OOTD: Fall Floral

Dress: Wet Seal clearance, $3
Sweater: Maurices clearance, $6
Sandals: Target clearance, $14

OOTD: Grandpa Sweater

Tank: Maurices via Thrift store, $2
Cardigan: Goodwill, $3.75
Skirt: Thrifted and DIYed, $2
Tights: Walmart, gift
Boots: Charlotte Russe, $13

I'm really loving my new short hair! I fell like it makes me look cute and younger. Wearing giant sweaters also probably makes me look younger. My sister made a joke about me stealing this sweater from an old man, but then she also borrowed it. So I think she's just jealous. Thanks for reading! -Zoe

Fashion: eShankti.com Review

Recently I was contacted by the website eShankti.com, who asked if I would like to receive a free item off their site as part of their Real fashion for Real people campaign. 

"Um, HECK YES!" was my response.

They have a lot of cute and classy things on their site, and that made it super hard to choose. I ended up choosing this black trench coat, and then I also placed an order for a dress, but we'll get to that later. Also they have limited amounts of each style. So they are always getting new items. That means if you like something, you better buy it quick.  

What's cool about this site is they carry all sizes, from 0-36, so you know they have your size. Also you can get your item made with your custom measurements. You get this option for free on your first order then after that it's $7.50. 

I really like the over all look and feel of the site. They have a lot of cute, quirky things that happen to be actually wearable (they have more than crop tops and disco pants). They kind of remind me of a toned down ModCloth.com.

So, the items I got are the Cotton sateen belted trench in black, because I thought it would make me feel really sophisticated to own a trench coat (also you can pretend to be a spy). I also got the Havana dress, because it looked amazing. I love how it gives you the heart shaped neckline (that every woman likes. I think.) while still having sleeves. I got them both in black because it never goes out of style.

The shipping on my dress was about $10, and it ships from India. It says on the site it will take 14 business day, but I think it was less than that. They also keep you very well updated on the status of your order.

The costumer service on eShankti is pretty great. After my first order they sent me an email with a coupon code for $25 off (the coupon code had my name in it!), and it works on already marked down items. They also send you a measuring tape with your first purchase. All these things make shopping from them a really exciting experience. Okay on to what I think about the actual clothes.           

This trench fit me almost perfectly in every way but one, the shoulders were too wide. But I fixed it with some quick sewing (scroll down to see). I don't actually think this is the company's fault, I think I just measured my shoulders wrong.
The fabric is not my favorite. It wrinkles pretty easily (I didn't iron it because my iron was not working), and attracts lint quite a bit. It's also pretty thin, so I'll wear it in the fall but this will not keep me warm in Midwest winter.
This is a very classic style of trench and it has great details and seaming. I love that it has pockets and I like the high lapel, and the buttons.
I got this jacket for free (and I'm very grateful) but the original price is about $100. I don't think this is quite worth that price.         

You can see here how I fixed the trench with some simple hand sewing.

Using the sites size guide, I easily determined that I was a size 8. When I got it, it fit perfectly in the waist, and was a great length, but the bust needed a little fixing. It's not really that it was too big, it just needed more of a curve (see how I fixed it below). If you are a little bigger chested than me, you'll probably be fine. 

This is made with a cotton fabric, so it wrinkles. It doesn't have a lining, but doesn't really need one. 

I really love this style! I wore this outfit to a funeral (hence all the black), and two women said they loved it and asked where I'd gotten it. Also two of my siblings said, and I quote, "You look very classy." So I'm not the only one.

They have a lot of cool deals and promotions on this site. When I signed up they were giving away $30 gift cards to new costumers. This dress was already on sale, so I only payed $6 for it, plus the $10 shipping. However this dress is back up to it's original price $59.95. More than I would pay, but I'm a cheapskate. I think if you really want a nice simple, classic black dress in your wardrobe, $60 is worth it.

   

I fixed the top by folding a half inch in on either side of the top, and hand stitching down.

In concision, I would (and have) recommend eShankti to others. They have a lot of cute things and great customer service. I was a bit disappointed that both pieces needed some altering, but one of the things was probably my fault. I would recommend you check out the overstocked section of the site and wait for a promotion. I hope this was a helpful review! Thanks for reading! 

Beauty: I CHOPPED MY HAIR OFF

Well, I cut my hair. Why? Because I was getting really sick of having long hair. 

Don't get me wrong, I like the way my long hair looks and I do get complements on it. But my hair is of the dry/split-end-y/thick/coarse/static/tangled type. I just didn't want to deal with it this fall/winter. Now, I did probably cut off 10 inches, and I would have donated it to Locks of Love except for the fact that my hair is not at all ideal for wigs(it's crazy dry). I donated my hair when I was 10. It was super long. It went all the way down to my elbow. My mom cut all my siblings hair when we were kids, so this was the first and last time I had my hair professionally cut. I remember the girl cutting my hair was not loving it. Ever though I was obsessively brushing my hair in the car, her weak little comb was no match. She couldn't even get it through. "I guess you didn't know you were coming in today." No, my just tangles that quickly. It literally ties it's self into knots! 

Anyway, she proceeded to tell me that I had split ends (this was the first time I had heard such a thing) and that she would have to take off extra. So she lopped off all my hair and gave my a poof-y triangle bob. I hated it, and cried myself to sleep that night. 

Long story short, no one wants my crappy straw hair. And I don't trust other people to cut my hair. But enough pity party/ first wold problems. Lets get into the hair cutting.

Keep in mind this is NOT a tutorial. That means DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! I'm not a professional but I have been cutting my own hair and the hair of everyone in my family for years (I learned from the internet). So do as I say, not as I do!     

Look at all that HUR!

I like to cut my hair when it's super wet. I sectioned it off, and cut it section by section. The key to not getting a triangle bob, is thinning shears. Google it. 

Emma, my sister, popped in for a bit.

Ya got to have an emo moment somewhere in every hair  cutting session.

And there it is. I know it may have looked quick and easy, but I spent like 2 hours doing this.

Here it is all dry and styled. I hope you've enjoyed. You can count on some new hair tutorial with this new look. Thanks for reading!

Re: Beauty Set Free, How One Dresses Makes a Difference

Recently a photo of myself was featured in the National Catholic Register for an article about modesty, entitled Beauty Set Free. (I highly recommend you click the link and read it.) The design above was done by my talented sister, Cassie, who is featured in the article along with Leah Darrow and some of my other favorite Catholic speakers. Once again, I recommend you read it.

I wrote my own little blog post on this topic back in May called The Struggles of Keeping it Classy in the Summer (Sometimes Modest is Literally Hottest). Not to shamelessly self-promote, but this is my own blog, and I recommend you read that post too. I just wrote about some practical tips, but this article goes over why you should care about modesty in the first place.

I love seeing this topic brought up on other sites and blogs, and I had a lot of fun writing my first post on the matter. I hope to do more posts on this in the future and continue striving to lead by example. But mostly I'm just thrilled to have my face on an article on a subject so important to me! I just wanted to pass this along, and I hope you do the same. Thanks for reading!

OOTD: Cool Kidz

Tank: Maurices via thrift store, $2
Sweater: Secondhand and DIYed (it got a big hole in it and I went crazy)
Shots: Walmart clearance, $1
Boots: Charlotte Russe clearance, $13
Necklace: Gift
Featuring: Pinky Toes (the crazy cat)

I was going for like an Ijustgotattackedbyawildbeastandwon sort of a look. Like Padme in Attack of the Clones. I also did kind of a 90s grunge makeup look. Perhaps a bit heavy, but I had fun with it. Hope you've enjoyed this look, and thanks for reading!

Trends I'm Liking: Midi Pencil Skirts

I've been a fan of the midi skirt trend for a while now but this summer I've discovered how much I like the pencil midi skirt. I first became aware of how great this trend is when I saw a picture of Sandra Bullock wearing the Burberry design shown above. It was a fancy/classy skirt paired with a casual graphic tee. I liked it so much I soured the internet for other designer looks doing a similar thing. Here are some of my favorites and also some of the ways I wear this trend. You can expect to see more OOTD posts staring the midi pencil skirt. Thanks for reading!

OOTD: City Blues

OOTD: Coral Crochet

OOTD: Acid Wash and Jesus Tee

OOTD: Bohemian Nautical