I've been away from leisure writing for so long, it's like I've forgotten how to write.
I picked up a pen to journal for the first time in almost two years. It was awkward at first, constantly wondering if this is the right word I want to use, should the word be spelt with an a or an e, are the sentences getting too long. And then somehow, music playing, words flowing, I stopped worrying about my penmanship (it was terrible), the spacing between words (hilariously uneven), and the words I used (I have three languages in one sentence),  and I just wrote. I wrote about the memories I had stored away, I remembered someone I haven't thought about in five years, and I finally started to process the feelings that shaped me in the past half decade.
Half a decade. 
That's how long I've refused to deal with, looking back, one of the most important turning points in my life. 
I've talked about that memory exactly three times in the past five years. 
It's not a traumatising memory. Quite the opposite, it's one of my most beautiful memories. Which is why I never understood why I'd always prefer talking about my mental illness, my insecurities, or heck, even my feelings, before talking about that memory. Or why I lost it the one time my best friend tried to bring it up in a conversation years ago. 
But yesterday, I wrote about it. And I was brought back to August, 2013. For the first time in five years, I remembered the 96 hours that helped shape an important part of who I am today (the optimistic and witty part, not the dripping in sarcasm bit), and I processed the residual confusion. 
In the seven page journal entry, I slowly started to understand. 

I'm still not ready to talk about that time again just yet, but what I'm trying to say, in this mess of a ramble, is that I'm going to learn how to write again. I'm going to start journaling and I'm going to start blogging again. It might be an awkward mess for the first several entries, but hopefully, things will start getting back on track soon. 
And yes, I know, I've said it multiple times since 2016, but this time, I really want to learn how to write again. 
 With Love,  Daphne x

I've been trying out a lot more Korean makeup and skincare the past two years. Mostly because it's easier for me to get and secondly, Korean makeup and skincare (or, to shorten it, K-beauty) is flippin amazing. Sure, there have been some flops, but most products I've tried have earned a seat in my streamlined makeup and skincare collection. 
Today, I'm going to share some of my favourite K-beauty products that are my current loves.

Favourite Korean Skincare

I did not like the Banila Co Clean It Zero ($14.80) when I first used it - it was a weird balm to oil product and would get into my eyes. But boy am I glad I gave it a second shot. This is the only makeup remover I've used in the past year and a half or so and for good reason. It will remove everything in a jiffy. Waterproof mascara, long-lasting matte liquid lipsticks, waterproof liquid liner? The Banila Co Clean It Zero will break down everything in seconds and still leave your skin feeling ridiculously smooth. 
I'm a toner skeptic. I don't think it does much and I'm not picky about which one I use. So I wasn't expecting much when I picked up the much hyped about Cosrx AhA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner ($16). Turns out, I was wrong. I've noticed less blocked pores and whiteheads on the days I use this toner compared to my lazy days. It's also gentle enough for daily use.
I have a lot of old scarring but the It's Skin Power 10 Formula Vc Effector Sebum Care ($10.75) has been working wonders, especially if you consider the price. It also leaves my skin feeling plump, hydrated, and glowy afterwards. It's worth noting that It's Skin is developed in collaboration with dermatologists, so it's safe to say they know what they're doing. 

Favourite Korean Makeup

Lightweight, good coverage, easy to use, long-lasting, and hydrating - I found all those qualities in the 3CE Waterful Concealer ($18.93). I know, I'm shocked as well. But this squeezy tube concealer quickly became my most reached for concealer, even favoured over the Urban Decay Naked Concealer. Paired with the Bobbi Brown Corrector, it's my secret weapon to looking "not dead and even vaguely alive", aka the look I aim for most days.
If I want to take that look to the next level, I reach for the Innisfree Cushion Foundation ($12 for refill, $10 for compact case). I'm pretty sure the makeup world is pretty familiar with cushion-based makeup now, and if not, then you're missing out. It's hydrating, long-lasting, good coverage, smooth and even finish, and more importantly, it's flippin' convenient. Everything you need to apply your makeup base is in a slim, no-fuss compact. I've gone through three refills, taken this foundation on multiple trips, and my love for it still grows strong.
Last but not least, I haven't dived as deep into Korean lip products as I have with, say, MAC lipsticks, but even in my mahoosive lip product collection, the Innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse still stands out for how great it is. It's a light-weight liquid lip colour that dries a satin-finish and is bold and opaque with one layer. I think they've replaced these with the Innisfree Cotton Vivid Ink as the formula is quite similar.

Have you tried any of these products before? What are some of your favourite Korean makeup or skincare products?  With Love,  Daphne x
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I know February only had 28 days, but it honestly only felt like the month was two weeks long? I switched things up quite a bit in my February bullet journal spread, taking inspiration from here and there.  Some changes worked out and others didn't - I thought it might be helpful to document what worked out for me and I will continue doing in March, and what bullet journal experiments are better left in February. 

Let's start with what worked out:

Mind maps: This is, hands down, the best layout I've added to my bullet journal. I shamelessly stole this idea from the brilliant Evy so I'm not even going to try and take credit. I mostly use the mindmap to keep track of art projects, blog posts, and shop updates. I'm a very visual person, so seeing my project map grow and connect is a great way for me to keep track of things. It's also less structured than a to-do list, which is great when it's a constantly growing list. I wonder if I can incorporate this into my daily layout...
Embracing colours: My bullet journal has always been very black and white - with the only colours being my colour-coded systems. But February was the month I started experimenting with watercolours, which carried over to my bullet journal spreads. I'm still on the fence about using watercolours in my bullet journal as the pages tend to warp. BUT I'm definitely loving the idea of incorporating more colours into my layout. It's a quick way to add some "quirk" and "personality" into layouts. 
Incorporating more doodles: I started a visual to-do list at the start of the month (I only got to check off 3 of the 6 things...). This is definitely something I want to carry over into March, and hopefully do more "daily doodles" throughout the month as well. 

There are also some things that just didn't work out: 

Habit Trackers: I'm terrible at this and honestly, I don't think it did much for me. I was quite diligent the first three days - tracking my water intake and exercise on time, at the end of the day. And then things started falling apart from day 4 - let's just say that it was more of a memory exercise than anything. Do you know how hard it is to recall how much water you had each day the past week? I didn't have much luck with this - maybe it's because I'm terrible at remembering to fill in the habit tracker - but it's something that I'm leaving behind for now. 

Vertical Calendar Layout: Okay, technically this is something that I did in January and ditched right after the month ended. But as beautiful as a vertical monthly layout is, I still prefer the traditional 7 days a week, horizontal monthly layout. Again, I'm a visual person, so being able to see events and dates marked out in a calendar gives me an idea of when it's happening - on which day and which week - at a glance. Whereas it felt like I was reading a list with the vertical monthly layout. 

Something I want to try out in my March spread: 

Space things out: Right now, all of my weekly spreads are across two pages, which works out most of the time. But I want to try the dutch door system and space my weekly spread across four pages - essentially giving me more space to separate my spread into more categories (e.g. work, personal, coffee + scribbles co, misc.) and have more space to doodle. 

I always thought I already found "my bullet journalling system", I didn't realise I was still experimenting with my layouts until I decided to write this post. Turns out, I'm not as predictable as I thought I was. Do you experiment with your bullet journal layouts? If so, what worked or didn't work for you? 
With Love,  Daphne x

I have absolutely no chill. Ask anyone that knows me and they'll tell you the same thing: there's a 321% chance I'll over-dramatically stress out over the tiniest thing. I've tried many things - colouring books (stressed me out even more), meditation (an excuse for my mind to wander further), jogging (worked for a while, then I got lazy), writing (so close to working but Wikipedia is distracting). But they've either a) never allowed me to completely de-stress or b) never worked for more than two months.
And finally, this time last year, when I needed it the most, I started drawing. 
Let's go back to last year - the stress was high, I was not in a good place mentally, my health was starting to be affected, and I was getting really snappy at everyone around me. This is not something I'll admit often, but I was starting to get scared. I've been through this before and the last time it happened, it took me years before I was able to feel normal again.
I was seeing people draw flowers and beautiful things on Instagram, and it's a good thing I have a competitive side because I started thinking, if they can do it, so can I. So I picked up a pen and a notebook and started drawing. 
I never thought I had "artistic talent" nor did I ever think I could draw. I had subpar grades in art classes and was never a big doodler. For years, the best thing I could draw was a disfigured stick person - with a very loose definition of "stick person" and more like, a circle propped on several stacked together lines. 
But I'm stubborn, competitive, and slightly obsessive. It's a terrible combination and usually gets me into messy situations, but this time, it's allowed me to find peace. 
On weekdays, I would go straight to my desk after coming home from work. On weekends, I would be spending hours drawing and then wondering why I was starving after not eating for 8 hours. I spent hours obsessing over how to make the floral petals look softer, how to make hands look more real, and how to structure a drawing better. 
It would not be an understatement to say I lost myself in the world of pencils, fineliners, and paper.  I didn't notice at first, but it slowly became clear that I was finding therapy in drawing. It was like I was translating the real life thunderstorm into the florals and drawings that were in my sketchbook. I was able to refocus the negative energy to obsessing over the details in drawings, getting competitive over trying to master new mediums, and just channelling all my creative energy into creating something new.
Recently, I've been obsessing over watercolours. It's almost like I'm able to translate the greys I'm feeling into colourful paintings. It's kinda like how Van Gogh ate yellow paint in hopes he would be happier. While I have no plans to eat paint, it's almost like I'm able to cheer myself up if I'm able to create a colourful painting. 
I picked up a pen to draw 12 months ago and I'm still holding that pen.
There's still a 321% chance I'll overdramatically stress out over the most insignificant thing, but I've become more observant of the beautiful things in life, I have a keener eye for detail, I'm training myself to be less rigid, and I've found therapy in drawing.
Drawing might not be everyone's cup of tea, so I'd like to know, have you found your own method of therapy?  With Love,  Daphne x

There are days when you're in the mood to spend an hour blending your eyeshadow, and then there are days when you want to throw on your makeup and be ready in five minutes. 90% of the time I wear makeup is the latter situation, so it's an understatement to say that I've pretty much mastered the art of a five minute makeup look using only five products. 
The Base I always reach for a lightweight base, best if I don't have to use a brush or my fingers. Cushion foundations have been all the rage in Asia for years now and it seems like more and more Western brands are catching up. I've been all about the Innisfree Cushion Foundation ($12 + $10 for compact case) for years now. It's longwearing (even sans powder!) and has an even amount of coverage. The shade range is still quite limited but they're expanding, slowly but surely. 
My dark circles are still quite bad these days and while the Innisfree Cushion Foundation is able to cover them quite a bit, I still like to go over the dark evidence of sleepless nights with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer ($29). Again, rather than going in with a brush or fingers, I just use the puff included in the cushion foundation to blend things out. 
The Brows If all my years of wearing makeup and the couple of years I've spent writing about makeup has taught me one thing, it's the importance of brows. Get your brows right and you look immediately put together - which is always a better look than the sleep-deprived, caffeine-hungry walking dead I usually resemble. 
I've been quite loyal to my brow product, to the point where I currently have four backups of the Innisfree Eco Brow Pencil ($4). I shape my brows quite regularly - well, shape is used quite loosely, I pluck the stray hairs to maintain a clean-ish brow shape. Which means I just need to fill in my brows, soften it with a spoolie, and I'm good to go. 
The Eyes Okay, so I cheated a little here. I always, always, always go in with a lash curler before applying any mascara - so it's technically six products (the puff was included in the cushion foundation and the spoolie was on the other end of the brow pencil so they don't count...ish). I've used plenty of mascaras over the years and I rarely repurchase the same one. Never ever would have I ever imagined that I would fall in love with a $5 mascara - I'm pretty sure this is my fourth or fifth Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara ($4.99).  It adds massive volume, doesn't smudge, separates the lashes nicely, and gets extra points for being crazy affordable. If you had to pick up one thing from the drugstore, let it be an Essence mascara. 

The Lips I have my fair share of lip colours and it would be a lie to say that I don't pick and choose depending on my mood that day. That said, I tend to gravitate towards lip products that are low maintenance and long-lasting. Extra points if I'm able to eat a whole meal and not have to worry about my lip colour at all. The one I've been reaching for these days is the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick ($20) in Bow and Arrow. It's a nice pinky nude shade that looks perfect with just about every outfit and I've had a full-on burger, fries, and drink meal without having to worry about my lip colour at all. Now how's that for a win? 

What are your favourite products for a five minute makeup look?  With Love,  Daphne x