sash & blush

Fringe Inspiration

2010-11-06T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ms. match just updated herself with spring/summer trends and came across this fun fringe dress by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton. Just look at the colors and the movement on those fun fringes! who can resist dancing the night away in that dress?
This number then reminded Ms. Match of a long forgotten project she was going to do with her fringe necklace, the multi color fringe fetish! Here are 2 colors she came up with: Ocean Affair and Frolickin' Berry. Hurry up if you want them! There are only 3 Frolickin' Berry left! As usual you can just email your order to monique_natalia@yahoo.com along with your address.
Frolickin' Berry

Ocean Affair

oh, there is also a new shade of blue

Fringe Fetish

2010-05-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

One thing Ms. Match forgot to share is that she was keeping herself busy during her pregnancy (no more partying on weekends, etc) by doing something she loves best: making things! On one trip to the fabric store she found some cotton jersey material that she thought would be perfect for an over sized tank or t shirt. But since she still has not managed to find herself a proper sewing machine which is able to sew stretchy material, she the came up with another project: fringe necklaces! She soon got busy making herself some necklaces and started wearing them everywhere. Unexpectedly her friends began asking where she got that from and she though' a ha! this could be a great business opportunity!' Especially since Ms. Match has been wanting to start her own clothing and accessories label for some time now, but has always been to swamped at her 9-5 job to do anything about it. So she started making more necklaces she calls 'Fringe Fetish' to sell to friends. Made with soft cotton jersey material and vintage gold colored chains this necklace will be the perfect casual accessories to add a bit of flair to your everyday t shirt or tank top.
Match them with our shoes, bag, or even eye shadow! At IDR50.000 per necklace you could surely do with a couple or more ;) More colors are coming by the way. For orders please email Ms. Match at monique_natalia@yahoo.com

Pssstt. regarding the label she always dreamed of making Ms. Match will be teaming up with Mr. Match for a his and hers clothing label. The necklae is a sneak preview of what's to come.

Too Good To Be True?

2010-04-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match knows she is supposed to stick by her promise, which is to post maternity clothing tips, buuut since she already gave birth about 3 weeks ago, her time now is pretty much occupied with taking care of her newborn son. And searching through hundreds of pics in her laptop to find a blog worthy picture is just not what she has in mind while breastfeeding and typing with one hand. So to pass time she resorts to her old hobby, blog walking :) and came upon these pair of super cool wedgies by Hussein Chalayan for PUMA at Disneyrollergirl's blog. A pair of booty wedgies that are comfortable?? Too good to be to be true! Check it out and drool, ladies!

Ms. Match is Back!

2010-03-09T01:35:00.000-08:00

Wow.. finally Ms. Match manages to open her blog account again. It's a bit weird.. So much has happened. For one, the getting married thing. Next up, getting knocked up straight away :) after that work just got too crazy for a preggie lady with a blog. So she needed to sacrifice something. But, now she is relaxing on her early maternity leave and after 2 weeks of being lazy and lounging around watching countless DVDs, she decides to start again. However, she doesn't quite know what to write about though. Shopping? Nothing exciting. Only baby stuff so far. Super cute baby stuff.

She was surprised to find out how much 'baby stuff' she needed to buy for the baby. Since Ms. Match is totally blind regarding the needs of a newborn baby, she asked one of her good friends who just became a mother to provide her with a list, not that she did not get a full list when she popped in the baby store at ITC Kuningan to do her shopping. There were more than 30 items on the list! Wow.. she didn't know that someone so small would need sooo many things. And the list just keeps growing. Anyway.. enough about baby stuff, what about mommy stuff? It was a bit hard for Ms. Match to come to terms with the bloated image she sees in the mirror everyday. And of course, the image keeps getting bigger everyday! So there is an issue of size when choosing of things to wear. She also needed to say goodbye to her beloved high waisted pants, skitrs, and belly belts. What to wear though??

The amazing thing is that so far she has only bought 1 article of maternity clothing which was a pair of capri jeans that she hardly wore because the elastic was a tad uncomfortable around her constantly growing tummy. After that, lesson learned, she decided to just buy regular clothes (a size or two bigger) and maximize what she has in her closet. This will be discussed at great length at the next post, including tips on how to maximize your wardrobe for pregnancy. Meanwhile she just needs to sort out her pictures for the next post. See you soon!

smoke and ashes

2009-07-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match is in mourning for her lovely city, Jakarta, and all of the victims of today's bombings at Ritz carlton and JW Marriott. But she believes that this will not dampen the spirits of Jakartans and Indonesians. We are not afraid! People..please stop infecting everyone with this virus of fear and paranoia. That's just what they want, to turn Jakarta into another city of fear. (for the term, city of fear, Ms. Match credits her lovely friend, Olga Panades)

holly golightly hair and kebaya?

2009-07-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

If Ms. match has never mentioned how much she is in love with the film Breakfast at Tiffany's she will say so now. She looooves it. And as soon as she bought the DVD on ebay she watched it over and over again. She also bought the book. and loved it too! (even though there is some discrepancy in the story line. anyway.. you all got the point right?? So naturally, when Qiqi Franky, the infamous makeup artist, proposed to do her hair like Holly Golightly's in Breakfast at Tiffany's she squealed with joy! A tiny tiara would just perfect the look. She even thought about cutting her bangs to look like the adorable wispy one Audrey Hepburn had at the film. But.. talking about details brought her down to earth. Now.. the hair looks PERFECT with a black dress like the one Holly was wearing when she had her croissant in front of Tiffany's, but a kebaya (a traditional Indonesian dress)? Hmmm.. Another option she was thinking (since the kebaya will have a belt with a big bow at the back) was the bow chignon (will try to post a picture tomorrow). What do you all think?

hey doc, meet your nurse

2009-06-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wearing white always makes ms. match feel like a nurse somehow. To spice it up she decided to play with bright stockings and a leather jacket. What do you think? still nurse-y?
PS: Finally a post after sooo long.. it's hard to find time to blog in between crazy 9 to 11 (as in 9 am to 11 pm) work hours and wedding prep. Anyway this is a picture taken about 2 months ago in Stanley Allan's studio by a lovely former colleague, Ms. Dida. Finally it's up.
--thrifted white dress (ps. senen), thrifted scarf (brick lane sunday up market), unbranded necklace, Topshop purple stocking, Topshop shoes, Topshop leather jacket-- hmmm.. too many Topshop in one post I think ;)

Teddy Boy Blazer

2009-06-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

If ms. match had been born a man, she for sure would dress like a teddy boy with their sharp suits and cool hair do. But.. finding a nice teddy boy style blazer in the men's section of Tendencies (a first time for her to visit the shop, even though she passes it every weekend when she visits mr. match) that is her size is a good substitute. Experimenting with it lead to these looks. There are still more, but ms. match needs to get her card reader. Will post more looks as soon as the pics are in the laptop.

--Tendencies blazer, Zara ruffle top (believe me, the tops has lovely unfinished ruffles all along the v-neckline. the flash from the camera overpowered the texture of the shirt, darn!), DIY leggings, Office shoes, ring bought at tendencies (forgot the brand name)--

--tendencies blazer, unbranded tank top, express tube top worn as a skirt (found at FO), Topshop shoes --

--tendencies blazer, number 61 tank top, vintage levi's 501 skirt, primark white stocking, Ted Baker shoes, vintage bag thrifted at a market in Rome for 1 Euro (am I the bargain queen or what?!)--

a slight variation on the grey on grey tone.. this one it is combined with a thriftted white top and metallic gladiator sandals

PS: Ms. Match and Mr. Match found their new house today! Finally..our own house! She is ow getting ready to haggle for more closet room :)

Will Kill for Shoes Part 2

2009-06-13T17:24:00.000-07:00

Browsing through fall winter collections Ms. Match found these on the feet of Balenciaga models. oooooooohhhhhhhhhh (having tiny orgasm now).. me want! Ms. match starts doing her calculations and wondering how many paychecks it will
have to take to buy these shoes.
images of shoes are from style.com

neon, gold, and everything bold

2009-06-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match never thought that she would be so much into neon color, but look at this. She has been wearing this neon yellow cardigan (ok.. the picture does not do it justice) to its death (remember the outfit with the harlequin skirt?). But now she just realized that she has not seen that cardigan for awhile. Oh dear..oh dear.. that's the consequences of having 3 homes at the same time (my own rented room a.k.a kos2an, family home, and boyfriend's home).. you get mixed up some times.

--unbranded polka dot top, unbranded neon yellow cardigan bought at Mal Ambassador, unbranded white pencil skirt (bought a looooong time ago, long before the days of high waist skirts..she just knew this would come in handy someday,DIY chain cecklace, unbranded studded gold bangle (well actually it is a gold painted plastic bangle), Naughty head band, Ted Baker shoes, unbranded belt, Francesco Biasia bag--

Why do so many people get married in May?

2009-06-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

Too many wedding invitations and not even one kebaya (traditional Indonesian clothing which women usually wear to a wedding) results in outfits with a twist (what ms. match means by a twist is the corsage and the color play, but if you don't think it's a twist, well in her book it is :p )

--2 tone silk all saints dress found at petticoat lane market for about 5 quid, corsage at Inacraft for Rp10.000, Ted baker shoes--

--(X)SML top, TopShop skirt pulled up to the high waist so it would look like a dress when paired with a wide bottomed top such as this, corsage brooch worn as head piece bought at INACRAFT, Office Shoes--
PS: hair is twisted by Ms. Match herself and loads of people thought Ms. Match went to a salon to have it done--
Hair tips: For those of you with short hair (not too short though), create this look easily by sectioning off hair and then taking them up and just twisting them in place. When you have got the perfect coil (not too tight at the top so it creates volume, and a bit loose in the front), take 2 black small hair pains dan pin the sucker in place. Use 2 criss-crossing pins to lock the hair do. After that stick a gigantic pink corsage in your hair!
Too bad you can't see it, because thanks of my recent color job (red highlights), ms. match's simple twist looked more modern with streaks of red running through the do.

Should I work in a cotton candy store?

2009-05-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

Coming home after 10 pm every night really is not good for this blog. Ms. Match has not posted for too long! anyway.. for some reason Ms. Match has been wearing oodles and oodles of pastel colours! here are a couple of examples.. maybe she should work for a cotton candy store instead? :)

This picture was taken in the talented Barli Asmara's studio, while Ms. Match had a meeting with him for her wedding kebaya. The studio is all white and filed with all sorts of nice dresses which made Ms. Match wanted to change the concept of the wedding from traditional to a more modern one so she could wear one of his nicely detailed dresses! One thing about Barli that Ms. Match likes is that unlike a lot of other Indonesian designers who uses tons of bling-blings (ou know what Ms. match means, right?), he concentrates on textured details. Smocking, pleating, weaving are some of his techniques that Ms. Match looooves. We were talking about a kebaya with a huge bow at the back made with a weaving/smocking technique. yummmy.... and also some detailed shoulders.. hmmmm... I wanted to be courages and have a futuristic kebaya with structured shoulders ala Balenciaga, buuuuttt.. maybe the family would not like it so much. This is a family affair after all.
--Express tank top (FO bought), thrifted multi coloured rose printed pencil skirt (ps. senen), DIY bolero, thrifted scarf tied in a bow for a belt (Brick Lane sunday up market), office shoes--

--thrifted top and skirt (this one cut short from the one Ms.Match wore before as a tube dress) both at Ps. Senen, unbranded studded belt and studded necklace bought at Petticoat Lane Market, Mango kimono style jacket, vintage bag borrowed from Ms. Match's mother, white straw bowler hat, Office gladiator sandals--

Please forgive me..

2009-05-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Girls.. please forgive Ms. match for stealing this straight off the super fabulous blog of susie bubble Even though ms. Match knows that most of yu probably read her blog religiously everyday. Ms. Match's excuse is that, she is simply I LOVE with these shoes! And she could not stop checking back susie's post to drool at the shoes. Anyway.. the brand is Omelle, which was borne from the two genius minds of LA Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Cherise Angelle and Nicole LaFave. Their passion for luxurious footwear and their unique and distinctive taste brought about strong structured boots made from fine leather with a fierce looking pair of unique heels combined with some chunky knitwear. How can Ms. Match resist that??? ..Pssst.. looking at these gave her tiny orgasms.. hmmm
However these can not be found in their website as linked above, as these are their AW 09-10 collection and what they are still featuring on their site is their SS 09 collection (which is equally awe inducing). And this is also the reason why Ms. Match chose to post Susie's pic (sorry...too tired to google some more ...)Oh here are some pics of their spring summer as well. Enjoy!

still showing off

2009-05-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

In this picture ms. match was still loving her (then) new heels and wearing them to their death (they are now scratched everywhere due to heavy duty wearing). After a while her legs complained, but she still didn't want to give in. Of all the silly inventions in the world, why can't anyone make retractable or detachable high heels which can transform into a pair of comfy flats when our legs are tired?
--unbranded white tee, FCUK tie dyed tank top, H&M shorts, necklace found in a market in London, leather satchel bought in a market in Morocco, and of course... the Topshop heels!--

50s coca cola ad remake

2009-05-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

ms match has a thing for 50s advertising. Once she even did a beauty shoot with this theme for Harper's BAzaar (need to dig up the magazine!). anyway.. this picture was taken on the last day of INAcraft.. another example of my laziness to resize image and post Hrrmmm... anyway.. i used to do this whole tied scarf thing almost everyday during my rockabilly wannabe days

--Republic shirt. Levi's Type 1 jeans, 5 quid plimsoles, vintage scarf, rouge unlimited shu uemura lipstick--

Belated Post..Why Am I Sooo Lazy These Days???

2009-05-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well actually.. Ms. Match is lazy because she has tons of things to do at work and when she gets home at whatever time it is (be it 9, 10, 11, 12, or even in the wee hours of the morning) she is now just too damn tired to write some more. Now she starts asking herself the question: do I work to live or do I live to work? The latter is a big no no in her world. But.. as you can see working 12 hours a day equals to no personal/social life. Anyway... enough with the curhat colongan. Here are some pics from Elle's anniversary party which happened a loooooong time ago (I believe some time in April?)
The lovely fashion editor of Elle and one of my bff. The dress is Biasa. Love the layers!

Elle's Editor in Chief, Adeline (another bff) in Priyo Oktaviano. A bit pricey but I have to admit the dress did make her look even hotter! Love the simplicity of the dress and how it just spells out GLAM with an understatement.

Adeline with the infamous Chandra Gupta, penata rambut handal ibu kota :) Seriously, he is damn good! He gave me my first mullet cut! Thank yo, Be...

Lovely Nanda, a former colleague, and now (I think) a freelance stylist. Ms. Match hearts big bows!

The man of the hour. Chandra Gupta, Ms. Match and Elle team

Bang Ben looks mighty cool in this pic. Luuurrrvve the jacket, reminds ms. match of a tuxedo jacket she once found in Portobello market but didn't buy hiks hiks..

caught at work

2009-05-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ms. match just learned about a cool new fashion and beauty website (blog?) about 3 months ago, and she thought that it is pretty cool. For you jakartans, ms .match is sure that many of you have heard of fashionesedaily.com. They have personal and interestingly written reviews about all things beauty and fashion both from Indonesia and outside of Indonesia. After the discovery of the site, ms. match began checking it out religiously. Her verdict: not bad...very recommended for those of you who likes knowing the latest updates in beauty (especially make up) and sale information. anywaayyyyy what Ms. Match didn't know was that this website is managed by a friend she used to know back in her beauty editor days, she goes by the name of koukla in the site. so anyway.. ms. match thought that she wanted to learn a bit more about the site so she invited koukla to come and have a small chitchat on a monday morning. To cut the story short, she came, with her partner in crime, hanzky, and we talked, we laughed and took pictures as fashion bloggers do. anyway..here is the pic which they posted in their street snaps section (which ms. match always checks out! so this is a 'caught red handed' moment that ms. match does not regret. thanks girls!). Ms. match also took earlier versions of the outfit in the morning before the skirt got wrinkled up.
--FCUK cropped jacket, Topshop neon green tank top, green skirt thrifted at pasar senen, vintage butterfly belt also found in pasar senen, primark booties, some gold bangle ms. match found in bangkok, and a cheapo headband that she used to camouflage her greasy dirty hair which she hasn't washed for 3 days due to recent color change--

random things and late postings

2009-05-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match has been tagged by the lovely Wina, to post these 10 random facts about herself. So here goes. First rules...

1. each blogger must post this rules
2. each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves
3. blogger that are tagged need write about their own blog their ten things and post these rules . you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names .
4. don`t forget to leave them comment telling them they`ve been tagged and to read your blog .

And here are the facts

1. Ms Match is addicted to fashion blogs and can't stop reading them (so much more inspiring than magazines sometimes), even when she is supposed to be sleeping. Like now!
2. Wants to stop being a corporate slave and be her own boss
3. Wishes the Indonesian government would stop trying to control men-women relationships (honestly she still gets these huge 'areyoucrazylisteningtothoseoldtwats' looks from friends who have never been to Indonesia whenever she tells them that it is not legal to live with your boyf or girlf in indonesia)
4. At one point she wanted to be known as the girl who wears stripes.
5. She misplaces her phone about a gazillion times a day
6. The one thing she could never resist buying is shoes! it's a good thing her feet are huge and not many labels carry her size here in Jakarta
7. The one thinng she hates the most about her looks are her dark under eye bags, attempts to remove the have included trying 50 different eye creams, masks, those cold compress you put on your eyes to depuff, etc.
8. The way she dresses now sort of resembles how she dressed when she was 12! Seriously! the whole bright leggings, short skirt combo thing was her look back then.
9. She has a love and hate relationships with super creative designers, she loooooves their designs but absolutely envies them for being that creative that daring to go out and do their own thing. Especially local Indonesian designers and labels. So you can guess going to Inacraft was such a torture for her. So many great designers and crafters out tehre, makes her ache to pack up her stuff in her tiny cubicle wave good bye to the big boss and start her own thing
10. Finally.. the last number..Ms. Match wants to be able to surf!!! Ms. match actually tried her hands (or feet?) at surfing about 3 years ago (2 serious lessons at surf school) and managed to stand up a couple of times. She just needs to get rid of her fear of huge waves and unsteady balancing even though her chance of going to the beach has lately gone from once a month to about once a year. *sigh*

Ok last rule, tagging their bloggers.. umm i think i will have to break this one, sorry will only tag 5 other bloggers (Ms. match doesn't know that many!)

1. Anan
2. Dewi Utari
3. chekka cuomova
4. alia from fabulesence.blogspot.com
5. reza

satin blue and cotton yellow

2009-05-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ms. match just had an emotionally and physically exhausting weekend. At least colors made her happy. Oh.. one more thing, She's got new hair color! Yay! Late Friday night she managed to convince a colleague at work to do her hair (thanks a bunch, Ndra!). He used a magenta color from L'Oreal Professionnel for the cool chunky highlight. Ms. Match wanted dark blue from L'Oreal Professionnel's spring sumer collection, but it took more time to do and Ms. match had a meeting right after the color job. so... maybe next time? But looking at how it turned out, Ms. Match thinks she will keep this one for awhile. She loves it!

--thrifted blue satin top (at pasar senen), Gaudi grey vest, Moto jeans, DIY space invaders necklace, hi top sneakers bought at Kingsland road market-- Mr. Match thought that the blue top looks too much like something an ibu-ibu from the 80s would wear, which is quite true (since it came from the infamous pasar senen, probably the top did come from a korean ibu-ibu's closet some 20 years ago)! so Ms. Match did her best to make sure that it does not resemble that part of 80s look in any way, hope it worked!

--thrifted yellow skirt worn as top (at ps. senen), Primark belt, cardigan bought at factory outlet somewhere in bandung, unbranded leggings, vincci shoes, unbranded knitted headband, new necklace bought at gaudi for IDR 98.000--

Today the sky looked exceptionally blue. so unlike Jakarta. Just in case no one believes her, Ms. Match took a picture of it. This is In front of McD Thamrin by the way. She took the picture while driving.

