Good morning everyone!! I spent my Saturday babysitting my little niece and packing my luggage bag – I am on my way to the airport now and I have a long post for you this morning.

My sister and I have been shopping for Chinese New Year clothings lately.

Everywhere seems to be having sale and we found several good deals along the way – Steve Madden is having up to 60% off selected items plus 10% more for members, Calvin Klein is having 40% + 20% with purchase of 3 items and above.

I am not sure if the sale is still on and I can’t guarantee my details above are correct – I can only briefly recall, was busy trying out clothes and shoes.

Have been enjoying some Chanel treats lately.

And simple, natural makeup style. Have stopped trying new skincare for the time being and I am completely happy with my current skincare regime – simple and fuss-free. What I have been trying are lots of facial masks – loving every single one of them.

Not sure what has gotten into me but I haven’t been paying much attention to new makeup releases. I still read beauty blogs, news and updates but nothing seems to really stand out this season – I like the pink themes and candy pastels but looking at my current collection – I feel I should pay more attention to them rather than acquiring more new loves.

I am not sure if this is just a passing phase – who knows, I may wake up tomorrow and go shopping for makeup. On a side note, I really want to try Chanel’s and Lancôme’s CC Creams.

Moving forward, I would love to share more insights to my collection with you. What works and what doesn’t work on myself, how-tos and pairings together with new discoveries along the way (could be something new or something that has always been there but forgotten).

Posts may be very random. I hope the semi-new direction this blog is moving towards will interest you. It surely sounds interesting to me and I am really excited – much looking forward to open up. While I figure out how to make this change seamless, expect some reviews and looks in between.

To some sort of celebrate this new-found direction, I would love to share my makeup studio with you. Many of you have requested for a room tour + collection post. Sadly, I will not be showing my collection today but I hope you find my organization and storage systems useful.

Like I mentioned before, I am extremely lucky to have a room just for all my beauty things – I am not sure if this sort of space will still exist once I settle down with a kid or two.

Meanwhile, I truly enjoy having my studio – it’s like a dream come true and a place my girlfriends and I enjoy hanging out. And I love the expression their boyfriends give when I open my drawers. I bet they are secretly hoping their other half ain’t like me huh?

There are mainly three sections to this studio.

Greeted by two sets of wooden chest of drawers as one walks in – these drawers hold main bulk of my makeup. 1 for nails, 1 for lips, 1 for eyeshadows/pigments/cream shadows, 1 for cheeks/highlighters/bronzers and palettes, and 2 for skincare and makeup backups.

Each time I open the 2 drawers filled with new items makes me feel like I am shopping again and it feels good to discover hidden gems.

I have a row of clear acrylic drawers from muji [Acrylic Case 5Row – L – S$39] filled with accessories on top.

I prefer not to expose my accessories or have them displayed openly because it gets very dusty and can look messy. These clear acrylic drawers are prefect and have been serving me well for many, many years.

I try to sort my accessories according to a specific theme with earrings, bracelets and necklace so I don’t have to go through all drawers to find matching pairs. Some of them have velour partitions such as the one I use to keep earrings/studs [Acrylic Case Ring Velour Partition – S$16].

Directly across the studio, I have a bookshelf for makeup related books, magazines, watch case, random stack of empty Jo Malone boxes and metal posters. The two stacks of muji drawers [PP Case Drawer Thin x 2 – S$13 + PP Case Drawer – S$19] you see at the bottom hold products to be photographed and review.

Once I am done with photographing, testing and reviewing the items, they go to their designated homes – i.e. blush to blush drawer etc.

The third section is where the magic happens I suppose – my vanity table. This vanity table comes with a built-in mirror and two drawers. Since I have a full length mirror and a portable ikea mirror, I don’t use the one that comes with the vanity table.

Drawer on the left stores concealers, mascaras, some false eyelashes and highlighter pens. Drawer on the right stores my collection of shu uemura false eyelashes.

On my vanity table;-

1. I keep two muji containers beside the mirror to house boxes of false eyelashes – those I use everyday and the other to keep items like – nip+fab dry leg fix, hair mist, face mist etc. And my current NARS makeup pouch sitting right in front of the containers.
2. Tissue box and two containers for brushes – 1 for used brushes waiting to be washed and the other for oversize brushes which can’t fit into the drawers. I have four more metal containers for eyeliners.
3. Drawers from muji to store my brushes. I arrange my brushes according to their uses – face, cheeks, lips, eyes etc. 3 of the drawers are for hair clips, makeup sponges, cotton buds and cotton pads.
4. That 3 storey tower is where I keep all my makeup primers, bases, foundations and loose powders. I arrange them according to brands. From muji as well [PP Case 2-Drawer x 3 – S$29].

That’s about it. Hopefully you will find some storage ideas here and there.

I love muji drawers, I think they are durable and practical with all the dividers to space things out. They are sleek and modern and make my studio looks neat. I have a bunch of trays from them too, to hold my makeup and fragrances. Many places offer great alternatives to these muji drawers at a lower cost.

Came across Howards Storage World, they have some pretty cool storage and organizers for makeup and accessories, worth a look. They have displays for arm candy and lipstick trays too. You can find them at Star Vista, HarbourFront Centre, Parkway Parade and Millenia Walk.

Both January and February are extremely crazy for me. I can hardly find time to blog and my energy level is almost zero when I get home – I will be away most of this month and the next thus this space may go on a mini hiatus with a lot less entries. And I am feeling rather uninspired too.

However, I update my Instagram quite often, follow me if you wish to hear from me.

Before I end this post with a question for you, let’s take a look at what’s coming up on Joey’space. I am currently away thus I won’t be reviewing the products until I am back next week – let me know your preferences and I shall try to review those first.

A few Chanel Rouge Allure lipsticks and YSL Holiday 2012 – am truly sorry about this delay.

Estée Lauder Spring 2013.

Candy pastels this seasons, yes and it’s definitely a cheerful sight. Estée Lauder nail polishes very hardly disappoint me and the following three shades are very beautiful. Texture is nice and smooth, makes applying pastel shades so much fun.

The blush gelee is a winner. Period. If there’s one item I can’t let go this Spring, it would be this. The colour is versatile and wearable with a soft glowy sheen – think highlighter and blush in one.

Shu Uemura Spring 2013 and Tokyo Lights.

Shu Uemura Spring this year features a series of matte eyeshadows – swatched them the other day and am impressed with their silky texture, not chalky at all. Picked up Tokyo Lights from the airport and it’s such an amazing palette. Each and every colour is highly pigmented and packed with sparkling gems.

Make Up Store Foxy Collection – really enjoy the new packaging of their eyeshadows, I can see which colour is which now. And these three colours are gorgeous for Spring 2013 – cheerful and bright.

And the new Shiseido Prefect Rouge and Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer – available from Feb 2013.

Had the chance to preview the new range of Shiseido Perfect Rouge – reformulated to be more hydrating and they have kept their iconic shade, Dragon. I tried on a couple on the spot, they are super intense and colour true. One swipe is all you need.

And the new Shiseido Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer is a more subtle version with a glossy sheen – almost like the MAQuillAGE True Rouge but more colour.

Pictured above with the lovely ladies, Sarah and Sophia.

I would also like to take this chance to ask you – dear readers of Joey’space, what you would like to see/read more often on this space? Looks, tutorials, favourites, outfits, comparisons or …

As much as I would love to, I try to strike a balance whenever possible by inserting random catch ups and/or dining experiences with empties and favourite posts end of every month. I love varieties because life isn’t just about one or two things.

Let me know what you think and I am looking forward to offering more personal touches on this space. Fingers crossed. Happy weekend.

Thank you for reading.