Weekend Update/Ramblings

Hi guys, how are you all doing these days? We’re settled into our new normal and things are...going. Even though I’m not really a “Burner” per say, I sometimes think of this time as Burning Man 2020 (the real event has been cancelled for this year though). I’ve been to BM a couple times and have had a blast (even though I’m not the typical Burner and I went there in a somewhat work capacity—I wrote about it here). Burners sometimes refer to everyday normal life as the “default world” and well, we are no longer in the default world here, which then means we’re in an alternate Burner reality (complete with fask masks!). Now we just all need to wear crazy costumes and refer to each other by our “Playa” names (I guess our quarantine names).

I know this will probably sound annoying but I keep finding the silver linings in this pandemic like: 1) I started running again, 2) It has made me focus on my consumption priorities, 3) I reached out to friends I hadn’t spoken to in months/years, 4) It has made me appreciate friends and family more, 5) It has made me look at my finances more seriously, 6) It has made me a better baker and cook, 7) It has made me a better neighbor. It has also helped the environment by cutting air pollution in most cities, reducing our use of oil and energy, and reducing crime. I could keep going but I’m sure it would annoy the heck out of you. And I realize I have a lot of privilege in being able to revel in the silver linings, since I have no personal/health/economic disasters in my life. So I’m super grateful for that. And I definitely want to do what I can to help others who might not be as lucky. So I’m currently working to build up my closet sale page where all proceeds are donated to the Frontline Workers Relief fund (though I wonder if that’s the best organization to donate to right now—do you guys have suggestions for other Covid-related funds to donate to?). I’m starting to add some old Everlane items and will add Grana and Pact items soon.

Weekday Update/Ramblings

Something I bought this week

Weekend, weekday, does it make a difference anymore? Lol, just kidding knowing the day of the week is important. It gives me a bit of normalcy anyway. So I do an Emi of the day photo on Insta stories. It’s how I lure people into my stories—with a cute baby :D

Anyway impromptu personal post because I missed the usual Saturday night deadline for a Sunday one. But it’s also better for me to take some time with reviews and other product-based content since I’m trying to buy less stuff (probably like most of you). I’m really taking this time to reassess my consumption habits because at its current pace it’s bad: bad for the essential workers still working warehouses and shipping, bad for the environment, and bad for my wallet. Like I said in last weeks Ramblings, I’m trying to buy only the “essentials.” But don’t get me wrong, I’ll still buy things if it supports the people/organizations I care about and want to see survive this epic recession. I currently have that privilege (but who knows for how long), and I’m not going to waste it.

So my new consumption resolution starting today is that I’m going to prioritize women owned/led/founded brands and companies. I will purchase and support my fellow woman first. This isn’t something against men by the way. It’s just that I find a lot of women-helmed companies are run thoughtfully with sustainability and/or ethics in mind. Of course, women don’t always get it right but neither do men and we have been prioritizing them for centuries. If I want to see more women-led companies in the future then I have to be sure to support them.

So my first purchases for April have been more Mate (the label) loungewear (founded by Kayti O’Connel Carr) and an Apiece Apart (founded by Laura Cramer and Starr Hout) jumpsuit that I purchased secondhand from Slowre (run by my all time favorite blogger Grechen). I really look forward to a more mindful way of spending when I do choose to buy something, and I really hope my consumption overall changes for the better because of this pandemic. My current motto now: Less is Better and Women First.

What I Bought, Returned, and Sold in March

Wearing my Jennifer Fisher Thread Ear Cuffs, which were my bday present to myself :)

Ok so was March a stressful month for you? It was definitely a bit stressful for me, and I unfortunately cope with stress with retail therapy. Also it was my birthday month and I was in search of a present for myself (or at least that was one of my justifications, lol). Anyway this is all just to say I have over-spent this month, whoops.

What I Bought

Girlfriend Collective Leggings and Wash Bag: When these went 50% off during their sale I decided to finally see what all the hype was about. I’m planning to do a Girlfriend Collective vs. Outdoor Voices vs. Everlane perform leggings comparison review soon.

