i've been wanted to try this lipstick ever since i watched the swatches from thelipstickmafiaa's instagram. there 7 beautiful colors to pick from, but i don't know which one to pick since i have different skin tone and natural lip color than hers. but all of them are beautiful. from nude to pink and coral, to bold pink and red. and though i want to try them all, i decided to pick 2 for this time, azalea and rose. and now i will review azalea first.

this is the description from the website: makeup, simplified. beauty story sweet & chic lipstick creamy, pigment-rich lip colour that look great on any skin tone. provides full coverage with a lightweight feel for unfailingly pretty looks, day or night. enriched with vitamin E increasing wearability for 24/7 and keep true color intact. there's rich, there's obscenely rich and then there's our beauty story sweet & chic lipstick. formulated with lip-conditioning hydrators, it treats while it enhances lips. available in carefully curated, beautiful shades.

shades from the line

the packaging: it's a grey plastic tube with flowers imprinted on the body. it's cute, but sadly, it's not that sturdy. when i tried to get the lipstick out from the tube, i can feel it's a bit shaky. for the same price, i have to say revlon has better packaging than this one.

the lipstick tube

hand swatch (L - without flash, R- with flash)

full face swatch L - without flash, R - with flash

lip swatch (top: without flash, bottom: with flash) you can see it's a little bit reflective under flash light

i can say i'm quite addicted to this talkshow. hahaha.. i'm quite late to latest korean trend lately since i'm into makeup, western brand makeup lately, and lipstick particularly. i thought my journey to find my perfect skincare is nearly over, so i'm quite lazy to check the trend, but turned out i'm missing out a bunch of good stuff. geezz... koreans are so innovative.. i don't know if i can keep up to their trend. okay.. back to the show, for the second episode, they're talking about pretty flower pinky makeup.. something fresh but girly to attract boys.

i will only focus on makeup segment since there are a lot of interesting products that i saw on the show. the first one is makeup demonstration by gain, the famous singer from brown eyed girl. there are a couple tips she shared on the show. in that show, gain told them that she's no expert in applying eyeliner, that's why pen eyeliner or brush eyeliner is good for beginner since it's easier to apply but has the bold color as liquid eyeliner or gel eyeliner. and she makes dots near her lashes before connecting the dots to make a line with her eyeliner. and then she will drag the tip 45 degrees upward to make cat eye. other point focal in her makeup is her lips. she also applies 45 degrees trick on her cupid bow to make her lips stand out. there are a couple interesting items that she brought, but i will share that later.

on makeup demonstration, there are two makeup demos shown. one is flowery makeup, girly and suitable for young girls, pure and simple like blooming flower. and the other one is chic pink, for older girls. for the flowery makeup, the focal point is the lip and the way to achieve it is using lip marker to give subtle pinky tint to the lips. and to make the base look subtle, apply the foundation using a sponge that has been soaked in the water for 30 minutes. asian are known for their short straight lashes, so if you want to make your lashes curl longer, try dusting it with powder before applying mascara. and for eyes, don't use pink, since it will make you look swollen.

for chic pink makeup, since it's for older women, there are couple tips here. make 45 degree angle contouring on the cheeks to make yourself look slimmer. and apply the eyeliner a little bit thicker at the beginning and then make a flick cat eye to make it look sexier. and reddish pink on the lips for older women to make it look chic.

on reader's letter segment, they discuss about how to make your face supple and younger. here are few tips. doing face exercise, drink a lot of water or spray moisturizing face mist, and massage your face with a massaging device.

okay.. enough with the tips. now let's talk about interesting items on the show. i've been looking for several items that gain showed in the show and i have a hard time finding them. turned out, at that time, gain was releasing her makeup line with pishabit, and it's called gxP. all items shown in the show were from her makeup line. but i'm interested in the lip tint/jelly duo and the higlighting/contouring duo. the lip tint/jelly duo is no innovation though, since it's supposed to get gradient lips that's been trending in korea for ages. i don't know if any western brand has this kind of lip product, but i think rimmel one is different though it has two ended side like this one.

