Category Archives: Fashion

Jan28

Jamberry Nails!

Posted on January 28, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Hey guys! I have the absolute pleasure of writing up an article for the fun company Jamberry Nails for a dear friend of mine. I had the privilege of working with Miss Jenna years ago at PacSun and I also got to pierce her sweet little one, Tierney’s ears when I worked at Claire’s briefly. Jenna has been working with the girly cute company Jamberry Nails for months now, and they offer the most adorable wraps for your fingernails and toes (As you can see from my featured image and pictures below!) The wraps are offered in both adult AND junior sizes with the fun option of coordinating Mommy & Me prints for a matching mani with your little ones! How fun is that?

Pictured above is the wrap “Wee Bit Charmed” on little Miss Tierney!

The wraps that Jamberry offers are applied using heat and pressure and they last up to two weeks on fingernails and up to six weeks on your toesies. That’s a beautiful thing to me, because whenever I paint my nails at home, they start chipping at least three days after the polish is applied, and no one likes having to repaint their nails over again. #annoying One of the fantastic benefits of the Jamberry nail wraps is all of the things that they’re “free” of, which include: gluten, latex, and formaldehyde. They’re also vegan friendly AND non toxic, so you can feel great about using them on yourself or mommy’s little helper. Did I mention that Jamberry’s wraps have no odor?! I find that so fantastic, because traditional nail polishes can be so potent smelling. I’ve known of people who have gotten headaches from the odor alone, so these wraps are great for anyone who experiences sensitivity to strong smells.

If you’re to purchase the adult size wraps, you’ll receive eighteen nail wraps per sheet. These wraps are usually long enough to do two nails! You can also give yourself a fun pedi, covering all ten of your toesies with just two of the largest wraps! (Such a steal!) So what does this all mean? So glad you asked! This means that one adult size sheet of Jamberry nail wraps will give you TWO manicures, TWO pedicures and you’ll still have four full wraps left over! Junior size wraps are also available, and usually work on girls up to age eleven. But if you’re an adult with tiny fingers, these wraps might just work on you too! The junior size prints offer forty-two wraps per sheet. There are twenty-eight wraps in one print and then fourteen wraps offered in a coordinating print. This means that you could purchase a sheet of adult wraps and a sheet of juniors wraps for a Mommy & Me mani/pedi!

Pictured below is the “Snow & Ice” wraps (in juniors size!) on Jenna’s hands. These are perfect for your favorite Frozen fan! #letitgo

Not a fan of the nail wraps? That’s okay too, because Jamberry also offers nail lacquers as well if you’d prefer traditional nail polish! Just like the wraps, they’re beyond safe to use on your nails as the polishes are 5-Free. In other words, these polishes are free of the top five harmful chemicals that most nail polishes contain! And very importantly, Jamberry products are never animal tested. The Jamberry nail lacquers are quick to dry and last way longer than any store brand. If you don’t have the necessary tools to apply any of these fun products at home, fear not! Jamberry offers a mini heater AND an application kit. (A hair dryer works just fine too! 🙂 )

Similar to Avon and Tupperware (because Tupperware parties are a thing!), Jamberry also offers in home, Facebook, and catalog parties which are perfect for a girls night in! Going to the nail salon is over rated anyways 😉

I urge ALL of my lovely ladies reading this to take a look at Jenna’s Jamberry site and get in contact with her if you’re interested in purchasing some nail wraps! Here’s all of the info:

Website: http://jamswithjenna.jamberrynails.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamswithjenna
Email: jamswithjenna@gmail.com

While you’re browsing on Jenna’s cute as pie website, keep in mind that the wraps are Buy 3 Get 1 Free (with exclusions to the Licensed Collegiate and Sorority Wraps). There’s a bunch of sweet Valentine’s Day themed wraps as well! Here’s a few of my favorite prints that Jamberry offers:

The wrap names pictured above are as follows:

Love Potion
Midnight Celebration
Flirty Flair

I’m writing this in Starbucks right now, and I asked three lovely teenagers sitting in the cafe to pick which prints they liked best, it was hard for them to pick because they liked them all – but here’s the consensus that the little darlings came to:

Victorian Lace
Sugar & Spice
Secret Promise

Too cute right?! For the purposes of writing this article, I got to sample some Jamberry products, and here’s the final result! (Please excuse my gross feet!)

I had an absolute BLAST applying my adorable Jamberry prints to my toes! I rarely paint my toenails so this was such a treat! The application was as easy as one, two, three as well! All I had to do was push back my cuticles and then match up my nails to the best fitting wrap. Once I found the wrap that worked for me I applied a little bit of heat to it from my hair dryer and pressed the wrap onto my nails. I applied as much pressure as my little hands would allow to the wrap, and then trimmed and filed off the excess. After my nails were perfectly shaped, I applied heat and pressure one more time for fun and fab Jamberry worthy nails!

If you’re interested in purchasing some Jamberry nail wraps, please keep in mind that Jamberry currently only ships to the USA, Canada, and US territories – hopefully that will be changing soon though! Once again the address to Jenna’s fabulous website is: http://jamswithjenna.jamberrynails.net. Make sure you check it out!

What do you guys think of these cute nail wraps? Which ones are your favorites? Would you purchase any of these? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Wednesday! -Sarah

Jan18

Lil Red Recommends: January Edition!

Posted on January 18, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Whatsup guys! Happy Sunday to each and every one of you! I’ve read quite a few good books this month, discovered a cool new band, and had a somewhat religious experience while shopping, so I wanted to share all of these and more with you in the newest Lil Red Recommends! Let’s get to it:

Read Tuesdays With Morrie: Seriously. Like Nike…just do it. My dear friend Kate got this for me a few Christmas-es ago and I decided to pick it up when I was out of a book to read after I finished Big Little Lies (which will be discussed later!) I read this book quite some time ago, and I am SO happy that I finally reread it. This book touched my heart and soul in ways that I can’t even describe the second time around. I guess that has to do with the fact that my beloved grandma was still alive and well the first time I read this book. This is a true story that chronicles the final visits a professor suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) has with a former student. Mitch, who hasn’t spoke with his favorite college professor Morrie Schwartz in sixteen years becomes aware of his professor’s disease by seeing him doing a television interview while flipping stations. He hops a plane to Boston to see Morrie looking fragile and pallid in a wheelchair. After their first visit together which fell on a Tuesday, Morrie asked if Mitch would come to see him again next week, to which Mitch obliged. All of their meetings in their college days fell on a Tuesday and these visits stayed true to that tradition because they’re “Tuesday people” according to Morrie. During the visits between professor and student topics like religion, emotions, forgiveness, and death are discussed. We learn about Morrie and Mitch’s past and current struggles, that are peppered with humor and the questions that everyone probably asks themselves. This tribute to an amazing man had the ability to make me love both Morrie and Mitch as if they were my own family, and I cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re looking for a quick read that makes you think and opens your heart, grab yourself a copy of Tuesdays With Morrie pronto. If this book doesn’t move you in some way, then you literally have no soul.

Read Big Little Lies: Ohh yes, this book is FABULOUS. Big Little Lies tells the tale of the drama of three women: battered and beautiful Celeste, fashionable and confrontational Madeline, and of course shy and young Jane. These ladies meet through the kindergarten that their children attend and through fast friendship their lives become intertwined. All of the struggles these women face lead up to a tragic night at a school trivia night function for the parents. The chapters literally begin with counting down the amount of time left until the trivia night. This book covers everything from domestic violence, fabulous fashion, sexual assault, bullying, and relationships and it is an absolute thrill of a read. I can’t tell you too much about the book because it’s going to ruin a lot of the shocks and surprises that happen in basically each chapter. I’m a big fan of the author Herman Koch and Big Little Lies is written very similarly to his work, so I instantly fell in love with it. I know this description of the book was vague, but seriously PLEASE read it and tell me what you think! I’m already obsessed with the author Liane Moriarty and just started one of her best sellers The Husband’s Secret last night. I’m very confident that it will be on my next Lil Red Recommends segment!

Listen to Sam Roberts Band: I know, I know – typical PacSun music. SUE ME FOR IT because I love these guys! So catchy, so fresh, so upbeat. I just put their debut album Lo-Fantasy on my iTunes two days ago and I’m kind of obsessed. It comes with two disks, the actual CD and then remix versions of some of the songs. Upbeat is honestly one of the best words I can use to describe these guys, because that’s what they are – they’re fun and the beats of their songs are absolutely infectious. I dare you to not listen to Sam Roberts Band without bobbing your head or tapping your feet. Or in my case – dancing very poorly. I heard their songs “Metal Skin”and “Shapeshifters” when I used to work at PacSun, and they remain two of my favorite songs off of Lo-Fantasy. Do yourselves a favor and give them a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Shop The Pre-Spring Sales: So I was at the mall earlier this week with my sister and all of the stores were still flaunting their post holiday/pre-spring sales. We went to the two stores that we wanted to find the best deals at, which were Victoria’s Secret and Express. Kristen managed to get a sixty dollar bra from VS for only twenty dollars! You seriously can’t beat that. There were a few bras that I had my eye on in their sale bins, but I have more than enough bras to wear a different one every day of the week so I controlled myself from purchasing one, as hard as it was!!! #selfcontrol The real steal of the day came from my find at Express. This entire winter season I had my eye on a gorgeous snake skin print embellished V-neck sweater but the seventy-nine dollar price tag was just too steep for me to justify buying it. While rummaging through the sale bins in Express, a miracle happened. I FOUND THE SWEATER!!! My hands got sweaty (which always happens when I get excited – it’s my cross to bear.) and I rushed to the fitting room. I stripped off my winter layers of a jacket, hoodie, and sweater as quickly as I could and slipped into the sweater I had been lusting over for so long. It. Was. Perfect. It was exactly how I hoped it would fit and look on me, and I couldn’t wait to wear it out that evening. The best part about it? I got it for NINETEEN DOLLARS! Saying that I felt like I was on Ecstasy is an understatement!!! There she is:

Do a Winter Activity: Whether it be sledding, skiing, snow shoeing, or making some winter food like soups or peppermint treats with a friend – DO IT! I figure skated for close to ten years when I was younger, and a few nights ago my sister and I went ice skating. We had an absolute blast – well maybe me more than her because I actually knew what I was doing! That night was my first time back on the ice in close to four years and I was amazed at how much I could still do. As soon as I hit the ice I could feel my muscle memory kicking it – it was just like riding a bike. I was still able to jump, spin, and do a lot of fun footwork tricks. At one point during the night my sister said “Sarah, people are watching you” and I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit how good it made me feel. It took me back to when I would compete and all eyes would be on me when I performed my routines. Being the center of attention for just a few hours at the rink lifted my spirits and my ass, because it was a great work out! If you’re ever in the Akron, Ohio area and wanna go skating – you know how to find me!

So there you have it! My Lil Red Recommends for the month of January! What’s your favorite winter activity? Have you read Big Little Lies or Tuesdays With Morrie? What did you think of it? What was a great winter sale steal that you got? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a fabulous day! -Sarah

Jan12

Golden Globes 2015 Into It/Over It

Posted on January 12, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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The Hollywood award season is upon us again! The Golden Globes were on last night where we got to see some fabulous stars strut around in some gorgeous and…. not so great looks. I decided to do one of my Into It/Over It segments for the Golden Globes, so let’s discuss:

Sienna Miller – Miu Miu: I am so very INTO IT!!!!! I thought that Miss Sienna looked drop dead gorgeous!!! This Miu Miu stunner is one of my favorite looks of the night. The dress is so whimsical and fun but Sienna manages to look grown up and sexy at the same time. Miu Miu is one of my all time favorite designer brands, so naturally I turned green with envy when I saw this gown. I spotted it as a Miu Miu right away and began drooling immediately. Not only is the dress fab, but her hair and makeup looked divine as well. She honestly could have gone either way in the hair and makeup department with either the natural look she’s rocking or something a little more loud and crazy. The natural look is working so well though, she looked like a fairy princess from the land of glam. I’m sold.

Rosamund Pike – Vera Wang: Oh hell no. I am so completely and absolutely OVER IT. I usually adore Vera Wang’s designs, but not this one. Major thumbs down. I hate using this word…but the Gone Girl actress looked saggy. This dress offered her literally NO support in her breasts or back, causing a very unflattering over all shape. One of the most important fashion rules is to always define your waist, which was also not happening in this look. Quite frankly, I’m disappointed. I was expecting Pike to come out looking like a stunner, and this look didn’t do anything for me but make me cringe. The bland hair and makeup was doing nothing for her either as well. Whomp whomp.

Patricia Arquette – Escada: Oh, Patricia my darling. First of all, congrats on your win for Boyhood. Bravo. Second of all, I’m OVER IT. This look just didn’t do it for me, and I wanted it to work so badly, but there was just so much going wrong. The gown was in desperate need of a good ironing, some expert tailoring, and for that damned shoulder piece to be removed immediately. The look would have been so much better without that shoulder detailing. Not perfect, but better. I’m quite disappointed in her hair and makeup. Her red lip looked sloppy and her hair was pulled back into a bun that was almost falling out. My main problem with this dress is how top heavy it made her look. All of the extra fabric and rouch-ing made the look very frumpy. Disappointed.

Emma Stone – Lanvin: Gorgeous! Stunning! I’m INTO IT! The Birdman actress absolutely soared. In my eyes, Miss Stone can do no wrong and this fabulous Lanvin jumpsuit is no exception. I love looks on the red carpet that I can see myself wearing and this is definitely one of them. Everything is just working SO WELL together, from the sparkling bodice, the ankle cut pants, and that gorgeous bow tie on the back. This is something that shouldn’t have worked and Emma proved us all wrong. I love that she didn’t do much to her hair, because the wavy laid back-ness of it truly counterbalanced the Hollywood glam of the look. Her alabaster skin looked absolutely perfect, and her red lip was flawless. Amazing. This is what a young twenty something actress should look like.

Kerry Washington – Mary Katrantzou: Ugh. OVER IT. When my family and I watch award shows together, my parents usually leave it up to me to give the fashion opinion. But when my dad verbalized his distaste for this look, I knew that it was really bad. The thing about Kerry Washington, is that you could put her in a potato sack and she’d still look gorgeous. This woman deserves to wear nothing but masterpieces so when she’s in something that’s not up to par, it’s just so gut wrenchingly noticeable and awful. I hate how this dress doesn’t go all the way to the floor – it’s literally three inches above the ground, just make it floor length, damnit. I also really hate the metallic pink and navy combination going on. If this dress were solely the navy color, I think she’d look quite stunning. I guess the reason that I dislike this look so much is because I know that Kerry can do so much better. Her hair and makeup look lovely though! Hopefully she’s wears a stunner at the next award show to make up for this lackluster look!

Taylor Schilling – Ralph Lauren: Do I even have to say it? I’m beyond INTO IT! Our Orange is the New Black star was absolutely radiant in red. She was GLOWING. Miss Schilling looked like the belle of the ball in this gorgeous Ralph Lauren gown. This dress fit her like a glove and her skin looked flawless. The way this dress moved on the red carpet was divine. This dress is pure Hollywood to me. Taylor Schilling is the epitome of glamor in this look and I’m blown away. Miss Taylor can ditch the orange jumpsuit and stick to the gowns because she looks like an absolute star. Well done, you.

Kristin Wiig – Delphine Manivet: Ouch. I’m sure a lot of people, like myself are OVER IT. Kristin Wiig has such a lovely body, why hide it in this frumpy mess? This material looked like it came off of a couch from the seventies and the shape of the dress looked just as dated. I’m not sure who dressed miss girl, but this look was so inappropriate for such a star studded night. Not only did the dress lack in all departments but her hair and makeup were a hot mess as well. I’m going to say for Kristin Wiig what I’ll be mentioning for Jennifer Lopez later, the bronzer looked so cakey! I just wanted to take a tissue to both of them and wipe all of that gunk away. Her hair looked very dull as well. Extremely unimpressed. My advice? Fire your stylist immediately.

Jennifer Lopez – Zuhair Murad: Oh look, it’s Kristin Wiig’s bronzey twin! So of course I’m OVER IT. Miss girls golden globes looked like they were going to pop out of this dress any minute and I was so not impressed. The thing with Jennifer Lopez is that we know she’s sexy, hot, and has a whole lot of va va voom. She does not need this cheap looking dress to showcase that. If she were put in an actual gown last night of that same material, she would have looked stunning. Her awful excuse for a smokey eye and her cakey cake bronzer weren’t helping either. Jennifer Lopez ended up looking like a Las Vegas showgirl rather than red carpet royalty. Shameful.

Conchita Wurst: Yes. Hell yes. Miss girl better WERK! I’m INTO IT! I wish that I looked as good as this sensational drag queen in a gown. I also wish that I own this gown. It’s so fabulous I can’t even. This is the most unconventionally drop dead gorgeous look of the night. What more can I say?

Naomi Watts – Gucci: Wow. This was one of my other favorite looks of the night asides from the lovely Sienna Miller. I’m INTO IT! This canary yellow Gucci stunner was an A++++! The way that this dress complimented that pretty blonde hair with her creamy fair complexion was simply divine. Every time Miss Watts was shown on screen last night all I could say was “I want that necklace, I want that necklace, I WANT THAT NECKLACE!!!!” The bejeweled snake choker was such an edgy, unexpected accessory and I adored it. The hair and makeup were perfect and I adored the red lip, which looked way better than I thought it would with a yellow gown. This look was stunning. Bravo.

So there you have it, my Into it/Over it looks for the 2015 Golden Globes! What looks did you love? What looks could you have done without? What would you have done to make some of these not so hot styles look better? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Monday! -Sarah

Jan10

Comfy Cozy OOTD

Posted on January 10, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hello one and all and happy Saturday! It’s a frigid cold eight degrees in Akron, Ohio at the moment. That type of weather calls for bundling up in some cute lounge wear and staying inside!!! I drew inspiration for this look from my sweet best friend Lea, who is super fond of the leggings and long socks combination. After trying this out for myself for the first time, I was shocked that I hadn’t done it sooner, I adore it!!

As usual, here’s the breakdown of the brand of each item in this look and where it was purchased:

Flannel: PacSun, Gypsy Warrior
Leggings: PacSun, Nollie
Knee socks: Target
Shirt worn underneath flannel: PacSun, Volcom

(All together this look cost me roughly sixty dollars. Keep in mind that an employee discount was used on the PacSun items from when I used to work there. Ballin on a budget 😉 )

I’m gonna keep it real with you guys…I hate leggings. I avoid wearing them at ALL costs…but I can’t exactly wear knee high knit socks with my signature black skinny jeans, believe me, I tried! So I dug my “use if absolutely necessary” pair of leggings that may or may not have multiple holes in them out of the bottom of my pajama drawer and begrudgingly put them on. I don’t hate myself too much for wearing them though, because I feel like this outfit is cute as can be…cute enough that I would be okay with wearing this look in public with a nice tall pair of boots. I guess I hate leggings when they look sloppy, and I like to think I don’t look too sloppy in these bad boys! 😉 As you guys know, I’m SO obsessed with my Gypsy Warrior flannels it isn’t even funny, so of course my red and grey one was a must to tie this look together. To keep the look sweet and simple I have on a charcoal grey three quarter length sleeve shirt underneath the flannel. I absolutely love the knee socks that I have on, most importantly because they’re so warm and cozy but being adorable is definitely helpful as well! When I saw these at Target, I stocked up on a bunch of different colors like aqua, charcoal grey, heather grey, and navy blue argyle. These fun knee socks are a nice little pick me up treat when you find yourself in the accessory aisles while you’re running your errands at Target. (Does anyone else spend way more money than necessary whenever they hit up Target? I know I do -____-) This OOTD goes out to my lovely Lea who taught me the cute way to do comfy cozy!

So there you have it, my Comfy Cozy OOTD to keep me nice and toasty in this nasty Ohio weather! What’s your favorite cold weather accessory? Are you a leggings lover or hater? I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a fabulous day! -Sarah

PS: Please make sure you check out my gofundme account at: gofund.me/jy27gc

Thanks!!!!!!! ❤

Jan3

Lil Red’s New Obsessions

Posted on January 3, 2015 by lifewithlilred

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Hello one and all and happy Saturday! These past few weeks I’ve gained a lot of great stuff from Christmas gifts and the extra moolah I acquired to hit the post holiday sales. I wanted to share all of this fun stuff with you guys, especially because all of the items I’ll be mentioning below should still be available to purchase in stores and online if you like them!

Gypsy Warrior Flannels: I absolutely adore these flannels! After I quit working at PacSun, Gypsy Warrior was the one brand that I particularly missed getting clothes from. I already had one of their flannels like these new ones except in a different color, so when I saw that the brand launched some new ones, I immediately added it to my Christmas wish list. I was so happy when I opened this gift from my mom! If you’re interested in buying these flannels, just know that the sizes run more like a mans shirt. I’m 5’1 and 1/4 (because the quarter counts, damnit!) and 113 pounds, and I wear a size small – if that helps you figure out what size you need at all! These should still be available on http://www.pacsun.com and in stores. If you sign up for their email program, you get a 15% off coupon emailed to you!

Betsey Johnson Snake Cuff: This little beauty was another stellar gift from my beloved mama. I was absolutely blown away when I opened this gift, because I had forgotten that I even wanted it! A few weeks prior to Christmas, my sister, mother, and myself took a trip to the mall. In Macy’s they had a Betsey Johnson display up, and I absolutely adore her clothing and jewelry so I had to stop and take a look. Naturally, I liked everything, but this snake cuff really caught my eye because I absolutely LOVE snake jewelry. I pointed this one out to my mom and told her how much I liked it, and then we walked away and it was never discussed again. I was so so happy to add this piece to my collection, I was even happier to hear that my mom got this bracelet at TJMaxx for a much better price than at Macy’s. This bracelet should still be available at TJ’s if you’re lucky, at Macy’s, or on Betsey Johnson’s website http://www.betseyjohnson.com!

Express Sweater & Shoes: Express has slowly but surely become one of my favorite stores to shop at. I never really cared to shop there until a few months ago, when I went in with my sister who needed new black clothing for her job at The Body Shop. I was blown away by how chic and sharp all of their clothing was. I saw my cowl neck sweater that night with my sister, and had my eye on it ever since. A few weeks ago when Kristen and I went shopping, Express was having a half off sale and I knew that the sweater had to be mine! It has become an instant favorite, and I wear it way more often than I care to admit. My snake skin patterned shoes were a Christmas gift from my sister. She originally got me the same shoes in a floral print pattern which I didn’t care for, so I exchanged it out for these bad boys. I absolutely love black snake skin print, and I was so happy when I saw these! They match perfectly with my black snake skin super skinny jeans that I got from Express a few months ago. Who could ask for anything more?! Love it. Both of these items should still be available on http://www.express.com or in stores!

Target Winter Coat: Yesterday when my mom and I were running errands at Target, I found this lovely jacket marked fifty percent off. I was so thrilled when I found it, because it was a great deal, and I don’t have a really warm winter coat to brave the Ohio cold. I love the black and dark blue color blocking going on and I find the shape of this coat so charming! Best of all, it keeps me warm and toasty when I’m out and about. This jacket came with a detachable black faux fur collar, which I clearly have taken off already! However, I put good use to the collar by attaching it to my flannel collars for a fun unexpected twist. This coat should still be available in stores and online for half off at http://www.target.com! This jacket also came in all black without the dark blue color blocking.

BustedTees Shirts: My beloved big bro Peter got me a thirty dollar Groupon to http://www.bustedtees.com and I couldn’t be more delighted by the shirts that I ordered from this hilarious website. All of the t-shirts on BustedTees are simply fantastic. A lot of them are inside jokes from movies, television, or video games. For example, my Speaker City shirt was the company that Beanie founded in the movie Old School, which is one of my favorites! “I built Speaker City from the ground up and I can’t even read. Truth.” The website is filled with shirts dripping with sarcasm and pure wit. Peter and I thought that the Daft Punk shirt pictured below was an absolute riot and I thought that the Reunite Pangaea shirt was great. There is sure to be something for everyone on http://www.bustedtees.com! The shirts fit fantastically and your purchases arrive promptly as well. One of the best things about this website was it’s ingenious size chart. It showed the shirts in a size small, medium, and large, on different girls with different body types. A size small looked like it fit well on a girl shaped similarly to me, so that’s what I got and it fits like a glove! So brilliant!

Peter Pan Book: My beloved best friend Kate got this for me for Christmas in honor of our beautiful evening of decorating ornaments, drinking wine, and watching Peter Pan Live. I was so touched by how thoughtful this gift was and simply stunned by its beauty. The illustrations in this book are just magical and the pages are lined with silver to match the shimmering cover. Kate informed me that she purchased this book at Barnes & Noble, and apparently a lot of beloved fairy tales have been made to look like this one. I definitely would like to add more of these books to my collection. They’re so fun to read and just as enjoyable to admire! When Kate got this book, it was buy one get one half off, I’m unsure of if that promotion is still running, but the book should be available in store and online at http://www.barnesandnoble.com!

So there you have it, Lil Red’s latest obsessions! Was there anything you got this holiday season that you absolutely loved? Did you score any great post holiday deals? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great day! -Sarah

Dec29

Closet Cleaning Revelations

Posted on December 29, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and happy Monday! So these past few days I’ve been heavy duty cleaning my room just because. I cleared off my desk so I could have a space to work when I take my online classes at home, I dusted the bejesus out of my dressers, and organized my jewelry to perfection. Today my task was to sort through my clothes and find things that I wanted to donate, keep, or try selling to Plato’s Closet. It was a daunting task, considering the massive size of my clothing collection but it was so damn rewarding once it was complete! I had a beautiful epiphany while sorting through, refolding, and rehanging all of my beloved pieces of clothing. I’ve known this fantastic truth I rediscovered for a long time, but it came in so crystal clear today and I just had to share it with you guys. But before I do that, here’s a little bit of tune-age for you to enjoy in honor of cleaning out my closet today!

^^^ Sorry…I had to.

ANYWAYS, while I was going through my clothes, I was truly blown away by all of the different styles that I’ve managed to piece into my collection over the years. I found everything from boho, classic, menswear, goth girl, 90’s era grunge, punk, girly girl, librarian chic, urban, and everything in between. As I thumbed through all these different pieces and remembered the occasions that I rocked all of these eccentric looks I couldn’t help but think to myself just how amazing the power of clothing is. Ever since I was able to shop for myself, I like to think that I tried to stray away from the norm. I refused to let myself wear only one specific style of clothing. In all honesty, if that were the case, I probably would be stuck in a grunge inspired look for all of eternity. But I didn’t want that. I wanted everything. I wanted all of the different emotions and feelings I associated with different styles. I wanted the confidence of a woman in a gorgeous trench coat. The go with the flow vibe of a flower child in a maxi dress. The self assured stride of a business woman in a menswear inspired trouser. I wanted the flirty fun feel of a chick in a floral print dress and cardigan and I wanted the nonchalant air of a girl in a killer flannel and black skinny jeans. Thanks to my wardrobe, I get to experience these different feelings through my outfits and it’s done absolute wonders for my self esteem and confidence. I’m a firm believer in the phrase “fake it till you make it” and I feel like personal style and the pieces of clothing in your collection are a shining beacon of truth to that….at least for me anyways. For example, yesterday I wore this really fantastic pair of menswear trousers that I got ages ago from Forever 21 paired with a cheeky crop top, blazer, and kitten heels. This particular look made me feel like I was running errands for a prominent magazine editor instead of running errands for myself. Isn’t that amazing? How just one outfit that you feel fantastic in can open up all of these fun scenarios in your head of what you could be wearing this look for. Fake it till you make it right? My love for all things fashion deepened in a way that I can’t even describe while cleaning today. When all of these different thoughts came rushing into my head, I remembered why I was so attracted to clothing in the first place. It was a very special experience to be sprawled out on my bedroom floor, surrounded by my “babies”, and having a wave of nostalgia hit me like a fast pitched baseball. God, I love fashion.

Thanks for reading me ramble on about my epiphanies while cleaning! Much appreciated 😉 How would you define your personal style? What’s one piece of clothing that you refuse to wear? For example, I refuse to wear anything but black denim because I’m convinced that blue jeans make me look fat. Ha! I’d love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Dec5

OOTD: Holiday Edition

Posted on December 5, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello hello! So if you guys recall from one of my previous articles “Jumpsuit Joy” then you’ll know that I’m all about the unconventional holiday outfit. (To me, any clothing that isn’t red or green qualifies as an unconventional piece to wear this holiday season!) Today I put together an outfit that I plan on wearing to one of the family gatherings that I will be attending and wanted to share it with you!

As usual, here’s the breakdown of the brand name and where I purchased each item in my look:

Lace maxi skirt: PacSun, Kirra
Polka dot button down: Aerie
Black cami: Charlotte Russe
Heels: Famous Footwear, Steve Madden

I absolutely LOVE this outfit. My black lace maxi skirt was probably one of my favorite PacSun purchases I’ve ever made. The funny thing is, I never really wore this skirt until my beloved grandma’s funeral. After that, I completely fell in love with it, especially from the sentimental value that it now holds. I think that the lace detailing on this piece is just divine, especially considering that it’s just from a clothing store in the mall. The fun thing about this skirt is that there’s a slip built into it that ends above the knee, so the rest of your leg is exposed beneath the lace. I particularly adored the romantic, Gothic feel that this skirt has – it makes me feel like a walking Edward Allan Poe story. I also really like that my pasty pale legs are exposed in all of their glowing glory beneath the lace. I plan on wearing my Aerie button down tucked into the skirt, of course. This is another piece in my wardrobe that I really like. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought it in the other color Aerie had of it at the time which was navy. Usually I’m not a big polka dot fan, but the shimmering gold polka dots over the cream colored gauzy fabric won me over. I’m also not really big on wearing variations of shades of white, but this shirt had just enough pigment in the cream coloring that it enhanced my fair skin tone instead of washing me out. My sister and I purchased our Charlotte Russe black cami for $4.99 years ago, and I’ve never owned a better cami since. This little baby is pure magic. It sucks in all of the right places and enhances all the right places if you know what I mean, creating the perfect hourglass figure. Whenever I’m feeling bloated from too much Taco Bell, this is my go to quick fix to getting my slender stomach back! I’m trusting all of you guys to keep that secret confidential! 😉 My Steve Madden heels are about eight years old. Crazy right?! I purchased them for my eighth grade graduation…they were my first pair of heels and I will never EVER part with them. I remember these babies catching my eye all of those years ago when I was wandering through Famous Footwear with my mom and I knew that they had to be mine. The thing that I love most about these heels then and now is the wooden heel on them. They give the satisfying clack of a woman in charge whenever you walk on a hard surface. These Steve Madden’s are the reason that I have a shoe obsession to this day. All together this look probably cost me around $100. Keep in mind that in most of my looks an employee discount was used on some of the pieces from when I worked at PacSun.

So there you have it, one of my looks for this holiday season! I’m so excited to wear this outfit to family gatherings and even just running errands. Clearly I’m the type of gal who doesn’t need an excuse to dress up! What do you plan on rockin this holiday season? What’s your favorite holiday look or trend? I’d love to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Friday! -Sarah

Nov23

Lil Red Recommends – Part 5!!!!

Posted on November 23, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Not gonna lie, this week has been less than ideal. Work has been filled with not so nice coworkers and rude customers and school has been stressful. Luckily there’s been a few things that have made me feel better, which I’m going to share with you in this edition of Lil Red Recommends!

Getting drunk with your mother: Last night I came home from a particularly shitty day at work to find my family getting ready to have dinner. It was Italian night in my household so naturally that called for some wine! I’m a big wine drinker and with my moms help of barely drinking one glass, I finished the entire bottle. My mom is such a light weight that she claimed that her glass of wine got her drunk, it’s the most precious thing ever. So the evening was spent with gut busting laughter, stumbling around the kitchen, and singing a duet to the song “You Had a Bad Day” while using the empty wine bottle as a microphone. It was an absolute blast. I’ve never gotten drunk with my mom before and I sincerely hope that this happens again every now and then. The straight up ridiculousness of the mother daughter bonding time that happened last night was indescribable! All of the silliness that occurred was the perfect cure to a shitty day!

Drunken retail therapy: So after my mom and I sobered up, we headed to the mall for some retail therapy. I was in desperate need of some new jeans. But here’s the trick, I refuse to wear any denim that isn’t black and super skinny. My purchase will be discussed in the next recommendation! Let me tell you guys, while my mom may have been completely sober after her one wine glass 😉 I was still slightly tipsy from almost a full bottle of wine. And from this experience I learned that there is nothing more fun than wandering around the mall while you have a wine buzz! It took my love for shopping to a new extreme because I combined it with my second favorite thing….getting drunk. I highly recommend public intoxication at least once in your life time, its a real treat! (Only once though…then no more public intoxication, kay?)

Snake skin patterned denim: I found my beloved new jeans at Express, one of my favorite stores. These jeans are drop dead GORGEOUS. They’re jet black with a gunmetal snake skin pattern coating it and are extremely skinny. About two weeks ago while I was shopping there with my sister, I noticed these beauties and was drooling over them the entire time. Unfortunately at eighty eight dollars, they were out of my price range. But I could NOT stop thinking about them. Lucky for me, last night they were having a forty percent off sale at Express and they had one pair of the jeans left in my size. All of the other sizes they had were ginormous. I knew that the denim had to be mine. I slipped into the fitting room, and changed into my new favorite piece of clothing. When I looked into the fitting room mirror they were just as perfect as I hoped they would be. They fit like a glove and were a perfect punk piece to add to my wardrobe. I’ve been looking for a pair of snake skin print jeans for quite some time now. But all of the pairs that I have found have been a snake skin pattern on top of grey or white jeans, and that doesn’t follow my all black everything rule. I thank the fashion gods for this gift of the perfect pair of black snake skin print jeans! Hurray! (Please excuse my mismatched socks in the photo below!) 😉

Read the book Perfect: I started the book Perfect by Rachel Joyce a few days ago. (She also authored one of my favorite books, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry). I’m about one hundred pages in and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. The book revolves around a boy who has witnessed a terrible accident and is doing everything in his power to prevent his mother from finding out…as she’s the one who caused the crime. We are introduced to a unique cast of characters – young Byron who is very protective of his mother Diana who is a forward thinking woman in the 1970’s. She refuses to live the cookie cutter lifestyle of the female house wife which leads to animosity from her peers. There is also sweet OCD ridden Jim, who has been in and out of mental institutions his entire life. I have yet to find out how the paths of Byron and his mother will cross with Jim’s, but I’m excited to find out. Rachel Joyce does an amazing job of creating a feeling of empathy for each of her characters… I love them all so much already! Reading Perfect has been the perfect distraction from a below average week.

Listen to Tapes ‘n Tapes: I’ve been listening to A LOT of Tapes ‘n Tapes lately. I think that their music is just fantastic. I’ve enjoyed playing all of their albums on shuffle as I’ve been driving around to where ever I needed to be this past week. They really are the perfect Indie rock band. Each of their three albums The Loon, Outside, and Walk It Off give a solid combination of upbeat tunes, amazing instrumentals, and sentimental ballads. My favorite album between the three is definitely their debut album The Loon. Each song off of that one is a slam dunk. But there are also many crowd pleasers on their second and third efforts as well! Tapes ‘n Tapes is great driving music and just hanging around the house doing nothing music. The music video below is for their song “Freak Out” from their second album Outside. It’s super catchy!

Don’t be an asshole: Pardon my French, but I’ve come across a lot of not so nice people this week. From awful customers to the most incompatible coworkers ever I’m almost at my breaking point. I genuinely don’t understand the people who are mean to others just for the sake of being mean. And let me tell you, I’ve encountered a lot of people like that this week. Being around stand offish people really is enough to ruin my day. For some people it’s easy to just shake things like that off, but not me. I wish I didn’t take so much offense to it, but I do. It’s just the way I am I suppose, but I don’t think it’s out of reason to be upset by people who act like assholes to you for no good reason. So here I am freaking pleading all of you guys (myself included) to be courteous and respectful to others. You never know what the person you give a dirty look to might be going through that day. #enoughsaid

Watch Step Brothers: If there’s one thing that always makes me feel better, it’s watching my favorite Will Ferrell movie: Step Brothers. I watched this with my sister and mom a few days ago and it’s still funny to me no matter how many times I watch it! I’ve seen Step Brothers enough that I can quote the entire movie along with the actors (much to my family’s annoyance!). Sometimes you really just need to pop in your favorite stupid movie and veg out for a few hours. I don’t know about you, but I always feel better after two hours straight of laughing! “SO MANY ACTIVITIES!!!”

Be thankful: With Thanksgiving coming up, this is a no brainer. But it felt right to mention it anyways. Tell your family members and friends that you love them, compliment a stranger, apologize to those you have done wrong to. You know the drill. It only takes one small act of kindness to transform yours and somebody else’s day completely!

