Ten Things I Bought While Quarantined

Don't tell my mom that I'm making this post... I told her I've been doing a good job at reigning in my spending lately. It's been (unsurprisingly) very tough considering how much time I'm spending on my computer for school. We've officially been out of the physical classrooms for four weeks and there are only two weeks until finals! Even with graduation postponed until August (potentially), it's still very exciting to be so close to the finish line and tough to resist the "treat yo'self" attitude.

So without further ado, a list of the items I've treated myself with while being stuck at home!

1. Yoga blocks (sold separately!)
2. Pilates exercise ball (perfect for virtual barre classes with my local studio Bayou Barre!)
3. Two-pound weights (sold separately!)
4. Dr. Teal's Lavender Epsom Salts
5. Easter Candy
6. Father of the Bride/ Father of the Bride 2 DVD 
7. Replacement battery for my (ancient) Kindle (not pictured)
8. Needlepoint pennant project + thread (another item from the same Etsy shop linked here!)
9. Joanna Gaines' newest book, Magnolia Table, Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering (linked to one of my favorite independent bookstores... support local if you can!)
10. Lilly Pulitzer golf towel

Honorable mentions (I haven't purchased yet, but I'm so tempted):
- VCR tape player + converter to transfer all of our old home movies to digital
- An adorable Draper James pajama set
- Airpods
- A Peloton bike (I've been loving the app for yoga, HIIT, and strength classes!)

Share in the comments if you've also been online shopping while stuck at home!

Sheinside Dress Review

I fell in love with this navy J.Crew dress when Mom and I were outlet shopping at the beach.

(Truthfully, I fell in love with it a long time ago when Carly blogged about it last summer.)

Don't you hate when you seriously regret not buying something? (For me, it's that black scallop dress and this Kate Spade Bag.)

But when Dorothy blogged about her turquoise scallop dress a few weeks ago, she included a link to Sheinside, a website I had never heard of. Turns out, they had a similar looking scalloped dress on their website for a remarkably lower price than the sold-out J.Crew version.

I told my mom that if I ever saw this black dress again, I'd spend a small fortune on it. I was slightly suspicious at the practically microscopic price, but figured for $30 (shipping costs and such), it was worth a try.

Sold-out J.Crew version              Sheinside version (on sale!)

I was so excited when they came in, but unfortunately, they are too small. I thought large meant 12/14, but this large fit more like an 8/10. 

I'm just going to sell them to my friends because shipping them back to China would cost more than I paid. 

But other than being too small, they really seem like nice dresses. Not as wrinkle resistant as their high-end counterparts, but still pretty good quality. 

If you take anything away from this product review, let it be "order at your own risk". You can't be afraid to lose a little bit of cash (hopefully I can find a friend to squeeze into this one). 

As for me, I'm still on the hunt for the perfect black scallop dress! Does anyone know where I can find one that would fit my size 12/14 self??? 

Dare to Compare: J.Crew & JCPenney

Let me start this post by saying that I absolutely love looking at J.Crew's catalogs, however, I do not own a single item of clothing from there. 

I'm sure that their clothes are of very high quality, and (I hope) that their prices reflect that quality. But even with their student discount, I still can't afford to shop J.Crew yet… one day… It's not so bad, though. There isn't even a store close by. 

Anyways, I decided to write this tonight since I spent most of the day shopping at JCPenney. I absolutely love how they revamped their store to have a "higher end" feel. The main reason I went was to take advantage of their extra 25% off sale items (from now until Jan. 20). 

I realized that some of my items resembled older J.Crew items that I had seen online, but when I went to their website, all of these were sold out. Sorry if you wanted to buy the pricier ones. Maybe you could just send me the money you save? ;) 

J.Crew Citi Mini  // Joe Fresh Tartan Skirt

J.Crew Vintage Straight Jean // Joe Fresh Boyfriend Jeans

J.Crew Collection Darby Calf Hair Loafers // Cosmopolitan Marston Smoking Slippers ($10 online!)

I also bought some fun workout clothes, so maybe I'll be motivated to actually exercise this week and work on checking off #7 or #13 from the 20 before 20!