My Current Favorites – [February 2026]: BBL Laser, Lingerie Sewing, Silk Satin
February marks the Lunar New Year, and to you, dear readers, a happy Year of the Horse. !
2026 is great for practicing wu wei (the Taoist concept of non-action). I wish you to follow the energies of Heaven and Earth and be in harmony with them.
Here are my favorites this month:
Paper Cutting
Since I read several books at once, I’m always short of bookmarks. So I make them regularly.
I should have made these paper houses at Christmas, but better late than never. If these paper cuttings interest you, the patterns & tips are available here.
BBL Laser for Pigmentation
Recently, I noticed my skin was not at its best: it felt tight, and even my hands were dry. Panicked, I booked an emergency appointment at a local spa (Aesthé, which also has several locations in Paris). After a skin analysis, relief: the issue wasn’t aging, but simply a lack of hydration. I needed to switch to my winter cream, Vanilla Pod from Antipodes (Lookfantastic link), which I usually use every year. On the other hand, the aesthetician strongly advised me to treat my pigmentation spots (a common issue for Asian skin due to genetics). I made an appointment at the same center with their aesthetic doctor, who specializes in Asian skin. According to her, an annual (at least) laser treatment is essential. However, my last session was already two years ago…
Two weeks before the pigmentation session, I was prescribed an hydroquinone-based cream, made by the local pharmacy (€56 out of pocket). It’s a pigment-fighting ingredient I love, extremely effective, but it requires staying indoors (or at least using total sun protection) for about two weeks, and it’s only available by prescription. Then, I followed up with the laser treatment (€290). New spots immediately surfaced, covering my face, but they were gone 10 days later. The skin becomes smoother, and you see improvements day by day. Stubborn spots are still there but less visible. I think the BBL laser is gentle and improves overall skin health (my skin feels much smoother), but lasers like Pico or CO2 are more aggressive on spots, allowing you to do just one session instead of 2-3 like BBL.
I’ve always tolerated laser well, and it’s by far my favorite treatment for my skin. I now have to apply sunscreen every day. I use Clarins Face Sunscreen SPF 50+ UVA/UVB, which is a bit greasy but non-comedogenic. I mention this because several followers asked for feedback, as they have Asian skin or the same pigmentation issues as me. The before/after photos are on my other blog.
Lingerie Sewing
Right now, I have some health issues, so I’m granting myself as much “me time”as possible. Plus, I’m rewatching Gilded Age, Mad Men , and and Downton Abbey,so I’m a bit influenced by the aesthetic of these shows.
I grabbed my credit card and went shopping. But after 2 hours of going in circles (because 99% of the composition labels contain polyamide/polyester/viscose/acetate), I came home empty-handed but with ideas.
First, I finished my sewing projects and altered clothes I rarely wore, shortening here and there, and replacing unsightly buttons with mother-of-pearl and horn ones. It’s impressive how these small buttons can elevate and transform a garment, adding incomparable shine and feel.
Then, I remembered the 5 meters of haute couture silk satin (deadstock) that were still lying around at home. I decided to sew myself a silk kimono, as well as silk & lace lingerie. Not everything is perfect because I lack experience; it’s the first time I’ve sewn these fluid and delicate fabrics.
Some people don’t understand why I sew directly with beautiful fabrics. Actually, if I sew a viscose kimono to “practice”, I’ll never wear it; it would be a waste (of fabric and time). Might as well sew directly in silk. Plus, these are fun projects that can be done in 2-3 hours, and for mistakes, I’m the only one who knows, so it’s super motivating! I highly recommend Leavers lace from Calais; it’s very pretty, glides over the skin, is very fine but still sturdy and easy to sew.
Am I scared to sew lingerie? In silk and lace, no less? Of course I am, but the urge to create is stronger. For more info on these sewing projects (patterns, costs), you can read my “sewing wrap-up” article on my other blog.. If you’re into books, the best on the market is Mon atelier lingerie by Milena Sevette (Amazon link), the BIBLE of lingerie sewing. Even if the designs are a bit classic, there are plenty of tips, and from the base patterns, you’ll be able to modify them to suit your desires and fabrics.
It’s only by sewing that I finally understand why silk is often adorned with lace. For a long time, these two fabrics were absolute luxuries. In the past, bobbin lace required an enormous amount of time to create intricate patterns. Silk, which is difficult to dye, needed to be enhanced with patterns, like the Lyonnaise printing in the style of Hermès, embroidery, or lace inserts to keep it from being too plain and monotonous.
Silk Satin Robes
After sewing and wearing my very first silk kimono/robe, I realized that the kimono is an essential loungewear piece. But a knee-length kimono wasn’t ideal in winter, and I’d prefer a longer one (ankle-length) in a heavier silk. I found plenty on Vinted, all beautiful and new (between €30 and €80, a fraction of the original price), made from ultra-luxurious silks.
These are small purchases with a big impact on everyday comfort, because beauty is therapeutic. Honestly, if I’d known how amazing I’d feel in these ultra-long robes, I would have bought them sooner. The feel of luxury silk satin (we’re talking quality equivalent to silk from Hermès) upgrades your daily routine, soothing you from the moment you wake up. Here’s a podcast excerpt to explain why a silk robe is so important, because I couldn’t have described it better myself:
“This morning, I asked myself: what would make me feel truly feminine? What would make me beautiful from the moment I wake up, without checking my hair in the mirror? It’s that sensation of silk on your skin, from the very first step. So I bought a silk robe. A kimono, with large sleeves. Not short, no: I wanted it long and flowing.
Imagine, ladies, treat yourself to this. Picture yourself going to the kitchen to make your coffee. Feel the silk gliding over your skin, making you walk softly, gracefully, instead of shuffling your feet thinking ‘I’m tired.’ That’s what we all do.
And what if we avoided that? What if you walked into the kitchen with elegance and grace, creating that moment for yourself? These desires aren’t imaginary: they can become real if you allow yourself.”
You’ll find my haul and buying guide here, I found brands with superb quality, between €30 and €80! The downside once you’ve touched and worn these high-end silks is that you can’t go back to ordinary silks.
In Vietnamese, the expression ‘Sống trong nhung lụa’ literally translates to ‘living in velvet and silk’ (in the past, velvet was also woven from silk). It evokes a life of great ease, surrounded by luxurious material comfort. This imagery originates from times when velvet (‘nhung’) and silk (‘lụa’) were precious fabrics, reserved for the nobility and the wealthiest families.
On a related note, I invite you to read:
Resale
Before the Lunar New Year, Vietnamese people do a big cleaning to get rid of qi stagnant. I set aside quite a few items & books that I quickly sold on Le bon coin, Vinted (follow me) and Rakuten just before the Lunar New Year. I noticed that even items I was ready to throw away still sold because they’re branded and many people recycle them. Even worn sheets are highly appreciated by seamstresses, and shrunken cashmere sweaters are a hit with teens. So don’t throw anything away; list them online, even for €1. That means less waste, but moreupcycling.
I have another trick that forces me to read books faster. I have a rather large pile of books to read. To motivate myself, I list the books for sale. Once they’re sold, I have 3 to 5 days to ship the package. So it motivates me to read the book in express mode ahahha; however, you need to list one book at a time, because if 3 books sell at once, it’s not bueno 😀
Books
- I’m continuing to read the Tao Te Ching. I’m still copying it by hand, and it calms me a lot. I’m reading several editions of the Tao Te Ching at once, so I’ll only tell you which edition I recommend at the end of the reading.
- I mustered up my courage to continue the DUNE saga. I’d stopped at the 3rd book, but I remembered an important conversation with a friend who claimed DUNE was visionary, and that a major theme in DUNE was prescience as the solution against thinking machines. For now, this theme is barely present in the first three books, but we’ll see if it’s developed further later on.
Auriculotherapy
Recently, I got interested in auriculotherapy (stimulation of “points” on various areas of the outer ear) because I noticed that Chinese acupuncture really likes to stick needles in ears. Surprise: they learned it from the French! This method partly relies on reflexology. Basically, each point corresponds to a part of the body, and stimulating a specific point sends signals to the brain, which then sends signals to that organ to boost it. While palpating my ears, I noticed two points that hurt a lot on one ear but not the other. That’s because our organs are asymmetrical. When checking the chart, I found that these two points matched exactly the areas where I had issues, on the correct side of the body. I found this extraordinary; I think even if sticking patches on them (to stimulate the organ continuously, unlike acupuncture which gives a signal for a limited time) doesn’t work for everyone, at least it can be used as a diagnostic tool. And that’s why you should avoid getting your ears pierced, because you’d be depriving yourself of a healing tool or even creating an imbalance! For more info, you can read this book (Amazon link).
