel like I have the dryest lips ever! My lips are always dry no matter what. I used to ignore the dryness and just didn't care enough to apply lip balm or whatever. Every time I apply on lipsticks, not long after I would see the product all "feather-ed" up leaving horrid-looking residue on my lips. I used to think the lipsticks were the problem, until I realized they were not.
These products help me. I haven't seen my lipsticks get feathery since I've used these.
Lip Exfoliator helps to get rid of the dead skin on your lips. The idea is the same with what scrubs do to our body. This one from elf is very affordable, and it does the job well. It is pretty weird at first to put a lipstick-looking product and just rub it all over my lips. I then need to rinse it off with water. You can also get similar result by rubbing your toothbrush on your lips when you brush your teeth. It does the same effect with more efficient, since we all brush our teeth anyway. Be careful not to rub too harsh as you might hurt your lips. Lips have the most sensitive surface.
Hi everyone! Long time no blogging. Lately, I post on instagram more than I do on my blog. I honestly find it really hard to form idea long enough for a blog post. If you don't know, I have another account on instagram under @byAmadea where I post mostly 99.9% beauty related products. I share makeup of the day, beauty products I've tried and my takes on them, and many more. All the pictures are taken by yours truly. I feel like it's a quicker way to share with you guys what I'm currently enjoying -- or not enjoying.
Moving on to my most recent trip. Every year after April 15 (or April 18 this year, when tax season is over), I take a little getaway trip just to refresh myself. This year, we went to San Diego and Universal Studios in Hollywood. We took a morning flight and arrived in SD at around 10 am. The check-in time was 4 pm, so we had plenty of time to kill. Instead of renting a hotel room, we opted for small studio with kitchen and its own backyard! The place is small but just enough for two. I forgot to take the picture, so I can't show you guys.
Places we visited
Since we had hours to kill before we could check in, we made Balboa Park as our first stop. It's a signature San Diego spot with plenty of museums, a vast range of parks and great amounts of sight seeings. You haven't been to San Diego if you haven't visited Balboa Park. We didn't really do anything there besides walking around and taking pictures. Parking was pretty difficult when we were there. It was on Tuesday afternoon. The heat also made me more exhausted than I actually was. Being in South California, San Diego is always about 5 degrees warmer than the bay area.
It's been a long time coming for me to finally try the YSL lipsticks. I have always adored the packaging, but for some reason I always backed out from purchasing. This time, when the VIB 15% sale came up, I caved and bought several. I just wasn't sure which shade will work for me, so I picked out 6 shades that look appealing from Sephora website.
I have to say, I was blown away at the first swatch of number 9. It only took the gentlest stroke on the back of my hand to get a very pigmented swatch. It also lasts a long time too. Other shades are very similar in pigmentation.
left to right: shade no. 3, 8, 9, 29, 43, 47
Some of them are buildable to have a more opaque application. I'm talking about shade number 8, 43 and 47.
I just adore the packaging. They are so beautiful, I just can't stop looking at them! And yes, it's an episode of FRIENDS at the background =)
I'd been really intrigued by cushion foundation and done some research. I wanted to try one from the drugstore just to see how I would like it, so I picked the L'Oreal Tru match lumi cushion foundation.
Reviews I read and watched all sounded promising. And I have to say, I really enjoy it.
It has light to medium coverage, but you can totally build it up. I still need to use concealer to hide my blemishes, but the foundation manages to even out my skin tone only in one layer. The name 'lumi' gives away how the finish is. It makes my skin look glowy, in a good way. I feel like i have such a healthy natural skin with this foundation. It just looks so natural and not cakey at all.
before True match cushion foundation
after one layer of True Match Lumi cushion foundation
before True match cushion foundation
after one layer of True Match Lumi cushion foundation
There are some drawbacks from this product. One of them is the sanitary reason. Since it's basically liquid-soaked sponge in a compact, the application might not be the most sanitary when you "double dip" your brush or sponge directly to the product. I don't use the sponge that comes in the compact just because I don't like to get it all dirty and all. I use my own foundation brush and I blend with beauty blender afterwards.
I was just browsing around Sephora website, per usual when I stumbled across the newest line, the Estée Edit by Estée Lauder. I haven't heard anyone talk about it before, so I was intrigued and decided to pick some things from the line to try myself. I guess this is the company's way to target the younger market. They even have Kendall Jenner as the face of the line on Sephora website.
I've talked all about it on my video, and here are some close up pictures and swatches.