Jennifer Fisher thread ear cuffs and salt refill: Bday present to myself.

Cafune Stance Crossbody Wallet: Also bday present to myself. I ended up returning the small stance bag because it was too similar in size to my Celine nano belt bag. But when I saw their wallet version go for 40% off at Shopbop I couldn’t resist. Do I need a smaller bag? Probably not, but since I sold my Chanel wallet on chain awhile ago I don’t have any small wallet crossbody bags so this should theoretically fill a void. And actually during these times of corona, the only time I go out is for grocery shopping. And I’ve found this bag to be the perfect size to fit everything but not get in the way. Anyway review of this coming soon!

Everlane slim crop: review coming very soon, but let me tell you it was love at first wear <3 (this was also purchased and reviewed before my current decision to not purchase any new Everlane items—I talk about it below)

Mate the Label vintage sweatshirt: Since I only have one sweatshirt (the Ciao one I got for $12 in February from Crossroads—and yes before that I had given away all my sweatshirts) and now that staying home is might be a longer term thing, I decided to let myself buy another sweatshirt. Been wanting to try this brand for awhile and looking forward to writing a review of this one soon.

Last Brand Mini hoops: Been waiting to try their jewelry and mini hoops are my jam lol. Purchased using credit from my referral link, so thank you guys for all your support with your clicks!

Mini trampoline from Amazon: Ok so this was a total impulse purchase, but I saw Kate Beckinsale jumping on one on Instagram and it just looked like so much fun. I also see Busy Phillips doing all kinds of rebounder workouts (that’s what they call it when it’s a mini trampoline for exercise). I hope to start doing rebounder workouts soon and I figured Emi can always jump on it when she’s old enough not to hurt herself.

CB2 Axel Plates and Bowls: And another total impulse purchase but now that we’re eating every single meal at home, I got tired of seeing my chipped plates bowls. So I treated myself to some new dinnerware. It’ll make eating at home all day, every day for the foreseeable future more enjoyable.

What I was Gifted:

Everlane Day Loafer mules: I ended up returning these because I just didn’t love the snakeskin print. But above is my mini review of them I put up on Insta. I returned these and then asked for this…

Everlane 40 hour flat: Mini review saved in Instagram story highlights

Everlane lightweight straight leg crop: the sizing of this was off. I’m usually a 6 in Everlane pants and even though I got it in a 6, it was way too large. See my mini review up top since I won’t be doing a formal review of it on the blog. Ended up giving this away through a small Instagram giveaway.

What I Returned

Celine Mini Belt Bag: couldn’t deal with the blue

Polene Numero Un Nano Bag: My review of that was here but I didn’t like it for soooo many reasons

St. Agni Desi Knit Loafer and Lita Loafer from the RealReal: I love my St. Agni mules so much I thought I would try these other styles. Review coming soon but let’s just say I wasn’t as much of a fan.

Everlane 100% human sweatshirt: Near the end of this month Everlane laid off their CX and retail team. And I get it, these are hard time for retailers, but the way the ended up doing it: reassuring worker their jobs are safe, and then locking the out of their accounts (for some), is just a d*ckhead move. There’s just something shady going on over there and where there’s usually smoke there’s fire. Until I can feel like their actions align their words, I won’t be making any more new purchases nor accepting any gifts to review. Buuuut I’m sad because I love (some of) their clothes so much (like the slim leg crop). But in the meantime, I’m returning what I can, which includes my last Everlane purchase of this month: this sweatshirt. Wearing it now would just seem like I represent a hypocritical company.

What I Sold/Selling

Currently I’m selling some jewelry here. All proceeds will be donated to the Frontline Responders Fund, which works towards getting enough PPE (personal protective equipment) to our healthcare workers. I’ll be adding more to the sale (other than jewelry) throughout the next couple of weeks.

Weekend Update/Ramblings

I think I might have been too smug in my last weekend update because as soon as I said I was doing fine, things got less rosy that following Monday. In Japanese we call it bachi and it works like jinx and karma. Anyway that Monday I went to Trader Joe’s and even though there was a line outside to get in (so as not to crowd the inside of the store), I stood behind a lady who coughed several times into her jacket. With the wind blowing directly into my face and no mask, I started to feel paranoid. I don’t know why I didn’t just get out of line and go to the back (actually yes I do, it’s because the line was getting super long). But I wasn’t really thinking. And only when I got home did I think of all the ways it was a bad idea to have stayed in line behind a coughing lady without a mask. The person in front of her and behind me all had masks and sunglasses on (even though it wasn’t sunny) and were taking the threat much more seriously than I was. I’m trying to forget about the whole thing. And all I can really do now is self-isolate as usual, take extra care of my health and sanitize more so than usual to make sure I don’t give anything to my husband and baby. Anyway this is just to say, don’t be an idiot like me and use a mask if you have one and take this threat seriously.

Other than that, my “do a new thing everyday of quarantine” has been going fairly well. This past week I finally tried the bathtub in our new-ish house, tried some new foods (those are the best for an easy win), got a trampoline for rebounder workouts (honestly it was an impulse purchase but I plan to make good use out of it), and sent out some care packages to friends. I definitely don’t always feel like doing one new thing a day (especially after the TJ-possible-corona-exposure) but it gives me something else to think about. Also another new thing I’m trying out: not looking at the news at all (or for at least long periods of time). It’s just better for my mental health though I wonder if I’m being like an ostrich with my head in the sand.

Anyway this was my favorite outfit of the week, worn to go to the UPS store to drop off packages. I think next week I’ll make more of an effort to get dressed in the mornings because it really does help set the day. I’m also trying to put on my kosas lip oil every morning since it not only moisturizes my lip but having a red lip on feels like I’m at least making an effort with my face (but it’s so easy).

Well hope you guys are doing alright out there. Yes these are unusual times and we all have some level of anxiety about our current situation and the future. But this too will pass and we will all figure out a way forward. Hang in there guys!

Weekend Update/Ramblings

How are you guys holding up out there? As well as can be expected I hope. I’m doing fine, though I’m quickly putting on the “quarantine-15” (like freshman-15 but not as cute lol). Even though I was quite panicked about the novel coronavirus when it first came out, lately I’m not too anxious about it (though checking the news right when I wake up has not been helping). We are all doing what we can to slow the spread and of course we’re taking every precaution so that we don’t get it ourselves. But outside of that, there’s nothing we can really do. It’s out of our hands so instead I trust in faith (in a higher power, the universe, or humanity and the kindness of others), hope (this will definitely end and we’ll get out the other side like China), and love (for our family, friends, and fellow human). And of course supporting nonprofits is something we can do from home. Thank you to everyone who donated to my local food bank through Instagram for my birthday. When China was going through the peak of their epidemic I looked into donating to their Red Cross organization (and it wasn’t easy so I gave up tbh). Now that it has hit many other nations, any donation that can be spared would help. I’m also thinking of ways I can deliver supplies to friends and neighbors. It’s going to be a long haul staying at home all day, every day, and thinking about others is such a great way to get out of our own head sometimes.

But so far, week 1 into sheltering-in-place I’m doing alright. I’m lucky since I’m already a homebody who’s used to working from home and taking care of a kid 24/7. In fact now with my husband home I find a little more time for myself, which I’ve been using to try something new everyday. And that’s been great for my productivity since I finally listed some more things to sell on my closet sale page and darned the sock that I’ve been meaning to for almost a year now. Also started doing YouTube yoga and am loving Yoga with Adriene. And since my husband and I have worked together in the past for the Airstream biz, we’ve learned to deal with each other after seeing only each other for 24/7, 7 days a week. Ok I’ll stop since I don’t want to seem like I’m rubbing this in your face or anything.

But I hope in the meantime my usual parade of posts (mostly of reviews) brings you a sense of normalcy. Because if you’re like me, you want to read something other than coronavirus news. But if it’s too much frivolity during these serious times I get it too. We each cope in our own ways.

Oh and as a Netflix addict and HBO lover these are my top binged shows: (but take it with a grain of salt that I like foreign shows/films that lean more toward mystery/thriller):

Netflix:

Detective/mystery genre: Broadchurch, Babylon Berlin (German), Hinterland, La Mante (French), Mindhunter, The Chalet (French), Dark (German),

The comedies: Grace and Frankie, the End of the Fucking World, Schitt’s Creek, I’m Sorry, The Let Down (one of my top faves as a new mother), The Kominsky Method, Happyish, Nurse Jackie, Sisters (Australian series), Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,

Other: Stranger Things, The Crown, the AO, The Flowers, The Hookup Plan (French), Kingdom (Korean zombie series), Train to Busan (Korean zombie movie), Virgin River (for those who like cheesy Hallmark movies), Sex Education, Wanted (Australian series), Glow, Wanderlust (but that’s because I’ll watch anything with Toni Collette in it), Alias Grace, Tidelands, Erased (Japanese), Abstract the Art of Design, Grand Designs, The Umbrella Academy, Mad Men, Dead to Me

HBO: Basically every show they ever make

Amazon Prime: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Kidding (with Jim Carrey), and currently I’m going through Grantchester

Any other suggestions for binge-watching?

Weekend Update/Ramblings

Hello there, it’s been awhile since my last Weekend Update. We’ve been busy with daily life and last weekend (March 7th) we celebrated Emi’s first birthday. In true Hawaii-style we invited everyone we know in the area to the party and about 40 some people showed up. I did have some concerns about coronavirus (with 9 cases in my county at the time, 4 of which were community spread—now it’s 29 cases). But I really didn’t want fear to ruin her first birthday so we went ahead with it. Only time will tell if that was foolish. In the meantime I’ve been trying to do more social distancing though it hasn’t been complete. I did go to one yoga class this past Monday and even though no one was coughing, I still felt it was a bit like playing Russian Roulette since the virus can be spread even without symptoms. I’m probably not going to go back for awhile. And of course I’m taking the utmost care with handwashing and using hand sanitizer. I got lucky and purchased both big bottles from Amazon in February as well as fancy ones from Touchland during their Black Friday sale. Oh and I should mention that I’m sorry if my earlier Weekend Update posts sounded panicky—no this is not the 1918 flu pandemic. And for the most part, the general population will be fine. Yes social distancing will suck, but it’s necessary to mitigate the spread (flatten the curve, amirite). Thank goodness for the internet no? Besides I do some of my best interactions over the interwebs (as evidenced by this blog). Anyway I hope you and your family pull through this time as best as possible. And for those who pulled their money out in time, the stocks are on super sale (and I’ve been very slowly repurchasing what I sold off, but you might want to wait since I’m not sure when it’s going to bottom out).

In other news, I’ve been stress buying a lot of things online under the guise that it’s my birthday and I’m going to buy myself a birthday bag. I haven’t actually committed to anything and have just returned a bunch of stuff (including the Celine mini in the photo above—I couldn’t deal with the bright blue color). You’ll see it all when I post my “what I bought (and returned) in March” post. But I recognize the consumption problem and am trying to be more mindful about online purchases (and yet I still don’t have a bday present for myself… lol). And this year due to coronavirus I canceled the celebration of my bday with friends. So I quietly celebrated on Friday with my husband and daughter and still had a grand ‘ole time :)

The Good Fill Review

I found The Good Fill on Instagram and have been eyeing them for awhile, but since I still had a lot of Plaine Products left in my stash I decided to hold off. But now that I finally finished up some bottles, I decided to let myself try them out. But first, if you’re not familiar with The Good Fill, they are a zero-waste bulk/refill store based in Nashville (by the way I looove Nashville and would totally live there if not for my whole social support system being out on the West Coast lol). They’re relatively new to the scene but what I love about them is that they will ship products in either glass containers (which of course you pay a little more for) or if you already have containers, they will ship their products in refillable plastic pouches that you ship back via their fully compostable mailer (the first time I’ve ever seen one and really all companies should be using this). They request that you ship the plastic pouches back within 3 weeks time (maybe so that the pouches can be cleaned promptly) so I put my extra liquid in a mason jar to store for the time being.

As you can see I ordered two conditioners, the dish soap, their all purpose cleaner and their lotion. So how were their products? The conditioners were alright and nothing fancy. It’s a lot like the Plaine Products one, not super thick or luxurious but gets the job done (probably not best for thick hair that needs a lot of conditioning). The lotion is also pretty standard and not super thick. It’s a great overall moisturizer but I do need some extra lotion for my eczema areas. I ordered the sweetpea scent but I’m not a fan (it smells very Bath and Bodyworks to me) so I’ll probably go with unscented next time. The all purpose cleaner is very vinegary smelling and not favored by my husband. I’ll probably make my own formula after I use this up. And the dish soap was great and just as good as anything off the shelf in your grocery store. So to sum it all up, I would say that their products are great standard products but aren’t “extra” in any way.

Some other things I liked about their system:
-all shipping materials were paper-based, even the tape used for the box

-squeeze pouch makes it super easy to refill even skinny neck bottles like the one above.

-the glass bottles and plastic accessories are all high-quality and work well. They should last for years and years.

Anyway I very much look forward to trying their other products as I slowly convert my lifestyle to a zero waste one. Ideally of course I would have a local zero waste store to refill my products instead of wasting carbon and energy with the back and forth shipping. But until that happens (or maybe until I build one? lol just kidding) I’m happy to support a small business in Nashville trying to further the zero waste movement!

P.S. A tornado hit Nashville last week and they were luckily spared, but they have instrumental in helping their community rebuild. If you’d like to help them, please support them with your purchases (and no this isn’t a sponsored or gifted post—I purchased everything with my own moneys).

What I've Been Eyeing on Fashionphile

This one is for the bag ladies. Please skip if you think I waste my money on bags >.<

When I snatched up a really good deal on the Celine mini belt bag recently, some of you guys on Instagram wanted to know how I find such great deals.

Well I stalk Fashionphile a lot, and more so recently since I deleted TRR (the RealReal) off my phone. It’s probably not the best way to pass the time (especially for my wallet) but I’ve been feeling under the weather and the whole coronavirus thing has given me some low-level anxiety. So Fashionphile has been my distraction. And since I don’t want all my hours spent on the site to go to waste, I thought I’d share some of my recent finds with you guys. Let’s all take a mental break and let’s ooh and ahh over these lovely bags lol.

Celine Small Trio: Retails for $1100, on Fashionphile for $430. There’s definitely some corner wear on this but it can’t be seen when worn and this is such a classic bag!

Celine Seau Sangle in Redwood: Retails for $2900, on Fashionphile for $905. This one is a tad beat-up (hence the low price), but there’s still plenty of life left in it. I reviewed this bag here, but ended up selling it because I found it too big for my needs. Now that I’m a mom, I slightly regret that decision but oh well lol.

Balenciaga Part-Time Bag in Cumin: Retails for $2000, on Fashionphile for $390. Balenciaga motorcycle bags were my first love in high-end bags and they hold a special place in my heart. But I would never buy them new, especially when you can get deals like this on Fashionphile.

Chanel 2.55 Reissue Flap 227: Retails for $6000+, on Fashionphile for $2715. I’ve always loved the look of the 2.55 Reissue (the ones without the interlocking C’s) and someday I will definitely buy myself one (most likely used). But for now, I’ll just admire them from afar because really, where would I be carrying this to?

Celine Strap Wallet: Retails for $810, on Fashionphile for $420. I have this wallet, except in the opposite colorway (mostly gray with the blue strap), and I loooove it. I used to shop around for wallets but not anymore. This is both beautiful and functional, without being too flashy. Also the leather is pretty durable! I purchased mine new for $750, so I consider this quite a deal.

Thanks for indulging me guys. Regularly scheduled reviews will be back after this lol.