merry christmas!

I've been super busy these past few days, from preparing Christmas cards and presents to taking care of a knocked-out drunk from a holiday party at work... It was a pretty interesting night, but I hope something like that never happens again. Anyway, regular posting, replies, and comments will resume soon!

I know maybe not everyone celebrates Christmas - but it's what I celebrate, so I think it's more natural for me to say that. But whoever you are what whatever you celebrate, I hope your holiday is full of family and friends, and lots of good food!

current playlist #1

I think I have a very eclectic taste in music. I'll listen to anything and everything, and I'm more inclined to say I don't like a certain song rather than an artist or a genre. It's very (very!) random and all over the place in terms of lyrics and melodies, but here's some of the songs I have on repeat at the moment...

1. Trash Show! - Late Cambrian
2. Iggy SZN - Iggy Azalea
3. Cannibal - Ke$ha
4. Hey, Soul Sister - Train
5. Life of a Salesman - Yellowcard
6. LOVE & ROLL - supercell
7. Foxes - Echo
8. Demons - Iggy Azalea

What are your favorite songs at the moment? Also, trying to balance a cup of hot tea on a pillow, next to your phone is never a good idea.

ootd | black on black + sock review?!

top » american eagle

shorts » hurley

tights » american eagle

socks » sock dreams (here)

shoes » steve madden (here)

Usually I like to post in the mornings but I couldn't because of bad timing - but oh well, it happens! Here's a quick outfit of the day, for today/technically yesterday. I really, really, really wanted to wear shorts today but it's still pretty cold, so I wore tights underneath and layered with a pair of long, thick socks. It did a pretty good job of keeping my legs warm, so I'm looking forward to wearing more shorts this winter :)

If you're on the lookout for some good quality socks I highly recommend Sock Dreams, which is where I got mine from. They meant it when they named these long cuffable scrunchable socks, because they are super long even when they are cuffed at the top and scrunched. They can reach up to the uppermost portion of my thighs and would still have room to go if my legs didn't end there. The only problem is that it's one size only, so the foot portion of the socks has a lot of wiggle room, as opposed to.... "normal" socks that conform to your feet, if that makes sense. Still, at the price point and comfort, it's something I can overlook.

I can already tell that these will be my favorite socks for the wintertime, and I'm planning on ordering more colors soon.

succulent

Earlier last week, I bought my first succulent! Or rather Wei bought it for me cause I didn't have cash on hand, but I paid him back a couple days later so it still counts as my own purchase? Anyway I really wanted one, cause it's really tiny and cute - the pot is a little less than 2" in diameter! We joked that it would look even cuter in shot glasses.

I remember buying a mint plant once, and my mom said I should have taken the mint that was growing outside the front yard since it grows like wild there, haha. Anyway, my mint ended up dying cause I guess I didn't water it enough. Luckily succulents aren't as needy as mint - the lady selling these said they only need to be watered every 3 or 4 weeks. I did a little bit of my own research and people say the general rule of thumb is to water them every week in the hotter months, and every few weeks in the colder months, but never when it's raining because the soil retains moisture better on those days. And, that it's always better to underwater a succulent than to overwater.

Right now it's found a home on top of my shadow box, beside my very small miniature perfume collection. I want to get a few more succulents, and maybe - gasp - some cacti too? We'll see how this little plant journey goes...

my first time at lush!

I had a day off on Wednesday, so it was the perfect time to head over to Lush! Now that I think about it, I should have been all cool and taken pictures of the store for an Instagram-worthy picture to celebrate losing my Lush virginity. Oh well. There's always a next time for those pictures!



Dragon's Egg bath bomb » One of the bath bombs that I've wanted to try for a really long time. Partly because it's citrus scented, partly because of the magical explosion of glitter, but mostly because it's called Dragon's Egg and it reminds me of Harry Potter.

Twilight bath bomb » I felt a little empty-handed if I left with just Poptastic and Dragon's Egg, so I made a last-minute decision to get Twilight. It smells like berries to me, but Lush says it's supposed to smell like lavender... Maybe the berry scent is just on the surface. I can see (smell?) why they say it helps you to relax your mind for better sleep, though!

Poptastic » Northern Lights was on my wishlist, but they seem to have sold out online and in-store. One of the associates suggested the Poptastic wrapped gift set, which includes Northern Lights and another similar-by-type one called Sparkler. She said it's a great way to try more, though honestly it's probably to get me to buy more - not hating on her of course, it's her job after all. Nevertheless it worked, and I'm happy she directed me towards the set cause I gave Sparkler a whiff later and it smells pretty darn good!

I wish I could have left with a few more items, but I had to exhibit some kind of self control here. Until next time, Lush! In the meantime, do you have any favorites for me to check out in my next visit?