Category Archives: Fashion

Nov25

Pattern Pop OOTD Bloopers

Posted on November 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Pattern Pop OOTD! I have been looking forward to fall weather since summer started and, unfortunately, Ohio has been treated to sixty degree days for a majority of November. This has been a massive bummer for me because all I want to do is wear my jackets!! I was really stoked to break out my favorite snakeskin pattern trench coat in this look even if it was short lived. Then, my sentiments for cooler temps were heard and it plummeted this past week. In fact, it even snowed! All I have to say is, bring it on! And bring on these yikes shots too:

Out here SERVING looks

Ready for my closeup, obvi

Invoking all of the Miranda Priestly vibes

Why does it look like my bottom lip got a million bee stings?

I’M SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Clapping back at Johnny about something or another

The Blooper and The Beast

When Johnny and I return home from work, we both have our routines. I will work for a bit more on the computer and while I do that, Johnny does the dishes and will play a video game or listen to a podcast until I’m done. Then, we get comfy for TV time. After completing our 31 for 31 horror movie challenge in October, we went back to our old standby of Law & Order: SVU. We watched that for a bit until, out of nowhere, Johnny made a drastic change. No, he didn’t put on Law & Order: Organized Crime. He put on Hey Arnold! lol.

I’m not going to lie, at first I was like “wtf”. I can’t say I have ever felt nostalgic for the shows of my youth, and Hey Arnold! was honestly one of my least favorites. After a few minutes, however, I was in. In an instant, the episode we were watching came back to me in full force and I couldn’t believe I still remembered quotes from it. Jokes that went over our heads when we were little had us in stitches and we have been belly laughing our way through every episode. Would I have chosen to watch Hey Arnold! instead of our regularly scheduled programming? Hell no. But I’m glad Johnny did! 😀

With all the craziness in the world, Johnny chose to put on something lighthearted and fun. I never thought I would say it, but I have been looking forward to coming home and watching cartoons every day!

What was your favorite old school cartoon? What is your go to comfort show? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov22

Pattern Pop OOTD

Posted on November 22, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! We have had an incredibly mild November in good ol’ Akron, Ohio and I’m honestly pretty annoyed by it lol. I just want to wear my cold weather clothes consistently without having a heatstroke, damnit! This past weekend after several warm days, the temperature took a slight drop and I was SO excited to break out one of my favorite statement jackets. It was short lived because we have had sixty plus degree days since, but it was great while it lasted! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Snakeskin Print Trench Coat: Stella Luce, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Platform Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

I’m pretty sure the teardrop earrings are from Target!

As you all know, I am a jacket fanatic. While I do have a lot of heavier options that I love, my main preference is a light trench coat or topper jacket. They are very appealing to me from a lazy perspective because they aren’t thick enough to be too warm so you don’t necessarily have to take them off once you reach your destination. Meaning that you could literally wear the worst outfit ever underneath and no one would know! The snakeskin trench by Stella Luce is perfect for this because its warmth factor is that of a slightly thick cardigan making it ideal for all purpose wear. Even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t want to take it off because it’s such an eye catching statement.

When you have a piece as bold as a full fledged snakeskin print trench coat, the rest of the outfit basically builds itself. Could you imagine pairing this coat with anything other than basic essentials? Me either! It would form a cacophonous outfit rather than a cohesive one. So, I slipped on my go tos for underneath. Black skinnies were a given as well as a black sweater too. The sweater by Shrinking Violet was just what I needed to wear below the trench coat because it is incredibly thin. It works so well for layering purposes and I highly recommend finding simple staples to come in with the assist when you are styling a look featuring a statement item.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As the trench coat hits below my mid calf, a shoe with a pattern was simply not an option. Once again, we want cohesiveness not cacophony! I chose my platform boots by Olivia Miller to keep the color palette intact and offer a pop outside of the snakeskin pattern with the huge silver chains. With no open real estate for bracelets or necklaces, I put on one of my favorite teardrop pairs of jet black dangly gemstones. They allowed for further elongation of the neck, which was important to play up since minimal skin was shown in this look. With that, I was ready to take on the day!

Since I haven’t been able to dip into my coat collection as much as I would like, I was in love with this Pattern Pop OOTD. There is nothing better than wearing one of your all time favorite things!

What is your favorite pattern? What is your favorite style of jacket? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov12

Hoosige Elf Costume Review

Posted on November 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hi everyone!! I am SO excited to start creating content for the holiday season with Tim Misny. We have a ton of fun planned to show off our Misny Merch holiday collection, decor tours, and featuring all things merry and bright. For the festivities, I purchased an elf costume by Hoosige on Amazon and wanted to write a review because I just tried it on. This costume came with six different pieces and was under forty dollars, which will make it a hot seller for holiday celebrations. However, there are definitely some things you should be aware of before clicking on the order button:

^^^ Image by Hoosige

When I am ordering clothing or costumes, I always always check the customer reviews in terms of sizing. Nine times out of ten, these sentiments have steered me in the right direction for a perfect fit. This time – not so much. If you read the Amazon reviews for this costume, almost every person recommended sizing up. So I did. Rather than ordering a small, I went for a medium and I wish I didn’t because the costume was ginormous. Not only was it oversized in width, but it is nowhere near as short as the image will lead you to believe. The dress went to the middle of my calves. With no time to exchange my order, I had to make things work so I gathered the excess in the back and secured it with a hair clip. The moral of the story: Order your regular size and, for once, do not listen to the reviews!

It is also worth mentioning that the socks looked more like sleeves for a shirt and did not fit close to the body at all. I opted to swap mine out for a pair of white, ruffly ankle socks. The shoes also leave a lot to be desired and felt like sanitary coverings. They are not made for outdoor use so if you plan to wear them, put them on after you enter into your destination. I will not be using them and will wear a red pair of heels instead – I need any extra length I can get! I will say that the hat and ears are insanely cute and both stayed nice and secure once on. In fact, they are the only parts of the costume that I don’t have a problem with lol.

Even though I am swimming in this costume, I will be damned if I’m not working it and after some tweaking it did look a lot better. If you plan on ordering one for yourself, just know that it might not be exactly what you had in mind after viewing the product pictures!

Do you have a costume you wear during the holidays? What is your favorite holiday movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov10

Lil Red Jacket OOTD Bloopers

Posted on November 10, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Lil Red Jacket OOTD! I don’t know about all of you, but I have been So. Freaking. Tired. I feel overworked and over stressed and by the time last weekend rolled around, I was over it. Other than a lovely dinner out with our favorite downstairs neighbor on Friday, Johnny and I did a whole lot of nothing. The only thing in my books was taking pictures on Saturday and I was able to rouse Johnny from the coach to accomplish my goal. Like the blog husband he is, he went outside in his pajamas to make it happen! #blessed I was definitely looking as yikes as I felt in these shots:

Best blurry pals!!!

Yoohoo from the parking lot of Timber Top!

TFYM when you’re going to have a mental breakdown

Lmaooo what is this?! YIKES.

Looking like a total derp…

And ROCKING it, obvi

Clearly ready for Johnny to give me my phone back!

Being self employed has so many perks and, to me, there is nothing better than being able to do my own thing every day. The downside? When I don’t do my own thing every day, I don’t get paid. I am the absolute WORST at taking time off for myself. Legit the only times I do are when I am sick or during family emergencies so it’s never particularly a fun day off lol. As a major positive, I adore my jobs and am happy to give my all each time I punch the clock. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say that I can’t freaking wait for holiday breaks, though!

After an exhausting handful of weeks, I pulled up the calendar on my phone and decided to give myself something to look forward to… plotting my Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks (and dinner plates, let’s be real!). Normally, I don’t take lengthy breaks during the holiday season. This year, I am treating myself baby!! I have mapped out my vacations to give myself the time and permission to do whatever I want. Whether that be lounging for two days straight, hang outs with friends, and staying up and sleeping in late. Just the promise alone of a work free agenda has been intoxicating and it really perked me up. 🙂

I am in the holiday home stretch. In a handful of weeks it will be sweet freedom and I am motivated to cross the finish line to the best of my ability and enjoy a much deserved rest!

Is it hard for you to take time off of work? Do you have plans for your holiday breaks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov8

Lil Red Jacket OOTD

Posted on November 8, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! When I shoot outfits over the weekend, I might not necessarily be wearing them in public. Sometimes, I’ll get back in my pajamas immediately afterwards and that was definitely the case with this look lol. Johnny and I had a crazy busy week between work and life craziness and desperately needed some time to veg. That didn’t stop me from putting a little something something together and Johnny absolutely shot these pics in his pajamas! Take a look:

Who? What? Wear?

