Everything We’re Embracing And Looking Forward To In 2026

Now that we’re nearing the end of the first month of 2026, we’ve decided to look ahead and think about everything we’re manifesting for the new year, both for ourselves and our community. From trends we’re hoping ‘become a thing’ to habits we’re planning to adopt and what we’re most excited for, this is the energy Team Sassy is bringing into 2026.

We know we’re not the only millennials who can feel our hearts healing a bit – between the queer joy in ‘Heated Rivalry’ being openly (and widely) celebrated to Hilary Duff returning to music and so many of our nostalgic favourites getting reboots and re-releases in cinema, pop culture has certainly started strong in 2026, giving us hope for the rest of the year. With renewed positivity and open minds – and all the welcome throwbacks to 2016 on social media – we’ve decided to accumulate all our (maybe overly optimistic) expectations for this year, including what we’re hoping to see from our feeds, friends and fellow Hongkongers!

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Personal Resolutions

• Getting nutrition from actual food rather than relying on supplements to support me (though I’ll still be taking a few!).
• Minimalism and decluttering. I want to avoid impulse spending at Cotton On and Zara and instead start buying higher quality, timeless pieces that will last.
• Being more mindful of where, how and who I spend my time and energy on.
• Less eating out and more trying out new, viral recipes at home. I’d save money and not have to be rushed out after eating.
• Having more juices and smoothies because they’re yummy and so much better for you than a bubble tea.
• I can’t wait to join my first dance class in Hong Kong – it’s the only form of exercise I truly enjoy and there are so many affordable options these days.

• Educating myself on financial literacy. I’ve started reading ‘Girls Who Invest’, which is basically an intro into how to invest in stocks and shares. In the midst of this cost-of-living crisis, it’s about time I started trying to save as much as possible!
• JOMO, aka the Joy Of Missing Out – I need to embrace this more.
• More wholesome activities! Whenever I feel the urge to doomscroll, I’m going to redirect to something I wouldn’t usually do, like drawing, writing, meditating, taking a scenic walk, calling a long-distance bestie or deep cleaning my room.
• Testing out that new restaurant (or donut shop) when it opens and not leaving it on my wishlist – who knows when it might be gone?
• Investing in cosy home/bedroom lighting – it makes me so much calmer and I’d enjoy the space a lot more.
• Making my own coffee or smoothie instead of paying for overpriced ones outside.

Read More: The Sassy Edit – Must-Haves In Hong Kong This Month!

What We’re Looking Forward To In 2026 & Trends We’re Anticipating

• I’m going to embark on my first solo outlying island day trip – mostly likely to Cheung Chau so I can finally gorge on those giant fish balls.
• I’m loving the 2016 nostalgia (messy hair dos over the slick clean girl, Tumblr-style IG posts, ankle boots, Coachella aesthetic) and hope it doesn’t end!
• While ‘Freakier Friday’ may not have quite hit the mark, I am still super hopeful for another highly anticipated sequel: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’.
• I think people are going to spend more time discovering hidden gem restaurants rather than just going to the newest busiest place.
• In social media: Non-AI curated messy photo aesthetics.
• I think more people will take to ‘analogue living’ – let’s normalise reading actual books and writing in diaries again!
• Given that Benedict is my favourite Bridgerton sibling (I know – groundbreaking), I cannot wait for the new season.
• I’d like to think people are waking up to the fact that AI is very much not infallible and shouldn’t be relied upon for everything.

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Everything We’re Manifesting For Everyone Else

• I’d much rather invite friends to my house/go to theirs for a meal than going out to eat (it can get SO EXPENSIVE in Hong Kong). We may not be the most domestic people, but lately we’ve been loving making our home cosy, cooking and mixing up cocktails for our friends.
• Understand and embrace differences in lifestyle and expression. Not everyone needs to be waking up at the same time to go to the same workout class while wearing the same Lululemon set.
• Empathy and kindness are so in.
• I hope we bring back print! I love Substack as much as the next girl, but equally cool are grassroots zines and mags.
• Embrace your own pace in life – it seems like everyone around me is getting married, buying their own houses and having kids – we need to remind ourselves that we are right where we need to be right now.
• I hope ‘grandma-esque’ activities are less frowned upon. I don’t want to go to Happy Valley after dinner, it’s 9:30pm and I would like to go home. I also love a powerwalk and getting my steps in – who’s joining?

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