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Jakarta, Indonesia
a sucker for city lights.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Aku dan Transportasi Umum; A Complicated Relationship

iya, walau single, tapi gue juga punya hubungan yang kompliketit (baca : complicated)

yaitu antara gue dan transportasi umum.

hukum rimba

Sebagai native Bekasians, gue sudah terbiasa menempuk jarak jauh tiap harinya. Ya gimana enggak, rumah selalu di Bekasi, tapi SD gue di Menteng, SMP - SMA di Salemba (dan US #pamer), plus kuliah di Depok. Jadi dari kelas 1 SD pun gue udah biasa untuk bangun dan berangkat pagi buta, yang kebawa sampe sekarang. Gue sendiri mengklasifikasikan diri gue sebagai nurtured morning person, alias morning person karena keadaan. I meaaaan....bukankah kasur terasa paling nikmat di pagi hari sebelum harus bangun? Dan betapa nikmatnya ketika lo bisa leha-leha lebih lama karena jarak rumah dan sekolah lo gak lebih dari 20 kilometer.

Berhubung bokap dan nyokap gue dua-duanya bekerja, dari SD gue sudah mulai dibiasakan buat pulang sendiri walaupun jarak Jakarta - Bekasi lumayan banget. Tapii ya pelan-pelan. Gue biasanya mampir dulu ke rumah uwak gue di Menteng yang bisa jalan kaki dari sekolah bareng kakak gue, kemudian sorenya baru dijemput dan kami pun kembali ke rumah. Pas udah agak gedean kelas 5-6, kita coba rute lain yaitu naik angkot 58 dari UKI sampe deket rumah dilanjut ojek. Ke UKI nya tentunya sama bokap. Sempet sih beberapa kali bokap ngajarin naik metromini dan bus ke UKI nya, tapi entah seinget gue ngga pernah terealisasikan karena gue selalu ngeri jatoh kalo naik metromini gitu, ya namanya anak esde. 

Pas udah SMP, kebetulan rutenya enak sekali yaitu tinggal naik angkot dari seberang sekolah persis, dua kali disambung ojek taraa sampe deh di rumah. Jadi lah gue anak angkot dari SMP sampe SMA (secara SMA gue didepan SMP gue persis). Lewat angkot ini lah gue banyak pengalaman, mulai dari yang serem, lucu, traumatis, dan yang lain-lain. Rute angkot gue ini menyusuri Kalimalang, jadi gue akrab banget sebenernya sama kawasan Kalimalang. Makanya sekarang pas Kalimalang lagi dirombak abis-abisan gue rada sedih gimana gitu haha a piece of my life will be changed, completely changed. Rute pulang gue kadang ganti, kalo lagi biasa-biasa aja ya angkot lanjut ojek, kalo lagi hemat angkot lanjut angkot lagi (jadi 3x angkot) pernah juga 4x angkot kalo males jalan jauh. Pernah juga naik bus AC63 lanjut angkot, tapi mahal dan luama. Pernah juga nebeng temen sedaerah (haaiii Dewi &Jene!) ahaha nebengnya gatau diri tapi hampir tiap hari, maafkan yah T.T 

Kayaknya sepanjang perjalanan gue commuting tiap hari, paling enak cuma pas gue kelas 3 SMA dimana bokap gue udah pensiun jadi gue bisa dijemput tiap hari (walaupun kemudian gue disuruh bawa mobilnya buat ngelancarin nyetir). Sebelum itu gue berkawan sama angkot, ojek, kadang bus, dan transjakarta. Jaman dulu belom sering ada berita serem kayak perkosaan di angkot gitu-gitu, jadi gue dulu lumayan selo naik angkot jam 9 sekalipun. Paling banter tuh cerita maling (dimana gue juga pernah dimalingin T.T)

Pas kuliah, semester awal gue masih optimis karena baru lancar nyetir jadi bawalah si Vanilla ngampus. Eh terus akibat gue kecapean rapat ampe malem trus pagi berangkat kuliah, drop lah gue kena combo DBD & typhus sekaligus. Itu pun gue sampe rada trauma nyetir karena pas sebelum completely drop gue nyetir balik dari Depok itu penuh perjuangan banget dengan kepala keliyengan dan badan gemeteran. Semester selanjutnya, karena gue ikut salah satu kepanitiaan heboh di kampus jadi lah gue unjuk rasa minta ngekos. Dikabulkan untungnya, dan menikmatilah gue kehidupan ngekos yang asik-asik anyep. Asik karena literally bisa bangun jam 8 (padahal kelas jam 8) dan tetep bisa masuk kelas. Asik bisa nginep nginep lucu di kosan temen. Asik banyak waktu bobok siang. Tapi anyepnya, harus rajin nyapu ngepel dan nguras kamar mandi kalo pengen hidup layak. Harus nenteng laundry ampe 4kg kalo pengen kuliah dengan komposisi baju yang baik dan benar. Harus tahan godaan jajan cilok, dimsum dan Owol kalo pengen akhir minggu ga makan nasi sama tahu doang di warteg. 

Setelah gue lelah dengan kehidupan nguras kamar mandi, gue pun memutuskan untuk commuting lagi, kali ini naik commuter line. Ini juga super enak sih, murah banget, kereta pun udah enak, trus gue dianter dan dijemput dari stasiun. Cuman negatifnya gak bisa balik terlalu malem-malem banget which is fine karena gue juga udah mulai menua gak kuat maen malem-malem #jompo

Nah sekarang di saat gue sudah memasuki usia kerja, kantor gue berlokasi lumayan jauh dari rumah, di kawasan ring 2 Senayan #ea. Dan kurang lebih sebulan awal itu gue struggling dengan transportasi umum, makanya gue terinspirasi untuk nulis entry satu ini.

Di beberapa bulan pertama kerja, gue mencoba naik transjakarta disambung angkot. Cukup lumayan, tapi gue harus bangun pagi karena nebeng bokap sampai halte BNN, trus gue harus naik angkot dan jalan ngelewatin pasar basah. Agak garing memang hari pertama gue kerja yang udah cakep (ga deng) trus gue ngelewatin deretan bak sampah, tukang sayur mayur, dan.... los daging dan ayam. Heee. Alhasil sampe kantor udah awut-awutan lagi.

Berhubung gue datengnya pagi pas pake rute transjakarta + angkot ini, gue pun memilih pulang agak sore. Nah, kala itu gue masih polos dan memilih naik transjakarta lagi. Bad choice. Slipi Petamburan - BNN Cawang.... 3,5 jam sendiri. A-LIG. Itu pun gue masih harus 1 jam lagi baru sampe rumah. Tevvas.

Kemudian gue mulailah mengeksplor kemungkinan lain. Naik kereta memang gue coret dari awal karena males mesti transit-transit. Cobalah gue naik transjakarta lagi tapi rutenya dari St. Palmerah - Tosari ICBC baru naik yang ke Bekasi Barat. Murah banget bok, cuma 3500 sampe Bekasi dan most likely bakal dapet duduk. Gue pun memilih pulang sore naik ini.

Tapi tentu ada tapinya...

Rute ini MAKAN WAKTU. Banget. Dari Palmerah ke Tosari paling cepet itu 30 menit, paling lama bisa 45 menit - 1 jam. Padahal gitu doang rutenya, buset dah. Itupun sampe Tosari, gue masih harus ngantri desek-desekan menunggu bus datang dan pas dateng harus Hunger Games dulu baru dapet duduk. Dan setelah duduk manis, barulah bus menempuh jalan pulang hampir 2,5 jam *disclaimer : Ini gue naik di rush hour memang, biasanya kedapetan bus transjakarta yang jam setengah 6/jam 6. Pegel banget bo. Mana kursinya not exactly empuk ya kan. Gue pernah terjebak selama LIMA JAM naik Transjakarta dari Tosari sampe Bekasi. Literally gue naik jam 5, pas turun di Bekasi udah setengah sepuluh. Itu segala model duduk udah gue cobain, hiburan mulai dari main hape sampe cekakakan sendiri ngeliatin pegangan tangan. Dari pake cardigan, cardigan dilipet, cardigan dipake lagi, copot lagi, masukin tas, keluarin lagi, dipake lagi, sampe dilipet lagi. Puyeng.

