that one time i felt like a big-time blogger

I first entered the world of blogging when I was finishing high school/entering college. A bunch of my friends and I all got blogs around the same time, and we'd just read each other's blogs and think we were so cool. But then I fell out of the habit.

A few years later, I got married and decided to try out blogging again. I don't know how it happened, but I got looking around at blogs of people that I didn't know, and I started to learn that the blogging world is a way to connect with tons of people you don't know, as well as the ones you do know and want to share updates with. It was awesome! I also learned that the blogging world is filled with giveaways and sponsorships and such.

Some people really don't like sponsored posts, but I don't usually mind them. I often find myself reviewing products or places on my blog for no reason other than I like to tell people about good or bad experiences with certain things. (Hmm . . . maybe I'm a Maven personality--The Tipping Point, anyone?) To this point, I've never done a sponsored post, but I often talk about books, movies, restaurants, shops, blogs, and places that I recommend.

And I often read through people's sponsored posts because I like to hear what bloggers have to say about the products they're receiving. And sometimes they're pretty convincing . . . I had to go buy myself some Lindt hello chocolate because everyone was talking about it (cookies and cream was the best flavor and strawberry cheesecake the worst, in my opinion). And see? I just did it. I just reviewed a product for free because I'm always handing out reviews.

But anyway, since I'm always doing reviews for no reason, it made it kind of a big deal for me when eShakti invited me to review their product. I was so excited all day long because I felt like a big-time blogger! I've been seeing bloggers review their eShakti dresses for the past couple months, and every time I was so jealous because their dresses were so cute! But now I've finally got my very own eShakti dress!

In case you haven't heard of eShakti, let me fill you in: it's awesome. They have tons of adorable dresses (and other clothing, too), but what's even better than that is that the dresses are customizable! You can put in your measurements to get a dress that is perfectly fitted to you. For a small upcharge ($7.50), you can also change details about the dress, including length, sleeves, and neckline.

For instance, this dress that I chose originally came sleeveless. However, as a garment-wearing Mormon girl, I have to have sleeves. Luckily, this dress came with various sleeve options, and I was super excited to pick my favorite sleeve length!

Another issue with many dresses is length. I wear skirts/dresses that come to my knee or longer, again to cover garments. Sometimes it's a pain to find skirts and dresses because they are either mini-length or they are just barely too short because they're above the knee. eShakti has so many length options! This dress came as "below the knee" length, so I decided to keep it that way just to be safe. But I also had the option to switch it to "knee" length. (There are also options for above the knee, mini, midi, and maxi.)

cheeeeeeeeese! ;)

Not every dress has every option, but every dress does have some options. I found that most every dress had different length options.

My dress is awesome, and my experience was pretty great, too. I have just two issues: 1. It's true that you can put in your measurements, but you can only put in whole inches. So if I had a measurement that was 35.5, I had to decide between 35 and 36. I was worried about it being too snug, so I went on the upper end of all measurements. I guess I should have gone smaller, because it is a teensy bit big in some areas. (Though, I must add that most dresses are usually too big for me in the shoulder area anyway . . . I'm always having to alter dresses so that the neckline doesn't gape open.) But moral of the story, go on the small end of measurements.

2. eShakti dresses are expensive, plain and simple. I think the cheapest ones are about $60, which may be in your budget, but it is not in mine. I never spend more than $30 for a dress, even if it is beyond gorgeous. However, eShakti does do a lot of deals. Right now they are running a buy two get one free deal, and they always give a $25 gift coupon to first-time shoppers. And not only that, but you can use the code reallifereallove to get 10% off your order until November 28! (As many times as you want, combined with any other promotion!) After all that, you might actually be able to get some amazing $30 dresses :)

me and my dang cute photographer :)

See? I love to review . . . so much so that this post is crazy long. Congrats if you made it through! Be sure to check out eShakti! You can also visit their Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. If you get something, let me know! I'd love to see what you do to customize :)