0 - WELCOME

Happy (early) holidays!

Can you believe that it’s already December? The next time you hear from me, it will be 2023 — how crazy is that? This month, I’m headed to my last wedding of 2022 in Arizona, as well as Toronto and Aspen to celebrate Christmas and New Year, respectively. I went to Aspen last year for the New Year and promptly contracted COVID, so hopefully that won’t happen this time around.

Tonight, I’m attending my first holiday party since COVID, and I am eager to dress up and have a good time. I’ll probably be wearing a Toteme strapless top, A Day’s March tailored pants, Amina Muaddi ankle boots (similar here) and my much-loved The Row Half Moon bag.

1 - FASHION

Corduroy

I’ve been obsessed with corduroy lately in various shades of brown. There’s something so timeless and chic about a corduroy look that is punctuated with different textures and colours. Here are some pieces that I have my eye on:

Sale Shopping

Sale season has just started, which is music to my ears. I rarely buy things at full price — there’s always a way around it, whether it’s a 10-15% discount code for signing up for newsletters or pricing glitches (which happen more often than you think). This time around, I’m also finding that many brands that are not usually on sale, are being discounted. Here are some of my tips for navigating sale season:

• Try not to impulse buy, but if you do, make sure you can return it. I tend to buy random things late at night when my inhibitions are down. Sometimes I end up regretting it, but there is always the option of returning the items

• If something is sold out, add it to a wishlist or sign up for back-in-stock notifications. If there’s something you want, but can’t seem to get a hold of in your size, many retailers these days provide back-in-stock emails. I rely on them pretty often to snag a good deal

• Sales usually get better. Don’t fall for “private” sales on products that end up being further discounted once the sale is released to the public. The waiting game is half the fun

• Shop with intention. If you approach sale season with a game plan or an idea of what you’re looking for, it can save a lot of time and effort. For example, I use Black Friday to buy my holiday presents ahead of time. It’s kind of annoying to think about gifts this early in the season, but it saves a headache later on

• Always cross shop, even for sales. I cross-shop for every purchase. When I buy something, I know 100% that I’m getting the best price. Don’t pay more than what you have to :)

Five Things I Bought

Here are some goodies that I bought and loved last month.

2 - BEAUTY

Winter Skincare Routine

The last time I wrote about my skincare routine was almost a year ago, for my February newsletter (which was also my first one!). Since then, not too much has changed — I’m certainly a creature of habit. However, here’s an updated routine with my latest products:

In the morning, I wash my face with water while taking a shower. A few times a week, I also exfoliate with whatever I am curious about — right now it’s The Feelist’s Juice Shot. Afterwards, I apply skincare in the order of toner, serum, eye cream, face oil, and face cream. Now that it’s cold outside, I’ve added face cream for extra hydration. As mentioned back in February, I’m fairly brand-agnostic; I only care that the product works. For toner, I’ve been using Moon Juice’s Resurfacing Exfoliator for the past few years — it stings, but it works. I love trying new serums, but I always return to Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Super Anti-Aging Serum — it’s my holy grail. I’ve also been using Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Acid, and Skin Design’s C Antioxidant Glow Serum, both of which I enjoy. My biggest concern for my eyes is dark circles, but no product (regardless of price) seems to help. That being said, I am currently using Tata Harper’s Illuminating Eye Cream (30% off), which I find hydrating. I love Furtuna’s Biphase Face Oil (30% off) and have repurchased it a few times now. For face cream, nothing beats La Mer’s Creme de la Mer and Augustinus Bader’s The Cream.

At night, I wash my face with Tata Harper’s Regenerating Cleanser and repeat the morning process. If I’m only removing my makeup, I use La Mer’s The Cleansing Micellar Water. Every night, I also use Dr. Dennis Gross’s FaceWare Pro Mask for 3 minutes; my aesthetician recommended to use it for 10 minutes a few times a week instead though. Separately, masking is a weekly ritual for me — Kora Organics’ Turmeric Mask and Sisley’s Radiant Glow Express Mask are my favourites. When I am on long flights, I like to use sheet masks — I just stocked up on 111Skin Black Diamond Masks.

On my body, I use Necessaire’s The Body Wash in the shower (use my code JACQUELINEYSCHIU for 10% off). From an exfoliating standpoint, I alternate between Necessaire’s The Body Exfoliator and C & The Moon’s Body Scrub. After I shower, I lather a combination of Necessaire’s The Body Serum, The Body Oil, C & The Moon’s Body Oil and Augustinus Bader’s The Body Cream.

3 - LITERATURE

Coffee Table Books

I am a complete sucker for coffee table books. Two of my favourites to this day are from university in 2011, when I bought Louis Vuitton’s Architecture and Interiors and received Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty as a gift. There’s always something new to learn when I flip through them. New coffee table books are released quite often, and I wouldn’t mind adding these to my collection:

4 - OTHER

5 - PARTING NOTE

At the end of each year, I spend hours reflecting on the last 12 months and writing a “Year in Review” that summarizes my highlights/memories by month, along with goals for the following year. I started this tradition back in 2008 — it’s been fascinating to read old YIRs and take a trip down memory lane. It’s quite the effort, but I recommend doing this (or a variation of it). After all, time goes by so quickly.

Until next month (and year!), friends.