Sariayu and the Lipsticks that I Fall in Love with

If I had to mention one most inspired entrepreneur woman in Indonesia, I would definitely say: Ibu Martha Tilaar.

I more than just adore her; how she became the successful businesswoman without neglecting the traditional heritage of our culture. She always be consistent to maintain the brand, by keep developing the products from time to time, add the variety of colors and creating the Color Trend every year. And for God sake, she has been doing this since 1987!

Senja di Sriwedari – 1987
Gaya Warna Disainer – 1988
Sumatra Bergaya – 1989
Puri Prameswari – 1990
Senandung Nyiur – 1991
Riwayat Asmat – 1992
Rama-Rama Toraja – 1993
Balada Banda Naira – 1994
Lenggang Betawi – 1995
Aceh Gemilang – 1996
Misteri Dayak – 1997
Pusako Minang -1998
Mentari Pagi Bromo – 1999
Millenium Nusantara – 2000
Taman Air Minahasa – 2001
Kharisma Jogja – 2002
Bunga Khatulistiwa-2003
Paras Nusapada – 2004
Eksotika Bali – 2005
Pelangi Sriwijaya – 2006
Parijs Van Java – 2007
Kilau Martapura – 2008
Cantika Jawa Timur – 2009
Senandung Rimba Sumatra – 2010
Exotic Indonesia – 2011
Etnika Nusa Tenggara – 2012
Pesisir Sentrajava – 2013
Inspirasi Borneo – 2014

The first color trend that I noticed, as long as I can remember, was Pusako Minang, when my Mom bought the eyeshadow and the lipstick. Of course, because we are Minangkabaunese, so no wonder my Mom got attracted to buy the gold+red nuance of the eyeshadow and the lipstick. As an amateur (I was only 17 back then), I sometimes put the gold shadow on my lid before we went out for wedding reception (and yes, the relative's wedding receptions which also were in gold+red atmosphere). And my life continued, I got introduced with Maybelline, Revlon, all drugstore brands during college and now even more interested to MAC and Make Up Forever just because I generally can afford them. Of course not all at once, but at least I tried to purchase 1 high end product every month - this shouldn't be told to my husband :D

So, here the story begins.

I was in Giant for a weekly grocery shopping yesterday and I suddenly bumped into Sariayu counter where my eyes could easily catch the SALE word. Yes, almost all of Sariayu products were on sale. I saw the lipsticks. I got so much disappointment lately in finding a good pink lipstick for my medium-tan skin. Seriously. I bought Maybelline Color Sensational in Pink Me Up, failed. I liked the color for the first swipe but it left my lips dried out even though it supposed to be glossy. Weird texture. I threw it away. I have at least one high end pink lipstick, it's Estee Lauder Pure Color in Fuchsia Fever, but of course, that kind of bright fuchsia is not suitable for daily wear at office. I jumped to Revlon counter afterwards, tried to find the another pink shade. i ended up buying Revlon Super Lustrous in Velvet Rose. Nice. A pinky brown shade that looks so natural on me. Yet, after 1 week using this, I got my lips chapped. Ow great! I used to wear Revlon lipstick in college, around 10 years ago, and my to-go-lipstick was Revlon Super Lustrous in Fleshtone. I didn't experience any bad thing. I started to think: "should I buy another high-end lipstick just for the pink shade, though I normally will prefer brownish shades and warm red lipstick?" Oh, that means I have to cut my budget for a new BB Cream/foundation this month :(

And as you may assume, I stopped by at the counter. I saw many different shades of lipsticks from their old to newest collection; Inspirasi Borneo. I still saw some lipsticks from Cantika Jawa Timur, a color trend in 2009, but as long as it's not expired yet, what's the matter? I once had one eyeshadow from its Reog Collection and it was quite nice despite of the weak packaging.

Cantika Jawa Timur 2009

I personally think that this color trend is very pretty and the shades are matching with my neutral skintone. As my search continues, I asked the beauty advisor (BA) to show me the pink shades that have the tester. She showed me three; Lasem 01 from Pesisir Sentrajava collection, Kelimutu from Etnika Nusa Tenggara collection and Merak Kasmaran 01 from Cantika Jawa Timur collection.

Lasem from Pesisir Sentrajava 2013

Lasem was really bright and hot pink colors. This line is actually very pretty, for those who have porcelain and fairer skin. The pinkish color range is the winner, especially that bold fuchsia lipstick. Not looking good at my skin, of course. 

Kelimutu from Etnika Nusa Tenggara 2012

Another pink option comes from Kelimutu line. Of course, the color is more suitable for warmer and darker skin, because the collection name reflects the people of Nusa Tenggara who has tanned-exotic skin. The pink here isn't a real pink. It's leaning towards purple and dark magenta. Another love-hate relationship. Love because the color is too damn nice on my skin, but Hate because it's not kind of pink lipstick that I am looking for. I am looking for a medium regular pink lipstick that is wearable daily. That's it.

Merak Kasmaran 01 from Cantika Jawa Timur 2009

Thus, I tried the latest one, from Merak Kasmaran line. Honestly it didn't look like a medium pink in tube, but once applied, the color is perfect. I said perfect, because it's the warm-toned pink that looks natural on my lips.

I even love its finish, semi-matte. I should say semi-matte because after minutes, the gloss is gone. Yes! And it's pretty long wearing too, unexpectedly. The photograph above looks a bit scary since you may think that's too bright, but let me tell you two things; (1) I was using flash because it was taken at night, (2) I applied 3 coats, meaning if I wanted to have it sheerer, I only need to apply one or two coats. Later I show you my FOTD by using this lippie. And yes, it was SOLD for me.

Sometimes I wonder why woman is not easily satisfied. After got the shade that I wanted, I can't help to control my passion to have some more. SOME more, I wouldn't be kidding you, but considering that I still have stack of lipsticks at home, I decided to buy ONE more only :) My pick goes to...

Karimun Jawa from Pesisir Sentrajava 2013

Karimun Jawa 01. A bold red lipstick that I haven't possessed. If you're familiar with MAC Matte Ruby Woo or Riri Woo, this shade can be said as a dupe.

MAC Riri Woo, the red bold lipstick that gives statement!

Sariayu Karimun Jawa 01

I know that I already own two red lipsticks at home, one is MAC Matte in Chili and the other is Anna Sui Lip Rouge V #460, but still, for me those colors are not true red.

MAC Chili, red leaning to orang-ish terracotta

Anna Sui Lip Rouge V #460, a great framboise color

You can tell, that Karimun Jawa 01 lipstick was also SOLD. Now I am so happy that I could purchase two new lipsticks with only idr 30,000 each! I could buy 9 of them with the budget of 1 MAC Lipstick. So affordable and so relieving :)

The red color can be sheerer than what I wore in this picture, because I applied two coats, and captured the photo using flash.

My overall score for these lipsticks are 3.8 out of 5.0. I only wish that they could stay a little bit longer on lips, and make a more sturdy packaging.