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.

September 2024 Recap

September really blew by didn't it? For this month I did some health check-ups and continued to watch more K-dramas (as well as obsess over K-bags and K-style 😂).

Unsponsored Cocokind Review

I’m not sure where I first heard of Cocokind but it’s probably Instagram since I feel like they’ve been marketing on social media pretty heavily. So I wanted to see for myself what all the hype was about. Here’s what I thought about some of their products:

Korean Bag Brand Reviews: Nothing Written, Dunst, Couronne, Monorow, Facade Pattern, Roh Seoul [Updated March 2025]

First there was K-Pop, K-Dramas, and K-Beauty. Well now there’s K-bags 😂. Since going to South Korea I have a greater respect for the fashion brands coming from that country. They tend to be on trend but also super affordable. Let’s just say these Korean brands make really good dupes without being an exact carbon copy (they usually make it just different enough). The construction also tends to be fairly solid, but as I found out the materials used can be a bit of a mixed bag (pun intended lol). So far I’ve tried these Korean bag brands and this is what I think of them:

My Current Skincare and Makeup Routine

I haven’t done a post like this since 2021 and since many of the products I use have changed since then, I thought I’d do an updated post. Here are the products that I’m currently using that are really working for me.

Hermes Roulis Slim Wallet Review

As I had mentioned in my March recap post when I bought this wallet, the Roulis Slim wallet was not my first choice from Hermes. I had returned some shoes and using that credit purchased this wallet, in somewhat of a f* it, it’s my birthday mood. However seeing how I’ve only used this wallet twice since March I can fairly confidently say that this purchase was a fail.

August 2024 Update

We spent the month of August unpacking and getting accustomed to our new home and town.

Cartier Trinity Ring Review

As I mentioned back in my March 2024 Recap, I received a vintage Cartier Trinity ring from my family as a birthday present. It has since replaced my engagement ring and wedding ring stack, and is the one ring I wear at all times. And since I love this ring so much I thought I would do a quick review of it.

Things I No Longer Buy

Every month I recap all the things I purchase (lately it’s been a lot of bags), so you would think I’m a reckless big spender (which is kind of true when it comes to bags). But I realize I never talk about all the things I’m not buying. And I’m no Miss Frugality here (again, bags), but there are many things I no longer buy. So to give a bigger picture of my consumption habits, here are the things I no longer buy:

Unsponsored KiwiCo Review: Is it worth it?

Some of your kids might already be back in school so this is a late review, but if you’re looking for activities to fill the weekend you might want to take a look at KiwiCo’s Activity Crates. We ordered a bunch of them for the summer, to do on the days between the end of school and the start of her summer program. And here’s my honest opinion of them.

10 Things I'm Glad I Bought For The First Half Of 2024

There’s a series that Japanese YouTubers often do called Things I’m Glad I Bought so I thought it’d be fun to do the same here. It usually covers anything and everything they’ve purchased in the year or half year.

July 2024 Recap

We moved in July! And I learned some lessons on having way too much.

Goyard Sac Cap Vert Crossbody Bag Review

So as I disclosed up top, I got to borrow this bag for free from Fashionphile for a month. And I took them up on their offer by borrowing this Goyard Sac Cap Vert in green. Well, would I buy it now after trying it for a month? It’s a definite possibility.

Top 5 Most Used Bags For The First Half Of 2024

2024 has been a banner year for buying bags for me. I finally let myself buy the bags that I want, and yes I may have gone overboard (especially thanks to a newfound Hermes addiction). So amongst all the bags in my collection, which one did I use the most? Here are my top five:

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).

Bags I've Sold Without Fully Reviewing: Ree Projects, La Portegna, Kieselstein-Cord

In the past I would never have sold a bag without doing a full review of it here on the blog. But in the last couple of years I’ve started to let things go without a review. Is it laziness? Perhaps. It’s probably also a sign of overconsumption (I’m getting bags faster than I can review them). Though if they were all stellar bags I’d definitely be reviewing them, so maybe I’m just in my phase of not wanting to review bags I didn’t absolutely love. Anyway without further ado, this is a brief review of three bags that I sold (mostly on Fairly Curated closet) did not fully review on the blog.

June 2024 Recap

June was a busy month with school ending and the beginning of our packing to move!

Quince Kids Clothes Review: Girls Dresses and Organic Cotton Leggings [Updated December 2024]

It’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed kids clothes because I tend to mostly purchase from Hanna Andersson. But lately I’ve noticed that their quality has gone down though the prices are the same (if not higher). And PACT, my other go-to for high quality kids items, are no longer doing kids clothing. So I decided to check out Quince since they’ve really expanded their line of kids clothing in the last year.

Vintage Hermes Vespa PM Bag Review (and Comparison to the Hermes Evelyne III PM)

My very first bag I got from an Hermes boutique (with no prior spending or purchases might I add) was the Evelyne III PM in the Etoupe Taurillon Clemence leather. You can read my Hermes Evelyne III PM review here. Any-who, I ended up selling that bag on eBay (at a $1000 loss I think), which is a shame. But I figured lesson learned and I didn’t go in to an Hermes boutique for another couple of years. But currently I’m in the grips of an Hermes obsession and I have this vintage Vespa bag to thank (that and the Havane Picotin 22 I didn’t buy at the RealReal). And who would have guessed it would be the Evelyne’s close cousin that would get me back under the Hermes hypnosis.

Loewe Dice Pocket Bag Review

I purchased this Loewe Dice bag as a souvenir from Japan back in November of last year. And I have not used it once in the last six months, which should tell you a little something about the bag. Sure I’ve stared lovingly at it countless times, but I haven’t actually put things in and taken it out of the house.

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