Thinking About: Olive Green Parka from Uniqlo

It takes a long time for trends to grow on me. I started wearing skinny jeans a good two years after they became popular, and it took me even longer to jump onto the leggings bandwagon. I don't think parkas are quite on par with skinny jeans and leggings in terms of being a lasting and widespread trend, but I've been seeing them in stores for a few years. There are other jacket styles (a trench coat, a leather jacket) that I've actually talked about on this blog as potential additions to my wardrobe, but recently, I've also spent my time browsing for parkas. They appeal to me because I've been leaning towards a very casual vibe with my weekend clothes.

Because parkas are so casual and not intended to be particularly fitted, I would only want to buy one at a lower, more fast-fashion price point. Especially with other jackets I want and the coats that I already own, a parka is not something that would see particularly frequent use in my wardrobe. There's still a good chance that I might try on a few more styles and eventually decide that I just wouldn't wear a parka enough.

I started at H&M because they typically have a wide range of parkas and other coat designs. I even had decent luck with H&M coats back when I was a student, generally getting a good two to three years of semi-frequent wear out of H&M's peacoats. The first problem there was that I didn't see anything in my size, and after comparing them to the styles at Uniqlo, I decided that the Uniqlo ones felt a bit higher-quality and for a price range that was workable for me, especially at the current online and in-store promotional price of $99.90, off from $129.90. Behind the cut, I have fitting room photos and impressions of one of Uniqlo's Military Jacket parkas.

September Shopping Reflections

I didn't have too much time to shop for clothes and accessories this month, though I did pick up two rather expensive things. One of those was the J. Crew Leavers Lace Pamela Dress pictured above, which is a bridesmaid dress for a good friend's wedding next March. That came out of my separate "bridesmaid fund," and I got it for 30% discount due to a promotion on select full price items. The second item, the Longchamp Miaou tote, is a rather out of character purchase for me, but I've gotten a fair bit of use from it so far. Outside of that, I'm still waiting for that breton striped shirt to arrive from J. Crew Factory, so that could appear in next month's budget. 

I did go a bit crazy again with skincare purchases, and this time I'm listing it out because they definitely weren't vacation expenses like with my purchases in Seoul. I had a Dermstore voucher from Gilt City, which gave me 30% off an order of $120 or more. I know it isn't good to buy into these deals because they can encourage more (often unnecessary) spending, but the 30% discount was the best way for me to get refills of some of my Paula's Choice staples (referral link) at a good price. 

Fashion - (TOTAL: $179.29)

• Longchamp Large Miaou Tote - $166.39* - I got a 10% off promotion as a new subscriber to Neiman Marcus's email list, but the CA state sales tax ended up canceling out most of those savings. I wasn't initially sure about this. It took me a few days to decide on it, but I've been carrying it almost every day since then. Admittedly, this is partially because I had to send my Planetes tote back to Longchamp to repair the holes in the corners, a process that will apparently take eight weeks. 
• Zara Winter Hat - $12.90 - I first saw this hat at a Zara in Malaysia, and I've been thinking about it since then. I ended up picking it up last week. As usual, I feel a bit sheepish when I shop from one of the super fast fashion retailers, but for things that I prioritize less when it comes to what I'm willing to spend, like socks and hats,  fast fashion is what fits my budget. I try my best not to overdo it. 

Beauty - (TOTAL: $106.37)

• Dermstore Order - $99.41
• Paula's Choice RESIST C15 Super Booster - This is my vitamin C serum of choice. I haven't had a bottle of this for a while because it ran out before my trip. Vitamin C serum will oxidize when exposed to light, air, and high temperatures, so I waited on a refill of this for a long time while I was traveling. 
• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid - I won't need a refill of this product, which I consider invaluable for fighting off acne, for quite a few months, but I was having some trouble getting to the order minimum for the coupon. 
• Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm - I've been curious about this item for a while, but was always dissuaded by how expensive it is in the US. With a 30% discount, it is still pricey for lip balm, but I've been liking it a lot so far.
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof 12-Hour Concealer - I haven't run out of the Nars concealer I purchased earlier this year, but I definitely like this one much better. I find that I can only use the Nars one with makeup, but with this Tarte product, I can just use concealer and go without foundation. 
• Cerave Moisturizing Lotion (not pictured) - This is one of my staple face moisturizers, and I actually did need a refill. 
• Skinfood Black Sugar Strawberry Wash Off Mask - $6.96 - I picked this up during a special promotion from Jolse's Amazon store. It's a fairly popular item that comes highly recommended by a few r/AsianBeauty bloggers. This one hasn't arrived yet due to it shipping from Korea, but buying from abroad bascially means its final sale

*indicates that state sales tax was included in this purchase price

Linking up with Franish and the other Budgeting Bloggers this month. Be sure to check out what everyone else bought! 

Shanghai Cityscapes

View of the skyline from the Bund near Nanjing East Road. All photos by K.

Shanghai was one of my favorite destinations from my trip. The weather was quite rainy during most of our stay, which did prevent us from seeing quite as many tourist sites as we might have wanted. We stayed at the Grand Central Hotel Shanghai near Nanjing East Road's Pedestrian Street area, and we received a slight discount because I was able to book it during an Orbitz promotion. I highly recommend staying in that general area because it's close to two subway stations and a direct ride to several major tourist attractions, and I would also  highly recommend the Grand Central Hotel in particular. It was a rather fancy place to stay, and I thought the service was very good. They even gave us a cake on the night of K's birthday. 

The nighttime walk along the Bund to view the lit-up skyline was one of our favorite experiences in Shanghai. There are big crowds on the section of the promenade right near the intersection with Nanjing East Road, but the crowds thin out very quickly once one walks a bit further away from the intersection. One thing that surprised us was that the lights across the water and on Nanjing East Road start turning off by 11:00 at night. Because Times Square is a 24 hour kind of place, we were expecting Shanghai to be somewhat similar. 

A rainy nighttime walk on Nanjing East Road's Pedestrian Street. 

Shanghai is a very different city from Beijing, which almost goes without saying. Shanghai feels more similar to Hong Kong than it does to Beijing. Among other things, it doesn't have quite as many true historical sites. Some of the areas that market themselves as historical are anything but. We were at one "old street" area, but found that it was a rather commercialized tourist trap. The crowds of tourists, both international and Chinese, can also be quite daunting at most of Shanghai's major attractions. We quickly nixed the idea of going up the Pearl Tower because it would have been at least a three hour wait. We were able to go up to the observation decks at the Shanghai World Financial Center, and that wasn't half as crowded because it was a foggy evening. 

The Nightgown Dress

One of my clothing purchases in Korea was a navy blue tank dress almost exactly like the Madewell one pictured above, but for the color and, of course, the price. I bought it mainly for my many plane rides during the trip, but I've also been reaching for it quite often for day to day wear. It's not a look that I previously thought I would like. I've mentioned before that I generally don't like unstructured t-shirt dresses, and similarly unstructured tank dresses would seem to run the same risk of clinging in unflattering places. But the one I have is made out of a slightly thicker rayon fabric, not thick enough to be uncomfortable in summer, but heavy enough so that it skims nicely over the body. It is also a more casual look then I generally used to go for, especially when paired with those flip-flop sandal hybrids that I've been wearing all summer. 

In other news, I've found my new apartment! Move-in day is not until the end of October, though. I only have a bit less than two weeks before I start my new job, and I'm looking forward to just taking a break until then.  Cooler temperatures are also beginning to settle in, and I'm going to miss my super-casual summer staples.