creative juices

Call me an amateur in web-design. Call me whatever you want. I've been designing webs and blogging since 1998. That's been what? Twelve years? But I know we can't judge skills and abilities from the period of time wasted used on doing something.

Last night when I was sorting some four friggin' thousand (that's 4,000) photos from The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream, I found some really neat images I could play around and voila! In less than ten hours (yes, it was that long), the new Dancewave Center's website is up and running.

The screen shot.

I live in a house with somewhat little privacy. My parents never allow the children to have television in the bedroom. The TV (and dining) room is where we all meet and talk about the day's work. Sometimes it annoys me because I really want to just watch the television.

I have a laptop and my home is wi-fi enabled so I can bring my laptop to my room and do my stuff. But I really love working with my desktop since it's faster and the monitor is bigger. My desktop is situated in an area in the house with no partition whatsoever. So sometimes the noise from the other rooms reach my ears when I'm doing something.

After years of suffering adapting to the situation, I've become quite nocturnal. I appreciate the silence and stillness of midnights and early mornings or when my family is away. Don't get me wrong, I love their companionship. I'd go crazy without them. But I also like a time of my own when I can put on my headphone and create a choreography in 30 minutes (albeit a simple one).

Ah, Amr Diab... You sexy beast! I can't believe he's 47!

This is the song I'm talking about. It was sitting in my library for months and then one night,

I was listening to it and the inspiration hit me.

It left me sweaty and breathless and my juices running like the Japanese bullet train.

I rarely blog during the day, let alone write an essay or a poem. And since night is the only time I have for myself, to reflect and to think, I didn't have the time to blog about anything in November due to the rehearsals and practices and sewing.

No, I'm not trying to make an excuse as to why I've only written ten (eleven with this one) entries up until now and 2010 is almost over! And no, I'm not trying to write something random just to make it look like I'm being productive. *sigh*

It's really... I don't know... liberating to be able to write something that's almost not related to dance in this blog.

I think now that I can focus on other things in my life (more stressful than managing a dance performance), I can write more. Hopefully tomorrow evening.

Don't forget to check out Dancewave Center's new website, guys!

of dance and dreams (and manners in watching art performances)

First of all, let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Partly because of this scene below where Harry and Hermione dance to relieve the tension. That's such a propaganda coming from me, I know. But dance does things, and one of them is relieving stress.

And I almost cried three times during the movie, something that never happened during any of the Potter movies. And Beedle the Bard really makes me understand why many people think JK Rowling is a genius. I can't wait to see the conclusion!

Now, on to some notes regarding The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream that was finally wrapped on November 27th, 2010. The show took place in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta and was the culmination of the hard work of all cast and crew. More on that later.

One thing that I have to highlight is the fact that you have to be prepared for replacements (dancer, crew, etc). Our music technician got ill just a few days before the show and thank goodness the replacement did the whole thing just as well.

I know it would be another thing to replace a dancer, especially the lead dancer, but fortunately that didn't happen. It would be a lot harder because that means compromising many things, including artistic vision.

That being said, honestly, this year's recital leaves a somewhat different impression on me. Everything happened so fast. Last year, I had the opportunity to watch other numbers from the side when I was waiting for my turn. This year, it was all about costume changes. I danced seven numbers with different props that were new to me (cane and Isis wings). And I had to spend the last minutes before the end of the show as a blind-mute.

Honestly, I was worried about my sword routine. Lilith fell so many times during the rehearsal, and she even cut my fingers and palms at one time when I tried to catch her. But I guess I did an okay job as she didn't fall although I was practically blind when dancing in the show.

Unlike The Dance Within, The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream is a lot more gloomy and depressive. Yes, there were quite a few happy highlights like the Bollywood number, but in all, I felt gloomy. I played Azrael, the Angel of Death, and in the end I had to kill The Dreamer, the main character. Although the finale took place in Heaven (with "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland, no less), I still feel it was less festive than the first.

The cast, in the finale scene.

Gedung Kesenian Jakarta did a pretty good job with the lighting. We had positive reviews from the audience and from members of the media who attended the event. There are some inputs as well that we need to share during the post-mortem meeting.

But this is what got me on my nerves: the ticket was sold out a week before the show. We even decided to sell the tickets that were intended for the press when they said they wouldn't come. Some people were actually waiting to the very last minute to purchase the tickets. I even took the time to deliver the tickets myself and there was more than one time when I was ready to deliver and I didn't receive any confirmation message whatsoever. So I sold the tickets to someone else and got complaints from the person who was supposed to purchase them first.

I hope next year I won't have to deal with that.

The next thing I'd like to blog about is manners in watching art performances in theatres or art centers.

The first one is of course: do not be late. Dancewave Center has the habit of starting things (quite) on time. The Dance Within started 15 minutes late and The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream started 7 minutes late. That was an improvement. Whoever came in fifteen minutes after the first act had begun had to wait until the intermission to be allowed to enter.

The second one is taking photos and videos. Holly Hallelujah... We've specifically told the audience on the ticket, the flier, the playbill, and the voiceover that taking photos and videos are prohibited. We stated that IN TWO LANGUAGES! And yet I still saw people with handycams videotaping the event. We should've confiscated that. It was very, very rude. I promise you, next year, the security will be much more strict. When we say no video and no photo taking, that means no video and no photo taking.

The third one is: READ THE PLAYBILL!! It's theatrical, and sometimes it's not that easy to comprehend what's happening. The playbill helps you to understand the dances and the story-line. Come on, even in Ballet, the playbill serves as a guide to understand the story.

But apart from that, our audience was the loveliest. I sat sandwiched between two very talkative groups (in front of me and behind me) during Bellydance Jakarta's fifth annual recital. And to make matters worse, the woman in front of me kept leaning to the right to talk to her friend during the show, and she raised her hands to take photos of the dancers. Now that was downright rude and inconsiderate.

And oh, this is the best part: thank you, whoever brought small children and taught them to behave. I didn't hear any crying babies or children during my frightening dance.

Our audience dressed well. That was one highlight. Although I couldn't help but notice a foreigner, who happened to be a hip hop dance instructor from another dance institution in Jakarta, sitting with his CAP ON and his FOOT UP on the back of the chair in front of him. This was after the show ended, I know. And he has long legs and Gedung Kesenian Jakarta has little leg room, I know. But come on, Dude. I thought you knew better.

The Dance Within (1 & later 2) has always been about the culmination of hard work from everyone. I believe that's why we refuse to open (or end) the show with a speech and giving flowers or some other type of ego-fest. We were just glad everything was over and we did all the best we could. And the effort was everyone's.

I can't wait for The Dance Within 3.

Photo credits:

Lilith & me by Diana T. W.

Cast finale by Si Troy

the dance within 2: beyond the dream

It feels only like yesterday that Dancewave Center worked on our first annual recital: The Dance Within and garnered praises from audience and media alike. It feels only like yesterday that I could finally say I had done something worth while in my life (I co-originated the idea of The Dance Within and chaired the whole shebang... Of course I couldn't have done it without my team and the brilliant resources outside the team).

This year... Well, let me tell you about the whole thing. But before that, I gotta stuff my face with ice cream. We've been practicing at least 5 hours straight and my legs are on fire. I need happiness.

... After a few spoons of Chocolate Haagen-Dazs ... I feel so fresh and ready for... ADVENTURE!!!! Flapjack style. (Did you know that the amaaaazing Dan Cantrell writes and plays the music for The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack?? I think I'm in love...)

Now... In case you forgot, The Dance Within was shown on Saturday, November 21st, 2009. This year, we're going with the November tradition again and found an empty slot in the historical, vintage, and prestigious Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on Saturday, November 27th, 2010.

Dancing in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta has been my personal obsession. Well, I know that many people in our team also share the same obsession cum ambition. So this year, we're gonna do it. We're gonna follow the footsteps of great (and serious) artists before us and perform in the hopefully-not-haunted place *worried giggles*.

Dancewave Center aims to provide dance education to everyone, regardless of social background, race, age, sex, size, sex size, sexual orientation... We're like the utopia of dance! Not all kinds of dance, though. Dancewave Center specializes in Hip Hop (East Coast, West Coast, Korean, and derivations such as Krumpin' and Burlesque / Sexy Ladies), Oriental (Cabaret & Folkloric), Tribal Fusion, and just very recently, Bollywood.

Like last year, the challenge is to put all these dances in a show, but not just a mesh of dances, they have to flow and follow a storyline. These dances have to become an integral part of the plot. What makes The Dance Within unique was the fact that it was presented theatrically with a strong message: nothing can stop us from dancing (external forces).

After feeling lost for a few months and desperately trying to come up with a story, I thought about someone who actually loves dancing but can no longer dance. The first drafts consisted of a gypsy fortune teller and a genie, but we scraped those off. The later drafts (that were approved) simplified the whole plot. I worked with Monique Chai to finalize the story. This year, the dancers will deal with the internal forces, the things that stop them from dancing (or whatever their passion is). And thus, The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream is born.

Here's the offical story:

The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream tells the story of an ailing dancer who lies in comatose, suspended between dream world and limbo. In the dream, the dancer travels the world and sees dances from different cultures, even dancing in some of the dances. Will the dancer wake up, recover, and dance once again? Or will death embrace the dancer?

With The Dance Within 2: Beyond the Dream, the dancers wish to remind the audience that sometimes we have to stop and evaluate ourselves and do what we are really passionate about, before everything is too late.

Scary, isn't it?

Yours truly here will not, I repeat: NOT, be playing the main character (The Dreamer). We had an audition for the part, all students and members of Dancewave Center were welcome to audition, and we chose Pasha Praz with his wicked contemporary number to dance. It was... needless to say, heartwrenching. He's our Dreamer, with dashed dreams.

Not only will this dance-theatrical show present a myriad of dances from around the globe (Dancewave Center will be collaborating with guest stars to bring the art of Indonesian Traditional Dances such as Jaipong and Papuan dance, Capoeira, and Wushu), it will also feature a vast of songs. I'm mentioning the likes of Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Elissa, Cheb Mami, Saltillo, Filastine, Lady Gaga, and loads others.

Tickets are only Rp. 120,000 (VVIP), Rp. 100,000 (VIP), and Rp. 85,000 (Balcony). Part of profit will go to charity (like we did last year). Early bird discount is 10% (ends October 24th, 2010) and bulk purchase (3 tickets or more) gets 20% discount. Click here for further information and seating arrangement. Call / send a message to 0811 93 99 06 if you have questions or ready to order.

As of this entry is written, the tickets are selling fast. LIKE HOT CAKES!!

jewelry

I love jewelry. I really do. Ever since I was a child, I'd whine and whine and whine until Mom (or Dad) would buy me a certain ring or a brooch. I was in love with Amethyst and purple stones mostly because of the short-lived action comic.

Ironically, I never thought that my fingers could be decorated with rings. I could never wear brooches to school (not to an all-male Catholic school!). And so, many pieces were lost, long long time ago. Although, I've retained two pieces: Two Amethyst-tinted glass brooches from Smithsonian (it was the age of paper catalogue. Yes, I am ancient).

From July 25th, 2010, I've decided that I would wear black nail polish and my fingernails and black eyeliner & eyeshadow whenever I go out (except to dance classes). My boyfriend supports this look, although Mom said by wearing make-up everyday, it would make my stage make-up look not special.

This new look, combined with the heavy influences I get from FCBD-ATS and Tribal Fusion in general and Gothic Fusion in particular (although I think I'm more drawn onto ATS), allows me to wear my costume jewelry (rings, some of my bracelets and cuffs) whenever I go out lately.

In FCBD's 20 years of performance DVD that I got last year, in the commentary by Carolena Nericcio, she mentioned the pair of monstrous spike cuffs that she'd found and wore to all kinds of performances. At that time, I didn't feel moved by the spike cuff. I was satisfied with my collection of mostly ethnic / silver-colored cuffs and bangles. I wear these to performances everytime I do Tribal Fusion pieces.

About two months ago, I didn't exactly know why, but I was browsing TribalLine again after a long while since Lilith and decided I was rich enough (yay!) to purchase more cuffs. And I fell in love with a gorgeous spiked cuff. I e-mailed Merilyn, the owner of TribalLine, and she replied saying that it was already out of stock. I was... I had mixed feelings about this, just as I usually have when I failed making a purchase or a concert of someone I truly anticipate is cancelled. I got disappointed, but I was happy that I could still save the money for something else.

But something kept telling me that I needed spike cuffs! I just gotta gotta get, at least one cuff!

And so I did. I did my research and finally decided to order from Tribaltique.nl. The price they offered for a spike cuff was USD 20 LESS than other stores. And that was significant. Besides, the shipping fee cost almost next to nothing, and so I ordered one.

Waiting was of course the hardest part, but I finally got it. Because I was worried that the Eid would mean no one and nothing worked in Jakarta, I had it sent to Bali to my boyfriend's house. I became quite a nuissance because I kept pestering him, asking if it had arrived or not. It took forever to arrive and it finally got there just the day before he left for Jakarta.

My very modest collection of Tribal Jewelry. I think I missed a ring here.

While I was looking for the right bracelet and the right price, I stumbled upon several sites that talked about the history of spike bracelets. Mine (in the picture, it's the one with green stones, interlaced with the white big shell armlet) is Pakistani (or so I found out) and is made out of metal, most probably gillit (brass, nickel, mixed with old coins). The inside is hollow, so although it looks big, it is actually not that heavy.

I found something that made me struck out, "Of course!" and duly commented on how stupid I was (as usual). Spike bracelets were first worn by ethnic tribes (Berber, Kuchi, Pakistani, Rajasthani, Afghani, even Indonesian tribes such as the Batak in North Sumatra) for self-defence purposes. Women wore these to protect themselves. That also explains the spike rings or any kinds of heavy rings, with or without stone. Now that would pack a mean punch! Ouch.

But another thing is... When laid flat, a spike bracelet or cuff will resemble the sun (the spikes being the sun rays). How cool is that?

Some tribes, such as the Ouled Nail tribe, sew coins on their clothings. This is not only to display their wealth, but to make it easier for trade purposes (imagine going through all of those coins in your purse). Same thing with jewelry: they're not just intended for decorational purposes, but also practical. And in the case of heavy, solid, or spiked cuffs: self defence.

You just gotta love history.

For further reading, please click here, here, here, here, here, and here.

can you really do bellydance at the gym?

"Bellydance is a strenuous activity. FatChanceBellyDance and their associates will not be held liable for any injuries that may occur from use of this video. We thank you for using common sense and suggest that you consult a physician regarding any concerns you have."

That important piece of disclaimer always greets me whenever I open up FCBD Tribal Basics vol. 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to drill on ATS. Buy the videos here.

And you can see that type of advice coming from all over the place: from instructional DVDs by the likes of Bellydance Superstars, IAMED, Suhaila Salimpour, Sadie, and Veena & Neena to workshops (at least those I've been).

A muscular and join stretches and warm-up follow after that.

Apparently, bellydance can be quite challenging activity that it needs a disclaimer and a session of stretches and warm-up (Sharon Kihara used no less than 45 minutes to drill us with warm-up yoga poses and glute work to improve our technique).

Sharon was a student of Suhaila Salimpour. Suhaila's a lifelong endorser of using your glutes for a lot of benefits such as sharper isolations and better shimmies. It works for me!

The gym was the first place where I got tangibly introduced to bellydance. At first it was hard to even master camels and mayas, but I eventually got the hang of it. And after two years, I could share the very basic steps at the gym, by being an instructor.

And through my teaching experience that's well over a year and my own gym and fitness experience (ugh! I really hate to call it that, but yeah, I've had my gym-freak days), I managed to find a way to make an hour class become survivable. I may not be the greatest teacher and I've had my share of both boosted-ego and humility regarding the sizes of my class.

My longtime teacher and now dance partner, Ms. Miftahul Jannah, has a very good stamina and a loyal fanbase. She can teach up to three classes at the gym in one day (where it's indeed more exhausting) and on Saturdays, she drills all of three levels (Introduction, Beginner, Intermediate) at Dancewave Center.

And as for the fanbase at the gym, well... It surprised me to know that she actually knew what a certain class wants and it can be totally different to another class. She caters to the want of the majority of the group and the group loves it.

As she's gone away for two weeks, I'm substituting her, and I almost fainted. Going from class to class, fighting the godawful traffic jams, sweating and getting muscleaches sometimes feel unworthy of the sweet, sweet paycheck at the end of the month. But again, after a while, I kind of got the hang of it and now I feel so much healthier when I have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to susbtitute her early class.

Bellydance, like other physical activities, have both benefits and dangers. It can benefit our body if done correctly, and if not done correctly, it can cause permanent damage. One of the ladies in Ms. Mifta's class suffered from skoliosis. Ten years ago, she could not even wear high heels. After dabbling with Pilates and then Yoga, she said she felt a lot healthier, "corrected", even, although still far from normal.

She also said that whenever she does the lateral figure eights, she had to elongate her spine more to not feel the pain.

Ah yes, the beauty of meeting and teaching people is actually not the things you can teach them, but what you can learn from them. And this lady, a dentist, has taught me another valuable tip that I can keep in my tip jar to distribute to my fellow dancers and students along my dancing life.

Another thing that she pointed out was the fact that I always tried to remind them to use the muscles, never the joints, to do the movements. For example, when doing hip bumps (or hips on the ups, hip hits, whatever the terminology) let the glutes and the obliques do the work, not the knees and let the muscles take control. Putting too much strain and pressure on the joints can be really bad. The muscles should be conditioned to help the joints work, and honestly, bellydancing can be a somewhat mild (and uplifting) exercice to condition them.

My shool of thought is definitely not the classic Egyptian (read: Raqia Hassan and the likes). In Sonia's (of BDSS) Drum Solo DVD with Issam Houshan, there's a short documentary about her travel to Egypt where she took private courses with local teachers, one of them was Ms. Hassan. Sonia said that she was not used to the hip shimmy where the movement originates from the knees. I didn't quite get it at the moment, but it all made sense to me now that I am able to hip-shimmy while sitting down and driving: my type of hip-shimmy comes from the hips and glutes.

To tell you the truth, my hip-shimmy is definitely much better when it comes from the hips and glutes, not the knees. How else can I kneel while shimmying if the movement comes from the knees? But then again, I think to each his/her own.

But let me tell you something, contrary to the belief that somehow gets popular, bellydance does not require pot belly to dance to. Some people prefer the dancers petite and curvy, some wiry, some fit and muscular, some voluptuous. As long as they are healthy and can do bellydance (Oriental, Tribal, a good fusion will blow me away), why not?

And contrary to another contradicting belief, bellydance will not burn away your tummy fat. The flab will still be there if you only do bellydance for your physical activity. You will not achieve flat and gorgeous tummy without a proper diet, a proper sleeping pattern, and a hell lot of proper activities. And that's a bunch of sacrifices. Cameron Diaz has an enviable set of abs and I don't think she bellydances. Shakira's fit but doesn't exactly have the six packs and yet she dances. And don't get me started on Brad Pitt's washboards.

But can you really do bellydance at the gym? Well, yeah. It is a physical activity that offers a way to trim down a bit of the calories, tone your muscles, work on your flexibility (that, by the way, depends very much on muscular awareness and conditioning), work on your body coordination (head, hands, feet movements, etc). If you're lucky the instructor can give you an insight or two about Oriental (or Tribal) bellydance.

Then again, it's the gym. Some classes prefer to have sweaty work out, some classes prefer to do in details, some classes prefer to have a choreography in the end. And there are gym instructors who are willing to explain things without worrying about being labeled as boring, willing to sweat off with the members just to show you the right movements and go all the way with them, willing to share you tips to make the end choreography look much classier and more Oriental instead of Burlesque, and what to do with your arms when you turn, and share the meaning of the lyrics of the song you're dancing to.

Some instructors at the gym will not teach you how to achieve the Tarab, but come to think of it, neither will some dance instructors at respectable Oriental instutions.

drunk dancing doorglass dork & cool husbands/boyfriends/fiances of bellydancers

Things have been going on quite nonstop this past week. We had "1001 Nights", our second annual hafla last Sunday at Club O1, that featured not only Dancewave Center Jakarta's students of Oriental classes but also Desi of the Orchid and Aiza of Malaysia, bringing drum solo number and crazy-isolation-wicked-layback-drop-precise-with-every-beat-drum-solo-Tribal-Fusion respectively. The show was opened by Dancewave Center Jakarta's students of hip hop and sexy ladies classes who totally rocked the night.

I created and taught a choreography to students of beginner class. It was a veil number to "Tamally Maak" by Amr Diab. You know, these girls learned fast. Veil can look good but it's also not that easy to master, and these girls did it in less than two months and I'm rarely proud of anyone, but I have to say, I almost cried with joy when they did the dance sooo gracefully (and ALMOST flawlessly... HAHA).

Asih, Inez, Tari, Yuka - Dancewave Center Jakarta's Beginner Oriental class students,
dancing with American Oriental with veil to "Tamally Maak" by Amr Diab.

And then the continuous general and private classes. One private class got postponed and frankly I was quite relieved because had it not been cancelled, I would've spent a long day driving from one place to another.

I substituted my teacher, Ms. Mifta today, teaching three classes at Dancewave Center Jakarta, all new choreographies for our end-year recital on Saturday, November 27th, 2010 in Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. Yes, we've paid for the building, so it's ours. Make sure you come!

Ms. Mifta had an afternoon show today at a birthday party. And we met later in my house to go together for an evening performance. It was a housewarming party.

The really nice hostess offered us drinks, you know, wine and champagne and all, and I said I didn't drink. She jokingly said, "You don't drink? Wow, you're such a no-fun!"

I got drunk once when I was still a wee lad (19 years old, which was... quite a long time ago). And I hated the feeling. I got sleepy but my mouth didn't stop talking and I kept doing stupid things. I didn't fall on the floor and couldn't get up, though. But I just slurred and babbled.

And then I became the designated driver whenever my friends and I went clubbing (I rarely club anymore because of the smoke and, ahem, old age), so I don't drink because 1) I get drunk easily and 2) OMFG, do you know how much a tequila shot costs? Or any booze costs?? And it doesn't even taste good!

They dilute the sweet wine during eucharists at church, and even I get drunk on that small dose of diluted wine!!

And so we danced. First a duet, then continued with me doing veil solo, Ms. Mifta with her drum solo, and lastly us, with zills, freestyling and getting the crowd up to dance. And tonight, the tip was so good. Yeah! I can use some to fix my desktop's broken monitor.

We danced at the poolside and after the last dance, we... Well, I hurriedly went inside to change. I was sweating like hell. And I was almost running that I didn't see the glassdoor and my head met the glass with a loud bang.

Yep, my forehead and my upper right lip just crashed into the glass. Thank goodness it was a thick one (the glass that is) so it didn't shatter. Imagine, a dancer breaking a glass door, A NEW GLASS DOOR, after dancing for a HOUSEWARMING PARTY.

Everyone laughed, I laughed, and just said loud, "Oh, wow, it was sooo clear that I didn't even see it. You guys must have really good maid!"

So much for diva moment.

And so Ms. Mifta went home with full belly (they didn't provide vegetarian meal so I had to be content with my iced tea) while I came home with a bloated right forehead. Well, not forehead, I hit my right brow bone.

And I still have an early class in the morning and an evening solo performance at the Four Seasons Jakarta for a wedding. I could sure need a break.

And an assistant.

Mr. Udin, Ms. Mita's fiance (and all around cool husband-to-be of a bellydancer) almost always comes with us to help with our shows - well, that is whenever Ms. Mifta is dancing too. And he gladly accompanies her to watch haflas and recitals from other institutions, giving objective and valuable feedback from an "outsider" and "client" point of view.

He helps with carrying the costumes and our make-up compartments, sets up the music, giving the cues, handing props (he handed my zills this evening), and takes pictures.

Well, this entry is also meant for the guys - the male significant others of ours - who have helped and supported us a lot: Mr. Anton Ireng - the fabulous photographer, Mr. Udin - the all-around-guy, Mr. Danang Joko Panuntun - MY all-around-guy, and Ms. Inez Kath's husband (?) who always supports her and comes to every one of her performances.

Oh, and "1001 Nights", Dancewave Center Jakarta and the velvetRAQS were featured on Jakarta Globe's Saturday/Sunday, June 12/13, 2010 edition. Go here to read the details.

Good God, I could sure use some rest, right now. Well, laterz!!

make-up forever

I can understand why there's a brand of maquillage by that name. For some people, it's like an obsession. For me, well... I'm a dancer! Make-up is like our second nature. The problem is, I have a feeling that I'm going to take it even further and start wearing it on everyday basis, using a more subtle look, of course.

Of course you know that the only problem I'm talking about begins with an "f". Yes, it's "financially". However, I've managed to sneak-in a few splurging tips for you guys. This will be really helpful if you live in Indonesia.

Eye-shadow base: instead of MAC Cosmetics, use La Tulipe. It's way cheaper (Only Rp. 20,000 or around USD 2.00) and works great with eyeshadows of all brands. MAC's eyeshadow fails to bring out NYX's colors.

Eye-shadow: instead of MAC Cosmetics, use NYX (available in La Piazza Kelapa Gading and eX Plaza Indonesia). It's much cheaper (Only Rp. 80,000 or around USD 8.00 for a single eye-shadow), the color really pops out (especially when you use La Tulipe's base) and it does not do animal-test.

If you're not allergic, you can use PAC by Martha Tilaar. "PAC" sounds like a rip-off from "MAC", but it actually means "Professional Artist Cosmetics", and it lives up to its name. It's way cheaper than MAC and yet the colors really show.

Youtube channel of danalajeunesse - the Mama of Make-Up.
I subscribed to her channel and swore by her look (and awesomeness!!)

I am not allergic to The Face Shop products, so I use its blemish-free foundation, concealer stick, eyeliner (brush tip only, though. They don't have felt-tip), some eyeshadows (really, really shy colors, very street-look. But the colors pop up a bit when I used La Tulipe's eyeshadow base), lipstick, facial soap, cleanser, make-up cleansers (for face and eyes+lips), and hair gel. It's not too pricey.

As for brushes, I'm more of a sponge person, so I don't normally use brushes except to do blushes and shades. You can find great (and original) brushes from a store called "Arwani" in Pasar Baru Harco, Central Jakarta. They also carry an impressive line of cosmetics, from false eyelashes (even the "creative" ones) to basic skincare products.

When you're in Arwani (or Pasar Baru), try to find products by "Nonna". It has a good line for blush colors, but that's it. If you want to do colors for your eye areas, use NYX.

Now, some advice. For the sake of being politically correct, I have to remind you that you might have heard some of the advice, and I'm just a newbie in all this, but take this with a grain of salt. I mean, we learn everyday from plants, animals, and people we consider naive anyway.

The first thing I look when buying cosmetics is their stance in animal testing and animal cruelty. Most of the times, I'm a huge supporter of PETA (although I sometimes think they can be sexist in their campaigns), so before going to the mall / market to buy things I need, I will do some research that includes going to CaringConsumer.com. If the brand name is not on the list of companies that do not test on animals, then I will google it up.

The second thing is that I prefer local / Indonesian products to international products. Not just because of the price, but also because I know it is important to buy the products of your own country. For example, the La Tulipe. And then many of my friends recommend eyebrow pencil and face-cream by Viva Cosmetics. I'm seriously not a big fan of the Indonesian Batik, so I do my own part in another way.

The third thing is of course, your skin. Love your skin! Cosmetics can hide your flaws, but it's nice to look good even without maquillage. Not to mention a lot healthier. I mean, let's face it. Make-up is chemical, whether you like it or not. Except if you pinch your cheeks and rouge it up that way. That's natural, but you can also get skin problems. See a list of dangerous ingredients here.

For now, the brands that I use are: La Tulipe, PAC, MAC, NYX, The Face Shop, and Revlon. I'm not even certain that I'll continue using The Body Shop now that it is owned by L'Oreal. I've checked and double-checked Revlon and still found that it's on both lists that is against and pro animal testing.

If you have any information of La Tulipe, PAC, and The Face Shop regarding their animal-testing policy, do let me know!