The Shopping Diaries: Black Friday 2014

Hi all!

I know this is waaaaay overdue for a Black Friday haul post, but hey, better late than never right? :)

I'd say that this past Black Friday was really enjoyable because I felt that the sales were really good this year. I know some people say otherwise, but as an annual partaker of the tradition, I do believe the sales at the stores that I went to were fantastic. So here are some of my finds!

Victoria by Victoria's Secret: Honestly, I have way too many bottles of perfume, BUT, it's hard to leave without taking advantage of the 50% off deal. Plus, I'm a big fan of VS perfumes because I think they do them very well and they have a good range of scents. I think I have the body spray for this one from a previous purchase, but I decided to go with the perfume because I really like the scent. The description says that it has "Red berries, Victoria Rose, and Creme Brulee," and I think it's the red berries note that gives it that citric tang that I like. I got this for $25 for the 1.7 fl. oz.

Tocca Handcream/Rollerball set and Tarte mini set: For the second year in a row, I failed to get my hands on the Philosophy facial wash T-T. At least I was able to get my hands on the other two things that I was interested in! I became a fan of Tocca scents from the previous year's $10 set. I was happy that this one included two different scents that are both lovely. The two scents are Giulietta and Stella. I think I favor Stella over Giulietta, but as I said, they are both lovely! As for the Tarte set, I've always wanted to try one of their amazonian clay 12-hour blushes and I thought this was a good opportunity to try it out. Plus, I get to try their mascara and lip gloss of which I like both!

Navy Blue Trousers (GAP): This was one of my steals of the day. I had reminded myself that I've been on the hunt for trousers that hit at the ankle and were well formed to my legs. I'm 5' 1'' so it's really hard to find trousers that fit me well. Gap was having 50% off the entire store, and I had remembered that the Ultra Slim Crop Pants in petite form fit me really well, but unfortunately, they didn't carry that size in-store, which is really odd for a store in Hawaii where there are a lot of Asians lol. Anyways, that style is available online (which also had the 50% off deal), so I ordered myself a pair in black. I decided to give the sales rack a go since I was there already and came across this pant. This is the Slim Crop in OOR and I thought why not try it on. I was surprised that the fit wasn't that bad! The length was quite good for regular instead of petite and, due to the material, the fit was good as well. This was originally $54.95 and the sale price was $29.95, then with the extra 50% off, I only paid $15!

Mid-Crop Black and White Striped T-shirt (Spiral Girl): I haven't really been shopping at this store as much, but they had a whole bunch of sales and I decided to pop in for a bit. I was immediately attracted to this because of the monochrome and the simplicity of it. I like these types of boxy mid-crop tops and I was glad that I was finally able to find a style that I liked. I had been debating about getting something similar at Brandy Melville, but I like something that has more of a drape rather than the form-fitting style that a lot of crop tops have. I think I got this for $20? I think the regular price was $29.99.

Mung Bean face mask, et. al. (The Face Shop): By the time I got to the Face Shop in Ward Center, they had 20% off the entire store (earlier hours had 30% and 25% off). I originally went in there for a gift for someone and I decided to get a few things for myself ;). Not pictured was a black charcoal face wash that I really enjoy using with my konnyaku sponge. I really like any cleansing product for the face that has black charcoal because your skin comes out feeling really nice and clean without it feeling super dry. Also, I got this mung bean face mask, which is great for purifying pores. Of course, whenever you go to any Korean skincare store, you always leave with some samples!

Cedar Street Large Monday in Black (Kate Spade): This was a Christmas gift from my mom to me, but I included this in the post because of the good Black Friday deal! It was 25% off the entire store, and while I'm not too familiar with the sale patterns at Kate Spade, it seems like these bags don't really go on sale as these are one of their most popular bags and it's in black. I've been loving small crossbody bags, and I'm happy to have found a classic bag in black in a flexible style. This bag is great for daytime shopping or for a classy night out. The slimness of the bag doesn't allow for the user to stuff all kinds of junk inside and limits you to the essentials, which is great weight-wise!

Monochrome Graphic by Joe's (Nordstrom Rack): I had seen this a few weeks back and I was immediately attracted to it as you can probably tell why hehe. It was on the clearance rack for $84 I think, and I really didn't want to spend that much despite it being on clearance. But, I came here the day after Black Friday and it was still there! And the clearance sections had an extra 25% or 30% off, so I was like hmm I'll try it on for kicks. The fit was fantastic, especially the length, so that left me feeling like ugh, it's still $60 but then again, it's Joe's Jeans and I know they fit incredibly well. Nevertheless, I don't regret getting them!

High-Waisted Black (Nordstrom Rack): I happened to find this in the clearance rack as well. I had been keeping an eye out for high-waisted black denim and I was excited to have found these. I love the vertical zipper detail and that it is a proper high-waist fit. This turned out to be only $13 after the extra percentage off the lowest price!

Thank you for reading this post! I always enjoy Black Friday shopping. I can't believe this is the sixth year that I've done this. It's such a fun experience and I look forward to this year's as well.

Happy New Year's everyone!

- Lauren

August Favorites 2013

I can't believe August is basically done with! Soon it'll be September and the Fall season starting, then Halloween (actually I've already seen Halloween decorations available at Hallmark!), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then 2014! I want this year to slow down, but ain't nobody got time for that I suppose ;P. Well, on to my favorites for this month!

1. Did you read any books?
I am finally getting into A Game of Thrones. I really want to watch the series on HBO but because I never saw it from Season 1, I'll probably get lost and miss out on a lot of the story. So, I decided to start reading the book! I'm borrowing it from my local library and I can tell it's really popular because when I went to reserve it, I was number 13 in the queue but somehow got a notice that it was available for me two or three days after putting in my reservation lol. Anyways, I'm loving the way this story is written out. Instead of chapters, it splits into different perspectives of the many characters in the story. It's written in the third person limited, which is great because it keeps me guessing as to what's going on and later confirming it under another's perspective. Even though there are 800+ pages, don't let the number intimidate you because it's a fast read that'll keep you entertained!

2. Did you watch any movies?
Surprisingly, I only saw one movie this month. Honestly, there were a lot of movies that I wanted to see, but the reviews were just awful. Like what Jason has said, movies are getting crappier while television shows are getting better, which I wholly agree on.

Elysium was an all right film. Definitely better than a lot of mainstream films that came out this month. Elysium is a post-apocalyptic story where the wealthy live on a huge luxurious spacecraft 20-30 minutes away from Earth while the poor continue to live on desolated, polluted Earth. Matt Damon stars as the main character who holds the codes to Elysium's system, which could be used to change the course of life for both Earth and Elysium. While the story was adequate, I felt that the movie seemed to drag in between. I understand it's necessary to develop the story line, but it just felt that it could have been a little more engaging. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the film. Nowadays, it seems that films need to have some sort of sci-fi/dystopian/post-apocalyptic story line in order to fair well at the box office...or be a comedy I suppose.

3. Which foods did you eat and love?
You'll see these two pics in my Monthly Gram post, but honestly these were the two food items that stood out for me this month. On the left is a homemade haupia sweet potato pie that my Aunty made and brought to my Aunty's 1 year passing picnic. I thought her pumpkin crunch pie was the best thing she's made, but this definitely tops my list. My Aunty is really good at baking desserts, so anything that she makes is bound to be delicious, but this pie was literally heaven AND it wasn't overly sweet!

To the right is a veggie tofu pho that I got at Pho My Lan this past Sunday. I've had limited pho experience since I've eaten it mostly at my college and a few random places in Kaneohe. I was really surprised that this pho was really flavorful, especially for a veggie pho. I ordered a small portion yet it felt like a big portion to me. Plus, they give you lots of basil, bean sprouts, some leaf I didn't recognize (it looked like it had little thorn-like edges) and jalapenos. Jason told me it was piman and so I ate one whole and a fire started in my mouth -_-

4. Which songs did you like?
To be honest, it took me a long time to like this song. But, the more I heard it on the radio and listened to the lyrics, I began to fall in love. The chorus is my favorite part because of the sweet lyrics. I think the music video is great too. Even though I didn't watch the VMAs this past Sunday, I'm glad that JT won the most awards. I think he deserved it out of all the contenders.

Mirrors- Justin Timberlake

5. Which products did you like?
This is probably my favorite sunscreen (Nature Republic) to wear for my face because it isn't oily and heavy on my skin. It is SPF 50+ and PA+++ which is great because the sun is really strong right now. Also, it has whitening and anti-wrinkle elements, which is a plus for my skin for lightening blemishes and discouraging wrinkles from forming. A little bit of this sunscreen goes a long way since I find it easy to cover a little product over the surface of my face. I'm happy that Ala Moana will be having a Nature Republic store soon because it is a bit of a hassle to visit the Waikiki location :P.

6. What did you learn?
I thought about this for a while, but I learned that I really do appreciate my Dad's side of the family a lot. At least once a year, we have this family picnic at Kualoa Park and I would always dislike going because it fell on a Saturday all the time and that's when I liked to hang out with friends. It wasn't until this past picnic, which was for my Aunty's 1 year passing anniversary that I realized this. This realization probably came from a certain family member moving in with my Grandpa and I. The best way to describe this person without coming off blatantly mean is that she's a very unpleasant person all around (that actually sounds mean but I don't care). With all of her negativity and other members who feed into it, it really put into perspective at how different my two sides of the family are. I've always known it but it just seems like it's totally magnified now and that this blantantness (not a word, I know) made me realize how lucky I am to have my Dad's side of the family. I feel awful about my past feelings, but at least I've learned my lesson.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

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

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