Category Archives: Beauty

Jan15

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Mini Haul

Posted on January 15, 2018 by lifewithlilred

Bonjour! Back in the day, I can’t say that I was a huge Bath & Body Works fan, but as the years go on, I find myself eating my words. I stopped into a B&BW the other day, because I noticed that their semi annual sale was on, which is when they bring back their old school favorites – which happen to be some of my favorites! It was actually pretty fun to go into the store and rummage through the huge bins of product that were all marked fifty to seventy-five percent off. And it was even more fun to score three fragrance mists for the price of one. Take a look:

It should be no surprise that there’s two Champagne Apple & Honey sprays in my mini haul since all apple everything is my favorite. I really like this scent, because it still has the tart bite of a crisp apple but there is definitely some dry, fizzy sweetness added to it thanks to the champagne and a dollop of honey. Can we pop some bubbly now, or?

And, after all of these years, WHO NEVER TOLD ME THAT PEARBERRY SMELLS AMAZING?!?! I lucked out and snagged the last body spray of it and I am so happy, because I freaking love it. It seriously smells like biting into a fresh, juicy pear and all the while there is a huge bowl of strawberries and blackberries to snack on, too. I am always more partial to the fruity fragrances and Pearberry is the perfect summery scent to brighten up a snowy winter day.

I am super happy that I stopped into Bath & Body Works to shop their semi annual sale and I am looking forward to their SA sale in the summer time to hopefully stock up on more Pearberry spray! What is your favorite old school B&BW scent? Who else shopped the SA sale? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan12

My Skin Care Routine

Posted on January 12, 2018 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo! I frequently get compliments on my complexion and questions on my skin care routine. So, today, I thought that I would share my daily regime with all of you. Of course, everyone’s skin is different so you can tailor your routine to the products that suit you best. The products that I use are all for a normal skin type and quite a few of them can be bought at your local drugstores.

Step One: Beauty Bar

I start off my skin care routine by washing my face with a beauty bar. I take care of this in the shower, because I hate getting water all over my sink. And, a sink doesn’t give you all of that fantastic steam that helps open your pores for a deep clean.

I love to use bars with charcoal in them to help clear blackheads around my nose. But, for now, I am using one of my favorites from Appalachian Naturals, a homemade soap store in North Carolina where my family vacations. This bar is great, because it has some grit in it to exfoliate, but is overall very gentle and also removes makeup, which is another added bonus.

Step Two: Exfoliate

After I finish washing my face, I use a scrub to get rid of anything that my beauty bar left behind – dry skin, blackheads, makeup, etc. I usually always use a St. Ives scrub and am currently finishing up their Oatmeal Scrub & Mask. I love this mask because it smells delicious and it has a creamy texture with a fair amount of grit in it for a gentle but effective clean. My skin always looks so much fresher and brighter after I use a good scrub, and I would never go a day without one.

Step Three: Toner

Before I moisturize or use any treatments, I always apply witch hazel as a toner. I first use the witch hazel to clean my nose piercings, as it’s a great antiseptic. Then, I apply it all over my face to prep my skin for my moisturizer and to remove any final crud that washing left behind. Witch hazel minimizes my pores and leaves my skin feeling so clean. I also get fantastic value for the bottle, as it lasts me well over four months.

Step Four: Moisturize & Treatments

To complete the process, I use a moisturizer and two treatments to get my skin ready for the day. After applying my witch hazel, I use:

Nutriganics eye cream from The Body Shop. I have been using this product for close to five years and, at twenty-three, any traces of eye wrinkles are nonexistent.
Then, I apply my moisturizer, which I got at Walgreen’s for THIRTY THREE CENTS thanks to their rewards program. I normally use the Vitamin E moisturizer from The Body Shop, but this Olay one works just as well and has lasted me over two months. The texture is light, but it provides a lush hydration and it absorbs well.
And, finally, I finish up by using Vital C’s Vitamin C Brightening Face Serum. I always use something with Vitamin C in it to give my skin a radiant glow and this serum is the truth. It gives my skin a smooth finish, perfect for applying makeup, and leaves my skin looking bright and refreshed.

I have been using a skin care routine to the likes of the one seen above since I was about fifteen. Now, as a twenty-something, I have it perfected and could not live without my favorite products!

