What does it really mean when a post is "sponsored"?

Hi guys, here's a small departure from my usual parade of reviews but I wanted to take the time to explore sponsorship in the blogging world and what it means to me personally so you are all clear when I say "this is a sponsored post."  

I haven't been blogging for very long but I have been super fortunate to get free items from a couple different brands, most notably Grana.  And when they do give me free items, of course they never say how they want to review the go.  They never explicitly say they want a positive review and of course I try my best to always give my honest opinions no matter what.  But there's always probably going to be a little bias (I mean the fact that it was given free to you can't help but sweeten the deal).  But honest reviews are in my best interest so I would never compromise that.  And that's probably true for most bloggers out there.  But I do feel it should be stated when an item was received for free by a company then it technically becomes a "sponsored" post.  At least in my book, free= sponsored.  But sponsored never just means a favorable review (case in point, Grana's silk sleeveless blazer and silk joggers).

And for the most part I'm able to write positive reviews on the handful of sponsored posts I've done because I've partnered with brands that I've already had experience with (i.e. I already purchased their items with my own money, wrote up a review, and then they found me).  Well why do I bring all of this up now?  Because I'm heading into uncharted territory by working with brands that I haven't tried out before.  But I'm committed to give honest opinions even if it means a negative review (actually I got really lucky and I ended up liking the product, but I realize I might not always be so lucky).  And well if it leads to zero free stuff in my future I'm okay with that too (plus to be completely honest I rely more on the referral links for store credit for most of my reviews, so really I need you guys more than the companies themselves offering free stuff).

Anyway for other bloggers' take on what it means to get "sponsored," "gifted goods," or something "c/o" read here and here.

Everlane Review Dipped Zip Tote {Updated Feb 2018}

One of the things I let myself get from Everlane after my complete shopping fast in March, was this Everlane Dipped Zip Tote in black.  I was really in need of a new work bag (all of last year I was using a backpack, but I'm firmly in my mid-30's now and wearing a backpack everyday feels like I'm regressing).  So I was in search of a good tote.  I used to have the Mansur Gavriel one, but that was too fancy for my needs (and the leather on that scratches up like crazy so it wasn't the best option for a bag I was planning to throw around with all my stuff).  I also reviewed Everlane's pocket tote earlier this year, which I loved except for the bottom sagging out.  So when I was browsing Everlane's site and saw this dipped tote, I thought it might be exactly the one I needed (and I wasn't disappointed).

The best thing about this bag is definitely the dipped bottom.  It's the answer to the problem of a unsupported sagging bottom (lol if only there was a fix for unsupported saggy human bottoms), which was the problem with the pocket tote.  I also love the super sturdy leather straps that are wide enough that it doesn't dig into my shoulders when I'm carry my full work load (which includes a 13" macbook pro+cover and a handful of different pouches, see pic below).

At first I thought that the bag might be too narrow for my needs since the bottom of the bag is quite narrow and not stretchy, and in the beginnng when my bag was packed to capacity it did look like the top un-dipped part kind of overextended over the narrow dipped part.  But I've found that after use, it doesn't really look like that anymore (so maybe the dipped part is just super structured in the beginning).  I also love that the bag can be zipped up, which is perfect for travel.

My only real gripe with this bag is that the black undipped canvas picks up dog hair and lint like crazy and because it's black it shows.  I probably would have preferred the gray canvas with the black dipped bottom, but that was unfortunately sold out by the time I purchased.  

I've been using this bag for about two months now and it's been awesome.  I did see some reviews on the Everlane site mention that the dipped part starts to crack after heavy usage.  But I've been throwing it around and so far so good (but of course will update this review if I start to see flaws).

As usual this review is not sponsored and is made possible by readers like you (lol when I heard that phrase on PBS as a kid I never really understood what that meant) who use my referral link for their first Everlane purchase.  And you can find all my other unsponsored Everlane reviews here.

{Feb 2018 Update: So I have used this bag everyday since I got it in May 2017.  The bag has held up really well, with the only wear being the corners (the plastic is starting to wear down).  See the pic below.  But I decided to upgrade to Everlane's Day Market Tote because I needed a bigger tote.  Anyway if you're interested it's for sale here.}

Amour Vert Review Liv Relaxed V-neck Tee

Back in 2016, I purchased 3 items from Amour Vert to review and for one reason or another I never got around to reviewing them (and to be honest I think it's mostly because I never really wore the two tees and one cotton motorcycle jacket that I purchased). But as shorts and shirt season comes around I think Amour Vert might be a good option for those who like their tees to be on the stretchy and drapey side.

I would definitely classify Amour Vert tees as nice, dressy tees (ie shirts for special occasions).  And that's probably why I don't wear them as much as I do my Grana tees, since my daily tees get dirty (I'm a messy eater and I work in a garage and sometimes get grease stains).  But Amour Vert tees are the kind of tees you wear to a movie night or maybe a casual girls lunch.  They remind me a lot of the brand Splendid (with a price point to match).

I once had a theory v-neck tee in a maroon color but once I got more than one hole in it, I knew it was time for it to go.  So I purchased this Liv relaxed v-neck to replace it (it's no longer available in the maroon color but there's a lot of different colors it comes in now).  I'm wearing a size small, and I would say the sizing on their tees is a bit oversized.  The material is a super soft and stretchy modal/spandex blend (with the modal coming from beech tree fibers).  I think this particular material works really well for the swingy style of the Liv tee.  I did notice that this tee does wrinkle pretty easily so it probably best to hang or fold it after washing (also only wash in cold water and hang dry).  So you can see it's a bit more high maintenance than a regular ole' cotton tee, but at the same time it's a bit more stylish than a regular ole' cotton tee.

If you're interested, get $25 off your first purchase with this referral link (and thanks for your support!).

Chamberlain's Leather Milk Review

*I received these items as a gift from Chamberlains

One of the foundations of an ethical closet is taking care of what you already own (basing this off this image here, which I'm still in love with lol).  And nothing gives me greater satisfaction than taking care of my leather bags and shoes, probably because these are high ticket items which are meant to last and age well.  Well the lovely folks over at Chamberlain's saw my past post about their products (here and here) and offered to send me their new re-forumlated products.  And since I liked their products the first time around, I was definitely interested in giving them a try (and I wasn't disappointed).  Also I love their stuff because it comes with its own cotton applicator, which is so essential when using these products.

The first one I tried out was their new Leather Milk No. 1 which "conditions and rejuvenates".  Well my Mansur Gavriel lady bag (which I had protected earlier with Chamberlain's no. 3 formula last year), was looking a bit scratched up.  I don't even use the bag that often but the leather does scratch up easily.  Here are some before pictures:

I found the new Formula no. 1 to be better than their old formula in that it doesn't go on as streaky as it used to.  The application went on super smooth and evenly (just make sure the lotion soaks into the cotton pad applicator first).  The lotion also smelled super pleasant, a bit like cherry candy.  Also unlike the old formula, there was no color transfer onto the cotton applicator.  And the leather milk worked!  It made all the small, superficial scratches disappear.  Also the new formula seems to dry faster than the old one (probably because it's thinner and easier to spread evenly).  This is right after application (no streaks!):

And this is 24 hours later:

In some ways, now that the shallow scratches are gone I feel like I notice the deeper scratches more.  Ah well, it's better to condition your leather bags to prevent further shallow scratches (which is prone to happen when the leather is all dried out).  Deep scratches?  Well that's just a part of life, it's bound to happen (#handbagphilosophy).

To test out Formula no. 3 which is used to protect leather from water, I decided to use it on my relatively new Good West Co. leather bag which comes in a very light natural leather color.  With my past experience of the product I knew it would darken the leather.  But at the same time I knew this bag needed to be protected, otherwise water spots and other oils could permanently stain the leather.  So I decided to protect just one side and the bottom of the bag to see just how much of a color change would happen.

Here is a before picture of the bag:

The formula on this one is thicker than the lotion of formula no. 1 (no. 3 is more like a cream, which is expected since it's oil and wax).  Since formula no. 3 is a bit thicker, it is harder to spread evenly.  The smell of the new formula is better than the old one.  This one smells has a spicy Christmas-y scent to it.  Ok are you ready to take a look at my bad application job?  Steel yourself:

Lol, pretty bad huh?  But I didn't sweat it since I knew the last time I used Chamberlain's Leather Milk no. 3 it dried evenly.  And yep, it did:

And for reference here is what the untreated side looks like:

Slightly lighter, but not too different from the treated side.

And finally I used Chamberlain Leather Milk Formula no.6  (which to me looks like formula no. 1 but for shoes) on my M.Gemi Docente leather shoes.  Since I've been wearing them everywhere, I got some scuffs as well as some weird white spots on them:

Formula no. 6 was a lotion like no.1, but unlike no. 1 it didn't have any smell.  Also unlike no. 1, there was a bit of color transfer from the leather to the. cotton applicator when using this product, but just a bit.  The lotion spread easily, removed the weird white spots and made the shoes look like new:

I'm definitely going to be using this to condition and revamp my leather shoes every season.

So if you're looking for something to protect and condition all your leather goods, I can't recommend Chamberlain's products enough.  Their products are non-toxic and they work! A quick scroll through their blog shows you how well they know how to take care of leather.  I'm tempted to go thrift shopping and find the most beat up leather item and see if I can't make it look as good as new with their products.  

10 things that make me happy

I got this neat little idea from Chloe and thought it would be a nice break from the constant review posts (which I'm still catching up on but I just haven't been in a very photogenic mood).

Anyways the 10 things in my life that are currently bring me joy:

1) Swimming.  That gym membership, without a doubt, was the best purchase of the year.

2) My Celine wallet.  Easily the second best purchase of the year.

3) Calling my mom on the drive home from work.  It's like killing two birds with one stone: I have to sit in traffic anyway so why not let her talk as much as she wants.

4) No longer being the cleaning lady for the Airstream biz.  I haven't had to clean one for awhile (except for the one we live in, of course) and it's been marvelous.

5) Reigniting my love for this old Balenciaga.  So what if it's so 2000's.

6) Outings with friends

7) Bun Bo Hue

8) My friends' new corgi puppy, Nigel (who has his own insta account here: NigelCorgface)

9) Re-watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Netflix

10) Saturday morning farmer's market

Everlane Square Zip Wallet Review vs. Celine Zip Wallet

Hi guys, so here's a review of Everlane's Square Zip wallet and a comparison with a Celine zip wallet (which I purchased used form Fashionphile at 30% off their own discounted price).  I know I know, I broke my ban by purchasing the Celine wallet, but I was really in a dire need for a new wallet (and I mean dire).  For the last couple years I've been using a Comme des Garcons pouch (like this one) to store all my cash and cards, and so whenever I went to the store to pay for something, I would have to shuffle my cards like I was dealing a deck of cards to find the right credit card.  Before it wasn't a huge deal since I didn't have too many cards.  But now I also carry around credit cards for the business (and throw in some gift cards), and there I am standing shuffling cards for a good minute (plus for some reason all my credit and debit cards are same shade of metallic blue, so it's so hard for me to distinguish them at a quick glance.  There's been a couple times I've charged personal items to the business which my husband was none too happy about).  So I just got to the point that I couldn't handle it anymore.  I needed some organization in my life!

Of course I could have just gone with the Everlane wallet since I would be purchasing it on credit (and that fit with my random rules I made for my shopping ban).  But at the same time, if this is something I'm going to be using everyday (and multiple times a day), I wanted to make sure it was the best possible wallet for me.  I really didn't want to just go with the Everlane one, and then find out a week or month later that I'm not really a fan of the wallet.  And then what?  Buy another one?  So I decided from the get-go to give myself some options. And so I wanted to compare it to one of the best luxury leather goods brand that I know of: CELINE (plus I've tried LV and Chanel wallets in the past and IMHO, they're ok but you're paying A LOT for the brand name).  Plus I had just spotted this zip wallet on Fashionphile at a price point that was really really good for Celine (ok it was still double the price of the Everlane wallet, but it was less than half the the original price of a new Celine wallet which can be in the low $600s).

Ok, so did I justify the purchase enough?  Lol, these are all the things I told myself when buying the Celine wallet for "research purposes".  Anyway onto the review!  I purchased the natural leather color for the Everlane wallet, which is the most delicate of the three colors.  A wallet like this would definitely show wear over time, so it's probably best to protect it with something like this Chamberlain's Leather Milk, formula 3 (P.S. I will be doing a review of their new reforumlated leather milks soon!  I really love their stuff to protect and condition all my leather items).  But the natural leather will also show a beautiful patina with age, if that's something you like.  I liked that the Everlane wallet also has a billfold for neatly storing cash.  But unfortunately that wasn't enough to make me want to keep the wallet.  Basically this wallet was too small for my needs, especially when it came to the cards department (which as you recall, is the main reason I needed to buy a new wallet).  

As you can see there's only 4 card slots on one side of the wallet, a bulky coin purse that takes up the other side of the wallet.  I tried fitting all my cards (and even trying to put some cards in the coin purse, which only barely fit 2 cards by the way).  But the wallet wouldn't even close (plus I didn't want to force it since I wanted to make sure I didn't damage the wallet).  

So in the end, the Celine wallet came out as the winner for me.  Even though it's about an inch wider than the Everlane wallet, it has a total of 8 card slots, plus 4 side slots that can fit flat items wider than a credit card (and one of those side slots has a gusset).  And so it fit all my cards!

Unfortunately it doesn't have a bill fold, so I stash my cash in the gusset pocket (which to be honest, holds all my cash adequately).  The Celine also was a winner because it's made from patent leather on the outside, which is so much more durable and less prone to wear than regular leather.  Plus I liked that the inside is made from a dark leather to show less wear inside as well.

Now I know some of you may be thinking, well duh I would like the Celine wallet better because CELINE!  But I really tried to look at the two wallets from a quality and utility stand point and not just because of a brand name.  And to be honest I really wanted to come out of this little experiment saying "yes, the ethical brand is just as good if not better than a luxury brand" in order to push my fair fashion agenda.  But in the end, when comparing the two compact wallets, I had to go with the one that fit my lifestyle best (one that's filled with plastic cards, lol).  And to be honest I haven't my regretted my decision one bit. 

So referring back to the image from my post on Monday, if I couldn't find what I need from a fair fashion brand, at least I purchased something "vintage" (or just plain used).  And I think when you buy used luxury items, you do get a good bang for your buck since most well-made luxury items are meant to last.  At least this Celine wallet, which I love love love, fulfills #2, #3, and #4 of that ethical closet pyramid (plus I plan to #1 it for a long time to come).  

Here are some other used Celine wallets that are currently for sale at my favorite luxury reseller Fashionphile.

P.S. A quick note about Fashionphile: I've been purchasing items from them for years and I would say most of the time their descriptions are accurate and the items are genuine.  And actually a couple purchases were even better than described (like this wallet--it was almost brand new to me).  I have purchased some items in the past, where I wasn't too sure if they were authentic (in my amateur eye), but they have a super awesome return policy with free returns (just don't cut off the tags).  But I would say that 99% of their items are the real deal. And if you want to be even more certain of your purchase, you can always double check with the kind authenticators over at the PurseForum (just make sure you follow their format when asking for authentication and always TIA since they do this service for free).

Elizabeth Suzann Tilda Pants Review

Since these Elizabeth Suzann Tilda linen pants were one of the 6 items I used in my Spring 10x10 challenge, they got used quite a bit and in all kinds of ways.  Up top you can see I tried rolling them up, and I also tried them under dresses (pic below).  These are my first ever linen pants, and my second item from Elizabeth Suzann (the first one was the Georgia Tee, reviewed here).

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of how wide the pants are in the hips and the general bagginess in the butt.  I know that's how they're supposed to look, but after decades in fitted jeans, it's hard to get used to the ballooning butt look, lol.  I'm wearing a medium short here, and I feel like I probably could have gone with the small (for reference I'm 5'4'' and usually wear a size 4-6, or about a 27-28 in jeans).  

I'm also not liking the fact that these pants don't have pockets.  It makes my daily life a bit more difficult when I don't have a pocket to stuff my keys or phone in (though by wearing the Grana silk sleeveless blazer, it gave me pockets for the day).  But I did like that the ankles flared a bit, and the pants look especially cute when layered under a dress or a similarly long tunic.  Basically, I like the pants best when I hide the butt and hips area.  

Also the linen fabric is thick and a tad on the scratchier side.  But they feel heavier and more substantial than the linen from both Grana and Everlane.  Plus the black linen is fully opaque.

So for now I'm still a bit undecided about these pants, though I'm leaning towards letting them go.  What do you think?

Shopping Ban update for April

{Thanks to wardrobeminimalist for the graphic, which I'm just loving!  I guess I'm still working on #1 and #2, though when I do shop I definitely do #3, #4, and #5}

Hi guys, well I did purchase one item in April, which makes me think what does it even mean to be on a shopping ban when I break it every other month?  Also what does it mean to be on a ban when I'm still getting things on credit from Everlane and Grana (essentially getting 5-8 new items a month).  I guess it's a pretty flimsy ban.  But ah well, I'm going to keep trying.  Anyway the one thing I did purchase (a Celine wallet, review coming soon) was first very much needed, and secondly I purchased it second-hand.  I think one way to not buy into the fast fashion market is by buying things used or "pre-owned".  At least that way your money doesn't go into the pockets of the over-producing disposable-fashion-making corporations, but rather the recyclers or the thrift market (shoutout to Slowre!).  Also you pay so much less!  

Anyway I think I'm going to alter the ban so that I let myself purchase any used items (if and when I need them, rather than just used items from Crossroads which was my original resolution), and I'm also going to cool it for a bit on the items from Everlane and Grana (again).  Right now I rather focus on honing my style with the things I do have.  And then I might responsibly add some items from them to further evolve my style in the future.  But as for May, I'm going to try for another strict ban on adding anything to my closet (especially while I catch up on my reviews again).  I feel like I'm on one of those fast diets, where you eat whatever you want every other day and then a strict fast on the other days.  Except I'm doing that with shopping and it's every other month. (And P.S. I heard those fast diets work just as well as a regular ole' dieting plus they're really hard to do, I should know, I tried it once.  #notworthit).

On the bright side, this so-called shopping ban has at least prevented me from purchasing things that I think I wanted.  I'm currently no longer lusting over the Polene bag and Sevilla Smith shoes I really wanted from the last shopping ban update post.  I think that's also due to the change in weather (ie leather boots are just not going to work in this 90 degree weather Silicon Valley's been having).  Also, I "cured" my craving for a new bag by digging up an old classic (a really old Balenciaga) that I've been keeping in storage.  

Oh and lastly, this doesn't have anything to do with the ban but for those of you who purchased from TemporaryHousewifeyCloset and were wondering if I donated to EarthJustice or I embezzled the money, I donated $180 (net profits of the sale of my Grana and Everlane items) to them last week.  I decided I'm not going to be adding anything to THCloset currently, but I'll restart it again when I have the time.  And I think I'll be donating to another charity (I know they say that donating to one charity is the best bang for your buck, but I think I rather focus on something else now).  I really want to donate to a charity that funds education (because the U.S. seriously needs better education if we're going to keep on producing people who are going to change the world for the better.  Plus I read this shocking post from one of my favorite bloggers about her woes with student loans).  Anyone know of any awesome education non-profits?

Grana Review Silk Joggers

* These joggers were received as a gift from Grana

I got these silk joggers a looong time ago so I really appreciate the fact that Grana still wants to work with me even though I'm not very diligent with my reviews.  But better late than never right?  Plus these are still in stock over at Grana so luckily I'm not too late with the review.  But to be completely honest, I'm a bit 'eh' about these silk joggers.  Actually I'm not really a joggers type of person in general, and that's probably why I'm not as enthusiastic about these pants as I could be.

First a note on sizing: I went with their size guide and it seemed the medium would fit me best and I'm glad I went with that size.  The elastic waist fit perfectly, though I did think the length was a bit long for my short legs.  Since these have elastic around the ankles I tried pushing them up a bit in the pictures below.

What do you think?  I think I like it a bit better with some ankle showing, though they wouldn't stay up like that when I started walking around.  

Even though I'm not a fan of these joggers, I did appreciate that these silk pants (like all of their silk pants) are made from double layered silk.  This particular one is made from silk crepe de chine (the same as their ankle pants) and thus are hand-washable (as vouched by a reader, though I haven't had any personal experience myself).  I also appreciate that the waistband of these joggers are sewed with the silk fabric so there's no flipping of the elastic (which is unlike the silk ankle pants and the silk culottes-- the elastic on those flips every time I use the bathroom and it sometimes gets a bit annoying having to straighten it out all the time). 

Overall I think if you're a fan of the joggers look then this silk jogger is a great item that combines the casualness of joggers with the luxury of silk.  As for me and my short legs, I think I'll stick with their silk ankle pants.  You can find all my Grana reviews here and first time Grana customers can get 10% off with this link.  Thanks for your support guys!

Everlane The Modern Loafer Mule Review

If you've been following along my Spring 10x10 you know I started wearing these babies during the challenge, so you probably already know these were a keeper.  I ordered these Everlane modern loafer mules just to try out but I loved them so much that I kept them despite the fact that I already have a pair of shoes very similar to these (the M.Gemi Docente mules, that I reviewed here).  I once owned a pair of the original modern loafers but even with some attempts at stretching them out, I ended up reselling the shoes to a reader (hi monshanks!) because they were just too narrow to be comfortable.  Well I'm happy to report that these modern loafer mules are quite a bit wider than their modern loafers and thus fit my feet a lot better!

I would say these run true to size (I ordered my usual size 8 and they fit perfectly).  The in sole is padded which is great and I love that these mules look almost identical to their full loafer counterpart!

But I should warn you that if you're not used to mules, that yes they can be a bit uncomfortable for prolonged wear.  This is especially true of this pair since the soles are so heavy.  So I end up having to drag the heels on the ground and clop around.  I usually only wear these when I want to look nice but I don't have to walk very far, mostly for dinners out or just around the office.  On the other hand I wear the M.Gemi Docente's all the time and even wore them around the airport when traveling (no blisters and no problems!).

I guess if the modern loafers didn't work for you and you really want a pair of shoes that look like them, then this might be for you.  I really like them since I couldn't handle the narrowness of the modern loafer and I don't mind clomping around in mules (actually it reminds me of my childhood in Hawaii running around in rubber slippers (aka flip-flops), dragging my heels on the ground).

Anyway you can find all of Everlane's items here and see all my other Everlane reviews here.

Glossier Super Pure Serum, Milk Jelly Cleanser, and Generation G Review

So I'm finally doing part 2 of my Glossier product reviews after having thoroughly tried out these last three items in my initial order from Glossier (for part one I reviewed the boy brow and the stretch concealer here).

So let's start with this Super Pure serum.  I have a history of sensitive, acne-prone skin so whenever I see a product promising clearer skin I'm always down to try it out.  Unfortunately for me this product did not work :( . (<--lol that is exactly how my face looked for a week, with a zit that wouldn't go away on the left side of my chin).  So this product is supposed to prevent zits by clearing sebum and whatnot.  But I still developed a zit.  And then I made the mistake of putting it on the zit for the first couple days of inflammation.  At first it looked like the redness went down but then the zit just wouldn't go away.  And it kept getting bigger with multiple white heads (so gross, I know).  Eventually I treated the zit how I normally treat zits (first pop it with this tool and then let it dry out on it's own.  Sometimes I'll also ice it to calm the inflammation).  I read else where that this product worked for them, but I think it really does depend on what your skin is like (I mean I can't even handle Neutrogena without breaking out).

Luckily, I found more success with Glossier's milky jelly cleanser.  An initial look at the ingredients did show that there is one possible pore-clogging ingredient (isopropyl myristate) but it's way down on the ingredient list, and I found I had no issues with this cleanser.  In fact I would say it works really well.  It removes all makeup and doesn't leave any kind of residue.  But when I use this product I still end up rewashing my face with my favorite charcoal cleanser from SkinSalvation.  But I find when I use both cleansers, there's no trace of makeup after (as opposed to when I just use the charcoal cleanser alone).  Out of all the products I've purchased from Glossier this is definitely one of my favorites (along with the boy brow).

And last but definitely not least, Glossier's generation G matte lipstick.  I purchased it in the color Zip.  I'm not a huge fan of matte lipstick since it tends to be a lot more maintenance than I'm used to (making sure your lips are not flaky and also making sure the matte lipstick doesn't bleed).  The last time I tried a matte lipstick it was from Nars and it was a terrible experience.  Not only did it really dry out my lips but it bled to the point it looked like I had clown lips.  Ever since then I've been weary of matte lipsticks and have stuck with my usual lip glosses or balms (a current favorite is actually the RMS lip shine in Sacred).  But I have to say Glossier did a great job with their generation G matte lipstick.  It goes on smooth and it's pleasantly not drying (well yes it will be a tad drier than a lip gloss or balm, but it's not that much drier).  And best of all it doesn't flake my lips.  So if you're looking for a great matte lipstick, definitely give this a try.

So some final thoughts about Glossier:

~ It's definitely a trendy brand right now with their minimal and slick packaging and great marketing.  And yes some of their products are good (maybe even 'cult-worthy'), like the boy brow and milky jelly cleanser.  But I'm not about to jump on the Glossier band wagon since like a lot of beauty brands, sometimes the hype is bigger than the actual results they deliver.

~One thing that turns me off a bit from this brand is all the packaging that this brand uses.  They products not only came in individual packaging but also with an exterior pink plastic pouch.  And then all of that was in a box.  Of course some people may like that, but to me it's such a waste.

Grana Review Silk V-neck Cropped Tank

This particular review is unsponsored (though I have done some Grana sponsored reviews in the past)

If you saw my Spring 10x10 Challenge (if not, you can find all those posts here) you already saw a lot of outfits incorporating Grana's silk v-neck cropped tank.  And I have to say, after completing the 10x10 with this piece, I love it more than ever.  It's a super versatile top that can go over any high-waisted pants and over dresses as well.  In fact, even after the 10x10 was over, I wore this on day 11 because I loved it so much.  

Wearing Grana's cropped tank with Everlane wide leg crop pant

So the best way to figure out your sizing at Grana is to go to their size finder, which pops out a window that tells you very precise measurements of the garment (in both inches and cm).  So using that I figured a small in this cropped tank would fit me best (even though I'm a consistent medium in their cotton tees).  And the size worked out perfectly.  

I loved the fit of the cropped tank and found both the arm holes and the neck line to be cut just as I like it (not too deep).  The back of the tank is stitched closed so you have to put it on and take it off like you would a t-shirt.  The silk they use is their crepe de chine, which isn't as luxurious to me as their georgette satin (but one reader has informed me that you can easily handwash the crepe de chine but not the georgette satin).  Like all of Grana's silk items, this crop tank is also double layered silk, which makes it a great substantial tank.

As you can see you can wear it with pretty much everything (except low-rise pants, unless you're going for the navel-bearing look).  I actually really like to throw it over Grana's silk mini slip dress since I find the cut of that dress in the front is a bit too low for my liking.  By throwing on the tank (like in the pic above), I don't flash people my bra when bending over and I can also wear a regular bra instead of a strapless one.

I think after Grana's silk ankle pants, this is my next favorite silk piece from Grana.  They don't have many sizes left on their website but if you're a large you're in luck.  Or if you can find this on a second-hand market or if Grana re-releases this item I would highly recommend trying it out for yourself.  For first-time buyers you can get 10% off your purchase with this referral link.  And you can find all my Grana reviews here.

Patagonia Swim wear Review

Clockwise: Patagonia solid Kupala bikini top, Patagonia Nanogrip triangle bikini top, Patagonia Nanogrip bikini bottom, Patagonia solid Sunamee bikini bottoms

Back in February when I broke my shopping ban, I purchased a lot of Patagonia's swim wear.  Some were on sale but some were not.  But I justified the purchase by saying these were for my swim workouts (I had to go from running to swimming when I messed up my knee skiing earlier this year).  And I'm glad to report that yes, I've been putting all my swim wear to good use at the gym pool.  So it was totally worth purchasing these various swim suits (though to be honest I probably didn't have to purchase quite so many, but alas the sale got to me).  

And I have to say Patagonia makes some of the best swim wear I've ever tried.  I tried the Grana ones (review here), which were a total dud.  And before that, when I would go on the occasional swim I would wear some Victoria Secret bikini top and bottom (and oh man those push up bikini tops were just ridiculous).  I was looking for practical, easy to wear bikinis that stayed put (I always prefer bikinis because my super long torso can't handle one piece suits).  And these Patagonia swim suits fit the bill.

The bikini tops tie in such a way that you only have to tie one string at your back (you basically have to put your head and arms through the strings as if you're going to wear a smock).  But this ingenious way of tying the bikini ensures that you don't need to tie the string at two separate places.  Those halter style triangle bikinis sometimes give me neck strain, but not these!  

Also the nano grip bikinis are a bit more expensive but they do as they advertise: the material does grip to your body.  It's a bit of a sticky rubbery texture, which felt a bit weird for me at first but when I wore it, I couldn't even tell.  These bikinis are probably best for those who swim in the ocean or surf (or body surf).  These bikinis don't budge.  But if you're just swimming in a pool like me, you really don't need to buy these more expensive swim suits.  The regular ones do the job just as well.  

And the best part of these bikinis?  Patagonia tries to make them as responsibly as possible.  All their swim wear is Fair Trade certified, meaning those making the suits are paid fairly and are working in safe conditions.  Also all swim wear is partially made from recycled polyester.  

So if you're looking to buy a new swim suit this summer I really encourage you to try out Patagonia.  There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of ethically or socially responsibly made swim wear out there yet, but you can always count on Patagonia to make quality items and make them with a conscious.

Everlane Silk Wide Leg Pant Review

I haven't done an Everlane review in awhile since I told myself I won't add anything new to my closet in March.  But I ordered this in the tail end of February and yep, it took me that long to get around to reviewing it (I'm still so backlogged on Grana items, it's ridiculous).  But here's a quick review of these Silk Wide Leg pants.

I initially liked these pants because of the cool striped design but also because it's quite opaque (no VPL here).  But long story short, I did return them because these silk pants wrinkle like nothing I've seen before.  I steamed out the wrinkles when I first received it.  Then days later when I went to try them on for the pics below I bent down to put on these shoes and when I stood up again they were all wrinkled!  So I did something I would not advise: I steamed out the wrinkles while I was still wearing them (but very carefully).  These pants are just way to high-maintenance for my taste. 

Also, if I were to keep these pants I would probably hem them since they're a bit long for my 5'4" frame.  

I don't know if it's just me but I'm finding that there's less and less things I'm excited about when it comes to Everlane, except maybe for their shoes.  Since we are in April, I'm letting myself try out Everlane's new modern loafer slides so review of that coming soon-ish!  Anyways you can find all of Everlane's items here and all my Everlane reviews here.

Spring 10x10 Looks 8, 9 & 10

Hi guys, I'm combing the last three looks all in one post since it's been a really busy week and I haven't had much time for blogging!  So without further ado...

Look 8

Wearing: Grana silk crop tank (review coming soon), Elizabeth Suzann Tilda pants (review coming soon), M.Gemi The Docente

Wednesday we delivered an Airstream to a customer so I needed something easy to move around it.  I wore these M.Gemi mules for the look but later changed to sneakers since mules aren't the most practical footwear when getting in and out of pick up trucks.

Look 9

Wearing: Grana silk mini v-neck slip dress (review here), Everlane wide leg crop pants (review here), Everlane modern loafer mules (review coming soon)

Thursday was spent just hanging out at the garage/office and since we didn't have any customers and again no was going to see me in these outfits, I went with something unusual.  I would say combining the Grana dress over Everlane's wide leg pants was a great experimental look but not something I would repeat again.  It's a bit too out there for my taste.  But hey at least I tried it right?

Look 10

Wearing: Grana sleeveless blazer (review here), Grana silk crop tank (review coming soon), Elizabeth Suzann Tilda linen pants (review coming soon), Everlane modern loafter mules (review coming soon), old Balenciaga work bag (similar here)

This is basically look 8 with the sleeveless blazer thrown on top.  I like the look of the blazer with the silk tank but I feel it adds a lot of volume to an already voluminous hip area (due to the linen Tilda pants).  But the sleeveless blazer does hide the butt area, which I'm sorry to say is not flattering in these pants.  Even after the end of this 10x10 I'm not sure I'm keeping these ES pants since I'm just not accustomed to my pants being so wide at the hips.  This is probably going to back on eBay but if someone is interested in purchasing just email me.  These pants are size Medium-short and I'll be listing them for $125 but will sell to a reader for $100 including shipping.

What I Learned

Having looked back at all the various outfits I was able to make with 6 items of clothing I learned that:

1) Not all combos are going to work, but that's okay.  It's fun to just try it out

2) Sometimes you need to wear things multiple times in a challenge like this to finally get the hang of styling some items.  When I first received the Grana silk sleeveless blazer I did a terrible job at styling it.  But now I feel confident in wearing it, and in fact I love it now because it gives me extra pockets when I need them

3) And sometimes you can wear things multiple times in a challenge like this and realize that some items of clothing just don't work for you.  And that's when you have to pass them along to someone else to try out.

Whew I can' wait to go back to wearing regular clothes again!  And I'm going to take it easy on the silks and linens for awhile.  I miss my good 'ole cotton tees and denim jeans!

Spring 10x10 Looks 6 & 7

Look 6

Wearing: Elizabeth Suzann Georgia Tee (review here) and Grana Silk Mini v-neck dress (review here), M.Gemi The Docente mules (review here), and Loewe hammock bag (review coming soon)

Monday was a busy day sending off 2 groups of guests (but I didn't have to do any heavy lifting today) so I decided to go with a simple and easy look.  I love how the ES Georgia Tee looks over the dress, especially since I sometimes find Grana's dress to be a bit too low cut at times (especially in a work setting).  The Georgia Tee is a perfect cover up and keeps the look casual.

Look 7

Wearing: Grana silk sleeveless blazer (review here), Grana silk mini v-neck dress (review here), Elizabeth Suzann linen Tilda pants (review coming soon), M.Gemi the Docente mules (review here), Mansur Gavriel mini lady bag (review here)

Today I'm trying to go with that 'art gallery curator' vibe with the same mini silk dress over the ES Tilda pants.  I'm actually really liking the look of the dress over these particular pants because I sometimes find the Tilda pants to be quite voluminous in the hips so the dress covers that, and I like how the Tilda pants flare just a tiny bit at the ankles.  Though the scarf might be too much for the look, like I said I'm not a huge fan of the low cut so the scarf covers the exposed chest area.  Since there are no customers today and the only people to see me today is my husband (along with the other "bros" that work at auto complex I work in--but they already think I'm weird anyway since I'm the girl that takes pictures in front of the garage doors lol), so I just went with this over the top look.  I guess things get interesting when you do a 6x10!

Spring 10x10 Looks 4 & 5

Look 4

Day 4 was just another day at the Airstream garage and sending off another customer.  For days like these it's best that I wear darker pants and that's why I love my Everlane wide leg crop pants.  They're comfortable and casual but also pretty practical.

Look 5

And finally look 5 today (TGIF!).  Today is a pretty chill day: just some errands and some time at the office garage.  But since I don't need to do any heavy lifting, this silk dress and silk vest combo (both from Grana) totally work.  I'm totally starting to warm up to this vest, especially because it gives me pockets on days when I don't wear pants (for my original review, I wasn't a fan of this "sleeveless blazer" as Grana calls it).  So I'm really glad I added this item to my 10x10 challenge!  

Spring 10x10 Looks 2 & 3

Look 2

Wearing Grana Silk V-neck crop tank, Grana silk mini slip dress, and Everlane oxfords

I actually didn't take a picture of this combo yesterday so I pulled these pics from when I reviewed Grana's mini slip dress.  Yesterday I wore the combo sans necklace and different shoes, but since it was an easy day at work showing one customer around an Airstream, I decided why not be a little dressed up.

Look 3

Wearing: Grana silk v-neck crop tank, Everlane wide leg crop pants (review here), Everlane Street Sandals (review here), and Loewe hammock bag (similar here)

Today I'm wearing Grana's silk v-neck crop tank again but with Everlane's wide leg crop pants this time.  I love the versatility of the silk crop tank and also this combo of navy and black (which to be honest is probably one of my favorite color combos though I've been told before that they don't go together, but eh I like it).   I like this look a lot in general and plan to put it on repeat when this challenge is over!

Shopping ban update for March

{Squeezing this update in between my Spring 10x10 challenge here since by the time the challenge is over we'll be deep into April}

So I did it!  I managed to go without anything new for one month.  I guess I kept myself busy with my back-log of reviews that needed to be done and I just told myself, "Ok, you gotta be able to at least go one month."  So no thrift shopping and no purchases on credit from Everlane or Grana.  But April 1st, I was itching to go back to my old ways and I allowed myself to try some new things from Everlane (their dipped tote and their modern loafer slides--still waiting for these to come in and to be honest I'm really just curious about slides but I'm pretty sure they'll be too narrow for my feet).  But in the end I'm glad I waited a month since it really clarified what I wanted from Everlane and Grana when the temporary ban was over (I also repurchased Grana's linen boyfriend shirt since I seem to have lost my first one--I can't find it for the life of me, and now that summer is rolling around I really want a good linen shirt in my life).  I'm also itching to go thrift shopping but I'm waiting until I absolutely feel like I need to go shopping and then I'm going to treat myself.  But I've realized that by at least waiting it really helped me to be more selective when it did come time to try some new things.  I'm going to let myself celebrate this small victory but like any addict, I can't get too relaxed and let myself fall back to old habits.  Also the capsule closet is helping in that whenever I want something fresh in my closet, I 'shop' my storage bins and add something new.  But for the most part nothing new has been added to my capsule either.  Let's hope I can keep this slow and conscious consumption going through April.  In the meantime, here is my current list of things I want to buy if I were not on a ban:

My lust for these hand-made shoes are still going strong: The Sandy from Sevilla Smith

the numero un bag from Polene (a french brand I just discovered); I emailed them to ask them a little more about their manufacturing process and I'm happy to report that they "only make our bags in Spain in the famous town of Ubrique and all the workers in the factories are well paid. This is a town with a high level of social protection for them because most of the peoples are working in this industry."  Coincidentally this is also where Everlane makes their leather foldover crossbody which I loooove (the leather is so yummy).  I really want to try this bag out (would readers be down if I did a one-in-one out policy for my bags so I can experiment with this bag and report back?  Or is that breaking the ban? lol).

And Polene's numero trois bag

Spring 10x10 clothing picks & Look 1

I'm so excited to do the Spring 10x10 after having done the Winter 10x10 (first post of that here) and having learned a lot more about my style and the remixing of outfits. Last time I did it double time but I think I'll try to stick the full 10 days this time since I seriously had blogging and instagramming fatigue by the end of it.  

So without further ado here are my picks for the challenge:

Elizabeth Suzann Georgia Tee Review Here (pictured in black here but I have the navy one)

Everlane Wide Leg Crop Review Here

Elizabeth Suzann Tilda Linen Pants (review coming soon)

Grana Silk Mini V-neck Slip Dress Review Here

Grana Silk V-neck Cropped Tank (review coming soon)

Grana Silk Sleeveless Blazer Review here

First of all, you might have noticed I have only 6 items here.  Yep I plan to do a 6x10 and nope I'm not doing it to show-off.  First I decided not to add shoes to my list because I'm just an accessory-centric type of gal and need to switch up bags and shoes or else I get bored.  So if I did add shoes it would be a 8x10 really.  Also just like Queen Lee (the Queen of the 10x10 Challenge, lol) I'm not going to include outerwear here.  The temps in California have been so erratic lately that I'm not going to choose just one outerwear for 2 weeks.  So the 6x10 will just really be my core looks sans outerwear and accessories.  Also decided to do a 6x10 since I was able to make 10 outfits with the 6 (I wrote them all down cuz I'm a nerd like that) and I'm a lazy blogger and don't want to push myself to add more items.

Second of all, this time around I'm only using the newest items in my closet for the style challenge.  I really want to see if I can incorporate these items into looks I like and would wear daily even after the challenge.  This is a tad different from the Winter 10x10 where I focused on incorporating old pieces I never wore anymore to see if I still loved them.  I like that I have a different focus this time around.  So we'll see if I can grow to like Grana's sleeveless blazer, which you recall I didn't really like when I first reviewed it.  

Now for the first look:

Look 1

Wearing Elizabeth Suzann top and bottom: The Georgia Tee and the Tilda pants both in linen; Everlane street sandals with the elastic cut off (review here)

For the first look I decided to try out my only two ES items together.  Both were purchased on eBay, back in February when I broke my shopping ban.  But how can you pass up ES linen items that you don't have to wait 2-3 weeks for in your size (and for the pants I even got them $60 off retail)?  Some things are worth breaking bans for.  You know that I love my ES Georgia tee from this review, but as for the Tilda pants the jury is still out (though I'm leaning towards no).  I'll do a full review of these pants when this challenge is over (and really I added them to this challenge so I can know for sure whether or not I like them).  Just for reference I'm wearing the medium short size.

As for this whole look, it's really a great hot summer outfit.  Linen top and bottom, couldn't be cooler (both in temps and looks).  I used to really dislike linen because I'm not a fan of wrinkles (on my face or in my clothes), but haaaate ironing.  Well my handy dandy travel steamer has been the answer!  Now I can wear linen on repeat and just steam out the wrinkles between wears.  I only really wash it if I stain it or excessively sweat (which hasn't happened yet because it's spring, but man wait until summer rolls around, I'm sure I'll be washing it after every wear).  Also I'll be pairing looks off just so I won't have to write a blog post everyday for the next 2 weeks (like I said I'm a lazy blogger lol).  Looks 2 and 3 coming Wednesday!