Category Archives: Fashion

Nov18

Jumpsuit Joy!!!

Posted on November 18, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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

Nov17

An Ohio Weather Update!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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I woke up this morning to see that we had our first major snowfall in Akron, Ohio last night! These are some photos of my back yard with a fresh blanket of snow on it. It basically looks like a Christmas card! Take a look:

I was seriously blown away by the beauty that a fresh snow fall can create. I lifted the blinds of my window this morning to see a view of my back yard that should be used in a holiday movie. Waking up to this panoramic view definitely ensured that today is going to be a good day! I have a love hate relationship with the winter weather. As I mentioned before, I figure skated competitively for about ten years, so the cold never really bothered me. But I swear, after I quit skating I turned into the biggest freeze baby of all time! As I write this I’m currently bundled up in sweats, a hoodie, five comforters, and a fleece blanket adorned with the precious minions from the movie Despicable Me. I LOVE THEM!!! 🙂 So other than the obvious joys that the winter months bring, such as the holidays, family time, and oodles of hot chocolate – my favorite thing about the temperatures dropping is that I get to break out some of my favorite cold weather accessories!!!!

Scarf: Wet Seal
Fingerless gloves: TJMaxx
Beanie: Marshall’s
Driving gloves: Target

My winter would be nowhere near complete without breaking out my top four favorite accessories! My mom purchased my TJMaxx fingerless gloves for me as a gift when I was having a rough day two or so years ago. She’s such a doll! :’) They remain one of my favorites to this day. I love that I can still text and scroll through my iPod touch while I’m wearing these babies. My scarf from Wet Seal is another oldie but goodie – I must have gotten that bad boy over four years ago! #throwback. I was never really fond of scarves until I laid eyes on this quirky punk beauty. Not only does it add a fun pop of color to the bleak grays and pure white that’s taking place outside, but it’s super warm!!! Regardless of whether it matches my coat or outfit, this is my go to winter scarf. If you thought that my four year old scarf was worthy of a #throwbackthursday post, wait until you hear the story behind my beanie from Marshall’s! About seven years ago, the Marshall’s that was about ten minutes away from me closed down. My mother and I were devastated. But to give the store one final hurrah, we went to participate in their closing down sale. We walked away with tons of great purchases for a ridiculously low price. This included my hat, which I vividly remember buying for three dollars. About a year ago after purchasing my car (AKA The Little Red Love Machine) I decided that I really wanted to buy a pair of driving gloves. My pair from Target spoke to me and I had to have them. Simple as that. I love wearing these gloves so much when I’m cruising around in the Little Red Love Machine – it makes me feel like the sassy diva queen that I am!

This past weekend I had the joy of breaking out my winter jacket. This coat from American Eagle Outfitters is about four years old, and I remember purchasing it for a steal of half off the original price! Not only does this baby keep me warm, but I find it immensely stylish as well! It fits me perfectly, it’s bright enough to make a statement amongst all of the boring dark hued winter coats out there, AND my hair is way brighter than the red in the jacket making for a very cool contrast. With all of my cold weather clothes ready to go, I suppose I’m ready to battle the Ohio winter. Who am I kidding? I know that I’ll be able to brave the cold and look fabulous while doing so!

Where are all of my readers located at today? Has it started snowing in your neck of the woods yet? What’s your favorite piece of clothing or accessory that you wear to battle the cold? I’d love to hear from all of you, so please leave me a comment and let’s chat! Stay Warm! -Sarah

Nov10

OOTD – Grandma Chic

Posted on November 10, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Booooo! So somehow my OOTD “Grandma Chic” article from yesterday got deleted, so out of the kindness of my heart, I’m going to rewrite it! 🙂 Here’s my effort at styling the “Grandma Chic” trend with a modern and youthful twist:

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

Cardigan: Modcloth, Knitted Dove
Novel T-shirt: Modcloth, Out of Print
Hunter green ankle skinnies: Aerie
Oxfords: Target
Hat: PacSun, Gypsy Warrior

I had an absolute blast styling this outfit. I centered it around my cream and mauve Knitted Dove cardigan which is very “grandma-ish” in my opinion! I got this sweater years ago from Modcloth and it still remains to be one of my favorite purchases from the site. Once I knew the center piece of my look, I added all of the other articles of clothing accordingly. I thought that my hunter green skinny jeans from Aerie would be the perfect complimentary color to the cardigan. I also thought that the fit of these jeans would help add to the laid back look that I was rocking because they’re a regular old skinny jean and not a super skinny jean like I usually wear. To keep the outfit feeling fresh I added my Le Petit Prince shirt to wear underneath the cardi. The Little Prince is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I saw this shirt on Modcloth, I knew it had to be mine! It didn’t feel right pairing this look with my usual heels or combat boots, so I opted for a classic pair of Oxfords. I feel like every woman young and old owns at least one pair of these shoes. I own two myself, while my mom owns over five! To top off the look, literally, I added my favorite Gypsy Warrior hat for a fun and modern twist. As all of you know, I love clothing with sweet surprises worked into them. I really feel like it was all of the fun quirky details like the gorgeous crochet work on the back of my cardigan, the pop of hot pink soles on my shoes, and the red and white feathers in my hat that kept this look appropriate for a twenty year old. All of these charming surprises kept the look feeling really fresh – without them the look would have been very blah and just “grandma”. The unexpected details definitely elevated this look to Grandma Chic status!

So there you have it, my “Grandma Chic” OOTD – again! Where are all of my Modcloth shoppers at? What’s your favorite item you’ve purchased from there? What are your favorite ways to style a Grandma Chic look? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! Happy Monday! -Sarah

PS: Check out my article on the brand Out of Print for more details on their company. Every t-shirt purchased from them gives money to help literacy programs in third world countries! You can find their products on http://www.modcloth.com and their own personal page http://www.outofprint.com . Thanks!

Nov7

Lil Red Recommends – Part 4!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hello all and happy Friday!!!! It’s time for the annual Lil Red Recommends post for the week, so here we go!

Read Before I Go To Sleep: Seriously. Do it. This book is honestly so much better than Gone Girl. In this novel we follow Christine, a forty-seven year old woman with severe amnesia. Her case is unique though, because her memory disappears as soon as she wakes up from a nights sleep. We join her in her quest to regain her memory and learn about her dark and troubled past. This book is such a page turner. I’m more than halfway through and I still can’t draw any conclusions on how the ending will turn out. I’m particularly excited to finish the book so I can see the movie which is out in theaters with my mom. The fabulous Nicole Kidman plays Christine and the DREAM BOAT Colin Firth plays her husband, Ben. If you liked reading Gone Girl, you’re going to LOVE Before I Go To Sleep.

Listen to Courtney Barnett: I absolutely ADORE this chick. We played a few of her songs at PacSun and I had always semi enjoyed them but it was once I started playing her outside of work that I fell in love. Her lyrics are so quirky and cool, IE: “The yard is full of hard rubbish it’s a mess and
I guess the neighbors must think we run a meth lab” from Avant Gardener. There’s so many times when I’m listening through her charming EP “A Sea Of Split Peas” where I laugh to myself and think “what did she just say?!” Her sound is extremely unique as well, it’s fairly folksy but it’s her voice that really does it for me. She has this ability to make her voice sound like it’s droning on for eternity which sounds unpleasant but it’s actually quite amazing. Her monotonous vocals allow you to hear every aspect of the story she’s trying to tell in each of her songs.

Make a to do list: I’ve grown SO fond of making to do lists since I started college. Usually I prepare my lists for each day the night before, so it’s nice to have everything you need to accomplish that day planned out for you. And let me tell you, there’s nothing better than checking off each thing you’ve completed from your list. It’s so damn fulfilling! My to do lists have taught me how to prioritize and learn better time management skills which is going to be so important once I start delving deeper into my college career. A daily to do list is simple but effective and I can’t recommend making them enough!

Get cozy: So if you read my OOTD: College Kid Edition post, you’ll know that I ended up wearing sweat pants to class and it was life changing. So I encourage all of you to get comfy cozy for the day and do work! Wear your favorite comfort piece and flaunt it like the hot tamale that you are. This could be anything – from your hoodie that you sleep in almost every night to your worn in Hawthorne Heights t-shirt that you still have from high school. Anything is fair game. My college sweat pants experience taught me that there’s nothing wrong with “bummin it” every so often. So I guess I’ll be breaking out my Hawthorne Heights tee pretty soon 😉

^^^ JUDGE ME FOR IT!!!

Stock up on cold weather accessories: I LOVE fall and winter time accessories so very much. I’m talking cute boots, knit scarves, stylish hats, and my personal favorite: fingerless gloves. All of these accessories are the epitome of treating yourself. Nothing adds a little extra oomph to your outfit than a fun new fashion statement. I’m really hoping that I can go to TJMaxx soon to pick out some new cold weather gear. As a matter of fact, my favorite all time pair of fingerless gloves came from TJ’s! There’s a really adorable store in a mall that I like going to called Charming Charlie and they’re full of gorgeous winter accessories. If you don’t have one in your area, here’s their website so you can check them out online! http://www.charmingcharlie.com/

Have a dinner date with a girlfriend: This week I had the most delightful time going out to dinner with my best friend Kate. We went to the Cheesecake Factory which is our favorite place to eat at together. It was so nice to be able to enjoy the atmosphere and the yummy food amongst great company. Enjoying a meal where you don’t have to think about anything but shoving more cheesecake down your throat is my definition of a good time. My recommendation is to incorporate a shopping trip into the dinner date as well! Kate and I usually hit up one of the higher end malls in the Akron/Cleveland, Ohio area which makes for a lovely afternoon trip. And nothing says girl time like a shopping day followed by a dinner date – so fun!

^^ Some of the many delicious desserts offered at the Cheesecake Factory. I’m gaining weight just looking at it!

Listen to Hamilton Leithauser: I’ve been really enjoying listening to this young man’s album “Black Hours” as of late. His voice is just intoxicating to me. It’s the perfect combination of folk and rock and roll. His music was played fairly frequently at PacSun and the song that always stuck out to me every time we played it was “Alexandra”. The opening lyrics of “I don’t have to, I don’t need to – but I’m always thinking of you” are so sweet! It makes me wish that I was this Alexandra that Hamilton is singing about!!! HUBBA HUBBA. 😉

So there you have it! My Lil Red Recommendations for the week! What are you guys up to this weekend? Whatever you’re plans are, I hope you have a great time doing them! And if you have any questions or concerns, leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Nov5

OOTD – College Kid Edition

Posted on November 5, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Hey! So first of all, sorry for being MIA recently – I’ve had a hell of a past few days…and not in the good way. Having said that, yesterday I did what I told myself that I would never EVER do…I wore sweat pants to college. But WAIT! Let me explain myself!! I have up to get ready for school at 6:45 in the morning every Tuesday and Thursday. Yesterday morning it was chilly and overcast and all I wanted was to be as comfortable as humanly possible during my hour long drive to Cleveland and in my classes. So while I was getting ready and picking out an outfit, my eyes scanned from cute maxi skirts, dresses I could pair with tights, super skinny skinny jeans, and my new pair of sweat pants from Aerie. I reevaluated all of my options carefully and then rolled my eyes and said “f*** it” and grabbed the sweats. I always thought that during my college career I would be that super fashionable girl who wouldn’t be caught dead in lounge wear. Well since that thought went down the drain, I still tried to make my comfy cozy look as cute as possible. My mom even told me that I looked really cute, so I think I succeeded! 😉 Here’s my “college kid” OOTD:

As usual, here’s the break down of the brands and where I purchased everything in my OOTD:

Cargo jacket: PacSun, LA Hearts
Embellished t-shirt: Express
Sweat pants: Aerie
Oxblood boots: TJMaxx, Airway

The thing that I liked the most about this outfit was the color coordinating that I pulled off. The sleeves on my jacket matched the color of my sweats perfectly. AND the detailing on the elbows of my jacket matched my boots as well. As all of you who have read my previous OOTDs know, I’m a big fan of clothing with a little surprise in all of it. I love the patchwork elbows on my jacket, the laser cut doilie detailing on the boots, the crocheted stripe going down the side of the sweats, and the industrial stud embellishment on the collar of my t-shirt. Clothes with that extra little pop can turn a potentially not so cute outfit (like my college kid look yesterday!) into a stylish comfy cozy look instead. All together my outfit probably cost me $100 or so. If you like the Aerie sweats I have on, you can go to http://www.aerie.com and purchase a pair of your own, as they are brand new! They have a bunch of different colors as well, including heather grey, navy, teal, tan, and wine. I liked my charcoal grey pair so much that I got it in the wine color too! AND I got them for buy one get one half off – you guys know how much I love a good bargain!

So there you have it – my mother approved and Sarah approved college kid OOTD. I turned comfort into cuteness and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. So pleased that I don’t even hate myself too much for wearing sweats to school! 😉

What’s your favorite lounge wear piece to dress up and wear in public? What are your go to tips on dressing up an article of clothing that you wear for comfort? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! And don’t forget to check back in with me for my review of the new episode of American Horror Story: Freakshow tonight! Happy Hump Day! -Sarah

Nov3

I Love Mondays – Seriously!

Posted on November 3, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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I never EVER thought I’d say this….but I love Mondays. I do, I do. Monday is the day I get all of my assignments in for my online classes at Tri-C and it just so happens that my schedule at Next usually allows for me to be off on Mondays, since I work all weekend. So for me, Monday turns into a day of sleeping in until whenever I want, lounging in sweats, wearing no makeup, and working on college assignments in bed. It’s the BEST. All of the assignments I get on Monday morning usually aren’t due until Sunday night, but because I’m off all day I try to get as much done as possible. I did a buttload of reading today, I’m talking over 100 pages in a textbook buttload. It sucked. But my diligence in completing the chapters and taking notes then going back through and highlighting them paid off. I got a 100 on my quiz for the week! My first perfect score of my college career! I was so freaking proud. I may be attending school in an unconventional way but I’m still just as much of a student as the kids attending school on campus. Getting that score proved this to me, and for the first time I really do feel like a college student. After about six hours of nonstop reading and note taking, I called it quits. Now I only have an essay to complete which isn’t due until the 16th – which is awesome considering I have NO clue what to write about. We have to write an essay explaining a concept to the reader. I’ve been racking my brains all day for a good concept to write about and I’m drawing a blank. Everything that there is to write about is just so broad and I’m having a really hard time narrowing stuff down to just one general idea. If any of you guys have any topics that you think might work for a college composition class, please let me know!

Today was full of educating and beautifying myself. After I wrapped up all of my school work, it was time for some pampering. My eyebrows were in desperate need of a good pluckin’ and thankfully my sister is the queen of the tweezers. That girl can shape up eyebrows like nobody’s business. After my brows were shaped to perfection, it was time to dye my hair. I like to dye my hair every month to keep my red nice and vibrant. As I’ve mentioned before, I use the Runway Red coloring in Vidal Sassoon’s London Luxe collection.

This stuff is seriously MAGIC. It’s a must for any redhead that’s looking for bright, bold, “look at me” hair. I’m not lying or exaggerating when I say that my hair turns out identical to the color example on the box. This is also the color that I paid a lot of money to get month after month in a salon. You can’t beat five dollars a month for a box of color and salon quality results! Today I also began using Biore’s Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser.

I must say that this stuff is FABULOUS. A sample of this cleanser was available in a magazine I was reading, so I ripped it out and gave it a try. I kid you not, that after one use almost all of my blackheads were eliminated. I knew that I had to have this cleanser in my arsenal of skin care products, so the next day I went to Target and purchased it. I have four piercings on my nose, two on each nostril and that’s where I tend to get a lot of blackheads. After I used the cleanser tonight, I took a look in the mirror and all of the blemishes around my piercings were gone. The charcoal in this product attracts all the dirt and grime like a magnet and leaves your skin invigorated with a rush of an icy chill. I can’t recommend this cleanser enough.

I forgot to mention the comfy cozy feeling I’ve had all day in my new sweats from Aerie.

I’ve been snuggled up in these bad boys all day while working and pampering. I’ve been in desperate need of new sweat pants, as I haven’t bought a new pair in over two years since I don’t really feel the need. Especially when my sister’s vast collection of Victoria’s Secret yoga pants is right down the hall! But finally I purchased these sweats in the heather grey and in tan when I made my way to the mall a few nights ago. Both colors of the sweats were marked down 60% off, so I got both of them for about twenty-four dollars! You can’t beat that! If you go on http://www.aerie.com you can find these sweats and a bunch of other cute fall sale items for a crazy good deal! You may have noticed that I have a new book I’ve started reading in my sweat pant picture. I started Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson last night which was a big mistake because I couldn’t put it down! I’m about forty pages in, so I’m not far enough to give you guys a good synopsis of what’s going on, but expect an article by the time I’m half way through it!

So there you have it, my Monday Funday! Make sure you guys check in for my review of Dancing With The Stars tonight since it’s Middle Aged Monday. And if you have a good topic to write about for a concept essay, leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a good night! -Sarah

Oct31

ATTENTION ALL READERS! HELP!!!

Posted on October 31, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Alright guys, I met the coolest dude at work at Next tonight, and I NEED you guys to give him some love. Dominic Mashorda is the NINETEEN YEAR OLD owner of his own business. A sneaker store in Youngstown, Ohio that is so very originally called Sneakerville. 😉 Best believe I have to represent everyone doing it big in my home state. Dominic came into my store tonight looking to buy some gear to resell in his business. This young man was such a pleasure to talk and hang out with – and a lot of talking and hanging out was done considering he was in Next for over two hours. I’m not going to disclose how much money was spent in the time he was there, but sweet Dominic left with bags full of rad new merch for Sneakerville. His story is seriously one of the most insane tales of motivation and dedication I’ve ever heard, so please read up on him. This awesome article I found basically explains it all:

http://businessjournaldaily.com/company-news/18-year-old-entrepreneur-opens-sneakerville-store-2014-1-20

If you could also make sure to give him the love and likes on Facebook and Twitter it would be greatly appreciated.

Here’s Sneakerville’s Twitter page: https://twitter.com/SNKRVL

And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SNKRVL

Credit is deserved when credit is due, and every ounce of success this kid earns is so well deserved. Dominic was so sweet and humble the entire time he was in the store. There were two young teenage boys who were checking out the new pair of Lebron’s that launched today while Dom was paroosing the store. Dominic had already set aside a size to purchase for Sneakerville, which happened to be the size one of the boys needed. Without a moments hesitation he offered the kicks to the young man and made his day. After he was done with his shopping, Dominic offered to take myself and my coworker out to Chipotle after we closed up for the night – but unfortunately, Chipotle had the same idea because they were closed too! 😦 It was such a kind gesture though!

I have a deep admiration and respect for young men and women out in the world who are making it happen, so it only felt right to give my new friend and young entrepreneur a shout out on here. And let me just repeat…Dominic is NINETEEN. He’s out there making things happen that people twice his age are doing. If that’s not impressive, than I really don’t know what is. I’m older than Dom by a year, but his experience made him seem years above me. Meeting this young man made me want to get my ass in gear and start working even harder for the things I want in life: My college degree, a faithful band of followers on http://www.lifewithlilred.com, and to continue to pursue theater acting work on the side. Seeing this young man reach his dreams at such a young age was the inspiration I needed to keep putting in work for everything I aspire to accomplish. If you have time, give Dominic Mashorda a Google or Yahoo search. Familiarize yourself with his work and the face of a kid who’s going to take the business world by storm.

What makes a great business man or woman to you? What is your definition of success? What’s a dream that you’re working to make a reality? I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment and let’s chat. Have a fantastic Thursday night! -Sarah

Annnnd as always, here’s my shameless promotion of Next and all of the cool shoes, clothes, and accessories that we have to offer!

http://ruleofnext.com/ (Sales pitch: Now is a great time to check out all of our sneakers for our fall sale!!!)

http://instagram.com/ruleofnext (Give us a follow on Instagram!!)

HA! ^^^ Story of my life 😉

OH! PS: In case you were wondering – the featured image on this post is indeed part of the layout of Sneakerville! Cool huh?

Oct26

Lil Red Recommends! Part 3

Posted on October 26, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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Recommendations one through ten from yours truly ❤ :

1) Read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. If you read my article about this book, you’ll already know how much I love it. I just finished rereading this novel by Rachel Joyce today and it still made me cry just as much as when I read it the first time. I’m really looking forward to reading Rachel Joyce’s other book, Perfect. So be on the look out for my thoughts on that once I start reading it!

2) Go on a hike by yourself. Seriously this may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself. If you read my article An Ohio Hike, you’ll know that I had an absolutely lovely solo hiking experience this past week. I felt so at peace when I was walking through the forest with just me, myself, and I. Hearing the sounds of nature and being alone with my own thoughts was so calming. Walking through the beautiful Ohio Metroparks is definitely something I’d like to continue doing.

3) Write a letter to yourself. I know, I know, so corny right? Contrary to popular belief – it’s not. One of my first college assignments this past week was to write a letter to my future self. My professor promised all of her students that she wouldn’t be reading our letters, just simply mailing them back to us when she felt the time was right. Our only guideline for the assignment was to be kind to ourselves. With that in mind, I wrote a letter straight from the heart to my future self. I wrote all of the positive affirmations I tell myself and then some and it felt so good. Seeing the words I speak to myself in my head on paper made phrases like “you’re beautiful inside and out” very real to me. If that makes sense? If you’d like to read exactly what I wrote to myself, you can check out my article Letter to Myself. Once you complete your letter, tuck it away somewhere special and whenever you need reassurance or positivity, it will be there for you.

4) Listen to Mika!!!! This lovely gentleman is one of my biggest guilty pleasures. I was playing him on my way home from work yesterday night and had a blast. I completely forgot how much I enjoy his gorgeous vocals and insane falsetto. This is a true story, I discovered Mika years ago when they used his track We Are Golden in a Degrassi commercial on TeenNick. I loved the song so much that I had to hear more. Screaming “we are not what you think we are, we are golden, we are golden” in my car with the windows down last night was exactly what I needed after a day at work! Mika’s talent is so pure and impressive and I can’t get enough of it.

5) Check out the bands Fallen Captive and Below The Tide: Two of the fantastic gentlemen who work at Odd Fellows Tattoos in Akron (where I got my latest tattoo done) are also members of some pretty cool heavy metal bands. Travis Lamont who did my gorgeous Isis piece this weekend plays a mean guitar for Below The Tide while Mitch Pivarski of Fallen Captive lays down some insane vocals. Help support Akron Ohio’s local music scene by showing these guys some love! These gents are two of the best guys you’ll ever meet, and I’m so glad to have the pleasure of knowing them!

6) While you’re at it, give Odd Fellows Tattoos a like: I had the pleasure of getting my latest ink addition done here, and the experience was nothing but positive. You can read all about it in my latest article Body Mods! Part 2. This shop is inhabited by fantastic tattoo artists, piercers, and the all around coolest guys ever. Please show the Akron body art scene some love by giving their Facebook page a like. Make sure you browse through all of the photos of the amazing work that gets done there on the daily. And in case you haven’t seen my newest tattoo yet, here’s a pic of the goddess Isis, done by Travis Lamont, as well as their Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Odd-Fellows-Tattoo/667458826660986

7) Pamper yourself: A few nights ago I took the most amazing bubble bath ever. I lit some fall scented candles in the bathroom, played the gorgeous Amy Winehouse on my iPod, and filled up the tub with some floral scented suds. This sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but sometimes we forget to give ourselves a little treat. I didn’t realize how tense I was from the days work until I sunk into the steaming water. Amy Winehouse is one of the best artists to play while taking a bubble bath – she makes everything so much more luxurious! Enya is also a highly recommended bath time artist as well! After I got out of the tub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy new towel to dry off. As an extra treat I lathered on some Satsuma body butter from The Body Shop. My skin was soft as a baby’s bottom after that! BTW, I believe all of The Body Shop’s bath and body care is half off right now on their website, so take a look if you’re interested! http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/

8) Listen to Say Hi (formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom): I absolute adore Mr. Eric Elbogen of Say Hi. I’ve been a fan of this one man band for quite some time now, but have been listening to him very frequently as of late. I can’t get enough of the quirky lyrics of this Seattle native. From the haunting lullaby like tune of “I Think I’ll be a Good Ghost” to making a morbid lyric like “I’m gonna drink your blood” in “Blah Blah Blah” sound romantic – this guy can do no wrong. I stumbled upon this artist when he was still Say Hi To Your Mom. I was strolling through the CD section of Best Buy with my brother, when I pointed out the funny name of Eric Elbogen’s act and we shared a laugh. Once I got home, I was curious about what the music of Say Hi To Your Mom sounded like, so I looked it up, and the rest is history.

9) Do a Halloween activity: This Friday night my sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to The Haunted Schoolhouse and Laboratory in Akron. We had a blast! We only went through the Laboratory because we didn’t feel like paying for both houses. Both haunted houses boast four floors of fright. There were a lot of really cool rooms in the Laboratory, like an operating room, a room inspired by the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dentists office. The timing of the actors in the haunted house was so perfect. They would pop out right when we were more than half way through a room with the thought that we wouldn’t get a scare. It was like they were reading our minds, because as soon as we thought we were smooth sailing, out would come a masked man yielding a chainsaw! It was so fun holding on to each other and laughing every time one of the actors got us! I would love to go to the Haunted Schoolhouse before the Halloween season is over! I would also like to hear about popular haunted houses in your neck of the woods, so please leave me a comment about them!

http://www.hauntedlab.net/

10) Take a shopping trip: Today my mom and I went to TJMaxx to browse their fall and winter clothing. If you guys follow all of my OOTD’s, then you already know how much I love TJ’s! Unfortunately, there was nothing too impressive on our trip today, but it was still so fun to go with my mom and point out our likes and dislikes. It’s always a hit or miss when we make a TJ’s trip, so hopefully next time we go there will be tons of cute and new stuff! I can’t recommend going to one of your favorite stores for a little pick me up enough. In the words of Donna and Tom from Parks and Recreation: TREAT YOSELF!

So there you have it, my Lil Red Recommends for the week! What’s your favorite Halloween activity to do? I’d really like to get in some more Halloween fun before the week is up! Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions! Have a great night! -Sarah

Oct21

OOTD – First Day of School!

Posted on October 21, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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I had my first official in school college class today at Tri-C, so I wanted to make sure I had a sharp and smart outfit! I went for a bit of a preppy look today and I was really happy with it. I felt so confident when I strutted my stuff into the classroom this morning! Take a look:

As usual, here’s the breakdown of the brand of each article of clothing and where it was purchased at:

Aztec sweater: Miami, Francesca Collection
Coated black jeans: H&M, I bought these jeans about two weeks ago, so if you like them they definitely should still be available for purchasing in store or online. http://www.hm.com/us/
Navy pea coat: Rock Steady, ModCloth
Tan knee high boots: I.N.C., Macy’s

Like I said, I felt awesome in this outfit – especially because each piece in this OOTD are some of my favorite things that I own. This look was a little more pricey than my usual outfits because I purchased each thing as an investment to have for years to come. I consider everything I wore today very classic and timeless so they were definitely worth the extra moolah spent on them. All together this OOTD probably cost me about $230. That price made me bite my lip a bit, but the amount I wear these pieces together or separate has made the investment so worth it. I’ve also owned these articles for about one and a half to two years each, minus the jeans from H&M. My favorite thing about this outfit is the sweet detailing on all of the pieces. I’m obsessed with the heart elbow patches on my pea coat, the quilted knees of my jeans, the braided decal going up the boot, and you can’t really tell in this picture but there’s silver tinsel-like material crocheted into the sweater. All of these little surprises through out the outfit definitely gives it a little extra oomph. I felt like a college student in this look, therefore I achieved the look that I was going for today! It was a successful OOTD and most importantly – a great first day of school!

What is everyone rockin today? What’s your favorite investment piece you’ve bought? What are pieces you plan on investing in for the future? Leave me a comment and let’s chat! -Sarah

Oct13

OOTD – Making Monday Less Mundane!

Posted on October 13, 2014 by lifewithlilred

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I have a bad case of the Monday blues today. It’s a dreary, overcast day in Akron, Ohio, so I figured I’d brighten the grey streets with a somewhat loud outfit.

As usual, here’s the breakdown of everything in my OOTD:

Tank top: PacSun, Kid Dangerous
Body con skirt: TJMaxx, Just Ginger
Faux fur vest: TJMaxx, Me Jane
Wedges: Kohl’s, Vera Wang

Yesterday when I was on a quick TJ’s run, I found my new faux fur vest. I tried it on just for fun, and naturally ended up falling in love with it. As many of you know, I love a good bargain – so when I saw that the vest was only $19.99, I knew it had to be mine! I can’t wait to pair it with sharp black skinnies and wear it belted with a dress. I need your help by the way: Do any of you lovelies know a good brand of spray paint to use on clothing? I would really like to spray paint “FAKE” on the back of the vest, so when I’m strutting down the street the world will know I’m not an animal murderer fur wearer. Please leave me a comment if you have any suggestions!! My LA Don’t ❤ U tank is one of my favorite things I ever got from PacSun. I think it’s so sassy and cute. I love it so much that I bought a back up one in case something happens to my original! I’ve had my body con skirt for ages, I got it from TJ’s about three years ago and I wear it pretty frequently. It’s the perfect amount of sexy and sleek so I don’t feel trashy or over exposed when I wear it. My Vera Wang wedges were a must to complete this outfit. They’re my all time favorite! All together this outfit probably cost me less than $70 which I think is fantastic. Every article of clothing I have on today I got for a really good deal. I believe my Vera’s only cost me $20 – you can’t beat that!!

What is everyone rockin today? What are you doing to hype yourself up to shake off the Monday blues? And once again if you have any spray paint suggestions, please leave me a comment! Have a great day! -Sarah

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