Pink and Undecided: fragrance

Scent-O-Logy 05 : Althea X Titi Kamal Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist (SPONSORED)

Hey guys!

I hope y'all not bored of my Althea Exclusive reviews yet, because i have plenty more coming your way!

For today it's Althea's very first scent-related product and also their very first celebrity collaboration : Althea X Titi Kamal Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist ^^.

Althea X Titi Kamal
Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist

If you know me in real life you know i cannot leave my house without dousing myself with some nice scent, i loveeee fragrances - body mist, body spray, perfume, eau de toilette... You name it, i have it. In fact, i am so obsessed with fragrances i have a whole cupboard dedicated for my collection of fragrances - and it's overflowing. So yes, naturally i am excited when i heard about this product!

Althea X Titi Kamal Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist

Now, if you're Indonesian chances are you know who Titi Kamal is. She is a popular Indonesian actress and singer best known as one of Cinta's BFF in arguably one of the most famous Indonesian movie Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (which hits the theater when i was in university, so i know how crazy famous the movie was and how obsessed Indonesian youth with it back then haha), she is now a mom and wife of a famous Indonesian actor and continue to work in the industry - she is just a few years older than me and even though i don't follow Indonesian celebrities anymore, i know very well about her for sure.

As an Indonesian, i definitely feel pretty happy that Althea decided to do their very first celebrity collaboration with an Indonesian celebrity ^^

Titi Kamal

For this collaboration, Titi worked closely with Althea to create a beautiful fragrance that combined the femininity of floral and fruity scents.

The key notes are : Damask Rose Water (protects skin from dehydration and gives delicate fragrance), Orange flower extract (to freshen you senses) and Elder flower extract (cool and soothe skin while giving out feminine scent)

Ingredient List :

Alcohol, Water, Glycerin, Fragrance, Pentylene Glycol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Sambucus Nigra Flower Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Magnolia Liliflora Flower Extract, Plumeria Rubra Flower Extract, Lilium Tigrinum Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin

Althea X Titi Kamal
Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist - 100ml , IDR 127,000

Like all of Althea Exclusive products, it is made in Korea

The packaging is very simple, dominated with white and purplish pink color. The bottle is made of plastic with spray mechanism and the cap is transparent

To be completely honest with you, i am not the biggest fan of the packaging (i am Althea's biggest fan and all, but i am always gonna be brutally honest in my reviews ^^), it is simple and practical for a body mist (body mists only last a few hours so i do want to bring my body mist with me when i go out so i can easily refresh myself every few hours), light weight and travel friendly but the design is a bit too old fashioned for my liking. Don't get me wrong, i think it is in line with their vision and how the scent translates, it is just personally not my cup of tea. The scent is pretty mature and feminine so i get that they want a more feminine and mature look for the packaging as well (i guess i am the one that's always immature hahaha).

Scents are very very personal, other than personal preference, your unique body odor and body chemicals also have an effect on how a fragrance work on you - so i definitely won't say if it's a good or a bad fragrance, but i can share my feelings on it based on my personal taste. I am a very fruity fragrance kind of gal (my favorite perfumes are all from Anna Sui), i also love coconut and musks. Not a fan of floral or overly sweet scents, the only floral perfumes that i like are Kenzo Flower and rose fragrances, other than that i tend to avoid overly floral scents because they just don't agree with my nose haha.

Now, Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist combines both floral and fruity scent but at the first whiff, you get a very strong floral scent - which i already mentioned that i am not a fan of. I personally find the scent pretty nice, but honestly it is not exactly the type of scent that i would pick for myself. I don't mind using it at all, but i wouldn't be keen on getting another bottle if i run out of it. If you are a fan of feminine, mature, floral (with a hint of fruity) type of scent, then i think you would probably like it more than i do. I also think that IDR 127,000 is slightly too high for body mists, but then again it is a celebrity collaboration so i do get why the price tag is slightly higher.

I personally think that Stay Fresh Body Sparkling Mist is stronger in scent than most body mists but nothing over powering. I don't need to douse myself as much as i do with other body mists to feel satisfied (i only stop spraying when i can clearly smell it on myself *LOL*), weirdly Olin told me that she couldn't smell it on me - but i myself can smell it pretty strongly so it can be different from nose to nose.

Staying power is not bad, obviously not as strong as eau de toilette or eau de perfume, but it stays for a couple of hours (it would also disappear if i sweat or get too hot for a while). I feel like i need to spray more on myself after 2-3 hours. Oh yeah, i do like how the mist is very comfortable and light on the skin, even when i spray a LOT, it never dries out my skin or make my skin feels sticky.