What is one of your must have skin care products? How do you achieve a flawless complexion? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pibiplast

Jan6

DLS Vengeance Swatch

Posted on January 6, 2018 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo! With a makeup queen for an older sister, I am lucky enough to receive all of her hand me downs when she decides that she dislikes a product or is sick of it. There is also the occasional miss from her Ipsy subscription that falls into my lap, as well. I recently was given the lippie seen below by DLS, which I now know stands for “Dirty Little Secret”, and I don’t particularly care for it.

SO WHY ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT IT?!?!

Because someone might! This shade in “Vengeance” is wayyyy too purpley for my taste. I stick to my reds and nudes, thank you very much. With my pale complexion and vibrant red hair, I avoid purple makeup like the plague, because it looks very clown-like on me. Not a good look! But if you are #blessed enough to be able to rock purple lipstick, then this shade might be for you:

So, the first heart seen above is taken without the flash and it looks quite pink, right? At least, to me, it looks like a deep rose. The second heart picture was taken with the flash on and WOAH, hello purple! My mind was blown by this, because in the tube you can see that Vengeance looks like a dusky magenta but you really couldn’t see that color pop until the flash was on.

This intrigued me, and I had to bite the bullet and apply the lipstick – even though I knew that it would look horrible – to get to the bottom of this color mystery. And, what do you know? The lipstick looked super purple on my lips. This was all so crazy to me, because to my eyes, it looked so pink on my hand – but on my lips it was a different story!

Was the pink shade picture a camera fluke? Maybe, my iPod doesn’t take the best pics. BUT, that doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t see purple in the original swatch until the flash setting was on my camera. Is it all in the lighting, how you see color, and where on your body you apply the lippie? I guess so!

What shades of lipstick look best on you? Which shades of lippie are ehh…not so much? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec30

Holiday Haul: Beauty Edition

Posted on December 30, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Hi everyone! My Holiday Haul was bountiful and beautiful and I had a wonderful Christmas day spent with my family. To commemorate all of the sweet thoughts behind each present, we’ll go about each main gift individually. Today, I think that we will start with some delightful beauty and bath and body care goodies compliments of my brother and sister in law, as well as my older sister. Take a looksee:

Peter and Megan treated all of the girls in my family to a box set from The Body Shop, which is so amazing because all of us really love their products. I am also totally obsessed with their body washes right now, so I’m happy to have another one to add to my hoard. I then got a double whammy of Better Than Sex mascara from Kristen and Peter and Megan and I am so thrilled about it, because I desperately needed a new tube. And now I have two! What whattttt.

Kristen knows me all too well, because I always ask for Better Than Sex mascara for every gift receiving occasion. And Peter and Megan were very clever in their purchase because they looked on lifewithlilred to know that that’s what I wanted, thanks to completing a Holiday Q & A! It was really sweet, because as soon as I opened it, I knew that that’s how they figured out what I wanted. Peter and Megan often turn to my blog to gather inspiration for gifts for me, and I think that that’s freaking awesome. It’s nice to have siblings that put tons of thought into presents, because it’s a physical reminder of how much they care. :*) I LOVE THEM!!

So there you have it, part one of my Holiday Haul: Beauty Edition! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more Christmas fun here on lifewithlilred. What was your favorite gift that you received this year? What was your favorite present that you gave? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec27

December 2017 Finishes

Posted on December 27, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Helloooo everyone and welcome to my final finishes post for 2017! Crazy, right? December brought me two of my favorite fruity flavored finishes, so this post is going to be short and sweet. Here’s to health, happiness, and more empties in 2018!

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Country Apple body spray: YES
The Body Shop Vineyard Peach lotion: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Spray: We all know by now that all apple everything is one of my all time favorite scents. I love me some Country Apple fragrance and I use it constantly. I pay about three dollars per bottle when Bath & Body Works brings back their discontinued products and it takes me approximately five months to finish one. I can definitely swing that! This scent is so refreshing – a sweet, crisp apple with just that perfect bit of bite to it. Country Apple brings you fresh from the orchard deliciousness in a bottle!

TBS Lotion: We all know by now that my other all time favorite scent is all peach everything! I got this lotion of my fave scent from The Body Shop for five bucks at TJMaxx and it lasted me five full body uses. It’s not the best cost per use but, hey, sometimes a girl has to throw caution to the wind and pamper herself! The Vineyard Peach scent is divine. It’s so light and sweet but not the overpowering kind of sweet. It’s more the “I just bit into a ripe peach” kind of sweet and it is such a treat.

