Category Archives: Beauty

Jun17

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Hello!! While I love a good skin care restock, one of my favorite things is when I am running low on my beloved foaming hand soap because that means a trip to Bath & Body Works is in order. Their foaming hand soap has been a staple in my apartment since moving out of chez parents and I legit couldn’t imagine using anything else. It is simply the best! This past week, I made a stop at B&BW for a reup on my must have and ended up with all new to me scents. Take a look and let’s discuss:

White Tea & Sage: As I browsed the soap department, I found that the pickings were incredibly slim and was smelling different scents for the heck of it. White Tea & Sage is something that I wouldn’t have given a second glance to, but I gave it a shot and was surprised by how much I liked it. The featured notes include “fresh tea, lemon, and herbs”. I can definitely pick up on the lemon but it mainly just smells minty, which is perfectly fine by me. I am a minty fragrance gal and White Tea & Sage is crisp and invigorating. Look at me broadening my horizons!

Pineapple Prosecco: If you are a fan of pineapple, then this scent is for you! If not, then this scent is not for you! While Pineapple Prosecco offers notes of “sparkling pineapple, bubbly Prosecco, and white nectarine”, it just smells like straight up pineapple lol. This scent is juicy and the slightest bit tart and perfect for summertime.

Sweet Strawberry Scoop: Strawberry fragrances tend to be hit or miss for me as they can often verge on being too sweet. I loved the Strawberry line from The Body Shop and the Sweet Strawberry Scoop from B&BW is very nice. The fragrance notes in this scent are “sugared pink strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream”. The vanilla ice cream makes this scent really rich and it smells like pure strawberries and cream. Once again, this is a great summertime scent!

Fresh Watermelon: Do you remember what the Watermelon Lip Smackers smelled like? If so, then that is exactly what B&BW’s Fresh Watermelon smells like and I am SO there for it. Although the notes of this scent offer “fresh cut watermelon, pink sea salt, and sweet sunrise”, it is artificial watermelon smelling through and through. If you are looking for a pure, light watermelon fragrance then this is not the scent for you. If you are looking for a heavy dose of Lip Smackers nostalgia, however, go for it!!

Garden Tea Cookie: I was so conflicted about if Garden Tea Cookie smelled good to me or not and the final consensus was that it did lol. This is a very unique scent and is something that I usually wouldn’t go for, but this shopping trip was all about shaking things up. Garden Tea Cookie features notes of “powdered sugar, fresh citrus zest, and whipped vanilla”. It really does smell like a freshly baked tea cookie! I typically am not one for dessert fragrances but that zingy citrus and airy powdered sugar sold me!

This was an interesting trip to B&BW because I had to smell a ton of different soaps to end up with my final selection. I learned that, under the right circumstances, I might be a dessert and earthy fragrance fan after all!

What are some of your must have products at home? Where do you shop for bath and body care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

New Mermaid Blue & Glitter Burnt Orange Nails

Posted on by
Standard
New Mermaid Blue & Glitter Burnt Orange Nails

Howdy!! This past Tuesday, I enjoyed a lovely pre-birthday fill at Elysian Nails and oh my goodness did it hit the spot. Unfortunately, my go to girl was booked for the day but my former tech was able to squeeze me in and she still remembers just how I like my talons – nice and sharp! In fact, I am typing this shortly after getting them done and I feel like such a lil baddie clacking away with these pretty little things. Check it out:

^^^ Don’t mind the beaucoup glue on the thumb!

Whenever I get my nails done, I tend to just let the nail polish wall speak to me and choose colors on a whim. This time, though, I actually had a plan in mind. After receiving lots of tropical Bath & Body Works scents for my birthday, I had the beach on the brain hard. I was thinking of going with sand and surf vibes with a pretty blue and gold. The only problem was, I had been there done that and wanted to go with a similar idea with a twist. I fell in love with the most gorgeous mermaid blue hue I have ever seen (I am seriously obsessed!) and considered a few different options before landing on a glittery burnt orange. I am so glad I decided to shake things up because this is, easily, one of my favorite combinations in recent memory.

Once my colors were selected, my girl got to WERK and gave me the most fabulous fill. As always, I am on a time crunch when I get my nails done because I need to be back to work immediately after. Of course, my former tech remembered this too and gave me beautifully shaped and dangerously sharp claws in an astoundingly short period of time. Have you ever had a fill that was so good that you ended up feeling like you got a brand spanking new full set? That’s what this fill felt like and it was a glorious sensation. I returned to work exactly on time and feeling like a billion bucks!

I am entering my 31st year with the absolute best nails and if that is any inkling of how this year is going to treat me, I think it’s going to be a banner one!

How do you like to treat yourself? Which color of nail polish should I get next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun6

Bath & Body Works Birthday Haul

Posted on by
Standard
Bath & Body Works Birthday Haul

Hello!! This past Monday, Johnny and I enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse with his parents. It might seem like an odd choice for a vegetarian, but apps and salads always reign supreme for me! After a whole weekend of celebrating our birthaversary, this was the perfect cherry on top. Any time with my in laws is such a gift that anything else is completely unnecessary. However, it was so nice to be spoiled with some goodies to pamper with from Bath & Body Works. I never don’t want bath and body care since I use it daily and I can’t wait to use one of my old favorites and new to me scents. Check it out:

Champagne Toast: Lol, let me start off by saying that Champagne Toast is a staple in my household and one time Johnny thought the packaging read “Champagne and Toast”. I can never picture it as its normal name again! ANYWHO, Champagne Toast is a classic B&BW scent featuring notes of “bubbly champagne, sparkling berries, and juicy tangerine”. Some scents based on alcohol smell so much like the real thing which can be really off putting. Champagne Toast does smell bubbly, yes, but thanks to the berry and tangerine, it’s a lot like a sparkling juice. It is light, fizzy, and fruity and would definitely be a safe bet to gift with. If you aren’t a fan of giving alcohol as a gift, a bundle of Champagne Toast products is the next best thing!

Waikiki Beach Coconut: My husband is all about tropical scents. Me? Not really, but I only wear lotion to bed so whatever it smells like doesn’t matter all that much to me. The only tropical scent I do like a lot, however, is coconut! I always loved the coconut line from The Body Shop and while nothing will beat that, the Waikiki Beach Coconut is very nice. This scent offers notes of “tropical white coconut, saltwater breezes, and sun-bleached woods”. While I can’t speak for the sun-bleached woods, lol, this scent smells exactly like sun, sand, and surf. It has a bit more musk to it than a traditional coconut scent but, all in all, this is a day at the beach fragrance for sure.

Starfruit Sangria: Speaking of alcohol based scents that don’t smell like alcohol at all, we have Starfruit Sangria which features notes of “golden starfruit, kiwi nectar, and chilled sangria”. This scent is incredibly light and it’s hard to pick up on the fruit notes as starfruit and kiwi aren’t exactly known for a strong aroma. It’s a very soft and fresh scent, which is perfectly fine by me because I don’t care for anything too overpowering. Like Champagne Toast, Starfruit Sangria would be a great gifting option if you are not sure what fragrances your giftee likes. Perfect for a summer birthday!

I haven’t had a good Bath & Body Works haul since their winter semi annual sale and my stockpile has been in need of a re-up. These sweet gifts will certainly tide me over until the next big sale!

What is your favorite thing to receive as a gift? What do you like to gift for other people? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun2

May 2025 Finishes

Posted on by
Standard
May 2025 Finishes

Hello everyone! Holy moly! We’re in June already and haven’t discussed my beauty finishes for May so let’s get right on that today. The entirety of May was dreary and cold but the products that I used up were red hot and highly successful. I loved using several new to me goodies and cannot wait to visit TJMaxx soon for a skin and bath and body care restock. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I have a feeling I will be getting beaucoup gift cards for my upcoming thirty-first (Ahhh!) birthday! Rather than ruminate on another year older, let’s talk products instead:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Bath & Body Works Gingham Fragrance Spray: YES

ValJean Labs Hyaluronic Acid + Micellar Water Foaming Cleanser: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Pretty As A Peach Lotion: YES

Precision Beauty Glow Up Vitamin C Serum: YES!

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Fragrance Spray: Gingham is one of my all time favorite scents by Bath & Body Works. It is crisp, clean, and just smells fresh. It’s the perfect mixture of fruity and floral and I have used my body spray religiously until the last drop. I couldn’t even tell you how long it took me to finish this bottle because I feel like I have been using it for forever lol. While I am sad to be done with it, I am excited to try a new scent considering it has probably been close to a year of going Gingham! Is the scent from B&BW fragrance sprays long lasting? Hard no. Will I continue to use them? Absolutely.

ValJean Labs Cleanser: This Hyaluronic Acid + Micellar Water Foaming Cleanser by ValJean Labs is, easily, one of the best ones I have used in recent memory. It took well over three months to finish the bottle and I am hoping to find more at TJMaxx because I will be buying the lot. This cleanser is so delightfully reminiscent of the Aloe Foaming Cleanser by The Body Shop and a little of it went such a long way. With every use, my skin felt so clean, soft, and refreshed. It is a phenomenal any time cleanser and I think it would be so great during the hot summer months. If you have a normal or sensitive skin type, I cannot recommend this cleanser enough!!

B&BW Lotion: When it comes to fruity scents, I am ALL about apple and peach. Apple will always reign supreme but peach is a close second and I just love my Pretty As A Peach from B&BW. This scent is just pure, peachy goodness with no bells and whistles. If you, too, are a fan – then go for this fragrance because you will be just as obsessed as I am! It took me one month of daily use to finish the bottle.

Precision Beauty Serum: I had been striking out with serums recently and this Vitamin C gem by Precision Beauty was a game changer. I needed a serum win and this one delivered in a big way! While it was a tad thicker in consistency than what I prefer, it made a big difference in the radiance and glow department. My skin looked so bright, refreshed, and alert even though I am always half asleep lol. Because this serum was fairly thick, half of the dropper was all I needed for full coverage and it took me one month of twice daily use to complete it. I would definitely buy it again!

This month introduced me to two new favorite products and no duds. You can’t beat that!! Stay tuned for more product reviews so we can decide what’s a hit and miss together!

Which 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

May15

ValJean Labs Radiant Glow Face Scrub Review

Posted on by
Standard
ValJean Labs Radiant Glow Face Scrub Review

Howdy!! I love shopping skin care at TJMaxx because it is such a fun and inexpensive way to try new brands and revisit old favorites. While I do have a few tried and true products that I get whenever they’re available, I will just wing it for the rest and go for whatever sounds good and is cruelty free. A new brand I discovered was ValJean Labs and I have been obsessed with their foaming cleanser. It’s easily one of the best face washes I have used in recent memory! I was so excited to have found a Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Scrub of the same brand at TJs and have been using it daily for the past several weeks. Like the cleanser, this scrub is one of the best I have used in a while:

I don’t use scrubs very often but when I do, I need something that’s extremely gentle. While I enjoy a gritty scrub, my skin type is very normal and the harsher exfoliants can be too much. This ValJean Labs scrub is exactly what I need! It is so rich and creamy in texture and the grit factor is minimal but it still feels like I am getting a deep clean. It is gentle enough to use every day and I follow up by washing my face with the foaming cleanser afterwards. It’s the perfect combination and my skin feels smooth and looks soft and fresh.

Not only is this scrub gentle and effective to the T, but it smells great too! It has the lightest citrus scent which is one of my favorites and always perks me up during my morning shower. A little of this scrub also goes a long way, making it an awesome value because a nickle sized dollop will do just fine. I will say that this scrub is a bit of a pain in the butt to wash off fully. I wouldn’t call it “sticky” but it does cling to the skin and takes longer than you would expect for it to gone completely. I learned this after the first few uses when my micellar water cloth was coming back with the remnants! This is no harm no foul, though, just something to be aware of if you try it too. 🙂

The ValJean Labs Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Scrub is a must if you are on the hunt for a new one. It is an excellent year round product and I will definitely be buying it again if it graces TJMaxx’s skin care department!

Do you use facial scrubs? Which one is your favorite? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Posted on by
Standard
Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hello!! As you all know, I live for my freebie coupons in the mail from Bath & Body Works. There is nothing better than free and it is so nice to pick out a little treat without paying one red cent. This week, I cashed in a free travel size product coupon and wanted to go for a body cream as I am pretty well stocked on shower gels. Rather than do a sniff test on a bunch of different options, I let fate decide and just grabbed whatever looked pretty lol. Of course, I want a lotion that I think smells good but it’s never too big of a factor for me since I only wear it to bed. I ended up with a new scent called Always & Forever because I loved the packaging! Peep that lace and pearls:

Clearly, Always & Forever is a wedding inspired fragrance and offers notes of “pearlized pink pepper (whatever that is), white roses, and sheer sandalwood”. I am not a huge fan of floral or musky scents but this one actually isn’t too bad because it’s nice and light. I can’t speak for the pearlized pink pepper lol but the notes of roses and sandalwood are soft enough that is just smells fresh and kind of powdery. I can’t say that I would get this scent again but I do like it more than I originally anticipated and that’s good enough for me. It is, however, a perfect spring scent if you prefer a not too in your face floral fragrance!