Gue masih belum menyerah mencari rute yang paling enak dan nyaman. Ini penting banget sih karena gue gampang banget moody sama kejadian di perjalanan, yang mana gue ogah dong ngantor dengan bete atau sampe rumah bete. Suatu hari di bulan Ramadhan, setelah bukber di kantor pusat, gue memutuskan ngegojek sampe Semanggi trus liat ntar naik apa. Kala itu gue menemukan lah feeder Transgalaxi yang pernah diceritain temen gue, dan naik lah. Penuh sih dan gue berdiri, tapi bok supirnya lincah bak ninja, kurang dari sejam kemudian gue udah mendarat di Bekasi. Luar biasa. Sejak saat itu gue terpesona #gakdeng kalo sebenernya perjalanan pergi dan pulang gue bisa kok gak menyiksa. Dan akhirnya disitulah hati gue bertambat. Duo maut Transgalaxi (or any other feeder to Bekasi Barat, really) plus Go-Jek dengan fitur andalan kesayanganku, Go-Pay jadilah kehidupan commuter gue extra nyaman dan cepat. Harganya memang lebih mahal tapi worthed dengan mood gue yang selalu oke, gue gak perlu bangun pagi buta, dan bisa istirahat pula di atas busnya.

Coba ya gue rangkum pilihan transportasi ke Bekasi (asumsi dari Jakarta Pusat/Jakarta Selatan) yang telah gue jajal :

TRANSJAKARTA
Pro : Murah, relatif nyaman, merasa bangga turut berkontribusi mengurangi kemacetan #serius
Cons : L A M A

BUS KOTA (MAYASARI BAKTI 05)
Pro : Relatif cepet, paling murah dibanding bus sejenis (feeder), lumayan banyak armadanya.
Cons : Kursi dan busnya kurang nyaman, plus hiburan di dalemnya suka bikin sakit kuping (baca: pengamen)

FEEDER : TRANS KEMANG
Pro : Nyaman, literally gue hampir selalu bobok kalo naik ini. Armadanya cukup banyak.
Cons : Harga lumayan mahal, aislenya agak sempit, agak lelet (soalnya busnya gede jd ngangon penumpang mulu) plus dia gak sampe Galaxi (yaeyalah)

FEEDER : TRANS SUMMARECON
Pro : Nyaman pewe banget, aislenya luas, AC dingin, playlistnya okeh, cepet karena abangnya kayaknya ga doyan ngetem. Sering kosong juga
Cons : Mahal (paling mahal dibanding feeder lain), ga nyampe Galaxi (YAEYALAH). Pilihan gue kalo lagi mau pulang cepet nyaman tanpa saingan.

FEEDER : TRANS GALAXI
Pro : Sampe Galaxi alias hanya 3 menit saja dari rumah w, armada pagi lumayan banyak. Aislenya ga gede tapi ga sesempit Transkemang. Harga paling murah dibanding Feeder lain. Lumayan cepet karena busnya kecil dan abang supirnya alig semua. Dia juga yang masih ada sampe malem.
Cons : Armada busnya BAPUK. Yang bagus sepanjang percobaan gue cuma 2 atau 3 sisanya baaapuk. Kursinya udah goyang goyang diganjel aneka macam, ada yang AC nya ga dingin, atau bocor. Ada yang pintunya ga rapet jadinya kalo ujan lo duduk deket pintu ya udah basah (gue pernah dan jadinya gue payungan dalam bus #truestory). Trus itu, abangnya gokil. Dari beberapa bulan terakhir udah 2 - 3 kali gue naik trus busnya kecelakaan mulai dari ngebaret mobil, mecahin kaca transjakarta, sampe yang beneran tabrakan ampe ringsek. Herannya semuanya selesai begitu aja, paling berhenti 10 menit trus dengan muka lempeng jalan lagi. Kenek dan supir lempeng, penumpang juga lempeng. I was like wut.... tapi lama-lama biasa, mungkin emang udah kebal karena keseringan (?)

Yaa pokoknya begitulah perjalanan gue mencari rute commuting paling enak. I finally found my perfect commuting route. It is tiring indeed having to commute back and forth every day but oh well we all got to strive a bit in life right? ;)


Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Converted

If you've known me for a long time, since I was young I always have the tendency to go "West", and by "West" I mean I tend to gravitate towards Western pop culture rather than Asian pop culture. To be more specific, I lean towards American and Hollywood pop culture rather than British pop culture for example. I've always been more into American TV series rather than anime, J-Dorama or K-Drama, American music over local and Japanese/Korean music. I like translated novels from American writers rather than our local writer. I don't really know why but I guess I've always had that tendency. 

I don't have prejudice against local or Asian pop culture, I think it's because I kinda "get trapped" in the cycle of liking American pop culture. Starting from liking the series, then I read the novels they based the series on. When I start to like the actress/actors, I'll listen to the their song (if they happen to be singer as well, like, uhm, I used to have Hannah Montana's song in my MP3 player), then I follow their life via internet or magazine. I remember there were times that I check PerezHilton.com and JustJared.com on daily basis to check on celebrity's latest gossip (I must've had a lot of free time back then, lol). I was obsessed with Meg Cabot's writings, starting from The Princess Diaries to other series. In 8th and 9th grade I started watching American TV series like The O.C and Gossip Girl ( Dira would remember this, because I kinda started watching them because of her :P ). Now when I think about it, those series are absolutely inappropriate for kids my age lol due to the adult content in them *ceritanya udah gede jadi sensitif sama konten yang tidak baik untuk anak-anak dibawah umur*

I think that's how it began. I never really thought that's a problem (well, now I don't think it's a problem or anything, but back then it was kinda a big deal) until when I started preparing to go on my exchange student program. I was ashamed that I'm more into American culture than my own culture. I don't speak any native language other than Bahasa Indonesia, my knowledge on Indonesian culture is very basic too. I told my host Mom about this, but then she reassured me that it's okay to like other culture, it's not like I betrayed my country or anything, which actually gave me a huge relief that it is okay.

So as I progressed to high school, I found out that Korean pop culture is actually getting really huge in Indonesia. I've never paid much attention to them though, back then and until quite recently ( one or two years ago) I always thought that all male Korean star are rather pretty than handsome, and I'm not attracted to "pretty boy". In addition, I have zero knowledge of the language so I'm not attracted at all to the whole Korean wave. I also have this kind of fear, seeing that so many of friends got sucked into the Korean wave (or Hallyu) and they all went all out, like, spending so much money watching concert, obsessively loving a certain drama, buying pre-order albums and merchandises, sleeping in the concert venue a day before. I'm scared that I'll turn "crazy" like them, so that just add to my list of "why I never even try to like Korean pop culture"

Then one day, still during high school, I kinda gave in and asked Dira if I could watch the Korean version of Meteor Garden (which is the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori Dango) titled Boys Over Flowers, simply because I already know the storyline. It's a long one, 24 episodes of 1 hour each, very cheesy story too - a rich, son of chaebol, pretty boy got tamed by a energetic and optimistic poor girl)...and I fell head over heels in love with the series. Darn it! It's just so good; it makes me laugh, makes me cry (never happens with Western drama) makes me feel. It was my ultimate guilty pleasure. My prejudice of all Korean boy being "just pretty boy" starting to change; but by just a tiny little bit. I refused to watch other series after this, because I'm scared that I'll be addicted to Korean Drama. 

In college, since I am a big fan of Lee Min Ho (the main lead in Boys Over Flowers, God look at his long legs *drools*) about a year and a half ago, I started looking into his other works such as Personal Taste, City Hunter, and The Heirs. And again, I fell in love. Not only for him, but for K-Drama as a whole.

ini lho si abang lagi ngopi

And from there, I started watching other KDrama, starting from the more popular one. It's Okay, That's Love hands down is one of the greatest I've watched so far. So good, so many feelings. Prepare a towel or tons of tissues if you're planning to watch this. Damn! Healer is a good one too, satisfying story line and casts. Marriage, Not Dating is such a cliche story, almost FTV-like kinda, but well executed and managed to dig deeper than just the gimmicky dynamics between the main lead. It's also really funny. Let's Eat! 1 and 2 amazed me. I mean, how, just how do you make food the center of a drama? But they did and they did it well, simple story with lots of great shoots of food. Just recently I started watching the Reply franchise, they are Reply 1997, Reply 1994, and Reply 1988. And I kid you not. One of the greatest, ever, drama I've ever ever watched. They are franchise but have different casts and stories for each series. These series are just amazing. I can go on and on about how great they are but you need to watch it to understand. If you're a sucker for a coming-of-age type of stories like I do, you need to watch them. I guarantee you'll laugh and cry and your faith in humanity will be restored.

there's TONS of great lines; very quotable!

I'm trying to make sense of what makes KDrama so good and so addictive, and it comes down to these :

1. Most of them (well at least the kind that I watch) are only 16 to 23 episodes long.
It's great because you get to move on after you watch one (or, heartbroken because it's ended) but the stories are complete. Unlike Western drama that keep running for more seasons in which the quality is not always up to the standard it used to be and then they canceled the show. What a bummer. No need to worry about that with KDrama, most of the time you are guaranteed a closure.

2. Well written (and well executed) storyline
Maybe because it has already been decided on the number of episodes. But most of the series I've watched have amazing storyline that it stunned me like how did humanity get to this point that we're able to produce such good show? I also love how they always pay attention to simple details that later will be revealed that it actually symbolizes something. KDrama makes such a good material for a discourse analysis. Like in Let's Eat 2, who would've thought that the Roomba we've seen over and over can be turned into something so symbolic and meaningful.

3. The music
Yassss the music. They know how to incorporate good music in the drama. Let me tell you, there's a lot of flashback scenes with mellow music in KDrama. Like in almost every single series I watch ed have that kind of scenes. Sounds...cheesy right? Trust me, cheesy will be the last thing you'll think of when you actually get to watch them in the series because you will be busy wiping your own tears. Even when you don't understand what the song is about (99% of the time I have no idea) you just get it. And when you understand what the song is about you'll cry harder.

4. The proximity
I'm not sure if it's true, but being Asian, I think we do have a lot in common with Koreans. In series that feature "normal" life (like Reply series) I find that a lot of things could be easily found here in our daily life. The dynamic relation between parents and sons/daughters, the friendship style, the daily struggles , are something that I think most people here have experienced as well.

5. The cast
Korean actors and actresses in general are always good looking. The fashion are not bad too! Also, I noticed that somehow they make the actors and actresses prettier by each episodes, that by the end of the finale you'll ask yourself why did it take you so long to realize how amazingly good looking they are. You're probably going to fall in love with them too.

Still not buying how great KDramas are?

Try to watch the latest' KDrama obsession : Descendants of the Sun. It's so good that the Chinese gov actually released a warning of its "dangers".

Well, I have to admit that I'm a convert  to Korean wave. I gave in and I have no regrets.

did I mention that they have such a great sense of humor?

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Beauty Thoughts : Gizi Super Cream

Halo!

Today I'm going to talk about.... jeng jeng jeng

GIZI SUPER CREAM!

Does anybody know this brand? Gizi Super Cream apparently is an old favorite in Indonesia. I've only heard about this product quite recently though through Kak Vani Sagita 's blog (lookie here) but she wrote about the product in the jar packaging. I have been intrigued to try the product ever since, because she gave great review on it, but never really got to actually try. Besides back then it's quite hard for me to get my hand on the product. 

A couple months ago, I was reached by Female Daily and was offered to try their new products! There's one more product which is the Daily Natural Lightening Foam Cleanser, which I love, but I've used it up to the last bit, so it's not photogenic enough to be featured here :P

Gizi Daily Nutrition Cream SPF 18 - Gizi Daily Nutrition Cream
I got them all in the new tube packaging which is way more convenient in my opinion than the jar. They come in separate boxes, and the boxes are quite sturdy! The packaging is neat and clean that I think people dig lately, it gives the modern vibe. For the cream they're pretty much the same product except for the SPF in it.

Daily Nutrition Cream
Krim pelembab wajah dengan tekstur yang sangat lembut dan ringan yang terbuat dari 7 bahan Herbal Indonesia. Dengan teknologi nano, krim lebih cepat meresap ke dalam kulit sehingga lebih efektif dalam memberi nutrisi, membantu melembabkan lebih lama, menghaluskan, mencerahkan kulit dan melindungi kulit dari efek buruk sinar UV.
Daily Nutrition Cream SPF 18
Krim pelembab wajah yang dibuat dari 7 bahan herbal Indonesia yang disempurnakan dengan SPF 18 untuk memberikan perlindungan maksimal terhadap sinar matahari (UV).

