It’s that time of the year again, where I start to round up the products I’ve loved best over the course of the past year. I’ve announced on instagram that I’ll be away for most of December in New Zealand for a very exciting collaboration with Nikon, so I’m bringing this post forward to November in case I don’t get the chance to talk about this later on!
ACCESSORIES
From left: hand stamped JEMMA bar necklace from Modern Minimalist Co | white feather earrings from EtherealFay etsy store | Silver Cage rings, Rose gold seamless bangle, and Clear droplet pendant from The Ordinary Co | Gold classic Quartz necklace and Gold Josie Ring from Byinviteonly Store | Bullet rock bracelet from Chainless Brain | Christmas Card from the KRISxERN collection.
This year has brought on board a new, clean aesthetic for my accessories collection – I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to the simple lines and angles of jewelry in classic gold, silver, and of course: rose gold. These are some of my favorites from the huge collection I’ve amassed this year – do you see a trend forming? Because I do.
HAIR
From left: Sea salt surf bomb spray, Know Knott conditioning detangler, and Atomic thickening spritz from Original Mineral.
2014 Favorite: Know Knott Conditioning Detangler.
I generally place more emphasis on styling products – like texturizing sprays, volumizing sprays and so on, but this year I went back to the basics with haircare products. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my sea salt spray, but over the past year my conditioning detangler has been a lifesaver, especially with my severely bleached hair. It’s the price one has to pay for blonde locks – and there’s no point having great color if it doesn’t look silky. I use the detangler everyday after my shower with my TangleTeezer and it works through my hair like a dream.
STYLING
Bosch Hair curler and straightener. Image cred: Google
I bought this on Drea’s recommendation and use it almost everyday: it’s a fantastic 2-in-1 hair curler and straightener with a surprisingly less-than-hefty price tag of less than 90SGD – similar range curlers cost upwards of 100SGD. You can get it in Takashimaya I think, but it always sells out there. It’s also available at Great World City but I’m not sure exactly where else. I use this in conjunction with a styling spray by Original Mineral.
SKINCARE
Benta Berry Girl’s skincare line
This one is a no- brainer. I’ve been raving all about it – it works wonders for me and has become the foundation of my skincare routine ever since I got back from Germany. You can read my in-depth review here.
MAKE UP
Mac’s Gel Liner. Image Cred: Google.
I’ve been through so many liners over the years – liquid, gel, pencil – and I think I can safely say I’ve found the perfect liner for my needs. You have to use this with a liner brush, which can easily be purchased separately from drugstores, and it requires a bit more effort than straight on dashing your liner on with a liquid liner, but the difference is palpable. It’s pretty waterproof and smudgeproof, and gives you that clean solid line that’s essential in any eye-emphatic make up look. When I was trying to decide what my make up favorite would be, it was a tough toss up between this and Benefit’s Porefessional, which gives a surprisingly perfect matte look to your skin, but I use eyeliner literally everyday, so this one won. The Mac Gel Liner is available in stores at about 30 bucks.
THE ALL PURPOSE BAG
Black leather backpack from Yesstyle.com
My love for leather has seeped into all aspects of my life. I saw a black leather backpack on Rumi Neely’s instagram page a couple of years ago and fell in love. Last year I started using a black leather backpack a friend got me from Korea, but it broke my heart in the form of an irreparable zipper earlier in the year. I never realized how heavily I depended on it – did you know, a black leather bag goes with everything? I couldn’t find one I liked enough to replace it (I always had issues with everything I saw online or in stores – didn’t like the zipper color, didn’t like the shape, looked too fake, etc) until I went to Germany ended up buying one from Yesstyle.com, which is a Korean site if I’m not wrong. It ships free for all orders above 25USD, which isn’t difficult to hit. Best decision ever – it fits everything including my laptop and DSLR, and I brought it everywhere. This baby has been halfway across the world with me.
IF I COULD ONLY CHOOSE ONE WARDROBE ESSENTIAL
Black tailored pants from Zara
I don’t know how I never realized that I lacked a high res shot of these pants, but they’ve been an absolute essential of late. The above picture was taken at the Klarra studio preview, and I’ve been wearing these pants to everything – there’s just something about proper black pants that makes you look classier and more presentable immediately. Statement pieces aside, this is such a wardrobe essential. I’ve been looking everywhere and I finally got this pair from Zara for a cool 79 bucks I think. Topshop does something similar for slightly cheaper but the cutting is less flattering, and for a staple like this I think it’s worth investing a bit more. The picture does it no justice, obviously, which reminds me that I really should take proper shots of this soon.
IF I COULD ONLY CHOOSE ONE WHATS-IN-MY-BAG ITEM
17 month agenda from ShopBando. Image cred: glamorousrevelation.blogspot.com
I cannot live without my agenda. I simply cannot. When I leave home without it by accident I feel like my life is collapsing in on itself. I always have a photo of the upcoming month’s pages in my phone in case I need to refer to it at any time. (Lifehack alert!) I’ve been using a Fashionary over the past two years on Shini’s recommendation, but this year I thought to try something different so i went for the supercute Ban.Do 17 month planner after seeing it on their instagram page. It’s got a very kiki.k feel, except more.. American? I dont know. It’s adorable and I adore it. It comes with a bunch of extra things which dont do much functionally except add to its quirky feel, like stickers and motivational doodles and messages, but it works for me. I also love that it starts from August and ends in December the following year – following the academic year. Unfortunately, it’s sold out at the moment but you can wait for next year’s edition.
WARNING: the planner itself is only 20 bucks, but the shipping will kill you. If you’re in Singapore, the shipping is nearly 1.5x what the planner itself costs, so ship it to a friend in the US and get it from her. That’s what I did.
Alright, that pretty much sums up my 2014 favorites/ essentials. I doubt anything else will suddenly pop up over the next month that makes me want to bump off a spot on any of the above, but if it does, you’ll hear about it on my instagram. 🙂
Have a great year end, everybody. x
x
♥jem