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: 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 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: Urban Outfitters

Hello all! This is my first Urban Outfitters haul! My first impression of Urban Outfitters was "I really wish we had this store in Hawaii." It's like Brandy Melville and Pacsun mixed into one with more variety and more edge. The price range depends but I must say they have an excellent sale section.

I went to two UOs located at the Miracle Mile Mall in Planet Hollywood and the Mandalay Shoppes at Mandalay Bay. The first two pieces are from MMM and the latter are from Mandalay. So let's get started!

Light Blue Ribcage Tank: I don't know how many times I've expressed that I like the color blue, so we can obviously see why I was so attracted to this top. This was originally $29, but it was on sale for $19. The thing is that I didn't realize it until later on that they charged me $29 instead of $19 ugh. It was only $10 difference so it wasn't too bad. Actually I should've kept my receipt in hand since I went to the Mandalay location, but I had totally forgotten that they had an UO over there. The brand is called Ecote.

Grungy Muscle Tee: This is from the brand Truly Madly Deeply. What attracted me was the print. It gives off a grungy vibe and the white streaks almost look like some sort of skeletal piece. It's cool in a macabre kind of way! Also, it's a muscle tee (my first muscle tee that isn't from Brandy lol) so I was totally digging that as well. This was $35. Kinda pricey but hey why not?

Tokyo A Go-Go: This top was in the sale section for $9.99, regularly priced at $29.99. The t-shirt says it all as to why I got it hehe. I also love the name of the brand, which is called Lords of Liverpool.

Back Fringed Tee: This was also found in the sale section for $9.99, regularly priced at $46.99. The front of the shirt is just plain with a crew neck cut, but on the back as you can see in the picture, it dips low and has a cascading crochet fringe detail. The fabric of the shirt is super soft. I just love the simplicity of it! This is from the brand Neon Moon.

So that was all my purchases from Urban Outfitters. I can't wait to go back soon, or they can just bring one to Hawaii >_>

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN

TSD Vegas Edition: Lucky Brand

Hey all! Here is the Lucky Brand haul from the Las Vegas Outlets North! Funny thing is that I rarely go into the Lucky Brand store at Ala Moana, yet I love going to the outlet one. Also, I feel like the outlet store has way better stuff than the actual retail store. I usually don't like the outlet version of a lot of stores, but I must say that Lucky Brand's one is really good. Here are my purchases: 

Blue Acoustic Guitar Logo: As a lot of my friends know, I love the many different shades of blue. When I saw this, I knew I had to get it. I usually don't like a lot of tops where it says the name of the brand, but because I liked the style and the acoustic guitar (the guitar did it more for me than anything really lol), I thought it was cute and buyable enough hehe!

Blue Elephant Travel Service: If you bought two shirts or more, you got $10 off. I didn't know that until I had picked up this tee. I have a soft spot for elephants, especially blue ones lol! One of my dear friends gave me a blue elephant plushie from Sanrio for my birthday a few years back and he is the cutest thing ever! So that is probably where my love for elephants came from. I think one day I'd like to visit India :)

Blue Streaked T-Shirt: I wouldn't really call this tie-dye, but the color reminds me of something that would be tie-dyed. I only got this shirt because I love the color blue and it gave off a hippie vibe hehe. It'd be fun to wear with some of my more boho-esque jewelry.

Orange-Red Streaked Tank: Same kind of color production as the t-shirt above but in a different color. The tank fitted really nicely, so this would be good to wear alone as is or with a white button up shirt to throw over. This would also look good with boho-esque jewelry piled on!

The people at this Lucky Brand store are really nice! Even last time, they were very friendly and very helpful. I can't wait to go back again XD

Thanks for reading!

-LAUREN