Category Archives: Beauty

Mar27

Black Maxi Dress OOTD

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Black Maxi Dress OOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! This month, I have been so pleased to be able to host my guest blogger, Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs here on lifewithlilred. She has done an exceptional job creating ready to wear OOTDs for all of our readers and it was so much fun working with her! Nida’s final post is actually a three for one because she’s going to show you three ways to style the summer staple that is the Black Maxi Dress. Thanks again for all of your hard work, Nida! You’re fabulous. Now, take a look at Nida’s Black Maxi Dress OOTD:

 

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Hello everyone! 💞
Welcome to another OOTD collab post! Before I start talking about today’s look I want to thank Sarah from lifewithlilred for hosting my posts these past few weeks. ✨ It has been a pleasure working with her and she has always been so appreciative of my work that it inspired me to do better each time. I know most people shy away from collabs for a multitude of reasons. But from my own experience, I have found collabs to be a fabulous way to not only interact with other bloggers but to learn from them, too. In addition, it’s a great opportunity for both parties to cross promote their blog and reach more readers. Here’s to a million more great collaborations! ✨
If you want to get in touch with me please feel free to email me at: shopaholicblogs@gmail.com.

 
Now for today’s OOTD! ✨ Sarah very generously let me pick out my own theme this week. With summer approaching fast, dresses and skirts become the forerunners in my wardrobe. 🌞 One piece that I buy every year is the black maxi dress! 😍 I find it to be a versatile item that I can style multiple different ways and it flatters almost all body types, my awkward one included. So here are the three ways that I will be wearing my black dress this summer! Enjoy!

 

✨ Look #1 – Cute & Casual

  • Maxi Dress: Old Navy
  • Denim Vest: American Eagle Outfitters
  • Sneakers: Dr. Scholl
  • Purse: Dooney and Bourke
  • Sunglasses: Coach
  • Bracelet: Fossil

✨ Look #2 – Out & About

  • Scarf: Old Navy
  • Sandals: BCBG
  • Purse: Oryany Tracy
  • Bracelets: Fossil

✨ The second look is perfect for a day around town/shopping/out with the girls! 💖

                                                                                      ✨ Look #3 – Boho Chic     

  • Poncho: American Eagle Outfitters
  • Sandals: BCBG
  • Accessories: H&M

✨ The third and final look is my favorite! 😘 I want to go bohemian this summer and the AE poncho is perfect for a boho look.

✨ Makeup Used

  • Eyeliner: Bare Minerals in Onyx
  • Lip Crayon: Burt’s Bees in Redwood Forest

There you have it loves, my take on styling the Black Maxi Dress. As always, I hope you enjoyed this OOTD!
Until next time xoxo 💋

^^^ Cool looks, Nida! You can see all of Nida’s OOTD posts under the Fashion category on my page and on her site, Shopaholic Blogs. Please be sure to give her page some love! Out of the three looks that Nida created, which one would you wear? What is your go to spring or summer staple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar26

New NYX Lipsticks

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New NYX Lipsticks

Hellooo everyone and happy weekend! I absolutely love the makeup brand, NYX, and I recently restocked my favorite shade of their matte lipstick and purchased a color in their new Liquid Suede cream lipstick, too. NYX has the literal best matte lipstick that I’ve ever used in my life and I swear by my go to color, Pure Red. In almost every single picture of me that I have posted on lifewithlilred, chances are that I’m wearing my favorite shade. I was running low on my lipstick so I had to snag another tube from Target and also ended up with their Liquid Suede lipstick in Stone Fox. Take a look at the packaging and my skin swatches and then let’s discuss:

Before I began using NYX’s matte lipstick, I was using Covergirl and blow drying the bejeezus out of my lips to give it the perfect matte finish. At the time, there really was no reputable matte lipsticks out in any brand so I thought that I would be stuck blow drying my lippies until they fall off. Then, one day, I stumbled upon NYX’s matte lipstick at the grocery store and was so impressed by the ones that I tested that I bought at least five different shades that day. Of course, Pure Red ended up being my favorite and I’ve been a faithful user ever since.

As soon as I saw that I was running low on my Pure Red, it was vital that I got a new tube ASAP. Thankfully, a trip to Target remedied my restocking needs and I had a brand new matte lippy stored safely in my basket. During that shopping trip, I had the insatiable urge to try something new, as well. I’ll be frank, I’m not keen on the super colorful lipstick trend. I don’t care for the blues, greens, and purples that have been flooding my Facebook and WordPress newsfeed as of late. However, I was very interested in trying to find a grey or a black lipstick to try.

