Blog

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 >.<

Nutrafol Review: Women's Balance

I’ve mentioned it in the past here on the blog but I am unfortunately suffering from thinning hair. And this isn’t just some postpartum hair loss since I had my baby four years ago 😆. No, I’m pretty sure this is a genetic predicament considering my grandmother on my father’s side, my father, and my mother all had/have thinning hair. I try not to be too self-conscious about it because this is just my lot in life and how I was made (or rather how my scalp was made). But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to fight the good fight of the receding hair line.

Loewe Review: The Mini Flamenco Clutch Bag {Updated May 2024}

I’ve always admired Loewe’s Flamenco bag, with its soft structure and two knots on the sides, ever since I saw it on another woman. However, I never thought to purchase it myself until I saw it in the Loewe store at Ala Moana (Hawaii) when I was home for the holidays. As soon as I tried on the mini Flamenco, I knew it was the bag for me because it was everything I had wanted the MG Protea bag to be (and if you remember my Mansur Gavriel Protea review, I was horribly disappointed at how flimsy it was). The Loewe Flamenco has none of the flimsiness, and that’s probably due to the thick and luscious leather.

May 2023 Recap

We celebrated a chill but rewarding Mother’s Day at the gardens at the park near my house. They were having a plant sale that day I bought some sunflowers for my yard! This year my garden is looking particularly lush and I enjoy adding even more flowers to it this year.

CurrentBody LED Light Therapy Mask Review

When I turned 40 I talked about my red led wand and as much as I love that (and still use it as part of my skin care routine), I can’t get over the impact from this gifted red led therapy mask from CurrentBody.

Zestigreens vs. Hamama Greens Microgreens Growing Kit Review

I started growing my own microgreens at the beginning of this year and it’s been one of the healthiest addition to my diet in ages! I love harvesting them each morning and sprinkling them on top of my avocado toast for an extra boost of vitamins as well as flavor. Since I have two kits, one from Zestigreens and another from Hamama Greens, I thought I would do a little review comparing the two since they’re slightly different.

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.

Linjer Jewelry Review

Though I haven’t done a Linjer review in the past, I’ve always admired their thoughtfully designed products (but mostly their bags). I mentioned them in my Hermes Bolide review and I guess that got their attention because they asked me if I wanted to try some of their jewelry items (it looks like their phasing out of the bag market for now). After taking a look at their wide selection of ethical jewelry, I decided to try their mother of pearl Margit ring and their gold tennis bracelet.

Fairly Curated May Item: Planet Renu Silicone Food Covers

One of the most popular items at Planet Renu are these silicone food covers, meant to replace plastic wrap, so I decided to collaborate with them to offer these in my online shop for May!

April 2023 Recap

Going back to a monthly recap because it’s just easier that way. Anyway April was a super fun month for us with a great RV trip and some sunny weather!

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.

Celine Tabou Bag Review {May 2024 Update}

Back in December when I didn’t buy the Celine Triomphe bag at the Celine store in Hawaii (because it was $4000!!) I decided to instead go with a secondhand Celine bag purchase from my favorite luxury reseller Fashionphile. I originally got both the Celine Teen Box and this Celine Tabou Bag (the price of them together was still several hundred less than the new Triomphe), but returned the Box because it was too small and already showing some creased and cracking leather. And even though I was a bit unsure of keeping a purple bag, I’m so glad that I did because it has fast become a favorite!

Fairly Curated Shop April Item: Biodegradable Cotton and Natural Rubber Hair Ties

It’s only recently that I’ve purchased my first two sets of plastic-free hair ties from Amazon (when I was finally down to my last couple of regular hair ties). But I’m already a huge fan! Yes they’re slightly different from the conventional plastic hair ties but tbh, not having to use plastic to put my hair up is a win. And that’s why April’s Fairly Curated offerings are plastic-free hair ties!

March 2023 Recap

I was planning to do a recap every two months, however a lot happened in March so I thought I would just do a solo month recap here. Plus let’s be honest, I didn’t have a review prepared for this week (that Quince sweater review from last week took forever to write up) so a recap it is!

Quince Sweater Review: Cashmere, Cardigan, Alpaca, and Wool {Updated December 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).

I'm Not Fearing Forty

As I celebrated my 40th birthday yesterday and as my friends and I contemplated turning forty this year, I find myself not fearing this milestone. Rather I look forward to what the next decade will bring. I guess because I’ve already reached menopause (thanks to my hysterectomy several years ago) I’m not so afraid of aging. I’m already confronted daily with white hair, more wrinkles, and thinning hair. There’s nothing to fear about aging, and I prefer to just deal with it as it comes.

Hermes Review: Silk'In Classic Long Wallet vs. Azap Classique Wallet (and Quince Continental Wallet Review)

Every once in awhile I’ll do something crazy like buy two Hermes wallets at the same time. Well it all started when I was browsing Instagram (isn’t that how many impulsive consumer tendencies begin? Well at least that’s true for me 🤦🏻‍♀️), and I got the notion to have a wallet that’s large enough to fit my usual card case items + my phone. I think it’s something a lot of people do, but I hadn’t really the need until I started working (and switching bags). I like my minimal card case (an oldie but goodie from Everlane), but I wanted something that could fit my phone. And like I’m wont to do, I went straight to Fashionphile to see what they had in stock.

Fairly Curated Shop March Item: Organic Cotton Mesh Produce Bags

I’ve used cotton bags in the past (those made by my mom from leftover fabric) but stopped during the pandemic. But lately I noticed I was using plastic produce bags way too often and had collected a drawer-full (I reuse them for small trash cans and dirty shoes/clothes). It was time to stop to go back to my old (and better) habits. So I picked up these organic cotton mesh produce bags. I love these because they have their tare weights right on the tag (so if you’re buying something particularly expensive (hello nuts), then you can at least subtract the weight of the bag from the overall price). I also love how compactly they fold up (much less bulkier than some of my handmade bags).

January and February 2023 Recap

Hello and it’s been a bit since my last recap! I decided to start lumping them together so I’ll try to recap every two months or so.

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.

Augustinus Bader Review: The Face Oil

Last month I said that the Augustinus Bader Soothing Cream was one of my worst purchases of 2022, but I have to say the Augustinus Bader Face Oil was one of my best. I never thought I would be a face oil kind of gal because I’ve grown up with oily skin and acne. I’ve been trying to remove oil from my face all my life. But now that I’m close to 40 (like a month away), I find that the AB Face oil is just what I need for dry California winters.