First, I am not a LuLaRoe consultant; I am not being compensated for this post. Next, if you’re unfamiliar with the LuLaRoe brand, I recommend you read my earlier LuLaRoe post.
I like maxi dresses, but I hemmed and hawed for a few months before buying an Ana dress. This was partly because at $60, it’s a little pricier than I want to pay for a dress. Second, I knew it wasn’t going to be floor length on me because I saw from photos online that it’s floor length on women who are shorter than I am. But when a friend threw a Facebook LLR party, I found an Ana dress in a pattern I liked, and I finally bought one. I’m 5’10,” and my weight is usually around 160 pounds, so I generally wear a size 8 or 10 in clothes, depending on the brand. I bought the Ana in a Medium, which is supposed to fit dress sizes 8-10.
I love the pattern, and the dress fabric is very soft and comfortable. I also like the style, but I do have two concerns about the dress:
1. You may or may not be able to tell in the photo below, but it’s really tight around my ribcage and my arms. I do have a large ribcage, and my waist is not very defined compared to my ribs and hips, so if you’re a similar weight and dress size, you may not have this problem depending on your build. However, because of the tightness, I later purchased the LLR Julia dress (my favorite!!!!) in a Large.
2. I’m not thrilled about the awkward length of the dress on me. Again, I knew that was going to happen, so even before I ordered the dress, I knew it was going to have to be all about the booties. In these photos I’m wearing the dress with some casual flat booties, but I’ve worn the dress to work with black, high-heeled, ankle-length boots. The dress really shows off the boots, and I’ve received several compliments on them. I’ve tried wearing the dress with sandals and flats (shoes not boots), and it looks sooooo awkward, like I couldn’t find a dress long enough. I snapped a quick photo at work, so you can see a dressier look with this Ana:
So the bottom line is that I probably won’t buy another Ana again because they are expensive for a dress that really isn’t long enough (or short enough!) for me. I think it would fit someone around 5′ 7″ a lot better.
UPDATE: Thanks to Stacy’s comment below, I did try sizing up with a Large Ana. I still found the sleeves and ribcage a little tight, especially considering I’ve lost weight since I originally posted, but the length on the Large is just about right for me. I will post photos soon!
The Luray Caverns (near Luray, Virginia) were discovered in 1878, and they are a Registered Natural Landmark. The Friday before Labor Day, we visited the Luray Caverns in Virginia. We attempted to go in 2015 (the same weekend), but the caverns were packed. That time, we drove by and saw the overflow parking lots were filled. So this year we went early and arrived right when the caverns were open. There was already a tour bus there, so we didn’t make it on the first tour, but we did make it on the second! The tours leave every 20 minutes, and each tour does have a guide.
The caverns aren’t super cheap to visit. Right now, the general admission cost is $27 for adults and $14 for children (6-12). If you’re a military family, you can visit your base’s Leisure Travel Services for discounted tickets. If you don’t have tickets when you get there, you have to go through one line to buy the tickets and then a second line to actually get into the caverns, so I’d recommend buying your tickets ahead of time, so you only have to worry about one line. Tickets can be purchased online.
The walkways within the caverns are paved, which was a good thing! The tour is over a mile long (in a loop), so we brought the stroller. I figured Little J would be tired, bored and crabby after 30 minutes or so, and the tour takes about an hour. Parts of the walkway were still bumpy, and there are a lot of hills, but it really wasn’t too bad for the stroller. There are about 70 steps to get down into and then out of the caverns. We had to close up the stroller for that part and carry it.
Tips: Don’t touch anything!!!!! If you touch any of the stalactites or stalagmites, you will get yelled at. You can take as many as photos as you’d like, so that’s a plus! Also, it’s cold in the caverns, so bring a light jacket! And don’t leave your tour guide. They don’t like that.
Your ticket purchase also includes a self-guided tour of the Car and Carriage Caravan museum, and the Luray Valley Museum. I actually really enjoyed the car museum. It had old Cadillacs, Benzs, Fords, and more. I love history, so it was neat to read the plaques and see the vehicles that other generations grew up with.
Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Luray, and we would do it again. If you’re ever in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I recommend checking out Luray Caverns.
Have you been to Luray Caverns? If not these caverns, have you been to other caverns? Which ones?
Note: This is not a sponsored post. I was not compensated for this post, and I am not a LuLaRoe consultant. I just like the clothes!
I heard about LuLaRoe in 2014 soon after it launched. A Facebook acquaintance was a consultant, and I did scan the photos of clothes she posted, but I didn’t really understand the concept. By the winter of 2015, I heard more and more people talking about LuLaRoe, and during the spring of 2016, it seemed like the company just exploded. I was intrigued, and the more I researched, the more intrigued I grew, so I bought a top and a pair of leggings.
Now I own several pairs of their leggings (two of which I’ve won in online giveaways), Irma tunics, a Perfect Tee, an Azure skirt, a Cassie skirt, Ana dress, and a Julia dress. The skirts and dresses are great to wear to work, and I may buy one of the Nicole dresses soon because I think it would also be great for work. You can see the current LuLaRoe clothing collection here.
The Irma tunic and the TC (tall & curvy) leggings are a great fit if you’re tall! I have trouble finding tops that cover my bum because I’m 5’10.”
So what is LuLaRoe really about? Why is it so popular? LuLaRoe is a direct sales company (so like Jamberry, Mary Kay, etc.), and consultants sell their clothes online, or in person at parties, or at “pop-up boutiques” or live sales on social media sites. If you attend an online social media party or live sale and you see something you like, you have to be the first person to type “sold” under the photo of that item in order to buy it. The really popular prints go fast, in a matter of seconds.
My favorite print! I loved these leggings so much that when I saw a Julia dress in the same print (different colors), I had to get it!I wore my LuLaRoe leggings camping because why not? They’re comfy!
I’ve read various statistics about how many pieces are made in each print, but I haven’t found an official number. What I’ve seen is that somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 pieces in a particular fabric. I’ve noticed that some of the really crazy prints (that I usually actually think are really ugly) are the most popular, and they sell fast. If you go on eBay right now, you’ll find LuLaRoe clothes for sale, and the popular prints are selling for twice or more what they should be sold for.
As far as the costs, the prices from consultant to consultant should be consistent. Sometimes a consultant may offer a slight discount or free shipping. The Azure skirt and Cassie skirt are both $35. The Irma shirt is $35, and the Perfect Tee is $36. The OS and TC leggings are $25 a pair. I like to buy things on sale, so it was a while of window shopping before I was willing to pay $35 for a skirt. Normally I’d try to buy a skirt less than $20. I do feel like LuLaRoe clothes are a little overpriced ($60 for a maxi dress!) except for the leggings. It’s hard for me to find leggings that are long enough, so the fact that I can, and they are so comfortable…I definitely feel like the $25 is worth it. Also, I love the Julia dress! I’ll post about that dress later, but I’m willing to pay $45 for it because it’s comfortable and amazing for work, and I can’t find anything else like it! I’ve found some cheaper tops ($15) on Amazon that work well with leggings, even if you’re tall, but to be honest, I don’t like them as well as LuLaRoe’s Perfect Tee and Irma. :/
Anyway, so I think the clothes are pricey but worth it.
The sizes on LuLaRoe clothes are weird, so if you’re able to get your hands on any of the styles in person and try them on before purchasing, that’s probably your best bet. I’m 5’10” and about 160 pounds. I usually wear a size medium or a size 8 or 10 in most brands. My Irma a size small, which is supposed to fit regular size 8-10, and it is REALLY baggy on me though, so if I buy an Irma again, I’ll buy an XS.
I think LuLaRoe is most well known for its leggings, which people describe as “buttery” soft. They ARE really soft! LEGGINGS PHOTO HERE OS (one size) leggings fit about size 2-12. TC (tall & curvy) leggings fit size 10-22, and they’re a little longer. I’m usually a size 8 or 10 in pants (I fluctuate), so I can fit either OS and TC. That makes it easier for me to find prints that I like! Because I’m 5’10,” I like the length on the TC (tall & curvy) leggings, but the OS (one size) have a snugger fit, which is nice too. They feel like they’re “holding me in” more. The TC are on the loose side, but they haven’t fallen down on me, so I’m fine wearing them too.
My Cassie skirt is a medium (10-12), and my Azure skirt is a large (size 14-16). They both fit me, but I’d say the medium is a little snugger but still with plenty of stretch. I tried on a friend’s maxi skirt in a medium (size 10-12), and that seemed to fit fine too. So I think in skirts, I can do either a medium or a large. They’re both very comfortable skirts with a thick waistband. I’d like to wear the waist band on my hips instead of at my natural waist, but when I pull the waist band down, the skirts keep riding up while I’m walking, until the band is at my natural waist. So that’s a bummer for me.
Azure at workDifferent work lookWide waistband
I recently purchased a medium Ana, which is LuLaRoe’s maxi dress. I knew it was going to be an awkward length on me because I’m tall, so I purposely picked a pattern that would go well with my black booties, so I could show those off. I also have a large Julia, which is a form-fitting dress, and I love, love, love it. Rather than let this blog post get insanely long, I will write additional posts with photos about the Ana and Julia.
That’s it for now!
Do you have any LuLaRoe clothes? Do you love them or think they’re overrated?
2. I’m not thrilled about the awkward length of the dress on me. Again, I knew that was going to happen, so even before I ordered the dress, I knew it was going to have to be all about the booties. In these photos I’m wearing the dress with some casual flat booties, but I’ve worn the dress to work with black, high-heeled, ankle-length boots. The dress really shows off the boots, and I’ve received several compliments on them. I’ve tried wearing the dress with sandals and flats (shoes not boots), and it looks sooooo awkward, like I couldn’t find a dress long enough. I snapped a quick photo at work, so you can see a dressier look with this Ana:
