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?

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="">

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!

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

Psst, check out my review as well on FemaleDaily Beauty Review Platform!

TTYL, beauties!