The texture of these two are pretty similar, but I feel that the non SPF one is thinner and easier for the skin to absorb. They have quite a heavy scent to them, but I happen to find the scent really nice, it's quite sweet yet still fresh. I like using the non SPF one as alternative for my night cream, but make sure your face is ready for a cream product like this (meaning toned them properly) because I found that if I just slab it on my skin it's not absorbing fast enough. Once it's absorbed, my skin feels soft and leaves no greasy residue at all. In the morning, my skin feels supple and refreshed as if it just fed on a nutritional meal :D *pun intended*


Meanwhile, for the SPF one I don't use it as my day cream because I personally never use day cream; all I use daily are  light moisturizer and sun block. I also think that the SPF of 18 is not quite enough for daily use (I use SPF 50 for daily). But I use this when I'm at home where I don't get much exposure to the sun. I also like using it on my arms or anywhere in my body where I have scars or insect's bite! It really works; it soothes the skin and helps fading the mark like magic.

So all in all I think Gizi products are great and worth to try! And now they can be found like anywhere, Even there's a store 5 minutes away from my home that sells these. 

Find more about Gizi products here 

Bye for now! <3 p="">



Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Beauty Thoughts : Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage to Reflect Shimmer Palette : Hollywood Boulevard

JLo!
ini lho Mbak JLo~ Highlighter on fleek~
So, here I am back with another make up review! This time I'm going to share my thoughts on Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage to Reflect Shimmer Palette in the shade Hollywood Boulevard.

*gosh, what a mouthful of a name *wipes sweat**

The first time I found out about this highlighter was through Kathleen Lights 's youtube channel. She raved about the highlighter being so pretty yet so cheap since it's from our favorite affordable drugstore brand, Wet n Wild! And I was sold! So I ordered one and mine came around December last year. And it's true; this highlighter is da bomb!

I don't have many experience with highlighter; in fact most of my highlighter came as a part of a face palette I own. The highlight shade in Sleek Face Form - Light is great, creamy with a pretty sheen and the shimmer is even and pretty. But I let the palette go because the contour shade is way too red for me. The Champagne Pink highlighter in my Tarte Showstopper Clay Palette is a bit stiff and in my opinion, does not go well with other items in the palette because it has cool, almost icy undertone while the overall vibe of the palette itself is very warm. The highlighter in The Balm Auto Balm in California is nice and pretty but does not give a high impact, it is very natural though for daily use. I wouldn't call my Guerlain Météorites highlighter though because I use it as finishing powder. The one in my Australis Contour Kit is very cool and very white, so I avoid using it.

Let's take a closer look, shall we?


Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette's perfectly coordinated baked trio delivers high pigment in a wet or dry formula for a glowing, extra-reflective finish. Big girls don't shy away from a little sparkle!
Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette:
  • Perfectly coordinated baked trio
  • Delivers high pigment in a wet or dry formula
  • For a glowing, extra-reflective finish

The product came in a large plastic packaging that is quite light. The size is humongous, it's almost as big as my whole palm. I think I'm set for life with this highlighter lol. The transparent case makes it easy to look for and I quite like having it displayed on my vanity, because it's really beautiful! The baked gold highlighter with swirls of pink and brown is very very pigmented. It's a bit stiff, not creamy or anything but the pigments are picking up extremely nicely. There are many fall outs on the palette, but nothing that a light swipe wouldn't fix.

the palette
 When swatched, it turned out to be a really nice golden highlight with neutral undertone; it's not a warm gold nor a cool gold, just a nice neutral gold that is very flattering on many skin tones. It's like champagne color but it has touch of brown in it. When you put it on the face though it will capture the light and it seems more golden. If you're feeling more pinky highlight you can try to dip only to the pink and the brown part and you'll get a soft pink highlight that is also very pretty.

the swatch
I usually apply this highlighter using my Real Technique's fan brush or setting brush, although I prefer using fan brush because it picks up just the right amount of product.

How about longevity?

sorry for the hostile expression
The longevity is awesome. In the above picture I have been wearing the highlighter for more than 9 hours and even when I got home about 3 hours later the highlight was still there. It's so good! But I should elaborate that I was wearing the highlighter on top of a full base makeup and I set it with my trustee MAC Fix+. 

You can find this palette in drugstore websites, I wonder though why they don't have it up the official Wet n Wild website. Is it LE? I don't know. I think this highlighter is definitely a great purchase and you won't regret having this (the amount of product you get is maaaad, for the price)

I'm giving this a solid rate of 4.85 out of 5.00.
Yay for quality, price, pigmentation, amount of product, amazing longevity
Nay for not very sturdy packaging, kicks out a lot of fall outs, only available online

I've also reviewed this on Female Daily Beauty Review Platform! Check em out here

C ya!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Beauty Thoughts : Missha M Magic Cushion x Wonder Woman Edition

Yellow!

As I am currently in-between jobs (baca: pengangguran friksional), I'm thinking of updating this blog more often with beauty reviews and other posts. I have some other posts coming so if anybody is reading, make sure you check the next posts! I would love to get feedback as well about my writings and my review should there be any critics or improvements you'd like to see.

Today's post is a review of the MISSHA M MAGIC CUSHION : Wonder Woman Edition in the shade #23. It's my first cushion product as you know that this type of product is all the hype now in Western cosmetics. As far as I know, Asian brands have had this for a while now while brands such as Lancome, Physician's Formula, Philosophy, and L'Oreal just started releasing their version of cushion product. Mostly are cushion foundation but I know that Philosophy have a cushion blush and there's also a cushion bronzer from L'Oreal. Korean brands like Missha, Tony Moly, A'pieu, and Beyond have collaborated with companies to release Limited Edition cushions that feature animation character like Mighty Atom, Alice in Wonderland, Doraemon, Brown, and of course,Wonder Woman.

Mine is in the shade #23

I bought this product through Pre-Order last year just before Black Friday. There are actually two version of this cushion. The other one is in blue packaging with the name Missha Magic Moisture Cushion, since it claims to be more moisturizing. When I bought it I wasn't aware of that though, I chose the Red one just because I thought it's cuter :P I don't regret it though, since I've heard that Korean brand cushions tend to dry down into dewy finish and can be a little sticky on the skin. So the Red one it is!

 The product came in a box with the same design. The cushion material itself is quite sturdy yet still lightweight enough to carry in your pouch. The size is quite bulky, almost 1/3 bigger than my MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation. But I suspect that most cushion product is bulky like that since it has the cushion-sponge thing and then a lid to keep it from drying, then on top of that is the sponge applicator. I chose the shade #23 because it only has two shade selection(!) and it's the darkest one. Thankfully it suits my NC 25, neutral undertone skin pretty well. The foundation has this perfume-y foundation scent, but I don't mind actually.


The shade #23 is not too pink and it has a good amount of yellow in it. The texture of the product itself is quite runny when you push your finger into the cushion. I've heard that the best way to apply this product is with the sponge applicator provided and I agree. It gives a more even finish and it's convenient! I use it with tapping motion, pressing it into my skin instead of wiping it across my skin. Be careful not to put too much product on the sponge because you will end up with a semi- sticky feel afterwards, which happened to me in my first few times using this.

The coverage is sheer to medium, but I personally like it for daily use. The finish itself is dewy, but not overly dewy, just enough dewyness that make your skin looks alive. If you wear glasses like I do, I recommend setting the product with a little bit of powder in the area where your glasses touch your face because mine transferred to my glasses. I currently have dry skin and it does cling to your dry patch, so make sure you moisturize your face properly beforehand to get a flawless finish. 

can you see the dewyness? It's so hard to capture, my apology >.<

This cushion is my go-to make up for most mornings, because it's just so easy, fast, and convenient and I love the dewy finish it gives! It stays on the skin pretty well too, but if you have oily skin prepare to blot throughout the day. It certainly makes me curious to try other cushion product. It's also refillable!

So all in all, I'm giving this a rate of 4.5/5.00
Yay for the cute packaging, the finish, the price
Nay for the scent and the limited shade selection


TTYL, beauties!



Thursday, February 11, 2016

Saya (Insya Allah) Bukan Sarjana Abal-Abal

This particular post is made as a response to this article 

The article has some really good points, which I agree with. Some of which are :

a. TVOne should not frame the news in the demeaning way, making fun of the lady who was interviewed after the commencement ceremony. There are some components that the writer has pointed out, such as the clown-esque music as background, the reporter's tone while talking to the lady, and so on. It sure is not focusing on the real problem here : a shady foundation held a commencement ceremony with no proof that such learning activity actually happened. Bias in classes? Uhm, I'm not sure. I don't think the reporter was thinking about her being in lower SES class, I think the reporter just thought the confused lady's interview would be a hilarious highlight news and could possibly gone viral, which it did. 

b. Indonesia's higher education system is not fair, it sure is. I believe that the government should put all their best effort to make education affordable and accessible to everyone. Everyone should have equal opportunity to get the best education (whoa, socialist me, calm down) possible. But I realize making it happened is not as easy as turning the palm of your hand. Even the mighty United States of America struggles with this issue for ages.