PS: This was not photoshopped in any way!

will kill for shoes

2009-05-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match just found these babies on this cute blog by ciara. Aren't they just to die for??? love the lego-ish and sculptural look. unfortunately all of ms. match's budget just have to go towards the big day (starts with a W) that is coming REAL SOON. So for now she will just drool and imagine that she has all of these beauties in her closet. The shoes are designed by Danish designer Nina Hjorth, a graduate of London College of Fashion and Royal College of Art (see... british fashion and art schools churn out cooler and coller graduates by the year! am proud to be an alumni). Check out more of her work here.

rock bands and neon colors, yummmm...

2009-05-07T09:36:00.001-07:00

Ms. Match went to Rolling Stone magazine Indonesia's 3rd (TBC..haha) anniversary private party tonight. Everyone was wearing black tonight (you know, rocker's dress code..), but for some reason Ms. Match thought that the dress code was electric (meaning electric colors? :) ) so this is what she wore. She saw a sool new badn as well, the cuts (Hmm i guess that's what she heard when the MC announced the band). Well.. the band might not be new, since Ms. match has been quite out of touch with the music scene, but these girls sure rock! Love their hair by the way!

office outfit, before the party
--unbranded cardigan bought at mall ambassador (the color is actually neon yellow, absolutely in love with the color!), sation top thrifted at ps. senen, harequin skirt bought at ps senen, primark tights, unbranded shoes bought in Paris--
at the party Ms. Match had to take the cardi off, it was too damn hot! And being careless as she is, she nearly lost the brand new cardi! good thing it's bright so it was easy to spot

with old and new mavericks

the cool vocalists of the cuts

cool hair, eh?

Cheap thrills at Pasar Senen

2009-05-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match had the Sunday all to herself today. Mr. Match is away on a business trip to Bali. All of her thrifting friends were not available, but Ms. Match desperately needed a color boost for her drab looking wardrobe, especially after seeing tavi's looks in style rookie and diana's look in hot chocolate and mint (They are always playing with color!), so she bravely ventured to Ps. Senen on her own. After spending about 2,5 hour in the market, she managed to come up with about 13 pieces of assorted tops, skirts, and a dress.

Everything is a little bit wrinkled (well actually a lot) because these clothes came from huge sacks all squished together. Most came either from Japan or Korea. I am quite suspicious that these clothes were sent here to be donated to charity but instead end up being sold. But this also happens in places like South Africa, and other so-called third world countries. And Ms. Match once read that because of the overwhelming number of donation places like Oxfam and Salvation Army get, they end up selling most of them to third world countries like Indonesia (but then use the money for charity- so they say). Anyway... people like me who live in thrid world countries and cannot afford to load our wardrobes with designer stuff or even all high street brands, are reaping all the benefit. And, of course, also the abang-abangs who sells them.

There are some stuff left that is already in the wash. In total Ms. Match managed to find 13 pieces and spent only 130,000 which is about 13 US dollars! Woohoo that's what Ms. Match calls retail therapy. Once again she vows to never shop at Zara, Topshop, etc, again (yea right..) Now Ms. match cannot wait to try these out when they are clean. So many mix & match ideas are going through her head right now. Some will need to be shortened, tightened, and mended, but most of them are still in perfect condition! Look out for more colorful outfit posts soon!

PS: Pasar Senen is not what it used to be anymore :( going there used to be such an adventure, as it was placed outdoor previously with these blue tents that made all the clothes look like they had a bluish tint. Now the pemda DKI administration has decided that Pasar Senen needed a make over, so they forced everyone to take the spaces in the sort of abandoned department store (on the second floor). The old Pasar Senen used to be dirty, rowdy, smelly, hot, and noisy, full of abang-abang flaunting their wares at the top of their lungs, and FUN. The new pasar Senen is cleaner, a little bit cooler (as in not so hot), quieter, and not so much fun anymore. Now going to Pasar Senen, is like going to Melawai Plaza, minus the air conditioning. Ms. Match misses the old pasar Senen. Who agrees with her?

Stressful Job Requires Fun Clothes

2009-05-02T23:27:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match's work has been so stressful that it absolutely left no time for a lot of posts. On some days she even goes home at 2 or 3 in the morning! Life is hard, eh? Not to mention the office politics. Well.. anywho.. Ms.Match thinks that the only remedy for stressfull work environment is having fun with what you wear to work. They can say no to my proposals, but I bet they can't say no to my cute dresses!

--FCUK dress, Primark ribbed white tights, MNG shoes, handmade satchel bought in morocco, white straw hat gift from auntie Lea, necklace bout at Pettycoat Ln. Market
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--chiffon corsage bought at INACRAFT, H&M top, Zara pants, shoes bought at Linea (forgot the brand, Ms. Match's favprite shoes!), pick and white striped socks bought at some market for about 20 cents--

Need to get rid of my shoe addiction

2009-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match seriously needs to get rid of her shoe addiction! Especially since she lives in a tiny rented room (a.k.a indekos in indonesian). One side of her wall is already lined with shoes! And she is still thinking to buy more shoes! She went to plaza indonesia today to look at pedder red for some nice heels, fortunately she did not see anything worthy enough to make her take out her magic golden card and take the shoes home. Especially since the shoes are quite expensive there! She also went ot see the sales at Nine West though and she saw a pair of cute shoes with her favorite color: orange! Actually it was more of an off shite color with an orange detail. Cute! But a bit painful, because it was too tight. She has no experience with Nine West shoes. Anyone care to comment on the comfort factor?
Anyway.. in this otfit Ms. Match is wearing her brand new shoes which she bought at the Topshop in KL (oh how I miss the gigantic Topshop shoe lounge in London!). The outfit is a thrifted dress which she DIY'ed to look like this. Cut of the bottom which initially went past her knees, and cut off the sleeves which was a propoer 80s puffy sleeves with shoulder puff. The rest of it is a plain pink t shirt, and DIY necklace, ohh and a thrifted vintage belt from Pasar Senen (must go back to Pasar Senen soon!).

Oooohh.. aren't they gorgeous? Ms. match is currently in love with tough looking shoes. Perfect to toughen up cutesy dresses.

white on white on white o white on white on white

2009-04-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match has never worn white on white before. This is her first time, so be gentle, ok.. Decided to break the whites with a strong black belt but still give a cutesy vibe with this pink DIY spaceinvader necklace.
The skirt actually comes down to Ms. Match's knees, but she just figured out that the skirt can be shortened and cutified by pulling the hem up until it sits on her hips. Voila! Instant balloon skirt! Isnt's that practical! She tried walking around in it and the hem stayed put that way! Please forgive the terrible quality of the pics, again taken by a crappy phone camera. Mr. Match took this pic and he also took a pic of the skirt before it was short. Will have tonag him again tomorrow to email Ms. Match the picture.
--H&M top, Zara skirt, vintage belt (tied), DIY necklace, lace print wooden bangle gift from mum bought at Malioboro market, Office shoes--

ms. match is willing to be kidnapped and taken to a remote island

2009-04-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

it's been too long since ms. match last posted something, and she has a great excuse for it. she was on a short holiday with her best friend! it was Langkawi. beautiful beach, really soft powder like white sand, clear and calm waters (at p. payar has clearer waters, perfect for snorkeling). she didn't want to go home...here are some pictures. as you can see ms. match was trying to pack as light as possible, hence the repetition of skirt.

--topshop swimsuit (worn as a top), vintage scarf, mango skirt, white flipflops bought at warung for about IDR 30,000 or about 40 US cents (can be found at all carrefours and ginats i think, very comfy!! and they have baby blue and pink as well!--

--non branded tank top bought at factory outlet, top shop bikini, mango skirt--
due to too much shopping at ikea (yeah, we don't have ikea in indonesia.. and ms. match needs to start thinking about furnishing her new house to be!), ms. match had to put on as many things as possible to avoid over weight fee from the bitchy crew who checked her in.

--sarung bali worn as scarf, unbranded cardi bought at Melawai Plaza for like IDR 60,000 or 6 USD, koffka t shirt, zara hammer pants, various bangles thrifted everywhere--
Some beauty tips; since being a beauty editor is in ms. match's cv, she could not keep herself from trying some beauty tips on the beach.one of her favorite things to do while sun bathing is scrubbing herself with some sand and nice and creamy body lotion. the body shop mango body butter is great for that. just lather some cream on your body, slap on a bit of sand and start scrubbing. cheap scrub.

When you have bad hair day due to all the climate, do it like ms. match's best friend and use a colorful scarf as a headband. there are plenty of ways of doing this; we tried only two.
for this one, twist hair around a small hair elastic and hide the lose ends under the scarf.

ms.match loves bows. to create this look tie hair back and put scarf on with the middle at the back of your neck. bring both ends to the top of your head and tie one not. on top of that make the movement as if you are making a bow but pull one end all te way through. this creates just one loop, which reduces the bulky look.

oh, this also helps! and its very easy to make one yourself!

--Topshop corsage-

Matching friends

2009-04-14T10:51:00.000-07:00

Isn't this cute? Both are my work mates, Tasya and Henry. They are not a couple but they work for the same brand. they didn't realise they were wearing matching outfit until Ms. Match pointed them out. They were both wearing gray and white patterned outfits. Cute, eh? Too bad Ms. Match did not have her camera with her, so she ended up taking the picture with the lousy blackberry camera. Hmmppff..

tutu lovin'

2009-04-13T10:06:00.001-07:00

Ms. Match is absolutely smitten by this tutu look alike skirt. To think that she is wearing this twice in one week! Tsk..tsk..tsk..
She was wearing this again today to take pictures for her early bird wedding invites aka invitations for her school friends in London so they can strat saving up for a ticket to come. Now you can see wha Mr. match looks like. He usually absolutely hates having his picture taken, but he was feeling pretty good that day and Ms. match lured him by saying that the picture will not show his face too much and will only be emailed to her London friends. Haha...better try to keep him away from this blog then!

Oh, the pictures are other samples of Mr. Match's 5 year old son's work. Do you like it? It's photoshopped a bit by Ms Match, just to give it that vintage-y look. Ms. Match is not so good on photoshop, so hopefully this looks ok. She wanted the pic to look more grainy but couldn't find out how :( anyone know how?

--Mr. Match is wearing Zara shirt, tailored pants, and Dr. Marten's oxfords (gift from Ms. Match!) while Ms. Match is wearing Topshop tank top, Mr. Match's Zara shirt, Topshop tutu skirt, primark belt, unbranded leggings, atmosphere shoes, ladyluckrulesok necklace, and shu uemura rouge unlimited lipstick--

stripes and checks

2009-04-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

Ms. Match could not make up her mind today, she has always loved black and white stripes, but she also really really wanted to wear this skirt that she just resurrected from her shipping box, so she wore both.
Ms. match has a word of advice for those of you who want to clash prints: keep them in the same color combination or the same color family! :)
--striped shirt found in a factory outlet somehwre in bandung; Pimkie skirt; Vintage belt at Brick Lane Market; New Look oxfords; Lace print bangle gift from mum bought at Malioboro market; DIY gold chain necklace--

Everyday is Disco day!!

2009-04-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ok. This post is a bit outdated, but whatever! So for whatever purposes this post was meant to be the post done on April 8th..That night Ms. Match was only planning to go for a quick dinner and beer after work but then her friends called and reminded her that Jamiroquai is coming to town! After so many concert being cancelled, who could blame Ms. Match for being a bit cyinical about the actual realization of this one. To cut the story short, she ended up going. As it turns out, she was a big fan of the singer when she was in high school! Good thing Ms. match was feeling festive (read: inspired by the 80s and the circus at the same time), so thinks she dressed right for the ocassion.
--Atmosphere (Primark) multicolored knitted top; Topshop tutu skirt worn high to give illusion of being part of the top; DIY shiny legging; Ladyluckrulesok necklace, Marie Clare patent leather ballet flats--
PS: a girl where Ms. Match works was wearing a cute knitted top in a similar color! Ms. Match fell in love with the shape and the color.

Lazy lazy weekend

2009-04-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Ms. match is feeling lazy today. She has decided to stay in with Mr. match and Mr. Match jr. watching dvds and falling aslepp. Oh.. and cooking! made some pasta for Mr. match jr. which he loved! He actually finished the whole thing (if youare a mum, you'd know how hard it is to get 5 year olds to eat). Anyway..Did not go anywhere special so didn't dress up. Here is a post of what Ms match put together one work day last week. Ms. match also tried her hand at photoshopping today. The first one is slightly photoshopped (just to asjust the color contrast) while the other one is Ms. Match 's attempt at being edgy and cool (Ouch!-- Mr. Match just slapped her for being so cheesy) Which one do you like more?
--non branded green striped tank top bought at Melawai Plaza fro an 80s costume aprty a loooong time ago (before the 80s is actualy hip again), Mr. Match's vest, yellow belt bought at Pasar Blok M for about 1 quid (IDR 20,000), Zara harem pants, small Atmosphere bag (gift from a friend), DIY candy colored glasses necklace made by Mr. Match--

It is not a pocahontas look, people!

2009-04-09T07:05:00.001-07:00

Woohoo! Mr. Match bought a card reader and now Ms. Match can download pics she took with his camera last week. He lost the cable and the damn thing would not work with a regular data cable. Well.. anyway...Ms. Match decided to channel the 20s look with the headband and the glittery gold details on her clothes. But guess what she got at the office? People telling her she looks cute..like an Indian girl! Hmmppffhh.. Finally one guy got it right and complimented on the 20s look! Thanks Guillaume (hope this is spelled right!
Bolero type top-- DIY (it is cream colored with golden fine lines--DIY time-2 hours)--hand sewed, Top Shop sequined tank top, unbranded wide leg pants found at Petticoat Ln. Market for 2 quid, Topshop gold glitter shoes, gold bangles (Ms. Selfridge and Bangkok bought), head band made of lace head band bought from Primark and feather brooch Ms. match got from one the press launches she attended (DIY time- 3 seconds)

Writing on the walls

2009-04-09T03:01:00.000-07:00

Graffiti has always been a head turner for Ms. Match. Including these ones she always checks out in the vacant lots of the posh neighbourhood called Pondok Indah. This time she stopped long enough to take pictures. The truth is she really really wanted to take her outfit picture there but people were honking her already.

Tattoo Debut

2009-04-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is Ms. Match's newest purchase. A wooden tattoo print necklace by ladyluckrulesok at 707, IDR 200,000.- The brand is from London and Ms. match totally forgot about it when she was in London! How stupid! They have SALES there! :P Speaking of sales, this reminded her of the film Confessions of a Shopaholic, which she just got back form seeing. She used to be one, allhough not to that extreme. Sights of nice shops and especially SALE signs used to quicken her heart beat and gave her that nice rosy glow from the adrenaline rush (so you see, this made Ms. Match use less blush on, which equals money to save! *wink*). But.. not anymore.. Ms. Match is now on a very tight budget. She has a wedding to save up for which is coming pretty darn soon! So.. Ms. Match made a vow to herself that until the wedding she would stop shopping! Especially for clothes. The only new clothes whe would have a chance of wearing would be clothes or accessories she makes herself. Except for thislitle necklace here.. Ms. Match consoled herself by saying "How could I possibly make that?" That is just non DIY-able! But. then again.. when Ms. Match looked at it closely, she found an idea! And she will share it with you once she has tried it. Oh, by the way.. if you were in London, you could get one of these babies and have them print out writings on it for you! With an added cost of course. or maybe you can even order it online. Hmm.. dunno, Ms. Match will not check, she's afraid that she will spend loads if she checks.

Think pink blink mink wink ;)

2009-04-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match was digging through the stash she brought home from London with her and rediscovered this hot pink silk dress from All Saints. It was such a find, again at Petticoat Ln. Market for 5 quid! It did have a a 5 cm tear at the side where the seam came lose, but that can be fixed in 5 minutes! The real price tag was around 200 quid! To make it more day wear friendly she matched it with her striphy shirt and flat shoes.
(All Saints pink dress; striped shirt found at Factory Outlet: Marie Claire shoes; leather belt at Bricklane Market; DIY bracelets, and DIY lightning bolt necklace)

Ms. Match could not find the belt she wanted, so she tied this longer one instead. She thinks it looks alright.

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When she went to Mayestik market during the weekend, she saw huge huge chains sold by the meter. She thought they would make lovely chunky bracelets and even necklace (last picture). Do you think she's right?

All these brilliant photographs are taken by Mr. Match's 5 year old son with a Canon 350D. He really has a good eye! Look forward to more of his works here.

dirty comfy plimsoles

2009-04-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match almost forgot about her cheapo market bought plimsoles. Petticoat Ln. Market.. How Ms. Match misses that place! Went out to meet a friend at Bakoel Koffie. A first time having coffee here. Mr. Match was happy to see the brand of the the company he works for used as a coffee table. Pretty smart idea. This was also when Ms. match found out that the same place houses Ark Gallery. Saw 2 nice paintings, forgot who made it. Made Ms. Match want to buy a canvas and start painting! Wore one of her DIY necklace.
(Koffka t shirt, H&M pleated pants, lace print bangle gift from mom bought at Malioboro street market, vintage shades found in Petticoat Lane, plimsoles at the same market)

Going Crazy with Beads!

2009-04-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

As you can see Ms. Match went crazy with the iron on beads! Mr. Match also made one, the adrobale candy colored glasses. Ms. Match still has other projects in mind for this, unfortunately Toko Maju at Mayestik did not have the gold rings she wanted hmmpff..

hi top sneaker on my neck!

2009-04-04T07:34:00.001-07:00

Remember when Ms. Match made a pink necklace from iron on beads? there was one thing she forgot to share. She went crazy with them!!! Another attempt was this one that she wore today. Oh she is also thrilled that she found her old Levi's faded denim jacket today. Faded denim jackets are sooo back! Well at least in Ms. Match's style dictionary.
--Zara black top with exposed zipper at the back, American Eagle Outfitters leggings, Office shoes,
Levi's faded denim Type One jacket
, promotional bangle Ms. Match ordered for an event back in her PR agency days, and DIY necklace
Note: Went to Mayestik today and ran into a guy who sells hats, loads of hats. Was too hungry to wait for him handling another customer and decided to come back later. BIG MISTAKE! need to go back and find him! Ms. Match thinks she saw a 'tukang sayur' hat (don't know the fashion name) with feathers! how cool is that?!

Makes Me Want to Go Buy Tennis Rackets and Neon Pink Tennis Balls

2009-04-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

In her job Ms. Match gets to read loads and loads of Indonesian magazines for a living (and she does other things too of course!), and she often thinks that local fashion stylists, designers, makeupartists, and hair stylists have come a looooooong way and some are really that good that it's a shame not to know their work. This spread is made by one of the most talented fashion stylist in the industry in Ms. Match's opinion. Here is his newest work in Harper's Bazaar's March 2009 edition. This shoot reminded Ms. Matc how much fun it is to mix prints!
Credits: Fashion stylist: Michael Pondaag; Photographer: Yuniardi Prasetyanto (Brett); Digital Imaging: Henny Hendrawati

Weekend with future in laws

2009-03-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's Mr. Match's birthday! Wanted to wear something festive but had to take into account the fact that Ms. match will be dining with future in laws who might be slightly on the conservative side when it comes to dress code.
Mango Jacket (love the jacket! what a unique cut), zara t shirt, zara jeans, atmosphere shoes, and fringed leather bag bought in morocco

Attack of the 50 ft woman with super shiny leggings

2009-03-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Wow.. Ms. Match looks soooo tall in this shot! It's a wonder what the right pair of pants and the right angle can do for you!
And as you can probably tell, Ms. Match is still very much in love with her super shiny high waist leggings. She wonders whether she can wear this outfit to work.
--H&M tribal print tank; DIY super shiny pvc like legging (but seriously they feel like cotton leggings!) - on sale for Rp 150,000.- contact Ms. Match by leaving a comment with your email address, available colors are black, gold, silver; Necklace at Mayestik Market, gladiator sandals SoLea--

Checkers and Stripes

2009-03-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hey! Another outfit post! Ms. match just came back from work and decided to have a leisurely dinner in Kemang with her best friend. Ms. Match managed to convince her that taking pictures in the parking lot is not that embarrassing :)
Check out more of her pictures and witty words at www.nantya.com
(FCUK cropped jacket, thrifted UNIQLO checkered red shirt, striped satin bow tie at NAUGHTY (this accessory chain that can be found at Carrefour, they actually have pretty nice stuff! Ms. Match got this for IDR 10,000!), H&M riding pants,Atmosphere shoes, and Francesco Biasia bag

In love with my super shiny high waist leggings!

2009-03-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Ms. Match is ecstatic! Her high waist latex legging is finally finished! Yup it's a DIY legging, but with store quality Ms. Match swears! Remember when Ms. Match went searching for a pair of latex leggings and said that she found material to make her own? Here is the result! Well.. actually this is the 2nd result. The first one is a regular low waisted legging. But then Ms. Match though.. hmm why not make a pair in high waist? It looks great paired with a shirt, don't you think? If anyone is interested, it's for sale by the way ( I can have them custom made!) for IDR 150.000. Hurry before the material runs out! It can be made in gold and silver as well, by the way. Oh, this is Ms. Match with her future son :) The picture is taken by the future Mr. Match.

PS: This is Ms. Match's first outfit post with a visible face. Wow... That was scary.. but not too bad..

-- TopShop shirt bought at Pettycoat Lane market for 5 quid, DIY legging, hi-top sneakers at Kingsland Rd. Market for a tenner, and lace print wooden bracelet at Malioboro street market (gift from mum) --

Need more pink in my life!!

2009-03-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here is what Ms. Match pulled together during the weekend when she and the future Mr. Match went to see Mr. Match's adorable son's performance of the Jungle Book. Since this was the first time Ms. match ever engaged with other mommies (even though she's not a mommy yet) she wanted to pick her clothes carefully. Not to have it too revealing in case.. you know.. people talk. But, boy.. was Ms. Match wrong. Tsk tsk tsk... hot pants, skimpy top and high heels? No matter how much Ms. Match thinks that people should be allowed to wear whatever they want, but she thinks this is just tooooo much. C'mon! This is an elementary school play not a bar!

(zara pants, divided by H&M top, office shoes, vintage shades found in vintage shop in Brussels, DIY necklace)

Detailed view of the DIY necklace.
After making this Ms. Match was just going crazy with the beads!! Ms. Match is seeing necklaces, trashy plastic necklaces with a mighty load of neon colored beads and real shiny gold chains. Hmmm.. she wonders if Mr. match will sponsor this project :) And one more thing.. Ms. Match is seeing pink! Neon pink! Need to get her hands on some neon pink tops or even jeans!

Weekend outfit and DIY idea: arm pouch!

2009-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

This is Ms. Match's idea of a lazy weekend outfit. She wanted to define her waist with a belt, but thought better of it. No restrictions this weekend, please!
The too big boyfriend shirt: Polo by Ralph Lauren; Shorts: New Look, gladiator sandals: Office, arm pouch: Cita by Bin House

A closer look on the bag, or 'arm pouch' as Ms. Match likes to call it. Notice the batik detail on arm.

This is the first time Ms. Match is wearing it, at first glance she didn't know how to wear it (Ms. Match got it as a gift from an aunt who is absolutely obsessed with Bin House) as it looked like this:

Very clever isn't it? And very practical! Ms. Match starts to think of a DIY version of the bag. A more sparkly one perhaps, for her night outs?

Who can resist some good old gold sparkle

2009-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Found the perfect hair product to style Ms. Match's fine and flat hair: L'Oreal Professionnel Soda Sparkler. Ms. Match usually use mud or wax but somehow after a couple of hours her hair turns into a grease fest. Really unattractive. Realizing the problem, Ms. Match then looked around for something else to use, but wouldn't have thought that it would come in a spray bottle. This one is like a very light hair spray.. very very light. Or maybe a finishing spray if you like.. but with an added gold sparkles! Ms. match thinks that the gold is very subtle, but just enough to attract a double take for someone who is chatting up close and personal with you. An added bonus is the sweet smelling perfume. Perfect for smokers who dread ashtray smelling hair!

Oh.. and while Ms. match is on the topic of GOLD... she is wanting some gold bikinis to wear under white men's shirts!!! SHe just might make herself some.

Weird?! Who says it's weird?

2009-02-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Ms, Match got an invite to Harper's Bazaar's Beauty Award and the dress code says: a touch of red. So this is what she wore:

Is it weird?! I loved it! Hammer pants (pulled up): Zara, Top: Topshop, School blazer: Primark, belt: vintage find at Pasar Senen, Shoes: Primark

Oh...Ms. Match forgot one little detail: a tied scarf of to accessorize hair. Too much for some? Maybe.. but not for Ms. Match! :)

Scarf: vintage at Spitalfields Market

The scarf then reminded her that she had a vintage nautical dress that she had shortened from a granny length to a sassy short dress. Just for good measures, and also because she saw that Mr. Match was having fun with the camera, she got busy and came up with this outfit.

Blazer: Mr. Match's H&M blazer, Dress: Vintage found at the 'baju impor Jepang" sale at Carrefour Lebak Bulus (IDR 50.000), Belt: Pasar Blok M (IDR 20.000), Shoes: Office (GBP 30) --mind you, the shoes actually have fuschia heels, but Ms. Match was too lazy to dig around for another pair, so cheekily she photoshopped the heels on this picture x)

I Heart Jakarta Biennale 2009

2009-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

This year is Jakarta Biennale's 13th year, can you believe it?? really.. Ms.Match has been living in Jakarta all her life and she has never heard about it until the start of this year! It is either their PR-ing sucks or Ms. Match just doesn't get out much. But c'mon, she is the type to devour local magazines and other media on a daily basis! Plus she used to work for a life style magazine where there should be buzz bout the event among her art writing friends, and there were none!. And... some friends of Ms. Match's who are still working for said magazines still don't know about this event!

Well... granted they are not artists or anyone hanging out with ruang rupa kids, etc, but Ms. Match really thinks that you don't have to go to an art school or be a suffering artist to appreciate and love art! Ms. match thinks that they should branch out a bit and embrace some potential art loving crowd who might just be corporate slaves like or fashion lovers (pardon the uncreative term for lack of a proper working brain) Ms. Match herself, who are just dying to see some decent contemporary art! Anyway.. She meant to go to the opening (which was on the 6th of Feb), but couldn't because she ended up staying at work until 3.30 am! So today Ms. match finally went with another contemporary art enthusiast, aka Mr. Match and son to their main venue, at Galeri Nasional. Mr. Match who has spent most of his live living in places with proper art museums and galleries with regular exhibitions, was quite scepticla at first and thought that he would just come to keep the missus company, but.. he loved it. They both did! And they are super happy to know that this is an ongoing thing. Looking forward to the next one! Here are some of their favorites:
First love: works from the public space workshop (which Ms. Match thinks should better be tittled, urban space). Ms. Match loves how the artists incorporate humor, ridicule and sarcasm into every work. This is the approach she was meaning to take when she thought about forming an urban space collective. Art in urban space. Anyone up for it? She thinks that traffic lights in Jakarta are just a tad too plain! Maybe applying some much loved plaid pattern from last autumn winter? Or should it be tribal prints from this spring summer? Hmmm

These are others that Ms. Match hearts

Beautiful pencil drawings by Sekar Jatiningrum. Ms. Match really would not mind having one in her future house she will share with Mr. Match (even though Mr. Match thought they were too morbid). The white painting of strawberry with the 2 faces by Thaweesak Srithongdee inspires Ms. Match to don an all white outfit with a touch of tan and cool prints tomorrow! Ms. Match hears that the artists does illustrations on t shirts as well! Would love to get her hands on one. Does anyone have an idea where she can get them?

Cool Londoners at London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009

2009-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

What was the first thing on Ms. Match's mind when she got a scholarship to study in London?? London Fashion Week of course! Even though LFW is not the 'IT' fashion show to go to compared to Paris, Milan, New York, but for Ms. Match who is completely in love with London designers and London street style (she opens http://facehunter.blogspot.com way too often sometimes, especially when he is hunting in London!) going to LFW is a dream come true. Since she was not covering for Vogue UK or Elle, or any other European or American magazine, she can only get really really terrible seats, where the only thing she sees sometimes are the girls from the chest up. So.. no cool pictures of the show, sorry (even though there are some that was quite ok). So instead, Ms. Match took her camera outside and started shooting cool Londonders. Here are some that she likes (by the way, these pictures were taken in August 2008.. a bit late, huh? but here it is anyway)

Love the shoes and the canvas bag.

Not sure about the total outfit, but was drawn by the bright skirt (or.. are those shorts? hmm)

Clashing patterns. Love!

like the shoes, and also love the hippy vibe of her hair and floral skirt which is balanced by the tough leather jacket and shiny oxfords.

She manages to wear all black wihout looking like she's going to someone's funeral

Love the oxford and the sock combo! Ms. Match is sure she will be tempted to try it one of these days

Henry Holland and friend, 'nuf said

Would the outfit look this good if the wearer wasn't Erin O'Connor? Ms. Match thinks so! Great job, Ms. O'Connor!

60's Shift Dress

2009-02-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Ms. Match found another bargain! A 60's style shift dress at FCUK's sale at SOGO for a real steal: IDR 99.000!!! what a shocker. That comes up to only about 5 quid! Don't you just luurrrvveee a great bargain! Ms. Match is definitely more proud of a great dress she finds with a very low price tag than a dress that would cost her a month's salary. She thinks that there is not challenge in finding a great looking expensive clothes. About the dress, the blue is like one of those jewel tone colors that has been really hot these last two fall/winters. Ms. Match absolutely loves it! The cut is old fashioned 60s shift dress, with a hint of 80s shown by the exposed huge zipper. The bubble arm is nice too! Ms. Match then wonders if the dress would look good paired with a lacey on top.
Dress; FCUK, Bag: vintage bag found at the big Sunday market in Rome (forgot the name) for 1 Euro, Shoes: Marie Claire

Prewed pics inspiration

2009-02-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

As Ms. Match has shared before. She is looking for some inspiration for pre wedding pictures (for those of you not in the know, pre wedding pictures are something that every Indonesian who is getting married have to go through (Well.. maybe not HAVE to, but in the case of the bride's previous occupation as a moonlighting fashion stylist, it becomes a MUST) before the big day. Usually a couple, pre wedding day, would take some lovey dovey pictures. The pictures are usually done in a romantic setting (in most cases it would be a choice between: a. beach b. mountain c. Old town look in Jakarta Kota area-usually complete with old granma bikes and the resulting pics would have a grainy sephia toned look- get it?), with the either couples smiling idiotically at each other, lovingly looking into each others eyes, or laughing big and wide like they just won the lottery. The future Mr. Match absolutely hates those pictures. But what he does not know is that, pre wedding pictures do not have to be that nauseating. Minus all those 'main' ingredients Ms. Match mentioned, it could actually be pretty cool.
Ok.. to move on, here are some inspirations:

and this one

or.. this one

Whoever sees this must see that Ms. Match absolutely adores Alice in Wonderland and all other fairy tales that involve uhm well.. fairies.
And then.. while looking for inspiration for the look of the shoot, Ms. Match came across this picture. It is done by Eleanor Hardwick. A genious 15 yearold with her website here http://eleanorhardwick.com. Her pictures show similar moods. It almost made Ms. Match strangle herself. WHy oh why wasn't she that creative or gifted when she was that age????
Anyway,.... enough of the curhat colongan. Here is the inspirational picture. PS: The future Mr. Match has a very cute 5 yo son, who would be perfect to be the cheshire cat or the rabbit in a suit!

It's just perfeeeecccttt. The mood of the picture is mysterious and otherworldly with none of the usual lovey dovey romantic style lurking anywhere in the background. Plus Ms. Match's future hubby would not even have to show his face (if he chooses to be the rabbi that is. or the cat..)

Ms. Match actually started thinking along the line of fairy tales, but somehow got stuck on this Alice in Wonderland ideas. She is still looking for more inspiration though. Any help would be welcome!

Ms. Match is Getting Hitched!

2009-01-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Ms. Match's lovely boyfriend just proposed to her last weekend. Well.. actually it was more the work of the boyfriend's cute 5 year old son. He said" Will you marry us?" Ms. Match was speechless! She is about to become a Mrs. Match!

The setting was perfect, Ms. Match and her crew (boyfriend, son and nanny) were on the beach on a beautiful day. However Ms. Match just got out of the water after frolicking around and getting swallowed by waves repeatedly, hence the slightly snotty nose and messed up hair. Nonetheless, it was beautiful.

And.. I know what you girls are wondering about, the ring. The ring is perfect! its a simple yet beautiful solitary diamond white gold ring. Just perfect! and most importantly: it goes with any outfit! The setting is also just right, not too much detail but not too plain as well. Too bad the diameter was a bit small for Ms. Match's giant fingers! so Ms. Match said the thing one should never ever say when one is being proposed. She exclaimed "It's tiny!" when she saw the diameter of the ring. She knows that it's a really bad thing to say! But she just could not help it! It looked like a ring fit for a woman half her size, for God's sake.

Ms. Match's poor boyfriend was, of course, hurt to hear that, but after she said yes and explained that the size she referred to was the diameter of the ring rather than the rock, he softened. So... next up is.. looking for wedding outfit, makeup and and getting pre wedding pictures done!!!

Since Ms. Match was a former fashion stylist, of course she is eager to do a propoer photo shoot with her future hubby. Especially since two good friends of her from her days as a beauty editor, one a fantastic makeup artist and an amazing photographer, have offered to do the pics for free! Alas, Mr. Match is not the type of person who likes flaunting his pics around. He is every bit as vain as Ms. Match (sometimes more, she swears!) but he just hates having his picture taken. Again, Ms. Match thinks that the main reason is vanity. Mr. Match thinks that he does not look good in pictures. But Ms. Match has not given up yet! She will draw up some cool story boards of what she wants from the shoot and show it to him. Hopefully he would change his mind. She alreasy has some ideas for the photoshoot which involves a rabbit, a dwarf and fairies.

Quick note on boots and 80s power suits

2009-01-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

Just saw the most hideous thing today. A pair of boots worn with a stiff, formal work trousers. FYI the trousers were not the sexy skinny kind. They were more the 80s style power suit style which reigned in the days of of Dynasty. I know the 80s is coming back and coming back real big, but maaannn you just have to see these power suits. While following Marc Jacobs lead on an era of style is one thing, following a decade to the T is very different thing!

To top it off, the suit worn with it was not exactly a perfect fit either. All boxy, loose, with no definitive body hugging accent. Even the 90s was not this bad. Its not that I have anything against boots. The boots were actually pretty decent. Believe me, I have seen uglier ones!

But its just that awkward combination... in fact, from what I saw, the boots could look pretty okay if paired with a mean pair of jeans or skinny pants. And if only, like in ugly-duckling-turned-swan-make-over-movies, the look betrayed the outfit, it would have been ok. Unfortunately it didn't.

What came to mind when I saw this look was the term invented by some friends at A+ magazine: shims (read the i like an english i), which is short for si mbak. Any Indonesian reading this would instantly think of a type of look which might be attractive for some (maybe for some mas-mas) but not quite so attractive for others.

Anyway.. Usually boots and power suits conjure up images of sexy, power executives, but in this case, paired with the makeup and hair and also the 80s look suit (which would probably look okay with a sexy toe cleavage bearing pointy stilettoes) it seems that the look is a mix of dominatrix wanna be and stay at home domesticated house wife who thinks that those bejewelled hair clips are the epitome of cool. clash in their heads.

Or I guess its just their way of showing their domination, one boot at a time.

Update on the lame/PVC legging hunt

2009-01-16T21:41:00.000-08:00

To find some information on where to get those leggings I posted my quest on my facebook status. Within half an hour there were 5 possible solutions. Here they are along with what I found:
1. A friend said I would be able to find them at Melawai Plaza. Tried to find them a couple of days ago but couldn't. ended up restocking my neutral tank tops and tube tops for Rp 20.000-Rp 30.000 each. What a bargain! I have forgotten how cheap this place is. Not a bad choice if you want to find some basic stuff. Just keep in mind that sizes run small here. And for tops they only sell one size. Saw some dresses as well which could be quite cute, if I didn't think that half of Jakarta would be wearing them as well!
2. Factory Outlet stores in Bogor. Went to one last weekend and..... I found a pair!! Not black and fake leathery type like I wanted, more like lame material. But pretty cool all the same. The length was not what I was looking for though, they only come down to my calves. For Rp15.000,- a pair, what a bargain! I instantly snapped up a pair (pictured here) in my size.
3. One suggested Topshop. I've written about Topshop. Too expensive! plus they're gone any way.
4. my best friend suggested Pull&Bear. She said it was on sale for Rp 150tho, Went to the one at Grand Indonesia. They were gone!
5. Last suggestion, was Hong Kong. Yea.. right...If I had the money to fly to HK I would have bought the one at Top Shop.

In my despair, I fund a light at the end of the tunnel.. material shop! What if I made my own?! I was thinking to find the material at this little shop I know in Pasar Tanah Abang, but the thought of going there on my own was a bit much. Good thing a friend went to Cipadu textile market and saw some material like what I was looking for. I went to check it out and ...SCORE! Got one meter for Rp 25.000! How cheap is that?? Just need to have it made. Will post the picture once it's done.

New Jodhpur Pants!

2009-01-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

Ms. Match is very happy. She went to PIM in search of the Puma legging with the gold zipper and she found a cool jodhpur style pants instead at Zara (don't know what's going on with the third person thingy here.. I guess I have been reading too many blogs) It was on sale too! Got them for 269.000 (the original price was Rp 449.000)! There were only four pairs left, minus mine. So anyone out there who wants them, you better be quick. Tried them on as soon as I got home with my heels and my boy friend's bow tie. Nice look! If I may say so myself. Will definitely try this for work this coming week. These pants are 100% rayon but look and feels a bit like silk. It kinda falls like silk as well, only a little bit stiffer. The perfect material for these kind of pants. It has a bow tie detail around the waist and also buttons along the bottom sides of the pants. I tried wearing the pulled up and as is. Verdict: pulled up is noce to go with cool flats and casual top for a weekend wear, while the one worn as is would be perfect for work when worn with a more formal tank top, bow tie, tiny vest, and killer heels.

Wish list #1 Lame/PVC legging

2009-01-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

I am currently kicking myself over and over again. Why oh why didn't I buy a pair of lame leggings at American Apparel????? WEll the answer is easy I guess, because it costs 30 quid and I was broke! Hmmppphh!! Now I have some pounds left over which I am not using for anything and I am regretting that stupid decision to save up for rainy days. I saw a pair at Topshop in Senayan City, it costs around 550thou. I really really really wanted to get it. But that day I didn't have enough money on me, so I was thinking to wait another week or two until I get paid. Alas! Lady luck is not on my side. The damn leggings were all sold out! Could not find it anywhere. *Sigh* What to do what to do... Another idea is to make a pair myself. Maybe it's time to go material shopping to Tanah Abang! I remember seeing some lame material there some time ago. Does anyone know exactly how I can get my hands on lame or PVC legging or at least the material???

Yesterday I went to Senayan City again in a futile effort to look for those hard to get leggings. In their place I found a pair of cool Puma leggings. Its murky purply brown in color (if you know what I mean) with.. get this.. gold zippers on the sides!! How cool is that??? I thought to myself.. yes! I have found the substitute! But noooo.. they only had an L, no Ms... so I guess tomorrow it's time to go hunting for my size. Yay!

Short is HOT

2008-12-23T18:23:00.000-08:00

I know this post about short hair is long over due. The trend has been around, for, like, a decade or something but I was known as the girl who always had long hair and no matter how much I like seeing all tose cute pixie-ish hair cuts I just couldn't imagine myself with short hair. Images of my junior high schoool days when everyone was in love with Demi Moore's cute crop in the 90s hit "Ghost" including my mom and myself always held me back from taking that plunge. You see, that obsession with Demi Moore, led us to a hairstylist one day, and I ended up walking out of there with the (then) coveted do. It was a terrible decision. Back then I did not realize that the decision to cut one's hair boy like, means that one has to strive even harder to prove that one is truly a woman. I was a late bloomer and more in love with my beat up jeans than my floral dresses. That said, you can probably imagine what I must have looked like. Yup, I looked like a boy! and this was the day when the only item of makeup in my bag was a chapstick. Hmmm... A friend of my mother even mistook me for a son instead of daughter. That day I started washing my hair everyday in the hope of making it grow faster. I also made a vow to myself never again to have short boyish hair cut.

However... 15 years down the line, I started to become intrigued once again by that oh-so-cute cut. First its Audrey Tatou in Amelie with her extra short fringe and cute, wavy bob . But that is still quite modest, it is still a bob and it is still quite feminine. Some years after that movie the bob craze took place, and I succumbed. I let Wisnu from Irwan Team Pondok Indah Mal do the owner of cutting my long locks short for the first time in 15 years. I was so happy with the result that I have never gone back to having long hair again.

After almost 2 years of the bob cut. I needed a change. I was thinking to myself, maybe it's time to look into super short cuts. I first fell in love with Sienna Miller in Factory Girl looked with her Edie Sedgwick short hair and large lashes. And then there was the super cute Miss Deyn with her peroxide pixie cuts. I wish I had the guts to die my hair that color (even though I do not dare to think of how much suffering my black hair will go through during the 8 hour dying process). After some thoughts, having the guts to go super short was the first thing I needed to do.

I thought I would do it one small step at a time, by asking my trusted hair stylist to cut off a little bit more each time. So in my head, my next hair cut would on the short side but not super short. But Wisnu was more cunning than I thought. As usual I spent the hour and a half reading my book (this time its Toni Morrison's Tar Baby) while looking forward to the pleasant surprise ahead when I look at the mirror. After the last few finishing touches, I looked up and saw that my hair was shorter than what I wanted it to be. YOu know the whole Rihanna craze? Yeah, I got that with some modifications. The sides and the back are a bit longer. At first I was horrofied, but after I stepped out of the salon and walked around the mall abit (checking my reflection everywhere I saw a mirror), I started loving it! Now I can proudly say that I LOVE MY HAIR! The cut has settled (I always say that a hair cut needs at least one day to settle to your daily life and routines and also to take the shape of your head) and now my daily beauty routine is cut short from 15 minutes to 5 minutes! Yeay! A bit of wax and a mess up and my hair is ready to go. I don't think I will ever go back to long hair now :)

A bit of fashion please..

2008-12-16T21:22:00.000-08:00

It has now been three and a half years since I left the beauty and fashion world (so to speak, I started counting when I resigned as the beauty editor of one women's magazine in Indonesia). I have now a totally different occupation, which, I have to admit pays for the bills (mostly bills from my shopping and partying!). While the old one involved working with lipsticks, eyeshadows, hair spray, makeupartists, other beauty and fashion editors, and fashion photographers this new involves working with the finance section reporters, economic news, insurance news, bogus CSR programs and meetings with boring men in suits and boring women in suits (one with a particularly big 'jambul' or quiff as some might say it). Hmm very different I have to say. I am learning A LOT of new things, but sometimes I just miss being back in my old world. I miss having an excuse to look through fashion magazines, call friends for work and a bit of gossip (they were all working in the same field), and being one of the first to find out and have new makeup and other cool stuff. I realized how much I missed this world when I was calling up journos the other day to try and "sell" a story on a CSR program a client did (they like to call it CSR, but frankly speaking it's all bull). I realized that I don't know how to sell these stories because for me they are not important. Well if this was a "real" CSR program then I would do it wholeheartedly, but this was just some lame event that involved a samll amount of donation. And they expect Kompas to write an article on it? Hmm.. I was a journalist (before being a beauty editor I also worked in dailies as well, mind you) and I can spot a time waster a mile away. Anyway.. lets just hope some news paper will pick it up. Right now I want to go back to browsing through beauty and fashion blogs. I just wish that soon we will get a lifestle or fashion client!

Ms. Match's Beach Trip

2007-07-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

If anyone is willing to endorse me, I will gladly turn in my laptop (my sole tool of working) and become a full time beach bum. I am a beach person. If anyone asks whether I like the mountain or the sea my answer would always be the sea. There is just something about the smell of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing that lure me to spend countless hours sitting on the hot sand marinating myself in coconut scented sun block and baking in the hot sun. I just love it! And the fact that there are countless bikinis and large shades to choose from just makes it even more fun. But what to do about makeup?? I am sure nobody likes to have racoon eyes after a long day at the beach. But what's a girl to do without her beloved mascara?

Well on my last trip to Kata beach, Phuket, I have found that you only need to carry 5 things with you to ensure a pretty day at the beach:
The first one is my trust worthy Shu Uemura Eye Lash curler. This just doesn't fail and will never run. Forget your mascara! Do you want to slave away trying to clean your clumpy lashes from that ultra strong formula of waterproof mascara when you are just ready to drop dead on your bed? One quick press and my lashes are all set. Well you can try a coat of clear mascara just to hold the curl, but for me the eye lash curler will do.

Second, my Avene sun cream. You have to always remember that the sun is still evil. It will cause wrinkles, spots and in the worst case...the dreaded skin cancer. To prevent that don't get cheap on your sun creams. Slather lots and slather often. Remember the basic SPF equation. Take what ever number is written on the tube of your chosen sun goo and multiply it by the length of time your skin does not burn when you are out in the full blaze of the sun. That is how long your sun screen will protect you. When you have passed that time limit, slap on some more.

Third, my oasis in a bottle, Shu Uemura Depsea Water spray. Just imagine being able to spray on some cold sweet smelling water on your face after baking in the sun. Enough said. I put mine in the fridge just before I head out to make sure that it's icy cold. A friend even went as far as bringing a small cooler box for her Depsea Water.

Fourth, my Body Shop Shea Butter Lip Butter. Before I left for this 5 day trip I was slaving away on my computer until the wee hour of the night (every night for a week)trying to finish all my articles and work stuff. I was not paying attention to what I eat let alone what I drink. By the start of the trip my lips have become so dry and parched that even drinking water was a pain. To get rid of this I drank litres of water everyday, slathered on lots of lip butter, and took a double dose of vitamin C. It worked! My lips were all soft and kissable again by the second day of the trip.

Fifth, my Clarins compact. After putting on tubes of sun cream my face I'm sure you would be able to see your reflection on my cheeks. And the whole greasy look is soooo not me. But with a quick dab of my Clarins compact all the greasiness is gone and I am left with a natural looking color. Mine is a transparant color which looks rather light in the packaging but actually disappears on your skin as soon as you blend it.

Oh I almost forgot. The there is another staple that never leaves my beauty case, my Shiseido blush stick. I am just totally in love with this piece of makeup that I have to have it everywhere with me. The creamy texture lets me put on the blush directly on my cheeks to give them a sunkissed look (I apply it to the apples of my cheek and dab it inwardly towards my nose to create a subtle sun burnt effect). Because of the creamy texture, it does not run that easily and it looks super natural, which is a big plus since I want people to think that I get this healthy color by sun bathing everyday.

So there you are. Six things you should never ever leave behind in your hotel room on your beach trip.

2007-07-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

A friend who is also a director for video clips, ads, etc approached me to be the stylist for his upcoming work. A brand new boy band. I thought, styling boys, hmmm why not? After negotiating budgets over YM, he added as an after thought, "This includes makeup for the talents ya!" And I was like, "what??" Doesn't he know that stylist and makeup artist are two different professions and require a different set of skills?

Maaann...at that moment I had flashbacks of a job interview with my current boss (the owner of a PR agency). When I said that I was a beauty editor which was also a freelance stylist and writer, he looked dumbfounded. And he said,"So what does a stylist actually do?" I mean this is coming from a man who has worked with media almost all his life. I am sure he has come across some fashion and life style magazines as well.

I took a deep breath and tried to explain what my job description was as a stylist. I gues there are a lot of people out there who does not know how a picture in a fashion magazine was produced (or any magazine for that matter).
Oh well.. I guess the good side for me is that there is less competition in the market for stylists. The bad side is to convince people how badly they need a stylist.

Twist and Turns: Cools Updos To Try

2007-05-23T01:50:00.000-07:00

These photos are from a shoot I did for Hair Ideas Magazine Indonesia. The concept for this one is volume. I tried to find subtle yet cute ways to apply volume to hair without the girl looking like 'ibu-ibu pejabat' as we Indonesians say it. FYI Ibu-ibu pejabat means wifes of government officials, and usually they sport a rather high teased hair do resulting in a bee-hive-like-mass atop their heads. I certainly hope I succeeded :-)
Credits:
Model : Vonnie
Hair and make up: Qiqi Franqy and team
Photographer: Adi Nugroho

Those Winter Wonderland Photos

2007-05-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

I am sure you have all seen pictures of Asian looking faces with a background of a winter scenery. These pictures usually feature snow covered pine trees with some snow falling in the background, a snow man, and bundles and bundles of thick jackets and other winter garb.

I came across one of these today as I was reading a blog on Indonesia popular culture. The blog was written in English and it was also quite enjoyable. I enjoyed it so much that I was curious to know the guy behind the writing. I only saw a reference to a uni in the wisconsin and I thought,"Ah, this must be written by some American scholar who took a major in Asian studies at his university."

But when I was looking through the blog for a photograph I came across one which feature an Asian looking guy grinning frozenly from ear to ear all wrapped up in a huge puff jacket, complete with ear muffs, beanie, gloves, and all the works. "Hmmm must be an Indonesian guy," I though to myself. And when I finally found his profile I was right.

I also remember looking at friendster accounts with pictures of friends (some first degree some second degree) in a similar pose with a very familiar background. All looking like a shapeless bloated snowman with a smile that could be mistaken for Batman's archenemy's iconic grin.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against people wanting to parade their holiday trips to a four season country while the rest of us here must suffer the heat, humidity and not to mention pollution of this metropolitan we call Jakarta. It's just that, if you are going to post your winter pics on the net for everyone to see, why not show off your excellent fashion style. Cold weather meands layering. And layering spells FUN and COLORS! Why not try donning bright puff jacket with a cool glossy Fendi spring '07 belt around your waist? Open the zip and show off your black and white striped cashmere sweater. Pair it with some worn grey skinny jeans and a pair of mean boots. You're set! Or better yet, check out some of my favorite winter looks from the 2007-2008 Fall/Winter runway shows and try keeping the chills out while looking H-O-T!
*Note: From left to right: Balenciaga, Balenciaga, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc jacobs

Back In Time

2007-05-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

This maybe a bit late for an introductory post, but what the heck? I didn't have time to do it yesterday when I started the blog, so here goes.
This is just a blog to post all my ravings and my secret obssesion to beauty and fashion. I was a beauty editor for 4 years. I spent one year as an associate beauty editor at Female magazine Indonesia and then, due to some dissatisfaction with the ehm ehm..management, i resigned and spent the next 3 years at Cosmopolitan Indonesia as a beauty editor. Why is this so discreet you might think? It's because now I work for a PR firm handling mostly IT clients. So not me!!
Well that's what most of my friends would say, but here I am, and doing the job every day. No complaints yet. Well.. not that much anyway..

But I do miss writing about beauty and fashion. I miss being one of the first people to try the newest designer perfume (and being able to say,"No Mbak, I already have that one," to every perfume sales girl in the dept store preparing to pounce on me). I miss being on the invitee list of some of Indonesia' s hottest spas and salons (I once tried treatment in a spa whose client list include Donna Karan and Brooke Shield and the price one treatment there can pay for a full months meal of a whole medium sized village in a third world country). I miss going on five star trips abroad to do a photo shoot and to cover a beauty or fashion story (I remember sipping champagne while taking a nice warm bath scented with real rose petals and watching fashion TV on the huge LCD TV mounted on the bathroom wall). and most of all I miss styling photo shoots and writing articles. Hence the blog.

Anyway.. I thought I would be staying far away from the beauty and fashion world but I just couldn't. I remember jumping at the chance to write again for Cosmo and also several other life style publications as a freelance writer and stylist. So now I still get to keep my 'corporate' job while still having fun writing about fashion and beauty.

This blog will feature some of the non edited version of articles and photoshoots I've done and also some personal rants and raves about fashion and beauty products I've got my eyes on. Enjoy!

The a+ Ten Beauty Commandments

2007-04-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

Perintah penting untuk buktikan komitmen Anda pada dunia fashion dan kecantikan

Fashion week bukan hanya ajang untuk menyajikan gaya fashion terbaru. Para makeup artist pun berlomba-lomba untuk meninggalkan jejak mereka di ajang adu kreatif ini. Sayangnya, seperti tren fashion yang siklusnya semakin lama semakin pendek, tren riasan juga tidak jauh berbeda. Beberapa tampilan yang tampak di berbagai panggung fashion dunia untuk musim semi dan panas tahun ini, juga bisa ditemui beberapa musim silam (catat! Beberapa musim silam, bukan tahun!). Tapi, kami tahu, apapun yang bisa menjadi alasan untuk berbelanja perangkat riasan baru pasti menyenangkan. Untuk membantu Anda menyortir dari begitu banyak gaya yang bertebaran, kami berikan panduannya. Pilih yang sesuai dengan gaya Anda.

1.Thou shalt have no other color for eye liner, but black
Ini adalah saat kembalinya eye liner hitam Anda. Ingat! Hitam, bukan biru tua, ungu, atau warna-warna fantasi lainnya. Begitulah pelajaran yang kami petik dari panggung busana YSL, Gucci, dan Carolina Herrera. Ada berbagai cara untuk menggunakannya. Anda bisa menggunakannya untuk menggarisi sekeliling mata, memberikan aksen pada sudut mata luar, atau hanya di garis mata atas untuk membuat mata tampak lebih terbuka. Padukan dengan kompleksi kulit yang (hampir) sempurna dan sentuhan lipstick berwarna merah muda.

2.Thou shalt apply shocking colors to make thy lips stand out
Ini adalah ajaran dari head of the geek/cool squad, Marc Jacobs lewat koleksi second line-nya, Diane von Furstenberg, dan juga Philip Lim. Coba warna-warna terang seperti oranye atau neon pink yang dipadukan dengan sisa riasan wajah yang hampir tak tampak dan bulu mata lebat dan hitam.

3.Thou shalt always worship flawless, healthy looking skin
Tiap tahun dan tiap musim pasti ada saja makeup artist yang menggunakan gaya riasan ini tapi tentunya dengan sentuhan unik masing-masing. Untuk musim ini Giorgio Armani, Balenciaga, dan Ralph Lauren tak ketinggalan menampilkan gaya ini di runway mereka. alis Giorgio Armani memadukannya dengan riasan mata yang tegas dengan aksen gelap pada bagian sudut luar mata, sementara Ralph Lauren memilih untuk memadukannya dengan pipi yang bersemu merah dan warna bibir pink muda. Untuk mendapatkan kulit dengan warna yang sedikit pucat tapi berkilau, Diane Kendal, makeup artist untuk Balenciaga, memilih untuk menggunakan foundation dengan coverage sangat ringan. Untuk efek kilau, ia menyarankan untuk menggunakan bedak yang hampir transparan dengan sedikit kilau di tulang pipi dan kelopak mata untuk highlight.

4.Thou shalt honour the classic red lips
Saya, seperti banyak perempuan Indonesia lain, pernah beberapa kali memikirkan untuk membeli lipstik merah. Tapi pada akhirnya, pasti warna-warna aman seperti nude, beige, atau taupe-lah yang pada akhirnya masuk ke dalam beauty case. Padahal saat saya pulang dan menonton Fashion TV atau melihat gaya Gwen Stefani di MTV, saya pasti langsung ingin kembali memiliki benda keramat itu. Akhirnya, pada ekspedisi make up saya yang terakhir, saat saya melihat lipstik merah Shu Uemura (coba nomor RD 170), yang menurut mbak-nya adalah warna merah yang paling merah dari semua lipstik yang lain, saya benar-benar tidak tahan untuk tidak memilikinya. Impulsive shopping ini saya lakukan bukan hanya karena warna merahnya di bibir saya memang berhasil membuat saya merasa sekelas dengan Marylin Monroe, tapi juga karena saya baru saja menemukan tip ampuh untuk memakai warna merah dari show Valentino. Kombinasinya mudah saja, selapis lipstik merah intens, sesapu eye shadow warna perak tipis-tipis, segaris liquid eye liner hitam, dan berlapis-lapis mascara. Padukan dengan gaya rambut dicepol agak berantakan dengan dua bando tipis berwarna merah yang sama mengkilapnya dengan bibir Anda. Jangan lupakan juga the little black dress untuk menyempurkan total look-nya !

5.Thou shalt not forget that amber copper shadow color looks pretty on any skin tone
Siapa sangka kalau eye shadow dengan warna tembaga kemerahan ini cocok untuk semua warna kulit. Yup dan para makeup artist Missoni, J Mendel, dan Costello Tagliapietra berhasil membuktikannya. Untuk mendapatkan warna yang serupa, coba MAC Amber Lights yang disapukan tipis-tipis pada kelopak mata. Padukan dengan sisa riasan nude dan matte, dengan sedikit sapuan bronzer di tulang pipi Anda.

6.Thou shalt not undermine the come back of the smoky eyes
Ya, ya, ya, kami tahu Anda telah mendengar tren mengenai smoky eyes beribu-ribu kali, dan kami juga tidak akan mecoba mengatakan bahwa kali ini jauh berbeda. Kami hanya akan mencoba menggoda Anda untuk kembali melirik gaya riasan ini dengan mengatakan bahwa, kali ini smoky eyes tampil di berbagai panggung runway dalam berbagai versi warna menarik. Behnaz Sarafour, Roberto Cavalli, Christian Lacroix, Versace, dan DSquared menjadi saksinya. Mulai dari warna cokelat, warna hijau kecokelatan metalik, bronze sampai warna hitam dengan aksen highlight emas di sudut-sudut mata. Padukan dengan bulu mata yang penuh dan panjang dengan beberapa lapis Lancome L’Extreme.

7.Thou shalt remember to keep cheeks looking pink, rosy, and fresh
Jika di musim-musim sebelumnya, aksen pink pada pipi lebih membuat Anda tampak seperti remaja yang sedang tersipu malu, sekarang hasil akhirnya tampak lebih dewasa dan sophisticated seperti yang tampak di show Stella McCartney, 3.1 Philip Lim, dan Michael Kors. Dapatkan efek ini dengan mengaplikasikan blush warna pink lembut, seperti Shu Uemura Glow On no. 33E di bagian luar pipi Anda (bukan di bulatan pipi) dan sapukan ke arah garis rambut. Padukan dengan eye shadow warna cokelat yang disapukan di garis tumbuh bulu mata dengan aksen warna emas di sudut dalam mata dan garis mata bawah.

8.Thou shalt not bear false witness that head accessories are so last season
Sekarang sudah saatnya membuat potongan rambut mahal Anda tampak lebih mahal lagi dengan menggunakan berbagai aksesori yang begitu beragam dan menggoda musim ini. Prada memilih gaya turban tahun 60-dan dengan warna-warna jewel tone yang cantik, Burberry Prorsum dan Dries Van Noten memilih head band hitam sederhana yang juga dipadu dengan updo sederhana, tapi tentunya cocok jika dipadukan dengan baju yang jauh dari sederhana. Visor dalam berbagai bahan dan gaya tampak bertebaran di show Jean Paul Gultier. Tapi juaranya tetap adalah Marc Jacobs dengan berbagai interpretasi kreatif dari topi pet mini dan bunga-bungan plastik untuk koleksi dengan namanya sendiri, dan buket bunga-bunga romantis untuk show Louis Vuitton.

9.Thou shalt not shy away from shimmery makeup
Kuncinya untuk riasan dengan efek shimmer adalah: pengaplikasian hanya di satu bagian wajah saja. Zac Posen dan Alberta Ferretti menggunakannya untuk memoles kelopak mata model-modelnya dengan sedikit aksen warna yang lebih gelap di sudut luar mata.Tapi untuk penampilan yang bisa membuat iri semua orang, Chanel tetap juaranya. Makeup artist di show Chanel musim ini mengoleskan eye shadow silver ber-simmer di kelopak mata dan memadukannya dengan warna gold bershimmer di garis bawah mata. Now, that’s what we call mixing up your metals! Biarkan sisa wajah tampak seperti tidak berdandan dengan sedikit bronzer di bawah tulang pipi.

10.Thou shalt not commit fashion faux pas by applying all these commandments at once
Mengikuti tren baru memang menyenangkan, apalagi make up dan rambut adalah cara termudah untuk melakukannya (bandingkan membeli satu batang lipstik merah dibandingkan dengan membeli satu gaun Valentino misalnya). Tapi ini tidak berarti Anda bisa berfoya-foya melakukannya Cukup pilih satu tip sehari, kami yakin ini cukup untuk menjauhkan Anda dari fashion police.