skin care review : Holika holika Bulgarian rose petal skin and emulsion

When i first i saw holika holika on the net, i fell in love straightaway.. with the cute packaging of course, and the cute concept.. :) As a new born they really know how to attract consumer (like me) to buy their product. Since it's still a baby, the reviews out there are not really much. The most popular products and review i guess is the egg soap. I found some other holika holika mask, bb cream and make up reviews, but not much for skin care. I got some samples, and still, i want a set to try. hehe.. and i chose.... Bulgarian rose. What this line sells is the extra moisturiser that will keep your skin hydrated. something i need for winter. so, i bought the set od bulgarian rose petal skin (toner), emulsion and cream. For now i will review the petal skin and emulsion.

introduction of Bulgarian rose (as written in the packaging):
Bulgarian 'damask' rose, cultivated since the 16th century, which is considered to produce the finest quality essence. Holika's bulgarian rose oil and rose water is from the valley of roses, the Kazanlak town and absolutely is made with a delicate process. It provides high-moisturizing effect and marvelous beauty to the skin as same as Cleopatra's beauty secret

i like the look of the set. so classy and elegant. it also comes with carton packaging. nice.. while the bottle is a heavy glass bottle. it is really heavy. so, not convinient for travelling, but really pretty to stay on my make up table.

Let's start with the petal skin, shall we?


Holika Holika Bulgarian rose petal skin

Lovely glass bottle.150ml

I was quite surprised--and glad, to found there is some english information on the side of the packaging.
what it is :

Bulgarian rose petal skin is an alcohol-free blend of hydrating and toning rose floral waters, enriched with real rose petals. This gentle floral water hydates the skin and tones complexion. It's natural aromatic experience adds a mood-enhaching dimension to the experience.

Direction :

everyday after cleansing, pour a small amount into a cotton pad and gently wipe over face and neck.

yup. you read it right. it is enriched with real rose petal. Do you want to see some rose petals?

 This is the top cap, it is covered with that plastic cap with a small hole, which is good, since the texture is watery. this way you can control the amount of product you want to use. Now, do you see on the side of the plastic cap there is a light brown stuff.. that's the crushed rose petals. wait. i will show you more.

There! on the cotton pad, you can see soo many dots. they are crushed or part of rose petals. The toner itself has a light brown colour that sometimes with that rose petals reminded me of betadine. hehe.. anyway. time to share what i thought..
the scent
it smells just like rose water. actually the smell reminds me of Mustika ratu air mawar (rose water) that i used to mix with mustika ratu mask in my old days (high school until university i guess?) but more lovely fresh smell.
the texture
water--just like othe roner but with extra rose petals. The rose petals will dissapear anyway. After i wiped the cotton pad on my face, somehow the rose petals just dissapeared.
The performance
Good. it doesn't dry my skin. gives me fresh skin, moisturised and ready for the next step of skin care. Love it!

next..

Holika holika Bulgarian rose emulsion

what it is :
Bulgarian rose petal emulsion leaves skin perfectly hydrated with bulgarian rose water 20% and rose essential oil.the result is, skin is soothed, softened, and makes moisture barrier.
direction:
after using bulgarian rose serum, smooth gently over face and throat each am & pm, or whenever needed.

yup.that's what is written there on the packaging. a little bit weird and unusual words huh? throat each am&pm. why not just say "apply day and night"? anyway, not so surprised. hehe.

the top cap. open just like that, without that plastic cover like toner.

what i thought :
the scent
it smells just like the toner, but this one it smells more lovely and sweet, also reminds me of a rose syrup for drinking. so, in conclusion it smelss like rose water with rose syrup. not my favourite scent, but still it is a pleasant one.
the texture
it is rich. Rich enough even to use at night. you just need a little amount of the emulsion for the whole face because it is reallllyy rich.

the performance
it is really good moisturiser. not just for a day light but also for a night cream. very recommended for the winter, and totally not recomended for oily skin because it will make your face more oily. In my experience, it is winter here and really dry weather. without a good and rich moisturizer your skin will have dry flakes. when i use this, i don't have any dry flakes. my skin keep moisturised all day. First time i used this, i was surprised that after 6 hours i touched my nose and it was oily. normally in the winter my face, including nose stay dry and not oily. then i realised it was this emulsion. the trick is to brush my skin food peach sake silky finish powder on my nose and it will stay matte.

overall about this petal skin ane emulsion:
what i like :

• the scent
• extra moisturised effect
• no breakouts, no dry skin

what i don't like

• the emulsion packaging. it is hard to get the emulsion out since the emulsion is rich and it is a heavy glass bottle, i have to shake it many times to get the product out, and it is hard to control the amount of product coming out. it should comes with pump bottle.

Additional note :
I have been using this line for almost 2 months now since december. 2 months of winter and my skin kepp dehydated and moisturised every day, no dry flakes, yeaayyy for holika holika bulgarian rose!!!
oh, i also have the cream. will review soon.

hair care review : the body shop ice blue shampoo

Who doesn't like the body shop? Before all those korean cosmetic company came to Indonesia, it was the era of the body shop i guess. hehe. You can easily found the body shop in almost all big malls around Jakarta. My favourite was their body care products.body scrubs, body butter, body mist, shower gel.. oh and of course, i love their perfume too! Last time when i stopped by in the body shop counter with my husband, He bought a set for him (after shave, deodorant, shower gel etc) and he looked at me and said "don't you wanna get something?" like he was surprised i didn't get anything for myself. Is that an offer? Yeaaayyy...
i, spontanously took some products i have never tried. this ice blue shampoo, banana shampoo and conditioner. Yup. all this time i just realised that i never tried the body shop shampoo.
so, what is this shampoo?

Re-discover 80s cool with a menthol shampoo that leaves hair feeling fresh and super soft, just like our original one. Now with community trade organic aloe vera.

first, of course it smells like menthol-mint-peppermint. smells fresh and nice. it will give you that cooling effect like other menthol products. i think it is really nice shampoo to use during summer. As for me, my hair reaaallly needs conditioner, because it is tangled and dry an the end. and this shampoo, sadly is not enough to moisturise my hair.in fact during rinse off this shampoo i started feeling my hair getting dry and tangled, not that soft and nice feeling i was hoping to get. it was hard to brush my hair. Oh i wish they have conditioner for this. Because i just don't like using different brand or variant conditioner. i like everything match.hehe..
But the good thing is, this shampoo is unisex. my husband can use this too. the scent is suitable for men too. in fact it is so refreshing that my men would like this too. so, other than its fresh scent and cooling effect, nothing else good for me and to be honest i'am a little bit dissapointed. sorry the body shop, i still love your body care products though.
overall,
the good :

• nice smell
• cooling effect, perfect for summer
• unisex
• the packaging (clear bottle, so you can see the product, and of course, don't forget the recycle campaign of the body shop with their packaging)

the bad

• not enough moisturiser for dry hair
• didn't help tangled hair
• not giving soft and easy to brush hair after shampoo

 i really hope the banana one is better. i am using it now. So, let's see.

lip tint&gloss review : A'pieu Nature floral tint gloss duo

Some months ago when i ordered my big haul of korean cosmetics and skincare, i found this new brand on my seller's preorder pricelist. I was googled for information ad reviews, not much help. Product description and information in english very little, and i couldn't find review of beauty bloggers out there using this review. So was going blind ordered this one. This is my first a'pieu purchase and i bought it because of my curiosity of course. ok let's take a look.

what is this?
it is a lip tint and lip gloss in one package. the clear orange one is the tint and the creamy orange one is the gloss. i chose no.5 coral orange. This is other colors you can choose :

it was really hard to choose. all of them look cute!

the size is small, smaller than other lipgloss. Very cute for travelling or for something you want to carry around in your purse.

closer look for the gloss and tint. the aplicator is ok, nice and easy to use for application

swatch:

without flash. left = gloss right = tint

with flash


My review :
First, i tried the gloss. well, it is not sticky but it seems like hard to set on my lips. just stay there with its beautiful colour. But it doesn't last long anyway. less than 2 hours maybe? and with a meal, it will be completely gone.
Then i tried the tint. Oh my God, it taste soooo bitter!! not that i really taste it or lick it but seriously, i can feel it. i mean, well it is a lip product, it should be tasteless. the gloss is ok, no taste, no scent, just like any other lip gloss. but the tint, although i didn't lick it or something like that but seriously. it is sooo bitter. anyway, the colour of the tint is not really show on the lip. it is just like a clear gloss, make my lips look fresh and that's all.

Not satisfied with the performance of both gloss and tint, i tried something else. i tried to apply both on my lip. First, i applied the gloss then covered with tint. well, maybe this is how i suppose to wear this. because with the tint on top, it helped the gloss to set on my lip! not just that, the colour also appear prettier than when it applied alone.
and then i tried the other way round. the tint first then the gloss. i was surprised, that this is the best way for me. the colour on my lip so pretty. orange-natural fresh look!

without flash

with flash
the swatch for mix gloss and tint. the upper one is gloss first then tint and the lower swatch is tint first then gloss.

overall, i like this dual tint and gloss. and for my first experience with a'pieu, it is a good impression. i might look for more a'pieu product and maybe will try their make up products

face soap review : holika holika egg soap in charcoal (black)

what is that? i know, it doesn't looks like a face soap wash at all. first, it is black, and then, the shape is oval egg-like, not a soap shape-like. well, it is one of  holika holika egg soap other variant. The original is the white one, but then they also released other  variants. anyway, i wrote a review about the original holika holika egg soap before, and it was finished, so now i am moving to the next one, and i chose this black charcoal.
From googling of what is this charcoal supposed to gives you benefit, i found out that this is for pore tightening, cleans deep into pores, daily cleasing, control sebum and suitable for sensitive skin.

still with the sticky plastic, before opening

My thought about this charcoal egg soap :
first, the scent, it smells just like a soap. Actually i almost couldn't smell anything. The original holika holika egg soap has a nice soaft soap sent, and this one almost no smell actually.
Just like the original one, this one works better with warm water. with cold water it's a little bit hard to form bubbles.

Ok now, to the performance of the soap.it is quite good actually, it doesn't leave me with tight and dry feelig after a bar soap cleansing. and it is really mild, i can feel it. so that's why i think it is really suitable for sensitive skin. For cleansing, i would say this one is good for morning cleansing and second step cleansing at night after you use your sleansing oil or cleansing lotion. But it is not for make up remover so if you are with make up, make sure clean with your cleansing oil or lotion first then use this one.

In conclusion, i think this is an ok product. i will not repurchase this oe though cause nothing really special. ad as for the long term effect like pore tightening right now i can't say anything because i just started using it (still less than a week).If you want to try holika holika egg soap, i suggest you to buy the special set because you will get each of variant and you can try and see yourself which one is suits you.

hair serum review : Rudy hadisuwarno Hair growth serum

Today i am gona review a hair product, it is a treasure i found 2 years ago and i repurchased and used it again recently. Anyway, a little story behind this. 3 years ago after delivering my baby, i experienced this hair fall that bothered me. well, actually during my pregancy my hair was better. seriously. the effect of hormone did really good to my hair. my hair is thin and not much hair (genetic), while during pregancy my hair seemed thicker and much more. I read that it was normal, and after delivery, after everything back to normal the hair will be back to normal too, which also mean i will experience hair fall. and it did happened to me. So, even after i read that it was normal, i still didn't feel happy with hair fall, of course. who did? specially after my baby was 8 months old, and i still experienced this hair fall, i started looking for something. Thank God, i found an article (advertorial actually) in a magazine about this product.
so i checked in the supermarket and i found this, and aother similar product, which is neril.i bought both. and i started using this first. from what i read on the magazine, you suppose to finish those 6 serum bottles in 2 weeks. so, 3 bottles a week, one day one day off. And then later on for mainteance you could use it only once a week. anyway, i will tell you what happened taht 2 years ago. only after 1 week (3 bottles), i could feel the hair fall was less, so obvious. my brush was almost clear from hair fall. wait for the next result.. after 2 weeks and finish the bottle, i could feel the new hair growing! i remember i couldn't stop touching my scalp to feel those many short new hair growing. AMAZING!!!!
anyway.. so i bought it again, and here i will show you the products and my update review..

the back of the packaging, with some information about how this serum works to your hair.

there is also this leaflet with lots of information about what causes hair loss, 4 maximum action and direction af application.
so, what causes hair loss? to conclude the long paragrapgh there, there are many reasons, including genetic factore, hormonal changes (during or post pregnancy), stress, serious illess, certain drugs and malnutrition.

well, that time, the cause of my hair loss was very clear, it was hormonal change post pregnancy. while recently when i use this serum again was simply because i want more hair and thicker hair! hehe

how to apply : wash your hair.apply 1 bottle to the scalp, lightly massage with circular motions.

6 bottles of serum

Now, the review for my second set of serums :

it still worked, but the result was not as rapid and wonderfull like the first time. this time, after i finish 2 weeks with 6 bottles, i didn't see or fell any change and hair grow. i almost write a review here about how this product didn't work this second time. but i decided to wait....until 2 weeks later... i felt those tiny short new hair growing.. YEEEEAAAYYY!!!!  So my conclusion is, the first time was clearly i had that hormonal change so this product worked amazing and fast. in 2 weeks only i could feel the effect. while this time actually i don't really have problem, but i just want to use it for thicker and more hair. so i am happy anyway, although the result was not that obvious like firt time, this one still works!

overall, this is a great product and  i reccomend this to any women out there who have thos hormonal changes after pregnancy, or anyone who experience hair fall.

additional note : i mentioned other brand which is neril. i tried neril after 6 months using this and it didn't work as good as this Rudy hadisuwarno. but i guess it could be because i already use this. but anyway, my mom and dad also tried both Rudy and Neril, and for them Neril worked better than Rudy. so it is different effect to different person i guess.

mask pack review : innisfree home spa apple yogurt pack

This is my first try to innisfree mask pack products. Before this i've tried only innisfree sleeping pack (green tea&wine) and both were good. i am interested with this one because it comes in this small butter-like packaging, which only for 1-2 times use. Sometimes buying a mask in full size packaging is like gambling, as it might turn out good or not good-- or even worse, break you out. If that happened, what can you do for the rest of it? well, of course you can give it to somebody but still, it is just a waste of money (plus time, if you order from the net and waiting for 2-4weeks for the product to arrive). So, no doubt, i like small-small packaging like this.

anyway.. back to this apple yogurt pack, it comes in this plastic packaging, just like butter for your breakfast:

To open the packaging, just peel the cover, ad if you  don't want to use it all you can just close it back.it smells just like green apples, with a milky hint-with of course, it must be the yogurt.

the texture is creamy-but light, not sticky, and with a very tiny scrubs particle.

Now, my thought about the product:
it is a little bit dissapointment actually. first, it absorbed to the skin really slow. i didn't feel it absorbed to my skin during 15 minutes with this pack. it was just sit there on the surface on my skin. and when i rinsed it off with water, i didn't feel that nice feeling after mask. no extra moisturised or smooth skin or firmer skin that make you can't stop touching your face. the only visible result i saw was my face looked whiter and brighter. that's it. and i looove that lovely apple smell.
overall, there is no bad effect for me from this pack, so i will use it once again to finish the rest of it, but this is something i will not repurchase.

samples review : etude house baking powder crunch pore scrub & holika holika sleeping pack

i looove trying samples. specially when the product is interesting and the packaging is cute. now i have 2 cute samples, which is etude house crunch pore scrub and holika holika sleeping pack. both comes with similah cute packaging.enough to use 2 times or 3 times if you only apply a little and trying to use it as many time as possible.


etude house baking powder crunch pore scrub
it is a scrub version from etude house baking powder line. i tried the facial wash one and i liked it. if that facial wash can be used everyday, this one is only for 1-2 times a week. if you buy the full size, it will come in a box contain 24x7gr cute triangle like this :

picture searched from google

Product Description
Baking Powder Crunch Pore Scrub is a scrub cleanser formulated with baking powder to penetrate, exfoliate and cleanse skin deep within pores to remove makeup and residues. Scrub cleanser formulated with Peppermint to soothe skin.

• 100% Natural Fragrance
• Dye-Free

Size:  7g X 24pouches = 168g
Made in Korea
How to use:
Tear along dotted line to extract scrub cleanser from pouch (one pouch per application).  Apply cleanser to wet face, lather and massage then rinse off with warm water.  Use 1-2 times per week.
Suitable For:  All Skin Type

 

my review:

i know the direction said one puch per application, but when i squeezed out the product, i thought half or even 1/3 is enough, so i didn't use all the product.. the texture:

the texture is creamy, with soft scrub particle, gentle enough for my skin. and it smells just like the real baking powder to bake! well, with a little hint of fragrance. but not as good smell as the facial wash.after scrubbing, i felt my face soo soft and firm! i like it!
so overall, i like it and i think it is another good stuff from etude house.

holika holika honey sleeping pack

i am a little bit confuse with this one. why? because holika holika honey sleeping pack comes with 3 varians; blueberry, acerola, canola. i don't know which one i got because there is no information about that. it's all in korean. so i have no idea which one is this.
anyway, if you buy the full size bottle you will get this cute jar :

picture searched from google

Product Description

Acerola
Contains 20% acerola extract and 20% honey. Rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, acerola extracts give skin vitality while nutritious minerals and sugars in honey deeply moisturise for smooth skin.

Blueberry
Contains 20% blueberry extract and 20% honey. Rich in anthocyanins antioxidants and vitamins, blueberry extracts tighten and firm skin while nutritious minerals and sugars in honey deeply moisturise for smooth skin.

Canola
Contains 20% canola extract and 20% honey. Rich in vitamins, canola extracts brighten dull skin while nutritious minerals and sugars in honey deeply moisturise for smooth skin.

my review :
it smells soooo nice ad lovely.. smells like honey with a hint of other nice fragrance, but i don't know what it is, and even after i smell the product i don't know which variant it is. but absolutely not acerola because from i saw from the review on the net acerola is a light red colour. the one i have is brown-yellowish honey colour.
the texture :

the texture is light-creamy gel, it absorbs faster than etude house sleeping pack, and after awhile i could feel my face sooo nicely moisturised. like, like, like!
i will check the price on the net if the price is good i might buy this one for my next sleeping pack!

from my kitchen : Baumkuchen

image seached from google

it's been a looong time since last time i wrote a post about something from my kitchen. i have meen trying lots of recipes lately, from muffin to cakes, martabak, bread, chocolate balls, and many more. A week ago, somehow i missed lapis legit (indonesian layer cake). i was browsing for recipe on the net and i was surprised that to make a loaf of lapis legit it requires 20-25 eggs. WHAATTT... even if i just make half of the recipe it would be 10 eggs? too much! first, i can't risk that 20 eggs for something i never made before. what if i failed?well, although people said you will learn from your mistake, still, i can't do that because... second, i have only 3 persons in my house (including me), who will eat all those loaf with 20 eggs in it? well of course i can always send some to my lovely neighbour but then third, it is a little bit complicated recipe i guess, and back to the first point, i decided to look for something easier.

then i remember i read an article about a new cake shop opened in kemang, otaru baumkuchen. in the article i read, the manager explained about what baumkuchen is, which is a layered cake just like lapis legit, but different way. it is a very popular snack in europe and japan (well, since the name is baumkuchen i guess it is very popular germany snack), and it is less fat than lapis legit according to ingridients in it. So, i started looking for the recipe, and i was interested! it requires 10 eggs, and i decided to give it a try

i got this recipe from how to baker here
thank you for the recipe! and there is step by step how to make baunmuchen on that link.

Ingredients:

Baumkuchen
10 egg whites
10 egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Chocolate Glaze
1-1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons boiling water
Vanilla Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

 Making the Baumkuchen 1. Separate eggs. Allow egg whites and yolks to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
 2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg yolks with an electric mixer on high speed (medium-high if using a stand mixer) for 5 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Set aside.

3. In an extra large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. gradually add the 3/4 cup sugar, lemon peel and vanilla.

4. Pour egg yolks into butter mixture and beat well on medium speed.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until blended.
 6. Thoroughly wash beaters so all oils from butter and egg yolks are washed off. IN the large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.
 7. Use a rubber spatula to fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture.
 8. Pour 1/3-cup of batter in the bottom of the prepared pan.
 9. Use a knife or offset spatula to evenly spread batter across bottom of pan. Place pan under broiler 5-inches from heat and broil for 1-2 minutes; or until lightly browned. Do not overbake or overbrown. remove from broiler.
 10. Spread another 1/3-cup of batter on top of the first layer. Broil as before and repeat spreading/baking process to make about 17 layers.
 11. Cool cake for 10 minutes then loosen cake and remove sides of pan; allow to sit on a wire rack and completely cool. Cut cake into 12 wedges. Place wedges on a wire rack lined with wax paper.
 Preparing the Chocolate Glaze 12. Prepare chocolate glaze. Melt 1-1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate and 2 tablespoons butter over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
 13. Stir in 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to make a thin glaze.
 14. Use a mixing spoon or whisk to drizzle chocolate glaze over cake slices.
 15. Prepare the vanilla glaze. Combine 2 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add enough milk (2-3 tablespoons) to make a thin glaze. Use a mixing spoon or whisk to drizzle glaze on top of chocolate glaze. Store baumkuchen in covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

i didn't make it 17 layers (lazy? hehe maybe only 10? i'm not sure, i didn't count) and i did't use vanila glaze. and for chocolate glaze, i can't be bother to mix the ingridients to make chocolate glaze, so i just used chocolate bar galaxy (like cadburry), melt it and spread it.
this is my version of my baumkuchen :

my comment :
thank God, after working in that hot kitchen for around an hour (making this i have to stay watch the oven, i can't just leave it being baked) so, yeah i was tired but... thank God it taste goooood. it taste a little bit like lapis legit only lighter, and when it fresh from the oven it was soooo goooood. the only thing i hate about this is that i have to take it out-put back in the oven for like 10 times, and i burned my hand because of that. hiiiks :(

review : skin food fresh fruit lip&cheek in apricot

from skinfood website:
No. 4]Apricot &ndash A cute and pure image It&rsquos a multi-purpose product that makes your lips and cheeks moist and lustrous with fresh fruit colors.

* To Use - For lips: Using your finger or a lip brush, apply it on your lips. - For cheek: Using your finger or sponge, apply it evenly on the part of your cheek that protrudes a bit when you smile.

another cute stuff from skin food.  multi purpose for your lips and cheeks. i thought, oh cute. i want that! yup. this is kind of product i wanted, not needed. i mean, i have enough blush on and lipstick. i don't really need more. but since it is cute, and i thought it would be great to carry on my purse or for travelling with its dual function, so why not?

anyway, i will let you see the colour :

cute pink colour

oh, and the packaging is sooo small. don't think it big! it is really small..lokk at this:

my thought:

when i first look at the colour, i though it would be perfect pink-natural colour.
well, it was good on my cheek, but on my lip, it didn't work! it looked soo fake on my lip, didn't set well, plus it made my lip looks dry, so i won't use it as a lip colour anymore. so dissapointed though, cause overall now it's just a cream blush, not multi purpose as i thought it would be.
anyway this is the swatch:

it is too bad it didn't work for me as a lip colour, because i like the scent of it. it smells lovely, apricot-like, and when i applied on my lip i could smell the lovely scent for some minutes.
and as for a cream blush, it is quite good. easy to blend, looks natural, and it is compact and good for travelling or carry around in your purse as you don't need to bring your brush. well, just make sure that your hand is clean before applying this.

overall, not too happy, but still i will try another cute stuff like this.. (i saw something like this from missha and etude house) hehe..