Until maybe the last day or two, I’ve been in this odd sort of post-exam funk where I haven’t known what to do with myself now that I don’t have classes, required readings or essays and exams to study for. I’m not complaining but its been an interesting adjustment – it’s felt weird not to be constantly on the go and such. I’m also in absolute disbelief that Christmas is just so soon.

Speaking of Christmas, I’m pleased to report that my personal shopping is now done and when I finished, I also picked up a bit of a treat for myself, a book to read for fun. I enjoyed it and I’m not afraid to admit that I demolished it in one evening.I was feeling something different so I picked up ‘The Queen of the Tearling’ by Erika Johansen after hearing that it was a recommended new novel and mistakenly believing that it was historical fiction. Although I was wrong about the time the novel was set — it’s actually dystopian future where there is a return to a feudal system –, I swallowed the novel whole finding it to have that guilty pleasure vibe that young adult novels can have with an added maturity and complexity to it. I have my eyes out for news on the next book in the series.

The last few days have been a bit more fun, festive and fast-paced. On Sunday night, I got together with two of my closest school friends to exchange gifts, have drinks and enjoy a nice meal together, along with our usual craziness. It was great. It also gave me the excuse and motivation to stop being lazy and actually get all into the full-on makeup thing with winged eyeliner (courtesy of the brush-tip version of L’Oreal Lineur Intense), vampy lips with my also newly acquired NYX Butter Lipstick in Licorice, along with the usual glowy skin situation. On Monday, I joined my cousins for an adventure, braving the mall so close to Christmas and although I was pretty much done shopping for Christmas, I enjoyed hanging out, looking around and goofing off. I may or may not have been motivated to go in for a chance to visit Sephora but before you judge me, it was to make an exchange. I know I included the Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in 456 Jardin in last week’s post and have raved about the quality and uniqueness of the quint, however, after much deliberation I had decided to exchange the quint for a more versatile everyday option that included both matte shades and shimmers that worked well as a solo source of shades. Although I wasn’t expecting to go for the hyped Cuir Cannage palette, I have to say that I’m pleased that I did on account of its wearability and versatility – expect more on this soon. Another exciting find came in the form of a 500-point-perk – this really interesting Formula X Kit. I haven’t tried out any of the four products as of yet (the nail cleanser, base coat, neutral rosy polish and top coat) – I plan on remedying this today – but I thought it deserved sharing because of its great value as a reward.

How was your week?

Maggie, x.