Dressing Up on My Caribbean Cruise with eShakti

Disclosure: I received a complimentary eShakti dress to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own.

Remember my eShakti dress from my last cruise? I still get so many compliments on it and am already counting down to summer when I can break it out again here around Boston. We're currently buried under so much snow that keeps coming down, but today I'm reflecting on our recent cruise. 

My Best Dress of the Summer by eShakti (& a Coupon Code!)

Disclosure: I received a dress from eShakti for review purposes; all opinions expressed are my own. 

If you've been following my Instagram and Facebook feeds this spring and summer there's a particular dress that keeps popping up, and it's getting quite a bit of feedback:

It's the Scalloped Blooms Voile Maxi Dress by eShakti. Haven't heard of eShakti? It's an online dress retailer that allows you to select a style you like then they customize the dress to your specific size. This was a dream come true for me as I'm an avid online shopper and while I usually have good luck with sizing there are times that I have to return items and I don't always have time (or patience) to go to a tailor, especially when I often have my kids in tow. 

On our April cruise

At the time I selected this maxi dress I was still nursing Grayson, and while my instinct told me to find a more nursing-friendly dress, I went with it anyway. I'm glad I did because he weaned soon after AND I had another fun occasion to wear it when I went on my 2nd cruise of the year with my mom. 

Here's what I like about my eShakti dress: 

• It's high quality - I was concerned that it'd be too transparent, especially with it being white, but it's double layered and the material is nicely weighted, but not too heavy. The dress is breezy which is perfect for summer weather!

• It's machine washable - When I like a clothing item I want to wear it frequently without having to run to the dry cleaners frequently; I can simply toss my maxi dress in the wash and it's fine. Also the embroidered design on the front has held up well through many washings

With Getting Gorgeous co-founder Vera Sweeney at this summer's annual event

I'm fashionable in an instant - It's so easy to throw on yoga pants and a tee each day I'm running around with the kids, but when I can slip on a dress like this one I feel glamorous without being over the top; on one occasion when I wore it Nia noticed and asked, "Mama, why are you fancy?" She really cracks me up! 

It's a conversation starter - So many women online and IRL (in real life) pepper me with questions about my eShakti dress and they're so surprised that I got it online; yes, it fits correctly (I provided my dimensions) and it's very affordable (my dress is currently on sale for $44 AND you can get a $30 credit when you sign up as a new customer!)

Although it seems like temperatures aren't cooling down any time soon (it's been consistently in the 90s here in NH!), there are still some beautiful maxi dress options to choose from that will take you into fall. Here are a few more of my favorites:

l to r: 1//2//3//4

Would you like to give eShakti a try before the summer ends? Exclusive for my readers just use this coupon code "harlemlovebirds" to get 10% OFF when you shop the site (valid from 08/19/2015 – 09/19/2015*)

*Please note:

• Code has to be entered in the ‘promotional code’ box.
• It is not case-sensitive. 
• Code can be used any number of times until the validity period. It can be clubbed with any other promotional offer, gift coupon or gift card in the same order unless explicitly specified otherwise in the offer conditions.
• This discount code is not applicable on clearance, gift cards & overstock categories.Not applicable on previous purchases

Have you heard of eShakti? Which go-to item have you been wearing this summer?

 

Lovebirds' First Family Cruise: Look Who Joined Us!

Re-entry from vacation is always hard especially when leaving 80 degree weather and returning home to this. Thankfully we had a buffer day in Baltimore yesterday coupled with a late afternoon flight so it wasn't too bad getting back. The kids went to bed only an hour past bedtime so I count that a win!  As I'm tying up loose ends and work on recapping our trip, here's a quick sneak peak of a few brands which joined us on our cruise:

Coolibar - They kept me sun safe last year in Puerto Rico and this year the kids were sun safe in an adorable Coolibar rash guard for Grayson and hoodie skirt dress for Nia!  

eShakti - Known for their dresses, eShakti also carries a variety of skirts, pants and suits. They are unique in that they can be tailored to your specific measurements in a jiffy

Nomad Clip - Its kickstarter campaign has successfully bought this charging carbiner to fruition. It connects right from your phone to a power source such as a laptop keeping you from being hunched up by an outlet or in my case, came through in a pinch when my Jackery USB cord stopped working

A huge thank you to eShakti, Coolibar and Nomad Clip for helping out during our vacation and look forward to sharing more details about each coming up!