My Daily Boost of Beauty/ Morning Skincare Routine

I don't normally wear makeup everyday because I am just too lazy. I prefer to take my time when I do my makeup otherwise I will just not be happy with the result. On the other hand, I feel like I don't have that time to spend doing my makeup. Nonetheless, there are some beauty product I religiously use every single day. They are my daily boost of beauty.

Lately, I have been spraying a little of Caudalie Beauty Elixir before applying my moisturizer. The first time I used it, I didn't like the tingling sensation it gives. But now, I feel it helps give spritz of freshness, and I really like it. I ran out of my day moisturizer, and I decided to give Simple Replenishing rich moisturizer a try. I had never tried anything from Simple before, but I've hear good things about their products. Its consistency is thicker than my previous day moisturizer, .... It feels nice on the skin, and I really believe it helps with dry patches and redness.

I really believe in sunscreen. It's the most important thing to protect your skin from the sun. I still use sunscreen from my dermatologist back in Indonesia. It's really important to use sunscreen even if you are inside your office the whole day like me. The sun can still go through your car windows when you're driving. It gives your skin extra layer of protection that it can't never have too much of. 

For my lips, I've been using MAC tendertone. I like using it for daytime because it has SPF 15 and protects the lips.  I have been using Jergens Ultra Healing lotion even before I moved to America. My mom was the one introducing me with this brand. I have developed a habit to moisturize my skin after shower. I just feel weird if I don't do it. This lotion is proven to keep away any "scaly-ness". I keeps my skin stay hydrated.

My last boost of beauty in the morning is a couple spritz of my favorite perfume. I've been wearing Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream. I also like Chloe perfume. What's your favorite perfume?

Tax Season Break in Pictures | 2015

Hi Everyone! Long time no see!

Tax season is finally over. I'm enjoying a 4-day weekend right now. It feels really good to not working after 10 days of working non stop. Even during busy season, I always try to take a break here and there. It really helps ease my overwhelmed feeling that is inevitable during stressed months. Looking back, I'm pretty impressed at myself to be able to do all these things (read: to go out, at all) during my busiest season of the year!

Saturday (03/7) - Sancho's Taqueria

Had the best fish taco at Sancho's, Palo Alto after a long day at work

Sunday (03/8)

Went to Target and got myself a tall of coffee latte. I substituted with soy milk, 

and then I realized I meant to say non-fat milk. My brain clearly started to lose its mind!

Monday (03/9) - 8:50pm

Just finished a 1-hour intense Zumba class. I managed to squeeze in 

exercising in my week because of this gym buddy of mine =)

Saturday (03/14)

My man's back after two-week away for a family visit. I was all smiley after work on 

a Saturday because of this guy right here. We went to Tumeric, Sunnyvale for dinner.

Saturday (03/21) - ZENsen Sushi, Newark

$1.50 for everything! The sushi was good. Plus unlimited stream of hot water and tea 

at every table. Amazing! We then watched Dracula on blu-ray. Perfect night!

Sunday (03/22)

It's been a while since I last put on some makeup. On my way to farmers' market.

Sunday (03/22) - Farmers' Market, Campbell

Got all my groceries in the bag. We've been substituting 

rice for broccoli and cauliflower.

Sunday (03/22) - Claw Shack, San Jose

Okay, clearly I lied. We still eat rice every now and then, but not as much

as we used to. 

Friday (03/27) - Back-to-College-days-Dinner

It was one of those days when there was nothing in the fridge, and  

the cup noodle was good enough. Hey, at least I got some brocolli!

Saturday (03/29) - Baby G's 1st Birthday

No words to describe how amazing Baby G's mom is! She decorated every single 

thing. It was like pinterest-worthy everywhere!

Sunday (03/30) - Spring Floral

Nothing like floral print to brighten up the mood.

 Saturday (04/04) - Arastradero Trail, Palo Alto

An afternoon stroll/light hike to enjoy God's creation on easter weekend.

Friday (04/10) - Crouching Tiger, Redwood City

The most intense day of tax season this year. A client called to ask 

questions and challenge every answer I gave. 

Saturday (04/11) - Wing Box, San Jose

Don't judge. I was super hungry!

Sunday (04/12) - Sacho's Taqueria, Palo Alto

My last working weekend. My boyfriend drove me to work and picked 

me up after. It was a good day!

Tuesday (04/14) - Love Ran Red Tour, SJSU

Chris Tomlin is in the house! A long with Tenth Avenue North and 

Rend Collective. It was a great night. 

Wednesday (04/15) - Kickin' Crab, San Jose

Aside from tax season was over, it was a rough, emotional day.

A friend lost a parent today. My boss asked if I still had both of my parents. I said yes. 

She said, "Well then love them as long as you can." I told her, "Of course". She walked 

away and then stepped back to say, "Make sure to let them know you do."

Thursday (04/16) - San Francisco

The day after. We went for dim sum at Chinatown then a visit

to The Walt Disney Family Museum, and ice creat at Bi-Rite Creamery. 

Until next year! 

