For the first six years of my life I had to wear a uniform everyday for school (an all-girls Episcopalian school) and I hated it. I bring this all up because part of that school uniform was the requirement of wearing plain white Keds. Now I have nothing against Keds now (though tbh I haven’t purchased a pair of Keds since elementary school), but back then I was so sick of them. Yet I have to begrudgingly admit, they are pretty darn comfortable sneakers (and maybe also the reason why I’ve always been so intolerant of uncomfortable shoes). Well this long-winding story was just to illustrate that these Mary Jane shoes from Small Lot Co feel like a comfortable pair of Keds but have 10x the style factor IMHO.
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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 >.<
My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases as of 2021
Back in 2018 I wrote a blog post detailing my best and worst luxury bag purchases. Well it’s been several years so I decided to update that post with what I consider my best and worst luxury purchases as of 2021. I’ve decided to include items other than bags this time and I’m expanding my definition of “luxury” to mean anything that’s expensive for what it is and not a necessity.
Read MoreA No Buy July Guide {Updated July 2023}
So for those who want to try a No Buy July with me, I thought I’d give you some pointers and tips. This is my third No Buy July and though I’m not a seasoned pro, this is not my first rodeo. You might think not buying anything for one month is going to be easy, let me tell you it’s not for the faint of heart. And that’s because July is the start of the summer sale season. I know this because this is what derailed my second No Buy July attempt (but I did succeed the first time). So here are some of my tips for a successful No Buy July:
Read MoreWhat I Bought in June
It’s been another month of purchases so I’ve decided to go on a No Buy July and will try to continue it for three months total. It’s time for a reset!
Read MoreWeekend Ramblings
There once was a time when I thought I could be an ethical/sustainable/zero-waste lifestyle blogger. I thought if I just purchased the right things at the right amount, than pronto I’d be that. But after 6 years of blogging, I’ve come to realize I’ll never be fully that nor do I want to be.
Read MoreQuince Review: The Linen Shorts [Updated November 2024]
Last year, I was (and still am) a huge fan of Quince’s linen tank (Quince 100% organic linen tank review here). So when they released matching 100% organic linen shorts this year I jumped on them right away. And I have no regrets. In fact, once I ordered one pair, I immediately ordered two more pairs and now I have my all linen summer uniform.
Read MoreFor Days Upcycled Rib Top and Pants Review
I first heard of the brand For Days via Instagram (dang you Insta marketing), and when they had a sale a couple months ago I snagged the Upcycled Rib top and pants set that I had my eye on. Everything else from the brand is mostly tees and sweats, and seems very Gen Z to me. But this rib set reminded me of some of the stuff I used to wear in the 90’s during middle school, and I guess the nostalgia got me.
Read MoreU Beauty Review: The Super Smart Hydrator
I really love the U Beauty Resurfacing Compound (I’ve repurchased it 4 times and counting). You can read why I love it so much in my U Beauty Resurfacing Compound review here. So I had fairly high expectations for the next product that U Beauty produced, their Super Smart Hydrator. And I really wanted to like it (and believe me I did because it’s more affordable than my current favorite moisturizer, the Augustinus Bader Rich Cream). But unfortunately it didn’t work out for me at all.
Read MoreBeklina Review: The Ribbed Open Toe Clog
After writing up my review for the Beklina Matisse Criss Cross Platforms, I ended up purchasing these Ribbed Open Toe Clogs in both black and buff (as I mentioned at the end of that review). Well it’s been over 5 months since I got these shoes so it was about time I wrote up a review. If you follow me on Insta, you see that I wear these shoes a lot (see the compilation above lol). I loooove how they look and how comfortable they are, and they’ve quickly become my go-to shoes.
Read MoreLevi’s Ribcage Straight Ankle Jeans Review
A couple months ago I wrote up a review of the Agolde 90’s jeans, and ever since then I’ve been on a quest for the perfect mom jeans (the problem with the Agolde ones were that they were a tad too small and even though I tried a size up, they still didn’t fit right. You can read all about it in my update in the Agolde jeans review). So I recently decided to try the Levi’s Ribcage Straight Ankle Jeans as a more affordable alternative to the Agolde jeans.
Read MoreMansur Gavriel Review: The Mini Travel Crossbody Bag
Ok ok, so I know since my last Mansur Gavriel Protea bag review I said no more Mansur Gavriel bags. Buuuut I actually bought this last year before the protea bag and hadn’t really had a chance to use it because we were staying home all the time (and all I needed when going out to do errands was a small bag). Well now that we’re back in California and Emi is a full-on toddler with many toddler needs, I’ve started carrying this Mansur Gavriel mini travel bag and I have to say I love it.
Read MoreWeekend Update/Ramblings
Hi guys! How have you been? For those of us in the states, did you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend? We were pretty busy with kids birthday parties and hanging out with friends. It was definitely nice to be able to gather again.
Read MoreAugustinus Bader Review: The Lip Balm {Updated October 2022}
Let me just say that having grown up in Hawaii, I rarely used lip balm. There was no such thing as chapped lips in my childhood, unless we went to the US mainland. So I’m not really experienced with lip balms and I was never a chapstick addict. I’ve tried various lip balms since moving to California (20 years ago lol) and thus far I have never found one that I loved. I basically went from chapstick to a free Sephora sample or another when I needed it. But now my search is over because I can definitely say that the AB lip balm is The One.
Read MoreTwo Days Off Clothing Review: The Safia Midi Skirt
If you can’t already tell by now when I love a brand, I loooove them and have to try almost everything from them. It’s happened before with Everlane and Elizabeth Suzann, and I can tell it’s now happening with Two Days Off. So far I’ve reviewed two dresses and a top, but this will be my first review of a bottom. I saw this Safia Midi skirt on Gina and knew that this would be next on my list. I love the quality of their linen (which I’ve ranked as number one on my list of linen from ethical brands), so I knew I wanted to try it in this sleek looking midi skirt.
Read MoreWhat I Bought in May
This May I definitely bought more items for my closet than I intended to. I think it was partly due to the changing of the season and the optimism of things slowly returning to pre-pandemic conditions.
Read MoreUnited by Blue Review: SoftHemp Smocked Chambray Dress
I first learned of United by Blue through Christina who wore this same SoftHemp Smocked Chambray Dress (sold out). I’ve never heard of United by Blue before (I mean there are soooo many ethical/sustainable brands these days right?), but I was intrigued by their use of hemp in their clothing.
Read MoreChanel Reissue 2.55 227 Bag Review
If you follow me on Insta, you know a couple weeks ago I splurged on a Chanel Reissue bag. Well I had always wanted a Reissue bag because I’ve had the classic style bags before (with the CC’s) and thought the Reissue was more subtle. It didn’t scream “CHANEL” as much as the classic.
Read MoreOlive Clothing Review
I was influenced by Insta (specifically Brianna) for the impulse purchase of this Tiered Felted Blouse from Olive Clothing. I saw her version in black and instantly fell in love (then searching through her comments to find the brand behind the top and then going through and searching for it on their website). I had never heard of Olive before but they are a family-owned business from the UK.
Read MoreWeekend Update/Ramblings
Hi guys, how are you all doing? We’re doing well here. My husband and I got our second vaccine shot last week and we started planning a 4th of July getaway with friends. Things are slowly going back to how it was (though I don’t expect things to be exactly how it was pre-pandemic nor do I want it to be). But I am excited for this new post-pandemic world that hopefully we can all step into someday.
Read MoreIchi Antiquites Review: The Linen Wide Leg Pant
As I mentioned in my What I Bought post back in January, I wasn’t sure if I could rock linen culottes. But $80 for Ichi Antiquities pants (or Ichi anything) was just too good of a deal to pass up (plus I had some eBay bucks burning a hole in my pocket so I got a bit of a discount too). Well I’m so glad I didn’t decide to pass up these pants because they are so good.
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