Minimalist Monday | Part 1 of My Closet Tour: KonMari Drawers

Dum DUM dum... Here it is: unedited, raw, messy Part 1 of my Closet Tour, featuring my chest of drawers organized according to the KonMari folding method (if you've never heard about it, here's my review of Marie Kondo's book, 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up'). I know you've all been waiting for it! Hmm, or maybe not. Either way, this is the state of my chest of drawers after having decluttered about 40% of my clothes. There's still a lot left, so I can't exactly call it a capsule wardrobe, but it's something - and I also wanted to write this post for myself to look back on as I continue my journey towards a more minimalist closet.

To give you some sort of visual/ spatial reference, the chest of drawers in question is from the Ikea Malm range - I have the chest on the left, and my husband has a second matching one on the right. They're set against the wall in our bedroom, facing the bed. Because they're quite tall, I can keep some decorative and sentimental items on top, as well as a wooden tray with my current perfumes and jewelry for easy access.

Well, the tour is mostly unedited: I didn't tidy up or alter the organization in any way just for the sake of this post, but I did decide to omit my underwear drawer, for two reasons: first, it's my undies we're talking about, second, it's not really organized or folded using the KonMari method. I keep my bras and underthings separate, but that's about it. Don't worry though, you're not missing much from the tour - here's my sock drawer instead! I used to fold my socks in compact balls to keep the pairs together, but Marie advises against that: so I simply folded the pairs in halves or thirds and set them up vertically. I also used an old shoe box to keep my athletic and no-show socks separate. In the back, I keep extra thick and snowboarding socks I only use occasionally, and in the very front, my most used crew socks, organized by color family.

The second drawer down houses my short and long sleeve tops, as well as tank tops. This drawer has seen quite a big transformation compared to what it looked like before I started to declutter. I used to store all my tops folded on top of each other, and I actually had to keep my summer tops separate, because they wouldn't all fit in one drawer; as a consequence, I rarely wore any of my warm weather clothes. After pairing down the tops, everything fits nicely into one drawer, with some room to spare in the back. From left to right, I have short sleeve tops, long sleeve tops, and small sushi rolls of tank tops and camis. I haven't really put any effort into color-coordinating these with the exception of tanks, but I tend to put freshly laundered tops toward the front of the drawer, in an attempt to rotate them with the stuff from the back. It only works half of the time ;)

The third drawer down contains my sweaters and some of my scarves (mostly off-season and rarely reached for scarves). The two sweaters in the middle of the drawer are stacked on top of one another because they are in fact too thick to stand up vertically. I don't reach into this drawer a whole lot right now as the weather continues to warm up, but I find it pretty functional when I do. This drawer used to stuffed to the brim with just knitwear, but after decluttering, I was able to move my scarves into it from a hanging closet organizer, which we actually don't need anymore.

The second last drawer houses my workout clothes & swimwear on the left and sleepwear on the right. If you're interested in capsule closets or challenges like Project 333 at all, you may know that those two types of clothing are considered 'extras', as they're only worn for very specific purposes - so it made sense in my mind to store them together. Again, the vertical organization works so much better than the awkard piles I had in there before.

Lastly, the bottom drawer contains my bottoms (cue Minion laugh). I have long bottoms on the left, leggings & lounge bottoms in the middle, and shorts and warm weather bottoms on the right (along with some belts I currently use). This drawer also used to be full to bursting with jeans and pants, and now I have some space left that I may use for something else, like maybe the rest of my belts, or my tights and stockings that I keep in a separate box in our closet.

And that's it! Overall, the vertical organization works so much better for me than the old piles: I can see everything I have at a glance, which makes dressing in the morning a lot easier and quicker. One thing I was worried about before making the switch was that the drawers would somehow get messy very easily, but I can honestly say that hasn't been the case at all - when I remove quite a few items and a row starts to fall down, I just push everything to one end to keep it together. By decluttering my clothes and then organizing them properly, I've also been able to see what I clearly have enough of that I used to purchase quite frequently (like socks and leggings), and to visualize my ideal wardrobe color palette - can you already guess what it is from looking at the photos? ;)

Let me know if you have any questions about my drawers at all, I'd love to hear them. Part 2, featuring our walk-in closet where I keep clothes that need to be hung, should be coming quite soon - there's still some reorganizing I'd like to do in there when I have a spare moment. I hope you enjoyed this peek at how I store my clothing, and maybe it has inspired you to tweak your organization to suit your needs in the best way possible. Thank you for reading!

Spring Interlude: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

It's been a long, long winter in New York City; and while I eagerly await first signs of warmer weather every spring, I feel that this year especially I'm craving the sight of delicate blooms and verdant branches. So when the weather turned much more pleasant this week, I decided to go see whether Japanese cherry trees were already blossoming in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and I took my DSLR with me.

I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when it turned out that the beautiful Cherry Walk was not yet in bloom. I brought my current book with me and imagined lounging in the shade of the trees with pink petals showering down in the gentle breeze, but that was sadly not to be the case; also because the Garden was rather crowded on the free admission Tuesday, and finding a peaceful spot would have been quite challenging.

I soon however forgot all about my disappointment, because in fact many cherry trees were in bloom in other parts of the Garden, as well as magnificent magnolias, fragile violets, fragrant narcissi and hyacinths, bright tulips and many more spring-time flowers I can't name.

Blooming cherry and apple trees hold a lot of precious memories for me. Every year in the springtime, when my family drove from Warsaw to Łódź to visit my grandparents, we passed Łowicz on the way, which is the heart of the main fruit bearing region in Poland. We would leisurely drive by the orchards bathed in white and pastel pink, and point out the most beautiful trees to each other, looking forward to warm sunny days and summer holidays.

