Tag Archives: style

New Target Dress

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New Target Dress

Hiii everyone and happy Tuesday! This past weekend I did a little shopping to beat the winter blahs of January away and I ended up with a super cute new dress from Target. As I entered the store, I was so happy to see that they had their spring clothing on display. The winter weather in Ohio has been unusually, freakishly mild this year – we’re talking weather in the 50s and 60s. So, needless to say, I have definitely been thinking spring! I am a bit sad that I haven’t gotten to make use out of all of my gorgeous cold weather clothing but I can’t complain about this warm streak of weather when Ohio winters are usually bitter cold.

Not only did the spring style temps inspire me to buy myself something pretty but I also got my new dress to spice up my work wardrobe. I have grown weary of wearing the same pants and a blazer during the days when I’m bopping around visiting different day programs and group homes so I thought some fun new dresses would be a perfect way to go. For work, I always enjoy pairing up a dress with some tall riding boots and tights to create a look that is posh and profesh rather than too revealing. Take a look at my newest work and play wardrobe addition:

What I love the most about this dress is the shape and, of course, the color! Mustard yellow is one of those colors that happens to look really good on me thanks to the pasty pale skin and red hair so whenever I see something cute in this color, I always have to try it on! I love the base color of this dress but I also think that the periwinkle blue, cream, and pink floral pattern looks gorgeous over top of it. This dress reminds me a bit of my all time favorite dress from Urban Outfitters but I think that it is so darling that I don’t even care!

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The other fantastic thing about my new dress is the shape. It looks like a seriously seventies style frock and I think that it’s just perfect. The buttons down the front add some edge while the fluttering, flowy sleeves add a sweet touch of 1970s glam. I can’t wait to pair this dress with my tan knee high riding boots for work and then ditching the boots for my pair of BCBGeneration cut out heels for play as seen below:

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If you have spring on your mind and are getting winter cabin fever, then you better head to Target and get your shop on. Their spring collection is filled with pretty frocks, kimono tops, and a whole lot of girly fun!

How do you rock a business casual work outfit? What clothing items are you most looking forward to wearing when the warm weather finally hits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Normal House, One Of A Kind Home: How To Make Your Home Truly Unique

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Normal House, One Of A Kind Home: How To Make Your Home Truly Unique

Your home should be a reflection of who you are. The problem with houses, however, is that many of them can be pretty similar despite how unique all of us are. But what if you started thinking about your home differently? Sure, unless you want to get started on some serious renovation work, the basic shape of your home is going to stay the same, but that’s where your limitations end. In many ways, the only limit to what you can do with your home is how far your imagination can stretch. How willing are you to break away from tradition and try something really different? If that sounds like your kind of thing then here are a few simple but daring ways that you can make your home as unique as possible.

Rethink What “Lighting” Means: Far too many people take lighting for granted. It’s such a central and important element to your home that it doesn’t make sense to start messing around with it, right? Wrong! There are plenty of exciting and interesting ways to bring light into your home without having to stick with the same boring old ideas. Scrap the lamps and try using some LED tape to light your home. With LED tape you can light areas of your home that you might never have even considered such as along the stairs or inside your bookcases. Not only that, but often the tape itself is completely hidden so that no one would know that it was there until you suddenly filled the room with light.

Don’t Take the Obvious Layouts: A lot of the time you walk into a room and the obvious way to lay it out is right there in front of you. But hold on a second! Before you decide to do things the same way as everyone else, ask yourself if there isn’t a more interesting option. Look at the light sources in the room, think about the way it flows into other parts of the house, and ask yourself what would be the most enjoyable layout for you personally. You might find yourself going for something pretty unusual, but if it works for you, then that’s the most important thing. It’s your house after all!

Break the Rules: There are entire books written on the rules of interior design. We all have lists in our heads of things that we should and shouldn’t ever do. You know what the best thing to do with those rules is? Throw them out of the window! This is your home so if you want big, bold patterns, then go for it! Make your home as open and spacious or snug and cozy as you want. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you what you can and can’t do in your own home. Once you break free of that idea, you’ll be able to turn your home into somewhere truly one of a kind.

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Pinup Girl Style Swap

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Pinup Girl Style Swap

Hi everyone and happy weekend!! My dear friend, Carlie, and I decided that it would be super fun to do a style swap themed blog post – and of course we were right! During our communications via email we each assigned each other a style that we might not dress in on a regular day. If you’ve seen Carlie’s blog before, you’ll know that she is the epitome of pinup girl rocker chic and that is something that I am so not! Knowing this, I thought that it would be a friendly challenge to give Carlie the task of creating a preppy look while she assigned me with styling a pinup girl OOTD.

Quite honestly, I know nothing about pinup girl and rockabilly style so I had to turn to good ol’ Google Images to assist me with my challenge. After scouring the pics for a while, I noticed a common theme of cute curls and sassy updos, tied at the waist plaids, flirty dresses, and bustier tops. Unfortunately, I don’t really have any dresses or tops in my wardrobe that give a super accentuated cleavage while providing a tiny waist line because I’m just not comfortable with that, so I had to think outside of the box. Here’s what I came up with:

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What I Wore:

  • Checkered Top: Hollister, GoodWill – $4
  • Black Shorts: So…, Kohl’s – $12
  • Color Blocked Kitten Heels: Calico, GoodWill – $6
  • Daisy Earrings: Forever 21 – $4

I’m going to keep it real with you guys –  some of the pieces in this outfit are like six years old haha I’ve had my GoodWill Hollister top and Calico heels for ages. But it felt good to be able to style such a cute and sassy look for under thirty dollars with some oldie but goodie wardrobe essentials.

However, I knew that just an adorbs outfit wasn’t going to be enough because in pinup girl fashion, there seemed to be a huge emphasis on hair. I rarely ever make an effort at curling my hair because it’s simply a matter of preference – I love when my hair is pin straight. I knew my curls wouldn’t be perfect because I have no practice doing it, but I gave it a go anyways with my flat iron and surprisingly loved the way it turned out. I felt like my effort looked like an ode to pinup girl style without being super obvious and I even felt encouraged to wear my hair like that again in the future. And, of course, pinup girls wouldn’t be pinup girls without a cherry red lip so I broke out my tried and true NYX True Red matte lippie to complete the look.

Finally, it was picture time! In all of the pictures that I studied to give me some pinup girl inspiration, I noticed that there were a lot of specific poses that seemed to be used constantly. Popped legs, bent knees with your hands on your thighs, and a booty tooch with an arched back for starters. So, I practiced in the mirror and then had my dad who is super handy with a camera snap away.

After three or so minutes, I took a look at the pics and was SO happy with the results. After seeing the look come together in the photos, I felt like it was easy to recognize what style I was emulating while stilling giving it a fun Lil Red twist. I was going for a more modern pinup girl look and I hate to toot my own horn – but I think I nailed it!

So now, the question is: Would I wear a pinup girl style look again? I can’t say that this would be an every day look for me but it was fun to change things up. I can see myself wearing an outfit like this during the summertime while going to the pool or browsing around my favorite outdoor shopping mall. However, I think that I would try to tone the look down depending on where I was by throwing on a pair of combat boots or an edgier heel so the look wasn’t so cutesy because I am a punk girl at heart!

So there you have it, my Pinup Girl Style Swap! Make sure to check out Carlie’s preppy look transformation, too! How would you describe your style? What type of style or clothing do you rarely find yourself wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series

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Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series

I’m still looking for some fabulous guest bloggers for this series! 🙂

lifewithlilred's avatarlifewithlilred

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a fab week so far. So during the past few months I really wanted to host a holiday themed guest bloggers series but I was so busy with graduation stuff that I didn’t get the chance. Now that the holidays are long gone and the winter blues are starting to kick in, I thought that now would be a perfect time for a series that celebrates all things spring. So break out the pastels and florals and apply some sweet peach blush to your cheeks and show me your best spring styles!

If you are interested in participating, shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com with some ideas for a guest post and we’ll pick which one works best. I’d love to be able to publish the series during the first week of February. Looking forward to hearing from all of…

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Nasty Gal Purchases & Review

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Nasty Gal Purchases & Review

Hi everyone and TGIF!! I hope you all have some fun and exciting plans lined up for the weekend! During my graduation ceremony evening, I was chatting with the girl beside me about online shopping because she complimented my heels and we got to talking about ModCloth which is where they were from. She told me how much she liked the site Nasty Gal so I figured that I would take a look at some point because I could tell that she had great taste.

A week or so later, I decided to take a look see and, for the most part, really liked what I saw – asides from the super sexy pieces which just aren’t me in the slightest. I liked the edgy, glam looks and although the prices were kind of steep, they had a great sale section to browse through which I was thankful for! After a look over of the website, I ended up with two moto jackets. One was funded by my mom for Christmas (thanks, mommy!) and the other was a total treat yoself piece that I planned on using my graduation cash to purchase. Take a look:

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First of all, let me start with what I liked about Nasty Gal before I delve into some of the not so great stuff. As a first time shopper, I ultimately ended up happy but there are some things that I need to bear in mind if I purchase from them again.

What I Liked:

The Clothing Itself: Both jackets that I received are simply to die for. I love both jackets and I think that they were well worth the price. I have been looking for a super cool black moto jacket for a long time and I finally found it in the patched back jacket featured first. And, of course, the olive green butterfly patched moto jacket was so sweet that I couldn’t not get that one, too! I have received endless compliments on both of them already and I’ve had them for about three days total. I also love that these are pieces that not everyone is going to have which makes them even more special to me.

The Customer Service (Kind Of): When I first received my black moto jacket, one of the patches on the back was nearly falling off. Instantly, I ran to the laptop and pulled up a chat with a Nasty Gal agent to ask how to go about receiving a damaged item. She told me to take pictures of the damage and then send it on over via email. I quickly snapped some pics and emailed them over and then waited anxiously to see what they say so I could get a replacement which I was super keen on because I loved the item.

About two and a half hours went by and I heard back nada which I thought was weird because someone was able to chat with me so quickly. So, I decided to just bite the bullet and call them and after seeking them out they addressed the problem. I was told that I would receive store credit to purchase a new one as soon as they got the notification of my return and was provided with a shipping label and a free shipping code to rebuy the jacket.

I was so pleased and figured that my credit should be on my account the following day after I dropped off the UPS package. Four days went by and I heard nothing and at this point the jacket was marked “low inventory”. I was annoyed, for one, and also worried that my coat would be sold out by the time that my credit was applied. Once more, I pulled up a chat and told the agent the problem and then it got fixed promptly.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that their customer service is good if you seek them out but I genuinely feel like if I didn’t, my problems still wouldn’t have been solved. I have always had online shopping experiences where issues were solved quickly after they got word of it so actually having to seek out the help that I needed again after no initial reply was very off putting.

What I Didn’t Like:

THE SIZES: If you plan on shopping at Nasty Gal and are reading this, please heed my warning when I say: DO NOT TRUST THEIR SIZE GUIDE. Their sizes seem to run one size to a size and a half smaller than what they say. Let me explain – I fit very comfortably into a size small eighty percent of the time and an extra small the other twenty percent. And according to their size guide I would be a perfect small but that simply wasn’t the case.

I originally purchased my black moto jacket in a small and my butterfly one in a medium because I read that it fit tightly in the comment section. Had I known that the black patched jacket was going to be some Baby Gap size in a small, I would have purchased the medium first. The small was tight and it was just strange to me because their size guide said that a small would be just right, like it normally is. I didn’t even think to size up in it because I was so confident that the small would be great because I was nowhere close to a medium according to their guide.

Frankly, if I order from them again, I plan on just sizing up in everything and not even acknowledging their guide because it is so skewed. It wasn’t until after I placed my order that I Googled Nasty Gal reviews and saw that literally everyone said that their sizes were jacked up! This was admittedly my bad, I should have done this before placing my order but it was still annoying just the same to have a size guide be so very misleading.

Don’t get me wrong, I am, in the end, really happy with my purchases BUT unless I see something there that is absolutely to die for, then I don’t plan on shopping Nasty Gal again. Originally, I thought that it could possibly replace ModCloth for me but, let’s be real, that wasn’t ever going to happen anyways.

My advice for people who plan on shopping there is to be very careful of their sizes, read the online reviews (there are a TON), and continuously seek out their customer service if you have a problem because I don’t think that they have any intentions of accommodating you otherwise.

So there you have it, my Nasty Gal Purchases & Review! Has anyone ever shopping Nasty Gal before? What did you think? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series

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Think Spring Guest Bloggers Series

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a fab week so far. So during the past few months I really wanted to host a holiday themed guest bloggers series but I was so busy with graduation stuff that I didn’t get the chance. Now that the holidays are long gone and the winter blues are starting to kick in, I thought that now would be a perfect time for a series that celebrates all things spring. So break out the pastels and florals and apply some sweet peach blush to your cheeks and show me your best spring styles!

If you are interested in participating, shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com with some ideas for a guest post and we’ll pick which one works best. I’d love to be able to publish the series during the first week of February. Looking forward to hearing from all of you! -Sarah

Winter Fashion Ideas To Style You Through Till Spring

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Winter fashion can often be a time of the year where you play it safe with your wardrobe choices. Opting for comfort and warmth over style, and I totally understand that. After all, with freezing temperatures who wouldn’t want to remain warm and cozy under a big coat? But winter is an excellent time of year to take your style efforts to a new level, embracing accessories and other wonderful items you just can’t get away with in the summer months. In this post are some of the best winter fashion ideas to style you right through till Spring while keeping you warm and chic:

Embrace the Bobble Hat: The bobble hat is making a comeback and for those not in the know, it is a knitted hat with a pom-pom on the end. They look very cute and wintery! You may be thinking that you don’t suit hats but I think anyone can pull off this winter essential. On a different note, they are perfect for disguising bad hair days and still help you to look stylish. Above all else they keep your head and ears warm, so they are definitely a must for you to add into your winter wardrobe. There are some subtle combinations in black or gray or you could go for something bright with a crazy colored pom-pom. The choice is yours and they are widely available everywhere. Buy a few for some variety and hit the streets with the cutest hat and warmest ears around!

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Show Off Wrist Accessories: Much of you is covered up in the winter and, of course, for a good reason with plummeting temperatures. But your wrist is one area that you can still rock the accessories. Invest in a new watch or some fabulous bling bracelets to enhance your winter outfit. You could also browse for pre loved jewelry or second hand Audemars Piguet watches to be budget friendly. Antique and thrift stores are a fabulous resource for finding accessories at a lower cost. As a bonus, you will be hard pressed to find someone with the exact same watch or jewelry as you! A new trend is the wooden watch, giving your outfit a sense of uniqueness while embracing the season we are in. Look online to find out the best wooden watches around. Layer bracelets and watches over a long sleeved shirt to show off your best accessories!

Enjoy the Cozy Knit: No winter would be complete without the cozy knit jumper. You may have been embracing your festive spirit with patterned Christmas knits, but you can still rock the style right through till Spring. Just choose a plain design or something more neutral, rather than the usual festive fair isle pattern!

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So cute!

Skinny Jeans and Boots are a Match Made in Heaven: Skinny jeans and boots are definitely a combination made for the winter. Whether you prefer to wear ankle or knee high boots, teaming them with a pair of well-fitted skinny jeans means that no matter what else you wear, you will look stylish and winter ready in one fail swoop. Teaming this with an oversized knit is the ultimate winter outfit, for sure!

Make Your Coat a Statement Piece: Finally, you are going to need to wrap up in an adorable coat to tackle the weather. But, if you do, make sure you choose a statement piece that is timeless. A well-fitted wool coat always looks smart or you might choose to layer a chunky sweater over a sweet fall peacoat. Just make sure to have a waterproof jacket on standby for those severe rainy, snowy, sleety days where the wet goes right through you.

No matter the weather this winter, you will be sure to look super chic and stay warm with some of these tips! What is your must have cold weather clothing item? What is your favorite cold weather coat that you own? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Selfie Spam

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Selfie Spam

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Thanks to a fun post Christmas shopping trip to the mall and a shopping spree for my graduation, I wound up with an outfit this week that I was really feeling. This past Tuesday, I unleashed my inner David Bowie with a bright red pompadour (complete with hair glitter), a chic pair of velvet skinnies, and a faux fur jacket that screamed rock n’ roll glam. And, finally, my signature red lip to top it off! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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Excuse the Selfie Spam, but there is something about walking around in an outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks that cost you less than one hundred that feels SO. DAMN. GOOD. I felt like rock royalty while running every day errands and then going out to dinner with my family and it was definitely something that I could get used to! I feel like this look would have made one of my idols, David Bowie, proud and I was able to fall in love with fashion all over again with just one killer outfit.

Not only was I in love with the clothing itself that I was wearing but I was really proud of my pompadour! I stopped attempting fun hair styles on myself long ago but with the outfit that I had in mind, I would be damned if I didn’t at least give a glam updo the old college try. Thanks to beaucoup hair spray and an all over dusting of gold hair glitter, I was left with a look that stood out and totally sparkled. Now that I know that I can actually do some of the hair styles that I would normally leave to my hair dresser, I can’t wait to experiment with my hair more. Score!

Some days you just feel like getting yourself dolled up and taking selfies until you’re literally sick of yourself. I admit that I’ve been lacking on my selfie game both on here and on social media so my dress up day felt like the perfect opportunity to get some fierce new pics onto the interwebs. I am so happy that I took some pictures that I actually like because, I have to say, it was exhausting! I genuinely don’t understand how some people take selfies every day that always look good. Luckily, now that I have a few newbies up, I can take a selfie break so don’t expect any more from your girl Lil Red for a good long while! 😉

So there you have it, some Selfie Spam for you to feast your eyes on! What are some of your selfie taking tips? What is your favorite filter? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Post Christmas Shopping

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Post Christmas Shopping

Hi everyone and happy hump day! I hope all of you are having a fabulous week so far. The day after Christmas, my mom and I ventured to the mall to make some returns and do a little shopping. It was actually not as crazy as I expected it to be and thanks to some gift cards and holiday cash, I was able to add two fun new things to my wardrobe. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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The Haul:

  • Forever 21 cropped rainbow sweater
  • Loft velvet skinny jeans

F21 Sweater: I lucked out this Christmas and ended up getting some gift cards to Forever 21 which is easily one of my favorite stores. I think that this sweater is the cutest and it was only twenty dollars which, in my opinion, was a steal. My mom and I went shopping at just the right time because I snagged the only small that was left among a bunch of larges! GREAT SUCCESS. I am actually wearing my new sweater along with my velvet skinnies from Loft at this very moment and it looks adorable! Pictures will definitely be up some time this week so stay tuned! 🙂

Loft Jeans: First of all, Loft literally has the best skinny jeans that I have ever worn, so I was so happy to score another pair that was marked all the way down to twenty-seven bucks from seventy! Second of all, I have had a love/hate relationship with the velvet trend that has been so popular as of late. I love some of the velveteen pieces that I’ve seen but I hate that none of them speak to me on a personal level! But, black velvet skinnies are definitely something that I can do since you guys all know that black skinnies are all I wear. Not only is the fit of the Loft skinny jeans superb but the velvet adds a fun new texture to every outfit and I am loving them with my Forever 21 rainbow sweater! ❤

After a tiny post Christmas shopping haul, it’s now time to save my money and store away my Forever 21 gift cards until spring to add to my warm weather wardrobe. However, this is going to be SO HARD considering my email inbox is legitimately overflowing with sale notifications from all of my favorite stores! GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!!

So there you have it, my Post Christmas Shopping! Has anyone scored some amazing after holiday deals? Where is the best place to get the best price after the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

TJMaxx Graduation Shopping Spree

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TJMaxx Graduation Shopping Spree

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! This is my college graduation week, so last Friday I decided to go on an online TJMaxx Shopping Spree to celebrate. Like a woman possessed, I rampaged the website just as I would do in store and wound up with a new coat, two pairs of shoes, and a face wash from my new favorite beauty brand. I am seriously in love with everything and seriously impressed with the shipping compliments of TJs. Take a look at my haul and let’s discuss:

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The Haul:

  • L.A.M.B. metallic booties
  • YOKI denim booties
  • June & Hudson jacket
  • Destiny Boutique face wash

L.A.M.B. Booties: Okay, so usually I am so not one to go gaga over designers but I seriously love Gwen Stefani’s line. Honestly, I just love all things Gwen Stefani period. Her style and confidence inspires me so I was so happy to finally be able to find something from her line at a price that I could actually afford (As opposed to my usual lusting over her brand from afar).

These shoes are so beautiful to me. I have been looking for metallic shoes for a while and these go above and beyond what I was imagining. Not to mention that these babies utilize my favorite pattern – snakeskin! I can’t wait to wear these year round with EVERYTHING. Dresses, skirts, shorts, BLACK SKINNY JEANS…because they are all I wear, you know.

**And did you guys notice the black, draw string bag in the picture? That came FO FREE in the shoe box! Score!!

YOKI Booties: THESE BOOTIES ARE SO CUTE!! As soon as I saw these, they went straight in my shopping cart. These funky little things look like something off of ModCloth and I got them for a mere fraction of the price – twenty-five dollars – which I thought was such a steal. These shoes are just pure fun. I love the patchwork, I love the style of the shoe, and for once I love the color of denim! I own nothing like these or the pair above, for that matter, and I am just so #blessed to be able to open my wardrobe up to them. :*)

June & Hudson Coat: Oh, come on. This thing is fun. I scored this fuzzy little number for a whole twenty dollars and you’re not going to not by a jacket at that price! Lately, I have been obsessed with all things fur and fuzz so this jacket seemed like a perfect addition to my collection. I think that this coat is ridiculous and glam and in your face. I cannot wait to wear it with a bright red lip, slicked back hair, and black lace up heels. Hello, perfect night out outfit.

Destiny Boutique Cleanser: I am currently using my charcoal beauty bar by Destiny Boutique and it is literally the best thing that has happened to my skin care routine in years. So, obviously, when I saw that TJMaxx had the liquid cleanser by my new favorite brand in stock, I had to snag it. It will take me a while to get to using it because I have a few face washes next in line but I am so looking forward to when I can break it out!

I have never purchased anything from TJMaxx’s website before and I gotta tell you guys – I was so impressed with their shipping. The box was filled with bubble wrap and you could really tell that everything was handled with care. My jacket came hung in a clear, plastic bag which I thought was a nice touch. Aside from a few bumps and bruises, the shoe boxes looked fresh and crisp.

And, most importantly, the handling of my cleanser was superb. The face wash was packed in an individual zip lock bag and there was tape around the bottle to prevent it from opening on accident. I have purchased a lot of skin care online in my day and I have never seen any company do that before with their shipping. I thought that it was amazing and I really appreciated the fact that the people handling shipping seemed to care about the products arriving to you in excellent condition. A++!!

My first online shopping experience with TJMaxx was phenomenal and I would obviously do it again in a heartbeat. However, nothing beats my in store TJs trips with my mom! But, it is reassuring to know that the store boasts an awesome website for when my mom and I might not be able to make it to the store or if we end a shopping trip empty handed…or for when I need a dose of something pretty or a splurging sesh ASAP! 🙂

My TJMaxx Graduation Shopping Spree was pure perfection and I was so happy to be able to treat myself for such an exciting occasion! What is your favorite site for online shopping? What store has the best holiday sales right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah