oh dear. I went through a phase like the one you’re talking about in my early twenties (and all throughout college, if we’re being honest). it was hard to break out of the cycle because, well, what girl doesn’t love to shop? now, though, I have a much more pragmatic approach to shopping.  I really (try to) take time to think about the things I’m buying, asking myself how and whether they fit into my wardrobe, am I buying it just because it’s inexpensive, and will I still be obsessed with it in three weeks, three months, or three years from now? for your situation, though, first of all, anything you haven’t worn yet and that you’re ‘meh’ about (the items that don’t make your heart race thinking about them), return them. like, now. secondly, I think you have to ask yourself why you’re in a shopping funk—are you stress-shopping because of school or family? are you competitive-shopping because you’re comparing yourself to friends? spend some time thinking on that, and whether there’s a way to cut whatever it is that’s triggering the spending out—or at least reduce exposure to it. you will be happier, your closet less packed, and your bank account will thank you!

well, living in NYC definitely does. the energy here is amazing—everyone here is here for a reason, striving for something. it’s an ambitious city and I love that feeling. who do I try to emulate? well, honestly, no one in particular. I find that the qualities I most admire tend to be value systems (I realize this will sound hokey but being kind, helping others, etc), not  personality or style. it’s funny, this fashion/media industry I work in… there are so many people trying to be someone else—people trying to be frosty to act one editor (who in fact is not frosty at all), people peacocking to try to get the attention of street style photographers to be just like a blogger whose style truly comes naturally to them. it’s a lot of work to try to be like someone else. I find that it’s always just best to be yourself. as for books, I’m reading anything and everything about Diana Vreeland right now. love her voice! check out this book. and happy holidays to you as well—I love getting offbeat questions, actually! thank you for asking! 

hooray! I love a beauty recommendation success story! ^_^ so… eye creams. short answer: yes, I do. long, Eva-Chen-style rambling answer: yes, and here’s why. when I was a sprightly youth in my early twenties, fresh into my beauty career, an aesthetician scared the heebie jeebies out of me by telling me that by the time I realized I needed eye cream it’d be too late—and she then proceeded to show me about a hundred pictures of sagging eyes. ahhh! so I started using a basic hydrating eye cream then (something like this one). in my late twenties, I switched to one for fine lines (sigh). after that initial period of obsession, honestly, I came to realize that eye wrinkles are like the march of time/aging—you really can’t prevent it, you can only adjust to it. if you smile and laugh (and I hope you do often!), they’re inevitable. no one wants to be an expressionless zombie (well, some fashion people might actually). so until then, I wear sunglasses  (just got these!) and do what I can—but not overly obsess!

face oil is absolutely my #1 favorite thing in the winter. to the point where if you asked me to choose between face oil or gloves I’d perhaps vote for face oil. O_O anyway! the way I apply it is that I put about five drops (most brands have a dropper system) onto my fingertips and sort of press it into skin (in my mind, I’m pretending to be a facialist giving, er, myself a facial). I let it sit for a few minutes and then apply night cream over. oh! yes, forgot to mention. I use it at night, not during the day! my favorite ones are Dermalogica, Clarins, Ren, and Rodin… enjoy xo