aloha rag

 

one of hawaii's most stylish boutiques has got to be aloha rag (as seen in lucky & vogue) which caters to the fashionistas on the island. you'll find everything from chloe and balenciega to loomstate organic denim and l.a.m.b. (the only place in town to score gwen stefani's designs). i'm particularly fond of this tee from martin margiela.

if you can't get to the shop on kapiolani blvd. (street level in that brown & glass building by ala moana. you know the one.), you can shop online (don't forget to check out the sale section . . . shhh!).

soda pop stop

okay, we're definitely going to need to bring home an extra suitcase when we go home this summer. it's really tricky to find soda made with cane sugar and not high fructose corn syrup (seriously, check the ingredient list next time you're at the grocery store. it's almost impossible to unless you're at whole foods or bevmo).

i can't wait to try waialua soda works since their flavors are definitely hawaiian style - lilikoi, mango, papaya & pineapple. root beer & vanilla flavors are also available for the soda traditionalist. waialua soda works is bottled on the north shore and can be found at various restaurants & shops around the islands. sweet. 

north shore soap factory

a few years ago, we headed up to the north shore to check out the goodies at the country market. one of the vendors had a table filled with soap and since the fella needed to stock up we spent a good 10 minutes sniffing each bar and trying to decide which ones to bring back to the mainland with us.

the soap maker was really friendly and explained the benefits of all the ingredients. this was back in the day when we thought all soap was made the same (we know better now). it was some seriously good soap and even though we've been home quite a few times since then we never had a chance to get back to the north shore on market day.

imagine my delight when i discovered that the north shore soap factory is now online. they have outgrown their original soap shack and now call the historic waialua sugar mill home. their product line has expanded to more bath goodies and now you can stop by their soap factory for a visit when you're on the north shore.

alba hawaiian

occasionally, i'll come across a product that, while not created by someone with direct ties to the islands, there is no doubt that it has been inspired by hawaii. the alba hawaiian line by alba botanica fits the bill. alba's products incorporate 100% vegetarian ingredients (organic when possible) like coconut, kukui & macadamia nut oils, hibiscus/papaya/passion fruit/pineapple extracts & essential oils and they are cruelty-free.

one whiff of the yummy coconut, mango or papaya scents and i guarantee that you will be instantly reminded of the islands. it will be a little easier to find alba products in hawaii once whole foods arrives in honolulu next year. until then, thank the gods for online ordering.

beauty calls

 

girl's day may have come & gone but i still have a few more beauty lines to share. malie kaua'i brings something a little different to the beauty scene with their emphasis on using hydrosols (basically the water vapor left behind from distilling flowers when producing essential oils) instead of synthetic fragrances.

i usually get the sniffies & headaches when wearing traditional fragrance so malie's floral water perfume made from flowers grown on kauai sounds like a nice alternative. malie has generated a lot of buzz since they launched and has been raved about in lucky & o.

one of the best named product lines has got to be pure hapa. of course, as a hapa girl i'm not biased or anything, lol. pure hapa's creator nadyne kim-orona may have grown up on the mainland but her product line was inspired by the beauty secrets of her multi-ethnic family in hawaii.

the ingredient list ranges from asian to hawaiian and sounds like it came straight from the pantry. everything from azuki bean powder, papaya enzyme, noni fruit & green tea extracts are included in pure hapa's body soufflés, body scrub and facial products. definitely an indulgent treat for your skin.