Category Archives: Beauty

Oct28

bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

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bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

Hello! We are going to wrap up our swatch posts from my hand me down haul from my sister by discussing a mineral blush by bellapierre Cosmetics in Desert Rose. This loose powder blush is oh so pretty and even has SPF 15 in it which I thought was very cool because I have never had a blush that offered that before. Now, let’s get swatching:

When opening the jar of Desert Rose blush, my initial impression was that it was a bit too dark for my liking because I have such a fair complexion. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see how light it applied and can definitely see myself using it as a nice change of pace from my Body Shop blushes which I have been using since I was a teen! My makeup motto has always been if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it so it will be fun to try something new that I didn’t have to commit to buying.

This bellapierre blush applied so smoothly and I love that it had a pinch of shimmer in it for glowing skin and protection from the sun all in one. None of my blushes have ever had a touch of glitter in it so this blush is full of firsts for me. 😀 When I do my makeup next time I can’t wait to try it out!

Many thanks to my big sis for passing her unwanted makeup onto me – I LOVE YOU!!!!!! ❤

What is your favorite blush? Where do you like to shop for makeup? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

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Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

Howdy! Today, we are going to check out an eyeshadow swatch by Katherine Natural Cosmetics in Espresso. This color is from her Coffee Talk palette and I’d like to take some time to reflect on how much I adore that name. I have always been a huge Saturday Night Live fan and enjoy watching both old and new episodes alike. Coffee Talk is one of my favorite sketches and boasts one of my most loved quotes of “Duran Duran is neither a Duran nor a Duran… Discuss”. Lol, but I digress! Let’s get swatching:

This eyeshadow was a hand me down from my big sis and it is one that I can definitely picture myself wearing. With my newest hair change of red, pink, and violet, I have grown especially partial to mauve, brown, purple, and pink hues on my eyes. It always blows my mind how changing my hair completely changes my color palette in both makeup and wardrobe because these are shades that I normally would shy away from before. Not that I didn’t like them but because they didn’t look good with whatever color my hair was!

The Espresso shade of this eyeshadow will look charming in assisting with a purple smokey eye and I plan on at least attempting it even though I am not the best at doing eye makeup. However, the fact that this eyeshadow applied like a dream will certainly help the cause. The eyeshadow’s texture is so soft and creamy and I love its ultra rich pigment. SO pretty. 😀

The talk of Coffee Talk is this beautiful Espresso hue by Katherine Natural Cosmetics. I can’t wait to try it out when I actually feel like doing my makeup lol. Cheers!

Is Duran Duran neither a Duran nor a Duran? What are your tips for the perfect smokey eye? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct26

Meech & Mia Eyeshadow Swatch In Beige

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Meech & Mia Eyeshadow Swatch In Beige

Hi! Today, we are going to get our swatch on with a hand me down Meech & Mia eyeshadow from my big sis in Beige. No longer used products from the makeup guru herself are always a treat and I was delighted when she handed me a Birchbox box full of makeup! 😀 Let’s get started and be on the lookout for more product swatches soon:

This eyeshadow was a bit of an enigma because upon first inspection, it looks burnt orange to me – not beige at all. When on, I still see an orange tint depending on the lighting which reminds me of that dress that everyone freaked out about on social media because they couldn’t tell if it was blue or grey or something? Lol but I digress. This is not to say that the color isn’t lovely, it’s just not what I expected!

I do like this color a lot and it is pillowy soft to the touch. However, I am not a huge fan of loose powder eyeshadow. When it comes to makeup, I am not the best at applying and I feel like this eyeshadow would get everywhere if I tried to use it. In fact, it did get everywhere just from opening the jar.

I can’t say that I would use this as the only eyeshadow on my MOTD because it is not pigmented enough for my liking. But, I think I will try dusting it over the color that I choose for some extra shimmer – it’s way too pretty to not at least give it a shot!

What color does this eyeshadow look to you? Do you prefer a loose powder or more compact eyeshadow? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct24

Bath & Body Works Haul

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Bath & Body Works Haul

Hello! When it comes to my beauty hoard, I like to keep it very well stocked. This means having at least two backups of my most used products on hand at all times. Johnny and I are both extremely partial to the hand soaps from Bath & Body Works so when I saw that we only had one left, a restock was definitely in order! Check it out:

Would I Buy Again?

  • Island Papaya: YES
  • Ghoul Friend: YES
  • Afternoon Apple Picking: YES
  • Blueberry Maple Pancakes: NO
  • Peach Bellini: YES
  • Let’s Get Nuts: MAYBE
  • Spooky Hand Sanitizers: YES!

Despite a couple of misses during this B&BW haul, I am still pleased with it. The Island Papaya was a huge success with Johnny who loves all things tropical and I am always happy to get another Peach Bellini hand soap – it’s my favorite! Afternoon Apple Picking was also a scent that we both really liked because it smelled strictly like apples without a touch of cinnamon, which we both hate lol. Now, let’s move on to the not so liked buys:

When I saw the Blueberry Maple Pancakes soap, I thought that it would smell amazing and was looking forward to its arrival in the mail. Unfortunately, it missed the mark big time. Instead of a delicious blueberry bakery scent, it just smells like straight up syrup and is almost sickeningly sweet.

Let’s Get Nuts is another scent that I could probably do without. It is your basic vanilla and, don’t get me wrong, I am a huge vanilla fan. However, vanilla can be kind of boring when there are so many other fun hand soap scents to explore. I actually didn’t plan on buying the soap but almost all of the Halloween scents were sold out so I added it to the shopping cart to make the most of the six soaps for twenty-four dollars deal.

The biggest success of this haul was not the soaps but the hand sanitizers! Last month, I got a coupon for a free sani and I absolutely loved it. The scent was nice and light and it made my hands feel clean without drying them out. Since we couldn’t get many Halloween scented soaps, we settled for the five for eight dollars spooky sani pack which is a great deal. Johnny and I are both currently using Vampire Blood and the only thing that would make it perfect is if we had the hand soap too – it smells SO good!

Hit or miss, you can never go wrong with the foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works. I am already looking forward to the next restock! 😀

What is your favorite B&BW scent? What is in your beauty stock pile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct20

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

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Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

Howdy! I am so appreciative to my sister for always giving me her makeup that she no longer wants for the sake of swatching on lifewithlilred. Granted, I haven’t used a majority of her hand me downs because our styles are so different BUT these swatch posts give further insight for people who might be interested in them and that’s all that matters! Today, we are going to be discussing the Custom Enhancer Drops by Cover FX in Moonlight. Let’s get to it:

These drops by Cover FX can be used as a highlighter and I actually like the Moonlight color a lot. However, it is much too intense for my liking! I have never used a liquid highlighter before and much prefer a powder one, myself. But the cool thing about these drops is that you can use as much or as little as you like over or on top of makeup. Did I mention that the color is intense? My swatch consisted of a mere two drops!

I don’t think I would feel comfortable wearing the Custom Enhancer Drops for daily use. Although it could be fun to break out for a New Year’s Eve celebration for an ultra glam look. Cover FX has seven different colors of the drops and I think that I like Glistening Pearl the best. It’s much more toned down than Moonlight and, if given the opportunity, I might be able to get away with wearing it during the day. 😮

Do you prefer a liquid or powder highlighter? How do you achieve a glam makeup look? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct19

New Orange & Red Violet Nails

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New Orange & Red Violet Nails

Howdy! It is spooky season alright, which means that Halloween nails were in order when I got my fill at Elysian Nails. All day long, I was debating which color combination to go with because I didn’t want to do something as obvious as red and black. Then, I began going through a mental list of Halloween movies to draw inspiration from and settled on Hocus Pocus for a unique orange and red violet combo. Check it out:

While I love my nails and the fact that the tech I went to did a speedy job, I miss my old go to girl very much. Which is why I can’t wait for my next fill because she’ll be back! Although it’s always nice to sit back and be pampered without much chit chat, the girl talk is part of the reason why going to the hair or nail salon is one of my favorite hobbies. So, the silent fill I had this time around without any dishing about work, significant others, etc. felt incomplete.

Despite a somewhat lackluster experience, my nails did turn out great and I am obsessed with the colors that I chose. Aside from my wedding, I have never gotten fun designs on my nails simply because I don’t feel like paying for it. This is why I wanted a nontraditional color combo that still said Halloween.

Like many who think of Hocus Pocus, the first thing that came to mind was Winifred’s hair! The orange was a must but what would go with it? I went through my mental archives some more and settled on Sarah’s purple accents on her dress. Originally, the colors I selected at Elysian were much darker but it felt kind of blah. I scoured through the polish wall several more times and went with brighter hues in each shade and ended up with exactly what I pictured in my head! 😀

It’s all just Hocus Pocus but it sure is fun. Happy Halloween to all!

What is your favorite Halloween movie? What colors make you think of spooky season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Oct17

Lil Red’s Makeup Must Haves

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Lil Red’s Makeup Must Haves

Hi! Yesterday, we took a look at all of Lil Red’s beauty essentials and today we are going to continue on by discussing my must have makeup. Thanks again to the darling Libby of Goddess Attainable for the prompt! Let’s get started:

Maybelline Tattoo Studio Eyeliner:

Once I complete my morning skin care routine, I let the products sit for about a half hour and then I apply my makeup. For as long as I can remember, I have always started the makeup process with eyeliner on my bottom lid first. The Maybelline Tattoo Studio eyeliners has been my go to for forever. I love its price (seven dollars) but I am especially fond of how creamy and pigmented it applies. This eyeliner also never budges throughout the day so you will never face a “How long has my eyeliner been smudged?” moment in the mirror!

Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Palette:

I purchased the Rare Beauty palette earlier this summer and I am so glad that I did! I was sick of all of the eyeshadow colors that I had been using for the past decade and had never bought an actual palette before. While online shopping with Sephora, I decided to give the Rare Beauty palette a try because the colors were beautiful and the price at twenty-five dollars wasn’t bad, either.

Once my order arrived, I was blown away by the quality of these eyeshadows for the price. It applies so rich and lasts all day. The Rare Beauty palette encouraged me to play around with makeup more and I have been having a blast in the process. 😀

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara:

To complete my eye makeup routine, I end with a healthy dose of Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced. My sister introduced me to this mascara several years ago and I have been a faithful user ever since. In fact, it is one of the few makeup items that I splurge on at twenty or so dollars per tube. In my opinion, it is worth every penny. The Better Than Sex mascara gives me long, bold lashes perfect for fluttering and it will always be a staple in my makeup stock pile. Which reminds me… I need to order more!

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Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush In Fresh Pink:

As I’m sure you all can tell, I stay dedicated to the products that I like and the Dream Bouncy blush by Maybelline is no exception – I have been using it since my teens! To begin the process of face makeup, I start with a base of Dream Bouncy in my favorite shade of Fresh Pink. This creamy blush applies so smoothly and I use it on the apples of my cheeks all the way up to my hairline. At first, it’s a bit much but I tone it down in the next steps…

The Body Shop Blush In Bubblegum:

To continue on with the pinky keen palette, I dust on a powder blush by The Body Shop in Bubblegum. And, yes, I have been using this blush since my teens too lol. The powder blush helps mellow out the super bright Dream Bouncy blush without losing the original color and provides a matte finish. I also apply this blush from the apples of my cheeks to my hairline.

Sephora Golden Hour Highlighter In Dusk:

Three years ago, I got hip to highlighter and Sephora’s Golden Hour in Dusk was my first purchase. At first, I wasn’t so sure about highlighter because I didn’t want it to be super noticeable. The Dusk shade offers a soft pink hue that gives my face angles for days without being incredibly obvious, which is exactly what I wanted.

Once my blush is on, I will apply the highlighter on the ridge of my nose and my chin. Then, I brush it on from the apples of my cheeks to my hairline down to my left and right jawline. Which brings us to our final step…

The Body Shop Brush On Radiance In Pink:

To finish off my makeup routine, I use the Brush On Radiance in Pink by The Body Shop all over my face and down my neck. This helps blend together all of the different products and gives your skin some shimmer. This is one of the first products that I ever used by The Body Shop in my teens and my makeup routine would feel so weird without it. The Brush On Radiance beads are so pretty and they literally last for forever which makes the twenty plus price tag much more bearable.

Lipstick:

With my ever changing hair, I have had to alter the lipstick colors that I wear. As I’m sure you all can remember, I always used to wear the Pure Red lipstick by NYX. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t look good anymore with my red, pink, and lilac hair. So, I have had to change things up and have grown partial to nude, mauve, and pink hues.

Right now, I am loving my Bite Beauty Lip Crayon in Glace for full face makeup occasions. For more casual outings, I tend to apply something quick and easy like the Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry. The Chubby Sticks are a tinted balm but you would be amazed at how bold the color is once its on!

During my work week, I rarely wear makeup so it is always fun when I have a chance to beat my face with the products above! ❤

What is your makeup routine like? What are some of your must have makeups? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct16

Lil Red’s Must Have Beauty Products

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Lil Red’s Must Have Beauty Products

Hi! I consider myself to be a skin care fanatic. I have had a full fledged skin care routine since I was fifteen and I love testing out new products and revisiting old favorites. So, when my dear friend Libby over at Goddess Attainable emailed me about her upcoming post about her must have products, I just had to participate too! Today, we are going to look at some of my go to’s when it comes to skin and hair care. Let’s get to it:

IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm:

I received this product in a Sephora Play! box and it became an instant staple in my beauty routine when I straighten my hair. The IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm offers heat protection, decreases frizziness, and leaves my hair feeling silky smooth. The hair balm receives top marks from me because I don’t wash my hair at all and it never makes my hair oily or greasy, which is a huge necessity.

Ban Deodorant:

Who remembers Teen Spirit deodorant back in the day lol? As soon as I outgrew that sickeningly sweet deodorant, it was all about the unscented Ban roll on! Now, normally, I am a huge scent girl but I just can’t do it when it comes to deodorant. I have been using the Ban deodorant since my teens because it keeps me fresh all day long and doesn’t dry out my skin, either. Who wants dry armpits? Not me!

Bath & Body Works Lotion:

Wrapping up my nighttime skin care routine is not complete without a healthy dose of lotion afterwards. I cannot stand wearing lotion during the day time due to the texture and overpowering scents so I only wear it at night. I am currently working on the Portofino Pink Prosecco scent from Bath & Body Works, which I purchased during a semi-annual sale haul. This is one that you wouldn’t want to wear during the day, anyways, because it smells super boozy!

Garnier Micellar Water:

The Garnier Micellar Water has been a staple in my beauty hoard for the past several years. I use it as a makeup remover, toner, and clean my nose piercings with it too. I always keep several bottles handy at home and might have to restock more often! I have been trying to do Johnny’s makeup since our vacation and it has not gone very well so we have been going through a lot of micellar water. Practice makes perfect, though, and I’m confident that he’ll be rocking guyliner with the best of them soon!

Tree Of Life Vitamin C Serum:

Vitamin C serum has been an essential in my skin care routine since I was a teenager and I have just recently started using the Tree Of Life serum. I love Vitamin C serum because it makes my skin luminous and bright even on days when I feel dead tired. Both my morning and nighttime skin care routine has started with a Vitamin C serum for so long and I often wonder what my skin would look like without being such a dedicated user for over a decade.

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream:

More often that not, you can catch Lil Red using drugstore brands as you can see from several items on this list. I am nothing if not frugal when it comes to skin care and don’t believe in paying an arm and a leg for it. At about six dollars per jar, the e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream is a true testament to that. This is the first time I have used this product and I plan on rebuying it again. At two months plus, I am still using the same jar. It is so gentle on the sensitive skin that it targets and I feel like my designer eye bags have decreased too. 😀

Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Gel Cream:

I have been using the Garnier SkinActive moisturizers since the beginning of the pandemic and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. You simply cannot beat the price at eight or so dollars per jar for such an effective product. The Moisture Rescue gel cream absorbs quickly, sits well under makeup, and leaves my skin feeling so nourished and soft. With twice daily use, I typically finish one jar per month which is also a great value.

Thank you so much again to Libby from Goddess Attainable for inviting me to join in on her beauty post. And, keep it posted, because we will be talking makeup must haves soon on lifewithlilred! ❤

What are some of your beauty staples? What is your favorite skin care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct5

Tree Of Life Serum Haul

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Tree Of Life Serum Haul

Hello! Amazon has stopped selling my beloved Eclat Vitamin C serum so I had to try something new. I knew I wasn’t going to find as good of a price as the Eclat at a mere seven dollars and didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg for a new serum. After looking through all of the different options on Amazon, I decided to go with the Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum as it was still fairly cheap at ten dollars and got good reviews.

I like the Tree Of Life serum well enough and needed to restock my supply. This is when I found an amazing deal on Amazon that I wanted to share with you. I got a set of three full sized serums for twenty dollars which made for a buy two get one free sale. It was such a great price that I had to get two sets! Check it out:

When I opened my boxes of serum, I was surprised to see a Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid serum as well as a Vitamin C one. I thought I was getting three Vitamin Cs in the set! This is okay, though, because I am always up for trying new products and a little Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid never hurt anyone. Besides, you just can’t beat the price.

As I mentioned in my September 2021 Finishes post, the Tree Of Life serum is good in its own way. It is thicker in texture but still absorbs quickly and my skin does look more radiant. My major qualm with the product isn’t the product itself but the dropper! It is so short that once you have used almost two thirds of the bottle, you have to start pouring it out into your hands. This is pretty inconvenient but what do you expect from a ten dollar serum?

I am looking forward to trying out my new serums by Tree Of Life and if I like both the Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid, I think I found my go to purchase on Amazon when I need more!

Where do you get the best deals on skin care? What is your favorite Vitamin C serum? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

Bath & Body Works September Freebie

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Bath & Body Works September Freebie

Hello! This past weekend, I had a much needed girl’s day at the mall with my friend Danielle to scope out new clothes for fall. I got there early because I needed to pick up a few quick odds and ends including a freebie from Bath & Body Works. This month, they really upped their freebie game with an $8.50 limit so it included hand creams and body sprays!

Thanks to shopping B&BW’s semi annual sales as well as doing huge hand soap hauls, my beauty stock pile has been overflowing. But that doesn’t mean I can’t use more and cashed in my coupon for a body spray in one of my favorite scents, Gingham:

Johnny’s mom gifted me with a Gingham body wash during our first Christmas together two years ago and I have been a huge fan ever since. In fact, I am currently using a Gingham body wash right now compliments of another free coupon! While I usually prefer fruity scents when it comes to bath and body care, I can’t get enough of how fresh and clean Gingham smells and it reminds me of having a picnic on a slightly brisk spring day.

In all of the years that I have been receiving coupons in the mail from Bath & Body Works, they have never offered a free mini body spray before so this was a treat! Although it is about a third of the size of a full sized body spray, it is sure to last a good while because it takes me over six months to finish the full size.

Once I finish my Country Apple spray, I can’t wait to use Gingham and know that I’ll be purchasing more of it during their next big sale! 😀

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? Which store offers the best deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah