TSD July 2013: romwe.com, Fighting Eel, ALDO, Nature Republic

Hello all! This is one of my favorite monthly posts that I like to upload basically because it has to do with clothes :P. I've been reeeaaallllly trying to cut back on shopping, but all these cool pieces keep popping up and I just gotta have it >-<. I've been somewhat (?) good this month-ish...I don't know. Even I don't fully believe that statement //_-. Anyways, let's get on with this month's goodies.

Asymmetrical Black Top: I came across this top when I was watching a clothing haul by Youtuber Cutiepiemarzia. She hauled this from romwe.com, a site I'd heard of but never bought anything. I thought it looked really cool and just something that I didn't have in my closet at all. So I signed up with romwe.com and instantly got a 20% off coupon for joining and applied it to this top. Also, free shipping is always a great plus. I thought it looked really edgy on, especially after I piled on some chain necklaces. The only thing that I would warn future wearers of this top is to pre-wash it, especially if you're going to wear white pants with it. The color rubbed onto my pants, but luckily I was able to get it all off ^^b

Black and White Tie-Dye Dolman: I'm a major fan of Fighting Eel, but it is a bit pricey. I understand where the pricing comes from though! Anyways, they had 20% off their entire store during the 4th of July weekend. I checked out their Downtown location and I decided to pick up this piece. I had seen it before at the Waikiki location and was instantly attracted to the print. I love that this isn't the most obvious tie-dye print. The print reminds me of something earthy and natural. Also, I happened to see a much older woman wearing this top and I can say that it wears nicely along all ages! The brand is Ava Sky, which is a subset brand of Fighting Eel.

Navy and White Fishnet Knit: I'm into anything that has a nautical feel to it. Not only did the colors give me that vibe, but also the material. It literally reminded me of a fishing net as funny as that sounds, but a wearable, chic fishing net lol! This brand is called POL. I looked it up and it happens to be a brand out of L.A. The slight hi-lo is a nice touch to the design.

Brown-Nude Strappy Sandals: I've been on the hunt for a nude sandal, especially for summer. I saw these at Aldo; the one downstairs at Ala Moana. I thought they looked great and they seemed comfortable. I like the different textures of the strap and the slight wedge gives me a bit more height. They aren't the most comfortable shoes to wear, but perhaps that's because I need to break them in a bit more. The annoying thing about this transaction was that since they didn't have my shoe size in-store, they said they could ship it, but I had to pay $7 for shipping. The shipping cost annoyed me, but whatever. At least it came super quick through UPS.

Cooling Mist, Truffle Sun Cream, and Snaytox Mask Sheet: A couple weeks ago at the Korean Festival, I decided to trek down to Nature Republic since it was somewhat close (although the hot weather made it feel like miles away). I wanted to get a light-weight feeling sun screen for my face. The truffle sun cream is great because it has SPF 50+ and PA+++. It absorbs nicely into my skin and it doesn't have that icky smell that sun screens usually have. Since I was super hot, I grabbed a cooling mist to add to my purchases. This has a fantastic, fresh smell and I spray it on my face and arms when I need to feel cool. Then as I was checking out, I got a free face mask and this one is my favorite from Nature Republic. I really wish they would sell them individually, but it seems like you can only get it if it's bundled with something? I don't know it's kind of weird.

Thank you for tuning in to my post! Next month is my birthday so I might have some goodies to share. Actually I have already started a b-day haul since I did some early birthday shopping with Jason :3. I'm waiting for this other piece to come in and I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get it.... I need to contact Nordstrom's and see what's up.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

In the Kitchen: Beef Flavor Ramen w/ Fresh Veggies

Hello all! Welcome to another episode of In the Kitchen. Now I know this isn't really cooking but I thought why not do a little show-and-tell about how I like to prepare my ramen. By all means, ramen isn't the most healthy thing for you. It's packed with a lot of sodium but it's such a convenient food to make in minutes. Plus, it's also like comfort food! Now, I usually like to use the Japanese Myoji brand ramen because the quality of the noodles is quite good and the broth tastes like it has more oomph in it compared to your usual Ichiban Ramen brand. Since I'm in a bit of a Korean mood of late, I decided to try this 5 pack of Sam Yang Beef Flavor Ramen from Palama Market as pictured below. The flavor is quite nice and has a bit of spice to it. I can't have anything that's too overly spicy since I have a sensitive stomach, but fortunately this was bearable!

This time around, I used won bok or Chinese cabbage (left) and kai choy (right). I thought I had picked up choi sum, but only realized it was kai choy when I started chopping it up hehe! Actually, I don't think I've really ever eaten kai choy, but I'm glad I got it. To me, it's not as dense as choi sum, although I do love choi sum. Below, I have pictured the amount of veggies I decided to put into my ramen. I like to put an ample amount because the veggies do tend to shrink.

Finally, after waiting 4-5 minutes, it is finished! I like my veggies al dente so I put them in a minute or two after the noodles have been placed in the boiling water. Then afterwards, just pour the contents into a giant bowl, or just eat it out of the pot, and enjoy!

Another tip to making this an even more healthier meal is to not drink all the broth. I usually just eat the noodles and veggies since it has soaked up the flavor. Maybe I might drink a couple spoonfuls but not more than that. 

出来上がる～<3
-LAUREN

Beauty in Review: AQUA Super Aqua Max

Hey all! Today I want to introduce you to this wonderful skincare routine that I purchased from a Korean brand store called Nature Republic. It's kind of new to Hawaii since they first opened in Waikiki in December 2012. This is the second Korean skincare store to enter Hawaii, I think, besides The Face Shop. I love the vibe of this store and the products that they have. 

I've never really had a skincare routine that I really stuck to. Before this, I was just using samples from Ole Henriksen, which is also a pretty good line, especially their truth serum that smells like an orange creamsicle! Anyways, I thought that this line of product would give me better results because it's an Asian product and might work better with my skin. Needless to say, I've been using these products for almost a month and I can definitely tell that my skin has greatly improved in texture, color, and acne production. What's great about this is that they have the same products for dry skin, oily skin, and whitening. The ones that I use is for oily/combination skin. So here is a breakdown of the products!

1. Combination Watery Toner ($12): First step in skin routine. Toner is important whenever you wash your face because besides the makeup, you're washing away the natural stuff that your face produces to balance your skin. So in order to re-balance your pH levels, toner must be applied. Plus, it leaves the skin refreshed and clean. Also, what I like about this toner is that it doesn't leave my skin dry feeling like many other toners. It's very gentle and feels nice!
2. Moisture Capsule Ampoule ($15): I've never heard of this before but it moisturizes the skin and smooths and revitalizes. A technique used to better absorption is to wrap your hands around your face. I guess it means to gently press the product into your skin rather than letting it dry.
3. Combination Watery Essence ($12): This also moisturizes and creates a barrier to keep the moisture in. It says to use after toner, so actually I think Step 2 can be optional, but I wanted to see optimal results, thus I got the ampoule.
4. Combination Watery Emulsion ($12): More product to moisturize and refresh the skin! This has a more wetter, creamier texture than the essence. The only thing I don't like about the packaging for this is that there's no pump. Because it's a cream, it's hard to tap out the product so I'm violently shaking the bottle to get it out lol.
5. Combination Watery Cream ($18): Last step! This is applied to both your face and neck. They say that the first things to start showing age is the neck and eyes, so taking care of the skin on your neck is just as important! It comes with a little spatula to scoop out the product. It's a more sanitary way of getting the product out rather than dipping your fingers into it. I got the big size container, but there are other sizes for cheaper. I figure you might as well go all out lol.

And there you have it! All together, I think this is quite a reasonable skincare routine compared to other brands like Shiseido and Ole Henriksen, which are both quite pricey. The point of the matter is that you should find a skincare routine that works for your skin type. This is the reason why I love samples since it helps me weed out which products work and which ones are just meh. I admit  I took a chance on this brand and line without any prior knowledge, but I'm glad I did! By the way,  all these product smell EXACTLY like Victoria's Secret Bombshell perfume. No joke! It seriously does smell like it, which is a MAHJOR plus for me hehe!

To learn more about Nature Republic, check out their website and Hawaii Facebook page. If I remember correctly, I believe the Hawaii Nature Republic now ships to the mainland U.S!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN