Bifesta Cleansing Lotion Age Care

Bifesta cleansing lotion is a facial cleanser from Japan. The first time I heard about it is from my dear friend, a makeup junkie just like me. She is Korean and she raves about this product as the best cleansing lotion that she ever had and that it is very famous in Japan and Korea.

You can find Bifesta in supermarkets that sell imported goods such as Food Hall or Grand Lucky.
It has 4 variants, Age Care, Sebum, Bright Up, and Moist. While I’m very interested to try Moist, but I could not find it anywhere here yet.
I chose Age Care mainly because well, I am 30 now and would prefer products that can help me fight the pace of aging :D

The cleansing lotion texture is liquid. If you ever tried micellar water such as Bioderma, you will know. If you haven't tried, it’s watery. The color of the lotion is milky, like when you dilute milk with a lot of water. There is a slight scent which I don't know what but it is not disturbing.

How to use? Prepare a cotton pad and pump out the product one time on the cotton pad. I made a beginner mistake by pumping it 3 times, afraid that I will not have enough products on the cotton pad. But I was wrong. Instead cleaning my face well, it made my face felt sticky. So, now I will just use one pump at a time.
Wipe your makeup with the cotton pad gently. When the cotton pad is dirty, change it with the new one. When I have full makeup (foundation, eye shadows, mascara, etc), I will usually spend 3 cotton pads (I use both sides) to get a clean face. 

For illustration, you can see how I cleanse my eye using Bifesta. That is how one swipe did to the makeup. It already removes most of the makeup. I'm using waterproof mascara (DiorShow mascara and it’s really tough to remove even with cleansing oil) and waterproof eyeliner. And the last picture is the end result of the cleansing process. The mascara was not fully removed but it’s still ok. The cleansing power is good; it can lift the makeup well without tugging your skin.

I have sensitive eyes and sometimes when I use eye makeup remover; it stings my eyes and will leave my eyeballs red. But Bifesta did not. My eyes are clean without any redness in my eyeballs.

The only downside is that Bifesta Cleansing Lotion leaves a little bit of sticky feeling on my skin even though I only use one pump at a time. I wonder is it because the one that I picked is the Age Care, so it tries to maintain your skin moisture by doing that. I noticed that if my makeup is not too heavy, it did not feel too sticky afterwards. But unfortunately, I haven’t got the chance to try the other variants and I am not a fan of sticky face even just a little bit, especially when it comes to cleaning your face. So, I usually will splash water on my face after I cleanse my face with Bifesta Age Care or wash my face with facial wash again to make sure it did not leave any residue on my face. Thankfully, the cleansing lotion did not make my skin act out.

For me, a clean face is a must before going to bed. Better if you can slap on some night skincare on too. But cleansing your face only with cleansing water or lotion is not an option for me because somehow I feel that it did not really thoroughly cleanse my face. But for some people, cleansing water or lotion is their go to products when they don’t have time to double cleanse, especially when they have a long day and just want to crash the bed immediately. So, try to find the cleansing water or lotion that can deliver that level of cleanliness that you want. Nowadays, I usually use Bifesta Age Care to wipe my makeup off before I exercise or damp a cotton bud to erase my mistakes when I’m doing my makeup.

Will I repurchase Bifesta? Maybe not because I still want to venture on some other cleansing water or lotion and find which one fits me more. What is your favorite cleansing water or lotion? Please share with me.

Cheers,

Stef

Sociolla Box - My Shopping Experience

I love online shopping. The ease of shopping that can be done within the comfort of your home or even your bedroom. One day, I stumbled upon one online shopping website, specializing in beauty product, called Sociolla. Their beautiful font and attractive design caught my eyes at first. The design is girly yet fresh and modern. I browse their website and quite satisfied with the beauty brands that they carry because they have some of my favorite brands, such as SKII, Laneige, Lavie Lash, and Beauty Story.

How it works?
First, you need to register yourself and make an account at www.sociolla.com. The registration is very easy, you just need to fill some data, such as name, address, contact number, etc. Afterwards, you will be given an account and you can log in to start shopping at Sociolla. 

You can start shopping by browsing through their website. If you already knew which brand you would like to purchase, you can click on the Shop by Brand option. If you still want to browse around, you can try clicking the Shop by Department option. 

After you finish shopping, you can click on My Bag (on the top section of the web) to see the products you have chosen. You will be directed to My Shopping Bag section where you can input any voucher code you have and pick a free sample of your own choice. I love this feature! It reminds me a lot like when I shop at Sephora. They also still have free shipping service nationwide but for a limited time only.

You can see that when you purchase something, you will earn Beauty Points. For every 50.000 IDR purchase you will earn 1 point. When you review a product on Sociolla, you will also receive beauty points. These beauty points later can be redeemed on your next purchase as shopping voucher. 10 beauty points worth 25.000 IDR Sociolla shopping voucher. How great is that?!

Proceed from the shopping bag to the checkout section, you can choose your payment method. They offer various payment methods from COD to credit card payment. Input your preferred payment method and you are done! 

 

The amazing part is, my Sociolla Box arrived on the next day. All pretty and pink, safe and sound at my doorstep. How many of you have experienced fast delivery but with poor packaging when you do online shopping? For me, a good packaging is a must for an online seller. Sociolla surprised me with their beautiful box. It’s like I got a present from someone. They also packed the items carefully; bubble wrapped them individually, to make sure that the items are safe. They also used shredded paper to fill the gap in the box so the items would stay in place. Needless to say, I am one extremely happy and satisfied customer which is the main reason why I wrote this shopping experience on my blog.

Below are my purchased products from Sociolla and will review them separately later in other post.
Thank you Sociolla for making my online shopping special and please keep up the good work. Can’t wait until my next Sociolla Box.

Cheers,
Stefi

Event Report - Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact

Last weekend I was invited by Lancome Indonesia to attend the launching of Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact. The event took place at Laguna Atrium, Central Park Mall. This is my first time attending Lancome event and I have to say kudos to the decoration team because the decoration is Ah-may-zing! The atrium is filled with French decoration from pink roses (Lancome symbol), mini ferris wheel, chic bicycle, and to die for vanity tables. I felt I’m being teleported to Paris and become one of the chic parisienne women that Saturday ;)

Lancome, a luxury beauty brand from France, has been women’s favorite for skincare and makeup products. Their latest product is Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Serum, a serum that targets the 10 key signs of youth: texture, resiliency, elasticity, firmness, sagginess, fine lines, wrinkles, radiance, even skin tone, and clarity, with noticeable results in just 7 days.

Now, with the trend of Korean cosmetics and the cushion compact in beauty world, Lancome joins the wagon by launching Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact. If you are a Kpop addict, you would know what cushion compact is. But for you who don’t, cushion compact is a round sponge (cushion) that is soaked in liquid foundation encased in a compact case. When you press the cushion with the sponge applicator that usually comes along with the compact, the liquid formula will be released out.

The event started with a welcome message from Ms. Agustina Mulya, Brand Manager Lancome Indonesia. It continued with a beauty chat between Ms. Stephanie Yo; Product Manager Lancome Indonesia, Ms. Patricia Katio; National Educator Lancome Indonesia, and Ms. Alexandra Asmasoebrata; one of Lancome Mademoiselle, about Lancome products and of course the cushion explanation. Do you know that Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact has cooling effect too? It can reduce our skin temperature down to 3 degrees celcius. Isn’t great for us who lives in this sunny and tropical country?

Ms. Patricia then conducted a makeup demo on a model using Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact. She showed us different ways in applying the compact depending on the look you want to achieve.

Natural look: 
After you tap the applicator to the cushion, tap it again a little bit on your hand before you apply it to your face.

Full coverage:

Tap the applicator to the cushion, and then pat it all around your face and neck

Shading or highlighting:

Using a concealer or a foundation brush, tap it to the cushion, and then apply it to the areas that you want to sculpt or highlight. Use the darker shade to sculpt and lighter shade to highlight.

For a dewy look, you can leave out the setting powder and go straight with the cushion or just lightly dust setting powder only on some areas of your face that will easily shine.

After the makeup demo is finished, it’s time for us the beauty bloggers got challenged by Lancome to create a look by using Lancome products. We moved to the vanity table areas where Lancome already prepared with makeup brushes, makeup cleanser (to remove our current makeup), and Lancome’s skincare and makeup products. Ms. Alexandra asked us to create a rosy dewy look in just 10 minutes of time. And the chaos began, all of us trying our best to create the look to win the challenge. I had a lot of fun playing with Lancome products. It’s exciting to try the cushion compact too because just like the tagline #cushiononthego, the cushion compact really delivers a quick yet a perfect coverage for your face. You can save a lot of time in applying your base makeup because you just need to tap tap tap that sponge on your face and voila! Perfect complexion! Definitely a must have when you are in a rush or in need of immediate touch up. As a proof, my whole makeup finished in just 10 minutes! My favorite product beside the cushion compact is the Blush Subtil in Rose Sable. The blush is pigmented and soft with fine shimmer on it.  A dusty rose color that beautifully sits on my cheeks, helping me achieving rosy look that I like.

Unfortunately I was not the winner of the challenge. The winner is Bella, from Everything about Bella. Congratulations, girl! Happy for you :)

To close the event, all of us took a wefie together. And to end the sweet afternoon, Lancome also present us with one Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact to bring home. Three lovely pin up stickers from Ayang Cempaka, an Indonesian illustrator, are ready for us to choose. 

 

La Vie Est Belle - A beautiful and colourful flowers  

Mademoiselle – A Paris woman with flowers and smooches around it

Bonjour – A Paris view with Eiffel Tower and caroussel

It was a very difficult choice because I adore them all! I wish I could bring all of them home. At the end, I chose the Mademoiselle because I love how chic the Parisian woman look. The stickers also adorned by some crystals to add more bling to it.

I had so much fun at the event and definitely something that I will not easily forget. Impressive job, Lancome Indonesia! Thank you for having me.

Stay tune on my blog to read the review of Lancome Blanc Expert Cushion Compact and find out how to choose the right shade for you.

Cheers,

Stef

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