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

The Shopping Diaries: Forever 21 Waikiki

Hey all! Welcome back to another addition of the Shopping Diaries. Funny thing is that I had been thinking of trying to make it a resolution of mine to not shop for clothing before going to Vegas in April (I've got tickets booked, so it's official!!! XD), but obviously I break my resolution within hours -_-. If anything, I really like the pieces I picked out hehe! As if that's enough of a justification.

After I had gone to F21, I always make a trip to Brandy Melville because I might as well if I'm paying for parking. I really fell in love with this gorgeous cranberry long knit cardigan that I really wanted to buy, but the $55 price tag was stopping me from getting it. Perhaps if I had gone to Brandy first, I probably would've gotten it. But ugh, it was really hard to part ways with it, especially since I feel red hues aren't really me but this cardigan really worked with it. If it's still there the next time, I think I will get it so that I can use fate as an excuse lol.

Sorry for going off on a long tangent and let's get to my picks from F21!

Flowy Beige-Yellow Specked Top: I'm not sure if you can see the yellow speckles throughout the top, but it's there! Anyways, I first spotted this on a mannequin and it was paired with some grey lounge-inspired pants and I totally dug the look. I couldn't find the pants, but I found the top. It has the slightest bit of detail to still pass as a basic and what I love about basic tops is that you can pair it was a statement necklace. This was $15.90 and an XS so I figured I should get it :P.

Maroon and Black Striped Crop Top: I've been looking for more crop tops to play with and I thought this would be a good one to add to the collection. It's not ridiculously short or tight, which I really like, but I'm still not sure if I want to keep this one. I'm like 60-40 on returning this top. Maybe it's because of the red, which I seem to have a problem with the color lol. The quality is really good in my opinion and it was only $10.80. So we'll see...any opinions?

Gold Geometric Bib Necklace: Now I've been dying to get my hands on a piece like this but I had never found the right one. I love the simplicity yet it really draws the eye. I think this would look fantastic with any collared top or a low scooped top so that it rests nicely on your decolletage. And it's not bad for $6.80!

Gold Charmed Chain: I wanted to get more gold chained inspired necklaces and I found this one! I'm a sucker for anything that is remotely European inspired, especially if reminds me of the U.K. I like the mix of fleur-de-lis charms and Victorian-esque coins. Once again, it'll be great to pair with a basic top, like the one from above, or with collared shirt.

And that's it folks! I'm still on the fence with the crop top, but hopefully I can make up my mind by Saturday since I usually go out on those days. I might take it along with me and if I find something different, I can do an exchange. But hmmm...usually if one is not sure about a top, it's best to return it right? If you don't seem to like it, you don't really need it? Advice please!

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

The Shopping Diaries: Forever 21

Hey all! Today's post features purchases from Forever 21, both Waikiki and Ala Moana locations. I got these on last, last Saturday. My intention for going to Forever 21 was to get the Guns N' Roses tank since I happen to be a fan of their music and Sweet Child O' Mine has been stuck on repeat in my head. During my hunt for the tank, I ended up picking up some of these other pieces as well hehe.

Half Sleeve Dapple/Black Sheer Panel Top: I got this at the Waikiki location on the top floor. I tend to gravitate more towards the Love21 section of F21. This sub-brand tends to be a little more pricier I suppose, but it's still pretty cheap. The reason why I picked this up was because of the draping black panels on the back. I think the mix of fabrics totally balances casual with sexy. Also, I love basic tops like this so that I can play around with accessories. This was an XS, which I thought was really rare. I had found other tops in XS that I didn't end up getting. I suppose F21 very recently put these out on the floor, so I lucked out on the size.

Layered Collared Necklace: I've been looking for the perfect style of this necklace for a long time. I love the color combination a lot. I'll definitely be wearing this with a lot of my collared shirts. This is the type of necklace that you wear to spruce up a basic top or shirt. It was only $10.80!

Bazinga!: Since the F21 in Waikiki only had size L for the tank, I decided to take a chance at the Ala Moana location. Before finding the tank, I came across this cropped sweater and I knew I had to get it. Despite it being a size M (you know I desperately want it when I'll put up with a medium), I thought it was doable. The sleeves are a bit long, but rolling it up is no problem. The only difficult thing about this top is that the cut is a bit too wide for my shoulders, but I'm still able to work with it! Plus, I absolutely adore Sheldon Cooper and the show all together, so I couldn't pass it up XD.

Guns N' Roses Tank: Finally, the reason why I went to Forever 21! I was only able to find a size M for the tank, but the fit was still fine. It's more of a tank dress because the length is quite long, but it's not incredibly loose around the torso. I paired this with a black bralette and leggings to keep that rocker vibe. I also added the necklace from my previous Charlotte Russe haul, which emphasizes that feel. I'm really happy that I have this tank now!

And that's it for my Forever 21 haul! I just started reading Divergent and it's not bad. I think because I just got done with A Game of Thrones, I'm not used to the change in writing style and I'm favoring the former rather than the latter. But to be honest, Divergent has The Hunger Games type of vibe so I'm still looking forward to the rest of the story.

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

The Shopping Diaries: Charlotte Russe

Hey all! Welcome to my first haul of the month of September. I'm not sure if I'll be having a collective monthly haul this month just because so far I've been buying enough things to make separate posts for each store/brand. This post comes from Charlotte Russe. My step-mom had bought me a dress when she was in Vegas and although I thought the dress was pretty and fit very well, I didn't feel like I'd actually wear it much just because I'm not much of a dress person. So I returned it at my local Charlotte Russe and in exchange, I got these pieces:

Indigo Caged Back Sheer Top: In the past, I've kind of shied away from this color, but I felt like trying it on because I love this kind of detailing and it was on sale for $12.99. The picture shows a more royal blue, but it is darker in real life. The top has a tinge of billowy-ness, but not as much because it was an XS. The size is good, but I think I would've preferred to go up a size just to have a bit more airiness. Nonetheless, I think this is a good top to have in my wardrobe just because I don't have this color yet.

Fringed Crop Top: This was also on sale for $12.99 and at first, I thought it could go either way of loving it or hating it, but I definitely wanted to try it out. I found that it looked really cute on, especially with what I was wearing that day. I had on a pair of low-waisted light-wash destroyed denim and I had a nude bra underneath  that was really close to my skin tone. So when I put it on, the length of the fringe touches the waist of my jeans and you really couldn't see my bra. I would like to wear it like that, but it is showing a lot of skin and I wonder if it's acceptable enough to wear in public... In all honesty, I don't think it looks slutty, but I wonder if it's too much. Obviously I can fix that with some high-waisted shorts and wear something underneath, but I really liked the original coordinate hehe.

Gold Chain/Triangle Double Necklace: I absolutely love this necklace. I think gold chains can really make an outfit look really chic and cool without making it look JB douchey lol. It was only $6 and I've worn this necklace a lot with my collared shirts. The different length adds a really cool dimension to simple outfits.

I hope you all enjoyed my little CR haul! I'm really happy with my finds and I hope to style them soon in my OOTD!

Thanks for reading!
-LAUREN

The Shopping Diaries: GUESS (Part 2)

Hello again! Sorry for the delay in uploading this post. I got totally engrossed in a book that many of you will probably know of. I'll definitely be mentioning it in my August Favorites which is soon to come. But for now, let's continue with the GUESS haul!

Miss Deer Tee: I had bought the Mr. Bunny Tee when these first came out at $39.99 and I just couldn't help getting it right then and there because it was a bunny motif. I should've waited because they still had the Mr. Bunny Tee in my size and I could've paid only $20.99 ><. Oh well, coulda woulda shoulda as they say. I decided to purchase the Miss Deer Tee since I had thought this print was cute too. Although....I just realized it now but this deer can't be a female because it has antlers and only male deer have antlers right? Lol, it's fabulous Miss Deer then!

Hi-Lo Print White Tank: I had picked this out randomly from the rack because I do like prints with people looking carefree and such. Plus, I was liking the overall purple haze. It really is long on me since I'm short and I actually wasn't going to get this until the guy at the register said that I needed only so much to reach $300 and get the $100 reward in return. So in all, I was duped into getting this but whatever. It makes for a cool tank and I don't have one that's super long like this.

Black Textured Shimmery High-Waist Shorts: Like the top, these shorts are from the Tiesto collection. Items from the Tiesto collection seem to be club-inspired and sexy yet not obscene lol. To be honest, these are borderline cheeky but I think I can get away with it because I can pull them down just a tad bit without it looking like I have a saggy...center. Also, due to the material being quite fitted, it's important to wear seamless underwear or else you'll get those unsightly underwear lines.

Bolo Tie inspired Gold Topaz Necklace: I ended up having to get this necklace because I had to cover the $300 mark line since after ringing up the Tiesto tank, the manager gave me the $20 off discount which made me $10 short. Luckily I found this cute necklace that was the perfect amount (they had an extra 50% off on jewelry that was already on sale, so from $25 to $9.99). I like the simplicity of the topaz square and the flat gold chains dangling from it. Once again, it's another piece that I don't have in my closet, so I look forward to styling this with some of my white tops.

Like many other people have mentioned, this year is going by rather quickly from some reason. Thus, be on the lookout for my monthly posts: Monthly Gram, OOTM, and Favorites!

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