Empties: January 2013

It's a month into the new year already! How quick does time pass by these days?! 1 down, 11 more months to go!

I am really looking forward to further downsizing my stash this year and purchasing less too of course.

Here's what was emptied in January:

1. CLARINS Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed [Trial]
2. CLARINS Cleansing Milk with Gentian (Combination skin)
I really like this, would most definitely repurchase. I used this as a makeup remover following the instructions enclosed in the packaging.
3. CLARINS Gentle Exfoliating Refiner [Trial]
4. CLARINS Multi-Active Eye Revive [Sample]
5. CLARINS Lotus Face Treatment Oil 
LOVE! This product saved my congested skin, it is my second bottle and I will continue to repurchase. Full review to follow soon!
6. CHANEL Ultra Correction Line Repair Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream [Sample]
7. CHANEL White Essentiel Whitening Emulsion SPF10 [Sample]
8. DARPHIN Intral Soothing Cream

9. Aromatic Body Lotion
10. CLARINS Bust Beauty Firming Lotion
11. CLARINS Bust Beauty Extra-Lift Gel
12. CLARINS Total Body Lift
This is a really old formula which I had lying around but never got round to finish, the brand has since updated the formula 2-3 times. It does help with toning my legs and the newer formula does perform better, I just need to apply it religiously!
13. CLARINS High Definition Body Lift [Trial] (latest formula)
14. Rose Oil Bath Gel
Purchased in Taiwan about 2 years ago, I was quite reluctant to finish this up as it quite good for my skin. It's the perfect rose scent for me- not sickly sweet, but a more natural rose and it left my skin smooth and soft.
15. CHANEL Hydrating Lip Treatment SPF15
One of the few lip balms I've come across which has SPF, not excellent but I repurchased because of the UV protection and the luxe packaging.
16. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Shower Gel [Sample]
LOVE! This is one of my favourite scents to wear, I've gone through a 100ml bottle (no small feat for me) and it's probably the only perfume which I have 2 bottles of back up!
17. Kerastase Luminous Softening Shampoo

18. Etude House Mini Anti-germ Hand lotion
19. NIVEA Extra Whitening Cell Repair & Protect Body Cream
20. L'OREAL Perfect Clean Soothing Foaming Cream Wash
This came with a scrublet- while I liked the novelty of it, I had to use this face wash as a body wash as it wasn't helping out my congested skin. It would be good for those with sensitive skin-types as it did not agitate my face at all.

Thrown out:

21. Beauty Talk OxyMask
22. MAYBELLINE Clear Smooth BB Cream
23. Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly
Pretty to look at and it does deliver a nice tint but I absolutely will not keep a non-hydrating lip product in my stash. This product actually makes my lips dry and rough if I wear it for more than an hour and mine arent even dry to begin with.
24. Estee Lauder More than Mascara
25. Etude House Miss Tangerine Sweet Shower Lips
Coral lips and I just don't go. Never again!
26. OLE HENRIKSEN Ultimate Lift-eye gel
27. Sebastian crude-clay for hair (wayyy past expiration date)

Total empties for January: 27

A pretty good start for the year!

P/s: I also just had a birthday, guess how old I turned?

Gifts & Empties: December 2012

My last Empties post for 2012! 

Before I get there, here's what I received in December 2012...

That's a crazy amount of products, all of which were gifted! The majority came from a Christmas gift packed by Claire. I also ended up with a few new beauty products which are not pictured.

And I wonder how I end up with way more than I need. Thank you, generous friends!

Face products

On to what I emptied in December:

1. Hello Kitty x Rosette Cleansing Paste (am keeping the cute case to use as storage)
2. CLARINS Gentle Exfoliating Refiner [Trial size]
3. CLARINS Pore Minimizing Serum [Trial size]
4. OLE HENRIKSEN African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser [Trial size]
5. OLE HENRIKSEN Truth Serum Collagen Booster [Trial size]
6. OLE HENRIKSEN Truth Revealed Super Creme with SPF 15 [Trial size]
7. shu uemura Cleansing Oil 150ml
8. Lavender Water Mist

Body products

 9. CLARINS High Definition Body Lift [Sample]
10. Etude House Missing U Harp Seal Hand Cream
11. Himalaya Herbals Cream & Honey Soap- I found this soap to be moisturizing and an added plus was how it scented my bathroom with the lovely scent. Well worth the price!
12. Sexy Girl Hair Essence
13. batiste Dry Shampoo XXL volume
14. NIVEA Night Whitening Body Milk

Thrown out!

15. ettusais Medicated UV [Trial size]

16. OLE HENRIKSEN Invigorating Night Gel [Trial size]- I only used this twice, and I only have two words: IT BURNS!!!!

17. MAYBELLINE Clear Smooth BB Stick

18. L'OCCITANE Ultra-Matte Face Fluid [Sample]

19. CHANEL Vitalumiere Compact- Nothing wrong with the product, I just got sick of using the last bits (it kept crumbling on my dresser everytime I used it with a brush). Decided to chuck it out instead.

Not pictured:

20. Etude House Petit Bijou Soft Body Wash

21. KAO Essentiel Hair Mask

Total products emptied: 16
Total thrown out: 5
Total: 21
Total Feb - December: 154!!!

I think I did good in 2012, am aiming to clear out my stash even more in 2013!

Nails: CHANEL Morning Rose #557

My nails today, CHANEL Morning Rose- a soft rose pink with micro-glitter.

Its been on since Saturday night; Etude House base, 2 coats of polish and no top coat.

I will attempt to polish my nails more often this year!

Dior Cherie Bow Spring 2013 Makeup Palette #002 Rose Perle

Beautiful packaging from Christian Dior's latest Spring makeup collection. 3 eye shadows, 1 eyeliner and a lip gloss.

Palettes rarely feature an eyeliner, which is a plus in my books. The metal flap covering the gloss is also ingenious! No chance for loose bits of eyeshadow to settle on.

Limited edition, priced at MYR230.

While I love the packaging, I actually passed on this. Perhaps if it was CHANEL I might have taken the plunge. Product on loan from my sister.

More information/pictures of this collection can be found here.

Kitchen: Roast lamb & Potatoes

Made roast for the family last Sunday...

Polished clean in under 30 minutes.

So satisfying! Juicy and flavourful too. I managed to pick up some New Zealand lamb shoulder at ISETAN's FoodMarket for a good price. Approximately MYR 58 for 1.3kg of meat which serves 4-5 people. Score!

One more chunk of meat sitting in the freezer, which means one more round of roast coming up!

10 Long years..

Yesterday, I chopped off at least 10 inches of hair.

No, it wasn't "symbolic" for the new year or anything of the sort; but rather I felt my hair was thinning and lacked volume at the roots. For months I convinced myself that it looked like I was losing a lot of hair daily, but it was only cause my strands were long. 

Until a week ago, my sister non-chalantly pointed out that my hair looked thin at the scalp. I freaked. I knew it! I KNEW I was really losing hair! 

Whilst my thick and long hair looks healthy and full, I know for a fact that it used to be thicker. I've kept my hair long since I was 16 and it's been more than 10 years now. My scalp deserves some r&r for working so hard.

I did have second thoughts before the stylist came over, but only because my hair decided to look voluminous and thick at the last minute. My sister who was seated next to me told me to suck it up and remove my *graduation goggles* (please watch How I Met Your Mother or Google it if you don't know).

Deji of number76 has been my stylist for years, he is really really good at what he does and understands what I want so well! Not many people would leave the fate of their hair completely to the stylist, but I had that much faith in Deji. Every cut/colour session with him came out awesome. It's so sad that he has returned to Japan, so I crossed my fingers and booked an appointment with a new stylist, Sato instead.

My previous stylist in Melbourne was also a Japanese, Taka from Latt (now renamed Tsumiki). I think Japanese stylists are one of the best in the world. I've never had a bad experience with them!

After my consultation and seeing how Sato looked and touched my hair, I was pretty confident he would do a good job too. Bear in mind I've had many bad haircuts so I know what to look out for even before the stylist whips out his scissors.

This is what I showed him:

Progressing:

Am really pleased with the cut, though I would have to spend more time styling it now. I used to just was-condition-air dry. Now, I'd probably have to wash-condition-air/blow dry-curl the ends. It really does look like what I asked for! My sister is also happy with her trim and new fringe. I guess we've found our new stylist.

My hair is so much lighter and bouncier!

+603 6203 5111 number76 Mont Kiara, ask for Sato.

Birthday Month!!

What's on my Wishlist this year:

CHANEL Poudre signé de Chanel thank you, Jagi! Knowing it was a Limited Ed, she quickly picked this up!! due for release soon with their Spring 2012 collection, I really really want this. Along side every item listed on my MateriaList on the right.

Shiseido Foundation Brush- been eyeing this for quite some time now, I'm surprised I haven't caved in yet.

A loose powder brush thank you little sis!- Dior or CHANEL, other brands don't quite make them big enough.

YSL Belle du Jour clutch- I passed on the Navy and now I can't find it anywhere. It's probably why I didn't buy any bags last year. I just couldn't find the colour I wanted!

More CHANEL polishes!! Illustration credit to: Samantha Hahn

Some books- Baking, cooking, self-help, motivational, spiritual, biographies.. I enjoy most genres now except for chick-lit and fiction.

Longchamp Shopping Tote- They have 2 sizes for the long handes, the larger one please! These are so good for travel- and so durable too. Colours I like: Burgundy, Fir, Navy.

That's all for this year's wants! More practical items which would last me for the years to come as opposed to certain items on last year's list (if anyone's interested).

This year, I will blog more too so expect to see updates every 2-3 days!

2013!

2012 whizzed by so quickly, I don't even know how 12 months went by just like that.

For me, I really stepped out of my bubble and comfort zone the last year. So many changes took place in my life; I got out of a long-term relationship, my family welcomed a puppy into our home, I put my career on hold to travel solo to Nepal for a few months and taught English there- one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.

Career-wise, I count myself lucky to love what I do now. I don't want to share too much, but I can say that as a reformed beauty products hoarder, I am really happy to be offered a job where I can explore and learn more about the industry. The brand which I work for is also one which I hold very high in regard even before I was an employee. Their products as well as what the brand stands for truly impresses and strikes a chord with me.

I've learnt to let go of many things, material-wise and mentally; and have also begun to appreciate life even more. I find that I am a much happier person in the past months, harping on what has passed doesn't change nor solve anything. The key lies in myself, my thoughts, and my actions.  

Growing up and accepting my responsibilities as an adult is something I would need to catch up on, watching my sister get her finances on track has really inspired me to work out my own as well.

So! In 2013, I aim to achieve the following:

1. Get my finances on track- it's time for some real (bags and shoes don't count) investments

2. To visit at least one foreign place/country and maybe Melbourne as well

3. Get more active (yoga, tennis, badminton!)

4. Read more! In 2012, I read a pathetic number of 4 books- one of which was a Lonely Planet Nepal.

5. To significantly downsize my beauty stash by end 2013 (or sooner)

Material wants will take a fallback in 2013 *fingers crossed*, priorities have to be set straight. Can I just mention that one thing I am really proud of myself for is that the whole of 2012, I did not buy any bags. Not a single one. I even made my sister run through my things just to be sure. Well, I did get a overnight bag but that doesn't count.

One pair of shoes in, two pairs out doesn't seem to make a dent in my shoe cabinet so I am declaring it a 3 pairs out minimum instead. I hope to make more progress in the shoes department.

The one thing I am allowing myself to indulge in is Chanel makeup releases, especially their polishes. Other than that, all my extra moolah would be going into the bank.

Gratitude and patience are two things which I will practice more this year; I have so much to be grateful for; and well, patience is a virtue, not to mention something which I lack.

Changes are inevitable, but how you choose to react ultimately determines how the situation turns out.
Here's to another awesome year ahead!

xoxoxx