Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!

How To Plan A Stress Free Home Makeover

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How To Plan A Stress Free Home Makeover

Giving your home a makeover is an exciting task. From picking out paint colors to choosing your furnishings, the whole process of redesigning your home can be a lot of fun. The problem is, there are just so many different styles of interior design to choose from, so selecting the right one for your home can be a tough choice.

Without careful planning, a home makeover can become a stressful situation to be in. Taking on a project that is beyond your expertise can be overwhelming, as can committing to too much expense. A home redecorating project should be a positive process, rather than a stressful experience.

No one wants to spend money, time, and effort on a home redesign only to find that the results aren’t what they expected. To beat any expectation versus reality disappointment, it is a good idea to plan your project carefully:

Sort Out the Practicalities:

When you are trying to create the home of your dreams, it can be hard to focus on the practicalities. However, getting the practical side of your redecoration project sorted out leaves you free to concentrate on turning your dreams into reality. It is useful to calculate your budget right from the start, so you know exactly how much cash you have to play with. Without knowing how much you can afford to spend, you could find yourself running out of money before completing the project. This would leave you with a half-finished room, while you try to save more money to finish it.

As well as knowing how much you want to spend on your interior project, you need to work out a realistic timescale. This is particularly important if the room needs to be completed by a set deadline. For example, a baby’s nursery that you want to be completed before your little one arrives.

Home makeovers and renovations can be stressful to handle by yourself. It is not as easy as the professionals on HGTV make it out to be, that’s for sure! Many people turn to interior designers like those at K&L Interior Designers (or a similar business in your local area to take on the task. Interior designers are well versed in providing the practicality your home needs while adhering to your personal style. They will also be mindful of your budget so you don’t end up going over what you are willing to spend.

Identify Your Goals:

Once the practicalities are decided, it is time to think about what you want from the redesign. To identify what you want the room to do, you will need to think about what you currently like about it, and what you would like to change. This could be anything from making it look lighter and brighter or completely changing its use. Or, perhaps, you are tying in general maintenance with your makeover. A drafty front door, for example, could be replaced with custom barn doors in Los Angeles (or a similar product in your local area) for lower heating bills and an instant face lift to your home. These aims will provide you with a starting point for your design and something specific to work towards.

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So cool!

Pick Your Style:

Selecting the look of your new room is one of the best parts of the project. Think carefully about what you want the place to look like and then search for some inspiration to help you picture the look more clearly. When choosing a style of interior design, it is useful to think about the overall vibe that you are trying to create. If you want to create a homely feel, then a rustic interior design look will enable you to incorporate some lovely textures for a timeless style. If you are after a boutique hotel type finish, then you will probably be looking for mirrored furniture and silk or plush velvet upholstery.

When you are considering your favorite style, it can be helpful to look at popular past trends and the upcoming 2026 interior design trends. This can give you an excellent starting point but the trick is to make it your own. Use the trends you love and incorporate the things you love that are missing. This could be a funky colored area rug, fabulous art prints or beloved photos, or creating lighting that suits the needs of the room. This way, your space will still feel like your own rather than a staged shot from a magazine.

Prepare the Room:

To be able to redecorate, you are probably going to need to strip the room back to basics so that you have a blank canvas to work with. This means that a lot of items will need to be removed before you even get started. It is useful to declutter the room first. Decluttering will help you to get rid of all the items that you no longer want or need. It will also help you to free up more space in the room.

Once you have decluttered, you will need to move all of the furniture out of the room so that the decoration can begin. Try to plan your space so that you are able to store all these furniture items elsewhere in your home. Anything that can’t be moved will need to be covered so that it avoids any paint splashes or other damage.

Carefully planning your home makeover will make life a lot easier. The whole process will be far less challenging if you know exactly what you want to achieve and how you are going to make it a reality!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

This Is How Not To Spend All Of Your Free Time Cleaning!

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This Is How Not To Spend All Of Your Free Time Cleaning!

Busy parents are always looking for ways to minimize tasks in the home, so they have more quality time to spend with the kids. Of course, it is also crucial that jobs such as cleaning aren’t minimized to the point where the home is no longer hygienic or livable for the family that dwells within. Happily, there is a middle way, and it’s to find hacks that allow a thorough cleaning, but don’t take up too much time. A topic you can read more about in the post below:

Vacuum, don’t dust:

The first tip that can help you save time, yet still have a clean home is to cut down the amount of dusting that you do. This is because many traditional forms of dusting just end up moving the particles around your space, rather than getting rid of them.

Instead, why not use the specially designed hose attachments for your vacuum? Something that will not only make getting into those tricky nooks and crannies like the ones in the pantry a lot easier, but will also remove the dust particles from circulation. In fact, if you like, you can add another step to your dust removal system in the form of a HEPA air filter. A device that does a similar job to a vacuum by removing particles from the air, but it can be used all of the time.