I knew that NYX had recently come out with their Liquid Suede line that boasted a wide variation of colors so I was really happy to see that Target had the new collection fully stocked. They had your classic reds and pinks as well as the funky crayon box colors, too. But at the very end of their color spectrum, they had a deep grey shade called Stone Fox. It was exactly what I wanted but I was very nervous to buy it without testing it in case it looked fucking miserable. So I did what any self respecting asshole of a shopper would do…I removed the plastic wrapping on the lipstick, went to the nearest mirror in the clothing section, and gave it a try…

It. Looked. Horrible. The dark grey was just too much and I looked like a total freak. I panicked, because I didn’t know how I was going to get the color off because it was clinging to my lips for dear life. Then, I had an idea. I dug into my purse and grabbed one of my berry flavored tinted chapsticks to see if I could coax the color off by applying some moisture. I smudged on the chapstick and rubbed my lips together like I was trying to start a fire and then I examined the results in the mirror…

Not bad. Not bad at all. The Liquid Suede/chapstick combo resulted in a smokey pink with the most subtle hint of lavender and it looked so cool! I showed my mom the shade that I concocted and she loved it, too. I asked her what color she thought it was and she was dumbfounded when I told her that my custom color was born from a lipstick shade that looked like I had smeared car grease onto my mouth.

After achieving a unique kind of success with the Liquid Suede shade, I couldn’t not buy it…Especially considering I had already opened it. I tested my Berry Smokey color around my best friend and boyfriend and it was the first thing that they complimented me on when they saw me. I was so pleasantly surprised when my boyfriend noticed because makeup isn’t his forte in the slightest! Honestly, makeup really isn’t my strong point either so I was so happy that I was able to turn a totally dreadful color into something edgy and cool all on my own.

So after reading the tale of my small lipstick victory, the real question is, would I recommend the products that I purchased? If you are a fan of red lipstick, I would without a doubt recommend NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick. It’s the most gorgeous shade of red that I have ever seen and if you don’t believe me – check out all of my pics from yesterday’s photo shoot post!

As far as NYX’s Liquid Suede cream lipstick in Stone Fox goes, I’m kind of wishy washy about it. If you want to look like you fell face first into wet tar, then yes, totally buy this product. If you want to create your own smokey shade by mixing it with another lipstick or balm, then yes, totally buy this product. However, if you’re looking for a subtle way to rock a dark lipstick shade, then this cream lipstick is not for you. Wearing the deep grey color alone was too much, even for me, and that’s really saying something considering I’m the queen of all things edgy and quirky. So, yes, I suppose I do recommend this product, too, but just know what you’re getting yourself into before you buy it.

All in all, I’m really pleased with my New NYX Lipsticks and I’m so happy that I found such a reliable brand to suit all of my makeup needs. What is your favorite NYX product? How do you feel about the lipsticks that I wrote about today if you use either? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar25

Photo Shoot Album (Pt. 2)

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Photo Shoot Album (Pt. 2)

Hi everyone and TGIF! I thought that today would be a great day to post the rest of my favorite pictures from my recent photo shoot with Britta Photography. Britta did such an amazing job photographing me which resulted in tons of pics that I’m totally obsessed with. Keep in mind that some, not all, of the pictures that Britta took are featured in part one and two of my Photo Shoot Album. But fear not! If you would like to see all of the pics from the photo shoot as well as additional pictures, statuses, and Twistfire ads I will be posting the link to my Facebook page below! Now, let’s take a look at part two of my Photo Shoot Album:

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^^^ Ahh, I love it!

As aforementioned, if you would like to view the rest of my photo shoot, you can check out my Facebook page (pretty please follow me!). While you’re scanning my profile, please be sure to give lifewithlilred’s page some loving, too! And if you want to be really nice, you can click on my ads compliments of Twistfire Media and help me get paid! As always, if you’re interested in signing up for Twistfire you can email me at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com!

So there you have it, my Photo Shoot Album (Pt. 2)! Thanks again so much to Britta Photography for doing such an incredible job! What is everyone up to this weekend? Any big plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar22

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy everyone and happy Tuesday! As all of you know, I live for my monthly freebie from Bath & Body Works. Thanks to their coupons that I receive like clockwork each month, I get to select another goodie to add to my stock pile (which was featured on yesterday’s post!). Usually, I pick out a travel sized lotion for my monthly treat – but this time, I decided to switch things up. My trip to Bath & Body Works resulted in a shower gel this time, so take a look at my selection and then let’s discuss:

gel1

As you can see, I went with the Love & Sunshine shower gel this time around. Why the sudden switch up? Well, I already have the Love & Sunshine lotion so I decided to grab the matching body wash. My sister’s birthday is coming up soon and I thought that a shower gel and lotion set would be a nice little addition to her many presents that I selected. The lotion just doesn’t seem complete without its travel size shower gel counterpart!

I was going in blind to my most recent visit to B&BW – nose blind, that is. I snagged my freebie right in the midst of one of the worst colds of my life and I couldn’t smell anything. I couldn’t even smell the lotions that I already had stockpiled to determine which gel I should get to match. I remembered really liking the floral and slightly fruity Love & Sunshine, though, so I figured that it would be a safe bet to go with. I’ve never used the shower gel from B&BW but I can imagine that it’s really nice, as far as gels go!

My sister isn’t huge on Bath & Body Works products but a travel size gel and lotion set seems just right to counter her ambivalence. I plan on tying the two products together with a bow and tossing it into one of her gifts from her fabulous little sister! A ten dollar add on to her presents and it didn’t cost me a penny. Thanks, B&BW!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works March Freebie! What store gives away the best coupons or freebies? Have you shopped any great sales lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar21

Monday Update: Bath & Body Care Hoard Edition

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Monday Update: Bath & Body Care Hoard Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! If you were to go into my bathroom and open the below the sink counter, you would find it stuffed full of all things bath and body care. I’m a self proclaimed bath and body care hoarder and I’m pretty proud of it! Thanks to shopping great deals and stockpiling gifts and freebies, I’ve accumulated quite a collection of stuff. From shower gel to lotion and perfume to makeup, I’ve got it all. I feel like I mention my hoard often enough that it’s finally time to pay it some tribute so take a look at my ever growing below the sink collection:

hoard1.jpg

^^^ So. Much. Stuff.

Let’s start out with a disclaimer – a lot of the items pictured above were things that I didn’t pay a dime for. Thanks to working at The Body Shop, I accumulated a solid amount of goods from there. The entire line of Bath & Body Works products were totally free as well as about half of the other lotions which were gifts. All of the other items seen above were bought from amazing sales. For example, the line dedicated to my Bath & Body Works Country Apple spray was a whole nine dollars! You can’t beat that!

The best part about my hoard, besides the fact that I’m never going to smell bad, is that I always have in case of emergency gifts handy. It’s always nice to be able to throw in a freebie lotion or two into a gift that I’m giving to lower the cost of buying other items in store. It’s also fantastic around the holiday times when someone might have gotten a gift for you and you didn’t get them anything – which totally happened to me this year! My hoard has saved me a solid amount of embarrassment and lots of moolah, to boot.

All of these little blurbs are all very well but do you know the funny thing about this hoard? I’m not a really big lotion fan. Ha! I hate the feeling of being greasy after I lather up with lotion and I don’t care for the residue or smell that some of them leave behind. I’m also really particular about lotions and fragrances so the fact that a lot of these were scents that I normally wouldn’t pick for myself has made me wary to use some of these products.

Despite my olfactory and tactile preferences, I’m trying really hard to dwindle my hoard down. On nights that I feel like it, I’ll slather on a healthy amount of lotion so that I can let it soak in while I’m asleep and don’t have to feel or smell it. This month, I finally finished one of my Body Shop lotions as well as three small tubes of lotion that provided about two or three uses each. So far I’m actually enjoying my lotion testing journey and am looking forward to making a post about all of the items that I finished in March! Definitely be on the look out for a finished product post at the end of the month!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Bath & Body Care Hoard Edition! What is your favorite product to stockpile? Does anyone have a hoard similar to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar20

Girls Night Out OOTD

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Girls Night Out OOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Welcome to another guest blogging post here on lifewithlilred, compliments of Nida, from Shopaholic Blogs. I am so lucky to have Miss Nida writing a post special for lifewithlilred every Sunday for the month of March! Her blog is fantastic so make sure you check it out and give it some love. This week, I asked Nida if she could create an OOTD perfect for a Girls Night Out and as usual, she did a fabulous job! You can see all of Nida’s OOTDs if you click on the Fashion category on my page but for now, take a look at all of the model status pics of Nida showcasing her outfit. Then, be sure to stick around to hear what she has to say about all of the pieces in her look:

 

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Hello loves! 💖
This week’s OOTD collab with the fabulous Sarah is all about hanging out with the girls! 😍 I love girls night out! It’s a time for us to get dressed up, relax, and have a great time together. For me feeling comfortable = feeling confident. ✨ All of the looks that I put together are 100% something I would wear. So without further ado here’s to a great night out with the girls! 🎉
✨ Top: Loft – Black is the color I reach for time and time again. With the right accessories it transitions seamlessly from day to night.
✨ Pants: Old Navy – From spring to summer these crop pants are comfortable and stylish. And unlike skinnies they won’t cut off your circulation half way through dinner! 😋
✨ Kimono: Garage – This flowy, gorgeous piece is right on trend with its beautiful print and fringe detail.
✨ Shoes: Nine West – I’m not a heels person at all but a special night out with the girls is not complete without blingy, sky high footwear! 💖
✨ Jewelry: Forever 21 – F21 allows me to stay on trend with the latest pieces at prices that won’t break the bank. 💸
✨ Bag: Mango – I usually don’t buy small bags since most of the time I’m lugging a truck load of stuff. But I love the detail on this bag and it doubles as a clutch! 😍
✨ Makeup – I’m clueless when it comes to makeup and I consider it a major victory if I can get the liner on both eyes to match. For this look I literally had ten minutes so I had to keep things short and sweet! ⏰

Makeup Used:
💫 Moogoo tinted face cream in Beige
💫 IT Cosmetics concealer in Neutral Medium
💫 Bare Minerals blush in Rose Radiance
💫 IT Cosmetics lipstick in Damsel
💫 Bobbi Brown gel liner in Caviar
💫 Coastal Scents ultra shimmer palette
💫 IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation in Medium Beige
💫 IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes mascara
💫 Fashion Files nail polish in Cotton Candy

There you have it, ladies, an OOTD for a night out with the girls! Show us some love and let us know what you think about this look! Sarah and I would love to hear your comments! Many thanks to Sarah once again! 💞
Until next time xoxo! 💋

^^^ Thanks again to Nida from Shopaholic Blogs! Make sure you tune in next Sunday for her tips on how to style the summer staple that is the black maxi dress! Much love. -Sarah

Mar19

Photo Shoot Album (Pt. 1)

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Photo Shoot Album (Pt. 1)

Hey everyone and happy weekend! It’s been a few weeks since my photo shoot with Britta Photography and I’m still obsessed with all of the shots that were taken of yours truly. And now that I know that there’s a handy slideshow tool on here for picture viewing, I figured why not put up the album in its entirety? I wish that I would have known this fun fact sooner! All in all there’s about fifty photos so I thought that I would divide up the pics and post the album in separate parts. Take a look at part one of my Photo Shoot Album and then let’s discuss a little further:

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I love having these pics readily available on Facebook because one of my favorite things is when I catch a glimpse of them and am kind of shocked that it’s actually me in the shots. I would really like to get some prints made of at least some of them but it’s going to be so hard to pick which ones I want! It’s seriously impossible to pick a favorite because I adore all of them equally and differently. If any of you are interested in getting some prints of your favorite Lil Red pics, just let your girl know!

I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to your weekend and make sure you stay on the look out for part two of my Photo Shoot Album! What is your favorite subject to photograph? What is one of your favorite pics in my album? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar13

Garden Party OOTD

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Garden Party OOTD

Hey everyone and happy Sunday! Last week you might have noticed that I had a very special guest blogger on Sunday’s post. Nida from Shopaholic Blogs graced lifewithlilred with her presence and did such a fantastic job that I asked her to come back each Sunday for the month of March. This week I asked Nida if she could create an OOTD perfect for an afternoon Garden Party and she sure didn’t disappoint. Nida came up with a gorgeous look perfect for a day spent lounging in the sun and sipping iced tea with a group of equally glamorous friends! Take a look at how Nida styled her Garden Party OOTD and then be sure to give some love to her page!

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Hello lovely people! 💞
As you all know I have been collaborating with the lovely Sarah from lifewithlilred for guest posts on her awesome blog!
When she came up with the idea of a garden party theme, I was thrilled! 💐
Who doesn’t want to get all dolled up to go to a tea party? 🍰
Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of celebs pair dresses with pants and rocking it so I wanted to give it a try! 🎉. You can make this look your own by swapping out the pants with dark skinny jeans or ditching the pants part totally and showing off those tanned mile long legs.  😘
So here you go ladies, my take on a spring Garden Party OOTD! Frosting anyone? Yum! 🍰
✨ Dress: Garage – Lace is so feminine and perfect for spring. 🌹
✨ Pants: Banana Republic – You can wear jeans if you want the look to be a little more causal.
✨ Scarf: Beech Tree – Silk and lace is a match made in garden party heaven. 💐
✨ Shoes: Max Studio – I love that they have a rosette on the front! 🌹
✨ Clutch: J Crew – I adore this sleek clutch! It has a chain strap if you want to go hands free and stuff your face with all of the treats. Hey a girl’s gotta eat!
✨ Earrings: Macy’s – I loved pairing these turquoise earrings with the soft pink and white in my outfit. They bring the perfect pop of color to your face. 😘
✨ Bracelets: Fossil & Tiffany – Lately I’ve been hooked on rose gold and can’t wait to add more pieces to my collection.
✨ Necklace: Fossil – Hearts in rose gold, what’s not to love? 💖
✨ Hat: Forever 21 – This floppy sun hat makes me feel like I should be at the race track placing some winning bets right about now! 💵
✨ Nails: Kinetic Solargel – This shade is called Pink Power.
  ✨ Makeup:
  • Moogoo tinted moisturizer in medium.
  • Kat Von D lipstick in Backstage Bambi.
  • It Cosmetics blush in Radiant Rose.
  • Bobbi Brown smokey eye mascara
  • Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner in Caviar Ink.
There you have it, ladies, my take on the spring garden party theme! How do you guys rock a garden party look? Let me and Sarah know right here!
Again many thanks to Sarah for this collab!
Until next time xoxo 💋
^^^ Thank you so much again to Nida from Shopaholic Blogs for creating a Garden Party OOTD for lifewithlilred! Make sure you tune in tomorrow for a brand new Monday Update! Much love. -Sarah
Mar12

Beauty Bloggers: HELP!!

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Beauty Bloggers: HELP!!

Hello everyone and happy weekend! Once upon a time, I had the longest, fiercest, and sharpest acrylic stiletto nails in the world. I loved them so damn much but unfortunately, the price of upkeep was just getting to be too much. I’ve been without my talons for a solid half a year now and I’m missing them something fierce. But here’s the rub, I really don’t want to pay for acrylics now that I haven’t been shelling moolah out for nail maintenance for six months!

I’ve been trying to grow my nails out to at least get them somewhat lengthy but I’ve been having a really hard time. After the removal of my acrylics, my nails were really brittle and would barely grow. Luckily, I’ve moved past that stage and my nails can and are growing. My nails start out strong in their effort to grow out but then they will reach a certain point and just get flimsy as can be. We’re talking that if I bent them hard enough, they would probably break.

I would really love some suggestions from the beauty gurus on here about how to strengthen and grow out my nails. I’ve been trying to keep my nails hydrated with hand creams like I’ve been told on Facebook. I also recently just applied a hardening base and top coat when I painted my nails over the weekend because my BFF said that that might help. I know that I’ll never get my real nails to be anything like my old claws seen below but I would love to at least have some length to them!

talons.jpg

Beauty Bloggers – I need your Help now more than ever so if you have any tips at all it would be so very appreciated! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar9

Final Photo Shoot Favorites

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Final Photo Shoot Favorites

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! I had a photo shoot this past weekend, as you guys know from my previous two posts. I had such a blast being photographed by my darling friend, Britta, who has her own photography business, Britta Photography. Britta did such an amazing job and I’m so in love with all of the pictures that she took. So much so, that I had to stretch all of my favorite pics out into three posts. I’m here today to show you my Final Photo Shoot Favorites out of the many that Britta snapped of me. You can go on to Britta’s website or my personal Facebook page to see the entire album. If you do, be sure to give Britta’s page some love and send a friend request my way!

^^^ Obviously I’m such a fan of all of my cigarette pictures!

I want to thank my dear friend, Britta, so much again for the fantastic photos that she took of me. I am so in love with all of them and I can’t wait for you to shoot me again! And once again, if you would like to view the full album from my photo shoot you can check out Britta’s Facebook page or my personal page! What is your favorite photo that I featured on lifewithlilred? Do you prefer to be behind or in front of the camera? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah