Tag Archives: shopping

May28

Altar’d State Haul

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Altar’d State Haul

Hello everyone! Tomorrow we will be wrapping up my Altar’d State Haul with a gorgeous black and white summer dress. And, today, we are going to be taking a look at a mini skirt of the same color palette that might look familiar to you because I got it in lavender too! Let’s get to it:

If you recall, I purchased a matching top for a paired set with the lavender skirt but, unfortunately, there was no crop top to be found for my white skirt. There was also no size small, either, so I opted for a medium instead. While it doesn’t fit as snugly as the small one in lavender, which makes it a true bodycon skirt, the medium still fits me comfortably with a little extra flounce to it. The additional wiggle room will make layering with the white skirt much easier come cooler weather with a tucked in shirt and tights.

Like all of the ladies in my family, when I find something I like that has multiple colors available, I tend to buy a few of them. It’s nice to have options in a piece that you already know you love, which is why I just had to buy my white floral skirt too! I know I am going to have such fun styling this skirt and it will be a totally different experience from the lavender one because of the size difference and not having an option for a matching top.

Sadly, I couldn’t find the top for a pair set in white on Altar’d State’s website but, for now, a black crop top, jean jacket, and a sweet pair of summer wedges will work just fine!

How do you keep your clothes looking brand new? Do you like to buy different colors in a much loved piece? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May27

Altar’d State Haul

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Altar’d State Haul

Hello everyone!! During my first trip to Summit Mall in a good two years, I had a wildly successful clothing haul at a new to me store called Altar’d State. I am seriously so obsessed with all of my purchases and I have been very eager to show all of you. I am just slightly more eager to wear all of them out and about! In Altar’d State, I tried on clothes that I never pictured myself wearing before. The kerchief top that you are about to see is, perhaps, the farthest stretch from something that I would normally wear and I felt proud of myself for even trying it on. The best part? I fell in love with the top immediately! Check it out:

While browsing in Altar’d State, I noticed a dress in the gingham and floral pattern of my new top and wasn’t crazy about it because it was just too much. I really wasn’t expecting to want to try the kerchief top on when I saw it tucked away on a hanging rack but I thought that it would be nice and cool in the summer and I loved the tie back. I don’t get to show off the tattoos on my back very often and I knew this top would display all of them nicely so I added it to my try on pile.

Originally, I didn’t have high hopes for my new top because I feared that I would be too exposed in it, especially as I have a larger bust. I was truly surprised when I liked it so much but there are so many reasons why this top works so well. Let’s start with the front of the shirt and its fit. The length of the material in the front actually shows no part of your stomach to leave a little something to the imagination! I was worried that the fabric might cling in an unflattering way but it hugged my body without feeling tight and that made me feel really comfortable, even as a bustier gal.

Another fear that I had, despite wanting to display my tattoos on my back, is if the tie back would leave me feeling too bare. However, the ties are long enough that you can make a nice, big bow which covered up the middle of my back almost completely, only leaving the top and bottom of my back exposed. After realizing everything that my kerchief top had working for it, all of my worries dissipated and I knew that it was coming home with me.

Like I said, I was proud of myself for even giving this top a try and the confidence boost that it gave me in the fitting room is how all clothing should make you feel. I loved the way that I looked in my top and it was exciting to have something so different work so perfectly. I couldn’t wait to get home to show it to Johnny and I am itching to wear my purchase during our next date day!

What is a piece of clothing that makes you feel confident? How are you upgrading your summer wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May26

Altar’d State Haul

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Altar’d State Haul

Hi!! I had to run to Summit Mall this past week to pick up a few odds and ends, which was my first visit to the mall since before the pandemic. I finally upped my summer wardrobe game and I would say my outing was hugely successful – primarily in the new(ish) store, Altar’d State. I really had no intention of stopping in the store, but the window displays were just so cute that I had to pop in and see what I could find.

The question is, what didn’t I find? I walked out of Altar’d State with a new dress, two tops, and two skirts and I have every intention of shopping there again. If not in store, then definitely online as I now know my sizes there. I can’t wait to show all of you the purchases from my haul and there is no better place to start than with my favorite find. Let’s get to it:

Upon entering Altar’d State, the first thing that I noticed was this adorable lavender skirt and top set and I just had to try it on. I am usually not one for matching sets but this one spoke to me and I thought it would be so sweet whether paired or mixed and matched this summer. Originally, I only tried the skirt on because I wasn’t sure about the color but as soon as I slipped it on, I had to ask one of the darling employees to bring me the top too because I fell in love immediately. 

What I like the most about this matching set is that, despite it being form fitting, it manages to not look overly sexy because of the pastel hue and floral pattern. The skirt also sat high enough on my waist that not a lot of stomach could be seen even with the cropped top. This made me feel completely comfortable as only my arms and legs from the knee down were exposed and I have never felt more like Cher from Clueless than in the dressing room of Altar’d State!

I know for a fact that this set will be one of my go to summer outfits and it felt awesome to try and buy something that I had never worn anything like before. As soon as I left the mall, I called my sister asking when she can go back to Summit Mall with me because I could have stayed there shopping all day. I have been looking forward to shopping for so long throughout the pandemic and being able to treat myself to lots of pretty new clothes made the long wait one hundred and fifty percent worth it. ❤

What are your summer wardrobe must haves? How do you rock a paired set outfit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May22

Buyer Beware!

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Buyer Beware!

Hi! Whether it’s a good or bad review, I like to be completely honest about my opinions or experiences with my readers. You might remember a previous post of mine gabbing about Wildly Untamed Boutique and how pleased I was with their customer service as I ordered heels from there for my wedding. While I still stand by that, I have to retract a statement I made saying that I would order from there again because that has been proven false since my last post.

Unfortunately, the heels I ordered were too big so I contacted Wildly Untamed Boutique’s customer service and asked to exchange them for a smaller pair. Knowing that it takes about three or so days to hear back from them, I ordered the size down so that the heels would arrive in ample time for my wedding. Customer service acknowledged that and I waited patiently for an update after the distributor was contacted.

I was instructed to ship the too large pair back and a shipping label to China was sent to me. I live in Ohio in the USA and my naive self thought “it can’t cost that much to ship back”. So, you could imagine my surprise when an employee from the UPS Store told me that it would cost several hundred dollars to ship the one hundred fifteen dollar pair of shoes back. Either way in this scenario, I would be losing money.

As soon as I returned home, I emailed customer service again and asked if there was any other location that I could ship to because of exorbitant shipping fees. I also recalled that the shoes arrived with a printed shipping address in the USA, not in China (which I have saved). I was told that they had no other locations in the email back, so now I am essentially out two hundred thirty dollars.

Two hundred thirty? Yes. Because not only did I not have the option to return the too big pair of shoes, they did not have my size in the color that I wanted. I ordered a lesser loved color because I needed something that fit. However, that didn’t stop me from searching for the heels in the color that I wanted elsewhere online a few days later. And guess what? I found them on the actual brand’s website for FORTY BUCKS. That’s a marked up price on Wildly Untamed Boutique of seventy-five dollars!!!!!!

If this review doesn’t turn you off completely from shopping with Wildly Untamed Boutique, then I would recommend using caution when purchasing with them. If your order needs returned, chances are, the shipping fees will be more expensive than what you originally spent. They also, obviously, mark up their selection A LOT so you could almost certainly find what you want for cheaper elsewhere. Very disappointing.

Have you ever had a similar situation with online shopping? What did you do to remedy it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May20

Target Run

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Target Run

Hello! I have not been in a store just to browse since the beginning of the pandemic and you guys have no idea how much I have missed it. For a while, I was only going grocery shopping and I stopped doing that a few months ago, opting for curbside delivery instead. Now that I am fully vaccinated, I feel much more comfortable running errands so when my sister texted me last Saturday morning asking if I wanted to go on a Target Run, I couldn’t say no!

Kristen picked me up with my niece, Valerie, and I was so excited because Target is Val’s favorite store and I have never been there with her. Such good taste at just two years old! It seems so simple but that small outing that lasted a little over an hour was enough to make me insanely happy. It was, finally, a warm spring day in Ohio and driving in the car with Kristen and Val with the sun shining and music playing on the way to Target felt like the first semblance of normal I’ve had in a long time.

I am just as surprised as all of you that my first window shopping trip in over a year wasn’t to TJMaxx but Target is a close second and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We even ran into Jared’s really quickly after our Target trip so I could check on the progress of my wedding band and it is looking amazing. Kristen and I are planning on doing another shopping excursion soon because we are both in need of new summer clothes and I can’t wait. Here’s to many more safe outings all summer! ❤

What have you missed the most during the pandemic? Which store is your happy place? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May8

The Tiniest T-Shirt

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The Tiniest T-Shirt

Hello! Johnny and I had SO much fun online shopping for our wedding outfits and we cannot wait for our big day! Of course, our shopping wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t find a rock n’ roll inspired outfit for our niece and little flower girl, Valerie, and her TT went all out for it. Thanks to the Etsy shop, Pinehart, I was able to order her the tiniest Rolling Stones T-shirt which I was having a lot of difficulty finding. The Rolling Stones is Johnny’s favorite band and we had to have Miss Val represent! Check it out:

^^^ Is that not the cutest thing you’ve seen in your life?!

Pinehart had an amazing selection of shirts and patterns to pick from in sizes ranging from infants all the way up to men’s and women’s. In fact, Johnny is so jealous of his niece’s new shirt that I’m going to have to order one for him too! I was highly impressed with the quality of this little T-shirt as the material is thick and sturdy and I have no fear of the logo peeling off, either. It is printed on there so well and that was a concern of mine because we all have had an experience where a logo on a shirt seems to be crackly or flimsy enough that you could just take it off yourself.

I paid under twenty dollars for this tiny top and I considered it such a steal. Pinehart even sent me a coupon for ten percent off all of my future purchases which is so generous and much appreciated because I plan on being a repeat customer so Johnny can get another Rolling Stones T-shirt to add to his massive collection. I swear, he could wear a different Rolling Stones T every day of the week!

Prior to being engaged, I have never really shopped on Etsy before and have now made several purchases through the site. I have been blown away by the quality, prices, and fast shipping of all of my orders and am looking forward to finding even more favorite Etsy shops in the future. 😀

What is your favorite Etsy shop? If you have an Etsy shop, feel free to leave your link in the comments too. I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May3

Lil Red Loves… Wedding Online Shopping

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Lil Red Loves… Wedding Online Shopping

Hi everyone! All of my purchases for my wedding OOTD were done online and I have been so impressed with everything. It is also such fun to have gifts from me to me show up in the mail several times a week, lol. While I won’t be giving away any details about my look for my wedding in this post, I will be commending all of the wonderful websites and Etsy shops that I bought through. Let’s get to it:

VermeerJewelry:

My engagement ring was purchased from the Etsy shop, VermeerJewelry, and I am continuously blown away every time I look at my hand! I have never seen a more perfect ring in all of my life and the craftsmanship of the carved pearl and sterling silver band is nothing short of breathtaking. The ring arrived quickly and was affordable while still being drop dead beautiful. I would happily purchase from this Etsy shop again… In fact, there are a few pieces that I have my eye on! Highly recommend.

Momaeker:

My wedding veil from the Etsy shop, Momaeker, arrived recently and it is stunning! I felt like a blushing bride just from slipping it on momentarily while I was in leggings and a T-shirt. The veil is like nothing I have ever seen before and I think the same will go for a lot of people! My purchase was made and shipped promptly, which was much appreciated and I think any bride to be would be lucky to wear one of Momaeker’s fabulous creations.

Wildly Untamed Boutique:

If you have been keeping up to date on my blog, then you will know that I am obsessed with Wildly Untamed Boutique and their AMAZING customer service. Shockingly, it took me a decent amount of time to find the perfect pair of wedding heels but once I saw my incredibly unique purchase on Wildly Untamed Boutique, I knew I had to look no further. Saying that my heels are different is a severe understatement and I definitely plan on shopping with Wildly Untamed Boutique again. You just can’t beat their crazy cool selection and the help from customer service if needed.

EricDress:

The wedding dress that I ordered through EricDress is the first and only wedding dress I have ever tried on and it is so beautiful. As we all know, a traditional wedding dress is just not for Lil Red and my custom order was made quickly according to my measurements and arrived with ample time to make some necessary tweaks. Their selection is also really affordable. I can picture myself shopping with EricDress for my next special occasion and have a feeling that my reception dress will be ordered from there!

When it comes to our wedding apparel, Johnny and I both wanted pieces that make a statement without breaking the bank. I truly believe I found that from each of the sites I bought through and give all four of the above the Lil Red Stamp Of Approval. I cannot wait for my big day so I can finally show everything off. 🙂

What is your favorite Etsy shop? Can you guess what I purchased through any of the above websites? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May2

NiiDor Adhesive Strapless Bra Review

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NiiDor Adhesive Strapless Bra Review

Hi! My wedding dress boasts a beautiful open back and while I am so excited to show off all of my tattoos, I must admit that it was a bit of a struggle finding an adhesive bra that worked for me. In fact, I almost had the dress customized to close up the back so I could wear a bra comfortably because I need the extra support. The back was just too pretty to make that sacrifice, though! After looking over countless “best adhesive bra” lists online, I settled for the well reviewed NiiDor Adhesive Strapless Bra that I purchased on Amazon:

While I am, overall, pretty impressed with this adhesive bra, I feel like it’s important to review it honestly so you don’t run into any of the issues I had if you are on the market for a backless bra. Before placing my NiiDor order, I read through a plethora of Amazon reviews and the resounding theme was that the adhesive bra fit true to size. However, this was simply not the case for me by a long shot.

I ordered the Niidor bra in my actual size and one size up and, to my surprise, both of them were too small and I had to return them and reorder it in two sizes up. The one size up did fit better but it wasn’t big enough to provide the lift that I desired for the “charming cleavage” that the box promises. The two sizes up was a much more comfortable fit but my fear is that the lift will loosen up after a few hours of wear. To help with that issue, I ordered some nipple pasties that not only provide additional coverage but extra lift with transparent tape.

I am sure that there are many occasions when the NiiDor adhesive bra fit someone perfectly but I definitely encourage buying an additional bra in a size up – especially if you need it for an event. I am just glad that I ordered these bras a good amount of time before my wedding so I had the option for trial and error!

What is the best adhesive bra you have tried? What are your experiences with the NiiDor bra if you have used it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May1

We Went To Jared’s

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We Went To Jared’s

Hi! This past Saturday, Johnny and I had a fabulous date day which resulted in picking out my custom wedding band at Jared’s. After getting engaged, I took my ring to Jared’s to get resized and they did an excellent job so I was very excited to go back to see what they could do for my wedding band. I was happy to see all of the wonderful employees who helped me previously at the store that day and Johnny and I left feeling confident and simply ecstatic on our purchase.

Johnny has had his wedding band for a while now and prior to our morning at Jared’s, I spent a decent amount of time coming up with a price point in my head that I was comfortable with. While what I originally had in mind was way over budget, the employees rallied together to help come up with a customized ring that was similar to what I wanted and was within my price point. They were so respectful about not trying to upsell me and I really appreciated that because when it comes to the jewelry business, pushing for a more extravagant purchase is usually the name of the game.

My wedding band will boast rubies and black diamonds which was the most important thing to me and the shape of the rocks are so unique too! I just know it will look perfect with my engagement ring and I cannot wait to pick it up later in May!

After wedding band shopping, Johnny and I headed to my mom and dad’s place to hang out with our little niece, play some games, and watch an episode of the Ken Burns baseball documentary that I got my dad for his birthday. We spent the entire afternoon there and decided to end our day by participating in Dry Ice Saturday at the Cashmere Cricket, our favorite bar.

Unfortunately, The Cricket was jam packed so we went to the Ohio Brewing Company where I had my first Moscow Mule in over a year and a half! I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had a Mule in so long or the drink I got from the OBC was really that good but it was seriously the best Moscow Mule I’ve ever had. Once we were done at the bar, we returned to our apartment to play Trivial Pursuit and Super Smash Bros and had a blast.

These last few weeks have been extremely stressful for me and my date day with my fiance was just what I needed to help get myself back to baseline. It was a perfect day of ring shopping, family time, and video games and, as always, it’s very exciting to cross one more thing off of our wedding checklist. I cannot wait to get married! ❤

What is your favorite gemstone? What is an ideal date day for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr27

Accessory Story: Little Red Riding Hood Pin Edition

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Accessory Story: Little Red Riding Hood Pin Edition

Hello! Have you ever ordered something online and realized after the fact that you forgot to put in a coupon code? It is the literal worst and as a seasoned online shopper, I am ashamed to say that that is exactly what happened to yours truly when I ordered my wedding heels. While making my purchase on Wildly Untamed Boutique I was so excited that I didn’t even realize the website was running a ten percent off promotion and didn’t find out until a few hours later when I just had to see my shoes again.

I reached out to Wildly Untamed Boutique’s customer service to see if there was anything that they could do since it was so shortly after the order was placed. I wasn’t expecting much because it was my mistake and I would have completely understood. So, imagine my surprise and total appreciation when they offered me a free item because the price couldn’t be adjusted!

I got to choose between a pair of stud earrings or a Little Red Riding Hood inspired pin. While the lipstick kiss studs were adorable, I much prefer dangly earrings and went with this super unique brooch, instead. I’m obsessed!

I am not a stud earring wearer and I’m actually not a pin wearer, either. However, this fairy tale themed brooch was just way too cool to pass up. I have never seen anything like it before and am already picturing all of the different ways to incorporate it into my outfits. This pin definitely makes a statement and is a wonderful tip of the cap to my love of the slightly macabre.

I had never heard of Wildly Untamed Boutique before until their ads began appearing on my Facebook newsfeed. I always remember being tempted by all of the beautiful clothes and shoes and have many a screenshot saved for potential future purchases. After a long time of window shopping, I decided to check their site out while wedding shoe shopping and I am so glad I did!

Not only was Wildly Untamed Boutique’s customer service impeccable but their selection will leave you with a wish list a mile long. I know for a fact that my wedding heels will not be the last purchase I make on their site and, in the meantime, I will be pinning my brooch to all of the button downs and light jackets this spring. 🙂

What is your favorite fairy tale? What is the best or worst customer service you have had? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah