Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!

Super Awesome Great Day

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Super Awesome Great Day

Hellllooo everyone and happy weekend! This past Tuesday was one of the best days off that I’ve had in a good long while. To start my morning, I had a work review for one of my jobs and passed with high flying colors. Then, to celebrate, my mom and I went to Target so that I could shop to my heart’s content. Upon returning home, I shopped to my heart’s content on ModCloth – I’m so bad! And, to top it off, we ordered take out from one of my favorite restaurants, Aladdin’s, as a hurrah to cap off a great day.

I have been working a lot lately, and it felt so good to have all of that hard work verified by an excellent review. It was also really nice to spend the rest of the day with my mom, because I’ve been working a lot! We had a blast shopping together and you can check out my haul below and, then, we will go over my new fall pieces individually for the next few days!

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My haul from Target brought me a lot of autumn essentials. Funky jeans, a midi skirt, a kimono, a cardigan, and hoodie that, for the most part, can all be mixed and matched really well! Fall clothes will always be Lil Red’s jam and Target did exceedingly well this year in providing high quality and unique pieces for its shoppers. Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we discuss one of these pretty little numbers in detail!

What is your favorite season to dress for? Describe one of the best days that you’ve had recently. I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Blush, Baby – Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Swatch In Candy Coral

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Blush, Baby – Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Swatch In Candy Coral

HELLOOOOOOO! Having a sister is awesome because, other than having a built in BFF, you basically get to double your collection of makeup and clothing. Am I the best at sharing said makeup and clothing? Not always, but that’s neither here nor there. Whenever I’m not really using a product anymore, I always send it Kristen’s way and she does the same for me. Take the blush that you see below, for example. I gave it to Kristen and, probably one year later, she gave it back to me. So, now that it’s back in my possession, you can check out the swatch:

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My favorite non powder blush is definitely the Dream Bouncy collection by Maybelline. It’s creamy, goes on easily, and the pigments are always lovely. Shade 30, Candy Coral, is an underrated member of the Dream Bouncy crew, because it’s not the typical pink or brown blush. But, there’s nothing wrong with trying something a little different, especially when it’s so darn pretty!

Candy Coral is a good layering blush to make whatever shade you put over top of it really pop. It also is the perfect option for a no makeup makeup look if you rock it solo. It has just enough shine and oomph to it that it still takes a natural MOTD to next level fierce. Is this color absolutely necessary in your makeup arsenal? Perhaps not, but it is fun to have and it certainly brightens things up on a no makeup or full face day.

Do you use a cream or powder blush? What is your preferred blush color? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My Scary Movie Must Watch List

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My Scary Movie Must Watch List

Hello! With October officially among us, it is scary movie central now more than ever. But, who am I kidding, it ALWAYS is for Lil Red! If I get to pick the movie, trust and believe that it’s a scary one every time – they’re my fave! There’s something about cuddling up on a chilly October night that takes watching horror films to the next level, though, and below are my must watch films for the month:

  1. The Nun: I actually already saw this movie in theaters and I enjoyed it so much that I’d like to go again. I love The Conjuring movies and I thought that The Nun was excellent. It was dark, the acting was good, there were some amazing scares, AND it tied into some of the story lines from the first and second Conjuring movies. Two thumbs up.

2. Ils: Ils, aka “Them” in French is hands down my favorite horror film aside from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A fantastic, fast paced flick that comes to a shocking halt when you realize who’s hunting the hunted. I made my mom watch this movie with me years ago and there’s still certain noises that remind her of the film and freak her out to this day. SO. GOOD. Ten thumbs up!

3. The Strangers: Ils actually leads me into my third must watch pick, which is The Strangers. This is the Americanized version of Ils and, although it didn’t get the best reviews upon release, I deeply enjoyed it. I had to include The Strangers on my list, because it recently got added to Netflix and just seeing the movie cover creeps me out. So much so, that I literally had nightmares about it last night and woke up screaming. True story. It’s your classic home invasion story, but I think that it’s done really well and is definitely worth the watch.

4. 31: I LOVE Rob Zombie movies and, although 31 didn’t receive the best reviews, it’s probably my favorite RZ flick. A campy survival of the fittest film where the unfortunate players of the twisted torture porn game of 31 get killed off one by one by crazy clowns. It has an all around humor to the movie and you can tell that Rob Zombie had a ball making it. It’s also pretty scary, to boot!

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: To me, the pinnacle of horror films is the 1974 classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nothing beats it and other than my modern favorite of Ils, it remains untouched by any other movie as my go to flick. It’s raw, it’s intense, and it combines so many elements of really fucked up shit into an actual story line instead of a hodge podge of torture porn. I have seen this movie countless times and it STILL gets me whenever I watch it. It’s the best of the best.

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to these movies or trailers.

Listed above are just my top five picks and will without a doubt be watched by me this month. But, I also plan on peppering in some of the following:

  1. Saw 1-7
  2. Eden Lake
  3. The Conjuring 1 & 2
  4. Sinister 1 & 2
  5. The Devil’s Rejects
  6. And, of course, seeing the new Halloween in theaters and watching the original.

What is on your Scary Movie Must Watch List for the Halloween season? What are your thoughts on the movies listed above? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

October 2018 Funky Time Jams

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October 2018 Funky Time Jams

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! As all of you know, the only social media that I have is Facebook. Between the blog and my FB page, anything else would just be too much to maintain. And, I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t enjoy scrolling through my newsfeed throughout the day! During one of my scroll sessions, I saw lots of people post a status encouraging others to put their iTunes on shuffle and comment what song it ended up on. It seemed fun, so I thought that I would do that with my October Funky Time Jams. Check it out:

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

As you can see from eight songs on shuffle, I have a pretty eclectic taste in music. From girl power queen Christina Aguilera to funky legend Prince and punk icons The Ramones, I truly never know what I’m going to get when my iTunes is on shuffle. But, above all else, I am definitely an indie girl at heart when I’m not feeling super emo! I love upbeat Los Campesinos! and the more experimental Handsome Furs and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes. Pepper in some of The 1975 and Tears For Fears and I’m golden! 😀

What song shows up when you put your music on shuffle? What is your favorite music to put you in a spooky October mood? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My October Wish List

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My October Wish List

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! The glorious month of October is among us, which means I get to enjoy all of my favorite things. As I lover of all things horror, I get to finally get down with my spooky self and drag my boyfriend along for the ride! Because, all of the fall things wouldn’t be complete without a special someone or bestie to revel in the fright with. Here are a few things that I hope to do this month and, so help me god if I don’t, because we’re gonna have some issues!

  1. HAUNTED HOUSES!!!!!!!!!! All of the haunted houses. So many haunted houses. I LOVE HAUNTED HOUSES. The thrill, the scares, the anticipation! I spent two Octobers in my teenage years working at a haunted house and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. Ohio actually offers some pretty good haunts, if you’re willing to venture a little ways to get to them. So, road trip and spookfest, anyone?
  2. SCARY MOVIES!!!!!!!!! All of the scary movies. So many scary movies. I LOVE SCARY MOVIES! Of course, I am eagerly anticipating the theater release of the new Halloween movie but, October is also a time to revisit old favorites. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, The Strangers, Ils, Hush, and all things Stephen King for starters, please.
  3. PUMPKINPALOOZA! So, I’ve never carved a pumpkin before and, frankly, I don’t think it’s the best idea. (Sarah + a carving knife sounds like a pretty bad equation!) But, my boyfriend wants to, so it’s the least I can do! Regardless of if I can carve a pumpkin adequately enough, it will still be fun to complete a traditional Halloween craft together.
  4. Pumpkin Spice, Please: I know, so basic. But, I always have to get at least one Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks this month. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be back to all iced coffee everything in no time!
  5. Take A Hike: I also want to get in lots of hikes in some of Ohio’s many wonderful Metro Parks. There is nothing better than being amongst all of the trees changing color and crunching through fallen leaves on the ground during a blustery fall day. It’s so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like exercising. 😀

What is on your October Wish List? What is your favorite thing about this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Burnt Out

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Burnt Out

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend! It’s been a long few weeks for Lil Red, thanks to a horrible stint with the flu earlier this month. Because I work for myself in all three of my jobs, I don’t have the luxury of paid time off. So, I had a lot of making up to do because of a week of being totally incapacitated. And, believe me when I say, I am completely burnt out.

When it comes to all of my endeavors in life, I take every precaution to keep them running smoothly. Prewriting blogs specifically for the occasion of being sick, following my calendar to a T to keep myself on time for all of my appointments every day, and even taking time for me to go ice dancing during the week. So, why do I feel so unbelievably exhausted?

Yes, I have been stretching myself too thin for work. But, it was a complete necessity to make up for lost time, especially because I will be out of office for a third of October. I think that an impending family vacation and then some me time with my cousin in Pittsburgh also has something to do with it. It feels so close but so far away, so everything leading up to it just feels like a chore.

What do I do? I could completely burn myself into the ground until it’s time for me to hit the bricks for vacation. Or, I could make sure that I’m still incorporating some R&R in the meantime, because god knows I need it. I think that I’ll be going with Option B! An unfortunate truth of self employment means no PTO but, now I know for future reference that working ten days in a row to make up for it isn’t the right answer, either.

Finding a healthy balance for the workaholic and human in me is difficult. Naturally, I want to be productive during my work days. But, all work and no play makes Lil Red a dull girl, and it’s important for me to work in breaks during the day no matter how small they may be. Even a half hour to enjoy a drink at Starbucks is better than going from task to task without a second to breathe in between!

There’s no denying that I am feeling burnt out in my daily life. But, hopefully taking some time during my day just for me will help improve this sensation until I get to completely let loose on vacation! #poetandididntknowit 😀

What do you do when you are feeling burnt out? How do you carve in time for yourself during a busy day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Fall Finesse OOTD

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Fall Finesse OOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Today, we are going to discuss a fall OOTD post to help set the mood for the upcoming spooktacular month of October. My friend, Carlie, who I’m sure you remember from guest posts on my page has also created an autumn outfit so do be sure to head over to Bombshell and check hers out, too! The pictures below were taken by my boyfriend, which is always so much fun, so take a look and let’s get to it:

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Who? What? Wear?

During the fall, there’s nothing better than an All Black Everything OOTD to set some witchy vibes for the day. Once you create your base with a pair of black skinnies or joggers and a black sweater, tee, or jacket, it’s all about the accessories. Because of a mundane palette, you can choose pieces that really pop to decorate your look with. You can always add a pop of color accessory to break up the monotoned look, or you can stick with equally bleak but chic pieces, which is what I did.

To start accessorizing, I began with the main focal point in my look, which is the Printed Village scarf. This lovely little number shows the various stages of the moon in waxing and waning in striking silver, and it instantly added dimension to my OOTD. The best part about this scarf, is that it’s really long and wide so it can be worn in a variety of ways. For this particular look, I wore it as a shawl. But, I have worn it before as a skirt, Parisian style, and as a plain old scarf so it definitely offers a lot of variety!

And, of course, the glistening silver moons wouldn’t be complete without some gold thrown into the mix. I chose to combine the cool metallic colors by wearing my Baroque patterned Bamboo healed booties, which just so happens to be one of my favorites! Some might think that wearing silver and gold together is a no no. And, they are absolutely right if they’re paired with a multitude of other colors. But, when worn with just one other color, the end result is amazing. The shimmering shades danced so beautifully together in the light and, instead of the “don’t look at me” vibe that all black can give off, all eyes will definitely be on you.

To finish styling my outfit, it was time to add some jewelry. To keep with the spooky chic motif, I added in some Halloween appropriate rings like the spread winged owl and the turquoise cross that attached to a bracelet with a skull on it. Then, I went for some of my favorite jewelry in my arsenal for around my neck – my rosaries. I have three in my collection and I love them all equally. They vary in color and length and, when worn together, the effect is effortlessly cool and will complete any look perfectly.

What I like about this Fall Finesse OOTD is that it started out really simple and, then, it was taken to a whole new level by pairing it with the right accessories. Creating visual break up with the jewelry, shoes, scarves, and whatever else you see fit takes a look from zero to one hundred real quick and, the beauty of accessories, is that you can use them as sparingly or as boldly as you like. My look can be easily replicated, but never completely the same, thanks to unique accessories adding their own special flavor to each OOTD!

How would you accessorize an all black everything outfit? How do you express yourself through accessories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

October Guest Bloggers Reminder

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October Guest Bloggers Reminder

Hi everyone and happy weekend! I am just sending out a friendly reminder that I would still love to have anyone and everyone on my blog coming up next month while I’ll be out of office. If you are interested in being featured on lifewithlilred for the day, then please email me at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com with your ideas for a fall or Halloween themed post! Thank you! ❤

Cleveland Aquarium Pics

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Cleveland Aquarium Pics

Hi everyone and happy Friday! I hope all of you had a wonderful week and are looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend. This past Saturday, I visited the Cleveland Aquarium, and it was mediocre at best for the price of admission. And, we all know that this is no beuno for a gal who balls on a budget! But, I did get some nice pictures of the undersea life that was there so take a look and let’s discuss:

 

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The total cost of admission was twenty dollars as well as a six dollar parking fee and the time spent in the aquarium amounted to barely an hour and a half. This was disappointing to me because, although the displays that were there looked cool, I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of bang for my buck. The aquarium, in total, was three or four rooms with spaced out displays and, then, two other rooms with full room displays that included a string ray touch tank and the shark tank with a walk in tunnel.

I really enjoyed the shark room and the walk in tunnel was really neat and long in length. However, the other rooms that had spaced out displays featuring aquatic life of different countries left a lot to be desired. There were about three or four tanks per room and that was it. So, it felt more like a large, well decorated pet store than an actual aquarium.

If you are planning a trip to the Cleveland Aquarium, my best advice to you is don’t. You are much better off spending a day at the Cleveland Zoo, which provides you with an excellent value for your money, as it is a whole park rather than just a handful of rooms. It is also cheaper than the Aquarium, too! 😀

What is your favorite activity to do in a big city near you? Who else has a zoo or aquarium close by? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Meditation Recommendations

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Meditation Recommendations

Hi everyone! Something that I really enjoy doing is going to a meditation class offered by my local library. The woman who runs it, Joann Xi, is the founder of the Center for Health, Happiness, and Chan. This organization promotes a mindful and contemplative lifestyle and teaches the art of meditation to those in the greater Akron area. During class this week, Joann gave us a paper listing some helpful books, apps, podcasts, and websites that she recommends and I thought that I would share it with all of you. And, if you are interested in seeing Joann in action, check out my blog post which features her YouTube videos. She’s amazing!

From Eastern Traditions:

Books:

  1. The Art of Living: Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka by William Hart
  2. Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh
  3. True Love by Thich Nhat Hanh
  4. Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trungpa
  5. Bringing Home the Dharma by Jack Kornfield
  6. The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron

Podcasts:

  1. Insight Hour Podcast with Joseph Goldstein
  2. Ram Dass Hear and Now
  3. Heart Wisdom Podcast with Jack Kornfield

Websites:

  1. https://www.secularbuddhism.org/
  2. https://www.lionsroar.com/

From Western Traditions:

Books:

  1. Invitation to Love by Thomas Keating
  2. Intimacy with God by Thomas Keating
  3. Contemplative Prayer by Thomas Merton
  4. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
  5. Fully Present by Susan L Smalley and Diana Winston
  6. Mindful Work by David Gelles

Audio Books:

  1. Going on Being by Mark Epstein
  2. Going to Pieces without Falling Apart by Mark Epstein

Podcasts:

  1. 10% Happier with Dan Harris

Apps:

  1. Headspace (Westernized version of eastern meditation practices)

YouTube:

  1. Zen Den
  2. Cosmic Kids

Websites:

  1. https://www.cac.org/
  2. https://www.couragerenewal.org

Integration of East/West:

Books:

  1. Living Zen Loving God by Ruben L.F. Habito
  2. The Mystic Heart by Wayne Teasdale
  3. The Wisdom of Insecurity by Alan Watts

I hope that some of these wonderful options to help introduce you to meditation or further your practices prove to be beneficial to those who need it. Once a skeptic, I truly believe in the power of meditation and the amazing work that Joann is doing, so please enjoy!

Who else participates in meditation? What are some ways that help you to relax? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah