Rad Boutiques: Part One

I pride myself in finding shopping gems in my favorite cities, so I plan on doing a series on the best fashion boutiques I have found so I can help you guys figure out the coolest places to spend your hard-earned cash money. To kick off the series, I begin with my favorite boutique store in Hawaii, Homecoming Honolulu. This rad little shop is located on 12 S. King St., Suite 104, between Nuuanu and Bethel Streets. Walking by, it can be easy to miss-- the storefront looks like this:

When I have some cash to spare, this is the place I go to find unique and fashionable clothing and accessories. They have great stuff for both guys and gals. They carry many of my favorite brands like Brixton (most rad hats ever), Pendleton (most amazing towels on planet), Quay Australia (ladies, these sunnies will rock your world), Mink Pink (a super fun brand out of Cali), Jeffrey Campbell (SHOES FTW), Wonderland Honolulu (my favorite designer from Hawaii), Motel Rocks (a great clothing brand out of England), and my favorite snarky blogger / designer, Jac Vanek (see my favorite JV mug and my newest Quay sunnies pictured below).

Homecoming is nicely decorated and inviting. The shop girls are super helpful and stylish. The owner often brings in her adorable little pug that seems kinda like the shop sidekick. So adorbs, wish I had snapped a pic! 

 Here's the men's section (right-hand side of the store)...

And here is the girl's section (that also takes up the sale section in the back and the middle of the store displays...)

I always leave Homecoming with a refreshed wardrobe and a pep in my step. This is def a "treat yo' self" kinda place. The prices are sometimes a little steep (example: if you're buying Pendleton towels, expect to spend around $80), but the brands are quality and hip and worth it IMHO, if you can splurge a little. The sale racks in the back are also full of sweet clothes at great prices. Support local, shop small business, and pay a little visit to Homecoming Honolulu on your next trip to Chinatown. If you don't live in Hawaii, you can also shop their awesome inventory online. 

Shiseido Perfect Whip: BLISS in a facial cleanser

If you know me, you know I love trying out new beauty products. While I love trying new ones, I also have my all-time favorites. These are the go-to products that I make sure are stocked in my bathroom. One of them is this little value-priced luxury: Perfect Whip, an amazing face wash by Shiseido. The thing about this specific product is that I believe that they only sell it in Japan and select parts of Asia (I haven't yet checkedDon Quixote, though). An ex roommate of mine was Korean and had absolutely FLAWLESS skin, she turned me on to it and told me to order it from Amazon (and it only costs around $10). It feels like a luxury product but it's CHEAP! Score. Sold. Perhaps the only downside is that if you don't know Japanese, you won't be able to read the label. Directions are thankfully just like those of other cleansers, though. 

Perfect Whip is a super fluffy, gentle, soft, rich foam that penetrates pores to clean impurities and banish oil. Make sure to really lather it up to make it as fluffy as possible, it feels absolutely DIVINE to use and then rinse with warm water. After just a few uses, your skin is noticeably more soft, hydrated, clean and clear. BIG FAN. It seems to do well on my sensitive skin, and is the perfect daily cleanser in between my deep-cleaning facials at my face, Laka Spa (I recommend a basic Laka Signature Facial every 6 weeks or so for ideal maintenance).

What I learned from my "big" breakup (part one)...

So, I bought this rad makeup bag from Sephora on Sunday in Waikiki. "Losing you hurt, but losing my makeup bag would be a tragedy...." It is snarky AF, and undeniably chic-- but it actually prompted me to reflect on a breakup that I had within the last year that was kind of a milestone for me. I think everyone has a breakup that they consider the "big" one. The one that caught you off guard, threw you off balance, made you question yourself, took you to sad, lonely places. It's been long enough now that I am ready to write about it, and share what I learned from it. My intent is to help give some sunshine to those that may be going through something similar. Let's go with a list format, yeah? Everyone loves the list format.

1) DO YOU.

The whole cliche, "you can't make others happy until you are happy yourself..." - UMMM SO TRUE. I was so concerned with the day to day and maintaining the relationship that I completely forgot to spend time on myself. To work out. To plan for my future. To read. To create. To pamper. I lost touch with myself and didn't give myself time for Loryn. Quality "me" time. I realize now that I should've taken better care of myself rather than trying to pour energy into a relationship. Since then, I joined a gym. I took yoga classes. I picked up a book. I studied mindfulness and meditation. My happiness and "me time" is essential to my life now. And I'm happy about that.

2) IT TAKES TWO.

After lots of study into relationship dynamics and psychological / sociological theories, I realize that every relationship, whether it be with family, friends, or lovers, has conflict. You will have fights. You will disagree. This is NORMAL. The difference between relationships that work and those that don't is simple: the successful relationships CHOOSE to work it out-- both parties. If only one person is determined to problem solve and work through problems, it won't work. Both people need to WANT to work it out and actually dedicate their time and efforts to do so. Be with someone who absolutely adores you. Someone that sees your flaws and loves you nonetheless.

3) BREAK UPS ARE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

At first, my big breakup was almost unbearable. I missed him ALL. THE. TIME. It was painful, like physically. Now, I see that I had to go through the process to be a better version of myself. Loryn 2.0, 4.0-- whatever version is super rad. I learned the areas in my life that I needed to work on and improve, and I took steps to be a better me. The breakup was a blessing in disguise. It forced a self-reflection process that I hadn't been through before, and I am thankful. Deep thoughts, for real. On a lighter note- I also can appreciate my ex's small contributions to my life. Thanks to him, my interior design game is on point, and I have a profound love for Eames chairs. Go figure. Life is weird. And I freaking love those chairs.

4) FEEL THE FEELS.

Right after my breakup, I tried to stay so busy that I didn't have time to "feel the feels." Guess what? Sometimes, you gonna have to be sad. That is LIFE. Embrace the sad. Watch a sad movie. Cry your heart out. Be mindful. You are sad, and that's okay. Without the sad moments in life, the happy moments wouldn't be so wonderful. Another cliche, perhaps, but oh so true. There is no way around the sad. It's human, and strangely beautiful. Be sad, and eventually you will wake up and be like "holy crap, I'm happy!" YAYYY!!!

5) MAINTAIN FRIENDSHIPS.

I have had a tendency to really get into relationships when I am in love. I dedicate all my time to them, I adjust my schedule, I scale back on my business networking events and social engagements. I neglect friendships- to be perfectly honest. In my time reflecting, I am able to see that I need to maintain my support group. My lovely friends deserve time and make me happy. Just because you are in a relationship doesn't mean you shouldn't do your girl's / boys' nights, brunches with friends, pau hanas, etc. If you lose touch with friends and your relationship with a significant other fails-- you are left feeling lonely and with less of a support system. Love your friends and they will be there for you when you need them.

So that's that. Imma leave it at those 5 kernels of "wisdom" for now. Percolating on the "part deux."

And yes, losing him hurt at the time, but losing my makeup bag right now would be WAYYYY more of a major tragedy. Jus' sayin.

Treat yo'self

When you get a chance, take yo' fine self down to the pink paradise that is the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki, specifically the beach-side Maitai Bar, and ORDER THE PINEAPPLE DRINK (pictured above). Seriously. It is worth the $30 price tag. 

NOTE: It is NOT on the menu, for some reason, you have to ask for it specifically. For $30, you get a whole pineapple, cored and filled with a fruity alcoholic beverage of your choice. I chose piña colada, and it was refreshing and delicious. But it's not just a drink-- it's an experience! Like a mini staycation in the form of a drink, for real. Gazing out past the pink beach umbrellas and lusting after the oceans' many shades of blue, I soaked up the warm Hawaiian sun and felt those sweet tradewinds lightly graze my skin. In that moment, I was happy, admiring our island paradise. Happy with this ridiculous pineapple, complete with three umbrellas and cherries as garnish.

Treat yo'self--whether it be with one of these pineapples or something else that your heart may desire, and then remember how lucky you are to be in paradise.