Happy 2014

When the clock struck twelve on New Year's Eve, I hadn't made any resolutions nor had any significant revelations about the past year. I was at a house party drinking champagne out of a red solo cup, kissing my boyfriend and hoping that 2014 would be a better year than before.

In many ways, 2013 was the year of biggest change in my life. I settled into a much more meaningful relationship with my boyfriend, finally got out of the cycle of internships and secured a "real" job, which in turn led me to the US working visa I'd been worried about getting for the past year. It took six months before the visa was finally approved, but it was in my hands. I was allowed to travel outside the country again, and now have at least three more years to figure things out here.

There are also other less life-changing, but still beautiful things: reconnecting with an old friend from home (who is now one of my best friends in New York), snowboarding (and loving it) for the first time, being able to visit home in October and see my entire family – reunited after 2+ years of separation – again in December. I didn't realize the extent I've missed my family until I basked in the warmth of just being in their presence for eight glorious days while we traipsed through Taiwan, and sometimes I wonder why I chose a path that would take me so far away from them in every way.

My life in New York has made me a stronger, more independent person. I have become more prone to speaking my mind, and less inclined to enduring injustices. For 2014, I wish to continue to strive to become a better person every day.

May we all be happy, loving, and kind to each other.

The Scent of Fresh Meadow - kai

Mood lighting!

As someone who wasn't already acquainted with the signature Kai fragrance, I expected it to be something clean and simple based on the brand's aesthetic, and what a pleasure it was to find out that it was true. It smells like a spring meadow filled with fresh, dewy grass – no flowers, just grass.

(For those who require something more precise, the official description for the fragrance is a "light and intoxicating scent of gardenia wrapped in white exotics.")

What I didn't know was that Kai didn't only produce perfume, but a whole line of bath, body, hair, and even home products, and suddenly I was intrigued. As mentioned numerous times on the blog, I am not a fragrance person, so when something I like finally appears, I cling onto it like my nose depends on it. A quick peruse through the web catalog shows that yes, if I'd like, I could coat myself and everything I own with this fragrance if I so wish. Believe me, I'm very tempted by the Fine Linen Wash.

That said, what I received in the mail was a more sensible starting tester product: their shampoo and conditioner. I brought it over to my boyfriend's apartment and the both of us have been enjoying it steadily for the past two months. He tells me he loves how easily the shampoo lathers and I tell him I love that it smells like clean grass. We both agree that it's a very pleasant product to have in our bathroom.

For all the upcoming holiday travel that you'll be doing, there's also a nifty travel set containing the shampoo and conditioner, body wash and lotion, and bubble bath that'll meet your basic needs. I took this with me on my trip to Chicago two months ago and the entire set – down to the see-through pouch (yay, TSA...) – served me well. I will be flying to Taiwan in a couple of days for a family trip and will once again be checking this in.

Unfortunately, Kai does not have a dedicated e-shop. However, you can find Kai products online at Barneys.com!

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Beauty PSA: Tatcha Friends & Family Event

I have a very important announcement! Tatcha is currently offering a rare 20 percent off all purchases on their website. I cannot stress how awesome this is (I've never seen them on sale) and how imperative it is for you to go forth and stock up.

If you are a beginner to the brand, I envy you. You are about to embark on a truly amazing skincare journey. I have extensive reviews on (almost) every single Tatcha item, below:

• Tatcha Beauty Ritual (Cleansing Oil, Rice Enzyme Powder, Deep Brightening Serum, Moisture Rich Silk Cream)
• Tatcha Eye Cream
• Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist
• Tatcha Deep Hydration Lifting Mask
• Tatcha Gold Collection Camellia Oil and Lip Balm

I would suggest first-time users to go for the Dewy Skin Mist, Cleansing Oil, Deep Brightening Serum and either the Moisture Rich Silk Cream or the Enriching Renewal Cream. While I intersperse my own skincare routine with products from other brands, I can safely say that the majority of skincare I use is still from Tatcha. If my skin acts up, I retreat to their products and know that all will be well again in a day or two.

If you're feeling generous to yourself, go for gold and order the Complete Kiri Collection, pictured above. I've never seen it myself, but the description says it comes in a custom-made keepsake box. I've received my share of exquisite boxes from Tatcha and I've kept and re-used every single one of them.

Lastly – and this is probably not needed, but – I just wanted to say that none of the above links are affiliate links. I genuinely love this brand and will champion it for as long as anyone would listen to my beauty recommendations.

The Tatcha Friends & Family sale ends December 11. Use code FF2013 at checkout to receive the discount. If you do end up trying Tatcha skincare, let me know what you think!

Winter Mix

I never knew (fine, I never admitted to myself) that the majority of my wardrobe consisted of gray and black pieces. I suppose after having lived in New York City for over a year, that shouldn't be a surprise. It's not like I don't like neutral colors, but sometimes staring at a wardrobe made of neutrals can get a little bland.

I've never really done an outfit post on Messy Wands, not so much due to lack of interest, but simply because the lens I bought for my camera wasn't suitable for full body shots. That said, here are my fall/winter wardrobe staples. I've been wearing these constantly over the last month and don't see the items (nor color scheme) changing any time soon. A detailed rundown:

The Reformation Rawr Sweater and Gem Skirt – Why I like this brand and this particular sweater was elaborated in this post. Let's just say I haven't gotten over it since the acquisition two months ago.

DKNY Cashmere Pop-Top Gloves – Is it preposterous that they charge $85 for a pair of gloves? Yes, yes it is. But In my defense, these are made of oh-so-warm cashmere and they have a slit on the thumb that come in serious handy for iPhone users (like me). I bought a pair last year that had holes by the end of winter from frequent use, so to me it's a very worthy and needed repurchase.

Yves Solomon Scarf – Another past winter acquisition. It's a good gray and black ombre, which as you can see, fits neatly with the rest of my wardrobe. On really cold days, it keeps me really warm.

Burberry Boots – These are my favorite ankle boots ever. They're super comfortable and I've never failed to get compliments when I wear them. The leather is curiously matte, so I haven't figured out how to maintain it (like, people shine regular leather shoes, but what should I do when it's matte leather?). Luckily, it has held up well against the elements and I don't seem to have to do that... yet.

Oliver Peoples Sunglasses – Worn here. Still my favorite hide-from-the-sun shades.

Uniqlo Heattech Tights – ABSOLUTE NECESSITY. If you are prone to cold and don't know what Heattech is, get thyself to a Uniqlo store, stat!

Burberry Coat – I bought this particular coat 3-4 years ago because I wanted a peacoat and I wanted it to last me through many many winters. The price was probably ridiculous, but I've survived a few winters in it since, and many more to come. (In case you were wondering, this is how I justify all my ridiculous purchases.) I also feel as slick as Sherlock Holmes (as played by Benedict Cumberbatch) when I wear it, so no regrets whatsoever.

Burberry Earmuffs – In case there was any doubt what my favorite brand was... ha. These earmuffs save my life every. winter. Sigh, I am such a wuss when it comes to cold weather.

Proenza Schouler PS1 – A few years ago I made the conscious choice to start investing in my wardrobe. Quality over quantity! was the war cry. That was when I splurged on the PS1. This bag has been with me through daily life, travel, interviews, functions, you name it, it's probably been there. I've thrown it around, ran with it through pouring rain, and subjected it to much distress, and still it stands sturdy. For a small-looking bag, it holds a surprising amount of stuff too. Best investment I've made in a bag.

Here's a photo of me frolicking in Northwestern University's campus, wearing most of the items in the photo. Yes, I was very happy to have disturbed the peace of that neatly gathered pile of leaves.

This post is written to celebrate the new ShopStyle.

Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence

Taken from my Instagram

One of the good things about semi-living in two apartments is the opportunity for two skincare routines. Yes, I am the type of person who would relish having two regimens to fiddle around with. But that shouldn't be news, yes?

I'm delighted to introduce this Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence. I, being the time-saver (read: lazy person) that I am wont to be, relish the fact that this serum comes in spray form! For a whole month I spritzed wantonly at my face, enjoying the cooling misty feeling on my face, but to preserve the bottle I have since taken to doing a couple pumps into my hand and applying it like I would a regular serum.

The serum is relatively fragrance-free, which means there is a very light rose smell but it is pleasant and unobtrusive. I was initially skeptical that a hydrating serum that came in mist form would be good – why I doubted its efficacy based on delivery, I do not know – but it turns out that this is immensely hydrating indeed. I follow this serum with two drops of Tatcha Beauty Oil, and that is all there is to my very short and simple (but effective!) beauty routine.

Well, one of them anyway.

Miyu Beauty Hydrate Mi Beauty Essence is available at miyubeauty.com for $34. For tea enthusiasts, Miyu Beauty also created a complimentary Beauty Tea, which tastes like a mixture of fruit and flower. The pairing retails for $42.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Beauty PSA: Clinique Happy Heart

I was one of those young 'uns that had a bottle of Clinique Happy (fine, stealthily spritzed on my sister's) and wore it like it was the only perfume worth wearing on my sleeve... because that was where I thought I was supposed to put perfume.

So, it's quite clear I've never been a big perfume person – that one-quarter-empty bottle of Happy was about the most used fragrance I've ever owned. As such, perfume reviews are obviously not my strong suit. I can't wax lyrical about notes because I can never remember what anything actually smelled like, I can only tell you what kind of memory a scent evokes. When I received this, I sprayed it on (my wrist, this time) and it smelled like high school, which was personally one of the happiest times in my life.

To be formal about it though, the press release describes it as "bright and floral with hints of sweetness from mandarin orange and cassis mingled with soft floral notes of water lily, rose, and geranium." Dry notes of sandalwood, musk, and blondewood are somewhere in there as well. I'm sorry, all I smell is perfume flowers, guys.

So, why is this a PSA? The regular Happy Heart fragrance bottle is actually not as decked out with love as this one. Clinique has been partnering with the Happy Hearts Fund (since November 2012) to build and rebuild schools in areas affected by natural disasters, and a portion of the sale of this limited edition Happy Heart perfume, as well as the coral-red Happy ♥ nail polish will go to the fund. In fact, there's so much love to go around that they also created a limited edition t-shirt, pictured above.

Make someone happy. :)

The limited edition Clinique Happy Heart Perfume Spray retails for $37, A Different Nail Enamel in Happy ♥ is $12.50, and the t-shirt is $16.

Full disclosure: This entry contains sample products sent by PR or the manufacturer for editorial consideration.

Headphones and lipstick, who knew?

I was pleasantly surprised to receive this in the mail. Unexpected packages, after all, is no longer the norm. That said, since beauty products remain on short supply (actually, I still have an unmanageable amount, but I'm pretty sure you've seen everything), I thought I'd switch things up a little.

This is the Monster Ncredible Ntunes On-Ear Headphones. It comes in five different colors, and I chuckled to see that I was sent "Candy Apple Red." The people responsible obviously intuited my love for red lips.

Knowing that Monster was the company responsible for Beats by Dr. Dre, I went in with certain expectations (the sound will be bass-heavy, only good for rap, classical music will sound terrible etc.). Instead, here are my findings:

• The sound is indeed bass-heavy, but not as much as I thought it would be. Basically, if you're listening to a song, the bass comes through a little more prominently and can sometimes dampen the vocals a little. 
• To my surprise, it performed well with classical music. Crisp sound even on the higher registers. 
• In fact, I would say for headphones that I would expect the bass to be the prominent feature, the bass sounds aren't as crisp as it could be. The image that came to my mind is if you struck a glass with a fork and it just didn't ring as crystal clear as you expected it to.
• Though it doesn't claim to be totally noise-cancelling, the sponge-y thing (never knew what this was called) does help significantly reduce noise. I tried it on the subway and it drowned out the sound of human movement, which made me bump into a few people since I couldn't feel them. You can still hear louder sounds, like car honks and shouty conversations, so wearing it on the street shouldn't be too dangerous.

The sponge-y thing makes the headphones quite comfortable. I managed to wear it for two hours (with intermittent removal when I had to talk to people) without my ears protesting. Since receiving it, I've also twisted it, tossed it into my cavernous bag o' stuff that I lug around on a daily basis, slung it around my neck, bumped it around, and it proves to be quite durable.

And the most relevant bit of information: the headphones match perfectly with my Le Metier de Beaute In The Know Bordeaux Lip Creme! If I had a favorite niece, I would gift it to her with the matching lip product (so start currying your favors, nieces!).

To win your very own pair of N-Tune headphones (valued at $150), read all about the Monster headphones here and let me know in the comments of this post which color you prefer. The comments on this post will be aggregated with the comments on the posts from the other bloggers participating in this review, and 25 pairs will be given away. This giveaway will close on Nov 1.

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The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 10/2/13 – 11/1/13.