Houndstooth Topper Jacket: Philosophy, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Coated Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Gold Necklace: Mia Fiore, TJMaxx

Gold Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

One of my favorite things to shop for has got to be jackets. From blazers and trench coats to toppers and moto jackets, there are so many styles to pick from and they can instantly transform any outfit. I always look forward to the fall so I can break out the coats in my expansive collection and decided to start in that department when I began building my outfit. The very first one that caught my eye was the red houndstooth topper jacket by Philosophy. Of course, I love the color but it was also a perfect pairing for the temperate weather as it was nice and light.

Because the Philosophy topper jacket is so bold, I wanted to keep the rest of the look simple. Remember that if you are styling around a statement piece, less is always more. With that approach, I added a plain black sweater to wear underneath to avoid clashing with the red because I didn’t want two loud colors on top of the other. It was also an obvious choice because it is one of the only sweaters I own that doesn’t feature a pattern. Finally, the sweater was just right for layering because it was thin like the jacket. Had the sweater been bulkier, it wouldn’t have laid anywhere near as well beneath the topper.

For jeans, I added some texture and visual interest with a coated pair of Seven skinnies. The sleek coating created such a cool pop against the cloth pieces on top without deterring from the rest of the outfit. Even if you are rocking a simple ensemble or a minimal color palette, you can always spice things up by adding some sheen, shimmer, and glitter as you build your outfit. These skinnies are one of my go tos come fall because they give that little something extra while letting whatever jacket I have on shine.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As I had a blank canvas on my sweater, a long necklace was in order. I chose one of my favorite chunky coin necklaces by Mia Fiore and loved how it filled the space with some bright, blingy gold. In the shoe department, I selected my white heeled combat boots by Forever 21 for a surprise addition to the color palette. I also liked how the boots have a matte finish so a shiny pair of shoes wasn’t competing against the sleekness of the coated jeans. With that, I was ready to take pictures and go back to bed lol!

My Lil Red Jacket OOTD was short lived, yes. But, I do plan on actually wearing it out this fall! This was just a trial run. 😉

What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? Do you prefer cold or hot weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov3

Candy Queen COTD Bloopers

Posted on November 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Candy Queen COTD! I am so sad that Halloween is officially over, but now we’re onto my next passion: Thanksgiving. Lol, I have been fantasizing about Thanksgiving food since last Thanksgiving and every day that passes is another day closer to all of my favorite foods!! And, to all of you who hate on green bean casserole – you can send it my way!! I do have one final Halloween surprise in store tomorrow that I am absolutely tickled by. But, first, let’s check out the bloopers from my COTD shoot:

Who, me?

The fairest of them all

REALLY not used to the whole having hair thing…

As you can see!

Do I look like a model or what?!

The gaze of a total seductress

Trick or Treat!!!!

I recently got my hair done (Peep that soon!) and finally returned to the darker hues that I love so very much – specifically Nightfall by Pulp Riot. Nightfall is the most stunning shade of deep navy blue and I missed it immediately as soon as I went light for summer. I had kind of forgotten how obsessed with the color I was until I got it back on my hair… and elsewhere for that matter. It appears I had forgotten how much Nightfall stains too!!

For the past several days, it has been unseasonably warm in Ohio. Like almost eighty degree temperatures at the end of October. Although it was kind of unpleasant, Johnny and I were happy because we have had no heat in our apartment and the spike in temps really helped warm it up. So much so that I have been sweating my nads off in my sleep, causing my hair dye to bleed. I have woken up every morning to blue all over my face, lodged into my ears, and a particularly shocking instance of my right hand being completely blue! It is a massive pain to get off and even after a ton of scrubbing, the traces of blue remain. It was the most wonderful treat to get my hair done, but the aftermath has certainly felt like a Halloween trick!

I’m not feeling blue, by any means, but if you see me looking a little blue… Mind your business! 😀

How did you celebrate Halloween? What are you looking forward to in November? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

Couples Costume OOTD Bloopers

Posted on November 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!!! Johnny and I absolutely rocked our Halloween costumes this year and he was the perfect Lord Licorice to my Candy Queen. We had so much fun dressing up together and, for once, I didn’t have to beg him to take pictures with me. That was the best treat of all! So, today, we are going to take a peek at a Blooper Reel that doesn’t just feature myself but my main squeeze too. And big ups to Johnny for being the best Blog Husband ever! Let’s get to it:

Johnny’s derpy lil face ❤

MY derpy lil face!

An accurate depiction of our relationship. He LOVE it!

Lmaoo Johnny always makes that face when he’s feeling mischievous

He’s getting a little tuckered out…

Lol WE LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Striking a pose

Your favorite elder emos!!!!

When I call Johnny my Blog Husband, I mean it in the most affectionate way possible because he truly is. We have been together for over five years and if he were the one typing this he would say it feels like an eternity lol. Regardless, we have been together for more than half a decade and in that time, Johnny has always taken my OOTD pictures without fail. In fact, when we got engaged he used my blog as a ploy…

The day we got engaged, Johnny suggested that we go explore downtown Cuyahoga Falls and we could take pictures of each other and us together with a tripod. I was beyond ecstatic by his idea because I had always wanted to style and photograph him. After our outfits were on point, we went on our adventure and I didn’t even have an inkling about a hidden agenda because we were having an amazing time. I was literally reveling in the experience because I normally have to ask him to help me create content – not the other way around!

After we were done shooting in different locations, Johnny said there was one last place we should take pictures at. He led me to an arch right by the Cuyahoga River and set up our tripod to take a video so we didn’t have to bother with the timer. Then, he told me it would look really nice if I faced the opposite direction. I STILL didn’t have a clue what was going on because of the elation I felt lol Johnny rarely directs me when we take pictures! Once I was turned around, he let me think we were both actively posing. But, really, he was getting down on one knee. You could only imagine my surprise when he told me to turn towards him. It was one of the best, most joyous moments of my life – all thanks to my Blog Husband extraordinaire! ❤

My Johnny is the most wonderful man in the world and I get ALL of the warm fuzzies whenever I think about our engagement. OR just thinking about him in general, which is constantly! ❤

Does your partner help you with your hobbies? What was your engagement like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct31

Candy Queen COTD Pt. 2

Posted on October 31, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! It’s safe to say that I am literally obsessed with mine and Johnny’s Candyland Halloween costumes. I just can’t get over how good they turned out and the efforts we both made to make the best costumes paid off big time. The entire time we were dressed up, I really did feel like we were Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen because we looked the part so perfectly. In fact, I had several little trick or treaters say “thank you, candy princess” to me and it melted my heart! I couldn’t resist sharing another set of photos from my costume so let’s take a peek:

All of you already know the story behind my Halloween costume, so let’s talk about some of mine and Johnny’s favorites from our evening of passing out candy. Unfortunately this year, we didn’t have as great of a turnout as the year before. Last year, we ran out of candy within an hour or so of the start of Trick or Treat! Although we didn’t see a ton of costumes, there were a few that really took the cake…

Inflatable T-Rex: Inflatable costumes are so hilarious to me and we had a pair of T-Rexes that we got to witness waddling up and down my parents’ steep driveway. It was a complete hoot and we were in stitches as we watched them make their way to the next house in the neighborhood.

Crime Fighters: There were three little boys dressed up as policemen and their costumes were fine, but the interaction was top tier. As I handed out their candy, I told them that I didn’t do it and one of the kiddos deadpanned answered back “yes, you did”. His comedic timing was on point!

Rick Astley: The best costume of the night was, hands down, a kid dressed up as Rick Astley. As he approached me, I could have sworn I heard music. Then, he got closer and I realized I was right. He had a Bluetooth speaker playing “Never Gonna Give You Up” and was Rick Rolling the entire neighborhood. Johnny and I loved it so much that we gave him the rest of the candy we had and called it a night!

A wonderful Trick or Treat was had by all and it brought me and Johnny an incredible amount of joy. Happy Halloween!

What was the best costume you saw for Trick or Treat? How are you celebrating Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

Candy Queen COTD

Posted on October 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD… or should I say COTD on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to take a closer look at my Candy Queen Halloween costume. When I had the idea several months ago for a Candyland themed couples costume, we immediately fell in love with it. Johnny would, indeed, make a stellar Lord Licorice as you saw in yesterday’s post. My Candy Queen costume was one that was pieced together as there were no costume options for Queen Frostine or Princess Lolly. This hodgepodge costume stressed me out more than it should have, but it was well worth the headache – I felt like a star!

Who? What? Wear?

Candy Hearts Dress: Secret Wishes, Amazon

Candy Button Platforms: An online order by the brand B.A.I.T.

Giant Lollipop and Lollipop Earrings and Headband: Amazon

Wig, Pink Tutu, Thigh Eyes, False Eyelashes: Spirit Halloween

After a lot of struggle, I finally ordered the Candy Hearts Dress and said a prayer to the fashion gods that it would work. This costume was my complete and total last resort. You could imagine the flood of relief I had when it arrived in the mail and I found that it was both cute and it fit! The only problem was that the skirt was insanely short, but I knew that ahead of time as per online reviews. My plan was to pair it with a tutu underneath to keep everything from hanging out lol. As soon as the dress was on was when I started getting excited because I essentially built the rest of the costume in that moment.

While shopping for the dress itself wasn’t ideal, you know your girl had an easy time in the shoe department! This was a cake walk in comparison and I ordered the pair of Candy Button Platforms by B.A.I.T. after five minutes of browsing. There were SO many incredible candy themed shoes, but they were SO incredibly expensive. The platforms I chose were under fifty dollars, can definitely be worn outside of Halloween, and featured an iconic candy print. I was sold and can’t wait to wear them next summer! The colors in the shoes also perfectly matched some of those in the dress, which was a nice touch. 🙂

Finally, it was time to accessorize! The accessories are really what turned the pieces I had into a true costume. I knew that candy themed jewelry was a MUST and I also wanted a gigantic lollypop to hold to drive the point home. I ended up with a set that contained the candy headband and earrings, and everything was aces after I superglued some of the lollipops back on the band. I also got the slightly dented pink lollypop, but what can you do lol. Similarly to the shoes, the jewelry and props went from relatively cheap to very pricey and I went with Option A.

Spirit Halloween is where I purchased the remainder of the accessories which included the wig, tutu, thigh highs, and rainbow false eyelashes. The tutu was just what I needed for underneath the dress and I adored the tiered effect that it gave. The dress should have been made like that all along! And can we PLEASE talk about the wig?! You guys have no idea how weird it felt to actually have long, flowing locks. This wig was everything and I couldn’t imagine anything different for my costume. I was so lucky it was the last one available! I didn’t think this costume could get any sweeter until I put the thigh high socks on. And, of course, the final candy surprise was the rainbow lashes for the ultimate pop of color!

My Candy Queen COTD was everything I wanted and so much more. Stay tuned for some bonus pictures tomorrow because I love this look that much. See you then!

What is your favorite Halloween candy? What is the best Halloween costume you saw this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct29

Candyland Costume Reveal

Posted on October 29, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I got dressed up in our Halloween’s best to pass out Trick or Treat candy in my parents’ neighborhood. Our couples costume this year was Candyland inspired with Johnny as Lord Licorice and myself as his Candy Queen. My costume was an absolute pain in my keister to put together after several trials and tribulations, but it was SO worth it. I am absolutely in love with the end result! Check it out:

After two failed attempts for a Halloween costume, I had to go with a last resort option for my Candy Queen dress. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it until the look started to come together with the right shoes and accessories. Once I had everything I needed, I was feeling much better but still had that annoying thought that it wasn’t one of the two costumes that I really wanted. Then, I put on the costume in its entirety on Saturday and ate my words – my Candy Queen costume turned out perfectly and I was so glad that what I originally had in mind didn’t work out. If this COTD (Costume Of The Day) doesn’t scream “Candy Queen”, then I truly don’t know what does!

While I spent what felt like an eternity shopping for a costume that was just right, Johnny had no problem with his. Our running joke is that he literally just makes a costume with clothes he already owns and that was very much the case this year. He used his own pants, top, shoes, hat, and the jacket was compliments of my costume from last year. His only purchases were the wig, cape, and supplies from Menard’s to craft his own cane. My handy guy! Johnny looked amazing as Lord Licorice and he turned our old duds into a costume that fit our Candyland aesthetic to the T.

We had SO much fun creating our costumes and I am absolutely obsessed with how they turned out. That evening, we truly were Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen and all I can say is look out for next year. We plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl!! (And, yes, chances are Johnny will be wearing a variation of his Lord Licorice costume lol!)

How did you celebrate Halloween? What did you dress up as? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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