All in all, i have mixed feelings about this product, i don't mind it but it's not something that i am crazy about. Like i said, my review is very honest and personal, it's 100% my opinion and experience - scents are highly personal so what i don't like is definitely someone else's favorite, and vice versa. So i wouldn't say that it's not worth trying, but for me personally, it's not something that i love.

So what about you? Have you tried this body mist? If not, is it something that you're interested to try out or not? As always, i would love to hear your thoughts on the comment box below!

And thank you Althea for letting me try out your exclusive products. I wuv you!

#Pink

11:08:00 PM
4 Comments

Scent-O-Logy 03 : Beyonce Midnight Heat

beyonce

Hellow ^^.

Geez, it's been EONS since the last time i reviewed a fragrance, and that's totally unacceptable if you count how many fragrances that i do have and how many i've bought since my last post :p. And to be honest with you, i have this post on draft forever, i dunno about you but sometimes some posts simply get stuck in my draft hahaha.

Anyway, today i'm going to review Midnight Heat by Beyonce!

How do you feel about celebrity perfumes? I personally LOVE them! They're a great alternative to super expensive designer perfumes-which not all of us can afford. Most of celebrity perfumes that i know cost significantly less (up to 50% cheaper in the right stores) than designer perfumes, lots of them smell great and they last pretty long too (in my personal experience, not as long as high end designer/luxury fragrances, but longer than generic perfumes for sure). And since there are so many of them now, we're spoilt for a choice. What's not to love?

My first introduction to celebrity perfumes was with Paris Hilton's (and since hers are so affordable, i built quite a collection >.<, they mostly also agree with my nose of course), in fact my wedding fragrance was Paris Hilton's Just Me-which sadly i no longer like -___-) and ever since, i bought more and more. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, even Justin Bieber's (dislike his music, have no patience for the person, but enjoy some of his perfumes). One that i never really give a thought of was Beyonce's, to be honest with you. I mean, i like Beyonce fine, but her image seems to be so sexy and fierce, i'm not sure that her interpretation of fragrances would agree with me..

Until my sis gave me one as a gift, that is. She actually got the gift set :

But in a true Asian style, i only got the perfume because the gift set was dissected and each product given away to different people hahahaha.

Since i simply couldn't get a nice enough picture to do the rather pretty bottle (that looks like a potion bottle to me) justice, here's a promotional photo i got from Mr. Google.

And here's my own, rather sad photo :

In my defense, the photos were taken so long ago, before i start getting better at product photography :p.

The 30ml bottle (available in 15ml, 30ml, 50ml and 100ml) is around my palm size and dominated by gradation of purple color, oozing sensuality and "heat" haha. At the neck of the bottle, on the silver band a word "Heat" is printed in one side and "Beyonce" on another.

The cap has "B" stamp on top.

Here's how Midnight Heat's individual packaging looks like :

According to the website :

Beyoncé Midnight Heat is a sexy, timeless fragrance that leaves a mystifying impression. The seductive scent combines the sensual side of Beyoncé with a blend of Dragonfruit, Starfruit and Armenian Plum.

Like i always said, i'm no good when it comes to describing scents (or colors) so i'll just say it as i smell it okay hahaha. When i first smell it (i was rather reluctant, but i was pleasantly surprised because i immediately liked it), my first impression is that it's a mature, sexy scent. It's very warm but not too cloying, strong but not choking. When worn, it gives me a sexy, confident feeling. It also feels very luxurious, expensive and elegant. I would mostly wear it at night, but i actually used it all day long when i travel and it wasn't out of place.

Again, for explanation of the notes, i am quoting from their website :

The fruity floral gourmand opens with juicy top notes of Dragonfruit, Starfruit and Armenian Plum. The heart is a vivid floral bouquet built upon the Purple Mokara Orchid, Queen of the Night Black Tulip and Purple Peony. Finally, the base seduces the senses with Warm Amber, Patchouli and Sandalwood.

The lasting power is rather good, i'd say it's one of the best one in comparison to my other celebrity perfumes (still doesn't last as long as my luxury designer perfumes, which can last up to 14 hours or so) and it stay pleasantly good for me for hours. Oh, silly me just realize-it's an EDP, that explains the rather good staying power!

Midnight Heat (and other Heat perfumes) is actually very affordable, price range locally starts from IDR 300.000 for the 30ml. I honestly enjoys Midnight Heat so much that i purchased Heat Rush (which i also like, but not as much as Midnight Heat, i will review it separately) while it was on promo at a local department store (bought it for IDR 300.000).

Midnight Heat is available in most local department stores and perfumes stores, also easily available online. But since there are so many fake perfumes out there, i honestly don't dare to make a suggestion on where to buy them online! But in case you're interested, maybe you can check out Lazada or Strawberrynet.com (i'm pretty sure Strawberrynet only sells original products, not so sure about Lazada though!)

I just googled to learn more about Heat because i originally i thought there are only three Heat variants available, but apparently there are more! According to the wikipedia, there are actually 6? I'm quite interested to sniff out the other variants especially the Wild Orchid and the Mrs. Carter World Show's because of their attractive bottles' colors hahaha.

I personally would recommend you to check out Midnight Heat if you're looking for a rather affordable (just get the 30ml one and it won't burn a hole on your pocket, but be warned that you'd run out of it very fast because i used probably a quarter of the bottle when i used it nonstop for a week!), sensual, strong, luxurious and mature scent that's not too sweet/cloying.

Not recommended for those who prefers lighter, fresher fragrance, like obviously hahaha.

I would probably never repurchase the same fragance ever, but seeing how much i like it (that i bought another variant) and how affordable they are, i am considering purchasing the other variants as soon as i can sniff the scent (that's what i do, i sniff it at stores and then hunt it online because the price's better. But like i said, there's always a chance of getting fakes, so try to purchase your fragrances at trusted shops/the ones with money back guarantee).

Do you ever use any of the Heat perfumes? How do you like them?

Alay

#Pink

9:52:00 PM
2 Comments

Scent-O-Logy 02 : Perfumies Solid Perfume Stick in Sex on the Peach

american brand

Hey guys!

Are you familiar with the brand Perfumies? I wasn't. I've never heard about them until i got one from (now no longer doing beauty boxes) BTI's very first beauty box. Ahh, reminiscence of only a year ago, when all beauty enthusiasts from all over Indonesia got their first taste of beauty boxes... The hopes, the anticipations... Only to be snuffed out in a short few months *LOL*. Anyway... It was good back then and i was pretty excited to experience my first ever solid perfume in stick form (i have Paris Hilton's solid perfume in a jar before, and added Tony Moly's Hello Bunny Perfume Bar in my collection ever since).

I got the "Sex on the Peach" variant and it was crush at the first sniff haha.

Photo taken from Perfumies' website

I totally forgot to take detailed pictures of my own stick (zzz. This was taken 10 months ago, when i was still less obsessed about taking pictures of every single beauty products that i have before using them hahaha) and now it's super ugly and not photogenic at all :p.

The product comes in a very slim, not super long (it's about the same length as my point finger) plastic tube that looks like a slim lipstick (you know, the long and slim shaped as opposed to the short and stubby ones) with wound up mechanism.

I didn't dare to wind it up longer than this because i had horrible experiences with wind up mechanisms, lip balms that refused to be wound back and all...

The material of the tube is light weight (read : kinda flimsy) plastic and the label is made from so-so quality sticker. It got rubbed and scuffed inside my make up pouch very fast, now it's really scruffy looking-the poor thing. The slim packaging housed a 0.07 oz product, not very much i think.

We were going for a family trip to JB and Singapore (i wrote some posts about the travel so you can just search the words Johor Bahru and Singapore on the search box if you want to read about it) so i thought "Hey, this little cutie couldn't come at a better time!". After all, this is how they describe their perfume sticks in their website :

Do you ever take your big bottle of perfume with you? To work, to school, to the gym, or on a plane? Probably not, because it is cumbersome, can break or spill in your bag, and TSA unapproved. Perfumies' solid perfume sticks solve all these problems...

Our perfume sticks are perfect for travel or to throw in your hand-bag. The slender and elegant tube allows you to dab deliciousness on your wrists, neck, or cleavage without sticky fingers or goo stuck under your nails. Perfect for fragrant touch-ups throughout the day!

You only need a dab, the tube will last you months. Put it in your change purse and you will never be caught smelling anything but pretty.

All natural. No parabens. No preservatives. Never tested on animals. We only use the good stuff.

Our original size stick offers 0.07 oz of solid perfume. Arrives with a tamper proof seal.

Now, before i tell you if my experience with it is as good as they made it sounds like in the website, let's talk about the important part first : the scent! The variant that i got, Sex on the Peach-is thankfully one that agrees with my nose (i am not very picky with fragrances but i do have my preference. Something sweet, fruity and girly!). Here's what they have to say about Sex on the Peach :

Sex on the Peach: The luscious fruitiness of sweet peach, pineapple chunks and orange slices blended with enchanting floral notes of honeysuckle, rose and jasmine on base notes of soft, soothing musk.

Ingredients: coconut oil, beeswax, fragrance

For my non-expert nose, the strongest scent that i smell i definitely peach. Like, really really strong, sweet peach scent!

So peachy!

Okay, so real peaches might not smell so sweet, so... maybe more like peach candy? Very sweet, refreshing and strongly tropical! It's a very girly, energetic, young and vibrant scent (i gotta say that the scent is pretty LOUD, so maybe not suitable for people who are into subtler scents). Since i'm errr... very young at heart, i feel like it totally suit my personality. While i prefer a softer, more feminine scent for night time (and muskier ones for my rare "feeling sexy" days), this is a perfect day time scent for me (not that i change my perfumes within one day...).

Oh, it's also very SUMMERY. I used not to pay attention to seasons (since we only have summer and rainy season in Indonesia), but now that i am addicted to dressing up and making up according to four countries' seasons, i prefer to wear this on a very summery days (which should be coming, but it's uncharacteristically cold and rainy lately in Surabaya).

Now onto their claims. I totally agree that their packaging is totally perfect for traveling, you won't have to worry about breaking or spilling your perfume , it's TSA approved, and it's tiny so you can slip it anywhere! I also love how you can just rub (they said dab, but i don't think dabbing works *LOL) it on your wrists and neck (or anywhere you usually put your perfumes on) without having to dip your finger into a jar. I am totally disgusting and not a germ phobe, but i hate my fingers smelling like my perfumes, not to mention if i forget to wash my hands afterwards and accidentally touch my lips. YUCK! Eating perfumes is definitely not something i like to do! The semi transparent white waxy stick also stayed in shape after our trip on a super HOT (sweltering, more like it) week in JB and Singapore.

As for the "you only need a dab", i don't buy it. I need to vigorously rub the stick to myself so i can actually smell it on me! Well, i do tend to be very heavy handed with my perfumes *not to a point that i make people dizzy with my perfume, don't worry!*, i just don't understand people like my mum who use two spritzes of perfume on her clothes (because her skin cannot take being in contact with perfumes) then go. I never even smell anything on her! What's the point of wearing them then?? People have to be able to smell my perfume (and more importantly, i have to smell it too) before i would stop dousing myself in them (or in this case, rubbing).

Staying power for this perfume stick is... Comparable to my only other perfume stick from Tony Moly, so i guess it is the staying power of most perfume sticks are like that? Around 3 hours. Then it began to fade and i had to re-apply. But while i wore my Tony Moly perfume stick in Europe during the start of spring (so mainly it was really COLD), i wore this Perfumies stick in JB/Spore during the peak of summer. It'd probably outlast Tony Moly's on the same circumstance.

I wore it for almost a month non stop (re-applying about two times a day) during our JB/SG/Jakarta/Bandung trip and there's still about 2 cm left on the stick. That would be good for another month, i guess? So their claim about the stick lasting for months? Yes, that's quite true. Even if you are a heavy user like me, it'd still last you for at least 2 months. For USD 7 (or around IDR 80.000 locally. I don't think there are a lot of seller for Perfumies locally but you can get them in BTI's website, it's on a 10% off now. If you're interested you should grab them soon because BTI tend to put products they're trying to clear off on sale then never re-stock them) that's not bad at all!

I love the fact that they are this smaller brand (that's the beauty of beauty boxes, isn't it? Getting to try brands you've never heard of before? At least in Indonesia it was that way too for a sweet little while *LOL*. Sorry i can't help myself, i feel very bitter when it comes to local beauty boxes) that feels more intimate and homey (the company was started by one woman-Sarah Jonson-through her Etsy shop!), also the fact that they use all natural ingredients and not tested on animals (i'm not gonna be all preachy, i use all kinds of brands and my fave drugstore brand is Maybelline *kinda notorious about animal testing, isn't it >.<*for goodness sake, but i always feel good whenever i see something that claims to be "not tested on animals).

I also really love their philosophy, their tagline "Smell pretty always" (as someone who's totally passionate about smelling good and really cannot stand BO *huekssss*, the tagline's totally catchy!) and the cheeky ways they named for their products (it couldn't get any cheekier than Sex on the Peach, couldn't it?). I also happen to like their product quite a lot!

I would highly recommend Perfumies solid perfume sticks to people who travel often (or just going to travel and want to bring smellies with them) and people who are always on the go (busy people who doesn't always have the time to freshen up), it's super convenient and easy to slip anywhere! And for this particular scent, for those who loves sweet, peachy, strong scents.

Not recommended for... i can't really think of any, except for maybe those who prefer normal liquidy perfume. But i also strongly prefer normal perfumes (they lasts longer and just feels a lot more satisfying to spray rather than rub them on haha) but there are times when i find this kind of solid perfumes comes in handy (especially on long haul flights and travel) so it's always good to have this as an option. And for this particular scent, not recommended for people who are not into fruity, candy, strong scents. And not for those who prefers more mature scents.

Will i repurchase this? Not for the exact same scent (because i don't really repeat perfumes so far, i always find new ones i wanna try) and like i said, i still prefer normal perfumes over the solid ones. But i always NEED new scents for my travels (i haven't smelt this perfume stick for a while and once i sniffed it again, i was thrown back to that summery vacation we took almost a year ago! Your nose definitely remembers more than your eyes!) and since i do plan to do a lot more long haul flights and travels in the future, i most definitely will get more solid perfumes and with this price, Perfumies would be my first choice!

Gosh, this review goes on and on, much longer than i intended to do! Hope you enjoyed it nontheless!

#Pink

4:04:00 PM
21 Comments

Scent-O-Logy 01 : Tony Moly Hello Bunny Perfume Bar in #3 Dodo Rose

fragrance

Hello, dearies!

Wah, i didn't expect to cause such a stir (and controversies) on my last post, after all it was just another unboxing hahaha. Anyway, let me make something clear (one more time) that i always write honestly (although i do try to point out all the positives that i can find even if i'm not exactly loving a brand/whatever, except when it's so so horrible that there's nothing positive i can dig out at all), i hope there's nobody out there that felt offended with my honesty (i can sense some hostility targeted towards me *LOL*), plus i can't help the way people reacted right?

I actually still have another box to review (BTI *LOL*, don't shake your head Shasha! It's free!) but i have no time to write today, tomorrow's Chinese New Year Eve and i need to finish all of the job (accounting. *Sigh* *bawl* *roll back and die*) i procrastinated all of these time before Chinese New Year rolls in *because you do not want to start the new year with debts, or unfinished jobs let it be your fate for the entire year :p*, so i decided to just post one of my drafted reviews instead..

I dunno why i'm attempting to review fragrances when i clearly sucks at describing smells *LOL*, but fragrances are such a big part of my life it'd feel wrong if i do not include them in my reviews! This is no ordinary liquidy perfume though, say hello to the super duper cute Tony Moly Hello Perfume Bar in #3 Dodo Rose.

Picture from Google

I almost said that this was my first ever solid perfume but then i remembered that i already owned one from Paris Hilton's perfume set i got as one of my dowries on my wedding haha. I almost never used it since i am not a solid perfume kind of gal >.<. But i needed one for my Europe Trip, and since i always use a new fragrance on any trip (let alone a very special one like that Europe one!!!) that i can use on the plane (you know, going showerless for about three days on total on the journey), i went out and hunt for it.

I am the kind of girl who always HAVE to wear fragrances whenever i'm going out. Even just running errands (but i'd use some body mists instead of perfumes)! I'd feel naked if i ever forget to wear one, and on one or two rare occasion that i did forget, i immediately sneaked in to TBS of something to spritz on some of their perfume testers so i'd be confident once again haha.

I remembered seeing the super duper cute bunny solid perfume from Tony Moly long before i even planned to go to Europe but since i prefer liquid fragrance, i never thought i'd buy it. Until the opportunity presented itself. I was very confused on which one from the line to buy.

I know the obvious choice was the pink one, but i honestly was drawn to none in particular because EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS SO CUTE!!!! I wanted them all >.<. Packaging wise i loved the pink, purple and mint green ones the best (for obvious reason)!

Photo from Google as well

Look at the mint green one with super adorable sad bunny face! AAAACCCCCKKK!!! Anyway... I went perfume hunting with my travel partner L at that time and i couldn't pick a worse partner because L HATES fragrances! So weird. I said this before, she tolerates bad smells better than perfumes. She often scolded me (and LL!) over and over again when she was pregnant (her intolerance of fragrances escalated tremendously during her pregnancies) because i wore perfumes! LOL.

Smell wise, i was drawn the most to the pink one #3 Dodo Rose and the mint green #5 Pompom Green Tea. I do not like green tea (in everything) normally, but i found Pompom to be very fresh smelling and energizing, however L said it smelt like wet wipes -____-. She didn't actually approve of the rose one either, but at least she didn't say it reminded her of wet wipes or anything equally bad!!!

My favorite floral scent is rose (i am not big on floral perfumes though) and i am easily suggested, so i cannot help myself but question if the Pompom one really smelt like wet wipes? And i was going to use it especially for a 14 days travel with L, i wouldn't want to be told over and over again that i smell of wet wipes! So, i picked Rose in the end..

The cute stick came in a clear mica box

Acccckkkk! Still can't get over how cute it is!

The stick's quite tiny, fits my palm perfectly. It contains 9 gr of solid perfume.

Once you remove the bunny head (eh, that sounds so wrong) you'd see another plastic lid covering the stick. I guess it's good to keep the germs away?

Twist the bottom (like stick deodorants? Heheh :p) to roll the solid perfume out

Like the name suggested, it smells of sweet and soft roses with a twist. Haih, told ya i'm horrible at describing fragrances, it's just that i think it smells a bit different than the usual rose-scented perfumes i also owned. I think this one's less musky (therefore less cloying) and has a refreshing tinge in it. I absolutely love it! And i heard no complains from L through out the trip even though we often huddled together, hugging each other because we were so CCCCOOOOOLLLLDDDD all the time there hahaha. This is what were stated to be the notes in this perfume :

Top notes : bergamot, ginger, and grapefruit (i guess that's where the freshness came from!). Middle notes : apricot, peach and neroli (floral). Base note : white musk (source of information : Kawaii Beauty Corner). (Edit : i just realized, where the hell's the rose???)

Unlike usual liquid fragrances where you spritz it anywhere you like and can be used on clothes (even though that's not recommended as it might ruin or stain your clothes, but some people like my mum has allergies and can only use perfumes using this method), solid perfume must be swiped directly on your skin. I like to use it on my wrists, inner arms (where doctors usually stick the needle in when your blood is being drawn. OMO, why am i using such scary way to illustrate? LOL) and neck.

As this solid perfumes isn't as strong as liquid ones (in my opinion), i always have to swipe quite a lot of them to be able to smell it on myself (i am very heavy handed when it comes to my fragrances though). Also, it doesn't stay as long as liquid perfumes. On my Europe trip, we usually were out for 12 hours or so in a day, and i had to re-apply at least twice (more often thrice) a day-and that was in Europe where i was always cold and never really sweat (i find fragrances fades away faster in heat and especially when i sweat).

In general, i'd say it it'll go away after 3 to 4 hours tops. It's also very soft and didn't cause any allergies (i suffer from eczema that flares up whenever i'm using a hash shower gel/body lotion). It feels balmy and silky when applied.It's pretty nice all around (but i have to be honest and say that i still prefer liquid perfumes i can spritz away merrily! It just feels more satisfying hahaha) and i sure love having it in my collection-actually even if it didn't perform well i'd most probably wouldn't regret purchasing it since it's so pleasing on the eyes hehe. It was also reasonably priced (IDR 99.000 if i remember it correctly. I bought it at Tony Moly's counter but i think online it would be priced around the same price range, like how most Korean fragrances and bath and body cares seems to be).

I would recommend it for people who are looking for reasonably priced, super kawaii, soft and floral (non cloying) fresh fragrances that are easy to travel with (totally FDA approved hahaha).

Wouldn't recommend it for... People who are looking for sexier, more mature scent i guess (why would you even consider this kiddish bunny stick in the first place anyway? LOL), and also for people who wants their fragrances to lasts all day.

Would i repurchase? Yep, in other scents! Still eyeing the mint and purple one! I want the bunnies and i also enjoy the scents, so why not!

Do you like solid perfumes or do you prefer the more traditional liquid ones?

My new hair ^^

#Pink

8:55:00 PM
2 Comments

Unboxing : January Lola Box (New Year New You)

bath and body cares

Hi, dearies...

I feel like howling right now because this is the second time this is happening (it happened once before in the Dubai part of my Europe trip) but i already written a full entry and then suddenly it disappeared and my other entry multiplied in my draft. WTF is happening???? GAHHHHHH!!!!! I'm so ANGRYYYYY!!!!!!

Anyway, i hope i still remember what i wrote earlier in the day *super gloomy*.

Oh yeah, i was saying that i was actually pretty excited and still looking forward for this month's Lola Box because somehow i am still enthralled by the concept of a monthly beauty surprises (despite the constant disappointment some beauty boxes kept on giving us), also i might or might not receive BTI this month because i got an e-mail telling us that they won't be able to send out this month's box (WTF, a beauty box service who cannot send out their boxes. So what is it that they actually do, exactly?). I got a choice between choosing their fixed boxes (there were two choices available) or a refund and considering their not-so-cooperative CS, i opted for the previous. God knows when they will send it out. So, Lola Box is (almost) the only hope for a proper beauty box this month for me

Errrr... yeah... They hardly filled half of the box *LOL*.

Same box with their October box. I guess they're not doing the theme-printed-on-the-lid anymore, eh?

Again, voucher that i already received in their November box. And sadly the repetition doesn't end there

5 Deluxe Samples and 1 extra (sachet samples)

First item was probably my fave item :

Cottage Shower Gel in Ocean Blossom (50ml)

I've been eyeing this rather newly-available-in-Indonesia (i think i saw it in other countries before) brand in Guardian ever since they showed up a few *short* months ago. They have super cute bottles (especially this tiny one! I totally want to collect all variants that comes with this tiny size!) with interesting variants and cute colors. Totally eye catching. However, since i do not need any more shower gel (there are still like a cupboard full of them waiting to be used in my stash) i decided to wait until they go on a sale (Guardian's always having huge sales, i almost never buy anything except essentials like medicine in full price there) to purchase them. Also, i was holding a bit of a grudge against them because (like so many other brands) they only had their launch in Jakarta #nonJakartabloggerenvy. You know, inviting bloggers and all. PFFFFTTTT.

So yeah, i am pretty happy i got to try this without having to purchase them myself. BUT, for IDR 18.000 (actually the listed the IDR 58.000 price for the 250ml bottle but i remember their prices by heart from ogling at them too much whenever i'm in Guardian-which is like once a week at least) this made me question the value of money of this box in total (doesn't look good).

IASO Aroma Clear Cleansing Foam (15 ml)

I write this following the list of products they gave us, but it just happens to be the same with the order of my favorite items (1 to 3)! My second favorite item from this box :p. Never heard of the brand IASO before (judging from all the Hangeul words printed at the back of the tube this is a Korean brand) and i love trying out new brands. It also came in a very decent sized sample (decent enough that i won't have to fear it to not be enough to bring on my longer trips), it stated to be 15 ml but it looks (and feels as heavy) almost as big as the next item-which is listed to contain twice the amount of product.

This is great because more than once i opened a deluxe sample items, squeezed hard.... And... Nothing. LOL. The bottle/tube might look decent sized but they were less than half full WTF. I don't think that would be an issue with this product.

Wangsa Jelita True Natural & Healthy Body Lotion in Green Tea (30 ml)

Another brand that i've never heard of before. This is clearly a local product, which is good because i always love to try and support local brands whenever i can. With 30 ml i might finish the whole bottle within two usage or so (because i love to lather myself in lotion as well as fragrances) but still, a pretty good sample size.

The next two products however...

Lady Gaga Fame (1.2 ml)

Tony Moly Expert Triple BB Cream SPF45 PA+++

Both items i already received in my November box! Now, this is not the first time Lola Box committed the "crime" of repeating products within a very short period of time, but two repetitions within 2 months? Isn't that a bit... Insulting? LOL. Thankfully, i do like both items (i enjoy Fame but not enough to invest on the full item so now i have two useless vouchers for the perfume as well and i am a bit obsessed with BB Creams so i always love getting BB Cream samples. This Tony Moly one, like i mentioned in November box, was bigger than the usual BB Cream sample so that's good #foreverkiasu. They are also very handy for my travels), but getting the same products with only one month interval was hardly surprising (or it was, but not in a good way).

Last item which is a bonus item :

Laneige Be Waterful (Water Sleeping Pack_EX & Water Bank Gel Cream)

Not only had i also already receive this in my October box, i also noticed that they are starting to replace sachet samples for their usual extra beauty tools. While i like how they categorized sachet samples (which is never a proper deluxe sample, IMO) as a bonus item, if they plan on permanently giving out sachet samples in place of the more useful beauty tools... That would only gave them a mark down. At least in my book.

All and all, i am pretty disappointed with this month's Lola Box. Don't get me wrong, i do enjoy every item they gave me in this box, but aside from the repetitions (i mean... come on, 3 out of 6 of the items in this month's box' repeated products!), i also think this is one of the worst Lola Box so far when it comes to value with money. I just don't think five deluxe samples (from drugstore and affordable brands mostly) is worth the price we paid for the box (IDR 145.000).

I actually don't mind if they gave out the same products (maybe the have too many stocks of them?) as a bonus, on TOP of another 5 deluxe samples. But if they counted it in... I think i do mind *LOL*. I know that not every subscribers are subscribed for more than one month at a time like i do (i always take their 3 months subscription) so this might be the first time they are getting these items (i know i'd be happy if i receive them for the first time. I DID, the first time round!), but shouldn't they keep the regulars (like me) in mind when coming up with their boxes? I'm sorry to sound harsh, but it was almost like they were not giving this month's box much thoughts. The more than half empty box saddened me, i hope Lola Box' not trying to outdo BTI as the incredibly shrinking beauty box *LOL*.

Also, i know the essence of a beauty box is to try out SAMPLES, but i also cannot help to compare with most beauty boxes out there (okay lah, OVERSEAS ones. US... I'm drooling over Ipsy Bags! But no need to look so far, even our neighboring country, Malaysia, has awesome beauty boxes!) that almost always feature at least a few full sized items makes this look even sadder. I know i know, i might have to move to another country if i expect any better, i'm just so envious that beauty boxes overseas always contains stuffs that are worth a lot more than what the subscribers pay for. *sigh*.

My subscription just ended (again), and like usual-the last box' my main consideration on whether or not i want to continue subscribing. I still want to have at least one regular beauty box and so far Lola Box' still the most stable one locally and with Valentine's Day coming up i'm hoping they have something special prepared for next month's box *wishful thinking, i know*, so... I dunno. I have a few weeks to consider.

Still, if you like what you see and considering subscribing to them please use my affiliation link (which is a testament to how much faith i still have in them and how i root for them to get a grip and come up with a better box next month because if i really dislike a box i'd never link them up and promote them) :

http://www.lolabox.com/?refid=DVCjo4quJn

On a side note, i actually just tried out another beauty box (or bag actually because they have boxes and bags, and since i do not need anymore boxes and the bags costs less, i opted for the bag) which has a different concept than the others (this one's smaller and more personalized. They claimed that they hand picked every items according to the beauty profile the subscribers gave them and every box would be different), i paid a lot more than usual (i picked one of the highest priced bag because i saw that their cheaper boxes seemed to contain very blah brands), i really hope it won't disappoint me!

Toodles!

#Pink

UPDATE : Lola Box's rep read this un-boxing entry and e-mailed me right away with apology (they said i was supposed to receive a different variation in the box, so it was human error) and sent me a little apology gift. I will explain more soon in a new entry :).

10:16:00 PM
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Beauty Related Stuffs I'm Bringing To Bali

bath and body cares

Hello, everybody!

I'm going to Bali later tonite! You know how much i love traveling, even just somewhere super familiar and nearby makes me pretty excited hehe :p. I love doing this kind of "Stuffs I'm Bringing On Vacation" kind of thingy, i always try to make them whenever i have the time (and the will too)-and since i DO have the time now, i totally feel like i should blog about this hahaha.

Going on a vacation is always one of the perfect excuse for the highly OCD me to prepare and use a whole new set of make ups, but for this quick (errr, if you can call a 6 days trip quick anyway... And yes, i am yanking Baby Boy out of school for three days. Hey, he's only in 1st grade, i dunno when else i can justify yanking him out of school for a vacation! And his friends' mum does that all the time too anyway *defensive* *defensive*) getaway, considering that we're going to Bali (i wear very minimal make ups in Bali! Or any beachy destination, really)-i decided only to open up these stuffs below (and that's already including hair cares, etc!)

Most of them are tiny sample/travel size!

There's even a fresh Clean & Clear Oil Control Film (my skin multiply its crazy oil production whenever i'm in places like Bali FML) and Rudy Hadisuwarno Hair Intense Repair Serum (i have finished a whole box of this serum with this final bottle!) which shouldn't count as new stuffs (coz that's something i've been using for a while, or forever-for the oil control film). If you know what i mean :p.

New fragrance is a must :p! Needs something cheery, light and tropical for a beachy (be careful with your pronounciation :P) getaway! Bringing this SilkyGirl Sweet Temptation in Charming

Face stuffs : Clean & Clear Oil Control Film, natural and shimmery eye shadow, glittery clear lip gloss, tiny lip tint from Tony Moly (which was the first liquid lip tint i've ever purchased just because it was so adorable. I didn't think liquid lip tints were for me, i might've changed my mind by now...) and EOS lip balm

Kerastase Chroma Riche (sample/travel size) and Rudy Hadisuwarno Serum

Thanks to my addiction to beauty boxes, i no longer need to bring my full sized products on my travels :p : H2O Night Oasis Overnight Eye Complex

Of course, that's now ALL of my beauty related items to bring to Bali! That's just the NEW ones hehehe. I'm bringing my normal BB cream, powder and eyeliner too from my (very very messy and crowded) make up drawer. And some stuffs like skin cares, blush on and concealer, i have special ones that i use on my travels (okay, honestly i was just too lazy to take them out of the pouch :p). My skin care inside the traveling pouch right now's Etude House's Moistful Collagen travel set (minus the eye cream that i've already finished because i loved it so much and the moisturizer that i've been using everyday on hunny now :p) that can be used both by hunny and i. Review coming soon *i hope :p*!

Here's my make up organizer that's been following me everywhere for the past... year or so (forget already lah :p).

The outer's quite durable and easy to clean

Sadly the compartments' mesh are not as sturdy, i managed to ripped one open on the side of the zipper somehow already :(

Also bringing a see through plastic carrier for our (hunny and i, Baby Boy has more bath and body cares than both of us combined in another, bigger plastic carrier!) bath and body cares :

The ones inside i also never bothered to remove, they are always ready for the next trip hehehe. I just add more stuffs inside

Dove Shampoo, Conditioner and Deodorant. SilkyCare feminine wash. Razor. Oriflame 2 in 1 Cleanser, extra contact lenses' container and Acnes Vitamin Cleanser (not available in Indonesia, bought it in Vietnam)

Thank God for blogging and pictures taking, if i didn't do it i wouldn't realize that i forgot to bring shower gels and contact lens' solution before it's too late! LOL.