0 - A FEW WORDS

“What I love about spring: how everything starts growing again when it’s all been so grey” — Boardwalk Empire

Welcome to April - how time flies! March was rather busy for me, so I’m glad I’m staying put in NYC this month. I hope you’ll forgive me for sending this month’s newsletter later than usual because I fractured my toe last night and have been dealing with it all day! There isn’t a fun and exciting story around it unfortunately - I slammed my toe into my bed frame by mistake last night and it turns I fractured it. Sooo I guess you’ll be seeing a lot of sandals in my outfits for the next 4-6 weeks until it heals.

1 - FASHION

Wedding Season

I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of weddings this year thanks to COVID postponements. The first one is coming up this weekend, which is super exciting! Of course, weddings also mean figuring out what to wear. I’m not the type to rent - I prefer to buy a few dresses that I love and can re-wear. My wedding guest style is pretty similar to my daily style: I try to wear something that is classic with a twist. There’s no need to show up to a wedding in some crazy outfit (unless that’s the dress code, of course). With that said, here are some outfits that I’m considering (you may even see me in one of these this weekend! But without the high heels of course…):

Spring Refresh

Every season, I like to clean out my closet and get rid of items that I don’t wear enough. My personal rule is that if I don’t wear something at least twice a year, it’s time to let it go. I try to either sell or donate my items - I can’t remember the last time I threw clothes out. Here is what I use to sell:

• Vestiaire Collective: VC is my go-to, and I’ve found a lot of success in reselling here. Selling on VC takes a bit more time as you have to take the photos and provide the product details yourself. That being said, VC is also great because you can find rare/limited-edition items from previous seasons and designers

• The RealReal: TRR is my back-up for higher-end items that don’t sell on VC. It’s super easy to sell on TRR because you can just send in your items - they take the photos, provide item details and also hold the inventory. However, TRR sets the price (which can be good or bad - I’ve scored great deals as a buyer due to pricing discrepancies) and takes a higher commission than VC. So if your goal is to make some money from your consigned items, this probably isn’t the best route

• Poshmark: I use Poshmark for lower-priced items (generally $150 and below) and have found really great success here too. In fact, according to Poshmark I am a top seller (I’ve sold thousands of dollars apparently)

• Fashionphile: I love Fashionphile, but they only accept certain brands and categories (mostly handbags), so I don’t sell here that often. I do love buying on Fashionphile though. It’s my favourite place for pre-owned items

• VSP Consignment: For clothes that I keep in Toronto, I like to bring them here to resell

For donations, I go to charities like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, Soles4Souls and Dress For Success (some of these are specific to the US unfortunately). I also donate a lot during the holidays since there are always clothing drives happening around that time.

Jean-ius

If you haven’t heard already, skinny jeans are officially not in style anymore. To be fair, skinny jeans have their time and place, and I’ll continue to wear them on select occasions. What else am I supposed to tuck into knee high boots? That being said, I want to invest in 1-2 pairs of looser fit denim this season. Here are a few options I’m thinking of:

2 - SKINCARE / BEAUTY

My Top Shelf - Makeup

Now that I’ve covered hair and skincare in previous newsletters, it’s time to talk about my makeup routine! Similar to my hair routine, I keep it pretty simple and under 5 minutes (mostly because I’m not great at it).

If I have a long day ahead, I like to start with RMS’s Re-Evolve Radiance Locking Primer, or Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. Especially with masks, I’ve found that the setting spray really helps to prevent smudging.

On my face, I use Hourglass’s Vanish Foundation Stick in Golden and Kosas’s Creamy+Brightening Concealer in Tone 05 W, with the Hourglass Foundation Brush and the Hourglass Concealer Brush. I have mulled over getting expensive brushes (like the Westman Atelier ones), but are they worth it? Asking for a friend.

On my eyes, I love Ilia’s Lash Lengthening Mascara and Dior’s Diorshow Iconic Waterproof Mascara. I’ve tried a lot of different mascaras and found these two to be the best for me - they lift my non-existent Asian lashes really well and don’t smudge. Afterwards, I do a bit of a cat eye using Stila’s Waterproof Eyeliner. I don’t use an eyelash curler; I get my lashes curled at Rebel+Beauty in Toronto (the best) by Mandee or Taylor every 2-3 months. I also don’t use eyeshadow because I have no idea how to. I feel like I always look like a hot mess when I try, so I’ve just stayed away.

On my eyebrows, I use Hourglass’s Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette and Kosas’s Eyebrow Gel in Brown Black. I also go to Rebel+Beauty to get my eyebrows shaped and tinted by Olga (aka OG). I tried brow lamination last month and loved how fluffy my brows look, so now I’m hooked! In between my brow appointments, I tint my eyebrows myself every two weeks using this Refectocil kit. It’s super easy (and I’ve even taught my dad how to do his haha).

3 - OTHER

4 - PARTING NOTE

What else do you want me to cover in my newsletters going forward (other than fractured toe outfits)? Let me know!