0 - A QUICK INTRO

Welcome to my first newsletter, and thank you for subscribing!

I used to blog a lot back in university (who didn’t?), but that habit slowly went away after I graduated and work became all-consuming. My goal for this newsletter is to share a few things that I’ve been interested in lately and connect on a deeper level with you. Instagram is great, but it’s not always real life. With that said, please enjoy and let me know your thoughts! Feel free to send me a DM or email at jchiucontact@gmail.com.

A quick intro about myself: I’m from Hong Kong, grew up in Toronto and now live in NYC. Since my family (and many friends) still live in Toronto, I fly back pretty often to see them. I work in management consulting and have been in this industry for pretty much my whole career. Now that the elevator pitch is over, let’s get to the newsletter!

1 - FASHION

Ski Vibes

If you saw my Instagram over the holidays, you may have seen that I spent two weeks in Aspen, Colorado. I feel like everyone I know is a great skier (i.e. extremely advanced, double black). I am not one of those people. I mean, I don’t suck at skiing - I can do blues, but blacks (so far) have been out of my reach. Either way, Aspen was a lot of fun. We are going to Banff in a few weeks, followed by Utah in March. I’m hoping that by the end of the season I’ll be able to do blacks. Wish me luck!

Apart from actually skiing, I love a great ski/après outfit. I am a firm believer that if you look good, you will feel good, and do better (whether it’s skiing or otherwise). Below are a few items on my ski outfit wishlist. Ski clothes can be rather expensive, so a pro tip is to plan ahead and buy in the off-season (i.e. on sale). The Real Real and Vestiaire Collective tend to have good deals as well.

2 - SKINCARE / BEAUTY

My Top Shelf - Skincare

My first memory of beauty was when I was probably 4 or 5 years old, sitting on my mom’s bathroom counter while she blow-dried my hair. Like all children, I was distracted 99.9% of the time, so she kept me busy by giving me her perfume to smell. What I distinctly remember from that time was the smell of Elizabeth Arden Red Door and Dior Poison and their distinctive bottles.

In general, I love trying new skincare products. Every morning begins with a hot, steaming shower (105-110 degrees F). It’s probably not great for my skin, but I’m always cold so a burning shower really starts my day on a nice note. I alternate between Necessaire’s The Body Wash (*you can use my code JACQUELINEYSCHIU for 10% off anything on Necessaire) and bar soaps (right now I am using Fresh’s Bar Soap in Hesperides).

From an exfoliating standpoint, I alternate between Necessaire’s The Body Exfoliator and C & The Moon’s Body Scrub. After I shower, I’ll lather on Necessaire’s The Body Serum, The Body Oil or Goop’s Black Pepper + Rosehip Body Oil. If I need extra hydration, I will use Augustinus Bader’s The Body Cream or Kiehl’s Creme de Corps.

I go through hand and body cream like water, and because of that, I always like to make sure I have a lot of options readily available. For my hands, I use the following regularly: Necessaire’s The Hand Cream, Skinfix’s Hand Repair Cream and Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. For the body, I use Fresh’s Seaberry Body Cream, Necessaire’s Body Lotion, and First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream.

For my face, nothing gives me greater happiness than scrubbing the crap out of it. I wash my face with water in the morning, and exfoliate a few times a week with Kora Organics’ Turmeric Mask. After exfoliating, my routine always starts with a toner followed by serums, eye cream, and a face oil. I’m fairly brand-agnostic; all I care about is that the product works. Currently, I am using Moon Juice’s Resurfacing Exfoliator, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Super Anti-Aging Serum, Dr. Dennis Gross’ Renewal Serum, Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Serum, Summer Fridays’ Eye Cream, Bynacht’s Eye Cream, Pai’s Rosehip Oil, and Joaquina Botanica’s Face Oil. Since I’m Chinese, my eyelashes are non-existent, so I use Dr. Lara Devgan’s Platinum Long Lash as well. If I’m going out, I also put on Supergoop’s Unseen Sunscreen.

At night, I always wash my face with either La Mer’s Cleansing Oil or Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, the latter of which has been a staple in my routine for 10+ years. I bought Dr. Dennis Gross’ LED Mask on a whim, and use it religiously (perhaps as a way to justify the cost lol). After the LED mask, I repeat my morning routine - the only add is La Mer’s Creme de la Mer or Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream because it’s so dry.

Once a week, I use Goop’s GOOPGLOW 15% Glycolic Acid Overnight Glow Peel, which burns the living hell out of my skin (but I like it?). I also mask weekly; my current rotation consists of Youth to the People’s Superclay Mask and Lernberger Stafsing’s Acid Clay Mask. Sometimes I do a peel, either Dr. Dennis Gross’ Alpha Beta Peel or BeautyCounter’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel. I also use sheet and eye masks every now and then, mainly SK-II’s Facial Treatment Mask and Shiseido’s Benefiance Eye Mask.

As you can tell, I use a lot of products - I love the element of discovery, and there are enough options in the market that I don’t *have* to buy the same product again. The funny thing is that I actually keep a different set of skincare products in Toronto, so perhaps I’ll write about those another month!

3 - ART

Nicolas Party

I came across Nicolas Party by chance while browsing Streeteasy, an NYC real estate website, and instantly gravitated towards his art. A unit I was browsing had a piece on the walls (of course), so I did a little detective work and discovered him. There’s something just slightly off, and perhaps disturbing, with Party’s art. I’ll let the pieces speak for themselves, but they are certainly on my wishlist. Coincidentally, his book with Phaidon comes out 2/16 - I’ve already pre-ordered mine.

4 - OTHER

5 - PARTING NOTE

Thank you again for reading my newsletter! I rarely read newsletters until the very end, so, much love to you. Until next month, and happy lunar new year!