I know it's hard to not enter a Zara store when you're walking past one... just like how it's hard for me to resist stopping by a McDonald's drive thru when I'm in Jerudong. I fell into the trap of fast fashion being a University student who loved keeping up with the latest trends. Brands like Zara and H&M were relatively cheaper and less brutal on the pockets. But with fashion being one of the biggest polluting industries, there's more to just buying cheap clothes that go out of fashion (and won't last that long anyway).
Edit: As I was re-reading that, I don't want you to think that I think Zara is cheap or neither do I want you to think that I feel like I'm too cool for Zara. Let's just all agree that Zara churns out amazing clothes. Zara is one of my weaknesses. I love the colors and the style pieces of Zara and the entire Inditex Group. When I talk about cheap clothes... I meant fast fashion in general. Primark. Boohoo. Missguided. Anything that does mass production of RELATIVELY cheaper clothes and has a high rate of wastage. Hope that clears things.
Edit: As I was re-reading that, I don't want you to think that I think Zara is cheap or neither do I want you to think that I feel like I'm too cool for Zara. Let's just all agree that Zara churns out amazing clothes. Zara is one of my weaknesses. I love the colors and the style pieces of Zara and the entire Inditex Group. When I talk about cheap clothes... I meant fast fashion in general. Primark. Boohoo. Missguided. Anything that does mass production of RELATIVELY cheaper clothes and has a high rate of wastage. Hope that clears things.
 |
| Carcel is one of my favorite ethical brands made with sustainable material by women who are imprisoned for poverty-related crimes. |
I dedicated my Masters Degree to research on the sustainability of fast fashion. The amount of resources used (like water), the high carbon emissions, the amount of waste not bought and thrown out when the seasons change, the unfair treatment towards garment makers in developing/underdeveloped countries... are so ugly that you gotta think twice before you make a purchase. I haven't walked into a Zara store for over a year... and I don't remember the last time I shopped at H&M. While having started to make a move into the ethical direction with more climate positive goals and by having their own 'conscious' lines that use recycled polyester and organic cotton, these two biggest fast fashion retailers are still not doing enough.
The incident at a garment factory in Bangladesh that happened 6 years ago today, took around 1,134 lives and injured around 2,500 people. That really affected me. I never understood the magnitude of the matter until photos started circulating around. Cheap clothes mean that the supply chain must be relatively cheap too. How could I ever feel good wearing something knowing that it was made by someone who was underpaid (in some cases NOT paid. Sources: here and here but you can just look it up to read a plethora of sources that discuss this issue) and not taken care of? I haven't even gotten to the environmental impact of the entire industry. All the chemicals and microfibers that end up in the oceans and even the water we drink. But we only have ourselves to blame... these big companies are driven by the consumer culture.
My dear shopaholic friends, it's time we be wiser and start shopping consciously.
1. Buy classics.
Buy pieces that can withstand the test of time. White, black and neutral colored basics are staples in my wardrobe. A good, durable and resilient pair of jeans. A black blazer. You could come up with multiple outfits just by having that alone.
2. Don't submit to trends.
I'm getting better at this. I don't follow trends anymore. At least, not a lot of them. Plus I'm too old for them sometimes. Love the look of socks in heels and colored eyeshadows in editorial magazines and fashion week... but I'm not cool enough for that. I do still follow trends when a season comes out with a great color though... like Lilac in 2018. But purchase it in something you'd wear even after the trend dies down. This all goes back to #1. Sticking to the classics.
3. Sleep on it.
Avoid impulse purchases. Give it a few days/weeks. If you still want it by then, then you can get it.
4. Increase the number of uses per wash.
Our clothes shed a lot of plastic microfibers in the washing machine. Plus... save energy. Unless you just rolled around in mud and perspired buckets... I say... reuse those pair of jeans for tomorrow.
5. Do your research and support brands that care about being sustainable and ethical.
You can always read more about your favorite brands to know where your money goes. (Unfortunately, Uniqlo isn't that transparent. You would think that a company who doesn't really follow the conventional fast fashion model could easily set up something more sustainable... but you still hear news about them not paying their workers. Read here but just google it to find out more. So I'm not sure about this one.) Caring about workers' welfare and the environment are not easy tasks. They're not cheap either. Wherever you can, let's try and support these wonderful brands that don't get enough love.
I hope to move LMN into that direction. Gradually but surely. We have no choice. We need to be better.
The incident at a garment factory in Bangladesh that happened 6 years ago today, took around 1,134 lives and injured around 2,500 people. That really affected me. I never understood the magnitude of the matter until photos started circulating around. Cheap clothes mean that the supply chain must be relatively cheap too. How could I ever feel good wearing something knowing that it was made by someone who was underpaid (in some cases NOT paid. Sources: here and here but you can just look it up to read a plethora of sources that discuss this issue) and not taken care of? I haven't even gotten to the environmental impact of the entire industry. All the chemicals and microfibers that end up in the oceans and even the water we drink. But we only have ourselves to blame... these big companies are driven by the consumer culture.
My dear shopaholic friends, it's time we be wiser and start shopping consciously.
1. Buy classics.
Buy pieces that can withstand the test of time. White, black and neutral colored basics are staples in my wardrobe. A good, durable and resilient pair of jeans. A black blazer. You could come up with multiple outfits just by having that alone.
2. Don't submit to trends.
I'm getting better at this. I don't follow trends anymore. At least, not a lot of them. Plus I'm too old for them sometimes. Love the look of socks in heels and colored eyeshadows in editorial magazines and fashion week... but I'm not cool enough for that. I do still follow trends when a season comes out with a great color though... like Lilac in 2018. But purchase it in something you'd wear even after the trend dies down. This all goes back to #1. Sticking to the classics.
3. Sleep on it.
Avoid impulse purchases. Give it a few days/weeks. If you still want it by then, then you can get it.
4. Increase the number of uses per wash.
Our clothes shed a lot of plastic microfibers in the washing machine. Plus... save energy. Unless you just rolled around in mud and perspired buckets... I say... reuse those pair of jeans for tomorrow.
5. Do your research and support brands that care about being sustainable and ethical.
You can always read more about your favorite brands to know where your money goes. (Unfortunately, Uniqlo isn't that transparent. You would think that a company who doesn't really follow the conventional fast fashion model could easily set up something more sustainable... but you still hear news about them not paying their workers. Read here but just google it to find out more. So I'm not sure about this one.) Caring about workers' welfare and the environment are not easy tasks. They're not cheap either. Wherever you can, let's try and support these wonderful brands that don't get enough love.
I hope to move LMN into that direction. Gradually but surely. We have no choice. We need to be better.
Love,
Avoiding Fast Fashion and 5 Ways to be Fashionably Eco-Conscious.
Thursday 25 April 2019
I know it's hard to not enter a Zara store when you're walking past one... just like how it's hard for me to resist stopping by a McDonald's drive thru when I'm in Jerudong. I fell into the trap of fast fashion being a University student who loved keeping up with the latest trends. Brands like Zara and H&M were relatively cheaper and less brutal on the pockets. But with fashion being one of the biggest polluting industries, there's more to just buying cheap clothes that go out of fashion (and won't last that long anyway).
Edit: As I was re-reading that, I don't want you to think that I think Zara is cheap or neither do I want you to think that I feel like I'm too cool for Zara. Let's just all agree that Zara churns out amazing clothes. Zara is one of my weaknesses. I love the colors and the style pieces of Zara and the entire Inditex Group. When I talk about cheap clothes... I meant fast fashion in general. Primark. Boohoo. Missguided. Anything that does mass production of RELATIVELY cheaper clothes and has a high rate of wastage. Hope that clears things.
Edit: As I was re-reading that, I don't want you to think that I think Zara is cheap or neither do I want you to think that I feel like I'm too cool for Zara. Let's just all agree that Zara churns out amazing clothes. Zara is one of my weaknesses. I love the colors and the style pieces of Zara and the entire Inditex Group. When I talk about cheap clothes... I meant fast fashion in general. Primark. Boohoo. Missguided. Anything that does mass production of RELATIVELY cheaper clothes and has a high rate of wastage. Hope that clears things.
|
| Carcel is one of my favorite ethical brands made with sustainable material by women who are imprisoned for poverty-related crimes. |
I dedicated my Masters Degree to research on the sustainability of fast fashion. The amount of resources used (like water), the high carbon emissions, the amount of waste not bought and thrown out when the seasons change, the unfair treatment towards garment makers in developing/underdeveloped countries... are so ugly that you gotta think twice before you make a purchase. I haven't walked into a Zara store for over a year... and I don't remember the last time I shopped at H&M. While having started to make a move into the ethical direction with more climate positive goals and by having their own 'conscious' lines that use recycled polyester and organic cotton, these two biggest fast fashion retailers are still not doing enough.
The incident at a garment factory in Bangladesh that happened 6 years ago today, took around 1,134 lives and injured around 2,500 people. That really affected me. I never understood the magnitude of the matter until photos started circulating around. Cheap clothes mean that the supply chain must be relatively cheap too. How could I ever feel good wearing something knowing that it was made by someone who was underpaid (in some cases NOT paid. Sources: here and here but you can just look it up to read a plethora of sources that discuss this issue) and not taken care of? I haven't even gotten to the environmental impact of the entire industry. All the chemicals and microfibers that end up in the oceans and even the water we drink. But we only have ourselves to blame... these big companies are driven by the consumer culture.
My dear shopaholic friends, it's time we be wiser and start shopping consciously.
1. Buy classics.
Buy pieces that can withstand the test of time. White, black and neutral colored basics are staples in my wardrobe. A good, durable and resilient pair of jeans. A black blazer. You could come up with multiple outfits just by having that alone.
2. Don't submit to trends.
I'm getting better at this. I don't follow trends anymore. At least, not a lot of them. Plus I'm too old for them sometimes. Love the look of socks in heels and colored eyeshadows in editorial magazines and fashion week... but I'm not cool enough for that. I do still follow trends when a season comes out with a great color though... like Lilac in 2018. But purchase it in something you'd wear even after the trend dies down. This all goes back to #1. Sticking to the classics.
3. Sleep on it.
Avoid impulse purchases. Give it a few days/weeks. If you still want it by then, then you can get it.
4. Increase the number of uses per wash.
Our clothes shed a lot of plastic microfibers in the washing machine. Plus... save energy. Unless you just rolled around in mud and perspired buckets... I say... reuse those pair of jeans for tomorrow.
5. Do your research and support brands that care about being sustainable and ethical.
You can always read more about your favorite brands to know where your money goes. (Unfortunately, Uniqlo isn't that transparent. You would think that a company who doesn't really follow the conventional fast fashion model could easily set up something more sustainable... but you still hear news about them not paying their workers. Read here but just google it to find out more. So I'm not sure about this one.) Caring about workers' welfare and the environment are not easy tasks. They're not cheap either. Wherever you can, let's try and support these wonderful brands that don't get enough love.
I hope to move LMN into that direction. Gradually but surely. We have no choice. We need to be better.
The incident at a garment factory in Bangladesh that happened 6 years ago today, took around 1,134 lives and injured around 2,500 people. That really affected me. I never understood the magnitude of the matter until photos started circulating around. Cheap clothes mean that the supply chain must be relatively cheap too. How could I ever feel good wearing something knowing that it was made by someone who was underpaid (in some cases NOT paid. Sources: here and here but you can just look it up to read a plethora of sources that discuss this issue) and not taken care of? I haven't even gotten to the environmental impact of the entire industry. All the chemicals and microfibers that end up in the oceans and even the water we drink. But we only have ourselves to blame... these big companies are driven by the consumer culture.
My dear shopaholic friends, it's time we be wiser and start shopping consciously.
1. Buy classics.
Buy pieces that can withstand the test of time. White, black and neutral colored basics are staples in my wardrobe. A good, durable and resilient pair of jeans. A black blazer. You could come up with multiple outfits just by having that alone.
2. Don't submit to trends.
I'm getting better at this. I don't follow trends anymore. At least, not a lot of them. Plus I'm too old for them sometimes. Love the look of socks in heels and colored eyeshadows in editorial magazines and fashion week... but I'm not cool enough for that. I do still follow trends when a season comes out with a great color though... like Lilac in 2018. But purchase it in something you'd wear even after the trend dies down. This all goes back to #1. Sticking to the classics.
3. Sleep on it.
Avoid impulse purchases. Give it a few days/weeks. If you still want it by then, then you can get it.
4. Increase the number of uses per wash.
Our clothes shed a lot of plastic microfibers in the washing machine. Plus... save energy. Unless you just rolled around in mud and perspired buckets... I say... reuse those pair of jeans for tomorrow.
5. Do your research and support brands that care about being sustainable and ethical.
You can always read more about your favorite brands to know where your money goes. (Unfortunately, Uniqlo isn't that transparent. You would think that a company who doesn't really follow the conventional fast fashion model could easily set up something more sustainable... but you still hear news about them not paying their workers. Read here but just google it to find out more. So I'm not sure about this one.) Caring about workers' welfare and the environment are not easy tasks. They're not cheap either. Wherever you can, let's try and support these wonderful brands that don't get enough love.
I hope to move LMN into that direction. Gradually but surely. We have no choice. We need to be better.
Love,
I've had many people ask about my current skincare routine and I've finally found time to blog about it! I've been using this brand since November when I went to Seoul and went a little crazy at the Sulwhasoo flagship store. I bought myself an entire new routine. I do still use some of my old loves such as Glossier's Milk Jelly Cleanser (can't stay away from that... no other cleanser will ever do) and my Pixi Glow Tonic (because I can't seem to find out whether my Sulwhasoo stuff has any AHA/acid in them).
Sulwhasoo is a k-beauty brand under AmorePacific Corporation alongside 32 other brands including Laneige, Innisfree, Annick Goutal and Etude House. The price range is a little on the high side so it was definitely a treat for myself when I bought it. I was trying to see whether it was cruelty-free. I read that the ones sold in China have to go through animal testing but the ones sold outside particularly in South Korea are cruelty-free. Going forward, I definitely see myself repurchasing because my skin feels softer and less sallow/dull (which was my ultimate goal anyway).
For cleanser, I still use the Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser. That's total holy grail status and everything else seem to pale in comparison. It's just perfect--simple, lightly-scented and non-greasy. I know it isn't the case for one of my best friends who much prefers the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (that one made my face super greasy and it was quite heavily scented for my liking). I don't know... if this didn't work for you, let me know why because I really love this stuff.
Then, the first thing I put on my face is the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum or the Pixi Glow Tonic (if i feel like my skin needs extra exfoliation). They both create the perfect canvas to layer on the subsequent products. It allows for better penetration and absorption.
Next, is either the Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Water or Fresh's Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence and then the Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Emulsion. The Snowise range is a brightening range which targets unevenness and any discoloration. The kind lady at Sulwhasoo recommended I try them out. I can't say it has done wonders for my dark spots to be honest, but I think this is the main reason why I'm not looking as dull as I used to. On a side note, I recently purchased the Snowise Brightening Spot Serum that supposedly fades and prevents any dark spots. I have yet to use this religiously so I cannot say whether it works or not.
Ah... the expensive serum that I pray will make me look 25 at 35--Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Renovating Serum EX. This is a premium anti-aging serum using ingredients from deep inside red pine leaves. Absolutely no clue what that is or what it does. They have a lower range for anti-aging that I also love-- the Concentrated Ginseng smells like a luxurious tree.........idk that's the best I got but you really smell like a spa when putting that stuff on your face. On days where zits show up, I use The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% and Zinc 1%. HG. Really works. I then continue with the Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Renovating Eye Serum. I bought it with the Golden Eye Care Massager which comes with steps on how to use it around your eyes. It's so luxe, I tell you.
I use the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream for my moisturiser. They have a gel version which is lighter but I used the cream because I have dehydrated skin and I usually powder after anyway. To finish off I use the Glossier Invisible Shield SPF35 as my daily sunscreen during the day. This formula is total genius. I love it and I wish it came in a higher SPF value because I don't think SPF35 will do for the amount of sun we get here in Brunei.
Anyway, that's all. I'm actually on Cult Beauty picking out a retinol. Most probably going to repurchase The Ordinary's Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. Skincare junkie, signing out!
Love,
Skincare: Sulwhasoo
Sunday 21 April 2019
I've had many people ask about my current skincare routine and I've finally found time to blog about it! I've been using this brand since November when I went to Seoul and went a little crazy at the Sulwhasoo flagship store. I bought myself an entire new routine. I do still use some of my old loves such as Glossier's Milk Jelly Cleanser (can't stay away from that... no other cleanser will ever do) and my Pixi Glow Tonic (because I can't seem to find out whether my Sulwhasoo stuff has any AHA/acid in them).
Sulwhasoo is a k-beauty brand under AmorePacific Corporation alongside 32 other brands including Laneige, Innisfree, Annick Goutal and Etude House. The price range is a little on the high side so it was definitely a treat for myself when I bought it. I was trying to see whether it was cruelty-free. I read that the ones sold in China have to go through animal testing but the ones sold outside particularly in South Korea are cruelty-free. Going forward, I definitely see myself repurchasing because my skin feels softer and less sallow/dull (which was my ultimate goal anyway).
For cleanser, I still use the Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser. That's total holy grail status and everything else seem to pale in comparison. It's just perfect--simple, lightly-scented and non-greasy. I know it isn't the case for one of my best friends who much prefers the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel (that one made my face super greasy and it was quite heavily scented for my liking). I don't know... if this didn't work for you, let me know why because I really love this stuff.
Then, the first thing I put on my face is the Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum or the Pixi Glow Tonic (if i feel like my skin needs extra exfoliation). They both create the perfect canvas to layer on the subsequent products. It allows for better penetration and absorption.
Next, is either the Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Water or Fresh's Black Tea Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence and then the Sulwhasoo Snowise Brightening Emulsion. The Snowise range is a brightening range which targets unevenness and any discoloration. The kind lady at Sulwhasoo recommended I try them out. I can't say it has done wonders for my dark spots to be honest, but I think this is the main reason why I'm not looking as dull as I used to. On a side note, I recently purchased the Snowise Brightening Spot Serum that supposedly fades and prevents any dark spots. I have yet to use this religiously so I cannot say whether it works or not.
Ah... the expensive serum that I pray will make me look 25 at 35--Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Renovating Serum EX. This is a premium anti-aging serum using ingredients from deep inside red pine leaves. Absolutely no clue what that is or what it does. They have a lower range for anti-aging that I also love-- the Concentrated Ginseng smells like a luxurious tree.........idk that's the best I got but you really smell like a spa when putting that stuff on your face. On days where zits show up, I use The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% and Zinc 1%. HG. Really works. I then continue with the Sulwhasoo Timetreasure Renovating Eye Serum. I bought it with the Golden Eye Care Massager which comes with steps on how to use it around your eyes. It's so luxe, I tell you.
I use the Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream for my moisturiser. They have a gel version which is lighter but I used the cream because I have dehydrated skin and I usually powder after anyway. To finish off I use the Glossier Invisible Shield SPF35 as my daily sunscreen during the day. This formula is total genius. I love it and I wish it came in a higher SPF value because I don't think SPF35 will do for the amount of sun we get here in Brunei.
Anyway, that's all. I'm actually on Cult Beauty picking out a retinol. Most probably going to repurchase The Ordinary's Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. Skincare junkie, signing out!
Love,
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