Summer is officially here! I know I've been so delinquent on the blog (which I'm not proud of) but here I am, back at it!! I wanted to start a new series called daily essentials - documenting things that I use on a daily basis, such as skin care, cosmetics, small goods, whatever it is to make my daily life a little brighter, a little happier, and a little more enjoyable. Today we start with the things I've been using and loving since the warm days started.

Starting from upper left corner clockwise...

AESOP Herbal Deodorant. In summer, most of us swear by solid sticks to keep our underarm area dry and smelling descent. But we all know how embarrassing and annoying it is to find the stick marks on our clothes. I stumbled upon this Aesop Herbal Deodorant spray when I went to the store to stock up on body wash and hand wash and decided to give it a try. It has a pleasant herbal oil smell (sage leaf as part of the ingredients), dries up pretty fast after each spray and leaves no mark. Although it may not be as effective as antiperspirant when it come to preventing sweating, I found it pretty good at keeping my underarms dry so far (maybe it's the essential oil?) and it has been my go-to after shower everyday.

DIPTYQUE scented candle. This one needs no introduction. I always make sure I have a few Diptyque candles scattered around my home. My favorite scents, amongst all, are Baies and Figuier. I keep one on my night stand and there's nothing more soothing than falling asleep with the light scent lingering around you...

Living Proof Humidity Shield Spray. My hair is hopelessly fine and naturally wavy, which translates to a frizzy and sad look under high humidity. Every morning after I shower and blow dry my hair, I would always straighten and style it using my favorite Panasonic ion straightener. However, as soon as I step outside, within 10 minutes, it goes back to being flat and frizzy. I bought this Living Proof Humidity Shield Spray from Sephora and so far it's been working wonders! My hair is able to keep the volume and somewhat shape that I styled for most of the day. Very pleased with the purchase!

Le Labo perfume in Santal 33. I can't remember how many compliments I've gotten since I started wearing it. My boyfriend got me this as a Xmas gift (by the way, if you go to their store, they will make the perfume right there on the spot for you, so neat!) and I've been wearing it ever since. It's very subtle and low key, and yet has this dreamy sexy feel to it. I've gotten so used to it that I can no longer smell it when I wear it. But every time I enter a room, someone always asks, what perfume are you wearing?

Tom Ford lip stick. Ever since I purchased my first TF lip stick, I've been completely hooked. Being someone who doesn't wear a ton of makeup, my makeup regimen really just consists of tinted moisturizer, eye brow powder, a teeny bit of eye shadow and finish with lip stick. Having possibly the driest lips in the world, most of the lip sticks either don't stay on for long or make my lips even drier. Tom Ford is an exception. It's very moisturizing (although I like to apply a layer of lip balm as a primer first) and stays on for a long time. An absolute essential! My new purchase is called "Something Wild" - sounds pretty exotic but it really is not. It's a lovely red that you can wear every day. It's not overpowering but still adds a nice pop of color.

Happy summer everyone!

As someone who travels 80-100% for work, there are two things that I most look forward to coming home. 1) Make my own pour over coffee at home (I'll write a separate post about this). 2) Sleep on my own bed and use my favorite body products, among which, Aesop undoubtedly tops the chart.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Aesop has always shied away from the traditional marketing that other skin care brands do. However, every time you walk by / into an Aesop store (which by the way, is the best and most powerful visual marketing ever), you can't help but be drawn to the beautiful design of the store, the aromatic aura that you experience, the clean aesthetics of the brand, and the message about healthy lifestyle that the brand is trying to convey. For me personally, a sucker for packaging, I am especially fascinated by the uniform, lab-like, almost "boring" (to some people) packaging of their products. It brings your attention to the product itself, the ingredients that it contains, and the essence of what you are looking for in a product.

From my first Aesop Resurrection Hand Balm and the Geranium Leaf Body Wash, I've been completely hooked. I've tried a fair amount of different hand creams, Aesop is among the most moisturizing and yet even better, it won't leave your hands greasy (we all know what it's like to leave a ton of greasy finger prints all over the place after we put on hand creams). Plus, the herbal oil scent is extra soothing (to me at least). The Geranium body wash has been my bathroom fixture for a long time. It not only motivates me to jump in the shower (kidding), but most importantly, it plays a huge role in my bathroom interior (again, here's why I'm a sucker for packaging). My recent find is this breathless massage oil. After a long day / week, there's nothing better than receiving a gentle massage from your loved one (or your favorite massage salon for that matter). And I can't think of a better way to do it than having it with this orange and jojoba oil that will truly take your breath away.