Tips for Wearing Red Lipstick

It was a very lazy Sunday for me. I spent all afternoon lounging in the couch and watched TV. I did however manage to put on my makeup to go to Target =D

I don't usually wear red lipstick, but I've been quite attracted to a winged-liner and red-lip look. Here's how I get my red lipstick last longer. 

You will need:

- a tissue

-setting powder

-small blending brush

separate the tissue until you get a single ply 

put the single-ply tissue over your lips

brush the setting powder over the single-ply tissue. 

The tissue acts as a "strainer" for the fine milled powder so you don't 

get all white dust all over your beautifully polished lips. 

Do this as much as you'd like.

Blot for the final touch.

Voila! No lip stain. 

Your lips are ready! 

Best Makeup Removers | Makeup Wipes, Cleasing oil, Micellar Water

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's weekend. I've been MIA, and will still be for a little while due to work. I will try to blog as much as I could, though. We didn't really do anything last Saturday. We just had dinner at a sushi place nearby, and went to a dessert place to hang out with some friends. Low key and relaxing Valentine's day =).

Removing makeup at the end of the day is very crucial to me. I always force myself to wash my face no matter how tired I am that day and how eager I am to go to bed. I make sure that I never go to bed with my makeup on. My face is sensitive just as is, and I don't want to "enrage" the skin even more by going to bed with my foundation on.

I find the more products I've tried, the more I realize how much I love Target's homebrand Up & Up makeup wipes. I find one wipe is enough to remove most of my makeup. It's affordable, and it really does the job. It doesn't irritate my sensitive skin which some of makeup wipes do. I don't stop there. I use Body Shop cleasing oil in the shower. This assures me I've removed all the product from my face. This works great with waterproof makeup, too! It really saves time. I sometimes skip the makeup wipes and use the cleansing oil. After the shower, I use Bioderma micellar water. This just putting the cherry on top in my makeup-removing routine. This makes sure I pick up everything, even around my neck and hairline area which I tend to forget. I also have L'oreal Micellar water that my mom got me when she was in London.  I use it interchangeably, and I find that it works the same as Bioderma. What I like about micellar water is that it totally feels like water. It has no scent and it feels refreshing on the skin. 

What's your favorite makeup-removing products?

Grateful at Work and Drugstore Makeup for Beginners

Happy Saturday!

As a tax accountant, my life is about to get crazy for the next two and a half months as tax season is finally here. Sense my excitement there ;) 

For some reason, I feel more at ease and not as frantic as I had been for the last couple of years. Even in my sea of tax returns that I need to get done, I try to always remember this

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..."

-Colossians 3:23a

I was reminded God is my boss. He is my boss' boss. He is my boss' boss' boss. He is the ultimate boss whom I'm really working for. Even in my most stressful, I am reminded that I do all this for Him, and the really comforts me. Working for the ultimate boss who cares for my well-being. I have a purpose at work, and I know He has great things planned for me, including my work.

This is another video featuring my drugstore favorites. I've tried out quite a lot of different makeup brands and products, and I understand how overwhelming it could be for people who are just trying to use makeup. I started using makeup in my senior year of college. I was so overwhelmed of the choices, but grateful of all the beauty recommendations from the youtubers and bloggers I came across. Hope this helps you, too!

Products mentioned:
Rimmel Lasting 25 hr foundation
Rimmel Stay Matte Long lasting pressed powder
Rimmel Natural bronzer - sun light
NYX blush - rose garden
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush - hot tamale
Lorac Behind the scenes eye primer (the only thing not drugstore!)
Wet 'n Wild trio - walking on eggshells
Cover Girl lash blast volume mascara
Revlon Lip Butter - peach parfait

Thank you for reading/watching!

Have a great weekend!

LOTD: Flawless Full-proof Makeup

It's been a long time since I had an LOTD post. I was going out to see the Monarch butterflies migration at Monarch Grove Sanctuary and wanted to have a full-proof makeup as I was gonna be out the whole day. I used YSL Youth liberator serum foundation (review). This just never fails to impress me. Every time I use the foundation, I just can't stop believing how amazing it feels on the skin and how great it makes my skin look! I don't really need a concealer when I use this. I can still see my blemish show a little bit, but that's the way I prefer.

I use Dior Pore Minimizer primer (review). It's my trusty primer to keep my makeup look fresh throughout the day and keep the shine at bay. I also use Soleil Tan de Chanel to keep on the full-proof theme and warm up my skin tone. This cream bronzer looks natural on the skin. It gives subtle dimension by contouring, which can be built up. I chose Revlon Photoready Skinlights in the shade "peach light" for my hightlight. For blush, I use Tarte Amazonian clay blush in the shade "embrace" from Tarte Pin Up Girl blush palette. I seal everything in with Rimmel Stay Matte powder and Urban Decay All Nighter spray. 

My Current Foundation Routine | bareMinerals Original Foundation

I've been in the "no makeup" kinda mood lately. I feel like my skin is agitated, and I don't want to make it more so by layering on with heavy foundation. I go with mineral foundation instead. I'm back in love with the Bare Minerals Original foundation with SPF 15. It's a loose powder with medium coverage. It's not going to cover every single blemish, but that's where the concealer comes to place.