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.

January 2016 - comings and goings

I almost had a no-purchase month until I purchased the style of belt I had been looking for, for ages. Does that count? It's a very planned purchase and I got it at a great price... hm...

Comings - 4

• Lou & Grey Mix-up cardigan - bought for me by my parents <3 (I insisted to pay for it myself, but they insisted they buy it for me - gifts don't count ;))
• off-white skinny belt for my waist - been looking for one for a long time and the right one finally came along, with gold hardware, at an amazing price - $9 for leather, you really can't beat that. 
• Edit: Feb 3-16 - Forgot to add 2 pairs of shoes I got at the end of the month from The Wishbone Collection

Goings - 5

• White and navy striped blazer - it was starting to pill and look too worn. Also it was a bit shorter in length than I prefer, so I am on the look out for a longer version since it was a great outfit finisher.
• Pair of black mesh earrings - I just didn't wear it enough, if at all, and against my black hair, the details got lost anyway, defeating the purpose of adding any oomph to my outfits.
• Esprit black dress - I bought it because it has studs on the shoulders but I never got a chance to wear it since, and trying to fit it into my rotation now, is just not working.
• Gray Ugg Baileys - I love them and I will miss them very much, but they are too worn out now. I've lovingly said good-bye to them and thanked them. (That's also one pair of shoes gone, towards me owning 25 pairs... it's a loooong road)
• Esprit blue and white sundress - just didn't like the length of it any more;I got good use out of it but I think I wore it so much that it's a bit out of shape too and flares a bit too much for its length, for my liking.