5 Things I Love, Vol. 1 💛💝

So I stole the idea for this post and blog series from Paris (the author of My Women Stuff blog – I steal a lot of ideas from her LOL). She started the series a while ago and I loved it. I always loved the idea of writing what you are thankful for, but in the past I always felt ‘pressured’ to write something momentary, short and not very deep… to me it was a trend I couldn’t stick to. It felt like something I ‘had to do’ rather than ‘wanted to do’. With Paris’ posts, I’d reply with a longer comment, giving it some more consideration and time. I really, really liked the concept, so I’m going to try and emulate it here on my blog. Oh and the thing I love may or may not always be beauty/product related! Let me know what you think 😊😉🌸

Context: October was a difficult month for me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a rollercoaster month before. My fiancé’s mother was moved to palliative care and then passed away at the start of the month, after a long battle with cancer. It was heartbreaking and crushing to say the least. Work was also stressful as I had to cancel work trips and I felt like I was letting people down… but I’m SO glad I did – I needed the time off to help my fiancé’s family and to have some time to grieve myself. I also had to deal with a family members breakdown from my side of the family.  During this time I also had an emergency wisdom tooth extraction (annoying) and a week after the funeral, I left to go to Korea for a close friends wedding. In all the ‘noise’ of this months happenings, some time out to reflect is really needed, so I think this post will be the perfect summation ❤️

1. My Mother in Law ❤️

There’s so many good things I could say about my to-be Mother in Law.. She was never quick to judge, which is quite remarkable. She was also especially kind; I remember how once it was official that her son and me were ‘dating’, she bought me some slippers of my own for their home 💝❤️ They always made me feel at home. The other thing I want to take away as a lesson from knowing her, is her contentment in life even in the bad times. She was content with what she had and always said that we should enjoy life. Yes, enjoy the material things that you own, but not only – enjoy the time you have. This often means slowing down on the rat race and the pursuit of material goods. She wasn’t a very materialistic person either – sure, she liked nice things, but she didn’t value them more over people or her time. There are so many lessons to be learnt here but I’ll stick to two for the moment.

One: I often experience FOMO (the fear of missing out) and I hate it. When I went to Korea, I didn’t go to one department store. When I was at the airport duty free shop on my way back home, I was all flustered and so annoyed at myself for not having gone to one. However, had I gone, I would have not gone to Japan for the day and while the Japanese island I visited didn’t turn out to be that great, I know that had I not gone, I would have kept thinking “I can’t believe I didn’t go to Japan when it’s so close, what did I miss out on?!?”. I need to really stop that way of thinking because you can’t win. I need to be happy with the choices I make – they will never be perfect or ideal and that’s ok!

In regards to material goods, I want to buy only what I really want and the things I will really use. There’s perhaps always something ‘better’ out there (as my mum says!) so if you don’t get that limited edition makeup set, that’s ok, because something more beautiful or exciting will appear one day (better suited to you!). It’s better to save and have that financial security, then experience panic that you are missing out on the newest ‘in thing‘. Enjoy what you already own and give it appreciation. I love the recent post Paris posted on the subject of being content, so I really recommend the read! 

I really hope to be as kind and warm as my Mother in Law. I will remember her fondly and always.

2. Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone 

Before my Korea trip, I was so anxious. I hadn’t travelled on my own for quite some time and I just didn’t know what to expect. I had a great time of course and those small pockets of time I didn’t enjoy, I learnt a lot (practise makes perfect!). You can’t learn and test yourself if you are always comfortable. You also can’t experience real adventure if you don’t try something new. Travel is probably the ‘easiest’ way to step out of your comfort zone but you don’t have to go far either.

Some of the experiences I enjoyed most from my trip? Spending quality time with my best friend from high school, supporting her at an important time in her life, experienced kindness from people I had never met before, saw how other people lived in a new part of the world and tested my resilience and bravery in a new place 😊 The trip really reminded me how important it is to step out of your comfort zone especially as you get older… I think as you get older it becomes harder because you get set in your routines, perhaps you have more and more responsibilities and it becomes more difficult to make time for yourself. For this reason, it becomes even more important to step out of your comfort zone!

