Products I'm loving - Leather Shoes, UNIQLO, Skin care and perfume update July 2026
Friday, 24 July 2026
I really like the Kiko Unlimited Double Touch. It makes my lips shiny and glossy, and it stays on even when I drink water or coffee.
On Sunday evenings after I finish my chores and getting ready for the new week, I treat myself to the Biodance Bio Collagen-Real Deep Mask - Hydrating and Firming Mask or the Biodance Radiant Vita Niacinamide Real Deep Mask - Brightening and even-looking mask . My face always looks fresh and glowy on Monday, even if I sometimes feel the Monday blues.
I've gone back to my favorite Corsx products: Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser, Salicylic Acid Daily Gentle Cleanser, 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum, Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, and Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream.
In the evenings, I relax by using the Mixsoon Bean Hydrogel Eye Patch. For some reason, they help me unwind and get ready for a good night's sleep.
Lately, I’ve been using Beauty Of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF 30 as my foundation over my usual SPF 50 sunscreen.
The NYX Buttermelt bronzers add a sun-kissed look to my everyday makeup.
My summer perfume vibes are Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid, Miu Miu Fleur de Lait, and Zara's Brise Minerale
A few weeks ago, I bought my first pair of real leather shoes, and now I want to get another. I feel like this is my time to invest in myself.
It turns out I’m a UNIQLO girlie! It’s another way I’m investing in myself with simple, quality, long-lasting clothes. I hardly bought anything in the sales this summer because my UNIQLO pieces are still great! I even got some linen shirts that look expensive but weren’t, because I think for once I chose colours that suit me. I have been getting a lot of complements about my style.
Sharing your current faves in the comments too!
Watch A Splendid Match - Beautiful people, strong performances but slightly flawed framing
Monday, 13 July 2026
A pleasant watch that ticks all your idol-period-drama boxes. Except for stunning shots—stunning people, yes, but not stunning shots.
Because a fortune-teller predicted she was a jinx to her father's career, Gu Jin Zhao (Ren Min), the eldest daughter of the Gu family, has been fostered in her grandparents' home since birth. Although her biological parents ignored her, she is doted on by her grandmother, which has helped her develop a bold and unrestrained personality. When she returns to her own family, she deals with people and situations in a tough manner, and her vitality catches the eye of the powerful court official Lord Chen, the heir apparent Ye Xian, and the upright gentleman Chen Xuan Qing (Ci Sha).
The storyline is good, with interesting characters who tie the story together and character arcs that work (except Chen Xuan Qing's) . Impressively, it does not crash at the end. We have a female lead (FL) who is instantly likeable, cute and headstrong yet still young and naive. She has a maid who knows martial arts. We have the male lead (ML), Chen Xuan Qing, who is a handsome, strong, intense, and charismatic leader. I love the colour choices for his costumes. We have well-rounded evil characters, from Gu Jin Zhao's sleazy father (Yin Xiao Tian)and his cunning concubine to the leading court secretaries and ministers such as Fu Hai Lian (Wu Gang), and lastly the child emperor (Jerry Gong), who played his role so well. A young emperor much more confident and skillful in his leadership than any other adult ones I have seen in other dramas. This is the first period drama in which I saw guns used. In fact, the most famous army general (Wang Li), who spent years on the battlefield securing peace for the nation, gets shot during a rebel incident and is never the same again. Episode 14 was exceptional; I nearly cried. All the actors brought it for this episode.
The wives are important. Most of the men, especially the villains, discuss their plans and strategies with their wives. Wang Xuan Fan (Huo Zheng Yan) and his wife (can't find the name of the actress ... still looking) had well written- LOL-dialogue scenes. The bant was top tier. The husbands are devoted, and I loved to see this. Meanwhile, we have fathers who really should not be parents...
Our FL had more chemistry with the heir apparent. While you can get past it and keep watching till episode 20, where it finally arrives with the ML, in my humble opinion, Gu Jin Zhao and Ye Xian (Winwin) have a more natural chemistry and would probably have made a much more entertaining story, but a different story altogether though. They brought the fire. Winwin steals the show here. Loved his acting, and the family dynamics played really well into his story, and the play on his James Bond-style gadgets was a unique touch.
Awkward shots. I loved the sets and costumes, but the shot angles were awkward, especially in the most important scenes. If you're a regular #cdrama watcher, you understand this one. This drama had everything except those memorable, stunning shots.
I liked the ending. I like the fact that we didn't have multiple rushed scenes closing out the story, just our leaders riding off and a voice-over telling us what happened. Still, the Gu family suddenly disappeared and never really got closure on their storylines.
8 out of 10, and worth your time. I watched it on Viki.
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