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Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way. Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site! I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<

Madewell Harlow Wide-Leg Pants Review

I’ve been meaning to write this review for ages since I’ve had these Harlow wide-leg pants from Madewell for well over a year now. In fact I liked them so much in black that I got another pair in khaki (even though I rarely purchase items new these days). And the fact that they’re still a best seller over a year from when I purchased them must mean they’re must be a good pair of pants.

Buying Luxury in Hawaii 2024 {Updated October 2024}

Growing up in Honolulu, about a 10-15 minute drive from Ala Moana, I never realized how blessed I was when it came to luxury stores. Some luxury brands offer a “Hawaii price” that’s cheaper than the Mainland (that’s the continental US) price. Not all brands do this and the following list (in alphabetical order) details which of them do (or don’t) and what percentage is offered.

This review has been a long time coming considering I bought this Malibu swimsuit from Andie Swim back in September of last year. But I’ve used it a handful of times in Hawaii as well as more frequently these days as the weather has warmed up. So it’s high time I talk about the first one piece swimsuit that has ever fit me as an adult.

So as the title of this post indicates, I have a long torso. I’ve always stuck with two-piece swimsuits because whenever I wear a a one-piece, the front pulls down or the crotch rides up, and it’s always uncomfortable. So when I saw Andie Swim advertise their swim suits for long torsos I knew I wanted to give it a try. I chose the Malibu one piece because of the high neckline (with the option of leaving it unbuttoned if you want it lower). But at least with the higher neckline I don’t have to put as much sunscreen on my chest. I also like the thick shoulder straps though it will make a bolder tan line.

As for the fit, I got a medium (I’m usually a size 8-10, though small-chested) and it fits well. I love the ribbed fabric since it holds me in but also smooths out any lumps. And yet it doesn’t feel constricting and it’s quite comfortable. Also the interior bra is super sturdy.

My only complaint is that with the black suit, I end up “staining” the suit with sunscreen (which doesn’t always fully come off in the wash). So I ended up getting a white one! I’ll of course update this review with my thoughts on the white Malibu swimsuit once I wear it around (I worry it’ll be sheer but I’m hoping not!). But if you’re interested in trying out something from Andie Swim, this referral code will get you $20 off your first purchase (and it will also give me $20 off another future purchase, so thank you).

Neiwai Review: The Barely Zero Classic Wireless Bra 2.0

Here I am with another bra review because honestly I only buy two a year and wear them out by the end of they year. And instead of re-purchasing the same thing I like to see what else is out there in the market. I first heard of Neiwai amongst friends two years ago when one friend got it as a White Elephant gift and all my friends kept stealing it from each other. Huh, is it that good?

The Row Kitan Coat Review

I’m on a roll with The Row here with a review of a Row item every month so far. This month I’m going to talk about The Row Kitan coat I got from the Neiman Marcus sale at the end of 2023.

Quince Shoes Review {Updated October 2024}

As long time readers know, I’m a pretty big fan of Quince (see all my Quince reviews here). But I hadn’t thought to try out their shoes until just recently. But when I saw their machine washable shoes (much like Rothy’s which I like—see my Rothy’s review here), at a very reasonable price, I knew I wanted to give them a try. Here are all the shoes I’ve tried from Quince thus far and what I think about them:

My Most Worn Items of 2023

Continuing with 2023 recaps here on the blog, I wanted to take a moment to look at all my most worn items over the year.

Everlane 2023 Review: Wide Leg Dream Pants, Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress, and Felted Merino Half-Zip Sweater

If you’re a long time reader, you know this blog was built on Everlane reviews (see the extensive but not updated list here). So I was surprised to see that I had yet to do an Everlane review for 2023, but then again I hadn’t purchased anything from them until just recently. In the last couple of months I got the Wide Leg Dream Pants (on eBay), the Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress (from Crossroads—a thrift shop), and the Felted Merino Wool Half-zip (on the Everlane website during their F&F sale).

Hermes Regate Scarf Ring and Hermes Scarves Review

After going down a Diane Keaton scarf inspo Google wormhole I got a couple of scarves from Madewell and the RealReal. And in June I decided to go for a scarf ring from Hermes after watching a couple YouTube videos on tying scarves. And since it’s getting to be scarf season, I thought I’d take the time to review both the Hermes scarves and Hermes Regate ring today.

Yes Friends Review: The T-shirts

It’s been awhile since I purchased t-shirts, thanks to buying so many Everlane shirts 5 years ago. However, many of those shirts have worn out or have become too small. So I had been on the hunt for a good classic tee when I found Yes Friends on a list of ethical brands.

Merry People Bobbi Rain Boot Review

Back in January, after the first couple of atmospheric rivers in California, I decided to finally look for some rain boots. About ten years ago I had the Hunter rain boots when they were all the rage, but I never wore them much because they were quite heavy and clunky to wear. I eventually sold them and have never looked at rain boots again thanks to years of drought in California. But this year, I got fed up with wet shoes and purchased a pair of Merry People Bobbi Rain Boots. And I’m so glad I did because I was able to use them for the ten other atmospheric rivers that came after.

Quince Sweater Review: Cashmere, Cardigan, Alpaca, and Wool {Updated February 2024}

One of my very first reviews was of Quince’s $50 cashmere sweater , and three years ago I thought that cashmere sweater was decent. I admittedly didn’t wear it a ton though because it was a tad sheer and the following year (2020) I went up a size and it didn’t fit anymore. Since then I have only dabbled in Quince’s sweaters, preferring to wear out my Everlane sweaters instead. But since I had sized out of those too, I got a handful of Quince sweaters this past year and here’s a roundup review of them all (organized by fiber type).

babaa review: merino wool jumper no25 sweater

I purchased this babaa no25 merino wool sweater this past summer because I saw it for a fairly good price on the RealReal (like this one) and I had some credit there as well. I’ve only tried the thick chunky babaa cotton cardigan in the past (my babaa review here), which I loved for its quality, but in the end I never really wore it because I’m not super into chunky sweaters (I feel like it adds too much bulk). However since I was so impressed with their quality, I was willing to try them again and I have to say it does not disappoint.

My Top Ten Posts Of 2022

I wrote a similar top ten post for 2021 and it was quite popular (in fact it fell in the top 15 posts of 2022 lol) so I thought I’d do it again for 2022. I also like to see how the list changes year over year because it makes me see what people are interested in reading on the blog. So thank you to all of you guys who take the time to read the blog and without further ado, here are my top ten posts as of 2022:

My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases as of 2022

I had been reflecting on my expensive purchases of last year and I thought I would do a brief recap of what I thought were the best and worst purchases. The last time I did this was about one and a half years ago (My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases of 2021—and I still stand behind those choices except maybe for the Apple Watch which I don’t use as much anymore 🤦🏻‍♀️). Anyway without further ado, here are my best and worst luxury purchases as of 2022.

Most Used Purchases of 2022

I already did my best Quince purchases of 2022, so here are my top ten non-Quince, most used items that I purchased this past year (in no particular order).

The Curated Review: The Tailored Coat

After purchasing The Curated’s Classic coat, which I loved (and reviewed here), I decided to try out another one of their coats, this time the Tailored coat (currently no longer sold). I got this one on sale at the end of the season and thus was only able to wear it a couple times before it got too warm. Now that it’s Autumn and the temps are cooling down am I reaching for this coat? Frankly, not so much.

My Most Worn Quince Items in 2022 and 2023 {Updated February 2024}

I don’t know if you can tell by now, but Quince is now my go-to brand for pretty much everything. I love their quality clothing (both womens and mens), jewelry, bags, and even home goods. And I’m very lucky that many of you guys have supported these reviews by purchasing through my referral link (thank you guys! ). But after doing so many Quince reviews, which items were my most used? My favorites? Well here they are (in no particular order):

Birkenstock Boston Mules (Clogs) Review {Updated October 2023}

I originally purchased a pair of Birkenstock Boston Mules sometime last year from eBay. And one reader asked for a review…so here it is over a year later lol, I apologize for the delay 😂. But I had made a mistake in my sizing of those mules because I thought I would wear socks with them so I went one size up. Nope, those shoes ended up being way too big and didn’t stay on my feet. So back to whence they came. And finally this year, to prepare for some camping (which is where I had envisioned using these Birks the most), I ordered a pair in my current Birks size from the RealReal (for a great deal I might add). So here is the review of the Boston mules now that I’ve worn them a bit.

Quince 2022 Review: The Jewelry Case, Women's Oversized Cardigan, Women's T-Shirt Dress, Men's Shirts And More [Updated November 2024]

Thanks to everyone who purchased through my Quince referral link (where you get $20 off your first order and I get $20 of credit as well), I’ve been able to try quite a few things on credit. I wrote a comprehensive Quince review of all the things I tried during the last half of last year and I also wrote a Quince jewelry review and a Quince Linen review. Well here are all the other things I’ve tried since the beginning of this year:

Fairly Curated