Although I didn’t finish a ton of products in December, I got to enjoy two of my favorite scents in perfume and lotion form and there is really nothing better than that! Which products did you finish up this month? What is your favorite scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec15

Naked Cosmetics Mother Nature Swatch

Posted on December 15, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! The best part about having a beauty guru for a sister is that I get all of her reject makeup products that she doesn’t want anymore. Last week, she bestowed me with a Naked Cosmetics eyeshadow called Mother Nature, and after doing the swatch both wet and dry, I can totally see why! Take a look and let’s discuss:

^^^ The first heart is dry, the second is wet.

So when I originally looked at this eyeshadow, I didn’t really realize that there was a dark, glittery green sprinkled into the bronzey-brown color. It was actually until I took a wet swatch and a picture of the container with the flash on that I was able to see the green. Imagine my surprise when I did! I thought that this shade was just going to be another brown shadow to add to my collection, but I was so wrong. The green is a really fun surprise and it’s so cool that you can wear one eyeshadow two different ways depending on if it’s wet or dry.

I actually have yet to wear this Naked Cosmetics color because I’ve been sick but, when I do, I plan on wearing it wet as an eyeliner. The dry, brown color is just too light for my liking and there is nothing like a green eyeliner to make hazel eyes pop! I’m really excited to try it out! 😀

What is the most flattering eyeshadow/liner color for your eyes? Which other eyeshadows look totally different when wet or dry? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec12

New Red Glitter & Black Nails

Posted on December 12, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! Last week, I indulged in a much needed fill for my nails to last me until the new year. I have been holding very true to my four plus weeks without a fill challenge as a money saving technique, and I am rocking it. Now, I get a fill every four and a half weeks or so instead of every three weeks and it makes getting pampered that much more sweeter. Take a look at my new December nails featuring my watermelon bed sheets (lol) and let’s discuss:

I’m not entirely happy with this fill, if a woman is being honest. My nail tech, Steve, used the UV top coat on my nails and it did make them way shinier. BUT, when I went home and tried to do my middle finger crosses, the rhinestones would not stick to the super glue and nail to save my life. A five minute task turned into a half hour easily and I was pissed. Worst of all, Steve didn’t really ask me if he could switch it up, he just kind of did. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a change up as much as the next person, but not if it makes my bedazzling a big, fat pain in the buttinski!

Despite the above irritation, I do really like the red sparkles accent nail color. I was going to go with neon green, but I thought that a lovely, glittery red would be more appropriate for Christmas time. My crosses are not as on point as I would like, but at least the accent nail is distracting enough that hopefully no one will notice! Fingers crossed! Ba dum chhhhhhh.

What would you do if a beauty tech did something that you didn’t ask for? What color of polish do you have on right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec5

Feet Treat

Posted on December 5, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! Last year for Christmas, my BFF treated me to some fun products to pamper my feetsies with. It’s sad but true that I’m just getting around to using it, but that doesn’t mean that I like it any less! These footsie fabulous goodies from Perfectly Posh are SO delightful to use, and my DOGS (AKA feet!) have never been the same. Let’s discuss:

The appropriately named Warm Your Sole and Schwanky & Soft products by Perfectly Posh are amazing. I like to put a dollop of both on my hands and mix it up to get the best of both worlds on my feet. And, of course, covering them with socks afterwards is a must for the best hydrating effects.

The Warm Your Sole balm is SO nice! It’s basically like The Body Shop’s clay warming mask but for your feet, because it literally gets warm. Having freshly heated tootsies in my freezing home is a blessing in disguise, but when my feet get smooth and soft in the process – it’s a downright miracle.

Meanwhile, the Schwanky & Soft product is more like a scrub. It has the texture of a lotion but with some extra grit thrown in to help remove dry and dead skin. This is great for me, because my heels get unbearably dry during the winter. And no one, especially me, likes cracked feet!

Having the combination of the warming balm and scrub working their wonders on my feetsies feels so lush, because I rarely pay attention to them. I don’t get pedicures and, until now, I’ve never really used lotion on my feet before. After using these products for a few days, I find that downright shocking – especially considering that I’m constantly shoving my feet into heels every day! Even after I finish these products, I want to continue caring for my feet more as an extra addition to my pampering parties. How can I not?!

Although it’s taken me close to a year to start using these Perfectly Posh products, I am so enjoying it and it’s definitely a Feet Treat! How do you treat your tootsies? Do you prefer manicures or pedicures? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec4

NYX Pure Red Matte Lippie Swatch

Posted on December 4, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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HELLOOOO everyone and happy Monday! I constantly get asked what shade of lipstick I wear for my signature red pout and I’m actually really surprised that I never posted about it until now. I guess I wanted to keep it my little secret, but today I’m going to share the wealth by talking about NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick. Take a look and let’s discuss:

^^^ OH LOOK – A bunch of pictures of me sporting Pure Red!

I started wearing this NYX matte wonder shade about three years ago, and I have never looked back a day in my life. Throughout the years, I have tried other red colors, but truly nothing beats Pure Red. And what an accurate name it is. Talk about a “Pure” firetruck, stop sign, Crayola crayon red pout. It’s exactly what I wanted…and more. :*)

While searching for a signature shade of red, a few things were a must for me:

It had to be matte. Homegirl doesn’t mess with anything glossy.
It couldn’t be too red. I don’t want to look like a vampire/goth girl – Even though, let’s be honest, I totally am.
It couldn’t be not red enough. Other shades are too orangey and that equals me looking like a clown. Not cute.

With all of these essential guidelines to Lil Red’s Perfect Red Lip, you could only imagine my difficulty in finding the perfect shade…and that’s when NYX came along. I had actually never heard of the brand until the grocery store that I go to started carrying it and, let me tell you, I initially went crazy. They had a sale to introduce the brand, and I bought FIVE lipsticks, Pure Red being one of them.

One by one, each lipstick that I chose sucked in one way or another but it was Pure Red that stuck. It had everything that I wanted in the above list and the matte was just fantastic. This lippie Does. Not. Budge!! This is important, because 1) I really like to eat. And 2) I friggen hate reapplying lipstick. Every single thing about this lipstick was right on the money, and it became my staple shade instantly.

Along with my red hair, NYX’s Pure Red lipstick gave me my namesake of Lil Red. It will always be my favorite shade and I will always opt to wear it over any other brand. And at about seven bucks a tube, you really can’t beat that! From date nights and special occasions to a shopping trip to the mall, this shade covers it all, and you will rarely see me on a night out without it. Thank you, NYX. ❤

Do you have a signature lipstick shade? How do you rock a red pout? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

^^^ Guess what lippie shade I have on! 😉

Dec3

NYX Liquid Suede Stone Fox Swatch

Posted on December 3, 2017 by lifewithlilred

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Helloooo everyone and happy Sunday! I hope that all of you are having a lovely weekend full of fun, friends, and family. Today, I thought that we would talk about a lipstick that I have no genuine idea why I bought, but I figured it would be beneficial to someone out there to see the swatch for. We’re talking NYX’s Liquid Suede lipstick in Stone Fox. Take a looksee and let’s discuss:

First of all, I love NYX products. My all time favorite shade of red lippie is NYX and I will be sure to write about it later, because it is divine. This shade for me, though? Not so much. I was stoked when the Liquid Suede line came out, because it offered an array of different jewel toned shades that all looked gorgeous. It also featured the color seen above, Stone Fox.

The Liquid Suede line came out at just the right time, because that’s when jewel tones and black/grey lipstick was becoming extremely popular. I had seen dark grey and black lippie shades all over the blogosphere, and I really wanted to give it a try. I am an emo kid at heart, and the idea of wearing a dark, almost costume style lip and have it be seen as fashion forward instead of weird was exhilarating to me.

Unfortunately, the exhilaration of the prospect of a charcoal lip was short lived. I tried this shade on at home and it looked like SHIT on me. Seriously, it looked like I smeared car grease all over my mouth and it was anything but fashion forward. It’s a damn shame, because all of the girls that I have seen rocking this trend look stunning. So, why not me? Well, there’s a few reasons:

This color looked a lot “much” with my face full of piercings.
This color looked abysmal when paired with my bright red hair.
And, at the end of the day, your girl was just not meant for charcoal lips.

Whomp, whomp.

In a desperate attempt to get this lippie off once I realized that it looked like I ate paint, I applied a lavender shade of chapstick over top of it, because this product doesn’t budge once it dries. Shockingly, the Stone Fox mixed with the lavender looked like a really pretty, smokey lilac and I loved it. BUT, ain’t nobody got time for that and despite liking the concocted color, it just wasn’t for me. That story was just an idea for the girls interested in giving this shade a go. YOU’RE WELCOME! :*)

I do like trying new lipstick colors but, true to my namesake, Lil Red will always love red lipstick the best! How do you feel about black and jewel toned lipstick? Could you pull off charcoal colored 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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