After sifting through all of my old photos & videos of my past Xmas trip to Tokyo, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about taking another overseas vacation.  This year, I’ve been really getting into the Holiday spirit, & I really enjoyed all of the Xmas displays & Holiday light shows blooming all over Tokyo.  This really makes me miss the whole experience, & I wish I could go back to Japan again soon.

All of this really got me thinking about planning a new trip to Japan again, & I am really getting excited about it.  I understand that I have very important events that will take a big chunk of moola from my budget, but I really think that we will be able to make this all happen.

Upon hearing that Aesop‘s latest Nolita store was built on 400,000 strips of paper— well, actually the paper, New York Times— we feared that someone could easily huff, puff, and blow the place down, leaving hot-spots for high-end skin products one major man down. But upon further investigation, our concern turned into wonderment, as we realized the expert design and construction that went into the project, executed by NYC architect Jeremy Barbour for Tacklebox . The products are displayed in an ingenious marriage of form and function, with a raw aesthetic that stays true to the company and to the architect, who had carried out a similar design for the brand’s Grand Central kiosk. Looks like one way to have your store stay in the news is to have the news stay in your store!

Photo sources via: Tacklebox & Refinery 29
via: Aesop NYC— The Amazing Design Behind Aesops New NYC Store.

 

I really like the brand Aesop (even though it’s mostly geared towards men’s skincare).  So far, I’ve only tried their hand cream, but it works like a dream!  The scent is a bit strong upon the first few uses, but it’s not an overpowering perfume-y fragrance.  It has a pleasing herbal-type scent, & the hand cream is just awesome hands-down (ha ha).

After only 2 uses of the hand cream, I already noticed a dramatic difference in the appearance of my dry skin & cracked cuticles.  All year round, no matter how much lotion I apply on my hands per day, my hands & especially my cuticles seem persistently dry & cracked.  I’ve used cuticle treatments in the past, but I don’t want to have to buy 7 or 8 products & go through some 10-step skincare routine everyday.  I’d rather use a “one item, many functions” type product, trim my skincare routine down to 3 or 4 simple steps.

This is where Aesop becomes my favorite hand cream…  It’s super concentrated & works miracles  on my well-worn fingers fast!  I mean, after 2-3 days of use, my hands are so much softer & neater looking (minus the jagged cuticles sticking out).  After using this hand cream, I think I would definitely try their other skincare products, & I don’t care if this is a men’s line.  I think this can very much be a uni-sex skincare line.

Boy time sure does fly by fast!  2011 is 30 days away from being over!  Where has the time gone, & why has this year been a total blur?

Well, anyway, it’s December…& my mom & I have already begun putting up Christmas decorations.  We started with the Christmas tree & have decided to let things flow from there on.  Here’s a look at our Christmas tree this year:

 

Also, I’ve decided to expand my annual Christmas LEGO decorations by re-displaying my Bake Shop/Ice Skating set again:

I don’t know why, but Christmas trees (& decorating them) always put me in a very festive mood for the Holidays.  I love being in the spirit of giving gifts, & I L-O-V-E giving gifts!  My decorating philosophy: The more sparkling & glittering decorations you put on the tree, the BETTER!!

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