Keep floors sparkling:

Floors can undoubtedly take a lot of time and effort to keep clean, only to be trampled all over by the family as they come in and out of the home. Of course, I’m not suggesting that you give up on this task altogether. Far from it, in fact! You just need some methods of cleaning the floors that don’t take up all your spare time.

Luckily, there are several methods to choose from, depending on the types of flooring you have in your home. One, in particular, to be aware of is a robot sweeper. A small round device with brushes that can help to keep your wood, laminate, or tiled floors much cleaner – with no back-breaking work for you at all.

Fear not if you have carpeted floors because, fortunately, there are carpet and rug cleaning specialists out there that can come to your home and offer a same-day service. Something that will leave you free to spend plenty of quality time with the kids while the cleaning is going on.

Clean as you go:

Finally, if you approach cleaning your home as a big job that needs to be completed every week, you can easily spend far too much of the weekend doing it. That is why you should practice the ‘clean as you go’ technique, instead. Something that you can learn more about here, and that will help you regain precious time to spend with your family.

Cleaning as you go is an excellent time saver but accidents do happen and it might be outside of your skill set to give a proper cleaning. This can include a soda stain on a light colored couch, red wine spills that would require help from a rug cleaning specialist, chipping paint, or tearing wallpaper. If you have a major cleaning issue, get assistance as soon as possible because those stains are going to be more difficult to remove once it has time to set.

Cleaning isn’t the most fun part of life but it must be done. Use the hacks above to make cleaning your place easier, quicker, and totally stress free.

Face Mask Festivities: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Laneige Water Sleeping Mask Edition

Hi! During a recent Sephora haul, I got a ton of free goodies including a sample size of a Water Sleeping Mask by Laneige. I was really excited about this face mask because I absolutely love the jelly style sleep masks – especially the Drops Of Youth and Vitamin E Sleep Masks by The Body Shop. I am always up for trying new skin care products and I look forward to testing different brands out from Sephora because I consider them to be a bit more “high end”.

Unfortunately, an expensive price tag doesn’t always mean a high quality product and the Water Sleeping Mask by Laneige left me feeling no type of way. Let’s discuss:

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What I love the most about the Drops Of Youth and Vitamin E masks from The Body Shop is the sensation I get when I wake up. My skin feels so nourished and hydrated and it feels like absolute peaches and cream perfection. I just didn’t get this feeling in the morning with the Laneige mask or even when I first applied it.

I enjoyed the texture of the product because I never say no to a good jelly style moisturizer or mask and the light aquatic scent was also nice. Sadly, that was about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy I got to test this product out for many reasons. 1) I didn’t have to commit to a full size jar. 2) It was free. 3) I get to write about it here. And 4) It served as a reminder that, often times, a “lower end” brand is just as good if not better than something uber expensive.

Obviously, I wouldn’t recommend this mask but it makes me highly recommend the ones I mentioned from The Body Shop even more!

Do you have a favorite face mask? What are your thoughts on the one by Laneige if you have used it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New For The Republic Sweater

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New For The Republic Sweater

Howdy! I have been doing a majority of my Christmas shopping in store this year. Shocking, I know. But, I have grown weary of Amazon’s selection and I feel like I have just been giving the same gift every year so I figured it was high time to change it up. While holiday shopping in TJMaxx, I told myself that I wasn’t going to get anything for me. Of course, that never happens, though, and I walked away with this gorgeous new sweater and some holiday treats for a few of the people on my list. Check it out:

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We all know damn well by now that Lil Red never says no to mustard yellow and as soon as I saw this sweater by For The Republic, I knew that I was going to love it. Other than black, I tend to wear a lot of yellows and greens because they always look perfect with my hair and complexion. This sweater was obviously no exception and I only needed to see it on for about ten seconds to make the decision to put it in my cart. The twenty-five from sixty-eight dollar price tag didn’t hurt the cause, either!

Although I couldn’t quite make it out of TJMaxx without purchasing a little something something for myself, I am amazed at my self restraint – there was a lot of things I liked! This bell sleeved beauty is an ideal three season sweater and I am looking forward to sporting it up until summer under cozy faux fur coats and knitted scarves. Now, hopefully everyone will like the prezzies I picked out as much as I love my treat yoself sweater. 😀

Do you prefer to holiday shop in store or online? How do you avoid buying for yourself while gift shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hi!! Whenever I need to restock my Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced, I always shop Sephora online to get the best deals. With free shipping with a fifty dollar purchase (Which isn’t hard to do!), two free samples, and an option for more freebies with a coupon code, it just makes sense to do – especially if you know exactly what you want. And, if I ever did want to play around with new products in store, I would definitely go home and order the goods online to bank in on all of the great promotions! 😀

This time around, I scored an amazing goodie bag filled with trial sized products to try out and I am looking forward to testing them all and sharing my findings with you. Check it out:

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The Haul:

  • 2 Better Than Sex mascaras
  • Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
  • Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
  • Replica perfume
  • Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment
  • Ouai Leave In Conditioner
  • Bite Beauty Lip Crayon in Glace
  • Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
  • Laura Mercier Lipstick samples
  • Atelier Vanilla Incense perfume

For fifty dollars total, I got all of the products seen above and I consider that a steal. There is nothing better than getting a lot of bang for your buck and I feel like I get that every time I shop with Sephora. I also love being able to try out beauty products without having to commit to them and, who knows, maybe I will find a new favorite in the sample sizes.

I wouldn’t be a good sister or daughter if I didn’t share the wealth and have given my mom the perfume samples because she’s a fragrance gal and the Tarte mascara and Bite lippie to my sister. I already have both of those and will not be using either up any time soon. Sharing is caring and it’s nice to be able to enjoy all of this awesome stuff together. Both of those very special ladies in my life always know how to make my day with something as simple as a text message so I take every opportunity I can to treat them, too!

How do you score the best deals at Sephora? What did you get in your most recent beauty haul? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hi! This past week, I treated my mom to a pampering party with some amazing products by Londontown. My sweet mother, JANE, tested out the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream and fell in love with the Londontown brand as much as I have. Of course, I would have liked to use these products myself, but they wouldn’t have been much good over top of my talons! But, it was even more fun letting my mom get the royal treatment because we always revel in the chance to play beauty shop. 🙂 Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

Nourishing Cuticle Oil:

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Restorative Nail Cream:

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^^^ Peep my claws in Londontown’s Buckingham Blue and Electric Avenue!

My mom is the literal queen of surprising her loved ones with beautiful gifts that catch her eye when she’s out and about. So, whenever I have a chance to give back to her, I jump on it. On a day when I finished work early, I headed over to chez mom and dad, enjoyed a Chinese dinner, and prepped the station for an impromptu beauty salon.

First, I soaked my mom’s nails in warm water. Then, I applied the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, rubbed it in, and let it sit for a while before I pushed her cuticles back. The oil made the cuticles much more pliable and it was so easy to remove all of the overgrown parts once they were nice and soft. After using the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, my mom had actual nails again that looked long and healthy.

The pampering had only just begun, though, because it was now time to top if off with the Restorative Nail Cream, which is what we are both the most excited about. This product is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Let’s start with the fact that it smells so good – the light as air, fresh cotton scent was just right with the rich, super hydrating cream.

And, most importantly, the non greasy formula left my mom’s nails and the surrounding areas smooth as silk. It also made her nails so insanely shiny which was a vast improvement to the dull hue that they were before. There was a noticeable difference after just one use and we are both looking forward to seeing her nails look better over time with continued use of the Restorative Nail Cream.

The Londontown Pampering Party that I had with my mom was a huge success. It was such a blast being able to spend time with her and it felt so good to let her be the one to get treated for a change. We can both attest to Londontown’s fabulous products and highly recommend the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream for your pampering pleasure!

How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite Londontown product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Holiday Haul

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Bath & Body Works Holiday Haul

Hello! Some of my favorite go to gifts to give are candles and bath and body care. These are things that your friends and family might not splurge on for themselves so they are always sure to please. And, who doesn’t like a little pampering?! To get some of the presents that I needed to purchase for the holidays out of the way, I hit up Bath & Body Works and got some delicious smelling stocking stuffers for all of my favorite lady friends. Check it out:

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It is always exciting to see all of the holiday themed decor and scents available in store. Bath & Body Works is completely filled with wall to wall holiday scented goodies, which made coming to a decision a difficult task. But, I am really happy with the products that I purchased.

I am not too wild about the super sweet holiday scents like snickerdoodle and hot chocolate and I despise the spicy fragrances like cinnamon and nutmeg. The Frosted Cranberry candles, Winter Candy Apple hand soap, and Fresh Sparkling Snow lotions and shower gel all smell appropriate for the holidays without being overpowering. They are also scents that you could get away with using after December 25th, which made them the perfect candidates to purchase.

Some might say that the candle and bath and body care route is an overdone one. BUT I SAY DIFFERENT! Probably because I would love to receive these gifts, myself. I know for a fact that all of the products above will go over well and, although B&BW can be a bit pricey, they were worth every penny. I am slowly but surely checking all of my giftees off the list and am eager to be completely done hopefully come December! 😀

How far along are you in your holiday shopping? What is your favorite holiday scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red’s Holiday Shopping Pro Tips

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Lil Red’s Holiday Shopping Pro Tips

Helloooo! There are some who holiday shop in the summer, there are those who wait until the last minute, and there might be a group of you who is getting their shopping done now, like myself. No matter what your shopping style, purchasing gifts for your loved ones can be a big task. No one wants to give a dud of a gift and this can be a huge stresser if you have someone on your list who’s difficult to shop for.

Lucky for all of you, Lil Red is an absolute pro at holiday shopping and I’m here to break down some of my favorite tips to make your experience much easier. Check it out:

Listen Up:

When trying to get inspired with gift ideas, I make an extra effort to put my listening ears on. For example, I purchased a gift for my mom this year because she flat out said in conversation that she would like this specific thing. Done. If you’re struggling for ideas, spark up a chat with the person you’re shopping for, because the answer might come a lot easier than you think. Discuss favorite things, favorite previous gifts or experiences, and the like and you should have a firm idea of what to purchase by the end of it.

Make A List:

I know that I put this suggestion in my shopping tips every year but that’s because it’s important. Keeping organized while completing your shopping is key because a jumbled mess just means extra stress. Write down everyone who you need to buy for, list some ideas of what you would like to gift them, and cross them off once the task is complete. This will also help you when you are making your rounds in store and online because it will give you a better idea of where to purchase what and you won’t end up back at the same place a million more times.

There’s No Shame In Gift Cards:

I always used to think that gift cards were a cop out but I have grown quite fond of purchasing them for gift giving occasions. Whether it be a ten dollar Starbucks gift card along with other goodies or treating the giftee to a night out for dinner and a movie – gift cards can go a long way. Gift cards are a great add on or full gift and it makes your shopping experience a lot easier if you are coming up short for ideas.

Give An Experience:

What do you give to the person who has it all? How about an experience! Take your favorite sports nut to a game. What about a spa day for your mom? Or take your favorite body modified blogger to the tattoo shop for the afternoon! Haha, either way, gifting experiences is a sure fire way to please even the most difficult person to shop for and you will both have happy memories to cherish afterwards.

And Remember…

Yes, holiday shopping can be stressful. But, it should be fun too! Being able to treat your loved ones to something special is a beautiful thing. Remember that, and your shopping experience will start feeling a whole lot better.

What are some of your tips and tricks for holiday shopping? Who is done with their shopping already? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Lime Green & Navy Nails

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New Lime Green & Navy Nails

Helloooo everyone! I spent a much needed Saturday morning at the salon after an even earlier morning at the skating rink getting my talons fixed up. It was so nice to sit back and relax after a work out that dragged me out of bed at 6:30 (Wah, wah, wah!) and now my claws are all ready for a Thanksgiving extravaganza with the most non-Thanksgiving colors imaginable – but that’s neither here nor there.

I brought my own polishes to Elysian Nails this time around because I had some new shades from Londontown that I have been dying to try out. I used Electric Avenue and Buckingham Blue and the final result is gorgeous. Check it out:

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Londontown is an amazing one stop shop for all of your nail care needs that features a vegan and 9-free formula. Their polishes offer gel like wear, a flawless application, and dries faster than any nail polish I’ve ever used before. I absolutely love all of my Londontown polishes but I think that this navy and funky green combination takes the cake. My nail tech was just as obsessed with the super rich and ultra glossy hues as I was and bringing in such a high end feeling polish made my experience even more posh.

If you have a nail crazy person in your life or you are one, yourself (Like me!), then Londontown is definitely the place to be for all of your holiday shopping needs. With the best nail and cuticle treatments and a wide array of stunning colors to choose from, your stockings will be stuffed with the most lux goodies on the market. Happy shopping!

What color of polish do you have on? What is your favorite funky color to rock? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

November 2019 Funky Time Jams

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November 2019 Funky Time Jams

Howdy! We are moving right along in November and the holiday season will be officially upon us in the blink of an eye! The weather is cooling down, the Christmas shopping has begun, and some of you might already be thinking about your New Year’s Resolutions. November is undoubtedly a busy month full of the hustle and bustle of family gatherings and plenty of cooking. It can also be a bit of a stressful time if that really isn’t your thing, so allow these fiery, fiery jams to keep you sane in the midst of it all!

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to these songs or videos!

So, I don’t know if any of you have seen this hilarious video of Bill Hader dancing but it has become quite the thing on social media and people have began playing a wide variety of music over the video. From Smash Mouth and Michael Jackson to Lil Nas X and Britney Spears, the joy of the video is that his dancing literally goes with any song. This includes “Don’t Trust Me” by 3OH!3 and ever since bearing witness to it, I have been on the biggest kick of their music a la freshman year of high school 2008. It amazes me that I still know all of the lyrics to their songs and it definitely makes my crazy amount of driving for work much more tolerable!

Also, do be sure to check out the video at the top for “Stoned & Lonely” by my boyfriend’s band The Outside Voices. Shooting this music video was an absolute HOOT so see if you can spot your favorite Lil Red hanging out and give their page some love. ❤

What is your favorite viral video? Are you looking forward to the upcoming holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah