Lily of The Valley

As someone who has a soft spot for exquisite packaging, this debut fragrance from Miu Miu had me at the first sight. I hadn't smelled the perfume, yet I fell in love instantly. You know, it's impossible to resist when the look of the bottle itself is already breathtaking! *pun intended*

Miu Miu Miu Miu Eau De Parfum.

Description: An elegant, sensual floral—lily of the valley—composed of real jasmine, real rose absolute, and synthetic green notes. The soft, fresh, ingénue scent is set against a deep earth-toned background: the wood and pepper of akigalawood, an extract of patchouli. The akigalawood adds a rich, brooding mystery to the subtle sparkle of the floral. The surprising combination feels natural and timeless—flower and earth—but the effect created by the multifaceted process is utterly contemporary.

Notes: Star Anise, Ginger, Green Lily of the Valley, Blooming Lily of the Valley, Jasmine Petal, Rose, Akigalawood, Sandal Wood, Nirvanolide.

Style: Feminine. Youthful. Sophisticated.

Ingredients.

The packaging, of course, too dainty to be true. I appreciate the beauty of ornamental fragrance bottles, simply because they could sublimely style the top of my vanity as well as any of Instagram #flatlays shots, don't you think so?

I adore the fancy scent of pure floral and warm woody tones, it's been my signature scent if anybody has noticed. Thanks to the jasmine and rose influence, this perfume smells so refreshing as if it is tailored to the summer season. And, is it only me? But I sense these subtly woody notes are tantalizing, creating such a seductive allurement which is delicately enrapturing. Last but not least, performance wise, it delivers a long-lasting floral hit onto the skin. 

Price: USD 88

On a side note, I got this new pair of circle lenses from Lens Village, a Malaysia-based K-lens distributor that carries more than 600 choices of circle lenses and ships worldwide. As someone who always plays on the safe side when it comes to appearance, I picked the brown ones but apparently the diameter of these lenses are way too big for my eyes, 0.5mm larger than my usual. It was my mistake to fail checking the details, I ended up looking too dolly and unnatural. Comfort wise, I don't like how they aren't stuck properly on the middle of my eyes sometimes. Sounds weird I know, perhaps it's caused by the huge diameter. Moreover, I don't think they come in the same exact color as their advertisement. On the display, obviously the brown shade somewhat appears to be bronze, whereas in real life it looks closer to chocolate brown.

Face:

• Missha M Magic Cushion in #23
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
• Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo
• Etude House Play 101 Stick in #12
• Innisfree No-Sebum Blur Powder

Eye:

• The Dolly Eye V1-25 in brown
• The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit in #3
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
• Maybelline The Blushed Nudes
• Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

Lips:

• Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in petal
• Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor in bare maximum
• 3CE Lip Color in love sick

A Gratitude Journal

“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love,
you have to find the courage to live it.”

Being a grownup has taught me to manage my time wisely and share only a tiny bit of my life to the society. Perhaps that principle of mine is the main reason you didn't see this blog as active as it used to be? Told ya to expect this kind of random stuff from me, so here I am unusually typing a blogpost about how my life has been these past months. Hope you excuse my awkward blabber since I've never done this before :/

Life lately has been a hectic amalgam of work, study, passion, family, and friends in which I can hardly believe I'm spending the wee hours writing this journal instead of having a better sleep. Nevertheless, there is something exhilarating about this deep late-night conversation (Yes. I'm requesting some feedback). So, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

I call it nonsense for someone who is in their twenties for not experiencing the quarter-life crisis. To be perfectly frank, two months ago I was so clueless with my life, I quitted a job I despised, I didn't pass a job interview that I was always curious what it'd feel like to work there, I traveled places yet I didn't know what I was going to face once I got back to my hometown. However in the end, I had no regrets because I tried my best, I took the chance to break out of my comfort zone. In this case, it's my ex-workplace, I called it a comfort zone because there was no room for adventure and excitement. I felt neither challenged nor appreciated. What's more, I took the chance to at least get interviewed until the final round and realize that the job wasn't for me in the first place, and as a reward, I received something more valuable; a thrilling experience I would always be grateful for.

Art by Hello Monday Design.

Right now, I'm pursuing my career and dream at the same time. IKR?! I don't know how I got so lucky! My entire weekdays would be full of work, I often come back late at night because of several different reasons, could be attending events, working out at the gym, or merely catching up with my friends. I say it's seriously difficult to keep your social life balance, meanwhile I'm the kind of person who wants to have my own quality time at least once a week.

On Saturday, I'm taking a TOEFL course at this tuition center for the sake of my academic goal, and right after finishing the course, I'd be meeting up with my friends or working out at the gym. Dang. Why do I sound like a gym-holic now?

Finally moving on to Sunday... Yeah, I'd rather spend the whole day for myself or my family. Because, duh? I don't want to drive all day everyday. HA. Jakarta's traffic has gotten worse, you know... And I want to have this day as my own day for pampering myself, being productive making a new blogpost OR not productive at all!

Being surrounded by positive energy of the dreamers and the doers has changed my perspective towards life. I especially love those who have creative minds with amazing commitments to their dreams.

More importantly, I'm beyond blessed to have such supportive family and friends. Once someone told me to go chase my dream, I bluntly declined the idea because I was skeptical my kind of dream job could pay me enough bucks. Now that I finally got the job, I can admit how foolish I was that time for being ignorant, rejecting without even trying.

I know some people who are still figuring out what they truly aspire in their life. It might take a while for you to acknowledge your enthusiasm, so here's a relevant life hack that might be helpful. Sometimes, it's in the darkest period of life you'll see the spark, one-of-a-kind spark that I describe as unusually bright and somehow keeps me in the right direction to always look forward. When you see the spark, you'll say something like "I got this" with a bunch of motivation. That's when I was very convinced with my goal in life.

Hence you've got to be brave enough to ask yourself: "Risk or regret?" The future is bound to be uncertain, but how do you know your full potential if you aren't stubborn about your own goal?

And if one day I start feeling stressed, I'll spend a few minutes looking through this post as a proof to remind myself what really matters.