Hello February, you gorgeous thing!
I was really excited to meet you at once. Please, don’t be shy and come in: January cannot tell when is time to say goodbye and go home…
Really, people: Is it just me or it lasted approximately 250000 years? Because I was starting to fear I was trapped in my own version of The Groundhog Day (only without Bill Murray and an added worrying quantity of quick trips to the corner store to buy yet another pumpkin seeds pack to ruminate while watching Netflix. Dark times, my friends, let’s never talk about them again).
Earlier last month, I was still in Spain visiting my family. I feel like that happened last century though. Yes, I have been doing my best to scare the January blues away but I must admit it was far tougher than I initially anticipated. I would try literally anything to keep me going: Yoga, reading, long nice walks, riding a Hippogriff… but nothing seemed to work. At some point, the pitch-black evenings had an effect on me which could only be slightly relieved by compulsively stalking dresses online. In all honesty and as materialistic as it might sound, the sales were a bit of a fix (yes, I know you are not supposed to admit this publicly but c’mon, we all have been there…), with some of my most recent favourites on the beauty, fashion and entertainment departments popping out all through the month.
Don’t get me wrong, January was not a shopping madness period. I managed to buy on a budget and save up quite a reasonable amount in relation to average price. Personally, I think that the better quality the product is, the more you are saving. In the end, you get better value for all those hardly-earned pounds.
But long story short, these are my January 2019 favourites.
Beauty
I have been following NARS for a long time now but they have been only available in Spain very recently. So, one of the first things I did when on holiday was visiting the closest high-end mall and going straight to the NARS counter. Orgasm blush was in my bucket list for ages and after I tried the tester I knew it — Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. And I was completely right – I don’t think you will see me wearing another product for a while…
It is no secret I am a CHANEL perfume lover. Coco and Coco Noir are two of my favourites but Mademoiselle was my first love and will always keep a special place in my heart. My last bottle was finished a couple of months ago, so I proceeded to get me a new one and has been my best friend all January.
Lately, I have been searching for a flattering nude lipstick to wear in the mornings to avoid my natural paler-than-a-white-walker complexion (which is a completely accurate description of my skin tone during Winter, in case you wonder). I saw a blogger I like praising the Lingerie line and decided to give it a try. Now, I was so fascinated by their colours palette, it took me some effort not to buy the entire range. I am happy I chose Lace Detail though since it lives on my handbag now, always ready for duty. And speaking about handbags…
Fashion
- PINKO Love Bag in honey (similar model here)
Have you ever fallen in love at first sight? Because that’s exactly how I feel about this purse. Just look at that beautiful mustard/honey tone and little brooch details. Isn’t it the cutest thing ever? If this was a boy, I would totally have a crush. Now that I come to think about it, you can totally have a crush on a bag, right? RIGHT?
Entertainment
- Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Like many people, I only discovered the novel after watching the movie and immediately felt curious about it. Now, I am not joking when I tell you this book saved me from the aforementioned January blues in the evenings. It is a wonderfully fun, witty and acid critic towards social class, cultural relativism, and gender roles. Don’t even bother to finish reading this post. Go and find the book. You can thank me later.
- You (Netflix)
Another fiction work which saved my mental health from the darkest days in the year (although speaking about mental health might be slightly ironic here). I am not going to spoil the fun here but YOU is just genius. A bit like Hannibal and The Perfume having a child together. Are you looking for plot twists? Psychological impressionism? A good cast? I think I’ve said enough.
And this has been my first favourites monthly round-up. Thank you so much for reading and please, let me know if you have any suggestions or comments on how to improve this new section.
