October 2022 was probably the month where I finished the most products for the year. Its like, you start to use products simultaneously and then leave them after a while to move on to the next products. That left me with quite some products that were about to end. I finished all left over products during this month. So here is what I emptied in the month of October. 

October empties

Empties October 2022

Baby products empties in October 2022

15. Aveeno baby soothing hydration creamy wash 

One thing I have come to realize is, creamy washes are not a good idea for babies. Why? They take ages to squeeze out of bottles and managing the baby during bath with a wash that takes so much time to apply is a turn off and mood spoiler. Creamy washes take time to lather and some of them don't lather well. It makes me anxious and I end up doing a quick, half done job at baby bath. 

16. Johnsons top to toe baby wash 

After the Johnsons powder fiasco, I had vowed not to use Johnsons but honestly Johnsons and Dove are the only two pocket friendly and practical baby brands in my opinion. This baby wash was a breeze to use. Convenient with its runny consistency and lathering properties, it was a ride. 

17. Sudocrem 

Lastly, savior for the baby - Sudocrem. I use it amply to avoid baby rashes. I have been questioned over using it at every diaper change but hey, its my choice. It prevents my baby from diaper rashes. Why will I not use it? 

Sheet Masks

18. Sheet masks 

As enthusiastic as I was at the start of the year, unfortunately I could not hit my target of completing 10 books in 2022 as well. My read list is shrinking every year and this worries me. Here is a round up of the book I finished last year. 

Books I finished reading in 2022

But something tells her there are invisible threads linking the crimes, and as she investigates further, she starts to see the outlines of a conspiracy so unlikely and on such a vast scale, that it takes her breath away. And that's when they come for her.

This thing of darkness

2. Before she sleeps

In modern, beautiful Green City, the capital of South West Asia, gender selection, war and disease have brought the ratio of men to women to alarmingly low levels. The government uses terror and technology to control its people, and women must take multiple husbands to have children as quickly as possible. Yet there are women who resist, women who live in an underground collective and refuse to be part of the system. Secretly protected by the highest echelons of power, they emerge only at night, to provide to the rich and elite of Green City a type of commodity that nobody can buy: intimacy without sex. As it turns out, not even the most influential men can shield them from discovery and the dangers of ruthless punishment. This dystopian novel from one of Pakistan’s most talented writers is a modern-day parable, The Handmaid’s Tale about women’s lives in repressive Muslim countries everywhere. It takes the patriarchal practices of female seclusion and veiling, gender selection, and control over women’s bodies, amplifies and distorts them in a truly terrifying way to imagine a world of post-religious authoritarianism.

Before she sleeps by Bina Shah

The bhabis of Lahore and other forbidden tales of the city

The quintessential fat girl

It started out as nothing much. A minor payroll fraud at a furniture store in South Wales. No homicide involved, no corpses. Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths fights to get free of the case, but loses. She's tasked with the investigation. She begins her enquiries, only to discover the corpse of a woman who's starved to death. Looks further, and soon realizes that within the first, smaller crime, a vaster one looms: the most audacious theft in history. Fiona’s bosses need a copper willing to go undercover, and they ask Fiona to play the role of a timid payroll clerk so that she can penetrate the criminal gang from within. Fiona will be alone, she’ll be lethally vulnerable – and her fragile grip on ‘Planet Normal’ will be tested as never before ...

The strange death of Fiona Griffiths

6. Possessive Much?

A Wattpad read to kill time. It was a cute read but suitable for young adults. Not my cup of tea anymore.

7. The Bad Guy

My name is Sebastian Lindstrom, and I’m the villain of this story. I’ve decided to lay myself bare. To tell the truth for once in my hollow life, no matter how dark it gets. And I can assure you, it will get so dark that you’ll find yourself feeling around the blackened corners of my mind, seeking a door handle that isn’t there. Don’t mistake this for a confession. I neither seek forgiveness nor would I accept it. My sins are my own. They keep me company. Instead, this is the true tale of how I found her, how I stole her, and how I lost her.

She was a damsel, one who already had her white knight. But every fairy tale has a villain, someone waiting in the wings to rip it all down. A scoundrel who will set the world on fire if that means he gets what he wants. That’s me. I’m the bad guy.

I read somewhere that every phase of life gets difficult than previous phase. This resonates with me so much. Childhood was easier than teenage. Teenage was easier than adulthood. Single life was easier than married life. Married life was easier than parenthood. I am sure parenthood is going to be easier than old age. But such is life and this is what makes it beautiful; challenges and how you stand up to them. My yearly summary allows you to peak into the personal aspect of my life where you get to glimpse the struggles away from the insta worthy life. Here is how my year 2022 went in a nutshell. 

Most of my posts in the past year have been about empties. More than anyone, these posts serve as a journal to record my progress. Progress on how bad it was and how far I have come along. This is a round up post of the products I finished in the past year. 

January 2022 empties

 Here is to the last month of the year and my monthly round up of empties. 

December Empties

Its been super long that I did not share "What's in my handbag" post. Seems like ages! I miss how active I was on my blog some 6 to 7 years back. I wonder if I could have made a career out of blogging had I remained that active. Anyhow, here is what I am carrying in my handbag these days. 

River Island tote bag

November has been the slowest in terms of empties progress. My job role at work has changed and I am transitioning into the new role. This transition has come with a busy schedule that requires me to learn and experiment, practice and deliver. The routine at home also doesn't leave me with much time. November and December both have been challenging in terms of staying on track, Other than that, my sister in law is getting married in the first week of January and we have been busy shopping for the wedding. Shopping trips after work have left me quite exhausted. With my limited self care this month, below are some empties for the month of November. 

Empties November 2022

Over the years I have mellowed and don't really share much about my bad shopping experiences. However it seems there is an even more need to be wary and cautious while shopping online as there are even bigger fraudsters and scammers with every passing day. I attribute most bad experiences to the lack of professionalism and business ethics in most cases. My today's post is an experience I have recently had with a clothing store where I ordered some winter clothing for my toddler. 

I ordered below 3 sweatshirts for 12 - 18 months kid for Winters. When the order arrived, to my surprise, all shirts were of different sizes. Only 1 of the shirts fit him best. Rest 2 were so small that one seemed like for a kid of 3 - 6 months old and the other one for 6-9 months old. My baby is slim and not a chubby kid, even the 1-2 years or 12 - 18 months sized shirt seemed like one for 9 - 12 months old size. That was the only one that fit him well. 

Boys spongebob lfties sweatshirt