Hi guys I'm Eileen, today I want to talk about how luxury minimalism has changed my life.
If you're new here, I'm someone who used to love buying designer pieces,
whether if it's Chanel handbag, Hermes bracelet, Louis Vuitton small leather goods, or designer
shoes. In my first 6 years of luxury shopping, I just wanted to buy more and more. I thought having
a very comprehensive luxury collection would make me happy, but the truth is, I might feel excited
about a purchase for a short while, but more often I actually felt a sense of guilt and uneasiness.
So I then started downsizing and selling the many items that I wasn't using,
and I also really slowed down on shopping. And you know what, it felt like so much weight had
been lifted off my shoulders. And I can honestly say, just by embracing the joy of having less,
my life has changed for the better in so many ways, and I really want to share these positive
changes with you guys. First of all, I feel like my relationship with my husband has improved
so much ever since I embraced luxury minimalism. My husband is a very kind and patient person,
and he's always very supportive about everything I do. Even back in the days when I was fairly
obsessed with shopping, he would drive me from place to place just to look for a handbag. And
when we went away on a trip, I used to spend so much time on shopping. In fact now that I think
about it, it must have been so boring for him. Now I'm not sure if any of you could relate to this,
but in the past to a certain extent, I used to secretly gauge how much he cared about me
by looking at the presents he gave me. I would actually think to myself,
has he thought about the present? Did he take time to look into what I like?
It might sound silly now but at one point I would actually expect to receive a luxury item on
every special occasion, especially when it's my birthday or the anniversary. Now that my
perspectives about shopping have changed quite a bit, we no longer rely on expensive items to
mark our special occasions. Instead we have so much more time and attention to focus on each
other and just enjoy the day fully. I personally think it's lovely to celebrate special milestones
without spending too much money. My husband still buys me chocolate and flowers, and I just love to
cook a nice meal together, have a glass of wine, watch the TV, and just relax for the entire day.
Another way luxury minimalism has really impacted my life is, I now have more options and leverage.
For those of us who are into designer shopping or own any luxury items, we are very fortunate
to have the resources. Now it's quite true when people say money doesn't buy you
happiness, but it does give us options. And considering how expensive luxury items are,
we are literally spending our options every time we buy a Chanel handbag or an Hermes bracelet.
And so when I stopped shopping aimlessly, I took so much control back. For example I'm
currently on a three-week break because I decided to give myself a rest after quitting my job last
week. Now if I did spend all my resources on shopping, I would probably be panicking
right now about missing a payslip, instead I'm really enjoying my time off because I feel like
I can use the time to unwind, recharge, and get myself ready for the next job. I also feel really
blessed to have more time to do the things I enjoy doing, including creating videos for you guys.
And to tell you the truth, I actually put my notice in before securing the next job offer,
which I don't recommend anyone to do but looking back, it was the right decision for me.
Besides, when you're not constantly shopping, you don't have to work as
hard to sustain your lifestyle, and that is the kind of freedom your money could buy for you.
I recently came across a saying that goes, the quickest way to give yourself a pay rise is to
spend less. And seeing we are talking in the context of designer shopping,
the pay rise could be quite significant. So unless if your luxury collection is making you a living,
I would suggest to only buy them after taking care of the more important priorities first.
Remember, don't spend all your options. Another way luxury minimalism has changed my life is,
I feel like I now take better care of myself and my well-being. In the past, I used to think
buying myself a Cartier bracelet or an Hermes handbag was the ultimate way to pamper myself,
but the truth is, I was actually neglecting myself. For example, I would drag myself
to a Chanel store after a long day of work because otherwise the bag would be sold out.
I would also get quite upset about missing a good sale, or not being offered a certain handbag.
I remember there was one time, I walked from store to store in London
just to look for the perfect Chanel mini flap, and by the time I got to the third store, I was
absolutely starving but I just wanted to keep going. Whereas now, I see things as things and I
definitely want to look after myself first. This is why I really value things like a good diet,
healthy skin, and straight teeth. For me, a good night's sleep is really important as well
because when I get enough rest, I just feel so much more productive and happier. And one thing
that has really improved my quality of sleep is this Sleep and Glow Omnia pillow, which I shared
a while ago, I think it was around Christmas time. I've really been enjoying it because first of all,
the memory foam is the perfect consistency, it's firm but at the same time it feels soft
and so comfortable. It gives me the right support and I really sleep through the night like a baby.
Now for some reason I find sleeping on my side very soothing, but sleeping on your face the
whole night can cause puffiness and creases in the morning. If you sleep on your side a lot like me,
this pillow will work very well for you. The design is really interesting, so you'll find
two cradles on the sides which will help to reduce skin compression throughout the night. This pillow
also comes with a very well fitting silk pillow case, which feels really gentle on the skin.
Now in the long run this pillow is supposed to reduce wrinkles.
I've only had it for about five months so I can't really attest to the long term benefits as yet
but I guess it's a bit like when you're frowning a lot, it will give you lines as well.
So I'm just really glad I'm taking good care of my skin even during my sleep. If you think about it,
sleep is really part of any skin care routine, and I think it's something worth investing in. So
in short with luxury minimalism, I now take better care of myself, which sometimes involves money but
I now much rather spend good money on myself first than any beautiful handbags. Another major benefit
of being a luxury minimalist is, I no longer compare myself to other people as much now.
In the past, I used to really aspire to having a big walk-in closet and a massive collection of
everything. I didn't really consider if the huge collection would be a good fit for my lifestyle,
but I just thought more was better. Looking back, I think I was just being a bit insecure and
I needed some kind of validation from beautiful things. Whereas now, I truly believe less is more,
so what other people have doesn't really concern me anymore. For me, luxury minimalism is not about
the lack of something, rather it's the perfect amount of everything. And when
I look at my collection that way, I just have so much gratitude for the things I already own. I can
also honestly say that the fear of missing out that I use the experience has diminished a lot
and that is a wonderful feeling. Moving on, after learning about luxury minimalism, I now value
experiences a lot more than physical things. I grew up in quite a humble background,
so I used to wear and use a lot of hand-me-downs. When I started making my own money, I just wanted
to buy all the beautiful things. It's like I was trying to fill a void in me, or trying to prove
that I could now buy the things I couldn't have as a child. I went through a period where I valued
physical possessions in quite an unhealthy way. For example, I would think to myself when I could
finally own a certain handbag, my life would be perfect, and so I had to work very hard to get it.
Quite often I also chose shopping over experiences. For example, between a trip
to New York or buying a Chanel handbag, I used to think the trip will only last for two weeks,
but I could keep the bag forever. The irony is though, our experiences are the one thing that no
one could take away from us. Several studies have shown experiences actually deliver longer lasting
happiness. After all, we might own our things but they're still separate from us, whereas our
experiences are what make us. So now if I have to choose between buying an Hermes handbag or going
on a trip with my family, I will certainly choose the trip. Practicing luxury minimalism also means
I now have more time. Quite simply, I'm not constantly looking for things to buy,
doing research on them, looking for a good sale, calling every store to try to order the item,
waiting for the parcel, trying on the item, exchanging, returning, or even selling the item in
the future. Besides when your collection is quite small, you also don't have to spend as much time
organizing and maintaining the pieces. Joshua Becker once said, if you're tired of organizing
your stuff, then stop buying stuff. For me, that is a fantastic piece of advice. So those are
the ways luxury minimalism has changed my life. I just want to say we're not defined by our things,
so try not to find comfort in owning more and more, because it might just become a
burden. For me, luxury minimalism has definitely changed my life for the better to say the least,
and I just really wish I knew about this earlier. If you know someone who might
benefit from this video, certainly share it, just so more people will join the path of
enjoying designer shopping responsibly. So that's it from me, I really hope you've enjoyed the video
and don't forget to like and subscribe. I will see you in my next one have a nice day.
you