My parents now have their own garden at the back of the house, and every year they cross their fingers and hope that the overnight ground frost doesn't destroy the delicate buds on the magnolia tree. And you know what? Fortunately, this year it didn't, and their magnolia has more blooms than ever; they showed me the pink tree when we talked on Skype last week. Usually, spring comes to New York City a lot earlier than to Warsaw, but this year it seems that we're on about the same schedule, as magnolias are also in full bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

My mom loves taking close-up photos of various flowers and plants, and when I saw the amazing variety of tulips at the Graden, I just couldn't help myself. How striking is this dark purple tulip with the hints of indigo blue at the very center?

I hope you enjoyed taking a stroll through the Garden with me, especially if you're currently stuck behind a desk as you're reading this, or the weather in your part of the world is cold and dreary - maybe this little glimpse of sunshine and greenery cheered you up a little bit. We'll be back to regularly scheduled beauty programming shortly :)

Minimalist Monday: Into the Heart of Darkness

Belying this extremely dramatic post title, this is just a simple update on how I've been doing in my minimalist explorations in the past month or so. In short: we've moved, we've unpacked, we're enjoying the new apartment and neighborhood. Despite my anxiety over the size of the kitchen and closets in NYC rentals, our new place actually has a bigger kitchen than we've had previously, and a small walk-in closet in the bedroom - it's the first time I've ever had one at my disposal! Granted, it's currently mostly taken up by sports equipment of various shape and purpose, but still really, really fantastic to contain miscellaneous clutter.

So, maybe I shouldn't have panicked about all our stuff, and started getting rid of things because I was worried about being able to fit into the new space (I most definitely shouldn't have - for that specific reason). But you know what? I'm still really, really glad that I did all that decluttering; I can honestly say that I haven't missed a single thing I discarded. What's more, I've actually been decluttering after the move as well - maybe not on such a grand scale as before, but a little here and there every week, and I believe that it continues to make a big difference to our home and my stress levels.

Since that first post, I've made a concentrated effort to familiarize myself with the principles of minimalism, and most importantly, the practical application of those principles in everyday life. I've now read quite a few minimalist and simple living books and subscribed to a couple of minimalist channels on YouTube, and I feel that I'm much better informed than I was even a month ago. When I started my big pre-move purge, I was under the impression that being a minimalist entailed a very strict set of rules, like 'You can only own an X number of clothing items', 'Your skincare routine can't be more than three products', 'Your living space needs to be clean, simple and mostly bare' - and it just didn't seem to fit my lifestyle. But in truth, none of the resources I've turned to advocated any such rules at all - because minimalism isn't a set of rules to follow, it's a mindset, a shift in perspective.

The minimalist mindset is about having MORE of what you love, and none of the things that you don't - and it doesn't just encompass material possesions. Many of the books I've read, in addition to giving tips on purging your closets and streamlining your bathrooom, discussed subjects such as work planning and organization, personal commitments, goal achievement, or even healthy diets. It seems that you can apply the concepts of minimalism to just about any area of your life, to help bring into focus what matters most to you, and stop worrying about the things you don't care about.

Which brings me nicely to the reason for the dramatic title: in order to develop that minimalist point of view, one needs to decide what it is exactly that matters most to them, what they love the most. I don't know about you guys, but it's been proving quite difficult for me - I'm a bit prone to over-analyzing things anyway, but since the beginning of my minimalist experiment, it seems that I'm starting to question anything and everything.

How many pairs of socks does a person need to function comfortably? Could I get away with just one cocktail dress for all my formal occasions? How many different snacks should I keep in the cupboard before I stop remembering what's actually in there? Could I own just one pair of casual sandals, since summer season is so short here? Would it feel better not to have any back-up toiletries under the bathroom sink? What are my daily priorities? What have I been neglecting and what have I been overindulging in? Which unnecessary activities are taking precious time out of my day, which things would I like to spend more time on?

To be honest, it's been a bit exhausting trying to figure out all these things for myself; trying to find a balance between what is too much and what's not enough in each area of my life. Which is mostly why I've been feeling a bit uninspired to blog lately - well, that, and the fact that I haven't actually been trying very many new products lately. So if you have any beauty-related post requests, I'd be forever grateful if you cared to type them down below; I have lots of minimalist post ideas floating around, but I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I'd prefer to space that content out a bit for you guys.

But in general, I feel that I'm moving in the right direction, and it's been good to do a bit of soul-searching and gain some introspective insight about myself, my preferences, priorities, passions. In terms of material stuff, I've found that I get overwhelmed very easily by the size of my wardrobe, and as I'm donating more and more of my clothing, I'm happier about what I have and the outfits I put together from what's left. There are some gaps in my closet, but I've also been trying not to go out and purchase a lot of new things all at once - just a couple things each month, again, so that I'm more mindful about my possesions. It's also becoming easier now to get rid of things I really don't like: a weird pink mug (I don't like pink!), an ugly glass sculpture I once got as a gift, a type of candy I never eat, an ill-fitting bra. It really does feel so much better to only surround yourself with things that are beautiful, or at least useful.

How are you guys doing with your spring cleaning or general decluttering? I was talking to Kar Yi the other day about the minimalist books I've been reading, and she remarked that minimalism has now become a trend and everyone is 'purging'. I however believe that yes, while everyone seems to be getting rid of their old unwanted stuff, that's where it ends for most people - it's not at all about changing one's point of view and habits, and few people are trying to make a lasting change in their lives. What do you guys think?

Minimalist Monday: Marie Kondo's 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up' Book Review

Thank you for all the thoughtful comments and suggestions on my previous (and first!) minimalist post; special thanks to the anonymous reader who recommended I read 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up' by the Japanese guru of decluttering Marie Kondo. Soon after my post, I saw another blogger mention she was reading it, and the universe converged in my finally ordering it from Amazon (by the way, I did try to be a minimalist and get it from my local library, but I would have to wait for another 500 people to read it before me ;).

I was very eager to start reading it, and I devoured the whole book cover to cover within three days. If you're intending to do the same, I would just caution you against reading it in bed - I couldn't fall asleep, I was so over-stimulated by all the decluttering plans in my head. You're probably here for my answer to the most fundamental question: 'Is it worth reading?'. When I recommended it to my brother, he made a joke along the lines of 'What could be so unique about this particular book, it probably just tells you to get rid of your shit'. Yes, that it does. But to me, it was still absolutely worth reading.

If you've previously heard anything about this book at all, it's probably Marie's quirky catch phrase of 'discarding everything that doesn't spark joy'. To her, that the single criterion what should use in deciding what to keep - because the focus of the book is on things that you choose to keep, not the things you toss. She does elaborate on how exactly one is supposed to arrive at that decision (decluterring the entire living space in one fell swoop, the order of categories of things, emptying all the storage first and spreading things on the floor, taking each piece in one's hands, making the instintive decision quickly, expressing gratitude to your things, sorting them into piles of keepers and trash/donations), but essentially, that's all there is to her method. She also gives practical advice on storage solutions, which are extremely simple, examples of mistakes one could be tempted to make, and lastly, how decluttering your home will 'dramatically transform your life' for the better.

I know what you're thinking right now: 'So, did the book help you declutter and organize your apartment before the move?'. Definitely. I would say I had had a strong need to downsize even before reading her book, and it was the final push I needed to finally make some decisions about our belongings. I methodically went through my clothing, toiletries, books, papers, some sentimental items. Among my drawers, cabinets and files I found completely worn out socks, stained camisoles, clothes both too large and too small, supplements that expired in 2009, expired beauty products, damaged towels and sheets, broken cups, a fondue set we were given at our wedding and haven't used even once (Mr is allergic to cheese), novels I had no intention of reading again, Sephora invoices from online orders made in 2011, a work orientation file from 2008, empty manufacturer's boxes for broken phones that we long stopped using. You guys, I'm a pretty tidy and organized person, and generally know where everything is in my home, and how it's found its way there - but I was baffled. And a bit embarassed. And massively happy to throw those things away.

I did stray somewhat from her principles: I didn't dunk everything out on the floor, I didn't really do everything in one go, I have kept some things that don't spark joy (for now). Which is probably why I'm still finding more things I'd prefer to do without. Just the other day I was sitting in my bathtub, scrubbing the blue dye from my legs thanks to a pair of dark blue jeans that so far have been staining my calves for 5 years, and realized how ridiculous that was. Especially that I have another pair of very similar dark jeans that have never stained anything, fit much better and are more comfy to boot!

One area that I struggled the most with was gifts. I own a large amount of clothing and accessories that were generously given to me by family members and friends. Unfortunately, I don't wear the great majority of them, because they're either not my size or my style, or the friends have since turned to frenemies, and their gifts have very bad juju attached to them. Buuut... they were gifts! Someone spent their hard-earned money on them! What if I get rid of something, and the gift giver later asks if I'm still enjoying the present? Here's the quote from the book that resonated with me the most: 'The true purpose of a present is to be received. Presents are not "things" but a means of conveying someone's feelings. When viewed from this perspective, you don't need to feel guilty for parting with a gift. Just thank it for the joy it gave you when you first received it.'

I would say that overall, I tossed at least five garbage bags worth of stuff, and donated another five to Salvation Army. While I could attempt to recuperate the cost of some of my items by selling them to a consignment store or on eBay, I have neither time nor the energy to do that - and I realize it would be a very long process, which I can't have, as we're moving this week. Now, our belongings are still not at the point where they could be even remotely considered minimalist, but I'm okay with that. For now, it's enough for me to know that I am using, and ENJOYING, the things I've decided to keep.

One important point of the book that I have a bit of a problem with is how the followers of the Konmari Method never rebound, never go back to cluttering their lives and homes with extraneous stuff again. Even though I can now see a lot more clearly what I own and love (thanks to having less and the vertical folding method), I still feel the desire to shop for just a few more things to 'complete' my wardrobe. I have since been reading more books about minimalist/ simple living, and they touch on that problem in more detail; I'm thinking of devoting a separate post to that issue, and the solutions that have been keeping me from shopping for more. Let me know it that's something you'd be interested in; or maybe a tour of the closet, once we settle into our new apartment? I'm full of ideas!

Have you read 'The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up'? Have you already applied the Konmari Method to your belongings? Please share your experiences in the comments!

This Make-up Wearer's Manifesto

I'm not sure what to call this round of random musings, and I'm not really sure how to begin - so I'm just going to start typing and see where we end up. This post is about me trying to change my attitude towards wearing make-up, and generally speaking, my lifelong habit of 'saving it for later'. Does this sound vague enough or should I muddle it even further in the preamble?

Well, here's the gist of it. As a stay-at-home wife who lives very far away from most of her friends and all of her family (husband excepted), I spend a lot of time alone, in our apartment. When we moved here to NYC from Bellevue, WA, and I transitioned from working part/full time to just hanging out at home, I decided it would surely be silly to get dolled up every day to do the dishes, read books and occasionally pop downstairs to pick up packages. It's just me, right? I don't need to prove anything or try to impress myself, so why bother?

It turned out to be a bit of a slippery slope. First, I decided against putting make-up on every day (I'm letting my skin breathe!), only reserving it for the times I was going out to run errands or having some sort of social obligations. Then, I couldn't get out of loungy pants (ok, pajama bottoms) and stretched out t-shirts, and often skipped brushing my hair in the morning. And then recently, I've noticed around lunch time that I forgot to eat breakfast that day, haven't touched some nicer pieces in my closet for well over a year, and haven't been to a hairdresser in a year and a half. Wait... what?!

Before you start judging along the lines of 'Wow, she really let herself go' - no, you wouldn't even notice my gradual decline if I didn't just tell you about. Because when I did go out, I still applied my make-up meticulously (come on, I'm a beauty blogger, remember?), spent some time putting together a nice outfit, or even attempted a hair style. I did not suddenly start looking like a bridge troll; I maintained a pulled-together exterior, just became very, very lazy when it was just myself I was keeping company.

What really got me thinking about my attitude towards my own appearance on my 'days off' was my mum, who's been retired for about two years now. I've noticed that she probably now takes MORE care in her make-up, hair and clothes than she used to when she had to get ready for work every morning. She's constantly experimenting with her fashion style, doesn't miss a hair appointment with her stylist, and she's even started to do her nails (big deal here, folks)! So... if she can look nice just for herself, why can't I?

Not an easy answer, that. But I guess what it boils down to is that I generally tend to think the person I am at the moment doesn't deserve the effort of making herself presentable just for her own enjoyment. That the current me isn't good enough to look and feel pretty just because - no, there has to be a reason for me to pull myself together, which usually involves being in the company of other people. So, other people (like, strangers in the street?) deserve not to be put off by an au naturel Monika, but Monika can absolutely make herself feel bad about her messy reflection in the mirror.

You may gather from this that I'm not a very self-loving person, and you're right, I know that, and I AM trying to work on it; I did go see a hair stylist this week, ok? I also realize that self-love extends beyond one's appearance, but since this is a beauty blog after all, I just thought I'd share this shallower aspect with you, hoping that some of you may have similar experiences, and even if you don't, knowing that you're sensitive, emphatic, amazing people and you feel me. But yeah; my first step towards accepting myself as I am now is making the effort to look and feel pretty on the regular.

This also includes (FINALLY!) not saving stuff for later (later, when what? I'm bigger and badder?). Just to clarify, this is not the good kind of delayed gratification like in the famous marshmallow experiment; what I do is more along the lines of: 'Let me torture myself with the crappy stuff right now, and then be so miserable that I won't even feel the gratification of enjoying my favorite products when the times comes to finally pull them out'. But - NO MORE!

So if I feel like slapping on my most expensive foundation to take out the trash, I'll do it, and even if I don't feel like doing it, I'll still make myself do it, just to prove a point. If I feel like wearing a cashmere sweater just to read my book, I'll put it on, and enjoy its warmth and fluffiness. If I crave the spicy scent of my newest Serge Lutens perfume, I'll spritz it on and sniff my wrist every couple minutes while I'm typing up a blog post. Because you know what, my 'good' stuff won't last forever, and I should enjoy it while I have it, and not make myself endure mediocre things in anticipation of using my favorites some day in the unforeseeable future. Right? Right.

I've also been thinking that lately, I want to wear my make-up pretties more often precisely because I don't have to. What I mean by this is that for years, I'd been mostly wearing base make-up to conceal breakouts and hyperpigmentation scars. But in the past couple of months, I've been getting a lot less pimples and clogged pores, the texture and tone of my skin looks more even, and I'm not even as incredibly oily on my nose and forehead as I used to be (have I just jinxed myself? Will report back!). So now that my skin looks alright - not flawless by any stretch of imagination, but really good for me - and I don't need to hide as much, I can enjoy make-up just for the fun of it: the beauty of the products themselves, the variety of textures and colors, the tactile pleasure of putting it on, the experimentation with different placements and shapes. Not that I didn't enjoy all of it before, but without the stressful element of 'Holy crap, pizza face, where's my concealer?!', wearing make-up makes me even happier.

Tell me, do you also struggle with the 'save it for later' attitude towards your clothes and beauty products? I sometimes feel that my stash-reducing projects like empties and Project Make A Dent make it even harder for me to enjoy my bestest things, forcing me to reach for blah products over and over again, while in the meantime, my favorites just sit there gathering dust at best, or even expire and have to be tossed at worst. I also recently realized that my beauty and fashion needs and preferences really change quite often - or, uhm, I'm growing and becoming more discerning, I hope? Either way, this means that something I've just bought thinking it the best thing ever may turn out to no longer hold my attention when I finally start using it couple years down the line, because I'd been so focused on using up other stuff first. Oh, first world problems...

For Fellow Bookworms: My Favorite Books of 2014

I often casually mention here and there what a huge bookworm I am, but I'm quite non-commital when it comes to actually sharing what I've been reading, maybe except for some few and far between library hauls on Instagram. Well, I've decided to put my money where my mouth is and finally pass on some book recommendations - especially fitting now as it's the time of annual 'Best ofs' and some such lists (yes, there IS a beauty round-up coming soon, duh!). Anyway, lo and behold, in no particular order, my favorite books I've read in 2014:

Btw, these are not the books I'm recommending (I'm especially NOT recommending you read Regina Brett), it's just one of the shelves in our bookcase. All of the books I'm recommending (with the exception of one) were library finds, and on that note, New York Public Library is a favorite too, even if they only let me keep the books for 2 weeks at a time.

Kristin Cashore 'Graceling' and 'Fire', 2008 and 2009
Fantasy has always been one of my favorite genres in fiction, and these two first books from the Graceling Realm series cement my love and hope in its future. Why yes, these are children/ young adult books. And yes, contrary to many teen reads making the rounds these days, 'Graceling' and 'Fire' are mature both in subject matter and literary means, but more importantly, they're moving, thought-provoking, gripping and relatable. I found the emotional upheavals of the main characters very haunting, in a similar way I've always found Astrid Lindgren's Ronia the Robber's Daughter incredibly beautiful in its melancholy. I'm probably doing a very poor job of convincing you to read these right now, but I absolutely loved them, and I think you would too.

Isabel Allende 'Ripper', 2014
Wait, what? Isabel Allende of magical realism, The House of the Spirits and Eva Luna, has written a murder mystery? I was intrigued too. Both me and Mr read this one and had some bones to pick with the plot at times, but 'Ripper' also has elements I've loved in other mystery books: a precocious child/ teen sleuth character (similarly to the hilarious and lovable heroine of Alan Bradley Flavia de Luce series) and a serial killers' fanatics club who takes on solving the 'Who dunnit' (similarly to Charlaine Harris' Real Murders/ Aurora Teagarden series). In addition, Ripper also features multiple points of view and a curiously matter of fact style of narrative. Maybe not a 'must read', but an engrossing choice for crime novel (and San Fran!) lovers.

Neil Gaiman, 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane', William Morrow and Company, 2013
Am I totally late to the party? Or maybe you too haven't heard that there's a new(ish) Neil Gaiman book out now? Either way, go read it, it's everything we've come to expect from the author, maybe even in a slightly more unsettling atmosphere. 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' bridges the realms of a short story/ short novel, memories and dreams, the world of adults and the world of children. It paints a beautiful, menacing landscape where things don't always turn out alright in the end, not without grave consequences. Just read it already, you can thank me later.

Donna Tartt, 'The Goldfinch', Little, Brown and Company, 2013
Oooh, Pullitzer Prize winner and shortlisted as one of 10 Best Books of 2013 by New York Times Book Review - are you impressed already? I feel that The Goldfinch has become an Ulysses of the past year, where a lot of people attempt to read it only to get stuck in the first few chapters. I don't think it's entirely fair; not that this is an easy read, but the difficulty lies more in the subject matter than the style of writing for me personally. The Goldfinch features a tragic young hero whom we follow through his struggles and let's admit it, mostly lows, but also some fascinating insights on the art world and the personal meaning of art, similarly to the book I'm going to recommend next. Overall, it's somewhat of a daunting read, but well worth the effort in my opinion.

Susan Vreeland, 'Girl in Hyacinth Blue', Penguin Books, 2000
Not the latest release - but I've actually started with the newer (2012) Susan Vreeland historic art novel, 'Clara and Mr. Tiffany' (also lovely, especially if you're interested in Tiffany's stained glass, early feminist movements and New York City in the 1890s), and worked my way back to 'Girl in Hyacinth Blue' - of which I slightly prefer the latter. This is more of a collection of short stories centered around the common subject of an imaginary Vermeer painting, and the meaning of that work of art in the lives of different people spanning from its creation to modern times. It's not necessarily eye-opening, but I enjoyed the various glimpses into the past and multiple narratives.

Michelle Nevius and James Nevius, 'Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City', Free Press, 2009
Can you see that strangely meandering pattern in the choice of my reading material? I've always enjoyed reading books set in cities I lived in, and living in NYC definitely has the benefit of a lot of fictitious reading material ('Clara and Mr. Tiffany', 'The Goldfinch', and a notable mention of 'The Golem and the Jinni' by Helene Wecker). But sometimes it's a good idea to build a solid basis of hard facts about your city by way of a history book, especially if you get a lot of house guests who enjoy little anecdotes here and there, but would never actually research anything on their own - can you tell I'm speaking from personal experience of a not-always-willing amateur tour guide? I've paged through a couple different books on NYC history but 'Inside the Apple' was definitely a standout: clearly divided into little nuggets of information, interesting, cross-referencing and comes with several guided walk ideas at the end. If you're a fellow New Yorker or a lover of the city, Nevius' book may be worth looking into.

Jonathan Carroll 'Bathing the Lion', St. Martin's Press, 2014
Carroll is back, baby! If you grew up in Poland in the 90s, you're probably very familiar with this American writer and his books, especially the covers of editions published in the 'Salamandra' series. I was trying to explain to my husband how his books were my favorite growing up, and he didn't remember ever reading one, so I did some digging, and get this: his first book, 'The Land of Laughs', couldn't find a publisher for a long time and was finally published thanks to a famous Polish science fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem, whose son Carroll taught in Vienna. Since then, Carroll's books are published first in Poland and often reference elements of Polish culture, as is the case in 'Bathing the Lion'.

The cover of the American edition likens Carroll's writing to Philip K. Dick, Italo Calvino, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Kafka. I do agree that 'Bathing the Lion' starts in a magical realism fashion, but then quite unexpectedly takes off in several different directions. It's a bit of a mind bender, and after devouring it through the course of one fine Saturday, my thoughts keep returning to the plot and its possible meanings. I definitely recommend it. If it helps you decide, Neil Gaiman recommends it too.

Enough with the favorites, time for the one major unfavorite for this year: Allure 'The Beauty Expert' (quote unquote purely mine) magazine, and women's magazines in general. Here's a bit of background to my story: a while ago, I used to have a yearly subscription to Allure, which I enjoyed, and when that was up and I found a very inexpensive subscription option for six months, I went for it it again. I've always treated women's lifestyle magazines as a very frivolous, brain fart sort of reading material, but with this round of Allure, I've ceased to enjoy it even in that role. I find the topic selection quite boring, the quality of writing sub par, the product recommendations untrustworthy, and overall content light years behind blogs and online platforms.

But get this - Allure probably felt beauty blogs encrouching on their territory, and wanted to appear progressive and generous of spirit, so they launched their own best beauty blogs competition. I am aware that the contest helped some bloggers build their audience and brand relationships (good for them!), but I can't help but feel that Allure is somehow taking advantage of participants to promote their own magazine. In the time of widespread outrage at undisclosed sponsorships, PR samples and hidden commercial content, doesn't it seem kinda convoluted to you that bloggers would be pointing their readers in the direction of a magazine where those practices are everyday bread and butter? Maybe I'm taking quite a radical stance, but either way, I won't be subscribing to Allure any longer, and I'm switching my in-flight reading material to National Geographic these days. What do you guys think - do you still read beauty and fashion magazines?

That big rant aside, I do hope you enjoyed browsing through my favorite reads for this year and have found something that piqued your bookwormy interest. Let me know if you've read any of these and if so, what were your thoughts, but more importantly PLEASE share your book picks for 2014 - I'm forever looking for good recommendations!

Cute Christmas Gift Idea: Korean Planners and Minted Custom Wall Art

I realize it's probably too late for most people to speak of any gift ideas, but these were just too cute not to share with you - and it's something a little different than beauty! So, even if these ideas are not entirely doable this year, you could keep them in mind for next Holiday season, or even a birthday or other special occasion.

One of the things I like to gift my friends and family for Christmas are cute calendars and planners. I feel that it's something almost everyone uses and needs (especially for the beginning of the new year) but maybe doesn't necessarily want to splurge on a really nice one themselves. In the past, I've gone the classic Moleskine route, but this year I thought I wanted something a little less run-of-the-mill. After a VERY long research session on various websites, Amazon and Etsy, I completely fell down the Korean stationery rabbit hole. I mean really - can you get ANY more adorable than this?!

2015 Gunmangzeung Simple Light Monthly Small Dated Planners in Circus and Bonjour patterns

2015 Gunmangzeung My Daily Life Dated Small Diary in Red, PlanD Matryoshka Index Sticky Note Set, Iconic Sticky Book in the Vintage pattern

I ordered all of the planners you see here from the Korean online store Fallindesign, but you can also search for the specific ones on eBay. The downside of ordering through Fallindesign was that I paid about $20 in shipping, while eBay shipping options are often free or very affordable, but the upside was that I was ordering from an established and trustworthy retailer, and my order was delivered within two weeks, everything inside packaged impeccably. The paper quality in all of these planners is great, and I love that they come with a plastic cover; however, please note that the patterned journals are not hard cover, which makes them less sturdy but not as heavy to carry around.

Gunmangzeung Monthly Simplanner Special Edition (undated) in the Apple pattern

2015 Indigo Willow Story Illustration Pattern Undated Monthly Scheduler in Yellow, Smile Sticky Memo Notes - Owl

Now, if you DON'T want to go through the hassle of ordering from the evil Bay or a store overseas, I have another option for you. Shortly after I placed my order for these Korean planners, I was contacted by the US-based custom paper goods retailer Minted.com. This was one of those times when I was genuinely happy to hear from a brand I hadn't known about beforehand, because I was sucked into Minted's offerings pretty much instantenously.

Minted.com is like a curated collection of beautiful things from graphic designers all over the world, which you can pick out and customize to fit your own needs. They have everything (do I sound like the Stefon character from SNL?): wall art in a variety of sizes and frames, customizable journals and notebooks, personal stationery, Holiday greeting cards, even fabrics and stickers. Not only are their adorable designs very hard to resist (I challenge you NOT to find something you like on their website!), it makes me feel good that I can contribute to the income of an actual living breathing designer. Here are some of my top picks with links:

I Love Baking and Math Art Print // Do Small Things with Great Love Customizable Planner, Address Book or Notebook // Read Textured Blocks Art Print // Blue Bird Personal Stationery // Hello Love Day Planner, Notebook or Address Book // New York City Map Foil Art Print // Classic Posy Personal Stationery // Mid-Century Moments Art Print

Again, it's probably a bit too late to use these ideas for this upcoming Holiday season, but how wonderful would be to pick out a custom gift for your loved one next year? Maybe a weekly planner with their photo and a meaningful quote on the inside cover, or an art print that relates to where they live or what their interests are, or even a personalized stationery for exchanging snail mail. I'm definitely storing these ideas for later.

Are you guys stationery-obsessed too? Do you like giving customized gifts? Let me know in the comments what your best Holiday gift ideas are this season!

Disclaimer: This post has been published in cooperation with Minted.com. I am receiving a store credit in exchange for featuring my top picks from Minted on my blog; this way I can also try out their services myself and let you know what I think of them. After I order and receive my goodies, you can expect an update with specifics on quality, turnaround time and delivery. I've purchased all the other products featured myself and they are actual presents I'm gifting some family members and friends this Holiday season. All links are non-affiliate. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as (future) free press samples. Thank you for reading!

'Stay sane inside insanity...' Rocky Horror Picture Show Collaboration

'I said hey listen to me. Stay sane inside insanity, but he locked the door and threw away the key.' - Columbia, Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Happy Halloween, my dears!!! I hope you're having fun gallivanting around in your fantastic costumes (who did you go as? Please share in the comments!) while me and husband are stuffing ourselves with take-out sushi and watching a movie on Netflix - yes, you guessed correctly, we're not that into dress-up parties. But I do love theatrical Halloween make-up, and my blogging pal Liz from So Lonely In Gorgeous suggested we transform ourselves into characters from the cult movie Rocky Horror Picture Show for the occasion. Here's the result of my efforts:

Something a bit different after all these boring neutral FOTDs I've been posting, huh? :) I also thought it would be fun to take a few shots of the process - it did take me an inordinate amount of time to complete my look as it was my first time attempting to erase my eyebrows. Well, lots of swearing, fallen brow hairs and half a glue stick later, I think the result is quite decent for my first try.

While I was changing myself into Columbia, I reflected that it's generally a very convincing look for fair-skinned redheads, and I know there's a fair number of you reading this blog; so maybe a costume idea for next year's Halloween party? I decided to skip a full product breakdown for you, but I will say that Graftobian Hi-Def foundation in Buff made my life a whole lot easier for this look. I've also used La Femme blush in Mocha for the cheeks and MAC's Cockney lipstick (interestingly enough, my wedding lipstick shade).

Please check out Liz's take on Magenta - I, for one, can't wait to see her transformation.

Don't Dream It, Be It!

My Fortnight in Beauty

Hello, stranger! I haven't actually sat down to write in quite a while; the posts you've been reading in August were all pre-scheduled for the time I was entertaining the family, and then on top of that, we had another house guest shortly after, and THEN it was my wedding anniversary/birthday weekend, and the idea of being glued to my laptop didn't quite appeal - or maybe I've just gotten out of practice. But I'm back!

To ease my way back into the swing of things, I've decided to share two weeks from my beauty diary - not that I actually keep one, it's just to sum up what has been going on with me and the products I've been using. If you like this type of posts, please check out Kar Yi's 'The Fortnight Face' and Liz's 'Makeup Diary', which inspired me to pour my oh-so-deep skincare and make-up thoughts out on these pages.

Let's start with the skin. In short, it's been shitty. The nearly three weeks that my in-laws stayed with us, my skin's been really bothering me: oily and dehydrated, with lots of larger breakouts, mostly on both cheeks - and when the first wave had finally healed, new ones popped up in the exact same area. Why?! I'm still nursing my face back to an acceptable state, but I think what helped to stop the constant crop of pimples was my previously underrated tube of Coral Actives 5% Benzoyl Peroxide Penetrating Acne Serum Gel. BP usually doesn't work great on my skin, but this time, it seems to have done the trick; lesson learnt that hoarding various acne treatments in the skincare drawer for desperate times can actually be a pretty good idea.

I've also been working my way through Murad's Essential-C range of moisturizers; when I first tried these I liked the Day Moisture SPF 30 more than the Night Moisture, which seemed too heavy and sticky, but I've since changed my mind. In fact, it's the daytime cream that's now too greasy and never seems to fully absorb into my skin, while the night cream, especially when applied on top of Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle, sinks in nicely and feels comfortable. But I wouldn't actually repurchase either; what I am considering buying in the full size is the Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel. Lightweight but hydrating, non-tacky and perfect for both mornings under make-up and overnight.

For the base make-up, I've been sticking to a long-lasting foundation by way of Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, and setting it with both Make Up For Ever HD Powder and Skindinavia No More Shine Makeup Finish (I remain unconvinced whether the latter does anything to keep my skin matte, but I'm desparate to use it up). For concealing those pesky spots, I just can't quit Becca's Dual Coverage Compact Concealer - can someone please tell me to finally throw it out?! I guess I really like the convenience of a cream concealer in a pot.

Cheeks are the area where I mixed the old with the new: still trying to make a more significant dent in both NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink and the NYX Powder Blush in Angel. I've been really enjoying using the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer this summer, and for a warmer cheek, I've been pairing it with Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled. Over the years, I've noticed that I get into real phases with blushes, where I fall in love with a particular shade and reach for it over and over again, until I finally make myself swap it out for something else from my collection. I've also put on some Canmake Cream Cheek in Clear Pink Joy here and there, but it failed to hold my attention away from the Tarte Dazzled.

I've been all about quick and boring eye make-up, with cream eyeshadow sticks and smudgy eyeliner being my preferred eye make-up routine. Firm favorites: Clinique Chubby Stick For Eyes in Ample Amber and Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in Dusk, paired with Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Whiskey and copious layers of Benefit BADgal Lash. Contrarily to 95% of the Internetz (the percentage has been scientifically eyeballed by yours truly), I much prefer Benefit's BADgal to They're Real, and the big bonus is that it doesn't smudge or transfer on me.

So here's my ultra boring, neutral warm face, abundant in enlarged pores, spots, acne scars and summer freckles. The only area where I experimented on a nearly daily basis for the past 2-3 weeks was my lipstick; I frequently swapped out formulas and shades to suit my mood or sometimes even my outfit - I know, FANCY. The experience of having very limited access to my vanity (which is awkwardly situated in our apartment hallway, so for the comfort of my guests I just piled up my makeup essentials into a basket, grabbed my mirror and brush cup and moved all that to our bedroom) hasn't been as tedious as expected; since I was pressed for time to get ready in the mornings, I enjoyed the smaller selection of products. Now that I can use all of my collection again, I feel that I already have a lot of fantastic products in my stash that I missed using, and I don't feel the need to buy any new make-up for the time being - but I'm already planning my wishlist for the Sephora VIB sale in late October :)

So how have you been, my lovely readers? I missed talking to you! And by the way, thank you so much for all of your happy birthday wishes on Twitter - it made my day that much happier.

Going with the flow, or going with the crowd?

This is going to be a bit of a different post - so if you're not a blogger yourself, or actively involved in the beauty blogging community, the following might not be of any interest. But for those in a similar conundrum: the blogging blahs have settled, and in my experience if I don't air out whatever is currently bothering me, there may be here for good. So here are some random observations about the state of the beauty blogging union, and my place in all of this.

When I started this blog back in 2009, blogosphere was very much a different beast altogether. Reading blogs was still a relatively niche past-time, being a blogger was very alternative - or simply weird for non-blogging people. Blogs seemed more personal, and intimate, and the community was tight but open to newcomers. That's why it was so enticing to be a part of it; I wanted a space to let the creative juices flow and show my point of view, and I wanted likeminded friends to discuss all things beauty. To a lot of you, it might still be the case - but I feel like something HAS changed.

In 2014, many of those beauty blogs are now competitive buisnesses. Sure, businesses with a strong focus on writing, product photography and social media presence - but so are women's magazines. It's all about the New! Just Released! Limited Edition!, PR samples, press events. Churning out swatches and a review the minute you lay your eyes on a product, because it's all about who can be the fastest, who has the freshest trend. Posts at different blogs featuring a newly released product come all at the same time like a huge wave, and it's really rather interesting (dare I say, annoying?) to see five subsequent Instagram photos from different bloggers featuring the exact same eyeshadow palette that has just landed on their doorsteps. The more posts and YouTube videos about the same product, the more hype around the product, the more people are frantically trying to purchase, now now now, before it's gone.

Now, for a necessary disclaimer: I absolutely do not begrudge successful bloggers' success, or the fact that they have been able to make a career out of something they love. I also understand that what beauty blogs focus on are essentially commercial products, and so brand relationships form and have to be maintained. But - it IS walking a thin line between being truthful to yourself and fearing a cold shoulder from a big company, and no amount of disclaimers is going to change it. Some pull it off with more aplomb than the others, and that's were my readership preferences lay - but that's something you absolutely have to judge by yourself.

What I'm trying to say is that the beauty blogosphere is not what it used to be, and I don't regard is as something pejorative - call it progress or necessary evil, it just is what it is. My feeling though is that in the new blogging landscape, there's a certain paradigm choice to be made: are you going with your own flow, or are you going with the crowd? What's your focus? New collections, swatches and lightning fast reviews, or staying true to your unique perspective, true time-tested favorites, less popular products that really work and deserve a mention? I'm going to be quite blunt: the latter approach is not going to generate as many page views, or give you as many readers - you know, what most people would call blogging success. But is carving your own niche worth it for YOU?

It is worth it for me. I'm not a big player - there, I said it. What I get from beauty blogging are not free samples of the newest products, invitations to press events, external motivation in the form of readers and page ranks; although I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the rare brand outreach, or am not overjoyed over gaining new followers or seeing some nice stats for the month (thank you!!!). The reason I have been blogging for so long and do not intend to quit (come on, I'd be like abandoning my own baby!) is that I get a tremendous satisfaction from the very process of creating, from post ideas, through product photography, to actual writing - about something I love and feel passionate about. And still, the sense of community: so many wonderful readers, friends on and offline. You really are my tribe.

Practically, it means that you won't see many newest product releases, reviews and swatches here on Rocaille Writes. That might be a disappointment to some of you - and I understand. But from what my gut is telling me (and from what I can gather from your very enthusiastic response to the Anti Make-up Phase post), a lot of you are not here for it. What you will see on Rocaille Writes are products I'm truly enthusiastic about, be it old or new, from small or big brands, product comparisons so you don't need to spend your hard earned cash on everything that gets the hype, my own interpretations of current trends, thoughts on the blogging process, quality over quantity of posts, my struggles, experiments, randomness; whatever is on my mind as a writer. If I'm not going to sit with the popular girls because of that - so be it.

And yes, observing the current state of the beauty blogosphere can sometimes be quite depressing, and frustrating, and blogging blahs-inducing; but we shall withstand the storms and persevere. And maybe try not to look at those stats too often, and not compare myself - in the end, I can only be me, but I strive to be the best me that I can. Love you, my unique, fearless, no-bullshit readers. Friends.

Angelic White Eyes with Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost

It's such a stunning, warm, sunny, SPRINGY day today in New York City! I don't care that it's going to be below freezing tomorrow again, for now I'm definitely feeling spring - so I whipped up a semi-simple angelic white Face Of The Day to share with you.

White eye make-up is very much in at the moment, and while usually I can't really be bothered with trends, I thought this was quite 'me'... and a chance to feature a previously undiscussed Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Sugar Frost. You might remember from my older review of the shade 'Grey Pearl' (clickety click!) that I'm a huge fan of the Caviar Stick formula, and 'Sugar Frost' is no different; although compared to Grey Pearl, the texture is a bit less refined and the finish more frosted. On its own, it does give a beautiful, glossy, almost 'wet' look to the lids though, and has since made its way into my current make-up rotation.

For this delicate eye look, I decided to use 'Sugar Frost' as a base on the mobile lid, and a tiny dab in the inner corners. I then applied the shade 'Virgin' from the Urban Decay Naked 1 palette over the Caviar Stick on the lid, and very lightly defined my crease with 'Naked' from the same palette. For my pop of pure white, I pressed some NYX Single Eyeshadow in 'White Pearl' on the inner corners and on the centre of the lid above my pupil, blending out the edges. I finished the eyes with a generous coat of Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara in Black.

On the rest of my face, I'm wearing Bourjous Healthy Mix Serum foundation (reviewed here), BECCA Dual Compact Concealer on blemishes and the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque under my eyes. I applied some NYX Powder Blush in Angel (sic!) onto my cheeks and set the whole face with Make Up For Ever HD Powder. Lastly, I applied a couple swipes of Revlon Superlustrous Shine Lipstick in Kissable Pink (more swatches here) on my lips and tapped the color in with my finger for a more natural finish.

L-R: NYX White Pearl eyeshadow, Urban Decay Virgin, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost, NYX Powder Blush in Angel, Revlon Superlustrous Shine Lipstick in Kissable Pink

This look is a bit of a throwback for me - in highschool, I used to apply the exact shade of white pearl eyeshadow to highlight the inner corners of my eyes almost every single day. Nowadays, I feel that pure white can be a bit too much for everyday, although with my current very pale skin, I can almost pull it off. I wouldn't however recommend using a pure white eyeshadow if you're much darker than me, unless you're going for a more mod/rocker look. I also completely skipped eyeliner, because I felt that would look too harsh against the white and the eyes would lose some of that subtle, dreamy quality. In this version, I opted for light, cooler pinks on the rest of the face, but I think the white eyes would also look fantastic with a light peach cheek/lip combo.

Have you tried wearing the white eye look already? What is your favorite spring make-up trend?

2014 New Year's Resolutions

Happy 2014! I hope you guys had a lot of fun partying - I certainly enjoyed my old soul's ways of drinking very little, going to bed quite early and having my belly massaged by a wandering cat (hey, I know I'm not alone in this! Don't you laugh now!).

I figured that some New Year's resolutions are de rigueur; well, who am I kidding, I actually enjoy making my resolutions and trying to stick to them throughout the year - my will power is probably the only thing I like to excerise. To be honest though, I haven't made any Earth shattering realizations as of late... for once, I'm quite content with how the things are going here on Rocaille Writes. In 2014, I'd like to continue on the same blogging path, both frequency and quality-wise. In terms of stash-reducing efforts, I think last year's rule of 2 products per month proved to be a doable challenge that's worth sticking to this year as well, and I'll keep on trying to use up my stash and bringing you quaterly empties posts this time.

One thing I would like to work on is including you guys more in my life overall, not just its blogging aspects. You might be surprised to learn that for a blogger, I'm quite a private person and have an innate dislike for public bragging and self-promotion. However, I do feel that oftentimes I'm missing out on getting to know you, my fantastic readers, and the first step to knowing you would actually be to show myself a bit more. So, practically speaking, you can expect a bit more random posts throughout the year 2014, be it tags, photo collages or travel journals. Where possible, I'll also try to show beauty through other angles, bringing you more variety in reviews and make-up looks.

Here's to an amazing and abundant 2014!