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Friday, February 28, 2014

Lolabox February 2014 Review

It's way too late to write this review because I have been reluctant to do it. You'll see why later.

Anyway, I had high hopes on this month's Lolabox especially because I thought maybe they will incorporate Valentine's Day theme to it, which they don't by the way. Most probably is because they want to be neutral as in they also didn't incorporate Christmas and Eid Mubarak, which I totally understand and appreciate. But for me, Valentine's Day is more of a "Hallmark/Commercialized Holiday" nowadays and only few people mark it on the religion-related celebration. Not saying that commercializing Valentine's Day which was supposed to be a reminder of the martyr act of Saint Valentine is right, but it is what it is. Now most people, with different believes and faith might I add, just celebrate Valentine's Day because they love the idea of it, the tale of a one day in a year dedicated to celebrate love. Of course, these are merely my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

Please note that despite what I said above, I can definitely see why Lolabox chose not to incorporate Valentine's Day theme, since that might attract protest and such from other subscribers who don't want to celebrate it. I was just stating my opinion regarding Valentine's Day celebration.


With all of that out of my chest, let's begin the review, shall we?


They continue to use their old box again this month. I guess there are lots of leftover boxes and they just want to use it up? Oh, well, not gonna complaint anymore about this if that's the case (go green and all you know).

I didn't take a pic of the greeting card, but this month's theme is Steal the Spotlight

Well, let's see if the stuffs in the box fit the theme!


[JUARA] Candlenut Hand and Body Balm
Full-size: 7.5 oz (Rp 325,000.00) 
In the Box: 0.17 oz (Rp 7,367.00)

[JUARA] Rice Facial Cleanser
Full-size: 4.75 oz (Rp 295,000.00) 
In the Box: 0.14 oz (Rp 8,695.00)

[JUARA] Sweet Black Tea and Rice Moisturizer
Full-size: 2 fl oz (Rp 605,000.00)
In the Box: 0.14 oz (Rp 42,350.00)

Never liked getting sachet samples in the box, but the pouch is cute, I guess. A bit intrigued to try out Juara too.




[Soap Ville] Soap Bar
Full-size: 120 gr (Rp 35,000.00)
In the Box: I'm guessing this is about a third of the actual size (Rp 11,667.00)

I usually prefer shower gel rather than soap bar, but I haven't tried this one yet, so I can't tell you for sure whether I like it or not. What I know right off the bat is that the scent is similar to those hotel's complimentary hand soap bar and the soap bar itself is pretty with the marbled purple and green.




[Acnes] Tea Tree Oil Clay Mask
Full-size: 50 gr (Rp 30,000.00)
In the Box: full-size

I'm breaking out right now, so this is probably a good time to give this a try. I wasn't too excited to get this though, which is why I haven't tried this yet.




[Taylor Swift] Wonderstruck
Full-size: 50 ml (Rp 715,000.00) / 100 ml (Rp 875,000.00)
In the Box: 1.2 ml (Rp 10,500.00)

I was quite happy to receive this because I've always been curious about the scent of Taylor Swift Eau de Parfum, but too bad the vial it comes in doesn't have a nozzle spray. Am I supposed to just pour the perfume over my wrist? Anyway, I just sniff it to get the idea of scent. It has a common sweet scent, nothing really stands out to me.




[Glam It!] 'Nailed' Nail Decals
Full-size: Rp 60,600.00 / pack
In the Box: full-size

Saying that this is my least favorite item from this month's box is putting it mildly. I mean, 60k for a pack of nail art sticker? And on top of that, the pattern of the stickers are just..erm..not something I would wear. Or is it just me being picky? I guess the hearts are not too bad.


Must-Try Extra
I think this is meant to be a "bonus" item.


[The Body Shop] Tea Tree Oil
Full-size: 10 ml (Rp 119,000.00)
In the Box: 1 ml (Rp 6,000.00) /*It still has the price tag at the back*/

I actually already used this particular product from The Body Shop, so I'm feeling indifference about getting this.


OVERALL:
Lolabox Price: Rp 145,000.00 for 1 month subscription / Rp 375,000.00 for 3 months subscription / Rp 725,000.00 for 6 months subscription
The Box's Value: Rp 177,179.00

In the Box: 6 Items (1 sachet samples, 3 deluxe samples, 2 full-sizes)


I'm trying to put this as nicely as I can, but overall, this month's box really didn't impressed me whatsoever. 

First, from my personal preference angle, none of the products really appealed to me, hence I haven't tried any of them even though I've received the box almost 2 weeks ago. Usually, when I get my Lolabox, I will immediately try all the products that I can try right away. 

Second, from the box's value. The total is 177k, more than what you paid for at least, right? Well, 60k of that total is coming from a nail art sticker pack and 42k is from a 0.14 oz sample of moisturizer. Frankly, 102k for those 2 things are just not worth it. I feel like they are just gimmicks to hike up the total value. So value-wise I really don't think I get my money's worth out of this month's items.

Third, I don't see the correlation between the products and the theme. I guess this is not really a big deal, but when they said the theme is "Steal the Spotlight", I thought I will get more make-up items than skin care.

So that's all my review for this month's Lolabox. Do you see why I have been reluctant to do it? It's because this box really doesn't excite me, to say the least. Finger crossed Lolabox will up their game next month.

Click HERE to subscribe to Lolabox


xoxo, Lily

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Dim Sum Date | Imperial Lamian

Dim sum is one of those food that I crave every so often (aside from sushi) and luckily I have found my favorite dim sum place here in Alam Sutera, Imperial Lamian.

Last Monday I went there with Sam because my 3 o'clock class was cancelled and I thought Imperial Lamian still have their 30% off weekdays on 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. Turned out the promotion has ended :( We still ate there anyway since their price is not too bad. Definitely not cheap, but quite affordable.

P.s. all the pictures in this entry were taken with my iPod since I forgot to bring my camera -_-"




I forgot the name of this, but I think it's "Lumpia Seafood". Pretty good.

Lumpia Kulit Tahu (IDR 9,999 - promo price)

I love this. It's beancurd skin with shrimp filling. The shrimp was plump and juicy too.

Crab Roll (IDR 19,900)

This is a MUST order for me. The crab meat is wrapped with shrimp mixture and they're just great together!

Ha Kau (IDR 16,900)
Ha Kau is always something that I have to order wherever I eat dim sum. The ha kau here is one of my favorite so far. For me, ha kau should have a moist thin skin (since thick skin tends to be chewier), generous filling, and plump and juicy shrimp. These ha kau here checks all the criteria above.

Kuo Tie Babi / Pork Kuo Tie (IDR 15,900)
I have never really liked kuo tie/wo tie/gyoza, whatever you wanna call it, mainly because I don't like the skin (I do love some "pangsit" though), so I didn't enjoy this. It was a good kuo tie nevertheless.

Xiao Long Bao Babi / Pork Xiao Long Bao (IDR 16,900)
Another MUST order when I ate dim sum at Imperial La Mian. The skin is not too thick and the filling just burst into your mouth when you bite it, a warm, creamy, very savory stock with minced pork. Absolutely divine.


It is the best xiao long bao I have ever tried so far. They also have the rainbow xiao long bao with various fillings, but imo this one is still much better and cheaper too and tastier. On the side note, I really want to try the xiao long bao from Din Tai Fung that supposedly one of the best xiao long bao in town. Can't wait for the outlet at Mall of Alam Sutera to be opened.

Bakpao Telur Asin / Bao with Salted Egg Yolk (IDR 13,900)
This is Sam's must-order. I find it just meh. Don't get me wrong, I love salted egg yolk bao as much as I love my Ha Kau and maybe even more, but this particular one from Imperial Lamian is just so so to me. First and for most, they only have steamed one and I much prefer the deep-fried type. The salted egg yolk filling itself isn't as melty and creamy as I like it to be. Overall, just okay.


Es Salju Podeng / Pudding Snow Ice (IDR 5,000)
Ordered this because it was a promo. Quite okay as a dessert, definitely a sharing portion after all the dim sum earlier.



xoxo

Imperial Lamian
Flavor Bliss - Alam Sutra
+62 21 53662221

Thursday, February 13, 2014

3 Valentine's Day Nail Art Ideas!

Tomorrow is Valentine's day already so I'm gonna post this up today even though I already blogged a post this afternoon :p

P.s. What are your plans on Valentine's day? I don't have any since I'm on my final test right now *sigh*


Full Blog Post HERE

The first one here is suitable if you have some time to spend since it can take up to more than an hour to do.



Full Blog Post HERE

For the ombre/gradient nails lovers out there, I got you covered. This one is way easier than the first one too!



Full Blog Post HERE

The last one is my newest nail art tutorial and this is the most subtle one among the bunch. If you're someone who don't like in-your-face type of nail art, give this one a go. It's a reminiscence of the classic french manicure, but with a cute twist ;) Not to mention it doesn't take a lot of time to recreate, perfect for last minute nail art :) *not literally last minute okay! :p*


That's all my Valentine's day nail art round up for you! Hope you try one of these and have a sweet Valentine's day ♥ xoxo

♥ Marbled Hearts French Manicure ♥

I finally uploaded a new video after 3 MONTHS hiatus on youtube O.O This one took me quite some time to edit, probably because it's been months since I edited a video.

Anyway, I hope you like this valentine's day nail art idea! It's a bit tricky at first, but after a couple tries it's actually a really easy and very forgiving design ;)


A few tips:
  • Make sure when you do the dots, you make blobs of them (not just flat dots).
  • If you feel like the pink marbled hearts is covering the white part (and vice versa), just dip your toothpick in a bit of white nail polish and re-drag the dots with it.
  • If the previous tip failed, just put on new dots on top of the failed marbled hearts and drag it again.
  • Wait at least 5 to 10 minutes before you put on a topcoat to prevent smudging (It's crucial in this particular design since there are blobs of nail polish, not just thin coat)
Good Luck!








Product used
  • [Oriflame] Pure Colour in "Intense Pink"
  • [The Face Shop] Lovely Me'ex Nails in WH002
  • [The Face Shop] Lovely Me'ex Nails in PK102
  • [The Face Shop] Lovely Me'ex Nails in PK103
  • [Etude House] Look at My Nails Care - Ultra Shine Topcoat
xoxo, Lily