3. Hair Accessories 

Hair accessories have became ‘trendy’ a few months ago. I have always been into hair accessories, even before I can remember haha 😂 From butterfly clips, to scrunchies and bobby pins, I was there! In high school, there was a Korean accessory and stationary shop called ‘Artbox’ in Western Sydney (Parramatta for those who know Sydney). I looooooved that shop! They had rows and rows of hair accessories 💕 I loved the bobby pins most of all because you could get teeny tiny ones (all sizes) which were perfect for my fine hair and for hiding away (you didn’t need much hair to hide them) and in bright colours! Back then it was difficult to get coloured bobby pins and you know what, it still is! Art Box closed down sometime around the time I graduated high school unfortunately. The bobby pins I bought from Artbox I still have because they are such great quality (they are the pins in the wooden trinket box in the photo). So when I saw Artbox on my recent trip to Korea I was SO happy! 🤗🥳🥳🥳🌸 I picked up some hair accessories of course, bobby pins making up the majority of my purchases lol Korean hair accessories aren’t overpriced generally, so you can stock up on quite a few. I think in future I will try and order Korean hair accessories from YesStyle. They have a lot available and again, and the prices are reasonable.

On another note, I wore some hair pins to my friends wedding made by Stephanie Browne (you may have seen my up-do on Instagram and they are also in the flatly up above🌟). I have been buying hair accessories and earrings from her shop for years and years! Each piece I have bought, has lasted and has never gone rusty or broke. They are truely treasure that last a lifetime! I think I also love them because they have the old school charm about them – they are so unique and special, you can’t help but think that they are jewels 💎 The hair pins I wore in Korea are the Prince Hair Pins ❤️

4. Kpop

For quite a while now, I haven’t listened to much Kpop. I used to love Kpop when I was younger. I think what drew me to Kpop originally, was the uptempo pure ‘pop’ sounds, creative and grand video clips and maybe even the ‘cheesy’ nature of some of the bands – there’s nothing like ‘owning’ what you do and doing it well 😂😂 The bands in particular always seemed out of this world… My recent holiday helped me discover some new and much loved artists again! I probably lean towards more alternative Kpop or those who have been around for a while (and thus are sophisticated and great at their craft 😉 ). Some of my favourites and some new discoveries are:

⭐️ Lee Hyori. I LOVE that she is an animal activist, takes in strays and embraces her more tan skin-tone! She is almost 40 which is unbelievable… Here is one of her newer tracks from 2017 (after every album she takes a break, which sux for fans lol). Another favourite track of mine from Lee Hyori is, Miss Korea.

⭐️ Lena Park. She sings with a lot of emotion and feeling – a little bit like American artists as she grew up in the US. She does a mean ballad and sung ‘A Whole New World’ for the Korean version of ‘Alladin’ with John Park. Oh ye, and Lena Park is over 40 now 😳😍

A couple of other mentions: BoA, the first Queen of Kpop! I think she recorded her first album at 13 or some other crazy young age. She was also the first ‘Kpop’ artist I found when still in High School. Her music is still ‘pop’ without a doubt, but the songs have mellowed out and are more sophisticated now. Epik High, a boy band I don’t find to be too cheesy these days and Lim Heonil from the alternative band I Am Not (in particular the song ‘Running Back to You or RBTY). He has such a smooth voice and lots of depth. I love it!

A lot of Korean music videos now include English subtitles, but I think the melodies of the songs and how they are sung really help to convey meaning to the listener. I also find it relaxing sometimes not having to concentrate on the words LOL. Let the music ‘transport you’ to somewhere else!

5. Viktor & Rolf ‘Twist’ Perfume Oils

These ‘perfume’ oils were released about a year ago in Aus (from memory). I bought them just after Christmas last year, as they were on quite a good sale. I imagine that they weren’t a ‘hit’ in other words, but I absolutely love them! There was three perfume oils; Jasmine Twist, Rose Twist and ‘I think’ Ylang Ylang. I bought Rose and Jasmine which smell so so good! The concept is that they are perfume oils with a single note that can be layered together, or underneath any of your existing perfumes. A neat idea I think. Simple, but fresh and clean smelling! I love earring them together or separately. There’s something timeless about the scents and the notes of Rose or Jasmine. They definitely aren’t sickly or outdated. They are fresh and floral – think freshly picked roses or jasmine 🌹🌸 The bottles are small, which make them perfect for travel – the glass is also thick and not flimsy, making them sturdy. I just wish this wasn’t a limited edition collection but alas 😩 Had I known at the time that I purchased them how much I would love them, I would have purchased backups…. I can’t find them online anywhere here in Aus. But no FOMO anymore right?!? I will find some sort of delicious replacements when these are all used up. And I will use them up because it would be such a waste not to!

I took these two perfumes with me to Korea and they made me feel elegant and feminine on my friends wedding day ❤️🌹🌸👰🏻🤵🏻💛💜

So that’s it Beauties! Let me know what your favourites of the month were – I’d love to hear about it!

Catch ya next time,

Beauty Bee~

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