TSD August 2013: Nordstrom Rack, PacSun, Charlotte Russe, Aeropostale

Hey all! I can't believe I almost forgot about this post ><. I usually draft out posts during the month and for some reason I just kind of forgot about this one until I was editing my Monthly Gram that I had one more post to upload for August. Anyways, onto the things that I got at random stores <3.

Yellow "SWEET" Bracelet: I've always wanted a few of these BCBG bracelets because they're good for stacking and are basically statement pieces. What attracted me to this particular one was the soft yellow color. I love this shade of yellow and I thought it was sweet...hahaha...yeah, anyways -_-; I got this at Nordstrom Rack and I only paid $9? They're usually $18, so I got a great deal!

Simple Black Sheer Caged Top: I love caged details on tops, especially ones that go down the spine. That's my favorite usage for the detail and I found this nice one at Nordstrom Rack. I like just simple tops like this because it gives you a blank canvas to go creative with accessories. Plus, it's really chic without trying too hard. The brand is LUSH.

Asymmetrical Floral Sleeveless: My dad took me for a bit of shopping at Windward Mall. I decided to check out Pacsun since they always have stuff on sale. The sales promotion was buy 1 from the sale rack, and get the second piece for free! I was attracted to this because of the light florals and that it was only on one side of the top and on the pocket. The little tie at the bottom makes for an even cuter top and it screams Spring or Summer, which is no problem over here since the seasons never seem to change :D. I got this for less than $20.

Pugwich Tee: This was the top that I got for free and I love it! I think the print is absolutely adorable. I kind of have a soft spot for pugs, so I couldn't help but get this. A simple chain necklace and a pair of black jeans and you're good to go with this look!

I <3 America Black Tank: Before going to Pacsun, I made a stop at Charlotte Russe. I saw this tank and I was immediately reminded of something similar at Brandy Melville. The fabric is really soft and I like the vintagey look of the American flag. Plus, this was on sale for $10.

Geometrical Striped Inset: The thing that caught my eye was the sheer black inset. Lately, I've been really into tops that mix different prints or fabrics. I think the sheer fabric adds a bit of sexiness without being too over the top to what would be just a simple shirt. This was only $12.99.

White Knit Cardigan: Lastly, I went to Aeropostale and I was immediately drawn to this white cardigan. Everything about the shape and the knit reminded me of the open cardigans that they sell at Brandy Melville for $52. This was originally $36, but I got it for $18. This was the last one left and it was a large, but luckily that just meant the length was a bit longer, just like the Brandy Melville ones. It still fits nicely on the shoulders and the sleeves aren't long. I felt like I just got a really good deal!

And that's the end of August's haul. Be on the lookout for this past weekend's shopping haul. Literally, I just wanted to go to Forever 21 for this one tank and I ended up getting that and more -_-. Seriously trying to rein it in though hehe.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

The Shopping Diaries: sheinside.com + Review

Hello lovelies! I'm really excited to finally upload a post about my first purchases from an online clothing shop called sheinside.com and my experience of shopping with them. But first, here's a little background on SheInside. SheInside was first started in 2008 and is based in China. Their clothes reflect the popular trends seen in highstreet stores. They guarantee good quality and great value for the money you spend. Here is a screenshot of their homepage:

As you can see, when you sign up with SheInside for the first time, you automatically get a 15% off coupon, which is what I applied to my purchase total. Also, SheInside has many sale promotions as pictured above. Another great thing too is that standard shipping (5-15 days) is free! As you purchase items, you begin to rack up bonus points through their SheInside Bonus Point Program (SBPP). Besides purchases (in U.S dollars), you can earn points through social media platforms, reviews, and lookbooks. You can use the bonus points at any time for future purchases and get a discount.

Now I will share with you my first purchase! The main reason I wanted to shop on this site was because I was watching Youtuber clothesencounters or Jenn Im and she had the Bart Simpson crop top from SheInside. I didn't immediately gravitate to the top, but it slowly grew on me as I saw many girls hauling not only the crop top, but also other pieces that had the same motif on denim long sleeves and high-waisted shorts. I decided to take the plunge with the discount and free shipping as my incentives. And here it is!

Black Short Sleeve Simpson Print Crop T-Shirt
$20.16
My rating: 10/10

If you're wondering why this print is so popular, let me give you a brief explanation. This was popularized by American designer Jeremy Scott. He is known for using vibrant and kooky prints such as Bart Simpson. You can check out his designs on his website. I believe this is more popular in Asia, but we can see some of the same influences in the West such as the use of comic book motifs. Anyways, back to the review of this top. The fabric is of really good quality. It's not a typical thin shirt type of material but something more substantial. For me, the length of the crop top is on the longer side for my height (I'm 5'2") but that makes this top a bit more versatile when it comes to bottoms. It looks good with high-waisted shorts or regular pants. So overall, I was more than completely satisfied with this purchase.

My second purchase was this long sleeved knit with rose-like floral patterns over white fabric. The overall look is very distressed and vintagey-like. It's obviously supposed to be a duplicate of the Wildfox jumper with the same motif. And, at first, it looks like a great dup:

White Slash Flowers Print Knit Long Sleeve Sweater
$29.00 on sale (reg. $42.88)
My rating: 6.5/10

Perhaps my judgement is a little harsh and I was thinking that it would be a close dup to the original fabrication-wise. One of the major things that I really disliked about the knit was that it had iridescent strands threaded throughout the entire piece. I'm not the biggest fan of that style even though I do have a few pieces that have some sort of sparkly thread intertwined, but I would've preferred to not have it. The fabric, overall, is kind of on the rough side and not soft, but not enough to irritate the skin. Also, the floral print is painted on rather than actual pink and green thread. I would gently hand wash this piece in order to increase the longevity of the print. For the price, I suppose it's still not that bad of a buy. I'm pretty sure I can incorporate it well with other pieces and hopefully make it look better than I think it is. Sorry about the harsh review!

Now onto the shipping and processing part. I placed my order on 07/20 Hawaii time and it left Nanjing on 07/26 to another part of China. It reached San Francisco on 07/31 and after more processing and sorting, it reached Honolulu on 08/03 and I received it the same day. I've always disliked how items shipped from Asia have to fly over to SF first and then to Hawaii. My friend told me it's because of some sort of shipping agreement from a long time ago that it has to be in that order. In all, it took 14 days to reach my house, which isn't bad! Yes, the anticipation kind of killed me, but everything came in tip-top shape. Before starting this post, I actually put in another order for a knit since they are having a 20% off promo for knits (ends on 08/13) so I'll be sure to post about that as well.

I hope you all weren't too bored with my purchases and review! I think this is a great site for trendy clothes and even other clothes for a great price. Also, with the many sale promotions that they have, it's hard to pass up on these great items. So please check out www.sheinside.com. It's a very safe site and they guarantee great customer value and service.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

TSD San Francisco Edition: UNIQLO, H&M, Snidel, GUESS, Forever XXI

Finally another shopping haul and this one comes especially from San Francisco! Now, I usually go crazy when I go shopping but because I was with my mom, I had to exercise great restraint as she does frown upon crazy shopping habits like the ones that I possess lol. But despite that, I was able to get away with some great finds!

Basic Tanks and Seamless Underwear: This first batch was from UNIQLO, a Japanese brand which I liken to the Gap here in the U.S. I really like this brand for their basics, especially their seamless underwear, which are TRULY seamless and goes great with leggings. Of course, I had to snatch up two pairs of seamless undies ($7.95 each I think) and I decided to go for some basic tanks that were $9.95 each. I didn't get a chance to try on the tanks since there was a special event going on that was going to close the store super early. The white and black tank fits really nicely and the fabric is great. The more beigey-tone one on the far right is a little more loose fitted but still a great layering piece.

Black Leggings: I was super tempted to buy a whole bunch of things from H&M since it is such a great store, but once again, I was with my mom and had to exercise severe restraint. Instead I picked up two pairs of their black leggings since I fell in love with them when I got pair in Vegas a month before. They're only $9.95 and I think that's great for the quality of the fabirc.

Logo Print Tank: I actually got this as a furoku (付録) from the most recent issue of ViVi magazine from Kinokuniya in Japantown. It was ViVi's 30th anniversary and so they teamed up with Snidel to create this collab item! I've been a fan of Snidel, but never got anything because it was quite expensive. I was surprised at the good quality of the fabric for being a furoku. This tank encompasses one of the trends happening in Japan, which is block print logos with random English words.

White Fringe Sleeveless: Before leaving for SF, Guess had notified me by email saying that they were going to have an extra 50% off of their reduced prices for the Memorial Day weekend. I was worried I wouldn't find a nearby Guess but there was one conveniently at the Westfield Mall down the street. Everything I picked out was on extra 50% off, so I got a great deal. Also, I applied my $15 credit for being a Guess List member to my purchases! This first piece was from their music festival collection. I got it because I love the fringe detail cascading down the chest into a V-shape. Not too crazy about the actual material, but I figured it's a great piece for the the price.

