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She's A Sabbatical Beauty: Viola Lasmana
Viola is an early supporter of Sabbatical Beauty--and one of our favorite people ever. You'll see why in this interview!
Tell us about you!
I’m a daydreamer, and when I’m not daydreaming (or even/especially when I am?), I do my work as a PhD candidate in the Department of English & a Digital Humanities fellow at University of Southern California. My dissertation analyzes literature, visual media, and digital archives that write against historical traumas and archival silences in post-genocide, post-1965 Indonesia. My scholarship and pedagogy are informed by a feminist ethos, and I am also invested in the theory and making of video remix. I was born and raised in Bogor, Indonesia, and spent most of my adolescent years in Singapore, before moving to the Bay Area. Home is an ever-elusive term for me, as I know it is for many others, and am happy to call Los Angeles my current home now!
What makes you angry?
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people take up more space than they should, and this includes interrupting when others are speaking.
What makes you happy?
Delicious food (often fried) and drinks, especially when shared with people I love. Gin + tonic makes me particularly happy. :)
If you were an SB product, which product would you be, and why?
This is such a hard one to answer! I think it would have to be the Lavender & Rosemary cleansing balm. The cleansing balm is my first SB love, and it’s an indispensable part of my skincare routine. Every time I slather it onto my face, I always take a few moments to breathe in the lavender and rosemary, and find it very soothing for my asthma symptoms. These two luxuriously relaxing scents speak to my tendency to be an introvert and to search for tranquility, and I read somewhere that rosemary is an herb associated with my zodiac sign, Aquarius! <3
What’s your desert island SB product, and why?
The MAUI mask! Because it is like havingpiña colada on the face. :)I have dry skin, so after a long day on a desert island, I’ll want to indulge in the wonderfully soothing and nourishing coconut and lavender oils that the MAUI contains. I also love that this mask is made up of only 3 ingredients! I live in LA, so it is somewhat of a desert island, and MAUI is one of my go-to products for when I need a pick-me-up especially on a hot day (tip: sticking it in the refrigerator will give it that extra kick of a cooling, refreshing feeling).
What is your favorite thing about your skin?
I’ve never really been prone to breaking out, so I’m happy about not having to worry much about acne. Speaking more generally about the body, I’ve made it a habit to use body lotion every day since I was a teenager, and it’s kept my skin moisturized and smooth throughout the years—this has something to do with feeling like I’m connected to my mother and sister even though we live thousands of miles apart. My mother, even though she grew up poor, would get whatever body lotion she could get her hands on, and put it on daily after showers. She started this ritual since she was a young girl growing up in Indonesia, and it’s something that my sister and I have picked up from her.