this is the lip duo

the highlighting/contouring duo on the other hand, it's quite interesting. several western brand already have similar items, contouring/highlighting duo in one item, but mostly are stick. this one is liquid. which is interesting. and looking at gain applying it make it looks sooooo simple to use.

the highlighting/ contouring duo

other interesting items are ink foundation (this one is from ysl, not a korean product) that is lightweight to achieve flawless base; lip marker for the flowery makeup trend. now... i don't know which exactly lip marker used in the show, but i found 3ce has lip marker tint with similar soft pink hue.

okay... i do hope i can get my hand on both gxP items i've mentioned before.. but i don't think it will be soon.. until then, if you want to watch the full episode, you can see it here:

yes, on holiday with the series i'm following are on summer break, means i have nothing to watch. and i stumbled upon KBS TV world youtube channel and they have this playlist called "beauty bible". being interested in korean skincare, i'm intrigued to see what's the show is about. turn out it's quite interesting. the show is in semi-talkshow mode, with 3 correspondence editors. one is a male singer/fashion editor, one female super model, and one female singer. they have several segments but they will discuss one main topic. for the first edition, they are talking about beauty secrets and makeup trend in 2015. they also have fashion and home fitness segment.

for the beauty segment in the first episode, they discuss about the makeup trend in 2015. the color trend in 2015 is marsala. i know about it for awhile, but since it's quite a dark color, i don't have the gut to use it. it will look a little bit vampy since i'm quite pale. but looking at the makeup demonstration video, i'm intrigued to do it. the makeup artist give 3 different looks, one for the morning, one for the afternoon, and one for late night for clubbing. for the morning look, she uses marsala on eyes and lips. but she keeps everything else very simple. for afternoon look, she accentuates the eyes by darkening the eyeliner. and keep darkening it by lining the entire eye for clubbing look.

the other trend they discussed is the beauty trend from the world, and from this episode is from japan. turned out the famous beauty item in japan right now is silicon mask. it is different from sheet masks that has essence. this silicon mask is used to hold the sheet mask in place so it won't move even when you're moving. it's a great idea, so you can keep doing your activities while using sheet mask.

though they're not showing the makeup items they use in the show, i'm interested in one item from the marsala makeup demonstration. it's the clear mascara that has carbon fibers in it to lengthen the eyelashes. i searched for it and i found out that it's etude house dr.lash mascara fixer #2 for super long lash.

i got this lip gloss as gift for winning a contest in instagram. and i'm thrilled to try it since it's local brand and quite new in the game. the other items that i received as gifts are travel-size tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, and lip balm. okay.. their products that have several color options are lipglosses and lipsticks, so i'm glad that i got the lip gloss as gift and then i can buy the lipstick myself.

this is the description from their website: natural moisturizers, shea butter and jojoba oil, conditioning lips with every use. this lip gloss vibrant hues are made with hand-milled iron oxides and food-grade pigments and will be available in six universal and timeless shades. great for wearing alone for sheer vibrant gloss or layer with tour sweet n chic lipstick. it's formulated without parabens, sulfates, and phthalates. the color selection are pink rose, orange blossom, red rose, truffle, primrose and cherry blossom. and i got orange blossom.

the packaging: the lip glosses are inside a plastic tube with a slanted tip that screw down to the tube. and another top that must be pulled. it's quite confusing. at first i thought i have to screw the top, but i was wrong. i have to pull the top off. and then dispose the gloss from the slanted tip by squeezing the tube. though it's quite new to use lipgloss from plastic slanted tip, i think i prefer the old doe-foot applicator like the other lip glosses.

the smell: i have bad smelling sensor. i can't tell you what it is, but i think it's sweet. subtle though, so once you apply it on your lips, you can't smell it.

the color payoff: i don't have high hope about the color payoff since they are glosses. they are suppose to be sheer and don't last that long. but i have to say the color is quite opaque for a gloss. but the staying power is just so-so. one hour or two without eating and drinking, and surely faster if you eat and drink. orange blossom is orange in flesh, but not neon orange, more like coral-orange. softer on lips after application.

the application: well, with different application, it takes time to get used to it and disposing the right amount of the gloss.

the product: it's a little bit sticky after application, which almost all glosses like that. and it will be a little bit streaky if you dispose too many product. but i don't think it will be any problem if you re-apply it since it will disappear completely.

overall, this is a nice gloss with good color payoff. but i don't like sticky glosses. and since i'm not familiar yet with the slanted tip, i can use it as fast as i can, and being fast is the number one priority in my life right now (if i want to use makeup, that is..) so, i'm glad i got this as gift, but probably i won't buy the other color myself. i'm happy with this one. if you want to try nice glosses that won't make you broke, you can check this one. supporting local brand is another plus for you.

the lip gloss box

the lipgloss tube right top: the slanted tip to dispose the product right bottom: the arm swatch

full face swatch L - without flash, R - with flash

lip swatch top: without flash bottom: with flash (you can see it's a bit streaky on my bottom lip)

this is another product that i bought from my beauty story. since i found out about the brand, i wanted to try their lip & cheek. well, i always want to try double duty product like this, but i don't have the courage to buy it. i was afraid that the color won't shown or me or will melt down since i have combination oily skin. but this one, somehow i feel the urge to buy it and i just do. being a cream blusher is another plus since i also wanted to try cream blush but i was afraid it will vanish quickly since most cream blushes don't suit oily skin.

this is the description from the website: a great multi-tasking cream color that perfectly blushing your cheek and even your lips too! it's in a mirrored flip-top compact for on-the-spot application. the silky and creamy texture makes it easy to blend on the apples of your cheeks for a dewy look. blot it on your lips for a soft, stained finish. it's formulated without parabens, sulfates, phthalates.

the packaging: yes, i like it. it's compact with a mirror inside. sleek and functional. the floral pattern on the top makes it girly and cute. i do like they pick peachy color for the base of the top color. oh, and it's made of plastic, so you don't have to worry to crack anything in case you drop it.

the color: the color selection is limited. they only offer two shades, sweet pea and rose. rose is pinky shade, while sweet pea is coral orange. well, though i have pretty pale skin, somehow i'm attracted to coral, so i decided to pick sweet pea. and i'm glad. it's great. it does look orange in flesh.. bright orange, not coral, but when i blend it, it gives a nice fresh flush to my complexion.

the application: well, this is why i like this brand. it's easy to use their products. their cc cream and this lip & cheek, i only use my finger to apply it. super easy...

the staying power: it's cream blush, so it's really best for normal skin. but for combination/oily skin, i think you can use this one too. probably with powder and powder blush it will hold longer. but when i tried it, i'm on vacation with my two kids, i have no time to make it perfect. so i just blend it with my hands. and since we're mostly inside with air-conditioner, somehow it holds longer. approximately two hours maybe.. but i think it might disappear quicker if i'm sweating a lot. i haven't tried with powder layering thing... so i'll update you if i've tried that.

overall, i'm happy with this product. it's easy to use, give good flush on my cheek and affordable. but i haven't treid it on my lips. usually this kind of product is a little bit drying, but i don't know about this one.  if you want to try cream blush, then you can try this one. if you want multi-tasking product, then certainly try it. overall, i'm quite proud that this brand is local brand with excellent products.

the pan with mirror inside

L - before blending R - after blending

yes, as i promised, i will keep writing as much as i can since i'm on holiday. and somehow i can sneek out to take pictures easier than at home. okay, this sample is on my second samples haul along with mac red and sunny seoul. somehow pink lipsticks are tricky. true blue based pink will make me look sick, but warmer pink washes me out. i don't know how to find the right pink for me. perhaps trial and error is recommended. okay, based on mac website, lovelorn is a lustre finish and it's described as emotive blue pink.

the color payoff: being a lustre finish will give you an idea that this one will be very sheer. and indeed, it's sheer. i have to swipe multiple times to get the color shown on me (i use brush, probably that's why it's harder. probably using it straight from a bullet make it easier to show the color). on me it looks like baby blue pink, not too blue to make me look sick. just pretty like in the pan. a little bit pale though. probably this one will wash people with medium to dark skin.

the lasting power: i doubt lustre will stay longer on your lips. probably 3 hours top. also diminish with eating and drinking. leaves nothing behind as it's quite light color.

the formula: yes, it's lustre so it's sheer, not drying at all. it will make you forget that you put on lipstick since you can't feel anything. and yes, i guess this one will finish in no time.

will i buy a full size lipstick? well, i do like how it looks on me, not too blue, but it's very sheer. i have to swipe multiple times to get the color shown. well, if i have to spend my money on lipstick with that price, it'd better shown more easily, eh? but if you're looking for a nice pink lipstick that suitable for everyday use, then you should try this one, especially if you're light in skin tone.

the sample pan

arm swatch (L - no flash, R - with flash)

full face (L - without flash, R - with flash)

top - without flash bottom - without flash

happy holiday everyone!! and since i'm holiday, i intend to keep updating about my recent purchase from my beauty story. and the first one i will review is their magical cc cream. this is the description from their official website: beauty story cc cream real complexion care is an all-in-one multi-tasking cream that provides double care of skin while actively color corrects a range of complexion concerns including dullness, sallowness, and redness, and visibly lessen the appearance of dark spots, sun spots, and post-acne marks instantly and over time. with an advanced, lightweight formula, this color-correcting cream creates a magical youthful glow while providing antiaging treatment, complexion corrector, moisturizer, and suncreen protection of SPF 30 and PA++. it's formulated without parabens and phthalates.

the packaging: the cc cream comes in a plastic tube (like toothpaste tube) with plastic cap and pump. yeyy!! it's easy to use and dispense the product.. mess free.. but unfortunately, it might hard to control how much you want to pump. it also only comes in one size, 30 ml, so probably for some people, it's not that travel friendly.

the smell: hmmm.. i have to say it smells divine... not to fragrant.. but it still has subtle scent when you applied it on your skin.

the product: cc cream is known for their one shades for all, unlike bb cream that might comes in different shades, so probably this can cause trouble for darker skin. but for me, i find it okay. as any advertising of cc cream, they always say that the cc cream will change to match your skintone. actually, the cream is pink, and yes, lately when i applied it on my face, slowly it will blend in. but unlike etude house or skinfood cc cream, the changes is not that drastic. both brand i mentioned before, the cc cream is white and i can see clearly that it changes to beige and then my skintone. but both are slightly lighter than my actual skintone. while this cc cream blends in completely. for you who have oily skin, this one might not hold oil very well, so you might want to dust your t-zone with powder for extra oil control. but for dry to normal skin, i think it will be okay to use it alone.

the coverage: this one promises that it will take care of dullness, sallowness, and redness, lessen dark spots, sun spots and post acne marks. well, i have most of them. dullness and sallowness vanished, but as for redness, i can see some redness around my nostrils. as for dark spots, sun spots, and post acne marks, none of them are lessen with this cream. so if you want more coverage to tackle those problems, i suggest you top it off with bb cream. i've tried to cover my post acne marks with bb cream and it works.

so, am i impress with this one? well, i do hope it will cover redness more, though i'm not hoping it will cover my spots. i love my freckles anyway. but as for fuss-free base makeup, i like this cc cream. i like how it doesn't make me look like white-cast ghost unlike two brands i mentioned before. it helps make me look more polished a little bit, but not too much. well, as a mom of two, i want people to see that i can still look nice but not too much makeup.. so this one helps a bit. will i buy it again? probably.. if you're looking for something very sheer and just helping you to cover minimal redness, i will recommend this one. but if you're dark skin, very oily skin, looking for more coverage, then skip this one.

the box

the tube

the cream on me and how it blends in (only give glowy traits)

me using the cc cream (sorry.. no before pic) you can still see the post-acne scars between my brows but not on my cheeks

the packaging: the full size product is in a tub with a big starfish picture in front of it. it is white and gold tub, with a little bit of orange i think.. but the sample is a different story. usually i find that the design of the sample's packaging is similar to full size's, but not for this cream. the sample is in pink sachet with the name of the cream in front of it, with different fonts from the full size font!

the smell: i think it's not a starfish scent since it might smell fishy.. but the sample smells divine... fragrant but subtle. i think i enjoy the scent.

the product: it's a gel type white cream. the advertising said that it will bounce back, just like laneige sleeping water pack.. but since i only have 2 sachets and i didn't transfer it to other container, i don't know about that claim. well, i think it's related to the name, since starfish is known for their reproducing ability, so i think this one is targeted for anti-aging. perhaps the starfish extract is hoped to bring back the cell youth. the cream is easily absorbed, and a little bit sticky after application, but not for long. i'm amazed though.. this cream seems to sink into my skin completely, but when i wash my face the morning after, i can feel that this cream is all over my face.. like mask covering my face.

the result: since i only use 2 sachets, i can't say anything about the anti aging stuff, but it does give my skin the moisture that my skin needs. but not too much since i don't experience any breakouts, unlike laneige one.

overall, i think i'm gonna try this one... IIIIFFFF... i can find it online here. i hope mizon hasn't discontinued this product... if this one is discontinued, then my search for the next night cream will keep on.. i do recommend you to try this cream. i think it will suitable for any skin types, but probably super duper dry skin will need another cream.

the sample sachet and the cream on my hand

i accidentally found this brand when i was browsing my instagram feed. looking at some posts featuring makeup collection looking cute like korean brand. but i read the caption informing that the brand is 100% indonesian.  finding out that it's local, make me interested even more. after all, i want to try local makeup brand, but the other local makeup brand price is slightly higher that i would pay for trial, so i skip that. i then searched more about it, and even took a peak at their website. i found that this brand is still new, they were launching earlier this year, that's why there's only a few products on website. enough collection from face to nail, but not as extensive as older brand.

this brand is targeting young woman that's why the packaging is a little bit cute but also practical and sleek. and channeling korean style is a smart move i guess.. since kpop culture and kbeauty impact are quite strong here in indonesia. the image of fresh, girly and pretty korean girl with their flawless skin is more attractive than polished, full makeup western girls' style.

as i mention before, they only have enough products to cover every aspect. in face department, they offer basic arsenal to achieve flawless skin to start with. from luminizing primer to give your face a glowy base to tinted moisturizer, compact bb powder and cc cream to mineral loose powder. they also have dual function product for lip and cheek.

in eyes department, they have an eyebrow pencil, eyeliner matic, colored eye pencil that can act as eyeliner or eyeshadow, eyeshadow trio and of course... mascara. pretty basic for eyes department. the eyeshadow collection also don't have a lot of color option. now move on to lip department. probably most of you know that i'm weak about lip stuff. i still haven't decided yet about colourpop, there are so many shades to choose from. and also mac samples.. huff.. okay.. back to lip stuff. it's hard to find good swatches on bloggers. most of them only have arm swatches, and that's not enough to give clear reference. but thankfully, mybeautystory gave their lipsticks to thelipstickmafiaa to have her swatch all of them (see it here). though she definitely has darker skin than mine, but better her lip swatch than nothing at all. okay.. so in lip department, there are lipsticks, lipgloss and lip balm. quite standard..

as for the access of purchase, if you live in jakarta, then you are lucky since you might found it at watson or dandan stores. but if you live outside jabodetabek, then your only access is only through their websit.e
after browsing all their products, i have my eyes set for their cc cream, lip/cheek product, and their lipsticks of course... and since this is a very late post, ever since i stalked their instagram, i've won a small gift from mybeautystory, which consisted a travel size tinted moisturizer, lip gloss, lip balm and eyeliner. so i guess my recent purchase completes my collection of mybeautystory since i also get a nail polish as free gift for buying over Rp. 150.000,-. wait for my reviews for each product..one word though: impressive..

my winning gift from clozette.id

i bought crosswires sample along with plumful and kinda sexy sample, but i haven't got the chance to capture my full face pic although i've used it a couple times.. so that's why i haven't written anything about it until now.

though i have quite pale skin for asian, somehow i'm attracted to corals. and i decided to give crosswires a try. i do have other shades on my corals list, but most of them i can't find them online. so i decided to give crosswires a try first. on mac website, crosswires is describes as clean pinky orange and it's in cremesheen finish. i don't know that "clean" supposed to mean for lipstick.. and i decided to pick cremesheen since many people seems to like cremesheen finish.

the color payoff: one swipe is enough to give a subtle coral hue on your lips, but you can build the color. but since it's a cremesheen finish, i don't think it will be as bold as morange which is amplified finish. on me, on my first try, it looks like true orange than pinky orange. but on second try, it does look more coral.

the lasting power: it's cremesheen so it doesn't hold that well with eating and drinking. it's creamy so it slides easily. but if you don't eat or drink, probably it will hold for 3-4 hours. and it won't leave any stain behind like the matte finish.

the formula: like i said, many people like this formula. it's creamy and gives wonderful color payoff. not drying at all on my lips. oh, and since it's creamy, i bet you will finish the sample faster than the matte sample.

overall, i think it's a nice pinky orange, but i think it will suit medium skin or tan skin even more. on pale skin, probably it will look more orange than coral, but if you have the guts to pull it off, then give it a try. as for me, i will look for another coral shades that's somewhat in between pink and orange, and doesn't lean more to orange like crosswires.

the sample pan

hand swatch L - without flash, R -with flash

L - without flash, R -with flash

top - without flash bottom - with flash

i need you mask series

the mask sheet package

left: before using middle: the ill-fitting mask right: after using

well, this is another post about my mac lipstick samples. actually i bought this one first time i'm buying mac lipstick samples, along with plumful and crosswires, but somehow i forgot that i have taken the pictures, that's why i'm writing about it just now.

i'm looking for perfect nude colors, and when i bought the samples, i'm only browsing for popular shades to try, and not in color group.. so i kinda bought kinda sexy not logically. but looking at mac website, they describe it as neutral pinky rose.. so i'm hoping it falls in nude group for me. well, looking at various swatches it's a beautiful color, but i don't know about the formula, since matte finish usually is very dry and i've tried nyx soft matte lip cream (i can tolerate this one) and wet n wild (which is more drying, have to apply lip balm beforehand) so i don't know if i can pull this one. but everyone seems to glorify mac matte formula, so it's worth to try, right?

the color payoff: since it's quite light, so i need a couple swipes to make it shown. on many swatches i saw it's like peachy nude color, but on me, it's quite pale at first, more orangey than peachy. but on second try, i kinda love it.. i don't what's wrong with the first try, but i like it now. well, it's still quite light on me, so subtle that probably no one would notice that i wear lipstick. kinda bummer i know.. but it's suitable for everyday wear.

the lasting power: well, it's matte so it stays longer than lustre, but since it's quite light, i don't know for sure how long it lasts on my lips, but i guess lighter color wears off easier than bolder color.

the formula: people who adore this formula must have tough lips. it is very very drying, more drying than wet n wild. and since it's so drying that even though i have put lip balm beforehand, i think it absorbs the lip balm. and it also effects the application. somehow it's hard to make the color spread throughout my lips. lip preparation is a must for this formula.

overall, i like the color, but i wish it isn't that drying. if i can find a dupe that's not that drying, probably i will scratch kinda sexy from my mac lipstick wish list. if you don't mind with the formula and looking for nude lipstick, then you can try this one. probably medium skin will love this color more than lighter skin since this is quite light it might wash you out.

the sample pan

hand swatch

bare face - no flash - with flash (true to reality)

bare lips - no flash - with flash (from top to bottom)

i was browsing dupethat and i find that they compare kinda sexy (bottom) with wnw just peachy (top) L without flash, R with flash you can see that just peachy is more peachy.. then i saw the explanation on dupethat that the just peachy swatch is a mix between just peachy and bare it all