My random selection for my freebie ended up being right down the middle and that was no harm no foul. After shopping at B&BW for so long, it’s sometimes fun to just pick out whatever and see what sticks!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? Do you like to use the same scents or switch them out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May10

New Cherry & Orange Nails

Posted on by
Standard
New Cherry & Orange Nails

Hello!! I have had an incredible couple of days of pampering compliments of Elysian Nails. This past Friday, I enjoyed a pedicure appointment with Johnny’s mom and aunt and it was heavenly! I haven’t gotten a pedicure since last year and just like the last time, I left the salon wondering why the heck I don’t do that more often. Then, I remembered my talons which always take priority over toes! After getting my tootsies right, I was back at the salon a few days later for a fill featuring the sweetest Cherry and Orange combo. Check it out:

During my last fill, I was feeling an orange and pink combo. However, my tech showed me some brand new colors and I fell in love with the prettiest light pink and purple glitter polishes. I vowed to do the original colors I had in mind at my next appointment and it definitely made the daunting task of selecting nail polish a breeze! Granted, I couldn’t even remember the colors I was going to use but, hey, I knew it was orange and pink so anything in that realm would be close enough. I ended up with a shade called Cherry and another simply called Orange and we were in business! This is the perfect fruity and bright pairing to welcome warm weather with. Or, at least dream about because the weather has been crap lousy here. -_-

Once my colors were selected, it was time for my tech to work her magic and you know I hit her with the old “long time no see” considering it had only been four days! Hilarious, I know. 😀 As always, work her magic my nail tech did and, as always, she fixed them up just right. I never really notice any lifting or problem areas until the polish is off, like at this appointment for instance, and my tech repaired any uh-ohs with ease and speed. After two repairs, shaping, filing, and painting I was still in time for my next shift at work. I genuinely have no idea how she does it!

The weather might not be the best but my nails are fresh and gives me a dose of sunshine every time I look at them. I’ll take it until this rain, rain goes away!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What colors should I get next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May4

New Hair Obsessed!

Posted on by
Standard
New Hair Obsessed!

Hello!! I enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Shear Shop to get my hair right for spring in mid April and your girl has been feeling herself ever since! My amazing stylist, Anna, painted a beautiful palette with Pulp Riot’s finest in Pyro, Lemon, Blue Muse, and Desert Sky and it created pure Rainbow Ice magic. I am having so much fun with my new look and have been loving showing it off as often as I can get in OOTD posts while it is still at its freshest.

As I was shooting my 70s Spring OOTD, I realized that I had not changed my profile picture on literally any platforms in a PHAT minute. I decided to rectify that by taking some ready for my closeup shots and am so happy with how these turned out. And, yes, I do realize they both look exactly the same but I just don’t care lolol:

Whenever Anna does my hair, I always revel in the excitement of a brand new change. It’s such fun to experiment with different colors and I leave the salon feeling like a billion bucks and then some. I can definitely tell how good I feel in the photos above and the sentiment still remains the same! This trip to the Shear Shop couldn’t have come at a better time because I had a pretty crummy few months prior to. The new hair and taking pictures when I was feeling my absolute best was a major confidence boost. It was like turning a new page and I had the photographic proof that Lil Red was back, baby, and better than ever!

The moral of the story is that you can always bounce back to living your best life and sometimes you might need a little push. In my case, it was a new look to close a chapter with and I am ready to take on the next one with a better outlook AND better hair!

What makes you feel confident? What is your favorite thing about yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

April 2025 Finishes

Posted on by
Standard
April 2025 Finishes

Howdy!! Just like that, April is drawing to a close and it went by in the blink of an eye. Honestly, I’m sad to see it go because April was a pretty good month for me. In its entirety, I got to bask in the glow of being, blessedly, way less busy and enjoying all of the fun that comes with it. It has been a gift to make plans, keep them, and genuinely look forward to what’s next. Speaking of looking forward to what’s next, I can’t wait to test out lots more skin and bath and body care goodies. This past month was nothing exciting in that regard which typically means that May will be the month to finish long term products and try something new. Take a look at these empties and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Lotion: Yes

Pearlessence Argan + Vitamin E Facial Oil: No

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Shower Gel: Johnny is a huge fan of tropical scents. Me? Not so much. However, I absolutely love the scent of pineapple and the Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise from B&BW was the bomb.com! This fragrance was incredibly straight forward and if you love the smell of fresh pineapple too, then this scent is for you. This shower gel gave me a heaping dose of sunshine even on the greyest April days and I enjoyed using it daily for the whole month.

Pearlessence Facial Oil: I decided to experiment with facial oils this winter and the lesson I learned is that I don’t like it at all lol. The initial test product by CleanBeauty was an instant no from me but I still had the Argan + Vitamin E oil by Pearlessence and wanted to just get it over with. I will say that this was a fair bit lighter as far as facial oils go and while I appreciated that, it was still much too heavy for my liking. If you have very dry skin, the Pearlessence oil could be a good option for you. If not, this is a product you can definitely skip on. It took me about five weeks of twice daily use to finish the bottle and I was so happy to be done with it!

Like I said, this wasn’t a very exciting product roundup so let’s wrap it up and I will see all of you darlings in May! ❤

Which 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

Apr21

New Hair, Who Dis?

Posted on by
Standard
New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello!! This past Friday I enjoyed a wonderful day at The Shear Shop so my stylist, Anna, could get my hair right. I had been looking forward to this since I booked the appointment because I couldn’t wait to start experimenting with lighter colors again for spring. Anna selected brand new Pulp Riot colors just for me and created a masterpiece that we lovingly named “Rainbow Ice”. It reminded us so much of the signature shaved ice from the ice cream truck! Take a look:

^^^ Pulp Riot colors are Blue Muse, Lemon, Pyro, and Desert Sky!

The last time Anna did my hair, we were enamored by the end results after bleach was applied. My hair turned into a mermaid palette of yellow, orange, blue, and teal. We wanted to invoke those same summer vibes but in a cleaned up version and that served as our inspiration for this look. To start, Anna bleached my hair twice. Once to lighten up my roots and twice to strip the rest of the hair. As per ushe, we loved how my locks looked post bleach and briefly contemplated just leaving it like that. However, temptation for new Pulp Riot colors won as soon as Anna showed me my options!

For our Rainbow Ice palette, Anna chose Blue Muse, Lemon, Pyro, and Desert Sky. The wild card factor was also considered because my hair truly has a mind of its own. We never have any idea of the way my hair is going to pull colors and what the fresh dye is going to do on top of old colors that didn’t get bleached out all of the way. In that regard, there is some risk because there is an element of the unknown. However, this risk payed off big time and my hair did exactly what we wanted it to.

To start, Anna painted my bangs and top roots with Pyro because it blends so nicely with my real hair color. Then, she applied Desert Sky with a hint of Lemon at the bottom for the top half of my hair. Finally, it was time to bring on the blue and Blue Muse was painted onto the rest. All that was left to do was wait fifty minutes for the color to set and I damn near ran to my ice cold water wash. I was on pins and needles to see what was going on under all of that foil!

After my ice bath, I was in love immediately. Then, Anna cut my hair into a pseudo shag, styled it, turned my chair to the mirror, and I was head over heels. This Rainbow Ice palette is pure magic! From the Pyro, pretty peachy pink of Desert Sky, and Lemon on top with the Blue Muse on the bottom, it looked like a literal sunset over the ocean. We also were crazy about how the Blue Muse pulled. It wasn’t completely true to the color it should have been, which is a bright electric blue. We were fully aware of the possibility of Blue Muse looking more teal from the bleach and remaining navy blue in my hair and were so not mad about it. In fact, I couldn’t picture anything different because this new spring hair is everything. ❤

Huge shout out to my amazing Anna because this isn’t just dyed hair – this is art!!!!!

Are you changing your hair for spring and summer? How often do you get your hair done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah