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 >.<

The Row Sofia 8.75 Crossbody Bag Review

Of the three kinds of bags from The Row that I’ve owned thus far (the Margaux, the Park tote, and this Sofia crossbody), the Sofia seems to be the least popular. And I can kind of see why. It’s the smallest of the bags but just as pricey as the Margaux 10 (current retail for the Sofia is $3990!). Luckily I got mine secondhand (from Brandear) and paid about a third of that price. So do I think it’s worth it?

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Hermes Picotin 22 Review

As I mentioned in one of my monthly recap posts, I got this bag from the Hermes boutique in Waikiki during one of my visits home. I found a really nice SA there who offered me this after the purchase of the Roulis wallet. Even though Picotins are pretty common on the resale market, they’re also commonly faked so I decided to play it safe and get it straight from the store (even though it’s about $1-$2k more than resale prices). So how do I like it?

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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.

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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:

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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Unsponsored Andie Swim Review: The Malibu One Piece Swimsuit For Long Torsos

 

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.

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