a sustainable and ethical (life)style blog

Category: Reviews

Bye, Sweaty Summer Nights! The Sustainable Comforter You Need This Summer | Buffy Breeze Review

It’s a hot girl summer – and unfortunately, that also means hot, sweaty nights (and not in a sexy way).

When I lived in Seattle, I had a very warm, down-filled comforter, which was perfect for Seattle’s cold six-month-long winters. But once I moved to California in June, that comforter made my bed into a sweaty death trap!

Thankfully, Buffy offered to send me their new temperature-regulating Breeze comforter to review.

Better than Birchbox? / October Petit Vour Cruelty-Free Beauty Box review

I am a sucker for subscription boxes! I love getting little packages in the mail each month, filled with fun surprises. I mean, who doesn’t?

I’ve tried Birchbox in the past, but that experience was definitely a case of “better in theory than in practice.” I ended up with a bunch of sample-sized products that I never used up, mostly because the products didn’t fit my skin or needs. Worse, I couldn’t filter out brands that were cruelty-free or non-toxic, which became a deal breaker.

When I heard about Petit Vour’s cruelty-free beauty box that the products were also non-toxic and vegan, I thought it was too good to be true! Spoiler alert: It’s the real deal, and I think it’s way better than Birchbox.

Remember those leggings I wouldn’t shut up about? They’re back, with sports bras! / Girlfriend Collective review

If you haven’t heard of Girlfriend Collective, they were the brand blowing up the internet last year with their scammy-sounding “free leggings” (you just had to pay $20 for shipping from Vietnam and wait like 4 months lol). HOWEVER, they are not a scam (yay), and actually make high-quality athletic wear from recycled water bottles in responsible factories. They’re launching their full line this summer with their internet-famous leggings and new sports bras in drool-worthy colors.

A fun, easy way to discover cruelty-free, natural, and clean beauty / Petit Vour Beauty Box review

I’ve been more conscious of my beauty purchases since learning more about how many ingredients in our beauty products can be toxic or irritating. I also want to commit more fully to buying cruelty-free and vegan products, because animal testing has always horrified me and there is literally zero reason to inflict such violence and cruelty on animals when animal testing doesn’t even yield conclusive information.

Unfortunately, it can take a lot of time to research the products you’re buying, and a lot of money to try out new products just to see if you like them.

Today I’m excited to share a really fun, easy, and affordable way to discover cruelty-free, natural, and clean beauty brands and products!

Is Reformation worth it? / My Ref collection & sizing review

Time to ‘fess up. I’m addicted to Reformation.

For the longest time, I determinedly held firm against their “cool girl” marketing and ridiculously adorable styles, appalled that just one dress could cost over $200. No way was I going to give in and splurge my nonprofit wages on these floral print wallet-temptresses, no matter how cute!

How can fashion practice cultural appreciation, not cultural appropriation? (ft. MATTER Prints)

Alright, it’s time to talk about the elephant in the figurative fashion industry room: cultural appropriation.

I haven’t written about cultural appropriation on this blog yet because everything that could be said on the topic has been said, and, well, it’s exhausting as a person of color to explain to someone why cultural appropriation sucks.

But as an ethical fashion blogger, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tackle one of the most controversial issues in the fashion industry! Even sustainable and ethical brands end up appropriating, but we can—and have to—do better.

grünBAG: The sustainable backpack for all of life’s adventures

You may have noticed that I don’t talk a lot about bags on this blog. That’s because I’m honestly not a huge fan of the sustainable and ethical options for bags and backpacks out there.

I like my bags durable, functional, no-fuss, and of course, stylish. Most of the ethical and sustainable bags I’ve seen haven’t met all of my criteria, or are way out of my price range.

One of the things that has held me back from buying bags from ethical fashion brands is that I’m still unsure where I stand on the real vs. faux leather debate. Both are environmentally damaging in different ways, and while I don’t want to support animal suffering, I’m still hung up on the downsides of faux leather, which include a much shorter lifespan, toxicity, and not being biodegradable—which end up contributing to eventual human and animal suffering, as well.

However, I also haven’t seen many stylish, eco-friendly bags that aren’t made of real or faux leather, either…until now!

Cupro: The magical sustainable fabric you’ve never heard of

Being into sustainable and ethical fashion has made me into a bit of a textile geek. After all, there are so many cool sustainable fabrics! Who knew you could make fabric out of recycled water bottles and fishing nets?

So when I found out about Cupro fairly recently, I was surprised that I didn’t already know about it. Girlfriend Collective sent me a couple of their new Cupro tees, and I immediately fell in love with the miraculously soft and eco-friendly fabric…so much so that I had to learn more about Cupro and share what I’ve learned about this magical fabric with you all!

Love your underwear / Everlane underwear review

Everyone’s favorite ethical brand recently launched their underwear line! True to the Everlane spirit, the collection is the definition of “better than basic.” It’s simple and functional with no frills, but promises to reinvent a wardrobe staple.

I’ve been impressed with their marketing for the women’s underwear line. Models of color, inclusive body types, poses that show off tummy rolls in all their glory—this is definitely a step in the right direction, and for that alone I was already sold.

Allbirds wool runners vs. wool loungers comparison (review)

Alright, I’ll admit it. I’ve only been working in tech full-time for six months…and I’ve already succumbed to the stereotypical norm-core fashion of startup life.

Maybe I didn’t so much “succumb” as embrace my inner grandma (for god’s sake, I wear fluffy slippers at work), but in any case, I now own not one, but two pairs of Allbirds. I mean, I’m twinning with half of Seattle’s tech industry whenever I wear them, but that’s okay because they’re super cute, freakishly comfortable, and made of natural materials that are less harmful for the environment than typical sneakers.

I own the Allbirds wool runners in Tuke Dusk (top) and the wool loungers (bottom) in one of last year’s limited edition colors, grey with a pink sole. I’ve had the loungers for around nine months and just bought the runners within the past month.

Read on to see how they compare!