Change is good ...

I'm so happy to announce that I have upgraded my blog - you can now find it at 

www.perfectingmycloset.com

You may have noticed that my regular Tuesday and Friday posts have been a bit sporadic lately, but that's because I've been working to upgrade my blog, and life. 

While the new blog is fully functional, I'm still working on adapting it to its new format so it's not looking as pretty as it will, eventually. It just so happened that the day I make a decision about my career, it would fall on a post day - it seemed appropriate for a new start!

I hope you like the new blog, and continue supporting me over there! <3

Goal achieved - 5 pairs of shoes out!

Woohoo! I achieved one of my 2016 purging goals - to let go of 5 pairs of shoes this year. 

I passed on a pair of Guess wedge strappy sandals to my coworker - I had purchased them so long ago and hardly got the opportunity to wear them. With her style and outfits, I thought they would be a great fit for her. 

Now that I'm housing more in my closet, space is a very big deal - it might seem like a drag, but it's actually really great for me to be more conscious of what works with my lifestyle, and if it can physically fit in my closet. 

Making a hair donation

Yesterday I went to the salon and had them cut my hair to be donated to Wigs for Kids. 

If you have long hair, I strongly encourage people to donate their hair - it's for a great cause! It takes approximately 20-30 ponytails before they can make a wig. 

Before you do, research how to prepare your hair, or better yet, find a salon that is familiar with the process because if the hair is prepared improperly, it cannot be used. 

In my research, I found that different organizations have different length requirements for hair, ranging from 6 inches to 12 inches; to be sure, call in advance. Don't think you don't have enough hair!

Spring cleaning!!!

Over the weekend, my husband and I, delved right into the spirit of Spring Cleaning!

We let go of a lot of books and DVDs; consolidated a number of items into one organized cube shelving unit; removed furniture, and re-organized some furniture for better uses; managed to create more open space in our condo; and removed the remaining gross carpet in our bedroom in preparation for new floors. Talk about being productive!

Turning to my closet - we removed the inefficient cube shelving unit (it's now in the living room and looks so awesome) and replaced it with 4 shelves meant for shoes, but we turned two upside down to stack, making it the perfect height for my bags; they're also shorter than the original shelving unit so my clothes hang better. I am now storing the remainder of my shoes in my closet as opposed to an ottoman that was in the bedroom (which we are now using in the living room, where it should go). 

Honestly, the consolidation makes me closet look less than ideal now  but I do have more wardrobe related items in it, which is what I eventually want (to consolidate every wardrobe related item into one area), and it definitely strengthens my goal of wanting to have less. The sheer number of my bags and shoes, along with everything else, is overwhelming and I just want as much out as possible. Once we are done with the rest of our condo, I will be refocusing my attention back to my wardrobe and closet. 

March comings and goings - first purchase-free month of 2016!

Comings - 1

• Swarovski necklace - a gift from my Godmother

Goings - 4 (+1 from February)

• Adidas Superstars - I actually forgot to include this in my February count, but I let these go as they were a lot more worn looking than I remembered.
• 2 Eddie Bauer sundresses - I bought these not because I loved them, but I needed something light for a trip I was taking a few years ago. I only wore them a couple of times each but never was too impressed with them. I held on to them because it seemed like a waste, but it's just as much a waste if I'm not wearing them and they're taking up closet space. 
• Vintage wedges - I love them and they're super cute but the other day I tried wearing them to work and had to change out of them immediately by the time I got there. I think I wore them before, I wasn't doing too much walking. The walking distance I have for my commute to work isn't even that long. 
• Navy Zara kitten heels - SO sad about these as they just became a wardrobe staple but unfortunately they make an incredible amount of noise on the concrete. Constantly squeaking and in trying to walk a certain way to avoid the squeaking, have been causing me pain. So choked to let these go as they went so well with a lot of my outfits, but there's just no way around it =(

On a plus side, to-date, I'm already 4 pairs of shoes in (or gone, depending on how you look at it haha) towards my goal of letting go 5 pairs of shoes this year.

Under Construction

I haven't forgotten to post! Instead, I've been a busy bee, working on a new site =) 

Hope to have it running by the end of the week! - Stop by again soon <3

9 more days of March - will it be this year's first purchase-free month?

With the exception of an almost moment of weakness at Danier Leather, so far, so good.

This is a big year for non-material expenses - circumstances have resulted in two trips lined up for my husband and I: New York in May, and Korea in August. Both will be expensive trips so I don't plan to buy anything (except in Korea where I will go crazy over skin care products since it's much cheaper there than in Canada) but have decided to spend my money on experiences since I don't know when I will be going there again, any time soon.

I'm also trying hard to let go of more stuff. One of my wardrobe goals is to be able to consolidate 2 exterior drawer units in my room, into my closet so that we can have more space and options when we finally decorate our room. So far, I've managed to remove one drawer and still reuse the fabric containers in my existing closet unit.We live in a condo so space is precious and I just want clean lines and very little clutter. 

All in all, the more months I'm able to have, purchase-free, the better successes I'll have in most of my 2016 goals. I'm hoping that March will be a no purchase month to motivate me through the rest of the year. 

And I repeat, gifts don't count. 

Getting ready for Spring!

Spring is just around the corner and a number of us on our forum are beginning to think about our Spring wardrobe so we're not tempted to shop outside of what we might actually need. 

I know I have enough in my closet, and I know they are Spring appropriate - I just need to think about it and come up with ideas while I'm not trying to rush out the door. 

I started off with my most Spring looking top - my mint green sleeveless blouse from Banana Republic. For simplicity, I just put together 7 outfits for each day of the week. What do you guys think? Any suggestions? What would you switch out? Would love to hear your thoughts! 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday - Business casual

Saturday

Sunday

What was once ruined and unwearable, is new again!

2 years ago, I was really hooked on the GAP's broken-in khakis - I loved the fit and comfort, and the casual cool vibe it gave off. Some materials and color were even office appropriate so I purchased 4 pairs. They are now on my 'do not buy' list because I can see myself getting them in every single available color and material. 

My favourite pair was in a beautiful pale blue color called Sandstorm, that I only got to wear 8 times before tragedy struck. I got a stain on it and for some reason, I decided to try to get it out with bleach. Why? You ask - I don't know. Not only did I use bleach, but I haphazardly applied it and obviously my pant ended up with bleached out splotches all over it. To this day, I still wonder what was going on in my head. 

My beloved

I was devastated. I kept it in my closet and desperately attempted to make outfits with them so they would hide the bleach stains. I debated back and forth about whether to get rid of them or keep them and dye them a different color. It saddened me to think about dyeing them since the color itself was why I loved them so much. So there they sat for more than a year, when finally I decided to just go for it. 

What color, I wasn't sure, but the first step was to bleach them and prepare it for possibilities. 

The blank canvas

The eventual color I chose was a beautiful purple, and with the help of my husband, now have a pretty amazing 'new' pair of pants that I know will fit me great. I can't wait to break them out and make new outfits with it!

New love!

After 3 packs of RIT dye

My favourite things from our 'KOREA, curated February 2016 discovery box'

I was really excited to receive our first ever, subscription box from KOREA, curated. I've been following a number of subscription boxes on Instagram and chose something that both my husband and myself can enjoy. My next subscription box may be a girls only thing, shh ;) 

Simple detail, but I  love that the box isn't taped.
It's packed in another box with all the ugly shipping details and when you open it, just leaves a very clean box. 

I did a reveal post when we received it, as well as an unboxing video that you can check out here (my first youtube reveal of anything), and here are some of my favourite things from the February 2016 box. 

This cell phone charm - I love it because it says 'luck' in Chinese, and I am Chinese, so you know... ALSO, an added plus for me is that I'm a bit obsessed with gold hardware on my bags lately, so if I don't put it on my phone, I can always hang it from my bags.

I also like the packaging for it - a simple, slim, black box that slides out. Again, I love packaging designs.

Cuteness! Preettty self-explanatory there.
Also, socks are something I don't like to buy, so to get free cute socks, is awesomeness

Spicy instant noodles and aaaamaaaazing candy. The candy is soooooo gooood

This is what the spicy noodles look like.I can eat pretty spicy and like to get my hands on pretty much any kind of spicy instant noodles. This, was good. The spicy doesn't start immediately, but slowly builds up as you keep eating. Then, before you know it, your lips start to get numb and burn, and you can start feeling it in your insides. I chased it down with my usual beer of choice - Kronenbourg Blanc 1664. I don't recommend it if you're used to having heart burn and the like.

#ootd - my photographer has returned!

Some of you may remember that my husband, also my #ootd photographer (yes, he's a super sweet guy <3), was away for 6 months to go return to school and pursue a new career. He returned home in early February after passing with flying colors, and has already begun employment with one of the largest companies in his new industry. Many congrats to him!!!

And now, after settling down with a new work schedule and finally being able to spend a weekend together between both our work schedules, was able to spend some time to do a #ootd shoot. It also helped that our rainy Vancouver weather let up for an hour and we were able to head outside. 

Work has gotten even busier for me so I don't get home until after dark, therefore, moving forward, I'll try my best to keep up with daily #ootd posts but will try to do a proper shoot and post a 'featured #ootd' post when I have more time on the weekends and me and the husband have more time together. 

So, without further adieu, the return of #ootd! 

Jacket | Michael Kors

Top | Banana Republic

Jeans | Banana Republic

Shoes | The Wishbone Collection

Bag | Lauren by Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel

Watch | Seiko

Necklace | Swarovski

 

 

Bag review - Follow-up post about my Coach Bleeker travel tote

For Mimmy!

Ever since I got my Coach Bleeker tote,  I've only had a chance to bring it on road trips and it wasn't until early this year that I was able to take it on its first short distance trip on a plane. I was heading to Las Vegas for 4 days and 3 nights and didn't want to deal with checking anything in, so it was my carry-on and regular luggage, all-in-one. 

Between size and weight restrictions and what we can bring in terms of liquids and gels, travel can be hectic and I just wanted to show how this bag held up in case any one is looking for alternatives. 

The bag and cardigan were out of the bag for this photo, but it fits into the bag easily.

Everything in! (the above cardigan is in the Oliva Harris dustbag to protect it)

This is everything I packed inside the Bleeker, and for liquids, I just put it all into a ziplock bag, ready to pull out at security.

I also want to retract my previous comment about wishing the straps were longer - they are actually long enough to go over my shoulder, but they are still stiff. The more I use the bag, the more it's softening up, and somehow it seems to be making it lighter (but probably not since that's impossible haha). Also, the size dimensions are just right for putting it neatly in the overhead compartments, and since it holds it shape so well, VERY easy to pull out. 

I definitely recommend this bag for short travels to hold everything for your entire trip. If you're looking for just a carry-on bag, I'd go with something else since it's pretty sizeable and I could see it getting cumbersome because it still isn't a light bag and if it's not packed full, it's just unnecessary material. 

February comings and goings

Wow, I actually had quite a few items come in this month, but fear not, every single item was a 'love it' piece and I have been wearing them non-stop. 

Comings - 6

• Red Banana Republic sweater with side zip - I actually bought this for Chinese New Year since it's traditional to wear something red to celebrate and start the year off
• Navy Banana Republic sleeveless top - I love navy and find the color is a great base for me to build outfits around and this was super comfortable, a great length to act as a layering piece or on it's own, and also just really basic looking which I like
• Raspberry Banana Republic cardigan - love the color of this, and against navy, it just looks so good. A great pop of color to add to my wardrobe and a very easy cardigan to wear. 
• Pair of casual pants with zip detailing from Banana Republic - these are just super cool and I'm obsessed with zippers lately so these were great, and they were petite so the length was perfect to wear with flats and heels. Just fantastic and sooo comfortable to the point where I don't even feel like I'm wearing pants haha. 
• Gray sweatpants, also with zipper details, and yup, you guessed it, from Banana Republic - I was thrilled to find these and they up my lounge wear by 200%
• Orange satchel from Lauren by Ralph Lauren - I finally broke my bag ban and succumbed to this beauty. It was love at first sight and I've used it every day for work. I even go the extra mile to carry a separate tote to fit my laptop and other things in, just to carry her. 

Current budget left over for this year - approximately $700

February goings - 1

• I sold my Coach Poppy Madras bag to start my 'let go of 10 items' goal from my bag and wallet collection =)

KOREA, curated - February 2016 discovery box

I'm really excited about this post - we just received out first KOREA, curated Discovery Box, their February 2016 edition. I love receiving packages in the mail. There's no better way to treat yourself than a subscription box - it's a gift every month!

Love their logo

They're a subscription service box that fills their monthly boxes with Korean products, ranging from snacks, CDs, socks, toys, you name it. I love the detail they put into their boxes - from their simple and cute logo design, to the very informative product information sheet in each box, and their unboxing videos; you can tell they're passionate about sharing their love for all things Korea.

The featured company and featured subscriber page

The featured items page that gives you info on what you're getting

Not only do they send over favourite and popular Korean items, but they also seek out independent artists and entrepreneurs, to feature and include. You don't just get the everyday, you're also getting the very special, unique, and up-and-coming that Korea has to offer. 

How awesome! All this, in one box!

To give you a better idea, I separated the edible and non-edible. 

I'm SO excited to try the instant noodles -
the description claims it's so spicy that even Koreans don't eat it.

The socks! Love them!

If you love anything Korea, or haven't had a chance to visit and still want the experience, I'd recommend trying this subscription box experience. 

ALSO, and I'm really a stickler for user-friendly websites, I really appreciate their clean, stream-line, and user friendly website - www.koreacurated.com. 

Yes, I'm really anal about some things and poor websites just kill my experience - I don't care how awesome a product might be. I won't be impressed.

Sell threshold

I talked before about a 'buy', or 'cost per wear threshold' as a criteria I use to decide whether or not I should buy something - my buy threshold is a cost per wear of $1.

So, how do I decide whether or not sell something? 

Sometimes it's very easy to let something go, especially when I'm getting the price I want for it, but what about the times when I know the price I can get for it, may not be worth letting go? Of course it's easy to reason that I should sell it because I'm not using it anyway, it will free up space for something that I love now, and something is better than nothing, but when you love bags as much as I do, it's hard. 

I went through this again on Sunday when sold my Coach Poppy Madras for $30. I originally listed it for $45 on Friday night, and decided that I wanted a quick sale instead of waiting it out. What made me decide to let it go for so low? I decided that for the period of time that it was in my possession, and how many times I used it, less the amount I will recoup from it, I was worth it.  

I purchased it in 2012 on sale for $79 (original price is $158) and during that time, I used it for a recorded 17 times since 2014 when I started to keep track. If I sell it for $30, then I 'bought' it for $49. The breakdown cost per wear of that is $2.88. For me to hit $1 cost per wear, I would have had to have used it 49 times; I know I haven't used it that much but definitely more than 17 times, so I calculated that my total cost per wear for this item is probably closer to under $2. Seeing it calculated like that helped me realize that I got good use out of the bag, and get over the emotional connection to the bag and I happily let it go. Now I'm one item less towards reaching one of my 2016 goals =)

 

My first bag after a 1 year, 1 month, 18 day hiatus - the Lauren by Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel

As most of you know, I spent many years resisting the urge to buy bags and after many failed attempts, 2015 was MY YEAR. I didn't buy a single bag, and managed to rotate through more than 90% of my collection. SUCCESS. 

I went into 2016 attempting this same thing and the urge to buy wasn't strong, until I came upon this beauty - the Lauren Ralph Lauren Whitby satchel, in mandarin

The color just attracted me to it, like nothing had in a long time. The gold hardware was perfect since I'm currently hooked to gold details, something about the zipper against a higher backing was intriguing to me, and the tab closure lock at the end of it, was just icing on the cake. It just screamed 'take me home, you will love me'. It also has a detachable strap - and I love that the attachment is on the back of the bag like that, and not the alternate-opposite ends like most designers are doing now (I don't like that),and different from just the regular end-to-end. Truly, LOVE. 

Now, taking a year off from resisting bags has definitely helped me to reassess my previous buying habits - I used to buy bags on a whim, and at any price range as long as I could pay cash for it. In 2015, if I wanted a bag, I had to think about what I already owned and how what I already had could be a good substitute for current bag target, and I had to walk away. It was good practice and helped me reach my goal.

With that in mind, I should have never purchased this bag. I already have an orange bag, of similar size and purpose, and other similar bags with detachable straps. Really, this bag is in a similar category of purpose, style, and color, with several other bags.  

So why did I pull the trigger despite all logic telling me that I didn't need this bag? Because I truly love it, and sometimes you just have to treat yourself to the things you really love. Also, now that I'm more mindful about my purchases than I used to be, I already know that this is an item that I will be using a lot and have a good idea on how to work it into my wardrobe already. 

#sorrynotsorry

Review - Formula X: The System manicure kit

I love nail polish - I always have and I always will. I used to spend hours playing with colors and when I was young, it didn't matter that it would chip after 10 minute because I'd already be on to the next color. Flash forward 20 years though, and for me to spend the time to do my nails, I'm looking for them to last. 

With that in mind, I halted all nail polish action for a long time - I just couldn't walk away chip-free within those same damn 10 minutes. I did try to use only light colors to avoid any chips and smudges from being noticeable but then I just got bored and missed my bold, and dark rich colors.

One rainy day, wandering Sephora, I saw 'The System' by Formula X. It had been so many years since I looked into nail polish that I just decided - why not? It boasted gel like nails without any of the equipment and difficulties. I bought the kit and 2 neutral light colors (in the event the kit wasn't all it was made out to be, I could still get by with the light colors) and made my way home. 

That night, I applied "Nude for You", a limited edition color by Aimee Song, an LA fashion and interior design blogger. I let 10 minutes pass, no chipping... we were off to a great start! I started to do things and get ready for bed - still nothing. I'm holding my breath here. 

The next morning I woke up and I was AMAZED. Yes, there was a little bit of smudging and one chip on my index finger, but to be fair, that was my fault because since it had been a while and I was testing out a new brand of polish, I wasn't use to its consistency and had applied a little too much and likely did not let it set long enough before I went to bed. BUT, overall, it had been the best set of nails I had done in a long time! 

I took day-by-day shots over 7 days to show it's decline. You'll notice that you don't start to see major change until the last 2 days, and that's ONLY because I got bored and started to actively chip away at it. It took effort, haha. To give some perspective, over the 7 days, I had packed, traveled to Vegas for 4 days, shot some guns, typed daily, and was constantly playing with poker chips. 

As an additional test, I tried it with an OPI polish on my toes, as I was advised that it only works with Formula X polishes, and contrary to advise, IT WORKS! I am still wearing the same polish I had 3 weeks ago - smudge- and chip-free. I think it's safe to say, it completely works and I'm looking forward to replenishing my polish collection and having a lot of fun! 

Getting down to the steps: (1) the cleanse - amazing, simple and straightforward alcohol you brush on to remove any oils; (2) prime - a base coat that is suuuper easy to apply. I use one layer and it dries very fast; (3) color! - I use 2 coats and the saturation is awesome. Also dries fast compared to most polishes; and (4) shine - I have difficulties with this right now. I find the consistency or texture, or the brush, is something I can't consistently get right so sometimes I don't apply enough and there are streaks or bubbles (mostly when I use my left hand since I have less control over it). Overall though, I'm not complaining. Dries fast. 

Overall score: I LOVE IT. I've been telling anyone that will listen haha. It is super solid with high shine, and I had to put a lot of effort into creating cracks, as well as actually peeling the polish off. When I use a remover though, it comes off without any problems.

Added new 'feature' to my budget tracking list

This isn't an amazing thing, but recently I decided to adjust my excel budget sheet to automatically deduct what I am spending from my budget.

In addition to a running count of what I'm spending, it helps to show me what I have left of my budget and makes me more aware of what I'm buying as I see my budget drop, and whether the item I just added is really worth the drop in my budget. 

Oops, forgot to add these - full disclosure

Oops, I forgot to add these to my January comings - I purchased 2 pairs of sneakers/flats from The Wishbone Collection. 

I absolutely love these and notice I am slowly shifting from casual sneakers to those that can do double duty - weekends and the business casual. 

Side note: I did let go of a pair of old Adidas Superstars I was holding on to; I took it out to wear and realized it was a lot more worn out looking, and not as comfortable as I remembered. So with my letting those go, along with my UGGs, I'm evening out so far for my shoe inventory.

From impulse, to staple piece

Even though I've improved a lot in making better wardrobe decisions, sometimes, I still make impulse purchases

Last year, I was having considerable success in downsizing my shoe count, when, I couldn't resist these shoes at Zara. 

When I bought them, it wasn't too much of an impulse - I rationalized the purchase. 

• Kitten heel - Great! Easy to get around in and dressier than flats; 
• Navy - even better, one of my chosen neutral colors; and 
• Different - I didn't own anything similar to this. 

It was a perfect purchase! Until they sat in my closet for an entire year.

I was beginning to beat myself up over having made this purchase. Despite my initial rationale, I knew deep-down I didn't need them and I knew had falsely convinced myself that I did - I just loved them too much to put them back down. 

I wore them a few times but wasn't super impressed by them, and in my closet they sat, until very recently - I think due to my recent clothing and color choices, they seem to go with everything! I've worn them regularly this last month and they're slowly making their way to the ranks of a staple piece! 

I'm so relieved, but I know that not all my impulses will turn into happy endings. It's a good reminder to myself that I may have to walk away from an impulse-looking purchase for at least a day to make sure I don't fall into that trap again.