Sheer Black Shirt w/ Royal Blue Trim: I absolutely love this because of how sheer the fabric is. I do have a lot of sheer black shirts, but this is even more sheer and I think you can tell by the picture. What sealed the deal was the royal blue trim on the collar and inside the sleeve cuffs. Yeah you cannot really see it when I'm wearing it, but I may roll up the sleeve cuff to show the underside. Also, the triangular studs for buttons is a cute edgy detail.

Blue Plaid w/ Studs: Except for one plaid shirt that doesn't really fit me well, I didn't have anything like this in my closet. To be honest, when I tried it on, I was on the fence with this, but decided to buy it because it was in my size and it was on extra sale. Plus, if I truly wanted to return it, I could do so at my local store. I think this ended up being one of my favorite pieces from this trip because it did fit pretty well for a plaid flannel shirt. They usually don't look right on me because of the fit, but this was about 90% perfect. Also, I love using this as an accessory piece by tying it around my waist! Then when it gets a little cool during the evenings, I can easily slip this on.

Star Patterned Knit: Now this was in the Forever 21 store; it was in the Forever XXI store. Now for someone like me, I would be like what is the difference? It's the same name but one is in roman numerals. According to my cousin who goes to USF over there, XXI is supposed to be better quality and more classier. I definitely got the better quality part. I saw this knit and knew I had to have it. While I'm not a big fan of star-patterned prints as I believe they look kind of juvenile on me, which is ironic as I got all star-patterned print items for XXI, this seemed to suit me well. I think that F21 knits are, for the most part, good quality and this did not disappoint.

High-Waisted Star Patterned Denim Shorts: This is my other favorite purchase of the entire trip. This is what got me into the store. Actually, the mannequin was wearing a slightly different star-patterned denim short than this one, but I ended up liking this one much better when I found it. I think the trend of high-waisted shorts and pants is super cool and chic, but when it comes to shorts, all the ones that I've tried had been too cheeky for my taste. When I tried this pair on, it was on the verge of being too cheeky, but I found it to be acceptable enough. The fit and quality is superb and I plan on wearing this for 4th of July!

Thanks for sticking around for this ep of the Shopping Diaries. I have a few more to post, so look forward to that!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

TSD Vegas Edition: ZARA

Hello lovelies! Welcome back to the second Vegas edition of TSD and this time I'll be featuring my Zara purchases. This was the second store that I went to at the Fashion Show Mall. The first time I ever visited a Zara was when I was in Fukuoka, Japan, but since I was with friends I didn't really have a chance to thoroughly browse as I do take a long time perusing through the racks hehe. 

Most of you probably know this but Zara is a Spanish based retailer. What I think that's so cool about Zara are their marketing strategies. As a marketing major, I find it so interesting that Zara is able to develop and put out into stores a new product in just two weeks compared to the six month industry average. Also, Zara doesn't advertise. Instead of putting money into advertisement, they create more stores, which amazingly has been profitable in their favor. This is another store that I think would do well in Hawaii. It would be amazing if they would open a location at either Ala Moana or Waikiki. There might be hope since Sears, one of the retail anchors at Ala Moana, is closing and they're going to develop that section into more potential retail space. Gosh! I need to stop rambling and get to the good stuff! Here we go: 

Gray Sweater with Brown Elbow Pads: This is the first thing that I picked up when I entered the store. The style reminded me of the Brandy Melville sweater that I wanted, but it was $56 and I wasn't sure if I was ready to pay that price. This happened to be only $25.90! They only had a size M, which made me worry since I wasn't sure if it was going to fit properly. Luckily, it fit nicely! The fabric is very thing so it has a nice flow in the fabric since it's the slightest bit baggy. Also, it covers my bum, which means I can get away with wearing leggings. My favorite detail, of course, are the brown elbow pads. There's something sophisticated about elbow pads. It reminds me of equestrian wear :)

Fashion Sketch T-Shirt: The print is what caught my eye at first. I love interesting prints like this. The shape of tee is quite boxy, but still flattering to my figure. Also, the sleeves are permanently cuffed, which I like. This top is quite chic for being just a t-shirt. I wore this on Cinco de Mayo with a pair of faux leather leggings from Cotton-On.

Gray Acid Wash Jeggings: I'm so glad that these fit me because during my last trip to Zara, I didn't find any pants that fit me. Because this is a jegging and the material is stretchy, it tends to be more fitted than the normal jean. Their smallest size for most pants is size US 2. Normally the waist would be too big, but this was a much better fit. There was still slight room in the waist, but not where it was obviously too big. Also, at a great price of $25.90, I couldn't pass it up!

Rose (left) and Black Peony (right) Fragrance: When I went up to the register, I saw that they had these two perfumes. I'm not a fan of in-store brand perfumes just because they tend to be too powerful or just generic smelling (no offence!). I'm always curious so when I smelled both of these,  I was really surprised! Rose has a musky scent to it that I would find in high quality perfumes at Neiman Marcus and Black Peony has this wonderful classy floral scent that I wouldn't find for $14.90. Because of the price, I bought both. The only junk thing about these scents is that they don't last for long. They are both Eau de Toilette, which means it doesn't have a lot of alcohol in it. But seriously, for $14.90 I think we can overlook that ;)

And that's the end of my Zara haul! I hope you enjoyed reading and stay tune for the next post ^-^
-LAUREN

TSD Vegas Edition: TOPSHOP

All right lovelies! Get ready for my first clothing haul from my Vegas trip! The first place that I went to was, of course, Topshop at the Fashion Show Mall. It is basically the Motherland for me when it comes to fashion. I love the how British fashion is so quirky and funky and I feel like I don't see that a lot in American fashion. Topshop was having another major sale like last year when I first visited them. Amazingly, except for one item, I got everything on sale! I felt so proud of myself because last year, I think I only got one thing on sale and everything else was regular price yikes! I think my total spent at Topshop was under $200 so I give myself a pat on the back :P. Anyways, to the fashion!

LOVE Monogram Gray Jumper: This was the first thing that I picked up when I entered the store. I suppose a lot of their "winter" stuff was on sale and this jumper caught my eye. It's simple yet funky, giving me a 90's feel. Even though I live in Hawaii, this will come in handy for those cool nights. Also, I'm jetting off to San Fran at the end of this month, so I'll bring this along!

Sheer Floral Lace Crop Top: I love that Topshop has petite sizes since I'm only 5' 1" and that their smallest size starts at US 0 (regular sizing starts at US 2, which is fine in most cases). The size 0 was a great fit, but I wanted a little more length and size 2 did the trick! I need to find a black faux leather high-waist skater skirt with this to complete the look hehe.

Monochromatic Checkered Shirt: This was one of the tops that I picked off the rack and thought that it may or may not look good. My opinion totally changed when I tried it on. I thought it was super chic and cool. It's sheer so you need a black bralette. Another thing that I love about the print are the vines weaving along the front buttons and the sleeves. It's subtle and slightly camouflaged, which I really like. I wore this out this past Saturday with a pair of black leggings from H&M.

Checkered Floral Singlet: Here is another top that I wasn't sure how it would look on me, but once again, when I tried it on, I thought it looked adorable. Plus it helped that I was wearing a black bralette, which completed the look. I love the mix of geometrics and floral. Also, this will be fantastic for those muggy days when you still want to look cute without too much effort ;)

Striped Polka Dot Floral Shirt: That was a mouthful wasn't it! I was a bit apprehensive just because it seemed so busy, but I knew that it would look totally awesome because the mix of prints was just too cool and they really gel together. This was another petite top and this time I got it in a size 0. I've never had a long sleeve top where the length of the sleeve was perfect. I plan on wearing it this weekend! Also, I'll be starting OOTW posts soon so you all will be able to see it on a human form lol.

Blue & Red Mini Check: I had tried this on during my first visit to Topshop, but I returned the next day and decided to try it on again with the intention of getting it this time. It's a long sweater, which covers your bum, so it would look cute with a pair of tights. I think I was a bit intimidated by the print, which is why I didn't get it at first, but when I tried it on again, I thought it would make for a cute geek chic outfit. Also, it was $12 on sale (regular $56) so I just had to get it, even if I really wasn't into it!

White Floral Lace Bralette: This was the only thing that I didn't get on sale, but it was $24 so it wasn't too bad. All my bralettes were black, so I was searching for a white one. Luckily I came across this. I was also happy that I could fit a bra underneath comfortably since it didn't have any shape or support. I'm not busty by any means, but it's good to have shape hehe.

I hope you enjoyed my first post-Vegas haul! Next up will be from Zara!

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