Author Archives: lifewithlilred

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About lifewithlilred

Just your average gal blogging an average blog!
Feb16

Blog Post Ideas For When You’re Out Of Blog Post Ideas

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Blog Post Ideas For When You’re Out Of Blog Post Ideas

As writers, we all have those days where we can’t seem to come up with anything. Whether that be writing a novel in pen or typing away on your blog, when nothing seems to click, it can be nothing short of ripping your hair out frustrating. We’ve all had writer’s block in some way shape or form as far as creating content goes. And today, I am here to help you get unstuck when you need some ideas for posts on your blog. Take a look:

You can write about…

Your Favorite Travel Location:

Whether it be your favorite family vaca or just your local coffee shop around the block, shine some spotlight on it. Everyone daydreams about travel, so give the people something to wanderlust about. Perhaps you visited Harry Potter World in Florida or California. Maybe that cute little smoothie shack in town makes the best strawberry banana treat that you’ve ever tasted. Giving people an escape from their own world is what blogging is all about, so literally let them escape and transport them to your favorite place.

All Things Beauty:

Do you have a cupboard full of makeup products or nail polishes? Do you dye your own hair? Perhaps you’re a cosmetologist, hair stylist, or nail tech. Tell us more! Beauty tips and tricks will always be popular, but it’s seriously such a hot topic right now. From YouTube influencers to celebrities spilling their secret hacks, everyone seems to be enthralled in learning more about the world of makeup. Dish about your favorite products, tricks, or your profession in the industry and watch your stats skyrocket.

Passion For Fashion:

Are you a shopaholic like myself? Are you a shoe hoarder? Do you love styling OOTDs? Similar to beauty, fashion is a hot trending topic right now. Whether you’re a full blown fashionista or just starting to develop your personal style, fashion posts will always be in demand. Tell us where you score the best deals for designer looks. Write about your tips on finding amazing steals at the thrift shop. Teach us how to style a wardrobe staple, like a blazer, two or three different ways. Or, maybe you have some crazy stories about working fashion retail. No matter the topic, those with a passion for fashion will certainly appreciate it.

Snap Some Pics:

Are you a budding photographer? A selfie queen? Or, you might just love snapping some quick pics on your iPhone of things that interest you as you make your way throughout the day. Like writing about travel locations, pictures can transport the reader, as well. It doesn’t matter if you’re a photography professional or just starting out, because a picture is worth a thousand words. Show your readers the world through your eyes, and discover or refine a newly found or old passion.

Tell Us More:

A blog is literally an online diary and sometimes it can help to treat it as such. Maybe you had a bad day. Perhaps you had a totally embarrassing moment that, in hindsight, was hilarious. Or, something amazing happened and you want to scream it from the mountain tops. Write it out. Your days might not be interesting to you but, to others, it might feel like reading reality TV. Everyone has had the feeling before that literally every single person on the planet has a more exciting life than them. Or, they might just want to relate to someone else’s problems instead of focusing on their own. No matter what the case may be, share it with the world and watch as people come forward to share their own similar situations or just offer a kind word.

Blogging is a tough job, but somebody has gotta do it. So why not you? Getting stuck on creating content can certainly suck. But, with the guide above, you should be able to start cranking out new posts in no time!

How do you shake the feelings of writer’s block? What is your go to topic to write about? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Planet Minecraft

Feb15

February Jams

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February Jams

Howdy! Did you know that singing in the car or shower is a great stress reliever? That’s what my therapist told me and, damnit, it’s true. Nothing makes me feel better than playing my music really loud in the car and singing along with my favorite songs. Including some of the following:

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

This month, I had to give credit where credit is due because Justin Timberlake’s halftime show at the Super Bowl was just to die for. No one can deny how much talent that that man has and his nod to Prince was a much appreciated touch during his performance. I also have fallen back in love again with Sufjan Stevens, thanks to his song “Tonya Harding”, which was perfect to listen to after seeing I, Tonya which was absolutely fabulous.

And, of course, I had to celebrate some new tunes by the love of my life, Jack White, from his upcoming album Boarding House Reach. What a guy, what a guy, what a heck of a guy! ❤

What have you been listening to this month? How did you feel about the Super Bowl halftime show? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb14

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Helloooo everyone and Happy Valentine’s Day! I just wanted to write a quick post to tell everyone to enjoy their day no matter how they spend it. For some people, V-Day sucks. For others, it’s the most awaited day of the year. So whether you’re with your significant other, best friends, or riding solo – try to make today your best day yet! After all, it’s just like any other day, except slightly more romantic.

Regardless of how you go about your day today, just remember that you are all my Valentines and I freaking love all of you!!

neville

How are you spending Valentine’s Day today? What is your best or worst V-Day memory? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb13

Blogger Recognition Award #6

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Blogger Recognition Award #6

Hihihi! This past Friday, lifewithlilred was nominated for its sixth Blogger Recognition Award by my friend Cherilyn over at Cherilyn Does. I love chit chatting with Cherilyn and her blog is definitely a must read – especially if you have an interest in makeup. She seriously does the most fabulous product reviews! Thanks for your friendship and the nomination, darling! The rules to this award are as follows:

The Rules:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog.
  • Write a post to show your award.
  • Give a brief story of how your blog started.
  • Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
  • Select 15 other bloggers that you want to give this award to and comment on each blog to let them know with a link to your award post.

Because my original thoughts on my first Blogger Recognition Award hasn’t changed much, you can view them here and I will just move on to my nominees!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

Once more, do give Cherilyn’s page some love – her blog is such a treat! What are some of your blogging tricks and tips? Who is one of your favorite bloggers? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb12

New Pink Glitter & Black Nails

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New Pink Glitter & Black Nails

Helloooo! With my nail tech leaving for a much deserved vacation with his wife this week, I had to fit in a fill a bit earlier than I would have liked. I’ve been going about four and a half to five weeks in between getting my claws fixed up and it has definitely been a time and money saver! Despite getting a fill right at the four week mark, it was well worth it, because they look gorgeous and are right on time for Valentine’s Day. Take a look:

pinkkk

Despite the harshness of jet black claws, I had to sweeten things up with a pale pink polish with glitter on top for an accent nail. It felt perfectly like goth My Little Pony fun for Valentine’s Day and I just couldn’t resist. Even though I’m not the most girly girl in the world, I can totally sacrifice two accent nails on each hand to all things glittery and sparkles. I love pastel nail polish as of late and am looking forward to doing a lavender accent nail next fill! 😀

What color of nail polish do you have on right now? How long do you go in between getting your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb11

Bath & Body Works February Freebie

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Bath & Body Works February Freebie

Hihihi everyone! It’s been a while since I have gotten a freebie coupon from Bath & Body Works, but it happened last week. I assumed that they had finally caught on to me never buying anything and just cashing in the coupons, but it looks like I am back in the good graces of B&BW. Since I haven’t been in in a minute to nab my freebie, I haven’t noticed that they repackaged their signature scents and I am so not a fan. Take a look:

bbwwwfreebies

  • Picture 1: New School
  • Picture 2: Old School

In my opinion, pretty packaging is a must when it comes to bath and body care goodies. Good packing should tell you everything that you need to know about a product before you even smell it. The new packaging tells the buyers nothing. If you didn’t look at the minuscule print at the bottom, you would have no way of knowing that I picked out the Pretty As A Peach lotion.

Not only did they do away with their signature scent packaging, but they also eliminated the coloring of all of the lotions, as well. I guess that’s a good thing, because they’re getting rid of any excess or unneeded ingredients – but it definitely makes for a pretty blah looking product. #notimpressed

The final surprise when I got my freebie was that B&BW increased the price of the mini products from five dolla to five dolla and fifty cents. Is that a huge increase? Not necessarily. But is a mini lotion or shower gel really worth five fifty? Definitely not. But, I got my mini lotion FO FREE so who am I to complain?! 😉

Am I super bent out of shape over this new rebranding? No, I honestly don’t care. But am I petty enough to nitpick the not so nice looking aspects of it. Hell yeah. Unappealing repackaging and a price increase is never a good look, B&BW!

How do you feel about the new Bath & Body Works packaging? Are you a fan of the new school or old school marketing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb10

New Love Notes Cropped Button Down

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New Love Notes Cropped Button Down

Heyyyyyyy. One style of top that I have grown increasingly fond of as of late is the button down. I LOVE them and have began to accumulate quite the collection. And, my love grows even more specific, because I always seem to be drawn to blue, vertical striped button downs – like this cropped cutie by Love Notes seen below:

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  • TJMaxx Price: $13

I really freaking like this shirt and, yes, it does look fabulous underneath the sleeveless hoodie that I wrote about yesterday! This top reminds me a lot of clothing from Zara and getting it for a fraction of what it would have costed there makes it an even sweeter buy. My new Love Notes lovely shows what looks like geese in different stages of flight and it’s just a cool pattern to have over the blue stripes.

Not only is the pattern of this top unique, but so is the style of it because it’s cropped. I am so looking forward to pairing this with black shorts this summer and maybe even during the spring with tights underneath for a quirky fun look. Everything about this top is a score for me and you definitely can’t beat a thirteen dollar price tag!

What is your favorite style of top? Who else is an avid fan of the button down? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb9

New Kyodan Sleeveless Hoodie

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New Kyodan Sleeveless Hoodie

Hello! I had a really lovely Saturday this past weekend. My mom, sister, and I went out to lunch and then we went shopping at TJMaxx and HomeGoods. We had a lot of fun and it proved to be a fruitful trip to TJs. For the past month or so, I have been trying to incorporate some more tops into my wardrobe and I finally have had some success. The second top can be seen tomorrow. But, for now, check out this New Kyodan Sleeveless Hoodie that I am obsessed with:

mini3mini2

  • Original Price: $42
  • TJMaxx Price: $20

Athletic apparel that can double as normal clothing is very in as of late. And it’s sure hard to escape seeing all of the work out garb when New Year’s Resolutions are still being pushed in stores. I have wanted a tank top hoodie for a while now, but haven’t been able to find just the right one.

I normally don’t go for anything too plain while shopping but, in this instance, that was exactly what I needed. I wanted the sleeveless hoodie to layer well over different tops and that wouldn’t happen if it was a loud pattern or color. I always prefer black clothing and, in this case, I super preferred black clothing because this half priced Kyodan tank hoodie is perfect.

I am so excited to be able to throw this over a tank, crop top, or T-shirt. But, I am really looking forward to pairing this over classic button downs or long sleeved shirts for a comfy cool look that is still work appropriate. I like that this hoodie doesn’t look like I’m about to go for a work out while wearing it, but I definitely could if I wanted to! Either way, it is sure to look just sporting wherever I go. See what I did there?! 😉

How would you style a tank hoodie? How do you mix athletic gear into your every day outfits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

The TMI Tag

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The TMI Tag

Hi hi hi! This past weekend my friend, Claudia, over at New Life Fresh You nominated lifewithlilred for The TMI Tag. I have never been nominated for this one, and it’s basically a huge Q & A so it should be a lot of fun. I had a blast reading all of Claudia’s answers and her blog is such a gem so do be sure to check it out! Now, let’s get on to the rules for the tag.

The Rules:

  • You can participate if you want, if not, you can totally decline it.
  • Mention the person who tagged you.
  • Answer the questions from below.
  • Let the person you tagged know by commenting on their page.

Q & A:

What are you currently wearing? Black skinny jeans and a grey and teal Diamond Supply hoodie from my PacSun days.

Have you ever been in love? Yes.

Did you ever have a terrible breakup? Yes.

How old are you? 23

How tall are you? 5’1 1/4″ (The quarter counts!)

How much do you weigh? 120 pounds give or take.

Do you have any piercings? Yep. I’ve had over thirty in my life time but now I only have my bellybutton, two on my ears, my septum, and two studs on each nostril. I would love to get a facial dermal or my lip pierced again!

Do you have any tattoos? Yes, I have five and am planning on getting three more this month.

What’s your favorite drink? Moscato and Diet Coke.

What’s your favorite song? Beautiful Day by U2 – lyrics from that song was the first tattoo that I got the day that I turned eighteen.

What’s your zodiac sign? Gemini.

How long does it take you to shower? Fifteen to twenty minutes – I like long showers.

What’s your favorite show? Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My 600 Lb. Life, and Jeopardy.

What’s your favorite band? I love U2, anything with Jack White, Marilyn Manson, Glass Animals, Arcade Fire, and Wolf Parade.

Something you really miss? College! I loved school.

Where do you go when you are sad? My bedroom to snuggle up with my Kindle and watch Netflix.

How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? Including my shower, I would say a solid hour.

Have you ever been in a physical fight? Nope.

What turns you on? Physically, I am all about really tall guys. Tattoos and piercings are a plus. And kindness and intelligence is a must.

What turns you off? I’m keeping Claudia’s answer of ignorance and disrespect, for sure.

Quality you look for in a partner? Smart, funny, goal oriented, kind, charismatic.

What’s your favorite color? Black.

Loud music or soft? Loud.

Favorite quote? Eh, I don’t really have one.

Favorite actor? I have been on a huge Hugo Weaving kick lately.

Do you have any fears? What are they? No comment.

What’s the last thing that made you cry? Definitely shed a tear over the movie The Shape Of Water. It was fabulous.

Meaning behind your blog name? Lil Red has been my nickname for five or so years thanks to my signature red hair and lipstick and lifewithlilred just flows really nicely.

Last time you said you loved someone? Before going to bed last night to my parents. 🙂

Last book you read? Honestly, I forget. I used to read every night before bed, but then I started teaching myself American Sign Language and that’s usually what I practice every night before falling asleep.

The book you’re currently reading? ASL For Dummies, lololol.

Last show you watched? Jeopardy.

Last place you were My bedroom.

Last sport you played? Figure skating.

Who’s the last person you talked to? My mom.

The last song you sang? Lunchbox by Marilyn Manson.

Favorite chat up line? What is that? lol.

Do you have a crush? Marilyn Manson, all day every day. I love him SO SO SO much.

The relationship between you and the person you last texted? My sister.

Favorite food? Anything vegetarian. I love to eat. But I especially love Indian food and Taco Bell.

Place you want to visit? France.

Last time you were insulted? I don’t really know. I don’t get genuinely insulted too easily, but I do get annoyed pretty frequently, haha.

Favorite flavor of candy? Sour!

What instrument do you play? None! I wish I could play the guitar, though.

Favorite piece of jewelry? Long, dangly earrings.

Last time you hung out with someone? I had a wine night with my friends over the weekend.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

Thank you so much to Claudia for nominating lifewithlilred for the TMI Tag! It was a ton of fun making this post. How would you answer some of the questions in the tag? What are things that you consider to be TMI? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

Single On Valentine’s Day? It’s Okay!

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Single On Valentine’s Day? It’s Okay!

Hola! It’s easy for all the single ladies to get stressed with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. I get that and I am here to tell you that it is okay! Yours truly has spent plenty of Valentine’s Days by myself with a bottle of wine or going credit card crazy with online shopping. So, like I said, I get it.

Valentine’s Day can seem like it’s a couples only holiday but, damn it, that’s just not true. Hello, Galentine’s Day, ironic singles parties, and taking the day to treat yourself like the queen that you are. So let’s get some tunes going while we discuss some ideas on how to keep the single goddesses out of the Valentine’s Day funk:

(And, as per ushe, I have no rights to this song or video!)

First things first:

Just because you’re single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t make you any less desirable, beautiful, or fabulous. It just means that your special someone hasn’t made a cameo in your life yet and that’s okay!! I think that you’re all the most wonderful women alive and that’s all that really matters, anyways.

hpp

😉 😉 😉

Second of all:

Valentine’s Day is just another day of the year. Truly. You are just more aware of it because couples are constantly posting on social media to showcase their true love. If you don’t want to see it, go off the grid for the day and come back tomorrow when Facebook is back to puppy videos and conspiracy theory rants.

And, finally:

It’s okay to spend your Valentine’s Day alone! Sometimes it can be just what you need to recharge your batteries and start the day shiny and new. You can even do some of the following:

Have a spa day:

Who doesn’t love being pampered? Go get your hair done, get a manicure, or just stay at home and take a nice, hot bubble bath. Light some candles, throw in a bath bomb, and pour yourself a glass of your favorite drink. Bath time is relaxing, fun (I think so, anyways!), and just plain luxurious. Taking good care of yourself will make you feel good. And nothing is better than lotioning up and putting on your favorite pair of PJs afterwards! 😀

bath3bath6

You can even use a charcoal bath bomb if you’re in a love bites type of mood!

Hang with the girls:

Nothing is more fun than gossiping, watching movies, and sharing chocolate and wine with your best friends. Invite your single and ready to mingle friends over for a slumber party and your relationship woes will be forgotten instantly. Have each friend bring her favorite rom-com, a bottle of wine, chocolate, or snacks and enjoy a potluck style partay with your besties. Boyfriend, who?

Treat Yoself:

Whether it be ordering your favorite takeout, buying a new pair of shoes, or finally finishing the book that you’ve been reading, do be sure to treat yoself on Valentine’s Day. One of my all time favorite Valentine’s Days that I spent single was going to TJMaxx and having a shopping spree. It’s honestly one of the best times to go shopping because everything seems to be on sale as stores are trying to purge themselves of anything winter so that they can welcome spring product. Physically buying a present for yourself is a great pick me up, but you don’t have to go crazy. A sweet Alex & Ani bracelet or a new CD will do just fine.

treatyoself_main01

Do something new:

A great way to shake off the blues of a lackluster day is to try something new. Hit up a zumba class at the gym, see if you have a green thumb and work with some potted plants, or even just experiment with a new makeup color or hair style. New things are exciting and are sure to brighten your mood. Valentine’s Day is only a problematic day if you allow it to be. Do something to get yourself out of a slump and V-Day will be a breeze. It will be just like any other day, if you will. 😉

Valentine’s Day as a single lady can be awesome or it can be completely miserable. It all depends on what you choose to do with it. But an awesome day sounds a bit more appealing, yes? Use this handy guide and have a ball!

How are you spending Valentine’s Day? What was your favorite V-Day like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Fesdove