Brand: Glossier

I started 2019 with a lot of new skincare and beauty products. First off the rank is Glossier, which my friend kindly bought for me when she visited America. I really wanted to try Glossier because the brand seemed to line up with my aesthetics - glowy, healthy and natural-looking skin? Yes please. 

Milky Jelly Cleanser - I haven't tried this cleanser yet as I'm currently using another cleanser at the moment. I've heard only good things about this cleanser (apart from the small bottle that it comes in) so I am excited to try this!

Boy Brow - I love this brow gel (mine is in the shade black). I have naturally thick eyebrows so I generally don't need to fill them in (or else I look like Frida Kahlo). This brow gel gives my brows a quick subtle groom before I head out the door. 

Balm dotcom - If you're after a fragrant lipbalm that doesn't leave your lips feeling tacky with an artificial smell, balm dotcom (mine is rose which has a pink tint) does the trick. I put this on in the morning before putting on a coloured lip balm or lipstick.

Priming moisturizer - This is the one Glossier product that I am not a fan of. Although I don't have sensitive skin, I find that my eyes sting after putting this moisturiser on. I also don't really feel the effects of this product. For now, I'll be sticking to my Clinique Moisture Surge (which I've just ordered my third jar).

Stretch Concealer - OK, this one is my favourite. A creamy glowy concealer that I can just apply with my fingers and can instantly see the difference. It blends into my skin quite effortlessly and looks like I'm not wearing any makeup. I've never used any product like it before.

Cloud Paint - I love the miniature paint tube packaging. I have the shade Beam and a little goes a long wait with this product. I literally just dab my finger onto the tube and then pat the colour onto my cheeks for a natural flush.

Generation G - Glossier packed the wrong colour and gave me 'Like' which, although appears a dark purple on the tube, is actually a pinkish shade when applied onto the lips. I haven't used this product much but I do enjoy the packaging.

Tips on investing in earrings

Having discussed curating the perfect jewellery capsule a couple of years ago, I'm happy to report that my philosophy on investing in jewellery hasn't really changed. Today I thought I would focus on sharing how I curate my earrings collection by spending intentionally. 

I still remember when I got my ears pierced. I was six years old. My mum and her friend brought me to a piercing shop and I left with two little gold studs that I still have to this day. For the past few years though, my passion in jewellery was in the rings department so I've really neglected my piercings to the point where I was scared that they would close up. 

To make sure this didn't happen, I started hunting for some new earrings. This has reignited my passion for adorning my earlobes, so I want to share my earrings collection as well as some tips on how I curate. Read on till the end for my edit on gold earrings!

L / single earring from Wild Things in Amsterdam

R / rose gold pearl earrings  from Anthropologie

1. Cost per wear

You've no doubt heard about this golden principle of style investment, where the true cost of an item is measured by its cost divided by the number of wears. As much as I am drawn to flamboyant and dramatic earrings on models in editorial shoots, I shy away from even buying cheap versions of those earrings because I would only be able to wear it once or twice on rare occasions. Instead, I focus on two things in particular:

1. a price point that would offer me good quality and wouldn't cause ear infections (ain't nobody want that); and 
2. how I can wear the shit out of them.

For example, working in a corporate environment Monday to Friday means that I want something a bit more respectable, formal and simple, whilst still dressing up my workwear. Identifying this before I start shopping means that I can choose and buy intentionally without unnecessarily splurging (and regretting afterwards).

2. Something different

Respectable, formal and simple doesn't mean boring. My favourite thing to do is to find classic designs done differently. For example, I love that the large structured statement pair from & Other Stories is a play on the classic gold hoops (linked at the end of this post if you want to nab yourself a pair). The singular earring that I picked up in Amsterdam is also very special to me - after asking the shopkeeper why the shops don't sell earrings in a pair, she explained that Dutch people do not like symmetry so selling them as singular pieces opens up the creative possibility of mixing and matching. I love that!

3. Pick a colour

I have always loved gold, silver and rose gold. I didn't mind mixing metals and I felt like I didn't have  a preference of one metal over the other. As my style became more refined however, I realised that having a preference of gold jewellery made it easier to curate and declutter my jewellery capsule. For me, gold exudes confidence, elegance and luxury - things that I want to portray when I am trying to feel a bit more together. 

L / single earring from Wild Things in Amsterdam

R / rose gold pearl earrings  from Anthropologie

4. Don't buy the same thing twice

One tip to avoid overbuying is to force yourself not to buy things that look too similar. You only have two ears, so if you are going to spend on a pair of earrings, spend wisely and invest in contrasting shapes, shades and sparkles. Each pair in my curated capsule has their own character yet I know they are all suitable for dressing any outfit up or down for any occasion. 

SHOP THE EDIT

Beauty Edit 02 / Margarita

In Mags' travel beauty bag: 

SKINCARE Mizon Snail repair intensive ampoule for repairing hyper-pigmentation; Smith's Rosebud Salve that can be "used on anything"; Trader Joe's 100% Australian tea tree oil 

FACE NYX mineral foundation stick in medium; Benefit Watts Up cream highlighter

EYES Stila Stay All Day waterproof liquid eyeliner; MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Rubenesque; Maybelline Volum Express the Colossal mascara - "my all time go-to favourite mascara"; Smashbox mini Full Exposure palette, applied with E.L.F. brushes

LIPS Colourpop ultra matte liquid lipstick in Tulle; chapstick

Autumn/Winter Work Essentials

Having recently started working full-time in a corporate environment, one of my biggest struggles has been to curate a versatile work wardrobe without breaking the bank. It took a few months before I 'got it right' - I didn't allow myself to buy anything that didn't fit perfectly on me or with the rest of my wardrobe. Ultimately, it was a worthwhile journey to save myself from countless late and manic mornings (you know, those mornings when you've unconsciously snoozed your alarm 10 times). 

Today I'm collaborating with Hiphunters, a luxury brand platform, to share some tips on how to buy quality work essentials. These tips are particularly catered to introverts and/or minimalists like myself who don't necessarily like flashy prints, 10-inch heels or body-tight clothing, but who also don't want to wear boring 'uniforms' to work everyday.

Shope the above: blazers, jewellery, Iala Diez bag, T by Alexander Wang skater dress, Antonio Berardi peplum top

What do you deem to be your work essentials?

This is a collaboration with Hiphunters.com.

My Everyday Makeup Menu

As someone who doesn't know much about make-up, I've sure built up a good old stash of it in recent months. It seems that my hoarder behaviour (or as I like to correct myself, 'collector' behaviour) has transitioned from stamps (I've collected a few since primary school but now no longer care for it) into things-that-would-make-me-look-less-tired-in-five-minutes-or-less. It's even amounted to buying a small set of drawers in order to divide everything into face, eyes, nails and skincare. Crazy.

So I thought I'd do a little make-up menu of some of my everyday go-to's, with a couple of regular alternatives thrown in. Sticking to the 'five-minutes-or-less' lazy theme, we can all see that I have included a lot of Clinique's chubby sticks (this isn't even half of it). I'll probably do a post later on my chubby stick obsession because they are every lazy person's peachy dream.

Featuring Elle Fanning from the first issue of Miss Vogue because that's what my skin aspires to be. A bright young thing.

Curating the Perfect Jewellery Capsule

The Finishing Touches

The phrase 'capsule wardrobe' has been thrown around a lot over the past couple of years. There seems to be a trending, almost manic obsession within the fashion world on curating the perfect minimalist wardrobe, and I must agree that I too have fallen victim. Any post on my blog roll that has the word "capsule" or "minimalist" on it generally garners an immediate mouse click, and I find myself nodding in agreement with the age-old idea of quality over quantity (quite in contrast to my old self at the beginning of this blog when I use to parade my cheap 'bargains', ha). While I'm a bit critical of the idea of restricting yourself to wearing only five or ten or a finite number of pieces of clothing per season (you did, after all, also pay for everything else in your wardrobe and they're there), I've found myself applying some of the capsule wardrobe ideas to jewellery.

It is interesting to note that most capsule wardrobes note jewellery as an exception along with undergarments, bags and other accessories. You may only be wearing five to ten pieces of clothing per month, but the exception seems to imply that you could very well wear a different piece of jewellery every day, meaning at least thirty pieces if you so choose.



I used to hoard quite an eclectic jewellery collection. I'm a fan of rose gold, gold and silver (currently in that order), as well as mixing metals at times. I was also a fan of cheap bargain jewellery, believing that paying $5 for a pack of 12 rings was an amazing deal. While I still enjoy finding a bargain every now and then, I found that amassing such a huge collection of jewellery meant that I would repeatedly only wear the jewellery that I could see. The rest would collect dust in boxes and cups, or lost behind the vanity. My room and bags were also often filled with rings that I could not be bothered putting away.

I became discontent with all the cheap jewellery that I was hoarding (some of them tangled up with pieces that I do love, which then took a couple of hours to separate. #girlproblems) and recently did a proper clear out of all the metal pieces I owned. I ended up donating a whole bag's worth of necklaces, bracelets and rings. None of them were in bad condition (save for a few), but they no longer suited my style and my clothes. They served no purpose other than to look pretty as collector items on my desk.

This year, I decided to focus on curating quality jewellery that I could and would wear daily, for any occasion. As my days will soon be spent in a corporate environment and my style is generally quite minimal and neutral, I've become more mindful of investing in metal pieces that could elevate me from "I just woke up ten minutes ago and I need coffee, pronto" (happens more often than I would like to admit) to "I've already worked out this morning, had breakfast and fed the cat, what's up".

My Tips on Curating the Perfect Jewellery Capsule

1. Note your style - As with any capsule wardrobe, figure out what your style is so you can narrow down your search for the perfect pieces that can complement your outfits. For example, do you wear mostly blacks and reds instead of neutrals and denim? Do you like bohemian or geometric pieces? Do you like to layer or have one statement item (including bags or shoes)? Are you attracted mostly to gold but tend to stay away from silver? Do you wear much jewellery at all? 


2. Wearability for multiple occasions - Ask yourself whether you can see yourself wearing the piece everyday, or almost everyday. Consider the type of occasions that you most often find yourself, be it study, corporate worklife, formal client meetings or working at home. There's no point spending your whole paycheck on a jewelled bohemian-style headpiece if you usually wear a business suit and work in a corporate office five days a week. 


3. Invest (use the cost per wear rule) - Don't be afraid to invest a little more, and don't forget to consider cost per wear, because #qualityoverquantity. Whilst $30 may seem like a lot to spend on a pair of earrings if you are on a student budget (when a $2 pair seem so much more attractive), know that the extra $28 may save your ears from being infected. Also, if you find a pair that you could wear everyday, that makes your earrings 8 cents per wear. Bargain. 


4. Develop brand loyalty - This may just be something that stems from my own personality as a creature of habit, but I love purchasing pieces based on brands that I can trust. As you can see above, most of my jewellery pieces come from only a few brands (Country Road, Shazoey, and Sportsgirl) because I know that they will deliver quality and on trend pieces every time (or I know how much to invest in that brand based on the durability of their pieces). 


5. Having said that, go out of your comfort zone - I also think that the process of curating pieces you love involves going out of your comfort zone, to purchase something that you otherwise might pass on. I recently took a leap of faith and purchased these silver Holly Ryan earrings online, and fell in love with them immediately upon their (prompt) arrival. They are the perfect statement pieces by bringing something a little different, but also small and subtle enough that I could wear them to work. 

Do you believe that it is important to have a jewellery capsule? Any other tips you would suggest?

Beauty Edit 01

Long gone are the days of Clearasil (and my teenage laziness over cleansing my face morning and night. Please. MSN emoticon conversations calling.) These mornings (and nights) I take a lot more care over the state of my skin. Here are some of the products that I’ve been trusting my body with:

AESOP /  After a two-year stint with Clinique, I finally shifted my allegiance to Aesop last year. Aesop has garnered a cult blogger following not least because of its stellar Instagram-worthy laboratory-style packaging. But I’ve got to say that their products do work, and they work well. With my bottle of Fabulous FaceCleanser in need of a re-fill (which I’ll probably do instead of switching to an alternative cleanser), I’ve greatly enjoyed waking up to its non-commercial scent and texture, which leaves my skin feeling smooth like a baby’s bottom. I also gladly replaced my Clinique toner with the B & Tea Balancing Toner, favouring it for its non-alcoholic green tea content which doesn’t leave my skin stinging. And while I’m not a big fan of smelling like a citrus fruit in the morning, there is no denying that the Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream does exactly what it says on the tin.

ADORN /  Battling Sydney’s humid weather and struggling with a lack of energy, I like to add a few spritzes of Adorn’s organic rosewater to my face to freshen up between commitments. It comes in a handy handbag-sized bottle which means you do not have to splash water all over your face in the public bathroom in order to WAKE UP.

GROWN ALCHEMIST & KOSMEA /  There are a couple of other cult blogger products worth mentioning. On my hands I often enjoy using the Grown Alchemistintensive hand cream. It’s made of Persian rose and argan extract, which may result in your friends remarking that your hands “smell like my grandma”, but leaves you with smooth, nourished, non-greasy skin. The other is Kosmea’s organic rose hip oil. Its handy applicator (a reminder of good old torturous high-school chemistry days) makes it easy to apply a few drops to my skin, which just drinks this stuff up.

MUJI /  Ah. My love Muji. For those of you who haven’t heard of this Japanese brand (Muji actually means ‘no-brand quality products’)…It. Is. Amazeballs. I can, and want to, live there, because Muji produces everything from clothing to stationery to food to bed frames to makeup…and they are all high quality products. I picked up these bath salts a while ago, and whilst I’ve never been good at having me-time, it was the perfect oooh-ahhh pick-me-up after a long day. Muji, when are you coming to Sydney in all your Japanese perfection glory?

Less is More

"You look like you're wearing pyjamas."

Has anyone else ever had an internal struggle over where to put the jump break in a blog post? No? Just me? Okay then. But seriously giving myself a gentle chiding for breaking up the flow of the images…

A Shazoey Giveaway

Corrupting Miffy is partnering with SHAZOEY for its first giveaway, 

and I had the chance to speak to the maker behind the golden magic, Sharon.

(This giveaway is now closed.)

You all know by now that I'm a big jewellery fan (see here, here and here if you need convincing). So  when I first saw Sharon's online store, SHAZOEY, I was in jewellery heaven. Finally, my search for affordable, fine statement jewellery has ended. I had such a hard task choosing but ended up with these three pieces that looked even more amazing when they arrived in my mailbox. What's even better is that each piece is stunningly designed and handmade by Sharon herself (and you know how much I dig that)!

I must say that Corrupting Miffy x SHAZOEY is such a dream collaboration for me - never would I have thought that my first blog collaboration would be with someone whose creative passion is so similar to my own (and also because she's a perfectionist...I can definitely identify with that)! Sharon creates "modern & minimalist everyday jewellery, using the highest-quality materials to create luxe, statement gemstone pieces". She already had me at "modern & minimalist", but it was even sweeter to find out that the name SHAZOEY is in fact a couple nickname for Sharon and her hubby, Joey, who she describes as "the backbone to my business" and whose "wisdom is beyond his years". I'm really in awe of someone who infuses love into everything they do!

Read on to give yourself the chance to win a SHAZOEY gift voucher, and to learn more about Sharon and her online store.

What is your jewellery about?

I have this soft spot for handmade/handcrafted. There is that real person that you get to know (through online conversations) & a unique story behind each piece that they make - it is not mass-produced in a factory somewhere across the world. The time put into the design and the skills used to create & fabricate makes it one of a kind, it bears the unique character of the maker.

Because of this, I decided from the very beginning that all my jewellery be designed & handcrafted by me. I am sort of a perfectionist, so I would never send a piece that I’m not happy with, away to the customer - they are all pieces that I would want to wear! 

You’d see that there are many bohemian designs made using gemstones (think Samantha Wills), but I found little or close-to-none with a modern/minimalistic edge - jewellery that I wanted to wear! 

And so I came up with my own designs for jewellery that suited my wardrobe - modern & minimal, timeless design over fleeting trends. Then mix in my penchant for raw & rough semi-precious gemstones, and there you have it - everyday, luxe, statement gemstone pieces made out of sterling silver, gold-filled, gold vermeil & gold-plated metals.

Corrupting Miffy is partnering with SHAZOEY to give one lucky reader a $60 voucher for use at SHAZOEY's new online store.

To enter,

1. Follow and Like both Corrupting Miffy AND Shazoey on Facebook.
2. Take a browse through SHAZOEY's online store and choose your favourite item. Answer the following question in the comments below: "What would you buy at SHAZOEY and why?"
3. Don't forget to leave your name and contact email in the comments below! Please also include your Instagram and/or Bloglovin account names if you submitted extra entries.

For extra entries,

1. Follow @corruptingmiffy AND @shazoeyjewels on Instagram (you must follow both accounts for entry to be valid).
2. Follow Corrupting Miffy on Bloglovin.

This giveaway is open to readers worldwide. Entries close Wednesday 23rd October 2013, 11.59pm AEDST. The winner will be announced on Corrupting Miffy shortly after.

Check back in a couple of days to see how I styled SHAZOEY's pieces!

SHAZOEY items featured in this post: 

'Skye' amazonite gold bracelet, 

hammered disc tag necklace in gold, 

gold feather bracelet.

The winner of the SHAZOEY giveaway is Rita.

Congratulations! You'll receive an email from us shortly.

Thank you to everyone who entered! x