Category Archives: Beauty

Apr22

Bath & Body Works Mini Haul

Posted on April 22, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! This past Tuesday was the first semblance of free time I have had in I don’t know how long. I had basically the whole morning after working from home to do whatever I wanted; so I did. And, what I wanted the most was retail therapy! I had Christmas gift cards from TJMaxx that I couldn’t wait to spend and three Bath & Body Works freebie coupons to redeem. One coupon had the caveat of making a purchase for the free item and I ended up spending ten dollars in total for all of this:

I had been looking forward to going to Bath & Body Works because they just dropped three new scents in the Gingham fragrance line, which is my absolute favorite. Between Gingham Fresh, Gorgeous, and Vibrant, it was hard to choose my full size freebie! Each of the new scents were really nice and I will try Fresh and Gorgeous eventually, but Vibrant was definitely the one that spoke to me the most. Vibrant mixes the classic, crisp scent of Gingham with tart blackberries and the softest hint of vanilla and it is a perfect springtime scent.

For my travel size freebies, I decided to go for lotions since I am currently pretty well stocked with shower gel. Unsurprisingly, I went for a Gingham lotion because I have quite a few summer birthdays to shop for and it is a scent that I think anyone would enjoy. The travel size body care makes for great gift add ons! I also selected Among The Clouds because I got the shower gel as a freebie when the scent launched in January. Similarly to Gingham Vibrant, Among The Clouds offers notes of wild berry and hints of vanilla too. I think this might be my new favorite combination!

Finally, to activate one travel size freebie as well as receive twenty percent off, I got two hand sanitizers and a bath fizzy. I love the hand sanitizers from B&BW – they smell so good and make my hands feel clean without drying out. I was due for a restock anyways, as the ones in my purse were running low and purchased the Market Peach and Iced Lemon Pound Cake scents. Both of these fragrances smell exactly like what you think they would smell like; rich lemon cake and frosting and a freshly bit into peach.

The Confetti Cupcake fizzy was, admittedly, an impulse buy. In fact, I was very unimpressed with the only bath fizzy I have tried from B&BW. However, this cupcake one was just so cute! I also figured that it would be a nice bath time treat when I finally shave my legs after holding off all winter lol. It might not be a Lush quality product, but sometimes you have to work with what you have got when the nearest Lush is almost an hour away!

I have grown very fond of Bath & Body Works as of late and have been amazed by how little I pay, if at all when I get my shop on. I will be checking the mail religiously for more freebie coupons so I can try Gingham Fresh and Gorgeous! 😀

Which store offers the best promos and deals? How often do you restock your bath and body care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr14

New Hot Pink & Tiger Orange Nails

Posted on April 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I had a simply lovely day on Tuesday and can’t wait to share with all of you in the next few posts. I visited my loved one at the hospital, got my nails done *finally*, prepared a gorgeous OOTD, and saw Jesus Christ Superstar in Akron with my mother in law! Due to family emergencies, I had to cancel my fill last week and had been looking forward to a trip to Elysian Nails every time I caught a glance of my grown out talons. They were really, really bad! Thankfully, the team at my happy place always gets me right and I am loving my freshly done claws:

Unfortunately, my favorite tech from Elysian Nails moved onto a new job so I have taken to scheduling appointments with anyone that I can get. My preferred choices are usually all booked up and that’s fine because all of the employees at Elysian are excellent. Due to the rush of spring nails and pedicures, old staff members have been brought back and I actually ended up having an appointment with one of my least favorites. The few times she did my nails in the past, she was so rough and it made for a pretty unpleasant experience. However, she really turned things around this time and while I wouldn’t go to her again, I still enjoyed my time at the salon and zoning out to HGTV. 😀

For my nail polish colors, I wanted bright, springy hues and had highlighter colors in mind. The weather in Ohio has been lovely and I wanted my nails to reflect it! To start, I chose a vibrant tiger orange and went from there. I decided that pink would be a nice compliment and selected a bottle of hot pink polish. But I am calling BS! It looked pink in the bottle but it applied as a cherry red. I didn’t care enough to switch out to the flamingo pink I was eyeballing and I still like this combination all the same. It reminds me of Taco Bell sauce packets and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Spring has finally sprung and I am ready for some fun in the sun with these nails! They are exactly the pop of color I needed and I am eager for my appointment next month with one of my go to girls… I actually just booked the appointment!

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

Mar28

Vitamin C Skin Care Routine

Posted on March 28, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! My skin type would definitely fall under the “normal” category. I don’t experience oil, acne, or sensitivity and my woes usually only come from dry skin in the winter. Thanks to this, I get a lot of free range to try new skin care products; I can’t think of any adverse reactions my skin has had from testing new skin care and I don’t need specific products for my skin type. As you all know, I love to try new products out and the skin care I use at a given time ranges from brightening and hydrating to firming and fine line repair. However, I literally just noticed a major difference in my current routine after several weeks!

I wouldn’t say my skin has a “dull” appearance, but I can tell when I am feeling more tired than usual, which is basically all the time lol. For the past few weeks, I have found my skin to be much brighter than normal despite being a chronically sleepy gal. After examining my skin care routine, I realized that I have been using three Vitamin C products and I know I have them to tip my cap to for the brightening boost:

It has been a good long while since I stacked like skin care products. Honestly, the last time was probably when I was a teenager and trying to figure out what would work for my skin. Individually, I could see that the Clinical Works cleanser, Spa Cosmetics serum, and Bellyssima moisturizer worked well. Then, after other products got used up and their forces combined, I felt like the sun had nothing on my radiance!

With Vitamin C times three, I feel like a whole new me and it has turned what I used to think was a very solid skin care routine on its head. And, dare I say it, I might just begin limiting myself to like products when I restock at TJMaxx to see what happens! Let’s talk a bit more about the skin care that I am currently using because I think you will love them if you are looking for an extra dose of brightness:

Clinical Works Cleanser: This cleanser is divine! It smells very citrusy and is so invigorating to use every morning. A nickle sized dollop goes a long way and it lathers well, turning into lush bubbles instantly. Not only does this cleanser brighten, but it really does cleanse too. My skin feels squeaky clean after each use and I can feel the grime and yuck scrubbing away, leaving nothing but soft, radiant skin in its wake.

Spa Cosmetics Serum: I have been enjoying this serum a lot. It has a fairly light citrus scent and is thicker in texture. Normally, I don’t like products with a thicker consistency, but I never mind if it’s a serum. Once again, a nickle sized dollop of this product is all you need for full neck and face coverage and the bottle I’m working on is lasting me a long time. It is the perfect serum to activate the work the cleanser put in even more as well as the moisturizer during the next step in my routine.

Bellyssima Moisturizer: This moisturizer is one of the best ones that I have tried in months. I was instantly enamored with the whipped orange scent and the texture is rich and creamy, but absorbs quickly. It also sits so well underneath makeup. The Bellyssima moisturizer locks in all of the good stuff from the cleanser and serum and my skin is left looking like peaches and cream. I can’t get enough of this moisturizer and am keeping my fingers crossed to find it again at TJMaxx!

It has been grey and rainy in my neck of the woods, but my skin feels like sunshine and rainbows with my new Vitamin C routine. I highly recommend each of these products and they are all cruelty free. Check them out if you get the chance!

What is your skin care routine like? Do you stack like products or use a bunch of different things? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar26

March 2023 Finishes

Posted on March 26, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone! It’s about that time to discuss the products that I finished up this month and I can’t believe that we are already almost in the fourth month of 2023. It’s flying by! March was pretty successful as far as empties go and I was able to use up lots of new to me products, which is always nice. Let’s get started and discuss these finishes further because there are definitely a few that you can skip on:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Champagne Apple Honey shower gel: YES

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple lotion: MAYBE

DesignLine Fiji Therapy styling oil: NO

Sujata Gazder Valinora serum: YES!!!!!!

Clear Beauty 24K Gold and Collagen moisturizer: NO

*Not pictured* Evoluderm micellar water: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Lotion: I got the Winter Candy Apple lotion as a freebie from B&BW and assumed that I would love it because anything apple is alright with me. This scent, however, proved me wrong. I love apple fragrances because of the sweet/tart notes and the Winter Candy Apple was just sweet with nothing more to it. It also had some pretty strong floral notes, which I was not fond of at all. I would use this lotion if it was gifted to me, but now I know to skip on it next holiday season. It took me about five weeks of once daily use to finish the bottle.

DesignLine Styling Oil: I have been working my way through this bottle of Fiji Therapy Styling Oil for what feels like forever. I wanted to like this product so bad because the scent is nice, it’s lightweight, and applies so easily, but it just never showed me the results I wanted. After getting my hair done, it needs all of the hydration help it can get from the bleach. No matter how many times I used this oil, the ends of my hair were still bone dry. I was very happy to finish this product up because I was using it just for the sake of using it and would definitely not buy it again.

Sujata Gazder Serum: You can peep my full review for the Valinora serum with the link above. I just wanted to take the time to reiterate how fabulous it was! My skin never looked better after twice daily use of this serum and I was so sad to have finished it up in one month. Every use left my skin feeling hydrated and nourished and I couldn’t believe how effective this serum was in diminishing designer bags. I highly, highly recommend this product!

Clear Beauty Moisturizer: It took me one month of twice daily use to finish the 24K Gold and Collagen moisturizer by Clear Beauty and I was unimpressed. I noticed no real difference in my skin’s appearance or firmness, which was disappointing because all of the ingredients would make you expect to see results. This also wasn’t the best value, either, as the jar was super small so I had to ration how much I used carefully. I would not buy this product again.

Although there were a decent amount of duds in this month’s finishes, that is fine with me. Now, I don’t have to use them anymore! Lol, here’s to using lots of products that I actually like next month! 😀

What products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar12

New Shimmer Ocean Blue & Glitter Pink Nails

Posted on March 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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New Shimmer Ocean Blue & Glitter Pink Nails

Hello!!! This past Wednesday, I spent a lovely morning before work being pampered with a fill at Elysian Nails. I was bummed because I couldn’t get an appointment with my usual tech, but it honestly ended up working just as well. The tech that did my nails was SO fast and I ended up making it to work early instead of fifteen minutes late like I had originally planned. Normally, I crave extra time at the salon but, in this case, everything was coming up Lil Red! Check out this fill that was completed in forty-five minutes:

As I made my way to Elysian Nails, I struggled to come up with a color combination that spoke to me. So, I decided to let fate decide and left it up to whatever struck my fancy first at the nail polish wall. After a quick once over, my eyes locked in on the bottle of the shimmery ocean blue polish and decided to go for it. It looked so pretty in the bottle and the color reminded me of mermaids! With the mermaid motif in mind, I selected the glittery pink for my second color and waited for my appointment to start.

The tech who did my nails has been at Elysian for forever, but he was new to me. It was freaking amazing to watch him work because he was both fast and efficient but the quality of my nails was still on par if not better than someone who took their time. I admit that I was a bit nervous to have him do my nails because I don’t trust just anyone with my claws. However, my mind was quickly put at ease because he wouldn’t be at the salon if he wasn’t excellent. As we settled into our comfortable silence, I was able to relax and get my HGTV on but before I knew it, he was already done!

I love how my nails turned out and I can’t stop looking at them to save my own life! The shape is perfect and the colors are so playful in the light. Of course, the flash of blingy glitter from the pink is always fun, but I am obsessed with the ocean blue. In just the right lighting it looks emerald green and no matter what color you see it as, it is still gorgeous! 😀

I would happily see the tech who did my nails again and it is good to know that there is another option if my usual gals are booked up. This was definitely another successful trip to Elysian in the books!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? Do you prefer gel, dip, or regular polish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Posted on March 6, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I can’t tell you all the last time that I actually shopped for hand soaps in store at Bath & Body Works. Once the pandemic began, I would just order them online and hope for the best that I would like the scents I selected. This past week, I had several coupons from B&BW and decided to restock my soap in person. I always get my sister a bunch of the hand soap for her birthday because she loves it too and I wanted to make sure she would like all of them. For thirteen hand soaps and two freebie products, I paid forty dollars and you just can’t beat that! Here is what I picked out:

Normally, we begin discussing hand soaps by stating if I would purchase the scent again. However, that was when I was shopping online and had no idea if I would like the scent. We can skip on that because I decided with my own nose that I liked each soap! We will also skip on talking about the classic scents of Warm Vanilla Sugar and Peach Bellini so we can talk more about each new fragrance. Let’s get to it:

Pink Peach Blossom: Peach is one of my all time favorite scents and even though I already had the Peach Bellini soap in my shopping bag, I had to get the Pink Peach Blossom too! The Pink Peach is soooo pretty and it combines the softer peach fragrance with bold mandarin and sweet magnolia. It is definitely more fruity than floral and I was happy about that as it’s what I prefer and this scent had the potential to go either way.

Pink Pineapple Sunrise: My Johnny subscribes to the island lifestyle despite his elder emo status so I always have to get a few tropical soaps for him. If you are a fan of pineapple, then you will love this scent because it is straight up pineapple. The fragrance notes include “palm sugar and sun-drenched nectar” but it is all pineapple lol. Not sure where the pink comes from, though!

Raspberry Tangerine: I rarely use the gel soaps from B&BW because I love the foaming. However, I had a coupon for a three dollar gel soap so I said “why not?”. While the formula isn’t my favorite, I do really like the scent. I am a huge fan of sweet/tart raspberry fragrance and the combination of tangerine and lemon is heavenly.

Some Bunny Loves You: As a bunny mom, I couldn’t pass up on the packaging for this soap! The scent is Pink Apple Punch and I am sensing a theme for the fragrance names; SO much pink! Apple is another one of my favorite fragrances and this is very much a springtime apple scent. Paired with melon, this soap is more sweet instead of tart, but it is still pretty nice – if nothing but for the picture alone!

Mango Papaya Paradise: This was another soap for Johnny to pretend he’s laying under a palm tree with and I like it a lot too! This scent is basically the Golden Mango Lagoon fragrance we discussed yesterday and it’s lovely. It smells like sunshine, a fresh cut tropical fruit salad, and the island breeze. Perfect for summertime!

I really enjoyed my little shopping trip to Bath & Body Works and I deeply appreciate the novelty of liking every hand soap scent I picked out. I think I will be shopping in store from now on!

Do you prefer foaming or gel hand soap? What is your favorite fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

Bath & Body Works March Freebies

Posted on March 5, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Is it just me or have the Bath & Body Works coupons in the mail gotten so much better? This past week, I received a coupon packet for a free travel size item, a free full size item, and twenty-five percent off a purchase. They could not have come at a more perfect time because I needed to restock my hand soap supply (Peep that haul tomorrow!) and pick out a few prezzies for upcoming birthdays. In total, I got FIFTEEN items for just forty dollars and it was awesome! Take a look at the freebies that I selected, which totaled to almost twenty-four dollars in product:

For the longest time, a free travel size coupon from B&BW was limited to a lotion or shower gel because that was basically all that was available. However, this past year, B&BW upped their add on game considerably with mini fragrance sprays, hand creams, and bar soap. When I learned that these other items were up for grabs with a coupon, my mind was blown and I decided to go for a fragrance.

While I do have my tried and true full size sprays, I thought that it would be nice to change things up without committing to a scent in its entirety. B&BW recently released several new fragrance lines for spring and I chose the Golden Mango Lagoon. Normally, Johnny is a fan of the tropical scents and I prefer fruity and tart, but the Golden Mango was too nice to pass up. It seriously smells like a day at the beach and freshly sliced mango and it will be a perfect summertime fragrance. In fact, I liked it so much that I got a similarly scented hand soap too.

For my full size freebie, I opted for a shower gel because I recently purchased a few new lotions and will be set for a while. I was instantly drawn to the pretty robin’s egg blue and red packaging of Poppy and wasn’t expecting it to be a winner as I am not a floral girl. Poppy is so much more than just a floral scent, though, and combines the freshness of a spring day with pear, rhubarb, and wildflowers. This scent reminds me of airing your house out on the first warm day after winter and is subtle enough for it to make a great gift for anyone on your list… Or yourself!

The more I shop the deals at B&BW, the more impressed I am by the amazing value I am getting for my money. It turns even the most mundane thing of shopping for hand soaps into something exciting! Keep it posted tomorrow for the rest of my Bath & Body Works Haul!

Which store offers the best coupons or rewards program? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar4

Great Deal Alert: Pacifica Lip Balm Multipack

Posted on March 4, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Great Deal Alert: Pacifica Lip Balm Multipack

Hello! I recently discovered Pacifica lip balm and it is, hands down, the BEST balm that I have ever used. After suffering from severely chapped and cracked lips for weeks on end, the Rainbow Watermelon balm came through in the clutch. In under a week, my lips were completely healed and had never felt softer or more hydrated. I used the Pacifica balm religiously and was so upset when I finished the tube in its entirety in less than a month. Nothing beats the satisfaction one feels after using up a chapstick, but I was kicking myself in the butt for not buying more at TJMaxx when I had the chance!

About a week ago, I had a few odds and ends to order on Amazon and decided to see if I could find the Pacifica balm for a good price. Happily, I ended up finding a great price and purchased a multipack of three for just ten dollars. 😀 Check it out:

Prior to the Pacifica balm, I never really understood why people needed multiple chapsticks in multiple locations. Now, I totally get it and used my multipack accordingly. I keep the Rainbow Watermelon in my purse, Bali Coconut on my bedside table, and the Island Vanilla keeps me company at my desk when I am working. My main goal with the multipack was to prevent my lips from ever getting so jacked up again and I think that this new setup is going to work just fine for achieving it.

As I waited for my order to ship, I figured that the Island Vanilla would be my favorite scent of the three because vanilla is one of my go to fragrances. Surprisingly, I remained partial to the Rainbow Watermelon – maybe because it helped so much or because it smells exactly like Lip Smackers… The world may never know! The Island Vanilla is nice but its scent is really subtle. The same goes for the Bali Coconut. They both smell more like the idea of vanilla and coconut if that makes sense? Lol the Rainbow Watermelon scent is much more obvious and I love the dose of nostalgia it gives with each use!

I am SO pleased with my purchase from Amazon and cannot recommend the Pacifica multipack enough if you are on the hunt for a new lip balm. This set also makes a great gift and I bought a few extra as add on prezzies for upcoming birthdays!

Where do you keep your chapstick? Have you got any good deals on Amazon lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb28

February 2023 Finishes

Posted on February 28, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! How is another month of 2023 already over?! Hey, I’m not mad about the winter months flying by; I’m ready for springtime, baby! As always, we will be wrapping up the month with my beauty finishes and then it is onto a brand new month of fun here on lifewithlilred. Keep it posted for new OOTDs, bloopers, and product reviews coming soon! Now, let’s get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Garnier Micellar Water: YES

Bath & Body Works Happy Birthday Shower Gel: MAYBE

Pacifica Rainbow Watermelon Lip Balm: YES!!!!!

SpaLife Vitamin C Moisturizer: NO

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Shower Gel: I am a faithful user of the shower gels from Bath & Body Works. I love how well they lather and the formula leaves my skin feeling so hydrated. The Happy Birthday scent just wasn’t my favorite and I’m glad that I had a travel size of it because I got tired of it pretty quickly. At first, the vanilla cake fragrance was awesome and then it started smelling almost sickly sweet. I would use it again if I received it as a gift, but I wouldn’t buy it or use a freebie coupon on it. It took me three weeks of daily use to finish the bottle.

Pacifica Lip Balm: As per my recent review, you will know how much I freaking LOVE the Rainbow Watermelon lip balm by Pacifica. Check out that post for all of my thoughts on it because it is the best lip balm I have ever used. I cannot wait for my multipack to ship and plan on using them exclusively. Why mess with perfection?!

SpaLife Moisturizer: It took me close to a month of twice daily use to finish the Vitamin C moisturizer by SpaLife. During that time, I really did want to like it. However, it was a good moisturizer but not great and I was ready to try something new. The gel texture was nice and my skin looked slightly more radiant after using it, but I wasn’t blown away by the results. I’m glad that I tried it out, but I wouldn’t purchase it again.

Overall, it was a pretty alright month for finishes because I got to use up some lackluster products and move onto new ones. It’s also good to know which ones aren’t worth buying again and sharing my findings with all of you! See you all next month! 😉

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb26

Pacifica Rainbow Watermelon Lip Balm Review

Posted on February 26, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Pacifica Rainbow Watermelon Lip Balm Review

Hello!! During the wintertime, I like to switch up my skin care and use more nourishing products to combat dryness. In Ohio, our winter has been super mild and, other than my hands, I experienced minimal dryness overall. However, that cannot be said for a new to me issue that cropped up over the past month and change: My lips have been permanently chapped. Around the beginning of January, my lips went from completely fine to totally awful. And, it was TOTALLY AWFUL!!

My lips were so dry and flaky and they were constantly cracking at the sides. It was annoying and, honestly, a little painful because they were so sore and tender. I tried at least three different chapsticks and all of them literally did nothing and that was frustrating because it just kept getting worse. At the beginning of February, I decided I needed to up the ante and headed to TJMaxx to see if I could find anything with more oomph. There weren’t too many options to choose from and I walked away with a lip balm by Pacifica and the hopes that it would help:

^^^ Can we please talk about how my nails match this lip balm perfectly?!

I wasn’t expecting much from this lip balm at all, if anything. Then, I used it and ate my words. The Pacifica lip balm is, hands down, the absolute BEST balm that I have ever used. In fact, after just a few short weeks of having it, I already had to order more because I refuse to let chapped lips be a problem for me again. And, now I know that it won’t be!

Let’s start off with the scent, because it is delightful. The Rainbow Watermelon smells exactly like the Watermelon Lip Smackers of my youth and nothing pleases me more than that fun dose of nostalgia! It’s also nice to have a touch of summertime even in the winter. Even if this balm didn’t do jack, I would have been happy to use it based on scent alone lol.

But guess what? This balm did do jack. It did A LOT of jack! After using this balm religiously since buying it, I will never use a standard chapstick again. It wasn’t until using the Pacifica balm that I noticed how a regular drugstore chapstick just sits on top of your lips. When I used the Pacifica balm for the first time, I could actually feel it absorbing and working on a deeper level to rid myself of perma-chap.

I figured that it would take a while for my lips to heal fully because they were pretty bad, but I began noticing results so quickly. Within a few days, the dry and flakiness were eliminated. By the end of the week, the cracks on the sides of my mouth healed completely and during that process they didn’t break open once. The Pacifica balm moisturized so well that even when I didn’t have a fresh application on for a while, my lips didn’t feel in danger of resorting back to the way they were before. I can’t believe I went so long suffering from chapped lips when my solution was just a trip to TJMaxx away!

If regular chapstick is failing you, then I cannot recommend the Pacifica lip balm enough. I’m so excited for my multipack to ship so that I can try the Coconut and Vanilla scents! 😀

What is your favorite chapstick flavor? What is the best product for chapped lips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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