Blog

Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way.  Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site!  I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<

Neiwai Review: The Barely Zero Classic Wireless Bra 2.0

Here I am with another bra review because honestly I only buy two a year and wear them out by the end of they year. And instead of re-purchasing the same thing I like to see what else is out there in the market. I first heard of Neiwai amongst friends two years ago when one friend got it as a White Elephant gift and all my friends kept stealing it from each other. Huh, is it that good?

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Quince Shoes Review

As long time readers know, I’m a pretty big fan of Quince (see all my Quince reviews here). But I hadn’t thought to try out their shoes until just recently. But when I saw their machine washable shoes (much like Rothy’s which I like—see my Rothy’s review here), at a very reasonable price, I knew I wanted to give them a try. Here are all the shoes I’ve tried from Quince thus far and what I think about them:

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February 2024 Recap

I spent this rainy February continuing to declutter and sell items I was no longer using, as well as to fix up some jewelry. I tried to keep my mindful spending going, so how did I do?

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Real vs. Fake: How to Authenticate The Row N/S Park Tote

I accidentally bought a fake The Row Park Tote from my go-to eBay seller (who didn’t do me wrong for five straight bag purchases). I actually bought this one for a friend so I was quite bummed when I got it. I knew as soon as I felt it that this was a fake. The leather was rubbery and the handle was too stiff. But since that’s not much to go on, here’s the various ways I knew this was a fake (and it was a really good fake at that too).

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Unsponsored Merit Beauty Review: The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick, Brush No. 1, and Bronze Balm

At the end of every year I find myself restocking on my favorite Merit mascara and sometimes lip product (both their Signature Lip and Shade Slick) during their end of year sale (my first review of Merit here). Well after last year’s Merit Beauty review some people had mentioned trying out their Complexion stick. Fast forward a year and I decided to give it a try too along with their recommended brush and the Bronze Balm.

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Toteme T-Lock Clutch Review

I received this Toteme T-Lock Clutch bag as a Christmas present from the family (but of course I picked it lol). When deciding between the clutch size and the regular size, I decided to go with the clutch since the regular one looked so much larger. But I did want a top handle to hold it with since that’s my favorite way to hold a bag so I added a chain I found on Etsy and it’s the perfect combo.

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The Row N/S Park Tote Review: Small, Medium, and Large

For those who’ve been following me on Insta, you know that I’m completely obsessed by The Row’s N/S Park Tote. I first encountered it secondhand in a shop in Ginza, and even though it was quite worn I couldn’t pass it up (I went back the next day for it). Ever since then I’ve been on a hunt for secondhand Park Totes (I got them all from Japan) and have gotten two mediums (one in the pebbled leather and one in smooth), one small, and one large, along with a brand new pebbled medium one from Saks in cognac.

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My Top Ten Posts of 2023

I know it’s already 2024 but I’m giving myself this week to do a bit of a recap of 2023. Starting next week I’ll have all new reviews! So without further ado here are the top ten for 2023 and how I feel about these items now:

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December 2023 Recap

For my RSS subscribers, I apologize for the early publishing of this post when it was still unfinished. As you can see from my first “Did” item, I was away during that time and I’m sure that messed up my publishing schedule a bit. Anyway, even though it’s being published in the wrong month (and year 😆), nonetheless here is my recap for December 2023.

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Traveling in Tokyo 2023

I’m very lucky that my mother’s side of the family lives in Japan. So growing up I went there almost every summer and winter break. If you were to ask me about my Japanese speaking skills, I can speak at an elementary level and I understand way better than I speak. I usually default to English first and only break out the Japanese when the other party doesn’t know any English (though these days in Tokyo that feels pretty rare). But it’s been almost a decade since the last time I was in Japan (maybe 8 years) and wow things have gotten so much easier for your average English-speaking tourist.

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Top 5 Luxury Purchases of 2023

I am very grateful to be able to purchase high ticket items, and most of the time I think they’re 100% worth it (though not always). This year I didn’t have any luxury purchases I regretted so I just wanted to recap my top 5 favorite and/or most used luxury purchases of 2023. And without further ado…

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Traveling in Seoul 2023

I originally planned to do a full recap of my trip to Seoul and Tokyo, but since the post is running long I am just recapping the Seoul part here. Stay tuned for my Tokyo recap!

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November 2023 Recap

Yes I know it’s already December, but since I was out of town in November this post got a bit delayed. But without further ado, here are all the things I did and bought in November:

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Everlane 2023 Review: Wide Leg Dream Pants, Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress, and Felted Merino Half-Zip Sweater

If you’re a long time reader, you know this blog was built on Everlane reviews (see the extensive but not updated list here). So I was surprised to see that I had yet to do an Everlane review for 2023, but then again I hadn’t purchased anything from them until just recently. In the last couple of months I got the Wide Leg Dream Pants (on eBay), the Organic Cotton Striped Tee Dress (from Crossroads—a thrift shop), and the Felted Merino Wool Half-zip (on the Everlane website during their F&F sale).

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