The Soap Corner - Brush Best Friend Soap

Hello hello gorgeous people! How are you today? I cannot believe that September is almost over! How fast the time flies.. Am I the only one who feels it? I wish I have a time saving device like in Doraemon comic book, so I can save time and when I feel that I need more time then I’ll just take it from the device. Well, I don’t have a time saving device in my hand now, but I have a product that can save time in cleaning your makeup tools. The Soap Corner is a local brand from Indonesia that sells Brush Cleaners, Natural Handmade Soaps (liquid and bar), and Essential Oils. Not only that they are made from natural ingredients, all of their products are also free from SLS/SLES and Paraben. No doubt that their products are definitely safe for your skin. 

The Soap Corner Brush Best Friend Soap is a wonderful cleaner that can be used for brushes, sponges, makeup clothes, etc. It is 100% made of natural ingredients with olive oil and essential oil blends to make your brushes and sponge clean spic and span. The soap is liquid form and comes in different sizes; 60ml (flip top bottle), 250ml, and 500ml (both of them with pump). I purchased the 250ml with the pump. The Soap Corner has a tutorial on their website, showing how to use the soap to clean your brushes. You can see it here. 

 

I usually use 3 pumps of soap, diluted in one pint of water, and then dip my dirty brushes inside the soap water. I swirl them several times and shake them inside the water before I took them out. After that, I took another pump of soap and make suds out of it. I started to lather the suds to the brushes and clean them one by one by swishing and twirling them on my palm. When my brushes are extremely dirty, I will clean them twice to make sure they are really clean. When there are no more colors (foundations, blushes, eye shadows) coming out of the brushes, I rinse them under a running water. 

As for sponges or puffs, I usually clean it by wetting the sponge and lather it with the soap suds while squeezing and rubbing the sponge gently. I will do it until the sponge is clean from any stain or dirt.

After rinsing, I squeeze the brushes with a towel to remove excess water and lay them out on a flat surface with nothing under the heads, so the bristles can get a good air circulation to dry. Do not dry them with the heads facing upwards. Instead of drying the brushes, the water can seep in to the brushes’ body and loosen the glue that holds the bristle. The ideal way to dry them up is actually by facing the head downwards, so the water will runs down. There’s a tool that you can use to hold the brushes, it is called brush tree. It has been on my wish list for quite a while and I would love to have one. I think it will brush cleaning much more fun!

Picture taken from Beautylish web

I do the same thing with sponges and puffs, I will squeeze it with a towel so not so much water will be left inside it. Then, I will lay the sponge on top of a dry towel and let it dry. 

Before, look at the dirty brushes and sponge. After, they are amazingly clean and fresh, ready to do their duties again. 

The brushes smell good and clean due to the essential oil blend that they put in the soap. I can smell Tea Tree oil on them. If it’s true, then it is wonderful because it has anti bacterial function. God knows how many bacteria that stays in dirty brushes or sponge. 

Cleaning your brushes means they are going to look a bit puffy or out of shape after they dry. You can invest on Brush Guard. It is something you can use to help the brushes back to their normal shape or protect the brushes from getting out of shape (it is very useful when you bring your brushes while you are travelling and don’t have a place to store your brush safely). You can see the brush tree picture and see that the brushes are covered by brush guard. If you don’t have a Brush Guard, maybe you could try my trick. After the brush is dry, you can wrap them with a tissue and wait for 6 hours to take it off or at least until the brushes back in shape. Now, they are ready to go back to their duties again. 

Another short review for The Soap Corner is their Charcoal Tea Tree Bar Soap. I actually forgot why I chose this soap. I supposed it’s because it is the first time for me to see a black soap. Yes, black soap! The soap is made of activated charcoal mixed with tea tree essential oil, hence the color. It has the tea tree scent, which I love because it gives me that clean and hygienic feels when I inhale it. Did you know that activated charcoal works well for acne prone skin because it can suck the toxins out? Not to mention the anti bacteria function that Tea Tree Oil has, this combo is match made in heaven. I do not have acne prone skin on my face, but my back is. I used it as body soap and lather it all over my back (it’s not an easy task if you ask me) and it helped my back heal from small zits attack. I tried to use it on my face too, but I did not notice any changes because well, my face is in normal condition. The suds color is light grey-ish and it did not make my skin dry but it did not moisture it either (of course laaa, this is a soap for acne prone skin).

You can see the list of the ingredients on the picture, all from natural ingredients and very safe for your skin. I will repurchase my Brush Best Friend Soap again and again because it works wonder for my brushes and sponges. I even use it to clean my shoes and amaze on how spotless my shoes become. A great product indeed! Love it!

Cheers,

Stef

Sulwhasoo Basic Essential Kit

Hello gorgeous! As I promised before on my instagram account a few weeks ago, I will share my experience in trying Sulwhasoo basic skincare set. I am grateful I got the chance to try Sulwhasoo basic skincare set. I got mine from Sulwhasoo counter a while ago by reposting their picture on my account. It is a small sample, honestly it did not enough for me to give or show you considerable changes on my skin since the application of the skincare. But at least, by using it for 1-2 weeks, I could try and see if it agrees with my skin. I have not changed my skincare for the last 5 years. Yes, there are some trial here and there, but I always come back to my basic skincare which is from SK II (you can read my skincare regime here). But now, along with my beauty addiction adding up, I have more knowledge about more products worth to try. 

Sulwhasoo has been capturing my interest with its holistic approach skincare by not only using natural ingredients but they also pay attention on the method of the production; a Korean traditional heritage.

The set contains of a sachet of Gentle Cleansing Foam, a sachet of First Activating Care Serum, a vial of Essential Balancing Water, and a vial of Essential Balancing Emulsion. The cleanser and the serum lasted for 5 days (used twice a day) and the vials lasted for around 2 weeks (used twice a day). Please note that the duration here is what I experienced and I have small face so I did not have to put a lot amount of product on my face.   

 

I follow the instructions inside the packaging of the kit. 

First, I started with cleansing my face with the cleansing foam. It is in clear liquid form and I usually created the foam by adding a little bit of water after I dispensed it on my hand. Lather it all over your face and neck then rinse with water. I am happy that the cleansing foam did not make my skin dry. 

After preparing my skin with SK II Facial Clear Lotion as a toner, I continued it with the First Activating Care Serum, which is their best seller. The serum is a boosting serum that claims can boost up your other skincare products to its optimal result. It is said that it helps to maintain your skin moisture and balance it so your other skincare will be absorbed optimally by the skin. The serum color is golden brown and the texture is light. Apply it to your face and massage your face a little bit and warm it up by wrapping your face with your palm at the end of the application.

The next step is the Essential Balancing Water that acts as balancer and delivers deep hydration. I love how it felt on my skin. The gel-like texture is absorbed by my skin well, leaving it so hydrated and I felt that it soothe my skin down. 

The last step is Essential Balancing Emulsion. This is a moisturizer that is formulated with Korean herbs to make a softer and smoother skin. It is a very light moisturizer; the texture is not creamy, it glides and absorbed easily by the skin too. But even though it’s light, my skin felt soft and hydrated well after the application. You can add another layer of moisturizer if you felt that the emulsion is not enough to hydrate your skin. 

All of the products mentioned have herbal ginseng-ey scent that I found lovely. It is calming and soothing. But I understand that not everybody fond of a scent (or an herbal scent) in their skincare, especially when you have a sensitive skin.  I would suggest to trying them out first on the counter or asking for some samples to bring home. 

So, what is the verdict? I love it!

I am very glad that my skin did not acting out and no breakout at all during the trial *phewww*. My skin felt soft and smooth during the trial. It is a great basic skincare set which you can tweak here and there by adding other products such as serums or moisturizers to layer around. It will work wonderfully for you who have normal to combination skin. Will I purchase the full size products? I might, maybe after I finished my current skincare. 

Last week, Sulwhasoo just launched their newly improved First Activating Care Serum EX. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to go there and try them out. It is said that its new formula is able to deliver better results due to the upgraded JAUM Balancing Complex^TM with Sulwhasoo’s proprietary technology to take the benefits of medicinal herbs to a higher level.

Anybody has tried the basic essential care yet? If yes, kindly let me know how it works for you. Have a wonderful Sunday, peeps!! *kisses*

Cheers,

Stefi

Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel in Role Play

Hello September!! For other people on the other side of the world, September is the start of Fall season, when the cool breeze wind started to blow, the leaves started to turn yellow or brown. But it is a hot and dry season here in my country, Indonesia. My skin has been really dry lately because of the weather. I get some dry patchy spots on my nose and cheeks due to it and I have to remind myself to chug in more water to hydrate my body. I hope my fellow readers in Indonesia do the same too. 

Today, I want to share my recent favorite lipstick for daily look. Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel in Role Play. I was unaccustomed to nude lips or nude lip products because I thought that nude lips will never suit me because my complexion is already light and pale. I don’t need nude colors; I need bright colors to enhance my look. Nude eyes is one thing, but nude lips? Never in a million year have I wanted to try it. But then, I realized, nude color is not only pale beige color like what Kim Kardashian loves to wear. There are various colors of nude and we can select the one that suits our skin tone. 

I decided that nude color for me is dusty medium rose with beige or brown hint. My quest on collecting nude lipstick started with Tom Ford Indian Rose and then continued with Beauty Story Samantha (you can see the review here and here). I heard that Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel is amazing; I did some reading of the reviews on beauty blogs and put it in my wish list. It was not something that I really eager to get because it is not limited edition and even Sephora here doesn’t have it. But one day, I was browsing through a bazaar and stumbled upon one booth selling USA make up products. And there it is, that pretty beige case, sitting on top of the booth counter. It was the last stock and of course swatching it on your hand is not allowed. So, I quickly googled the swatches and thought, it might be a great nude and everyday lip color. Now, I’m really glad that baby came home with me because I love it so much.

The packaging is a sturdy plastic with magnet cap. It is the same packaging like the other Marc Jacobs lipstick but in a different color. The color is creamy medium beige; I supposed to represent the nude theme and I honestly falling in love with the packaging alone. It is just beautiful! It is simple, chic, and I love the magnet cap. The shape is perfect, with an elegant curve instead of round or squared edges. The packaging itself makes me want to take it out of my makeup bag and just adore or playing with it on my hand. 

 

The lipstick? Is ah-may-zing! The texture is gel like and it is creamy. The lipstick covers your lips well with a gel-ish creamy finish. It plumps your lips and gives an appropriate gloss. The bullet color in the tube is quite different when you apply it on your lips. I thought the color is going to be deeper; like what I see in the tube. But surprisingly it is sheerer, similar like my own lips. It is like THE nude color I am searching for! I also like how the bullet’s shape too, it has curves instead of sharp pointy bullet like other lipstick. 

The lipstick contains Monoi butter to help moisture the lips and Myrrh extract with vitamin E to reduce sign of aging including vertical fine lines. True to the ingredients, the lipstick does not make my lips dry at all. It has a light scent of vanilla which not overwhelming at all and you will not notice it few minutes after application. The staying power is not so good though, it usually lasts on my lips for about 2-3 hours. What I don’t understand is after 2-3 hours, the lipstick’s color will just disappear on my lips as if it is absorbed by my lips. I thought I ate it hahaha.. But when I wipe my lips with a tissue, I could see the color transfers to the tissue. That is really weird. The bottom line is, you need to reapply your lipstick in 2-3 hours after each application. So for you who is searching for a long lasting lipstick and would like your lipstick to stay put no matter what you do, maybe this is not the lipstick that you are looking for.  As for me, I don’t mind at all to reapply my lip color all day because it means I get to play with it often. 

Marc Jacobs New Nudes Sheer Lip Gel is a wonderful lipstick and I believe it’s a must have nude lipstick in your vanity. There is nothing I don’t like about this lipstick, it is simply one of my favorite lipsticks now. I’m eyeing on Understudy and Eat Cake shades to add to my collection. 

At the meantime, I wanted to show you all a comparison between Marc Jacobs Role Play and Tom Ford Indian Rose. Below you can see the swatches of both lipsticks and how they look on my FOTD.  Role Play looks more to the brown side than Indian Rose while the latter is more to dusty medium rose. When applied, Role Play looks more nude and transparent than Indian Rose, creating a perfect nude look for me. They don’t share the similar texture. Role Play finish is a bit glossy and could hide my lips’ fine lines. Indian Rose on the other hand, has a satin finish thus accentuate my fine lines more than Role Play. I stated on my Indian Rose review that it has a waxy plasticy scent, but now I know better that it is actually its signature vanilla scent. The scent is definitely stronger than Role Play has. As for staying power, Indian Rose wins because it usually lasted up to 4 hours on me. Nevertheless, both are such a beauty and I love them both!

No lipstick

Wow, this is a quite lengthy post. But I do hope you still enjoy reading it! Please share with me your favorite nude lipstick and tell me why. I have a feeling that this will not be my last nude lipstick to collect hahaha.. so I welcome any recommendation from you :)

Cheers,

Stefi.

Sariayu Masker Ketan Hitam

Last week, I helped my in laws with their shop. The shop is located on the side of an extremely busy main street, so the dust and air pollution is really bad. Not to mention the hot weather lately, I felt my skin acted out a bit with some spots of redness here and there. I love facial mask and I believe we all need to spare a little time from our busy day to do one facial mask session at least once a week to nourish our skin. Lucky, I saved Masker Ketan Hitam  for the last one to try because a facial mask with antioxidant is exactly what I need to rejuvenate my skin. 

I still remember some old times when I was still living in my parent's house. We lived in a housing complex where you could find a lot of street food vendors going around the complex every day. On the weekends, my family usually will buy two kinds of food, Soto Ayam and Black Sticky Rice/Mung Bean Porridge. I am not a fan of soto, so usually I will choose the porridge. I would just eat the black sticky rice part and leave the mung bean for my mom or dad hahaha..

Anyone here like Black Sticky Rice porridge? Apparently Ketan Hitam or Black Sticky Rice can do as facial mask too. 

The mask color is light grey and it goes darker when I mixed it with the rose water. It doesn’t have weird smell but one thing for sure, it doesn’t smell like the black sticky rice porridge hahaha..

The texture and the consistency are smoother than Beras Putih but not as smooth as Beras Merah. It has black speckles in it which I assumed is the ground black sticky rice.  It did not dry as quickly as Beras Merah, the picture below was taken after 5 minutes application because I have to do something first. You can see the mask was not dry yet and there were only small dry spots on my face. 

It has the same cooling effect like Beras Merah and I’m starting to wonder if it’s actually the masks or the rose water that gives the cooling effect. The mask felt a bit balmy and hugged my face smoothly. I did not experience the tightness until the last minutes when the mask was getting really dry on my face.

Because it doesn’t dry quickly, I gave the mask 20 minutes before I cleaned them away. The mask claimed to be able to shrink pores but unfortunately it did not work on me. I did feel the mask moisturized my skin better than Beras Merah did. My skin felt plumped due to it and looked fresher.

So, which one is my favorite from those three masks?

I would say Masker Ketan Hitam is the winner because I like how the mask moistures my skin and it seemed to be able to calm my skin better than the other two. I am a bit disappointed with Beras Merah because in my opinion, it did not deliver what it claimed, which is to moisturize the skin.

Alrighty! This is the end of the trilogy review of Sariayu masks. It was a fun experience trying those masks. I don’t remember when the last time I used powder mask. Have you tried them now? Which one is your favorite?

Cheers,

Stef