The Shopping Diaries: EXPRESS, 2020AVE, Ross

Hey all! I wanted to upload a more happier haul than the previous. An update to the Sheinside purchase, they responded to my email three days later and instead of giving me the return address immediately, they wanted to know which product and why it didn't work out. Yeah I know it's kind of like protocol when you return something, but I was already irked and anxious to return it anyway. So I told them my reasonings and now I'm waiting for them to respond again -_-.

On a brighter note, I made some purchases here and there and I'm really excited about the items that I got from Ross. Ross is usually 80% miss, 20% hit when it comes to finding stuff that I like. I just happened to be in Hawaii Kai for a Costco run and I decided to check it out since I hadn't been to that location before. I thought they had a great selection and an abundance of different styles! I don't know if I just happened to catch them on a good day or what, but I'll definitely visit them more when I have the chance! Before I get into the Ross haul, let me show you my items from Express and 2020AVE:

Wild Horses Tee: I check into Express every now and then. I really wish I could wear more of their stuff but sizing is a major issue unfortunately. I saw this horse tee on a mannequin in their denim section and automatically I knew I had to have it. I've been an avid horse lover for almost all of my life and it's quite interesting to see that horse/unicorn motifs are starting to become more popular for the Fall season!

Night Crawlers: I'm super excited about this online store based in L.A called 2020AVE! I really like their chic street-style and free shipping for purchases of $50+, which also includes Hawaii, is a freaking major plus! These were $37, but they had a code for free shipping on any amount on Friday the 13th. I wanted to take advantage and started perusing. I came across these great gold double strap buckles that have side cutouts to expose the ankle. The style is definitely inspired by Jeffrey Campbell Roscoes but I like this better. It is incredibly comfy since the heel isn't too high. I'm usually a size 6, but they only had a 5.5 and other large sizes, so I really chanced it with this. I'm not that gutsy when it comes to buying shoes without trying them on, but I thought that due to the style of the boot, a 5.5 would probably still work. Luckily, it did and I'm so glad I took a chance! I'm looking forward to many new purchases with 2020AVE!

We Are Dreamers: I immediately thought of Brandy Melville when I saw this top. What draws me into the design is the vintagey American heart. I like that the colors are subdued. Also, I like that the motto is "Young & Free: We Are Dreamers" instead of those "Young, Wild, and Free" ones. I think this one suits me more, especially since I'm not a wild child lol. The length is long enough to cover my bum so that I can just wear black leggings underneath when I don't want to wear denim.

Vintage Cameras: This top screamed Brandy Melville as well. I had been eyeing the vintage camera motif tops that they had at Brandy, but I never was willing to buy it for some reason. I think it was because it came in only a tank or muscle crop version. I wanted more of a t-shirt version and I found it at Ross! There are also some cute sayings in some of the boxes. It has a hi-lo hem, but not long enough to wear with leggings, but that's all right because the material of this shirt (and the previous one too) is super thin and soft that wearing denim is no problemo!

Floral, Lace, n' Ruffles: This top definitely had a Free People feel. I was seriously getting all these feels of higher end brands when I was picking out my piece lol. I love the bohemian vibe of Free People, but it is quite pricey. So when I saw this, I thought it was reminiscent of the brand. I absolutely love the see-through lace detail and the floral/viney stitching down the chest. This was my most expensive piece at $13.99!

Ruffle Short Sleeve Blouse: I got a bit of a feeling of Liz Lisa from this top. I've been slowly shying away from sweet/lolita-esque items since I'm not really into it at the moment, but this top, despite having that sort of image, was a bit more demure and subtle compared to true lolita fashion. I love this minimalistic bib design on the front, which was one of the selling points for me. I'm a denim girl at heart so a pair of black trousers and Night Crawlers will give it that cool juxtaposition of sweet v.s cool.

Burnout Striped Cardigan: The subtle design of the burnout stripes was the selling point for this item. This fabric makes it lightweight and perfect for cool Hawaii nights. Plus, it's a great cover up for any of my tanks or muscles tees, i.e Young & Free. I'm always gravitating toward white, as you can see from my purchases at Ross, but it's such a versatile shade (as is black) that it's hard to put it back on the rack AND it's at a great price ($7.99).

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I felt pretty proud of myself for this round of purchases because of the great deals that I snagged. I still ended up doing a lot of shopping, but on the bright side, I've been scaling back on food bills when I go out to eat! I think I've been doing a great job at that and I'll continue to try to be more conscious about my shopping habits ><.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

TSD June 2013: Forever 21, Free People, Nordstrom, Charlotte Russe

Man I'm on a roll tonight! I just posted my Monthly Gram for June and I've decided to get this post up as well. It's probably from all the tea I drank this evening, so I'm hyped on caffeine hehe. Because I ended up getting fashion pieces here and there, I decided to make this TSD post a monthly roundup rather than separate posts for each brand. Here are my finds for June:

Round Framed Glasses: I've been on the lookout for a pair of sunglasses like this. I was inspired by Youtuber clothesencounters and I thought it looked super cute on her. So, of course, I wanted to try it out. I'm open to trying any trend and I'll go with it as long as I feel comfortable. I ended up finding my pair at Forever 21 for only $5-6! Jason isn't really a fan of these glasses but I'm over the moon about them. I feel so Lady Gaga-esque/retro in them!