So, for some points, I agree with the writer. What I don't agree to, and I actually feel offended with (yeah call me baper, I am baper like that) the title " Sarjana Abal-Abal? Memangnya Anda Bukan?"

I am not graduated (yet), but hopefully soon to be. And I will say out loud, HELL NO I'M NOT SARJANA ABAL-ABAL. And I know many people who certainly are not sarjana abal-abal. Truth be told? The so called sarjana abal-abal, which he inferred as those who doesn't really learn anything in college, those who ask their friends to tick their attendance in class, those who goes to college only to satisfy the parents and the family, and those who's after the degree rather than the knowledge in their respective field. Let me break this up for you.

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God, I remember writing this but I could not, for the life of me, remember the rest of the argument! I really need to finish what I write like, asap, before it's gone~ or I need to actually plan an outline to write so it doesn't end up like this. Garing abis, lagi hot-hotnya mau berargumen trus ga selesai postingnya :D

Anyway, it's February 11th meaning that it has been 5 days since my graduation ceremony. It also means that I have been a frictional unemployed (geez not sure about the words of choice). It has been dull and boring, but hey, I'll try to fill up these days with writing more here on my blog.

Back to topic. Sarjana Abal-Abal. I still reject that term and I will gladly say that I am not a sarjana abal-abal. (Note : the writer may define me as the proud member of "kelas menengah ngehe dengan mentalitas holier than thou" , well I'm fine with that). The reason?

Because I earn my Bachelor's degree. And I love every second of my struggle to get it.

(Well, I lie. There are some yucky moment of college too, but that only makes the fun part even more fun!).

I will start by saying that I am extremely blessed and super grateful that I got to learn the subjects of my choice, which is something that I love. I have been fascinated with media for as long as I can remember so communication studies was exactly what I wanted to learn in college in the first place. Alhamdulillah I got accepted to really great university with lots of amazing and super cool lecturers *drools* whom I can have interesting conversation with.

Never in my life I imagine that I would be able to analyze my favorite Netflix series for final assignment ( and my lecturer happens to like the series as well!). I wrote paper on Indonesia Lawak Club and D'Academy (yes that one in Indosiar). I even analyze the social media Path using Jacques Lacan's concept :'D. I learn so frickin much! My friends from Media Studies concentration are also really cool like we could talk about everything and discuss it from many different perspectives. We played dress-up (or dress down? not sure) for a class, we held a movie screening and discussion for final project, and many more memories from my college days. Sure, other parts of college are also fun. Joining various organization and events, but I actually really really like my learning process in Departemen Ilmu Komunikasi, FISIP UI.

I was not, in any way, a perfect student. I had my ups and downs. There were days when I started writing term paper two weeks early and spent time perfecting the whole assignment, but also there were days when I started writing 6 hours before deadline. I had my days when I came too early to class, but I also had been in a situation when I was almost one hour late to a class. There are lecturers I absolutely love and look up to, there are some that I really dislike and avoid *guess we all do that*

If a reporter asked me what's my favorite course, I really can't answer. Because I think every course is so different and so special *insert Barney's song* that I can't just pick a favorite. I think that's what happens when you really like the course you're studying.

My writing process for undergrad thesis was also a mess. I've spent days when I avoided the laptop so much I won't even turn it on, and there were times when I was up for more than 24 hours because my mind was on fire *also, dikejar deadline*  All those sleep-deprived moments, whining and curling into fetal position staring into blank space thinking about thesis, the thesis defense, the documents yang seabrek-abrek ribet benar, menatap nanar pada layar hp menunggu respon dosen-dosen...those were priceless. The day I finally got to wear my graduation gown and marched clumsily (because I was in kebaya and heels) to Balairung with my parents were worth all that.

All those struggles and then someone *kinda* accused you as a sarjana abal-abal? Hell no I'm not! I can very well see that some people who read this might think "yaelah kalo bukan ya ngapain sewot, kesindir yak?" Nggak, gue gak kesindir. I'm writing this to channel my inner baper self aja kok :)

Regards,
Nadia Shifa, S.Sos.

I *might* write again regarding to the "kerja nggak sesuai sama jurusan" comments. I might, I might. We'll see.

bonus pap wisuda