Taiwan Skincare Products

Everyone knows that Korean Skincare is a hype right now, not to mention in Taiwan; Korean beauty product everywhere. I have been using Korean skincare for about 1.5 years and I feel that it is time to try some of Taiwanese local skincare.

Sekarang ini produk kecantikan Korea sedang ngetrend di Indonesia, saya sendiri termasuk pecinta produk skincare dan make-up Korea. Tetapi karena saya lagi tinggal di Taiwan, belakangan ini mulai tertarik juga dengan produk skincare Taiwan.

Actually, in terms of quality, Taiwanese skincare is pretty decent, but it is less famous because nowadays people are so biased with Korean (I'm no exception). I am now starting to fall in love with Taiwanese skincare since it is more affordable, and it works! That's the most important thing! So I think I can introduce you some of my favourite Taiwanese skincare and beauty products.

Sebenarnya kalau dilihat dari segi kualitas, skincare Taiwan tuh ga kalah kok sama produk Korea. Masalahnya hanya masih kurang terkenal aja, secara orang-orang lebih mengenal Korea dikarenakan K-popnya. Padahal, produk Taiwan tuh termasuk salah satu produk Asia berkualitas bagus, dan harganya juga terjangkau.

1. My Beauty Diary Masks
Honestly, this is probably the best mask I've every tried! And I am not overreacting. It has a lot of types based on different ingredients and benefits.
My all time favourite is Aloe Vera mask. It makes my skin feel so supple, moist, and glowing.

Masker buatan Taiwan ini mungkin salah satu masker terbaik yang pernah saya coba. Bahkan menurut saya, efeknya lebih oke dari masker-masker merk Korea lain kaya innisfree, skinfood, dll.
Favoritku tuh yang Aloe Vera (Lidah buaya), setelah pakai, kulit rasanya bener-bener lembut dan lembab! Bahkan terlihat glowing~

In Taiwan you can buy it in Cosmed, and other beauty store, since it is very famous, you won't have problem finding it.
It is now also available in Indonesia (they translate the instruction too), I saw the small box (5 pieces instead of 10) was sold in Guardian, but the price was almost triple the price in Taiwan. So expensive! 0____0

Masker My Beauty Diary ini termasuk yang gampang dicari, di Taiwan kamu bisa beli di Cosmed atau toko-toko kecantikan lain.
Dan ternyata, masker ini juga sudah diimpor resmi ke Indonesia, bahkan tulisannya juga sudah bahasa Indonesia. Kemarin ini saya lihat di Guardian, tapi harganya itu loh, hampir 3x lipat dari Taiwan! Muahal bangettt @___@


2. MY SCHEMING Blackhead Acne Removal Activated Carbon 3 Steps Mask Set
This is said to be the best blackhead remover mask, and I can't agree more!
The only drawback for me is you need to be super patient with it since it has 3 steps and you need to wait for a long time until the mask dried out in order to peel it.
But it is all worth the try because this mask can remove my tiny blackhead and make my skin feel so plump after use!

Kalau kalian coba googling "the best blackhead remover mask", kemungkinan besar produk ini pasti nongol deh di page 1.
My Scheming Blackhead Acne Removal ini unik karena terdiri dari 3 tahap, cuma ya mesti sabar aja dalam pengaplikasiannya, terutama untuk step 2 karena masker yang hitamnya itu harus ditunggu kering dulu supaya bisa dikelupas dengan sempurna dan narik semua komedo.
Memang harus sabar sih, tapi hasilnya ga sia-sia kok! Komedo terangkat, kulit wajah pun terasa lebih mulusss dan kenyal!

3. Oguma Aquakey
My friend from Thailand recommended this Taiwanese product since it is very famous in her country. Oguma is basically ionised water spray that benefits our skin.
I use it after washing my face before toner. It makes my skin fresh and moist, ready for the next step of my skincare routine.

Oguma Aquakey ini dulu direkomendasiin sama temenku dari Thailand. Katanya ini salah satu produk Taiwan yang terkenal banget di Thailand sana. Oguma ini semacam ion-water spray gitu, bisa kamu pakai kapan aja untuk bikin wajah cerah dan segar kembali. Saya sih biasanya pakai sehabis membersihkan wajah, sebelum toner. Wajah pun terasa lembab dan siap untuk tahap skincare selanjutnya.

It has the big 150ml and the compact one 50ml. What I have in the picture above is the 50ml one, since it is easier for me to carry around, and I can take it with me on the airplane too!

Kebetulan waktu liburan di Indonesia ini, saya bawa yang botol kecilnya, karena memang lebih praktis dibawa-bawa, terutama saat naik pesawat.

4. Annie's Way Gel Mask
I've never heard of this Annie's Way mask before my sister asked me to buy for her. It has various kind which you can choose based on your skin types.
The best selling one is Arbutin + Hyaluronic Acid. I actually need to order and wait for a week since it is out of stock at the store.
Annie's Way Hyaluronic Acid masks claim to maintain moisture and hydration on your skin, and the arbutin to brighten your skin.
It comes with this huge 250 ml jar with a reasonable price, but the spatula is sold separately (I don't know where to buy it Q__Q) I guess I need to figure out another way on how to apply it to my face, since the instruction said it is better to use spatula.

Annie's Way tuh salah satu merk masker yang terkenal juga di Taiwan. Tipe maskernya adalah masker wash-off berbentuk gel. Variannya banyak banget, tapi yang paling terkenal adalah Arbutin+Hyaluronic Acid Mask; waktu mo beli ini aja harus order dulu kira-kira 1 minggu karena out of stock di tokonya.

Masker Annie's Way Arbutin+Hyaluronic Acid ini berfungsi untuk menjaga kelembaban kulit dan juga mencerahkan kulit (terutama yang punya flek hitam atau bekas jerawat). Selain itu, semua masker gel Annie's Way juga bisa membantu mengurangi komedo di wajah loh!

 


So there they are, some of my favourite Taiwan skincare products. IMHO Taiwanese products are not so bad either! Try it and I promise you won't regret it!

Stay tune for other review~
再見～！

The Longest Week before holiday

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

This Chinese New Year as usual, I go back home to visit my family. I am more than excited!
But the difference this year is that I am working now (since I have graduated), so I only got 2 weeks off instead of the usual 1 month
and for me, that a couple of weeks before the holiday feels like the longest week ever!

The thing is, here in Taiwan, the government limits the amount of holidays/year. This year Chinese New Year holiday is from Monday Feb 8 - Thur Feb 11, so we had one Friday that stuck between those red days. And since everyone wants a full week off, the government moved the work day to Saturday 30th! (It's called 補上班）

In other words, I had only one Sunday day-off between 1/25-2/5. It felt like 2 weeks non-stop working day! I did not know that one day-off can make such a huge difference.

So in order for us to have a day-off on 2/12, we have to work on 1/30

And here is what I felt during the last week of work:

Nah, just kidding! The last week before Chinese new year usually pretty busy (well, at least for me since I got one deadline that I should finish before going back home). Since I take 1 more week-off, I need to finish more works than my colleagues. 

But that pays-off! Instead of just one week off, I got 2 weeks holiday to go back home! And here I am.. enjoying every second of it!

Ciao!

Happiness is : Korean Beauty Haul

'What are your must buy beauty and skincare product when you are travelling to Korea?'

I've been working on improving my skin condition by using Korean skin care in the last four months and finally I can notice the difference. Now my complexion is obviously better, no noticeable blackheads, smooth and moist skin, with just some acne scars on my cheek and forehead that definitely need some time to heal, and occasional pimple on my forehead during that time of the month.
But honestly say, I am happy with my skin right now and it has never been better.
In buying skincare, I am not a loyal buyer of certain brand, but instead I buy several famous product that have good reviews from several brands, for example : toner from etude, serum from innisfree, etc.

For my current skin care routine and my skincare history routine, check the later post.

Well, here are my must buy beauty list when I was in Korea:

1. BB cushion

After the era of BB cream, CC cream, not it is time for BB cushion. BB cushion is a compact BB cream in a cushion compact packaging. It is convenient, simple, and effective for me. Most of them promise to give moisture to the skin and has semi-dewy to glowing finish which I adore.

Like I said before my skin condition has been better, so I found BB cushion product really pull out the best of your skin. If you have already had a good skin, it will works like wonder, but for those who have problem skin, it will also work fine!

From Korea, I bought Hera mist cushion C21 and IOPE air cushion C21.

 

Check out my comparison for Hera, IOPE, and Lineage BB cushion here.

2. Innisfree

Innisfree has been my favourite skincare brand since I tried their Super Volcanic Clay Mask. Therefore, I decided to try more of their product lines.

Green tea seed serum and cream.
Since I have dry skin by nature, I think this will be a suitable product starter for me.


Orchid lines
At first I bought it for my mother because of the promotion (buy cream and get hand cream + deep cream... I know.. I know.. marketing.. =__=). By the way I am still happy for my purchase since I bought it at duty free which is cheaper than outside store and I have Lotte Duty free VIP card for more 10% discount (more info here) so I think it is a pretty decent deal.

Since my mom wouldn't use it, I am thinking to use it as my summer cream because it has less moisture than the green tea line but still good for nourishing your skin.

I also bought Innisfree waterproof sunblock at the airport Sheila duty free because I still got extra penny.

3. Banila.co

I only bought Banila Clean it Zero because of my friend's suggestion. I've been using it now for removing my make up or bb cream and I just love it! It removes your makeup easily without drying out your skin. A little goes a long way and it has spatula inside which is good for hygiene. It is a good make up remover for your dual cleansing routine. (Triple cleansing for me : eye makeup remover + cleansing oil/milk/balm + cleansing foam.)


4. Etude House

I just love Etude House because it is the first brand that makes me fall in love with Korean skincare. First I just bought their makeups (CC cream + eyeliner + concealer) and they gave me a lot of skincare samples. Long story shorts, I used the skincare samples, I loved them, and I purchased them.

5. Missha

I heard a lot about Missha's Aqua Snail Cream and my mother wants to try it, so I bought the snail cream and sleeping mask.

I also read a lot of review about Missha Perfect Cover BB cream so I decided to give it a try.

6. Laneige

Laneige water sleeping mask has won a lot of awards and good reviews. I have used the small 40ml sample and I think it is a good moisturising sleeping mask. It makes my skin moist and plump in the morning.

7. Skinfood
I don't know a lot about skinfood. But since I need scrub for exfoliator, I read a review about skinfood Black sugar Mask so I decided to give it a try.
I also bought this cute little cheek blush from skinfood. The colour is nice and it is convenient to carry around.

So I guess that's it! Stay tune for my review of those products.. see ya!

Happiness is : Travelling! Part 2 - South Korea

Hello again! After a tiring schedule in Japan (we didn't even get to enjoy a proper Japanese traditional  meal other than ramen, takoyaki, yakisoba, that we found on the small street shops), we moved on to Seoul, South Korea.

In Seoul, we only planned to go shopping (for sure!) and meet our Korean friends, and since we had a lot of time, we just want to enjoy Korean food! In Japan, we had to change travel destination everyday and wake up early. Although we enjoyed Japan very much, we thought we would take it easy in Korea..

So our hotel was just the opposite of Myeongdong. So everyday would be : Myeongdong, myeongdong, myeongdong....!!

Myeongdong is like a shopping paradise for us. We basically went there everyday and checked every stores multiple times just to compare the price, think about what we should buy and compare promotion (sometimes the same brand has different promotion at different store).

In front of Lotte duty free entrance.

Lotte duty free opens from 9:30AM to 9:00PM everyday, and inside is always full of tourist, most of them are mainland China's. Oh that's right.. If you can speak Chinese, no need to worry at all because every shopkeepers in Myeongdong and other tourism areas in Korea can speak Chinese. Whether they are Korean that learn Chinese or Chinese students in Korea. So when I was in Korea, I felt like I am in mainland China because everyone tried to speak Chinese with us.

 I always love Asian culinary, Japanese and Korean food are one of my favourites. Korean food is just so suitable for my taste because I love spicy and heavy flavour.

Beautiful view in Gyeongbuk Palace.

To be honest I think Korea still cannot be compared to Japan for their travel destinations and nature's charm. At the beginning, my goal in visiting Korea is for shopping and buying the skincare products. But what made our journey unforgettable is that we are able to meet our Korean friends there. They took us to a lot of interesting places, eat delicious food, and to be just hanging out with them was wonderful.

Thanks a lot to all my friends and hope to meet you again soon!

Happiness is: Travelling Part 1 - Japan

During this winter vacation, my friends and I decided to travel to Japan and Korea for around 2 weeks. Because Taiwan is near from those two countries, so the plane ticket will be cheaper than if I apply from Indonesia, so I thought why not? It would be fun, and perhaps would be our last trip together. And besides, applying Japan visa from Taiwan only takes 1 day! 1 day! It will take almost a week and a lot of other requirements if I were in Indonesia.

So there we were: Hello Japan!
(Sorry for the bad quality pictures, I took most of them with my phone, no editing.)

First stop : Osaka - Shinsaibashi District

This is my favourite shopping district in Osaka. You can find almost everything in here, from Japanese drugstores where you can find a lot of Japanese beauty products, clothing stores from H&M, Uniqlo, GU, ZARA, Forever 21, and a lot more than you can imagine.

It was a sale season that time when I visited Japan (yeah!), but unfortunately we only had 1 day, so although it was the second time I visited Shinsaibashi, it was still not enough for me.

Day 2 : Kyoto - Kiyomizu Temple

 Me and Japanese girls in Yukata, like a thorn among roses..

One thing I like about Japanese architecture is the beauty lies within it's simplicity.

We spent all day sightseeing and taking pictures in Kyoto - Kiyomizu area (yeah, my travel mates are kind of a little bit has interest towards self photography :p). But for me I prefer natural photos, without models (other than myself ^^;;).

Day 3 : Osaka Universal Studio

Okay so my friend really wanted to go to see the new Harry Potter ride in Universal Studio Osaka. So after we had bought tickets from Shin-imamiya Station the day before, we woke up early that day and took the train to Osaka Universal City.

It was only 8:30 in the morning but the line was crazy!! So many people because that Monday was a holiday in Japan.

Osaka Universal Studio Map

In order to be able to enter the new Harry Potter area, after we manage to get inside the universal studio, we still have to get in line for another entrance ticket for entering Harry Potter area. So basically we had to run from B to 9 to get the Harry Potter ticket.

My friend was really eager to get there because she said it would be hard to get, so she told us to get in line separately and run as soon as we enter Universal Studio to get that ticket.

Then after a tiring run in the morning, I manage to get the tickets first for 3 of us; and you know what? It was not even hard to get like she told me.. If I had known that, I would have saved my energy from running. :p

Hogsmeade :)

 And they have Hagrid's house and the castle!

Harry Potter Wizardly World is definitely a must visit place for the fans, and the atmosphere is so detail. They basically have everything set up to create Harry Potter world. And for you who are very curious to taste bitterer, you can have it for about 700 - 1000 yen here. For me, other than the main ride and the buildings, if you not a hyper fans and just want to enjoy ride in Osaka universal studio, go to other ride. I recommend Hollywood Dream roller coaster. That one is a must!

Day 4 : Takayama old town

Day 4 and 5 we visited two of my favourite places in Japan. Takayama and Shirakawa. I knew this place from 4 years ago when I went here to travel with my university as our architecture department's international field trip.

It takes 4-5 hours by bus from Osaka to Takayama, but along the road, you can enjoy the natural scenery of Japan. 4 years ago I visited here when it was autumn when I could feel a nice autumn breeze and enjoy the colours of the season, now is the time for snowy winter. :)

Walking around this old street area is just too relaxing for me. Just look at those Japanese traditional architectures, if those don't make you feel that you are in Japan, I don't know what else can! Unfortunately most of the shops are closed by the time we arrived, and also Tuesday is their holiday. (That's weird :/) But some souvenirs shops and restaurants were open. :)

Day 5 : Shirakawa go

From Takayama we took a bus and went to Shirakawa go. The journey took about 1 hour 40 mins, and the view was amazing! Since the weather was so good, I could swear that I saw the snow was shining and glittering because of the sun!

Shirakawa go is famous for it's gossho style traditional house, which has triangle roof just like a praying hand (Gossho is to pray in Japanese). This village is protected by Unesco as one of the world's heritage place.

Gossho Style House

One word : Breathtaking!

I am sure that no matter how many times I visit Japan, I can never have enough. I just love this country so much for travelling!

See you guys on Part 2 : Korea!