I Turned 30 This Week & This Is How I Celebrated

That's right, the big 3-0! Happy birthday to me! This post is going to be a bit of a departure from all the recent product reviews; something more along the lines of 'A Week in Photos' series I once wanted to do on the blog so you could get to know me a little better on a personal level. As you may know from this ramble, or may have realized along the way, I don't post hauls here anymore. I know that 'What I Got for My Birthday' posts or videos are always click-worthy (and certainly a great way for the birthday person to look back on their special day), but I wanted to share something different instead: all the fun and extraordinary experiences I've had this week to celebrate the occasion. This is not to say that I haven't received (or bought for myself) any gifts - it's just to shift the focus a little bit from 'having' to 'doing'. I hope you enjoy!

On Labor Day (Monday), my husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. In general, we're not big on anniversary presents but we like treating ourselves to a fun night out together. This year we've been going to quite a few concerts; not those crowd-packed dancing by the stage type rowdy affairs because we're much too introverted for that, but more of a 'seated at the table, enjoying cocktails/ snacks and listening to live music' type of events. So for our anniversary, we booked a table at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola to listen to Robin Eubanks & the Mass Line Big Band. We love going to jazz concerts but it just so happens that we've never seen a big band performance before, so it was a very memorable experience. We were seated right by the window (the venue is located in Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle) so we could also enjoy the view of the park and shimmering lights of the city in the distance. Since cocktails are out at the moment (I'm 8 months pregnant and Mr is taking antibiotics), we decided to order dinner, and I was very pleasantly surprised by my vegan 'risotto cake' entree. Even though the dish was a simple combination of rice and veggies, it packed a ton of flavor from heirloom tomato sauce and firm, lightly sauteed pieces of squash and green beans. If you're a fellow New Yorker - or visiting - and you like jazz music, I definitely recommend Dizzy's.

On Tuesday, I relaxed at home and tried not to get too caught up on my regular to-do list. I didn't do anything special, but I wanted to take some time to pamper myself in the evening. I redid my badly chipped manicure - I opted for a never before worn bottle of Zoya Toni, a dark blackberry plum shade. I love those vampy shades on the nails but then I sort of ruined the mani by applying an old and gloopy top coat, which now - 48 hours later - is still not completely hardened and causing bed sheet creases and the like. Lesson learnt; and needless to say the top coat went straight into the empties bag. In the evening, I took a soothing cool shower using some new products I recently ordered from Ulta (even though I still think body scrubs are not absolutely necessary in my routine, I really enjoy my repurchase of Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub), and applied a luxuriously hydrating face mask from Laneige (reviewed here). I currently tend to get very tired at night and can't get out of the bathroom fast enough before I fall asleep, but I really wanted to do a little something for myself and loved looking at my freshly polished nails.

On Wednesday (my actual birthday) I had a doctor's appointment in the morning to check up on the baby bean. You guys may think it was silly of me to go to the doctor on my birthday - I mean, people generally don't find doctor's visits very alluring - but I quite like going to my obstetrician. The entire office is friendly and efficient, but most of all, I get to hear baby's heartbeat and feel reassured that he's doing just fine in there. I also learnt that his head is very low now, so that's probably the reason right there why I have to get up every 2 hours at night for a trip to the bathroom, lol. On my way back, I stopped at a Sephora store to redeem my free birthday gift and have a little look around. I purchased Sephora brand Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes to pack in my hospital bag, and was seriously tempted by Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick, but decided to put it on my wishlist for the November VIB sale instead. My cashier that day was genuinely kind as well - we had a nice chat about Zoya polishes, and she assured me the make-up wipes were really good :)

On my walk home from the subway station, I went into Sugarcube Patisserie in Long Island City for a decadent sweet treat. I opted for their tasting menu of handmade gelato + pastry, and I ordered a small latte to balance out the sweetness. I've had their gelato before and thought it was excellent - this time I got hazelnut as well as mango & passionfruit sorbet - and the Middle Eastern-inspired cheesecake I chose for my pairing didn't disappoint either. I'd definitely recommend Sugarcube for a sweet treat if you're ever in the area; but mind you, the pairing is a very large dessert and I kinda wished I could share it with someone :)

When I got home I had some PR packages waiting for me, and it just never gets old for me you guys - opening those up always feels like Christmas. But I satisfied myself with a quick peek and turned on the laptop to Skype with my parents, who wanted to wish me happy birthday 'in person'. In general, it was a day of long-distance video calls: later on I also FaceTimed with my brother, and then with my best friend late in the evening. I felt touched that they all remembered and wanted to chat on the day. I also received lots of birthday emails, and again really appreciated the thought - lots of people prefer now to write something quick on your Facebook wall and while that's nice, I don't really use Facebook anymore so I was doubly thankful a lot of people remembered that and chose to send an email instead. Other than that, I relaxed, watched some YouTube, and did a quick spot of blogging - I guess the latter was the most productive part of my day.

After my husband came back home from work in the late evening, he surprised me with an entire cake from one of my favorite French bakeries in the city, and he also bought 30 candles for me to blow out. I'm obviously not telling you my birthday wish - but I did manage to blow out all thirty in one go :) He also gave me a gift certificate to a nail salon in our neighborhood, which I was super happy to receive - while I still enjoy doing my own manis, at-home pedicures are nigh on impossible with my very large watermelon belly, and I would definitely like to squeeze one more in before I deliver. Apparently the certificate is also only part of the gift; he wanted to give me something while we're waiting for the other part to come in the mail. It's all very mysterious and I love the anticipation - it makes the present that much more exciting :)

Overall, I had a perfectly beautiful, peaceful and happy birthday. I felt pampered and cherished and even though we did not have some huge celebration, it was exactly how I wanted it. Early in the week, I also indulged in some online shopping: I ordered two make-up bags from Korean brands in incredibly cute patterns (I'll definitely show them to you once they get here, but as they're being shipped from South Korea, it will take a few weeks), and placed an order at The Body Shop for some bath and body products - I have been missing having their body butter in my stash, and I'm really unhappy with my current make-up remover so I got their Silky Cleansing Oil among other things. Oh - and I also bought lots of new knickers from Aerie. My current underwear is a state - and mostly too small to boot.

There you have it - I hope you enjoyed this glance into my birthday week. In case you're wondering if I feel any different or perhaps a little sad not to be 20-something anymore, than my answer would be no: I guess to me it doesn't feel like a milestone, it just feels like another date. I enjoyed my twenties, but I think my thirties are going to bring even better and bigger things; you know, what with the arrival of a new family member and taking on a whole new role in my life. Also thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday on Instagram/ Twitter - I never cease to appreciate your guys' support and kind words. Thank you for reading!

Skin and Body in Pregnancy: My Experience & Products I Use

Excitement levels are running high - I only have six weeks left until my due date! How crazy is that? But before our baby boy arrives, I wanted to write one last pregnancy-related post about my experience of carrying a human bean in my belly for over 9 months. If you're not interested in preggo stuff - please click away now, I may be oversharing some details; I do however think it's important to have an open discussion among women about their different experiences and struggles. Knowledge is power!

Baby bump at 32 weeks; photo by my talented BFF Mariya.

Overall, I am very grateful to have had an easy, comfortable, and healthy pregnancy thus far. If you remember my two other pregnancy updates (announcement here and gender reveal here), right from the very beginning I've been feeling well and suffered very few pregnancy symptoms that can make a preggo's life a living hell. I have not had any nausea whatsoever, in general I have maintained good energy levels, I have been sleeping well (even with the frequent bathroom trips), I haven't had almost any digestive issues or swelling, no cramping or bleeding. I have had the most normal pregnancy imaginable - but not only has my well-being been great, more importantly, as far as all tests and scans go, the baby has also been doing great, growing and developing steadily and swimming energetically from one side of my belly to the other (especially at 3am in the morning ;)

I am stressing all this because I'm sure all women, especially of child-bearing age, have heard pregnancy horror stories left and right, be it from well-meaning family members or anxious friends. Personally, after hearing all these accounts and retellings, it almost seemed to me like it was impossible to feel well and enjoy being pregnant - like things were bound to go downhill at some point or another. I only knew of one friend whose pregnancy experience has been overwhelmingly positive - ONE! If you've been considering having a child (or children) some time in the future but are worried about how your body will handle growing another human; please don't be. There's no way to predict what your personal experience may be, and feeling stressed and anxious over it certainly won't make anything better. I don't think there's any guarantee one way or another - sure, it's good to keep in shape and practice healthy habits beforehand, but as to specific symptoms etc... We really can't know until we get there. I was in fact quite resigned to the fact that I may be feeling awful when pregnant, and I was also worried about being able to conceive due to some medical history I won't bore you with - but all of that stress and anxiety turned out to be completely unfounded and unnecessary. Pregnancy CAN be healthy, enjoyable and happy; let's all try to remember that.

Now in my third trimester, I have definitely started feeling... quite pregnant. As of my last doctor's appointment, I have gained approx. 25 pounds. My family and friends are kind enough to claim that it's all in the bump; I do feel like my belly is rather on the large size, and it protrudes a lot in the front (I like to call it a watermelon). I have gone up between 1-2 bra sizes (larger cup as well as band size) and I think my hips are somewhat bigger as well, but all things considered I think it's not too bad. Because of the size/ weight of the baby bump and joint-loosening hormones coursing through my body, I have been experiencing pain in my left hip/ inner thigh area, which is making walking increasingly challenging - but you know, living in NYC, I still do it anyway - and then silently curse myself for not taking a cab ;)

So far - knock on wood - I have not noticed any stretch marks anywhere on my body. I have not had any stretch marks prior to pregnancy either, but I also realize I may still get them mere weeks before delivery, so I guess we will just have to wait and see. As far as bodycare, I have been using lots of moisturizers on the bump & rump area every single evening after shower, sometimes in the morning as well. I also like to scrub and massage my body quite thoroughly in the shower using lots of body wash and a loofa to get some good blood circulation and exfoliate all those dead skin cells. I haven't personally experienced a lot of dry skin or itchiness, which I understand can be quite common. The eczema on my hands, if anything, has been a bit better than in the past few years.

When it comes to the actual products I've been reaching for, I have not bought a single anti-stretch mark cream or belly balm or any of those other lotions and potions geared specifically towards pregnant women. As far as I know, stretch marks are genetic anyway, and while moisturizing your body can go a long way towards minimizing them/ making them heal faster, there's no proven skincare ingredient to completely prevent them or have them disappear. So I didn't bother paying more just to have a product labelled for pregnancy, and instead have been using lotions I've already had in my stash, as well as my new favorite body oil, the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil* ($45 for 100ml/ 3.3 fl. oz spray bottle at us.nuxe.com and Ulta, smaller sizes also available - the Limited Edition bottle in the photo looks full because it's my second one; my husband also uses it as a beard oil). It smells heavenly of sweet tropical florals and absorbs quickly into the skin, sealing in moisture. I have also been using the Prodigieux Shower Oil* ($15 for 200ml/ 6.7 fl. oz, here and here) from the same range, which feels nourishing on the skin and gives excellent slip for shaving. It also makes my skin look very luminous thanks to all the luxurious golden shimmer :) I have tried using coconut oil as well but felt like it was a bit too heavy for me, whereas most regular body lotions are currently too thin/ lightweight. I think for me personally, body butters and oils are the way to go.

I haven't observed any major changes in my hair or nails. My nails have always been strong and they grow fast, and that hasn't changed. My hair also grows quite quickly, and since I haven't dyed it for over two years now, it's all healthy, shiny, sleek virgin hair. I do use good conditioners and leave-in sprays in my hair, but it's now quite long and I do not have any split ends - that's probably a first. In my photos, you may catch a glimpse of my baby bangs; I now have long baby hair growing on both sides of my forehead. I've also noticed a lot less hair on my brush after detangling or styling, but I wouldn't say my hair looks or feels any thicker or fuller than before. That may actually be a good thing - I'm hoping to avoid dramatic hair loss post partum.

As far as the skin on my face - which is probably the most important to the vast majority of women - I'm very happy to say that it improved in pregnancy. Prior to getting pregnant, I have struggled with acne for most of my teenage and adult life. I have noticed quite quickly - within the first couple of months - that I was getting a lot less breakouts and absolutely no cystic acne, which had been my biggest struggle in the past. Overall, my skin is now more even in texture and tone, but I think my sebum production is only slightly diminished - my skin type is still combination. It can get very oily on the T-zone, but we're also currently in the hot & humid summer season here in NYC, so I'm sure that contributes to the oiliness as well. To help with any congestion, I have been quite diligent about using chemical exfoliants on my face twice a day; you can read more about my current skincare routine here.

The only acne/ skin texture I have been somewhat struggling with during pregnancy has been on my chest - and, uhm, belly. I had had congested pores on my chest before getting pregnant as well, but I feel that for the first 4-5 months, it unfortunately got worse. I just tried not to pay too much attention to it, made sure I was washing that area thoroughly every night and extended all of my facial exfoliants all the way down my neck and chest, and after those 5 months, it has pretty much all cleared up - either thanks to my efforts or just a spontaneous shift in hormones. But now that I've been acne-free, I have noticed a different issue - lots of tiny little skin tags all over my mid-section. They're so little that they eventually dry out and get scrubbed off anyway, but they're just... a bit strange and slightly annoying, especially if I mindlessly scratch one by accident. I do hope they go away post-partum :)

In terms of hyperpigmentation or melasma, which are also common concerns in pregnancy, I have not noticed anything out of ordinary. I am quite fair and naturally prone to freckles and hyperpigmenation anyway, so I have been making sure to apply lots of high SPF sunscreen on my face and chest (Mentholatum Sunplay SPF 50+ Super Block PA++++, reviewed here) as well as other exposed areas of my body (Neutrogena Sensitive Skin SPF 60+) any time I go outside, and I try to limit my sun exposure as much as possible. So far, I don't think my existing dark spots have gotten any worse or that I have got a lot of new ones, although I am always somewhat more freckly in the summer - that's just hard to avoid completely with my coloring. Speaking of pigmentation, I do have quite a visible linea negra on my belly, but thankfully it's not super dark - just a tan color, pretty much exactly the shade of my freckles. I'm sure it will fade completely a few months after delivery.

In general, I have not been very particular about avoiding lots of specific ingredients in skincare (or even my food aside from the obvious ones like alcohol or raw meat). Sure, I've put away all of my retinol and salicylic acid products for the time being, but I haven't been scrutinizing INCI lists looking for ingredients some people deem toxic, or irritating to the skin. I pay a lot of attention to ingredients any time I shop for skincare anyway, so I feel like I've done my due diligence regardless of pregnancy. There's lots of fear mongering out there and many pregnant women make the decision to switch to natural/ organic/ green beauty products, believing they're much better for them and safer for the baby. However, reality is a little more complicated than that - especially that the natural beauty market isn't in fact regulated by law in the United States. What I'm saying is - just do your own research.

I think that's about all I wanted to say on this topic - please let me know if you have any questions by leaving me a comment. The gorgeous maternity photos I used to illustrate this post were taken by my talented best friend Mariya, who flew all the way from Seattle to spend a few days with me and give me the much needed female emotional support. Thank you, bae! Big thanks to Claire from the Land of Lorp and Allison from 10am Beauty for listening to my rants on Twitter and giving lots of helpful preggo/mama advice. And lastly, thanks to Nuxe for providing me with ample amounts of Huile Prodigieuse to smear all over my watermelon belly :) Just a few more weeks to go, you guys!!!

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Some of the K-Beauty brands & products you can score at the Peach & Lily Sample Sale.

In completely other news, me and Kar Yi are planning to attend the Peach & Lily 2nd Annual K-Beauty Sample Sale on Wednesday 8/24 at Stollway 250 W 39th St (between 7th & 8th Ave). The sale starts at 8am and goes on until 10pm (or until supplies last) and I thought I'd share this event with you in case you're a fellow Korean Beauty lover. RSVP by emailing events@peachandlily.com - even if you're not quite sure you're coming yet, it doesn't cost anything to get your name on the list. The brands you can grab at up to 80% off include Be The Skin, Cremorlab, May Coop, Mizo, Kicho, Lagom, Shangpree, Dr.Dream, 24/7 and Lady&Skin. Peach & Lily recommend to get there as early as you can, and only carry your funds with you (cash & credit cards accepted) instead of a whole purse (I don't know how doable that will be for me though, lol). If you happen to be there around noon and see a heavily pregnant lady waddling about, please come over and say hello!

Disclaimer: Products marked with an asterix (*) were press samples I received from the brands' PR for review consideration. I purchased everything else myself. 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 free of charge. 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 :)

Minimalism in Manhattan

Woe is me you guys, we're moving in approximately a month - and it's stressing me out. Let me tell you, the apartment hunt in NYC is rather painful, the basic truth of which was recently highlighted by our friend moving from San Fran to Boulder, Colorado, where apartments are big, aplenty, energy-efficient and about a third of the price of renting here or in SF. We're actually moving OUT of Manhattan and into Brooklyn, but it doesn't really make a difference when it comes to what most apartments available for rent in our price range look like.

'Cause they're generally SMALL. I know it sounds kinda quirky and 'sooo New York' when a character in a movie is forced to sleep in what is basically a glorified walk-in closet, but no, it's not fun in real life when you're trying to find a comfortable place to live. Obviously, one of the solutions is to move farther away from Manhattan where you can get a bigger space in your budget, but Mr doesn't want to commute for over an hour and a half every day of the working week, and I don't blame him - he's already working so much that a longer commute would probably have to mean cutting out things like the gym or some relaxation time late in the evening.

However you look at it, if you live in or close to Manhattan, you better get used to having very limited space for your stuff. When we first moved here a year and a half ago, we already had to let go of a number of things: some furniture and lots of sports equipment like a crash pad (a mattress for climbing and bouldering), Mr's older snowboard, his mountain bikes had to go into storage in a remote location. Now that we're preparing to move again, I've begun the long process of culling our stuff again, trying to decide what's indispensable and what I can do without.

It's a bit of a different decluttering process - I'd say that generally, I'm quite organized and don't hoard completely useless stuff, so the decisions I've been faced with have proven quite difficult. Here are some examples: our bookshelf started to overflow thanks to some Christmas gifts and Mr's growing collection of programming books, so I had to donate some of my novels to the local libary (the knowledge that they're not going in the trash was what made it possible for me to say goodbye). I went through our kitchen cabinets and put aside pots and pans as well as foodstuffs that I wasn't reaching for regularly anymore. I have a separate bag of clothing, shoes and accessories in the closet that I keep adding to before finally donating the whole lot. The remnants of rarely used sports equipment lingering in the closet are regularly given the side eye, although I don't know if I can convince my husband to let go.

Some may say that this forced minimalism in Manhattan is a good thing because it teaches you how little you actually need for day to day functioning. I'm in two minds about this: on one hand, I dislike holding on to things I don't need or enjoy using, so yeah, that's great - no room for clutter anyway. But on the other, I also feel that these living space limitations are holding me back from things I may benefit from, or are making me feel wasteful for having to let go off things I'm still using but won't have enough space to keep.

To give you two tangible examples of what I'm talking about: I've wanted a Cuisinart mixer for years, but truth is, the kitchens in the apartments we've seen so far have so little counter space that it's just not doable right now, and at any rate, having so little space for someone who cooks from scratch every single day is pretty tough. To illustrate the latter problem, I feel pretty sad that I probably won't be able to keep my vanity table; it already had to be put out of our small bedroom and into a dark hallway in our current apartment, so I've gotten used to doing my make-up elsewhere, but I wish I could have that small space all for myself and my beloved make-up stash.

Let's try to stay positive: maybe I could embrace the tiny apartments, and attempt to live a minimalist lifestyle. In that vein, I've been mulling over the practicalities of capsule wardrobes that I've seen many fashion bloggers experiment with in the past couple of years. I have very little fashion sense so I sincerely doubt if I'd be able to put together satisfactory outfits from just a handful of things, and I guess my questions are pretty dumb: 'But what if you live in a climate that experiences both extremely hot and cold weather, and everything in between (like New York)?', 'What if you're into sports and need specialized gear for that?'. 'Do you have to throw away something you own every time you buy something new?', 'Do you just not buy any new clothes until something older falls apart?', and 'How do you not get bored out of your mind?'.

So I don't know if true minimalism is the way to go for me - right now it just feels like a panicky getting rid of a whole bunch of stuff. I can't help but feel wasteful for my past purchases that I have no use for anymore, even though when I first got them, my living conditions and needs were a lot different. I also realize that what I'm doing is not the fun 'I'm clearing out my closet for Spring, and now I can go shopping to fill all that extra space!', it's the 'I have no space for new stuff - from now on it's a strict "one in - one out" only'.

But even disregarding the whole limited space issue, I've been thinking about how much stuff we accrue over the years, where it's coming from and where it's ultimately going. I'm questioning whether in this day and age (in the first world), anyone wears out their things anymore - and so with the constant influx of the new and trendy, the old must end up being thrown or given away (and then I suppose it's mostly recycled into home insulation or something of the sort). The image of myself as a greedy monster continously devouring and spitting out goods doesn't sit well with me; but at the same time, I want to enjoy both thoughtful acquisition of new and possession of the old. I don't want to bar myself from the joy I feel from shopping for a small treat, and I don't want to force myself to use something I hate just to avoid the feelings of being wasteful. Where exactly do I strike the balance? I believe this is something I'll keep experimenting with, and doing what feels right in this moment is probably my best strategy, realizing that things will change as I grow.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post anymore, so I guess that means it's time to wrap it up. I don't want you to come away from this post thinking that I'm complaining or feeling sorry for myself - I think what I'm trying to say is that I need to change a lot of lifelong habits and it's making me feel a bit apprehensive. I realize it's going to be a challenge, and I need you guys to hold my hand for a bit - but deep down, I know it's a good thing, and I'm going to enjoy it.

Have you attempted or are you currently living a more minimalist lifestyle? If so, please let me know your experiences in the comments - I'd love to know how it's been working out for you! I'm aware that a lot of you are working on decreasing the size of your make-up collections this year by purging unloved bits and/or Project Pan/ Project Make A Dent, but I'd love to know if that mindframe also spilled over to other areas of your life. Inquiring minds want to know!

Surratt Artistique Brush Launch and Medium Smokey Eye Brush Review

Fellow beauty bloggers, do you know these posts where you want to publish just the photos and let them speak for themselves? Yeah, it's one of those - but on the other hand, it's make-up brushes, and I have a lot to say. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the launch of Surratt Beauty Artistique Brush Collection, sold exclusively at Barneys New York in the US. Belly from Wondegondigo invited me to tag along (check out her photos and first impressions here) and I couldn't be happier, both to spend time in her company and to stroke some ridiculously luxurious brushes.

Currently, the Artistique Brush Collection includes 12 brushes: 4 face brushes in grey/blue squirrel hair, 3 smokey eye brushes made with the same hair type, 3 flat shader eye brushes in Canadian squirrel, and two concealer brushes in Kolinsky (displayed from the bottom to the top in the photo). All brushes are handmade in Kumano, Japan from the finest, carefully selected materials and take about 60 different steps and a week to create - the Surratt brushes had been in development for five years, right from the brand's conception. In the display case, you can see that the matte, all black handles and ferrules are the exact same length on each brush and feature a beautiful green and purple duochrome ombre design. Troy Surratt also told us about his plans to expand the range to include more brushes: there's a foundation duo fiber buffing brush, a thicker badger hair brow brush, and a retractable spoolie brush in the works.

Troy's assistant, Nathaniel, presenting the Surratt Face Brush, $230.

Surratt make-up brushes are definitely an investment: the jewel of the collection, the Face Brush, retails for $230, and the brand is also working on an even larger soft powder brush that will retail for about $380. The price range is definitely comparable to that of Suqqu, and when Belly asked Troy how he would explain the uncommonly high cost of these brushes to an American consumer, he replied it's all down to the incredibly high quality of his collection: with proper care the brushes should last a lifetime, and he even described his Face Brush as an 'heirloom'.

L-R: Face Brush $230, Sculpting Brush, a mix of blue squirrel and goat hair $90, Highlight Brush $115, Cheek Brush $115

If you ask me about my thoughts on the price of the Surrat brush line, I definitely think you don't absolutely need very expensive brushes to apply make-up beautifully. However, if you perceive your beauty routine as a relaxing, sensual ritual and are completely beauty obsessed like I am, these brushes are certainly a fantastic addition to your collection - I'm already planning more purchases in the future. Another point to note is that if you have access to the Barneys beauty floor, this is the single Japanese-made brush range on the US market that you can physically touch and play with, bar some Hakuhodo appearances at IMATS or other make-up trade shows.

The pom-pom shaped cheek brush in my hand for size reference; it's quite small and dense to allow for a precise blush application and blending

After much oohing and aahing, I've decided to purchase one of the most unique brushes in the Artistique Collection, the Medium Smokey Eye Brush, $65. Each brush comes in a beautiful French-made cardboard box with a sliding top and velvet padding inside - I made a comment that the box is seriously too beautiful to part with and Nathaniel suggested reusing it as a pencil case, which I thought was a fantastic idea.

As you can see, the Medium Smokey Eye Brush has a long tapered brush head, quite a bit larger than my standard crease/ blending brushes, shown below for comparison. I've only ever tried one other tapered blending brush, the LE MAC 226, but the two are nothing alike: the MAC was much smaller, with shorter, denser and firmer bristles, and the only thing it worked reasonably well for was cut crease looks - however, the bristles were so scratchy that I decided to purge it. The three Smokey Eye brush sizes in the Surratt line ensure that everyone can find a good brush to work in their different lid spaces.

L-R: bdellium Tools no. 776, Hakuhodo J 5533, Wayne Goss no. 06, Surratt Medium Smokey Eye

The soft, floppy bristles of the Medium Smokey Eye take some getting used to, especially if you normally use shorter and more resistant blending brushes. However, I'm happy to report that the brush works beautifully to bring subtle definition to the eye. Troy recommended to use the brush by swirling its tapered tip in the eyeshadow and then applying the powder in the crease with a back and forth motion, letting the longest bristles deposit the color, while the shorter bristles on the sides do all the blending for you. He also suggested the brush can be used flat on its side to blend the eyeshadow from the outer corner in. I've been using a combination of both of these techniques and I find they work very well for quickly diffusing pigments in the socket.

There is however a downside to such a large and soft brush head; the Surratt Medium Smokey Eye does not allow for a lot of control, so if you like applying very dark shades in the outer V, I'd suggest using a separate brush for the placement and then maybe finishing the blend with the Medium Smokey. That's true however of most of my standard blending brushes as well.

Overall, I'm quite ecstatic with my new brush acquisiton: I'll try to spare you my exclamations of the 'Oh, but it's so, so soft!' variety, but yes, they're there every time I reach for the Medium Smokey Eye Brush. The attention to detail on these brushes is unmatched, and on top of being very useful tools (or extensions of the artist's hands, as Troy prefers to put it), they're also beautiful objects.

If you have a Surratt counter near you, I urge you to check out the Artistique Brush Collection, if only for the sensory experience (but if you don't have a counter nearby, the brushes are also now available online). I had a lot of fun at the launch and it was a great pleasure to be able to talk freely about make-up brushes, shopping for Japanese cosmetics and the product development process with both Troy himself (a fellow beauty geek by all means) and Nathaniel. Thank you for spending so much of your time explaining everything to us! It's rare these days to find such a down to earth, knowledgeable, passionate face behind the brand.

Have you tried anything from Surratt Beauty? What's currently at the top of your make-up brush wishlist (because I just assume everyone needs to have one)?

Birchbox Store BYOB Experience

BYOB, or Build Your Own Birchbox. When Birchbox's first store opened in SoHo back in July, I was instantly interested in coming down to pick out five mini beauty products of my choosing for $15 + tax, because a) I'm a control freak, b) minis are adorbs. Right?

I used to get my monthly boxes from Birchbox, a sample subscription service, back in 2011 - but after less than a year, I cancelled my subscription. While the boxes were fantastic for discovering new brands and products, and overall a good value for money with occasional full sizes thrown in, after a while I started amassing large quantities of deluxe samples I had no use for; some products just plain didn't interest me or weren't a good match for my skintone/ skin type/ hair type/grooming habits, while others I wanted to try, but couldn't keep up with the constant stream of new stuff. And so I cancelled.

But I still love getting minis and travel sizes, because they're a great (and cheaper) way to try new things without committing to the full bottle, on top of actually being useful for travel or carrying around in your purse. So for me, the Build Your Own Birchbox service is the best of both worlds: you're getting five deluxe samples to try out, but you get to choose what goes in your box. Perfect!

The area for making your own Birchboxes is located in the back of the store. There are glass top counters set up, displaying the samples available at the time. You choose one sample in each of the five categories: make-up, hair, fragrance, skincare and nails/ bodycare. In each category, there are three to five choices; I was hoping for even more products, but I'm guessing that the choices are a reflection of what's coming in Birchbox subscription boxes in a given month, and so the selection probably changes frequently. A sales associate helps you pick your samples by explaining the available choices (+ current deals and offers) and packing them all in a Birchbox  for you - you get to choose from a white, pink or brown box.

Here's what I picked for my own Birchbox: a Laura Geller Beauty GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara in Black (the other choices were a MAKE Make-up Remover, Smashbox primer or Cynthia Rowley lip stain), Klorane Extra-gente Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (from Amika Blowout Spray, Frederic Fekkai Glossing Conditioner, DevaCurl Flexible Hairspray, and Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle), Juliette Has a Gun Mad Madame perfume sample (from an MCMC sample and something else - sorry, I can't remember), a COOLA Natural BB Cream Unscented Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Matte Tint (from Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel, Marcelle 8 in 1 Power Serum, Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser and Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish), and lastly a pot of Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream (from Ruffian nude nail polish + nail polish remover wipe, or Whish body scrub).

I'm actually really excited to try all the samples I picked out: I've wanted to try the COOLA matte sunscreen for ages, and Egyptian Magic always intrigued me. Both the Laura Geller mascara and Klorane dry shampoo are super handy for travel, and I was happy to find two niche choices in the perfume category - I've read lots of reviews on Juliette Has a Gun perfumes on various perfume blogs, but have never seen the brand in person.

As for the rest of the store, the first floor offers full-size 'star products' from brands that make appearances in Birchboxes, divided into make-up products (further categorized into lips, face, eyes etc) and skincare. It can be a bit difficult to find what you're looking for, as the Birchbox doesn't carry a full range of products from a given brand, and then all products from one brand are not shelved together, but divided into subcategories. However, there are many helpful sales associates close by, and you can even test and swatch products before deciding on the samples to go into your own Birchbox, like I did when I was unsure whether the tint in the COOLA sunscreen would match my fair skintone (it was a bit too dark, but so sheer it still blended in, so I went for it).

The lower level houses haircare, bodycare, nails, men's products and services: there are hair styling, make-up application and manicures available, but I haven't really looked into that (here's a link for the list of services and pricing, in case you're curious. You can also book services online).

The benefit of shopping in the Birchbox store is that it carries a lot of niche and not easily available brands, like Marcelle (Birchbox is the exclusive retailer in the US), Liz Earle, Cynthia Rowley Beauty, Jouer, Sunday Riley, Dermablend, Sachajuan, Davines and many, many more, and everything has testers so you can swatch to your heart's content. You can also earn and spend Birchbox points (the members rewards program for subscribing, shopping, reviewing and referring through Birchbox) in the SoHo store.

Overall, I was really happy with my Build Your Own Birchbox experience, and the store had a nice ambiance for browsing hard to find products. I would definitely recommend the BYOB service, and in fact, I'll probably do it again myself with my best friend when she comes to visit New York in October. New Yorkers, have you visited the Birchbox store already? What are your favorite beauty spots in SoHo?