So there you have it, my Lil Red recommends for the week! What are some things that you do to make yourself feel better after a rough week? What’s your favorite quote from Step Brothers? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Sunday! -Sarah

Nov22

OOTD: Urban Chic

Posted on November 22, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hey guys! Sorry that I’ve been MIA these past few days – I’ve been so swamped at work. And speaking of work, I want to show you guys what I’m wearing on the daily at my job! If you don’t already know, I work at Next, which is a store that specializes in urban clothing. Here’s my take on an Urban Chic look for when I’m doing it up on the job:

As usual, here’s the breakdown of all of the brands of each item and where I purchased them:

First crop top: PacSun, Been Trill
Second crop top: PacSun, Reason
Pleather joggers: Charlotte Russe
Nike tye dye and floral shoes: PacSun, Stefan Janoski

As you guys well know, I’m not a big fan of the “jogger”. BUT when I saw these pleather beauties at Charlotte Russe for only $14.95, I figured why not? My store has a plethora of joggers to choose from so I thought I might as well look the part when I’m selling them. I honestly wouldn’t wear these pants outside of work, but I have to admit that they’re quite comfortable!! To keep the urban vibe going strong in my look, I usually pair my joggers with an edgy crop top. I absolutely LOVE both of my options in the picture above. Been Trill is classically a brand for men, but on occasion we would get some female gear at PacSun. When we got this shirt in I HAD to have it! And naturally we carry Been Trill at Next since it’s a very well known street wear brand so this shirt is perfect. And I just adore the “Ballin” crop – I feel like such a sassy chica when I’m wearing it!! To tie together a cool urban look, you need a fresh pair of kicks. My Janoski’s are usually my go to option for when I’m working. Normally at PacSun we only get the adult male run of sizes for shoes. But in the exclusive digital floral and tye dye pattern we got sizes four through thirteen. These shoes were love at first sight and I knew that they had to be mine!! All together I probably spent $135 on these pieces. (But keep in mind that a lot of those items were bought with my employee discount when I worked at Pac.)

So there you have it, my take on an Urban Chic look! My inner diva is set free when I’m sporting this ensemble and it’s a great feeling!!! You can see me rocking my #beentrill shirt in my featured image 🙂

What are your favorite urban inspired pieces to wear? What store did you find them at? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Saturday! -Sarah

Nov18

Jumpsuit Joy!!!

Posted on November 18, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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I’m literally jumping for jumpsuit joy right now! After months of searching for the perfect jumpsuit, I FINALLY found it! I am pleased to present my dream jumpsuit: (compliments of TJMaxx. Brand: Fire Los Angeles)

I came across this beauty out of pure luck today. After school this morning, I decided to drop some clothes off to sell at Plato’s Closet, as there’s a highway exit that leads straight to it on my way home. If you’re not familiar with Plato’s, it’s essentially a thrift store that purchases clothing from teenagers and twenty somethings. It’s so nice to earn some extra cash when cleaning out your closet! Anyways, when I dropped off my clothes, there were quite a few people in line ahead of me and it takes for FREAKING ever for your items to get sorted through, so I figured I’d run some quick errands. I stopped over at Target to pick up a facial scrub that I needed. (I can’t recommend Biore’s cleansers and scrubs enough! So fantastic.) There was so much cute stuff at Target that I had to escape before I blew my bank account. #selfcontrol So I did the logical solution….drove across the street to TJMaxx. As all of you know, I LOVE TJ’s – and believe me I tried my best to not end up there while playing the waiting game at Plato’s Closet….but the magnetic force pulling me to my fashion wonderland was just TOO DAMN STRONG!!! I made my usual rounds through the store, starting at the purses, working my way back to the shoes, and then crossing over to the juniors clothing section. I browsed through a few racks of clothing and finally came across my jumpsuit on display for all to see. When I laid eyes on this gorgeous lacey masterpiece for the first time I felt like I had walked into a brick wall. Could it be? The jumpsuit that I’ve been waiting for? Was this the light at the end of the tragic tunnel of past unflattering jumpsuits left to rot in the fitting rooms? Please GOD, let this be the one. I had no intention to try anything on during my TJ’s browsing session, but as soon as this baby was in my hands I power walked my ass to the fitting rooms in RECORD timing. My hands were trembling as I slipped out of my clothes and into the suit. My breath was held and my eyes were squeezed tight as I zipped myself up. With a long exhale, I opened my eyes to reveal the finished product…..and it was perfect. You guys have to understand that I’ve been on the prowl for a fashionable jumpsuit since May. Every single one that I’ve tried on up until now has been a miserable failure. I’m a tiny girl. 5’1 and a quarter (because the quarter counts, damnit) and 113 pounds. Every suit I’ve tried has just been too long with absolutely no shape to them. I honestly would have looked better wearing a garbage bag. Clearly these suits were designed for the tall gals! I was on the verge of giving up. I thought all hope for being a jumpsuit fashionista was lost. So when I found this jumpsuit I was ecstatic! The way it fits is just divine. It hits me perfectly at my ankles, with a gorgeous cinched in waist, a cleavage bearing V-neck for some va va voom, and some added drama on the back where a little bit of skin is exposed before you tie a ribbon at the nape of your neck. It fit me like a glove and all of the extra skin showing made what could have been an over bearing outfit extremely flattering. Plus, an older lady in the fitting room told me that I looked fabulous – so I had to get it, right? I’m SO excited to pair my new jumpsuit with my black Vera Wang wedges and my signature red lip for family gatherings this holiday season. It’s an unexpected take on a holiday outfit, but that’s what the Lil Red lifestyle is all about – being daring and taking fashion risks.

What will everyone be wearing this holiday season? What was your favorite TJMaxx find? If you are a fellow jumpsuit owner – how do you accessorize it? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Tuesday! -Sarah

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