White Lace Flowy Top: Jason and I were killing some time at Nordstrom Rack before seeing a movie. They had in some cute pieces from Free People, a brand in which I love their bohemian style. We don't have an actual Free People store in Hawaii, but they do have a great selection at Macy's. The pieces are quite pricey, but when it's at the Rack or TJ Maxx, the price is doable. I got this for $34 and the original price was $88 I think. I love to pair this with my neutral polka dot paggings (a pic will be uploaded in next month's OOTM post).

American Flag Sunnies: Before I found my round sunnies at Forever 21, I was hoping to find a pair at Nordstrom's. While there were a few that I could've worked with, it wasn't the exact pair I was looking for. I tried these on for fun without the intention of getting them, but I ended up liking it a lot. It was super cute on and I thought it would be great for the upcoming 4th of July weekend. There were only two left, so Jason bought the other pair for himself to match!

Sand Colored Sun Hat: Once again, I was inspired by Youtuber clothesencounters to get a sun hat of sorts. I've said it to myself over the years, actually my entire life, that my head isn't suited for a hat. It's probably due to my poofy hair, but I just never really matched in a hat. As I was perusing through my local Charlotte Russe, my eye kept going to this hat. I bought it thinking that I could actually work with this. It's not tight looking, so I think it'll go well with some of my looks.

Semi-Sheer Striped Maxi Skirt: I'm absolutely loving this particular style of maxi skirt. I love the bit of sheer fabric that exposes your leg from the mid-thigh down. I'm more of a monochromatic girl, so pairing this with a white crop top or any type of white top will bring this look together to my liking. It's easy sophistication!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

TSD Vegas Edition: H&M Part 1

Hey lovelies! Sorry for the delay in posts. I just got the Galaxy S4 and I've just been tinkering with it the entire time. It's a really awesome phone and I'm really glad that I got it. But now it's time to get down to business and share my H&M haul! Did you know that we're FINALLY getting an H&M in Hawaii?! It's due to open sometime in 2014. Such a long wait for me though hehe! I visited all three H&Ms in Vegas and got so much stuff that I had to break it down into two separate posts, so here we go!

White Lace Skull Tee: I feel like every time I visit H&M, I come out with at least one skull item. This top was just too cute to pass up! I wanted to go for a sweeter looking skull top instead of the usual hard looking ones. The lace and the heart chakra makes the skull not look intimidating and rather cute!

Light Blue Acid Wash Pants: I really really really love H&M pants because they fit really well and the length is workable for my petite height. I was lacking acid wash pants (I think :P) so I was actively looking for them. The material is also stretchy and on the thinner side, which makes it really comfortable to wear. It's a denim that can be basically matched with anything.

Black Blazer: I wish I found more casual blazer jackets for everyday wear, but I thought I should get some formal ones if I ever need them. These were really cheap at $24.95. You can't go wrong for a piece like this. It doesn't swallow me up like a lot of other jackets and you just don't get a good fitting jacket for the price.

Cream Blazer: Keeping this description short...I also got it in cream :P

Monochrome Symmetry: When I first saw these, it reminded me of the geometrical pattern pants that I got last year at H&M. I found myself liking this one better than the one that I got last year, but I still like both :). I probably like this better just because the pattern is quite interesting. There aren't really any definite shapes but I noticed that they are symmetrical to each other, which I think is cool.

Black Leggings: BEST. BLACK. LEGGINGS. EVARRRRR!!!! Seriously, I don't know why I only bought one pair. Hopefully an H&M is close by in San Fran since I'm going there this Wednesday. But yes, for $9.95, I love the quality of the material. 

White Lace Shorts: Last item for now. I was really happy to have found a pair of white lace shorts that wasn't too revealing sheerness-wise and "cheek"-wise lol. It's high-waisted and I should find some cute crop tops to go with this. I wore this last week Wednesday with my skull top to match the lace patterns ^-^

That's it for now! I'll post Part 2 tomorrow since I won't be bringing my laptop with me to SF. I'll be posting pics on IG and I was looking forward to posting clips on Keek but for some reason, and I'm not the only one, Keek isn't compatible with S4s. It records video and sound with the sound coming out nicely, but the image is streaked with purple and green, so unless Keek updates for my phone, no video footage :(

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN