lemielch | Style, Life and Self-Improvement

Happy 2021-

Wow, it's been a minute since I hopped on here but in the new year I wanted to invest more time back into my blog so I thought, what better way to get the ball rolling than with a post to summarise the year that's just gone and write down some of my intentions for 2021.

First off, I hope you've been well! I'm not sure how many people read my blog or would chance upon this post but if you're here, I just wanted to say thank you for being here and I'm sending nothing but love your way.

A Look Back On 2020

I did a little journal session earlier today to celebrate the little wins I had in the last year (inspired by Rowena Tsai's video), and thought I'd share what they were with you.

Working out has become a part of my lifestyle now instead of a chore. I used to exercise pretty consistently back in Perth, but unfortunately I've kinda lost that routine since moving back to Singapore a couple of years ago. Thanks to the combination of quarantine and Chloe Ting workouts, I now look forward to sweating it out a couple of times a week.
I haven't gotten a fever at all this year. This one is pretty huge for me because of how weak I was in health growing up, I would usually get fevers at least two times a year. Thankfully I didn't get super sick last year and I attribute this to having to stay home most of the year, and being able to get the rest I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise.
More family time. Since we were all made to stay home during quarantine, I've been able to enjoy a lot more time with my family and that has been so lovely. We've definitely created lots of beautiful memories with each other in this one year that I will hold dear to my heart always. I feel like as we grow up and maybe due to work or other social commitments, we start to spend less time with our parents and siblings. So this year, being able to spend so much more time at home with the people that matter was really grounding and healing for me.
Rediscovered old hobbies. Having all the time in the world at home means having that extra hour or two to explore hobbies that I have otherwise brushed aside under the guise of "being too busy". I'm so glad that in 2020, I started painting and doing art again, read more, journaled and practiced on my ukulele.
Reached 5K on Instagram. This isn't a huge number or by any means something to brag about, but I am genuinely blown away by having so many people interested in what I put out and support me in this journey of content creation. It's definitely a milestone and really showed me that the time, effort and work I put into my photos and feed resonates with others in the world and hopefully creates meaning and joy for the people who support me.

Hopes for 2021

My theme for this year is self-confidence and ease. Everything I do this year is to contribute to building my self-confidence and teaching me to live more slowly and be more at ease. These two words will be my north star this year, guiding me to create the life I want for myself. I want to be a more confident person and enjoy every day to the fullest. I will embrace a slower pace of life and be present in each moment.

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Thank you for starting this year with me. I am grateful for you and have an amazing 2021 ahead x

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hello~ i hope you've been well since the last time we spoke. something I've been doing more of in quarantine, as mentioned in my previous post, is treating my skin right and indulging in skincare. so I thought I'd share my current routine with you guys!

my skin has generally been pretty kind to me and I honestly credit it to my mum for teaching me the importance of skincare at a young age. I started doing skincare from ages 13-14 and began going for facials around that time as well. since then, I've been pretty lucky, only getting hormonal pimples during my period and oil bumps here and there throughout my late teens.

I'm now in my early 20s and my skin condition consists of oiliness around my T-zones and dryness on my cheeks if I don't moisturise properly. if you're also someone with combination skin, this routine would be relevant to you. :)

Morning Routine

Starting off with my AM skincare — I typically wash my face with water and nothing else in the morning since I don't want to strip my skin of its natural oils.

I follow up with either Ceramiracle First Light The Essence or Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner. I alternate between the two since they have different functions. First Light The Essence is a clean-label skin conditioner that I use to soften and hydrate my skin, whereas the Niacinamide Brightening Toner helps brighten my skin (as the name suggests).

Moisturising is at the top of my priority list so the following products are all meant to do just that. I start off with Aprilskin Real Calendula Deep Moisture Essence, followed by the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum and seal it all in with the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Cream.

Eye cream is an integral part to my routine as well — I suffer from dark circles, budding fine lines and the occasional puffiness since stepping into my 20s. The only product I've found to have worked is the Ceramiracle FlowerBerry Eye Illuminating Cream. I love the lightweight texture and how it hydrates and brightens my undereye area.

Finally, the most important part of any AM routine. Sunscreen! I am currently using The Ordinary Mineral UV Filters SPF 30 with Antioxidants. My experience with this so far is that it does leave a white cast upon application, but if you put on foundation afterwards, it settles in quite nicely. I was on the market for cruelty-free sunscreen and this was the first one I found. I probably wouldn't repurchase because it's hard to get an even application on my face.

