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

I've been in a committed relationship with the bullet journal system for a year and a half now. It's the golden child on Instagram, but honestly, this is a hyped up trend that's worth getting on the bandwagon for. 
Around this time last year, I shared how I set up a new bullet journal. Today we're going to talk about my favourite (stationery) supplies that I use for my bullet journal. 
The Notebook Spending the majority of my school years in Taiwan meant that I've tried just about every notebook on the market - from the plain ones you get at school, to the insanely gorgeous and overpriced designer notebooks. Some are great for handing in school work while some gather dust in the notebook drawer because you're scared to ruin it with your handwriting. And some, like the Leuchtturm 1917 Dotted Grid Notebook is the perfect notebook for a bullet journal. The is the holy grail notebook for many bullet journalers, including myself. I mean, the paper quality, numbered pages, light dotted guides, and the sheer selection of colours, really, what more could you want.   Alternatively, I've always liked the Muji notebooks and always keep a couple around me to take notes, pencil drafts, or doodle. 
The Pens - Layout Pens
I only use these supplies when planning my layout, and not in my day to day bullet journaling. I always use a pencil to draft my layout, including where I want the weekly layout, the notes section, and the decoration, before going over said draft with a black fineliner. I use multiple brands, but my favourites are still the Uchida Drawing Pens and Sakura Microns, usually in 0.3 nib. 
Sometimes I title my layout with the fineliners, other times I go in with Pentel Sign Pen to bring some brush lettering and variation to the layout. 

The Pens - Day to Day
I'm not usually picky with my pens - but I'm picky with which pens I use for what purpose. For example, I only used the cheap Bic Pens for taking notes in English back in school (I used different pens for writing in Mandarin, FYI). The same goes for my bullet journal supplies - I have a selection of Muji gel pens, Pilot Juice Up Pens, and Uni-ball Signo in 0.38 for the bullet journal. My bullet journal is colour-coded, which is why I have a selection of pens. Additionally, these pens are on the slimmer side, which makes it easier for me to bring around in my tiny pencil case. I also really love the Pilot G2 Pens, but don't carry them around as often since they're on the bulkier side. 
The Extras I usually keep my bujo layout quite monochrome, with the colour coded notes being the most colour. However, I still like to add a bit of colour from time to time, just to spice things up a bit. The Tombow Dual Brush Pen Pastel Set and Zebra Mildliners are my go to for highlighting the days of the week or adding small sections of colour. If I'm feeling a little more daring, I might opt for watercolour to create blocks of colour. I'm still torn on using watercolour in the bujo though since it warps the pages quite a bit. 
Another great way to add some colour and decoration is via washi tape. I'm really loving this dreamy pastel set. I also like to use washi tape to create a "bookmark" of sorts, by taping the edges of a particular page - for example, the monthly overview page. That way, it's easier for me to locate said pages at a glance. 

I mostly stick to the same supplies for my bullet journal - partially because I'm a creature of habit and partially because I always use what's in my pencil case. I always want to switch things up, but I try new pens and I wonder why I tried to fix something that wasn't broken. Do let me know if you want a more in-depth review of anything I mentioned. In the meantime, are you picky with which pens you use for your bullet journal? What are your favourite supplies? 
With Love,  Daphne x
Note: This post contains affiliate links. You aren't charged extra if you purchase from said links, but I will be able to earn a small commission from said purchase.