Monthly favorites: January 2016

As I mentioned previously, I’m not a huge make-up person and don’t use a ton of different products. But this month I decided to try some new features for my blog and share things I really enjoyed using, wearing or reading in January. I will see how it goes – I want to try sharing my lifestyle/clothes/travel and sometimes even make-up/skincare related favorites monthly, but who knows, I don’t want it to become a chore. I really want to get back the joy of blogging just for blogging, without concern for anything else. So I solemnly promise to write this posts for as long as writing them will make me happy.

So here we go! January was quiet a nice month for me, and this is what made it even better:

 

Almond oil and salt scrub - I already wrote about the magical powers of almond oil in my post on natural oils, but I will just repeat myself – it’s amazing. I usually mix a bit of salt with a bit of oil and this scrub is perfect for my face. It makes my skin softer and brighter, and I know that I’m using only simple ingredients without any nasty chemicals. I can’t say that I’m one of those people that use only natural, organic etc. products, but I’m always pro-simplicity.

 

Kiko lip products - Nothing makes me feel happier and more put together than a bit of red lipstick! Especially the one that stays on my lips longer and doesn’t smudge. I really like Kiko’s lip marker – it gives my lips nice color and I know that it wouldn’t go away after a cup of coffee. The other product I really like is Kiko’s smart lipstick. I have it in icy pink and in red and I’m very happy with its formula – it’s very soft and hydrating, and I feel like I’m wearing a lip balm, not an actual lipstick. Sometimes I combine my lip marker and smart lipstick together to get even nicer red color on my lips.

Exacompta folders - As I already mentioned before, I just recently started my PhD program. I don’t follow any classes as, for example, master students do, so I don’t really have a need for that many stationary items, Nevertheless – I love stationary and love having some simple, but nice pieces that make me happy and more productive. I basically have two notebooks - one for research, seminars, etc. and the other one for Italian (after 1,5 years in Palermo I do speak it, but on quite a “pedestrian” level, so I have a long way of vocabulary checking to go before I will get even near to being fluent). Also I have one folder – this one, with a plastic sleeve on the cover, so I can put anything I want there. Right now it holds this photo from my last year photo exhibition, and I love how it looks – simple, slick and quiet unique.

Lanybook planner - I always had and I think always will have a planner – this is what helps me keep track of things and tasks, and also makes me feel good about myself when I successfully finish everything I planned for a day (yes, I’m secretly a Monica Geller wannabe). 

But even though every year I know which specific features I want to see in my new planner, I’m quite chilled out about the whole planner obsession. I never buy anything super expensive, don’t care about brands, don’t really decorate or spend money on specific supplies. Usually I can’t use the same type of a planner two years in a row – I get tired of the same layout and also during the year get some ideas about what will be even more convenient to use. 

Last year I had an A5 red one (from an Italian brand, but I really can’t remember the name – that one I had to leave home in Kyiv when I moved back here) with a “day on one page” layout, and it was working out great for me – during my EVS I was working in the office, had lots of tasks and meetings, so sometimes even the whole page for a day wasn’t enough. 

This year I wanted something with less space – I knew I will be focused on my PhD and will have no need for a full page for a day, so week on two pages will be enough. I also wanted a “month on two pages” feature – last year I tried it out using free printables and was very happy with it. Honestly – it took me some time to find this planner, because… well, because Palermo is Palermo. But now, that I finally found it, I have a feeling that I might repurchase it next year. The layout is working very nicely for me, and it’s very clean and simple, which I appreciate – I don’t know if I would’ve been happy with bright colors and designs. I can use highlighters if I want, put in tickets and small pictures I like and it doesn’t feel too heavy and distracting. 

 I use it together with a yellow moleskin notebook, which I designated for tasks, projects, lists, etc. and this is working out very well for me. Maybe one day I will make a post on this system, because it’s quite simple, but very effective for everything I need to work on.

Vans Atwood deluxe in grey - Here everything is simple – I love wearing this type of shoes with everything and had a pair of gray Vans in my wish list for a while. I got them on a sale recently and I’m living in them right now - winter here is incredibly warm this year and the shoes are really comfortable. They are exactly what I love in shoes and clothes now – simplicity, quality and attractive design. 

Ciber (The Lunar Chronicles 1) by Marissa Meyer And a book favorite! I haven’t read any young adult books for quite a while and didn’t expect to like this one. But I did, and now really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. In a nutshell it’s a Cinderella story retelling, but this time Cinderella’s name is Linh Cinder, she is a cyborg and lives far away in the future in a city called New Beijing. I will not explain more, because there’s nothing worse than to read a spoiler that will change the whole perception of the book, so you will just have to read and find out everything yourself. 

So that’s it for the month of January. I will see how it goes and will try to keep up with this feature on the blog. 

What did you enjoy this month?