The Shopping Diaries: Fighting Eel

Hi all! I suppose this is more of a collective haul from one of my favorite boutiques here on the Islands. I've mentioned them in a few of my previous hauls, but this is, of course, Fighting Eel. I really like the easy, breezy, beachy resort-like design that is very versatile for both day and night. I think many of their pieces would fit nicely into any girl's closet, regardless of their personal style. The quality of the clothes are always on point, and as long as you follow washing instructions, these pieces will continue to look great! And, they are a local boutique too, which makes me happy to be supporting local designers in Hawaii :)

The pieces that I'm showing you today have been from recent purchases. I try to wait for some sort of sale before purchasing hehe, but it's all worth it!

Slate Grey Tie-Dye Cold Shoulder Top (Ava Sky): I got this top at their Downtown location. I think this is my favorite tie-dye color out of all the others that they made with this collection. This top has long billowy sleeves, kind of dolman-like, that has a cut-out which exposes the shoulders. I don't exactly remember what sale I got this from, but I think it was about 25-30% off. I was deciding between this top and another top in the same pattern, but the sleeves had this nice caged detail along the length. I found this top to be more flattering on me, which was my decision for choosing this! How I style this piece is really simple: I just pair it with my light-blue wash Leigh denim from Topshop and my faded black Lita boots from Jeffrey Campbell. Perhaps I should make a lookbook as well with these pieces?

Dark Smoke Tie-Dye Pant Porto (Ava Sky): I remembered exactly what these pants were called because the first time I saw them on IG, I was determined to get them someday! I also got this at the Downtown location at the same sale as the top above. I've been dying to get into the laid-back pant trend because while I think denim is really comfortable, sometimes you just want to wear pants that makes you feel more at ease. I would describe these pants as easy-lux because you feel luxurious without trying too hard. These pants are really versatile when creating an ensemble. My go-to look with this is my white crop tank from Topshop, a thin black cardigan from H&M, and my cut-out buckle boots from 2020 ave.

Purple Stalactite Pendant Necklace (Katrina Cordova): I love Fighting Eel's taste in jewelry. I think they pick out really nice pieces from different local vendors. My boyfriend was asking me what I wanted for Christmas, and nothing came immediately to mind, but I did remember seeing on IG that that day was the last day for 25% off of all jewelry. I decided I wanted to check it out because I had been admiring many of the pieces from this designer. I immediately took to this one because of the pretty purple color. I was debating between this one and another one on a much longer chain because the other had a larger piece of the stalactite and the purple was more dominant. In the end, I chose to go with the more delicate version because I thought it would be more versatile to wear, especially with a shorter chain.

Half Sleeve White Top (Allison Izu): My boyfriend also gifted me this top as well! After picking out the necklace, I browsed around the store to see what was new and I saw this top. Anything white always catches my eye. From the nice drape at the ends to the mesh strip down the middle on both the front and back, this is a great example of easy-lux. The designer is also a local designer who specializes in petite women like me hehe. The smallest size at the Waikiki location available was a Small. The fit was really good, but I wondered whether an XS would fit even better. I was able to try on an XS at the Kailua location a few weeks later, but I ended up keeping the Small because I thought it looked better even though the XS was technically a better fit. I wore this on Sunday with my Dark Smoke Tie-Dye pants, a long gold chain necklace with a triangular pendant from PacSun, and my 2020 ave boots.

Sky Blue Tie-Dye Kimono (Ava Sky): The great thing about signing up with FE's email list is that you receive many great one-day deals. This was one of them! First, they had 30% off the entire store on Dec. 22nd, then 40% off the entire store on Dec. 23rd, then 50% off of Ava Sky items. I missed the first two days (shucks!), but I took advantage of the last sale because that was freaking good! I had one of those credit card gift cards for Christmas (to my defense, I didn't know it was an Xmas gift until I opened it >_>) and I thought this'd be a great opportunity to get the most out of it. After realizing I already had two versions of this dye print, I chose this sky blue one in kimono form. The material is fantastic as always (it's made out of 100% Tencel) and the sleeves and length don't completely drown me. I plan to wear this with the next top listed with some faded high-waisted skinnies from H&M ^^b. Oh yeah, this was already on sale for $64 and with the 50% off discount, it came out to $32 and my gift card was for $30 so I only paid $2 :P.

White Tank w/ Mesh Side-Panels (Allison Izu): To kill some time before my grandpa's funeral, my mom and I had lunch at Mei Sum in Downtown Honolulu and we ended up walking around. Not many shops were open on Sunday, but I knew FE was open hehe. They were having an extra 30% off of reduced prices. Of course, I checked out their sale items and I found the tank version of the top I got for Christmas. This is an XS and despite how the XS fitted for the half-sleeve top, this one had a much more looser fit. I was surprised that my mom offered to buy this for me lol but I wasn't about to turn her down :P. This was originally $60, the sale price was $50, and with the extra 30% off, it came out to $30 :). I would simply style this with a pair of white jeans since I'm a sucker for an all-white ensemble and for a pop of color, I'd use the kimono from above and maybe my nude wedge sandals from ALDO.

I hope you all enjoyed my selections from Fighting Eel. If you live in Hawaii, please support our local designers and if you don't live on the Islands, they do have shipping options! Also, you may find some of their pieces at other boutiques on the Mainland. Here is a list of their sites:

Fighting Eel: http://www.fightingeel.com/
Ava Sky: http://www.avaskyhawaii.com/
Katrina Cordova: http://katrinacordovadesigns.com/site/Main.html

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and see you next time!

- Lauren

Nature in Bloom: Ohai Ali'i

Phew! It's been a while since I did a Nature in Bloom post. I'm still in the process of getting my lavender to grow but unfortunately, they seem to be taking the long route towards blossoming lol. I have a couple shoots but it's been that way for a long time. I suppose I just have to be patient and keep at it!

My mom had an Ohai Ali'i tree that she wanted to transplant into the ground. It was literally a little shoot or sprig, but once we put it into the ground, it really took off! It could have also been due to the fact that my Uncle brought over pigeon droppings and placed it around the plant hehe.

I took it upon myself to dig a hole that was originally supposed to be for the Ohia Lehua, but because it was kind of deeply rooted into the ground on the side of the house and that it was way bigger than the hole that I dug, I suggested to plant the Ohai Ali'i instead. As you can see, the Ohai Ali'i is a fern tree that puts out these pretty little red-orange blossoms. These trees are only found on the islands of Hawaii and Tahiti. Also, the flowers carry no fragrance, but they can be made into beautiful leis. I'm not sure if they bloom all year around, but they really started blooming since last month or June.

Here is a picture of the Ohai Ali'i. Please excuse the weeds and long grass growing around it!

A close-up on the flowers. They're really pretty and quite cute!

Here is a picture of a lei using the blossoms. Photo credit goes to the Hawaiian Lei Company.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

The Monthly Gram: June 2013

Hello all! I know I said that I was going to try to get up monthly favorites, but I realized that nothing really changes in my makeup or beauty routine. My fashion crushes do change somewhat frequently, so I'd probably mention it on a haul. Anyways, I have just decided to do a recap of Instagram pics of each month, which seems a bit more doable for me and is kind of like a monthly favorites ;). I love the convenience of posting pictures on IG rather than on Facebook. So here are a few pics that were taken in the month of June:

It was super hot that day, so after my first purchase at Lush, Jason and  I stopped by our favorite tea stand at Ala Moana called the Tea Place, which is across from Neiman Marcus. I've been going to this place for years after classes at UH. Recently, I've been constantly ordering their Hawaiian Pineapple Ceylon Tea Float with pineapple gelato (right). Their gelato is all homemade and it's delicious. Jason's usual is the Dragon Phoenix Jasmine Tea Float with jasmine sorbet (left).

This was taken on Ward Ave. Hawaii always has beautiful sunsets, but this one in particular seemed  picture worthy! 

This is just a simple strawberry parfait from a gas station, but the reason why it was extra special was because Jason got it for me after dropping me off at home. It was a tiring day for him that day and I just happened to mention that I was craving a piece of cake. I was surprised that he returned with this! It made my heart flutter a bit (o^-^o)

I think Rilakkuma has got to be one of the cutest characters ever. I don't know why I never bought a plushie in Japan (actually I was too busy buying clothes >->). This was the window display of Hakubundo, a Japanese bookstore at Ward Warehouse. I always slow down to admire the cuteness, but then Jason starts pushing me away in the other direction >:(

(top) Mini Mochiko Chicken plate (one of my favorite eats from Zippy's)
(bottom) Tonkatsu Teishoku from Kimukatsu at Shirokiya. I have been wanting to try the famous Kimukatsu  tonkatsu. Honestly, it isn't as good as Ringer Hut in Waikiki, so I'm glad I never paid the expensive price at their Waikiki location.

(left) $3.90 Kirin at Yakiniku Glad. They have three different sizes of beer and they're all $3.90, so you might as well get the large!
(right) Loving the Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher for summer, although my drink of choice nowadays is the Cotton Candy Frappe :9

(left) Fringe Top: GUESS, Pants: Pacsun, Necklace: Brandy Melville, Ring: H&M
(top) Vest and Mr. Bunny Tee: GUESS, Camo Pants: Brandy Melville
(bottom) Sheer Shirt, Pants, Booties: GUESS, Necklace: Brandy Melville
I'm thinking of doing a separate OOTM post for July instead of mashing it all up in one post. 

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

TSD The Weekend After SF Edition: Forever 21, GUESS, Brandy Melville

Hello all!

I'm pretty proud of myself for popping out these posts pretty quickly hehe! So this post will be about my little shopping extravaganza the weekend after coming back from San Fran. I don't know if it was because I restrained myself in SF or what, but I ended up getting more things when I came back. I think my purchases were somewhat warranted since I was on the lookout for more crop tops...yeah lol. Anyways, let's get on with the haul!

BOSS Logo Crop Top: I was immediately drawn to this because of the logo print. Who doesn't want a top that says you're the boss! I do dig the block logo print and I think cuffed sleeves on t-shirts are super chic at the moment. This was $12.80.

Metallic Claw Necklace: I wanted to pick out a cool accessory that wasn't so boho-like since I tend to gravitate towards that. I thought the claw-like pendant was really funky and chic. I like the two-tone metal and this goes great with a lot of monochromatic coordinates, as seen above!

Military Studded Vest: I had actually tried this same vest in San Fran and for some reason I wasn't really feeling it, but I ended up trying it again since my GUESS had it in my size and the extra 50% off was still going on. When I tried it on this time, I still wasn't absolutely blown away, but I figured that I should just get it anyway for the great price and design.

Mr. Bunny Tee: I follow GUESS on Facebook, so the moment I saw a post about their animal print sleeveless tees, I knew I absolutely had to have this. Luckily, I saw the post the day I was going out to Ala Moana and I got it immediately. I love bunnies so anything bunny-print or bunny-themed it makes my heart go a-flutter! Also, I'm digging his little faux collar :D

Blue and White Crop Top: While I admire American Apparel's crop tops, they are $28+ depending on the style and such, so I wanted to see if I could find a cheaper option. I know that Topshop crop tops are quite reasonable and almost half the price of American Apparel's at $16. But my best deal was at Brandy Melville and their's were $15! They fit really nicely and the length is great for a crop top on my torso size. 

Triangular Necklace: When I go to Brandy Melville, I always look at their accessories section because I think they have great stuff for really cheap! It's slightly painful at times because they have such cute rings and with my skinny fingers, I can't fit them :(. But, they also have cute necklaces and I found this cool 3 in 1 triangle necklace. I literally wear this necklace at least 4 times a week because it makes every outfit look so much more boho-chic!

Next post, hopefully up by tomorrow, will be my first ever purchase of LUSH and some reviews about the products!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

The Shopping Diaries: Pineapple County Waikiki

Hey lovelies!

I went into Waikiki during Easter weekend for a quick Nature Republic run (I will definitely make a post about my skincare routine from them!) and to check out the new spring colors from nails inc. at Sephora. After doing so, Jason still had time left on our parking meter. Not wanting to waste it, I decided I wanted to go check out Brandy Melville since they moved from their Ala Moana location (I wish they hadn't done so :( ) but they were closed that day for Easter. So we walked back towards the direction of our car and Jason said I should browse Pineapple County since it had been a while.

Seriously, I don't think I've gone into Pineapple County since my bestie left for Japan a year ago, but I was surprised that they had rearranged the store to not make it look as cluttered and they had renovated the second floor, which I think looks really nice. I noticed that a lot of their stuff was now more on the expensive side, but they still had a selection of reasonable items. So here is my PC haul!

BRAND: Bear Dance

The first thing that I picked up was this basic black bralette. With the surge of muscle tees and sheer tops, bralettes are becoming something of a necessity. What I really like about this bralette is that it is already padded like a regular bra, which is great for someone like me who is quite small chested lol. The straps are not adjustable but it turned out to be a perfect fit for me! 

BRAND: Cecico

The next thing that caught my eye was this vibrant blue ombre knit. It looked like to me something what a guy would wear, but feminine enough for me to wear. I got this kind of cool, edgy feeling from this top, especially with the distressed holes on the side which you can faintly see in the picture. The material is very light-weight so it makes it comfortable enough to wear in Hawaii.

BRAND: Rock Rose Classic

I found this in the sale section for only $10! When I first saw this, it reminded me a lot of Brandy Melville since they do similar knits. Even the design of the name tag was extremely similar to that of Brandy hehe. The silhouette is very much like a loose, boxy dolman shape. I would definitely pair this with the Bear Dance bralette from above!

BRAND: Nissi Jeans

While I was trying on my clothes, Jason suggested that I try this on too. I had seen it as we were coming up from the first floor, but I didn't really bother checking it out. If it caught Jason's eye, then I knew it was actually something really good lol. The cute floral print is perfect for spring/summer and with this sleeveless light-blue top that I got from Spiral Girl, it's a great coordinate! The only downside to this pant is that there are no pockets, which I realized when I tried to put my phone in a pocket haha.

I hope you enjoyed my PC haul! Expect more hauls in the near future as I will be jetting off to Las Vegas in a week and to San Francisco in a month. To check out the Pineapple County website, click here!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

Nature in Bloom: ʻŌhiʻa Lehua

Hello all!

I've decided to try to add some variety to my posts and not make it all about shopping, shopping, shopping lol. So, I've come up with a segment that I think would fit nicely into my blog: Nature in Bloom.

For my first post, I would like to introduce you to the beautiful ʻōhiʻa lehua or also known as Metrosideros polymorpha, which is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. My mom said that it was nothing but a little twig dying at her ex-boyfriend's house and she decided to try to revive it. Fast-forward to present time and this is what's blooming right now! It's absolutely beautiful and the flowers make gorgeous leis. This is growing on the side of our house, but we'll have to move it towards the back since there's more room for it to grow. Unfortunately, it has quite a thick root already buried in the soil and to move it would hurt the tree, but it has to be done.

Many things endemic to Hawaii usually carries a backstory or myth to it. The story about the ʻōhiʻa lehua goes a little something like this: ʻŌhiʻa and Lehua were lovers. The volcano goddess, Pele, was attracted to ʻŌhiʻa but ʻŌhiʻa was in love with Lehua. Jealous, Pele turned ʻŌhiʻa in a tree. Lehua was saddened and the gods took pity on her and turned her into a flower on the tree. Some say that Pele felt bad for Lehua and turned her into the flower herself. But now they are reunited and together forever! They also say that if you pluck the flowers, it will rain to symbolize the separation of the two lovers. I don't want to pluck the flowers just because the flowers match so well with the foliage. Another sign that they were meant to be together :)

I hope you all enjoyed this little post! To learn more about the ʻōhiʻa lehua, click here.

Thank you for reading!

-LAUREN