♡ What I Got For Christmas 2019 ♡

Hello everyone, it's been a while! >< ♡

Occasionally I get the inspiration to write on here again, and now is one of those times; I can't promise that I'll continue after the next few posts that I have planned, but one can always hope!

Firstly, Merry (late) Christmas! I hope those of you who celebrated had a nice time with your loved ones ♡ I really love the holiday season and always look forward to it, this year was no exception (though I do feel like it passed by really quickly!)

I'm really happy and thankful about all the gifts I received this year, and since I always like seeing what other people got (and for my own reference, since I like looking back at what I got in years past), I thought I would post a little Christmas haul! I'm very thankful to my family for always getting me such thoughtful gifts ♡

Let's start!

My absolute favourite makeup brand is Jill Stuart-- both for the beautiful packaging, and the amazing quality! I got a lovely blusher/highlight duo, as well as a really pretty dark red lipstick~ I haven't used any Jill Stuart lip products before (and I have yet to try this out), but I've heard good things about them! I've been wanting a nice dark red lipstick for a while, and I thought the colour of this one was so pretty~ (Plus, the flowers on the cap lift off to reveal a small mirror- how cute and useful!)

In the realm of beauty/self-care type things, I also got some nice bath products! The apples are both from Lush; the silver one is a soap, and the big white one is their "So White" bath bomb~ I got one a few years ago and really loved it, so I'm looking forward to using this one! The salt block should also be nice, it smells like lavender and is so fragrant~

I'm not sure how well the print is visible on this, but I got this gorgeous ginkgo-leaf patterned shift nightgown from the Australian shop Papinelle, which makes the most beautiful sleepwear! It's made of silk and feels so divine, I can't wait to wear it ♡

I have several cookbooks from LEON (their "happy salads" and "happy soup" ones), and I was overjoyed to see this "Happy Curries" one!! Curry is one of my absolute favourite foods and this book has a lot of really nice recipes, I'm looking forward to making things from it! I also got this beautiful Cardcaptor Sakura collector's edition, which I've been wanting for the longest time because it's just too pretty ;v; To tell the truth I've never actually read Cardcaptor Sakura, so I'm looking forward to reading this iconic magical girl manga!

This is possibly one of my favourite gifts-- Rammstein's book of piano versions of their songs! Rammstein has been one of my favourite bands since I was very young and I wanted this book for ages, but they stopped making it rather quickly after its initial release 4 years ago ;-; They recently rereleased it however, yay! It's such a beautiful book of sheet music (and it comes with a CD too!). I have yet to start learning anything from it, but I'm excited to do so~

We slowly move on to somewhat more miscellaneous items, with this lovely bottle of gin! Gin is without a doubt my favourite spirit and I'm always interested in trying different blends of herbs; this one is definitely very unique! It has acai, which stands out very prominently in the flavour profile. I don't think I've ever tried anything quite like this!

To some of you this might seem a bit boring, but I've wanted these double-walled glasses for ages, I just thought they looked so pretty! The nice thing about them is that the double layer of glass provides a lot of insulation so that your drink stays warm and so that your hands don't burn~ 

Some small things; cute nail polish with heart-shaped glitter, and some nice relaxing aromatherapy gel~

Lastly, some sweets! ♡

Again, I'm very grateful for everything my family got me; and I look forward to using it all ♡

Lastly, is a Christmas gift to myself! Some of you might know that I recently started working, and with my first paycheck I decided to buy myself something I've wanted for a while: a Vivienne Westwood wallet!

My mum got a similar one last year for Christmas and it held up very well over the course of the past year, so I could tell that it was nice quality and decided to make the plunge and purchase it ^^ It came in the mail the day after Christmas-- perfect timing! I love it so much and can't wait to use it; I've never had such a nice wallet and all the details in it are just so perfect ♡

Thank you for reading! I hope you liked seeing the things I got; I always love reading/watching/seeing people's holiday hauls~

See you in my next post!

♡ March 2019 London Haul ♡

Why hello! ♡

I'm sorry that it's been so long since my last post-- I know I said there were many posts you could expect (like my Paris trip, which at this point I think it's too late to write about...), but it's been a fairly hectic semester and I've barely had any time for social medias other than my Insta ><

However, if you follow me on there, you'll likely know that I recently got back from a trip to London! I went there for about a week, and had a really wonderful time ♡ I did a bit of shopping while there (naturally), so I thought it would be fun to do a quick post showing the things that I bought!

I had a few stores in mind that I knew I wanted to visit, however for most of them I didn't have specific items that I wanted to purchase. The one exception however was... Vivienne Westwood!

Vivienne Westwood is a brand that I adore; I'm not the sort of person to spend large amounts of money on accessories, but I really love the brand's jewelry and knew that I wanted to purchase something from the shop when I visited. Naturally, I browsed online prior to my trip, and entered the store already knowing what I wanted:

This bracelet! I already have a necklace and a pair of earrings, so I thought the next reasonable thing to get would be a bracelet~ I don't actually own any bracelets, and I really liked the design of this one (and that it's quite simple for day-to-day wear), so I thought it was the perfect choice!

I love that the charm has a slight curve to it so it fits comfortably on my wrist and doesn't jut out very much~ I know it's a piece I'm going to reach for very often!

The bracelet was by far my largest purchase of the trip; before leaving, I knew I wanted to take a look in Ted Baker for a purse and Jo Malone or Penhaligon's for a perfume, but ultimately I didn't get either of those items due to the cost ^^" But, I'm still really happy with everything I got! So let's get into it~

Only a little while before my trip, I found out that London had a Moomin Shop, so I knew I had to visit! It was such a charming little shop, and I couldn't help but pick up a few items!

I've always wanted a Moomin mug; one of my friends back in middle/highschool had a very large collection of them at home, and I've always thought they were so cute! This one with Moomin in the snow was just so precious (there was another mug that I liked that was pink, but I thought I'd get this one instead to add some colour diversity to my mug collection hehe). I also got a box of Moomin teas! I've seen these teas on the Japanese Moomin site before and been curious about them, so I was happy to see that they had them in the shop! I've already tried the pear and vanilla one, and it was really nice~

Another shop I wanted to visit was Artbox! I went there on my last trip to London, but it was so cute I just couldn't miss out on it~ I didn't want to buy anything very big (since last time I got a massively overpriced Sanrio shirt), but a few small things did catch my eye!

I used to have a big issue with sticker collecting; I would buy them but never use them! However, since I've started keeping a daily positivity journal that I decorate with stickers, I have much more of a use for them, thus I could justify getting these sweets stickers~ I also couldn't resist this little cotton candy bunny memo pad! 

I was going to only get those two items of stationary, but I fell in love with this adorable cheeky Piano the Sheep plushie the moment I saw her. I wasn't initially going to get her, but after wandering around the shop for a bit longer I still couldn't stop thinking about her, so I ended up giving in! She wasn't terribly expensive though, so it's okay hehe~

I love Lush, and a large part of my skincare routine is composed of their products, so their Oxford Street shop was one I couldn't pass by! I had run out of a few of my essential skincare products, and rather than ordering them online, I decided to wait for my trip~ 

The Angels on Bare Skin cleanser is one of my absolute favourites-- I use it every morning! I also use the Imperialis moisturizer in the mornings, it's quite nice and not too heavy (which is a very welcome feature in the humid hot weather here). The Prince of Darkness mask is an Oxford Street exclusive, I believe! It's such a nice face mask; I really wish they would sell it here!

I was so excited to see that they still had the peach bath bomb from their Valentines Day collection! By the time I visited a Lush near me, they were already sold out, so I was worried I wouldn't have the chance to try it ;-; It smells so yummy and peach-like, I can't wait to use it! The little bunny is from their Easter collection-- it's actually a body scrub! It smells really nice and sweet and like coconut, I really like it~

They had released a lot of nice bath bombs for their Easter and Mother's Day collections, but they were quite surprisingly pricy so I ended up not getting anything ^^" I'm still very pleased with the items I got though! 

I really love traditional Japanese sweets (broadly called wagashi), and the last time in London I visited a shop called Minamoto Kitchoan that had a lovely selection of beautiful mochi, jellies, dorayaki, and other traditional sweets~ So, of course I had to go back this time to get my fix!

I brought back sakura waffles (which look like two pink biscuits sandwiched together with what looks like white chocolate), the Gozenguri (a candied chestnut covered in chestnut bean paste, mochi, and chestnut sprinkles), and the Oribenishiki (chestnut wrapped in bean paste, covered in a thin dough). I haven't eaten any of these yet, but on my last trip I had the Oribenishiki and it was delicious~ At Minamoto I also got three other sweets, but they had a much shorter shelf life, so we ate them on that day~ I really like Minamoto-- I know they have several locations worldwide, and I really recommend them to any of you who might be interested in traditional Japanese sweets! They have such a subtle sweetness and such harmonious flavours, I really love them ♡



There was one last thing I knew I wanted to buy on my trip: tea!

Specifically, this 'First Romance' tea from the East India company~ This shop is right next to Sketch (which I had the luck of visiting once again on my trip!), and I actually tried it for the first time when I went there for afternoon tea this past summer. I really love this tea and am running low on the satchet I bought on my last trip, so I had to get it again~ It's a black tea fragranced with strawberry, mango, and orange, and it's absolutely delectable!



That's pretty much it for planned purchases/shops I knew I wanted to visit, but there were a few more things I picked up while on my trip~ I don't really buy clothes in-person anymore (since I do most of my clothing shopping on 2nd hand Japanese sites), but I did find a few things!

I like wearing cute and cosy t-shirts when I go to lab or when I'm lounging around home, and Uniqlo shirts are some of my favourites. When I saw they had a collaboration with Meiji chocolate, I couldn't resist! I loved these Apollo chocolates when I was younger, and the t-shirt was such a pretty shade of dusty pink, it's like it was made for me hehe~
I also got this red tartan patterned wool scarf from the Dr. Martens store! I've wanted a red plaid scarf for what feels like a decade now, but it's never been something I've actively looked to buy, if that makes sense. I really liked this scarf when I first saw it though, and decided to get it! 



One thing that really amazed me about London was the sheer amount of beautiful bookstores! Unfortunately there aren't all that many bookstores here, so it was nice to see so many, whether they were parts of a big chain, like Waterstones, or small independent-run ones, like Daunt. Books were also a fair bit cheaper than they were here, so I had to get a few!

Just a mix of things I've been wanting to read (If Cats Disappeared From The World is a book I saw first in Paris, but only decided to get now; I've started reading it recently, and am enjoying it so far!) and books that just seemed interesting (like the book of word origins; it's so interesting to read about how words originated and where they came from!) One can never have too many books, eh?~



Lastly, I've been wanting to have a cute apron for a while, and on a quick stop at Cath Kidston, I found the perfect one!

Featuring some very cute Hello Kitty plasters I found hehe~

Cath Kidston always has such pretty prints, and this vintage-style blossom one was too perfect to resist ♡ Everything, from the colour of the print, to the little pink ruffle on the skirt, is absolutely adorable! I've been enjoying wearing it when I cook~



And that pretty much concludes everything I bought while in London! Of course, there was lots more sweets and tea and other yummy things purchased for the family, but I can't really consider those "my" purchases so I decided to not show them here. I hope you liked reading about the things I got! I'm really pleased with everything, and look forward to using it all~
Thank you so much for reading~

Bye-bye!

♡ sthsweet Haul | Fanfanchuu, Cute Earrings, and More ♡

Hello sweet fairies! ♡

Ahh it's been more than a month since my last post-- sorry about that ;-; I have either been too unmotivated or too busy to write, so I sort of neglected a few posts that I've been meaning to write...

But today I thought I would share a quick little haul, since that shouldn't take too long ♡

I recently made an order from the site sthsweet, which is a retailer for Korean brands such as chuu, Icecream 12, and more! 

I originally went there for a very boring reason-- to get some new jeans (in particular, the -5kg series from chuu). However, by exploring their site, I found a lot of cute things that I thought you all might appreciate, and so I thought I would share everything in a little post! 

Let's begin ♡

Given that I've already shown a photo... let's begin with the purchase I'm most excited about: the Fanfanduck x Chuu "Quack With You Doll"!

Ever since I saw this collaboration a few months ago, I fell in love ;v; The plush was really the only thing that interested me-- I'm not quite sure what it is about the duck that I find so charming (since I feel like it looks a bit like it's having an allergic reaction due to the huge pink cheeks...) but it was just too cute >///<
The plushie came in a small pink bag, along with a card of authenticity!

It's not exactly the cuddliest of plushes, as the body is quite firm, however I think it looks really cute sitting on my bed~ I love the little star necklace it has (and it can actually be removed and worn as a necklace on your own neck!)

I'm really happy I finally got it ♡

Gives you a basic idea as to the size!

It was definitely an overpriced plushie... but I don't regret it, since I've been wanting it for so long!

This plushie actually came in pale pink as well, and it took me so long to decide which I wanted...  but I think the yellow one is really the iconic one! Plus it brings a nice pop of colour to my room~

Next up is the item which began my little shopping trip: a new pair of jeans!
The brand Chuu has a lot of jeans/pants in their '-5kg' line, which I guess is supposed to make you look 5 kg lighter..? Honestly I don't think this is really the case... they're just pants.
In any case, I just wanted some dark red pants, and these seemed the perfect choice! I've tried a pair of jeans from this line before, but unfortunately I got a size too big so I had to sell them ><
However, they're really comfortable, and my actual size fits me perfectly!

They're a really autumnal muted/rusty red colour, which was exactly what I was looking for! 
I guess I don't have much else to say about these-- they're pants, they fit comfortably; I don't have many other requirements!
Actually, one of the main reasons I got these was to have more pants to wear for my labs at uni... but then they changed the dresscode policy, and now we have to wear scrub pants to lab. But, I guess I should be able to find other places to wear these ^^" They are quite versatile, after all!

And most importantly: comfy! And a very pretty colour~

Moving on, the rest of the items I got are quite a bit smaller, but there are just so many cute accessories on sthsweet!

The first things I got were two pairs of earrings, both heart-shaped, and both really cute!

Firstly are these red Heart Jelly Pop Earrings from the brand icecream 12, which has tons of super cute jewelry. I thought these were really unique-- they're made of a transluscent, matte plastic, with red cores, so they look a bit jelly-like to me! They hang from small white metal bows, and I think these make such a cute subtle addition to any outfit~

The next earrings I got are these "Walking in a Dream Earrings" in pink! I thought the unbalanced look was quite cute, and I love dangly earrings~ Plus, they're sparkly!



The last two items are quite small.
First, another item from the Fanfanchuu collab: this Fanfanchuu Lemon Candy Brooch! 

There were actually two different brooches available, and I had such a hard time choosing one... but in the end I settled on the face design, because I thought the glasses were really adorable~ 

I've pinned this on my laptop case, and I think it looks quite cute!



The last item I got is a bit boring, but you might know by now that I can never resist cute socks... so I got these "I Like Strawberry Milk Socks"! 

I've seen this design everywhere for the longest time, and so I thought it was about time that I picked up a pair for myself! They have several variations of this as well, but of course the strawberry ones were my favourite ♡



And that's everything! ♡

Just a brief review of sthsweet as well: I'm quite happy with my shopping experience, and will definitely buy from them again! The items did take quite a while to ship out (I imagine that since they carry a variety of brands, it might take a while for all the items to get to them..?), but once they shipped, they arrived really quickly. So, I guess I can't complain too much!



I hope you enjoyed this small haul! Thank you for reading, and I hope I will be able to post more frequently ♡ I really need to finish my London series... I hope I get to that soon ><

Have a lovely day!