About a week ago, this ad showed up on my Facebook feed. Normally I just scroll by, accepting that Facebook has the right to generate revenue with ads, and I have the right to completely ignore them.

But something about this sweater dress called to me. Long-sleeved, turtle neck, drop waist. It gives the suggestion of curves in places I wish I had them. I could tell just by looking at it–this would look good on me.

I was worried, though. Many international companies advertise on social media–especially Instagram. The clothes many of these companies manufacture and distribute aren’t always received as advertised and buying them is rife with risks. You could be waiting weeks while your threads come in on the slow boat from China. Size charts are all over the place because “Asian small” is a lot different from “American small.” You might not get what you paid for. There’s a ton of hilarious horror stories of people who bought something that looked amazing on an ad, but the final shipped product looks completely different. Returns or exchanges are more trouble than they’re worth. No one can blame you for having a hefty dose of skepticism.

But…the dress.

It was priced at such a low amount ($36.99; and as of this post, it is now under $30) I figured I didn’t have much to lose, and either way, I was committed to doing a review.

I clicked on the Facebook ad and was taken to Venus.com, clicked my size (medium) and hoped for the best. I wasn’t sure if I would get my slow-boat goods before the end of the year. Imagine my surprise when I received my package within 7 days. That’s because Venus doesn’t operate overseas, but right here in the good ‘ole U.S of A.

For good measure, I also bought the purse and earrings that were featured.

Here’s how I looked versus what the model looked like in the identical dress.

Needless to say, I was delighted. Mail-order shopping has so many ways to go wrong, but this didn’t. The make and material were nice quality and is really soft and comfortable to wear. Looking at other customer reviews and I wasn’t alone in my delight.

I wore this ensemble out and about town, and got so many compliments. No one need know (present company excluded) that I was sporting a $30 dress. It certainly didn’t look like it. I can look chic going to business meetings, out to lunch or dinner with my girls, and modest enough to wear to church–if you go.

What’s even better is that the material is machine washable. I’ll have to be a little bit more careful on the settings of the washer and keep it out of the dryer.

Levelling up your wardrobe doesn’t mean you have to blow up a bank. Cheap is good, as long as it doesn’t look cheap.

How about you? Have you ever bought something from a social media ad out of impulse? Were you happy you did?