Apart from topical skincare, ingestible supplements are a must in my routine. And again, I have to credit my habit and preference for taking supplements to my mum. She used to be in the nutrition care trade and introduced my family to the importance of vitamins and supplements for our health and wellness. Similarly, supplements that help protect and care for my skin are a yes for me.

In the day, I take Ceramiracle Invi-Sun Skin Supplement to protect my skin against UV rays. As the name suggests, this supplement is a sun care product that act as a shield from the harmful rays from the sun. I take this every morning even while staying indoors — being at home doesn't mean the UV rays don't reach you!

I follow up around midday with Ceramiracle O'Cali Nature NoAGEs Supplement to help with dealing with the free radicals in my skin. AGEs (Advanced glycation end products) are by-product of the sugar-digesting process. For someone like me who loves my sweets, I can't imagine the number of AGEs I have in my body from all that sugar. So when this product launched, I knew it was something I needed right away. This gives an antioxidant boost to help specifically combat these free radicals in my skin.

Evening Routine

Moving onto my night time routine, I currently remove my makeup with the banilla co cleansing balm but once this runs out I will be switching to a cruelty-free alternative (which is why I didn't want to highlight it in this post). To cleanse my skin, I use the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser. I love how gentle it is on my skin and washes my face without stripping it of moisture.

Next, I use either Ceramiracle First Light The Essence or Innisfree Blueberry Rebalancing Lotion to prep my skin for the rest of my routine. Both products do an amazing job at conditioning my skin, softening it and prepping it for the intense moisturising steps that follow.

Same as before, I start off with Aprilskin Real Calendula Deep Moisture Essence, followed by the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum and finish up with the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Cream.

Lastly, eye cream. I never forget this step because my undereye area is easily what I would consider the "trouble area" of my face. As always, I use the Ceramiracle FlowerBerry Eye Illuminating Cream to hydrate, brighten and nourish my eyes.

Can't forget about my skin supplements! At night, I take Ceramiracle First Light Ceramides Skin Supplement as it moisturises my skin from the inside out. With ingredients like phytoceramides and hyaluronic acid known to be extremely hydrating, I honestly think it has helped so much with keeping my skin bouncy and supple.

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And this is it to my current skincare routine. I hope you were able to discover something new and helpful! Let me know if you end up trying out any of the products mentioned. Take care and I'll see you in the soon :) x

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Hey guys -

I hope you're all staying well, staying safe and doing okay. The past few weeks have been wild and with most of us now staying home, I thought I'd share a couple of ideas for things you can do while being indoors. To all the essential workers, my heart goes out to you and your families and we're all grateful for the sacrifices you've made.

For the rest of us, I hope staying home has allowed you time to rest, take care of yourselves and spend quality time with the people you live with.

I've been isolating with my family for the past 2 weeks and it has been a much needed breather and down time for someone like me who's almost always on-the-go. It's especially wonderful that I now get to spend more time with my grandparents (whom we live with) and Snowie. I see this time as a gift, to be able to keep my grandparents company, cuddle with my doggo all day and hang out with my family.

While I've been home, I've started doing things that I've been meaning to get around to and it's felt so good to do things with intention and not purely out of habit. If you came from my Instagram, you've already seen the 7 things I mentioned there. So here are 7 more things I've been doing over the past 2 weeks and will probably continue doing for the next month and a half. I hope it gives you some inspiration in creating your own stay home routine too.

1. Get ample rest

As cliche as it sounds, being able to rest well is important. I feel like I've been getting the most amount of quality rest in the last 2 weeks than I've been getting for the past 10 years. Taking this time to fully recharge and get that quality 8 hour sleep every night has left me feeling refreshed every morning.

Ever since moving back to Singapore and having to adjust to the pace of life here, my sleep schedule and pattern honestly haven't been the best. But now that I am spending all day and every day at home, I have started to allocate a couple of hours every night to unwind before bed and unsurprisingly, it has helped me sleep better and fall asleep more easily as well.

2. Exercise

Exercising is something I've slowly but surely worked into my daily routine. The excuse I used to give myself was always "oh, I don't have enough time I'll just skip working out for today". But now with literally, all the time in the world, I'm not letting myself fall into a slump and instead, resolving to take this chance to get healthier and fitter.

My exercise routine: I do my friend Zoe's 11 abs workout or Claudia Sulewski's 15 minute Full Body Workout and go for evening walks.

3. Journal

Journalling is something that I've always done on and off. If you take a peek into my collection of notebooks you'll see random journal entries from different times in my life. The one thing they all have in common is that they're all slightly melancholic, slightly moody but by the end of every entry you'll see me giving myself the advice and affirmation I needed to hear. Writing has always been cathartic to me and has never failed to help put things into perspective.

In the last week, however, I've decided to explore journalling a little differently. I want to make it something that I do frequently, rather than only when I'm feeling upset. I want to use it to heal, to celebrate, to reflect instead of only writing to vent.

This is something you can explore doing as well! It would be a wonderful thing to see if we can all become more in tune with our inner selves after the next 2 months.

4. Practice a hobby

When I was younger, I had so many hobbies — art and craft, lettering, singing, reading, playing the piano — you name it, I've probably tried it. But as time passes by, the frequency by which I visit these hobbies started to dwindle, and it was only in the last 2 years that I started picking them back up again.

This extended time at home has been the best time to revisit old hobbies and pick up new ones! I've been reading a bunch, colouring in my colouring book, singing around the house and even started to learn how to make simple recipes at home.

5. Go all out with skincare and body care

Skincare has always been a non-negotiable for me. I have a multi-step morning and night routine that I do daily without fail, which is especially important since I wear makeup almost every day. In addition to that, I've been masking every other day during this stay home period. This is something I haven't been able to do as regularly before but am committing to doing for the next 2 months. Ideally, I'd like to keep it up even after that.

Masks I use: innisfree Black Green Tea Mask, fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask, lush Mask of Magnaminty, sheet masks

On top of skincare, something I've been doing consistently is taking better care of my body. I've been doing scrubs in the shower, exfoliating my feet, and lathering body and feet lotion every night. These were things I did on and off previously, but since incorporating them into my daily routine, I can tell that my skin and body have really enjoyed the extra care. My skin has become softer and more hydrated as well!

Brands I recommend: Ceramiracle, Lush, Frank Body

6. Listen to podcasts

If you've seen my post on the Top 5 Podcasts I Listen To On Repeat, you'll know I'm an avid podcast listener. On top of the 5 that I recommended in that post, I've also started to listen to a couple of others that I absolutely love. If you have some extra time in your day, listening to podcasts is a great way to get you motivated and you might find yourself picking up surprisingly good life lessons along the way too.

Podcast recommendations: Happy Hour with Lucy and Nikki, We Bought A House by Claudia & Finneas, The Situate Yourself Podcast (shoutout to my friend Lina!)

7. Make yourself a feel good breakfast every morning

This is something that's relatively new to me! Having to go to work early every morning has kind of made it hard to commit to a good brekkie. Now that I'm working from home, I've been really appreciating being able to cook eggs, mushrooms, the occasional bacon, and being able to start my day with a wholesome meal.

My sister and I are planning to explore making pancakes and other types of toasts as well in the coming days which I am so excited about! I'll keep you guys posted on my Instagram stories, so make sure you're in touch there. :)

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And this is it! 7 more things you can add to your stay home routine. If you haven't already checked out today's Instagram post where I share a different set of activities you can do at home, click here to get even more ideas.

As always, thank you for taking the time to drop by and I wish you good health and strength to get through this period. All my love x

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Happy birthday, dear me!

This day last year I dedicated my birthday post to the 23 things I was still learning at 23. And now looking back on that post I've realised that a lot still applies today. Life is but a learning process, a never-ending journey of personal development. So many of the things I listed out in that post are a continual work-in-progress, and truthfully, this list is full of wonderful affirmations that would keep me going through difficult times.

So as I turn 24 today, I've decided to make this a series and share the 24 things I'm still working on. If you resonated with any of these I'd love to know. :')

Here goes:

You don't need to be perfect.
Passing thoughts cannot hurt you if you don't focus on them.
Protect your energy — only share it with the people who matter.
Remember to look back every once in awhile and applaud your own growth.
Stop being so hard on yourself.
You are doing your best, and that is enough.
You are enough.
Always be kinder than necessary.
Good on you for being self-aware; but don't let it overwhelm you.
A good friend recently told me: you don't owe anyone anything.
With reference to last year's point 11: one year on, aren't you glad you actually got started on whatever you wanted to do and now you're able to look back on how far you've come?
Remember, loving yourself isn't just pampering yourself on the outside. It is also acknowledging that your thoughts are valid and that you deserve the same respect you show to other people.
Stop putting yourself down.
Be proud of who you are.
Everybody's journey is unique to them. And yours is unique to you.
It's okay to be different.
It's okay to have insecurities and bad days.
You are stronger than you think you are.
Keep on building that inner peace, so that it becomes unshakable regardless of the environment you're in.
Stay in your own lane and look out for yourself as much as you look out for others.
Keep being inspired by the little things, big things and all that's in between.
Speak only of kind and beautiful things.
You don't need to be afraid of the unknown.
Manifest good thoughts. Practice self-acceptance. Surround yourself with positive energy.