Dec10

Oh, Christmas Tree

Posted on by
Standard
Oh, Christmas Tree

Hiiii! With the holidays right around the corner, I thought that I would share with all of you what my family Christmas tree looks like. Fortunately for me, I get to see it year round, because we never take our tree down. In fact, my family has gotten into the habit of putting other holiday themed decor on it like Easter eggs and Happy Harvest gear for fall. So, don’t be surprised if you see some ornaments that don’t quite belong! Haha, take a look:

oh2oh4oh7ohoh1oh6oh5oh3

As you can see, we have a very large collection of ornaments on the Mushenheim family tree! My dad loves travel themed ornaments and I always try and get him one on every vacation we go on or any trips that I take by myself. Most of my siblings have followed suit on that tradition, so my dad has ornaments from all of our travels. So fun!

Other than the vacation ornaments, many of the ones that are on our tree date back to decor from both sets of my grandparents and from when my siblings and I were little. I think that, despite it being a little quirky, all of us like having the tree up at home, because it’s just one of our “things”. And, it’s nice to feel some holiday cheer no matter what the season is. 🙂

Do you have any travel themed ornaments on your tree? Do you have a favorite ornament in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec9

New (Short!) Glitter & Black Nails

Posted on by
Standard
New (Short!) Glitter & Black Nails

Hiiii everyone! After a disastrous trip to LT Nails last month, I changed salons to Elysian Nails and had a most pampering few hours getting my nails worked on. And *gasp* they’re short! It was due time to give them a cut down and begin the growing out process again so now I have cutesy tiny daggers instead of my normal long claws. Annnnd, my new nail tech, Sam, convinced me to change my color palette up so check out my New (Short!) Glitter & Black Nails:

short

Ahhh! So crazy, right?! Originally, I was just going to do a glitter nail for the accent color and my normal all black everything for the rest. But, Sam (Who is such a doll!) encouraged me to try something new. We both agreed that the glittery white is perfect for an Ohio winter, especially since it was snowing fairly hard out while we were tucked away in the salon. And, for good measure, Sam let me have a black accent nail on a different finger, no less! Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Elysian Nails definitely proved to be worth the hype, because it got amazing reviews on Facebook and every opinion giving platform that I could find. The salon was decorated beautifully, it was spacious, and all of the nail techs were as nice as can be. The prices were good, the service was fabulous, and I can’t wait to go back next month. 🙂

What color of nail polish do you have on right now? How do you deck your nails out for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Dec8

December 2018 Funky Time Jams

Posted on by
Standard
December 2018 Funky Time Jams

Hello! We are already a week into December and Christmas is literally right around the corner. So crazy! We’re blazing through this month, so it’s time to discuss some fiery jams to match. I participate in a vinyl record club at one of my local libraries and it is my turn to pick the album come January. I had great success with The Pale Emperor by Marilyn Manson so it is important to me to keep the streak going. So, this month has been about listening through some of my favorite albums on my iPod to make sure that I make the best decision. So far, I’ve been selecting through albums with some of the following songs:

(And, as always, I have no rights to these songs or videos!)

So many choices!! At first, I was really leaning towards Arcade Fire’s Funeral or Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade. But, then I began playing around with other options and got distracted from my original choices. As of now, I am probably going to go with Decemberunderground by AFI. That album features songs that had radio success for them like Miss Murder and Love Like Winter, so some if it might be familiar to my record club friends, which is always a good thing. Plus, I had the pleasure of seeing AFI in concert for my birthday last year, which will make for good conversation. I think that I have my mind made up, but we all know that that’s subject to change within an hour!

Which album would you play for a vinyl record club? What are some of your absolute favorite albums? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec7

Take Back Control Of Your Health And Life

Posted on by
Standard
Take Back Control Of Your Health And Life

If you have been seriously ill or suffered from mental health issues, the time might have come for you to take back control of your health and of your life. Give in to these conditions and you will live a life of misery and despair. Fight back and you can turn your life into something much better. Give some of the following a try:

Take Little Steps:

You will be doomed to failure if you try to change everything in one go. Look at each symptom you are suffering from and tackle one at a time. Choose to deal with the simplest first, as each time you conquer one it will empower you to move onto the next.
Regardless of whether your illness has been physical or mental, it is very likely that you are suffering from anxiety because of it. This can always be a good place to start, as it will make it harder to cope with everything else.

Mediation and yoga are just two ways to help reduce your anxiety, and as this starts to happen you may well notice that your other symptoms start to improve. Give it a try, you might be surprised at just how much it improves your wellness levels.

control3

Annnd break!

Ask For Help:

You should never be afraid to ask for help. It could be from friends and family, in a sober living community, therapists, or maybe from a personal trainer or life coach. The point is, that there are people ready and willing to help you and you should take advantage of that to assist you on the road to recovery.

Don’t Shut Yourself Away:

Although chatting with friends and family might be the last thing you feel like doing, it can be one of the finest things for you. You may find it tiring, but the benefits are well worth the effort. Socializing can take your mind away from the issues you have, which will always seem worse if you isolate yourself. Just a few minutes of interaction every day can make a big difference in the way you feel, and if some fun and laughter can be involved, that is even better.

control4

Spend some time in the sun, too!

Don’t Beat Yourself Up:

No matter what health condition you are up against, there will be times that you have a bad few hours or a bad day. These are all part of the recovery process and you should not give up or beat yourself up over it. It is perfectly natural for this to happen, and you just have to put it behind you and look forward to the new day tomorrow.

Congratulate Yourself:

Sometimes, you need to stop and look back at how bad you were before you started your journey to recovery. It is easy to forget the things that you have managed to put right because they have gone from your daily life. You should be proud of what you have achieved so far and congratulate yourself on it. Always do this if you start to feel a bit low, as the reminder of what you have managed to pull yourself through can help to lift your mood.

The little tips above can make a big difference, so follow suit and get back to living your best life!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Dec7

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Snakebite

Posted on by
Standard
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Snakebite

Hi everyone and welcome to my final swatch from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette! Today, I saved the best for last because this shade is definitely what I would consider my number one fave. The color that we’re going to be looking at is called Snakebite and, in my opinion, it is the perfect combination of sexy and edgy. And, I want to send an extra special thanks to my sister for so generously donating the Smoky and Naked 2 palettes to the Lil Red Foundation! Now, take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

snakebitesnakebite1snakebite2

^^^ The first heart is the color wet and the second one is when it’s dry.

When you first look at Snakebite, you might think that it’s typical Sarah because of the bronze hues that you immediately see. But, upon further inspection, you can really see more brown undertones with this cool filmy green mixed in, like algae. The bronze is just added in for good measure and that is more apparent when the eyeshadow is wet, as you can see above.

The metallic pop in this color gives it some sex appeal but, the overall look feels much more edgy. Snakebite reminds me a lot of my Furless eyeshadow in Sinister and that is an excellent word for my new hue. The color feels foreboding and wicked but, damn, is it chic! I have already worn Snakebite quite a bit since I’ve acquired it on Thanksgiving and I am so looking forward to wearing it more. Spooky chic is my style and there’s nothing like a new eyeshadow that embodies it to add an extra confidence boost!

What has been your favorite shade from the Urban Decay palettes? Are there any other colors that you would like for me to swatch? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec6

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Verve

Posted on by
Standard
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Verve

Hi everyone and welcome to another eyeshadow swatch here on lifewithlilred! The color that we will be chatting about today is from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and it is a lovely champagne shimmer shade that makes me want to pop some bubbly and be bougie all day long. But, then again, when do I not want to do that?! Take a look at Verve and let’s discuss:

verveverve1verve2

^^^ The first heart is the color wet and the second one is when it’s dry.

While the Urban Decay Smoky palette is all about sultry sex appeal, the Naked 2 palette gets its kicks with sweet touches of glitz. The champagne pop color of Verve is the perfect shade to apply on your eye’s inner corner as well as a little below the bottom lid to brighten up your peepers with every use. It is also a versatile color, too. Because it’s so light and shimmery, Verve can absolutely be used as a highlighter, if need be.

Now, normally, I only wear my eyeshadows wet, because I love a deeper more saturated color. And, when wet, Verve is stunning. But, I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t love the pixie dust feel of the shadow when it’s dry! Use this color to apply over your eye makeup to make it look like Tinkerbell danced across your lids. A perfect little trick for all of the upcoming New Year’s Eve parties!

Do you prefer a more sweet or sultry eye makeup look? What color of eyeshadow do you wear most frequently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec5

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Chopper

Posted on by
Standard
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Chopper

Hi everyone! Today, we are moving on to Urban Decay’s Naked 2 palette and taking a look at some of my favorites. This palette was a hand me down from my sister, Kristen, and I really like it. But, I’m pleased to say that I definitely own the drugstore dupe of it! For ten dollars, the Nude Rose Gold palette by Elf featured a lot of the same shades for a fraction of the cost. So, that’s a little pro tip for you if you love this Naked palette but don’t want to spend the cash on it. In case you forgot what the Naked 2 eyeshadow set looks like, here it is:

naked4

And, the color that I am going to feature today is the charming rose gold shade called Chopper. Check it out:

chopperchopper1chopper2

^^^ The top heart is Chopper wet and the second one is when it’s dry.

I bet you guys thought that I was going to go for the bronze shades in this post, huh? Haha, although I do deeply love my gold and bronze shadows, this past year has been about all rose gold everything in the beauty and fashion world. So, it only seemed fitting to showcase the lovely shade, Chopper, as we talk about the Naked 2 palette.

Rose gold is a fantastic color, because it’s flattering on literally any person no matter their skin tone. It’s a shade that looks universally good whether it be used on makeup, clothing, or accessories and it’s just darn right chic and sweet. I do love this shade from the Naked palette but, it did not apply well when it was dry at all. It was flaky, the color was dusty, and it didn’t do anything for me. But, when it was wet, it applied like BUTTAH so that’s something to remember if you’re interested in these palettes.

Despite some application issues, Chopper is still a beautiful shade and I can definitely see myself wearing it. The fact that it doesn’t stray far from my favorite golden color palette doesn’t hurt, either!

Do you like the Urban Decay Smoky or Naked 2 palette better? What is your favorite color from the Naked 2 palette? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Dec4

Newsflash!

Posted on by
Standard
Newsflash!

Helloooo everyone! We interrupt your scheduled programming of Urban Decay palette swatches with a very important Newsflash. Becauuuuuse GUESS WHAT?! Some very exciting things are happening in Lil Red’s world and I wanted to share it with all of you first. So, let’s get started!

For those of you who don’t know, I used to be very big into theater and acting in plays. Then, when college began as well as the blog, I just kind of fell out of it. I haven’t done a show in about four years but, I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t miss it. In fact, a month or so ago, I was chit chatting at work and talking about how if an acting opportunity came up, that I’d love to do it.

Well, the cosmic gods answered this seemingly meaningless conversation because, about a week ago I got a Facebook message from an old theater friend inviting me to act in one of her shows. The play is called the Parish Chronicles and it was written by her. The role that she offered me was one of the female leads and, coincidentally, I read that part for her about five years ago when we were just having some fun performing other people’s scripts.

I was so flattered and happy and then had an “oh shit” moment when I realized how demanding it would be to do a show. I already couldn’t make the scheduled rehearsal times but, that was solved when they offered special times just for me to be able to make it. And, then, I thought how the two weeks that the play runs would really put a damper on my work life as I work most evenings.

I was so beside myself because, as excited as I was to be offered this part, it would really shake my work schedule up. I asked my friend for a few days to think it over and, after some deliberation, I accepted the part the following day. How often does a leading role just fall into someone’s lap? They are making a rehearsal schedule just for me and I work hard enough that a minimal few work weeks when the show runs won’t be an issue, either.

I felt so good when I started ice skating again and I know that getting back into theater is going to be an amazing thing for me, too. And, you know what the best part is? When I participated in theater and figure skating during my teenage years and early twenties, I was so depressed and miserable that I didn’t even enjoy it. Frankly, I didn’t want to get out of bed unless it was to cut, make myself throw up, or get drunk. So, of course I didn’t fully get to experience the joys of skating and theater no matter how much I wanted to.

Now, since I’m in a better place in my life, I am ready to finally revel in the fun, excitement, and craft of acting as well as continue on with my skating. I feel proud that I’m letting myself get back into my once loved hobbies instead of falling into the trap of not doing it because I haven’t in so long. Being on the ice again was just like riding a bike and I know that acting will be the same way. I feel happy and I can’t wait to dive into this new adventure!

Do you have any exciting news to share? Who else has been bit by the acting bug? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec3

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Whiskey

Posted on by
Standard
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Swatch In Whiskey

Hi! My final favorite from my Smoky Naked palette by Urban Decay is a delicious chocolate brown called Whiskey. A yummy drink and an even more enticing shade, this color lives up to its namesake and is a perfect blender shade or a cool new substitute for plain old black. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

whiskeywhiskey1whiskey2

^^^ The first heart is the color wet and the second is when it’s dry.

I used to shy away from eyeshadow shades in brown back in the day, because I dubbed it as a “boring” color. But, now, I use it fairly frequently when I’m doing my makeup. I love how a rich, chocolate brown looks when paired with a deep purple or a pale pink, which are also colors that I use often. When worn together, these colors create a fresh take on a standard smoky eye and it looks just as come hither as it would when done with traditional colors.

I also like using brown eyeshadows as an eyeliner on my top lid to change things up from time to time. I never wear black eyeliner on top, because it looks too harsh on me but, chocolate brown is a softer alternative that is much more flattering. Whiskey is a great eyeliner shade, too, because it offers that little hint of sparkle but the color is still deep enough to line your lid thoroughly to make your MOTD pop.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow as we move on to the Naked 2 palette!

What eye makeup color do you use as an alternative to black? What is your favorite shade in the Naked Smoky palette? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec2

Find Your Dream Career: Here’s How

Posted on by
Standard
Find Your Dream Career: Here’s How

Are you stuck in a job that you really don’t like, but not taking any steps towards actually finding your dream career? Dream careers are not a myth; many people go to jobs that they really love every day. And, having a job that you love rarely feels like work. If we’re being realistic, though, all jobs will come with some elements that you’re probably not going to like. But, if you like it for the most part, you have job satisfaction, and you are able to enjoy a life outside of work, then you’re winning!

So, here we’re going to talk about how you can find your dream career and stop meandering. You might be thinking ‘I’ll do it next week’ or even ‘next year I’ll start’ – but those days rarely come. You’ll keep putting it off to a later date unless you do something about it now. Let’s take a look at how you can find your dream career today:

Assess Your Skills, Talents, & Interests:

The first thing you need to do is assess your skills, talents, and interests. This will allow you to brainstorm on what sort of roles you think will be best for you. It’s a good idea to know what sort of things you don’t like to do or that you’re not so good at, so you either know what to avoid or what to improve upon. You can also try to think way back to when you were a child; what sort of thing did you love to do then? Were you an avid reader/writer? Did you love to build model airplanes, paint pictures, or make your parents watch an all-singing all-dancing one person show? These can be big clues as to what would suit you now.

Write Out A List Of Jobs That Suit You:

When you know what you’re looking for in your job, you can use the above criteria to guide you in your search. Many experts like to use an Excel spreadsheet to organize job searches. However, feel free to use the format that suits you best. Don’t forget to think outside of the box, either. If you’ve always had a dream of being a nurse, but you want to travel the world so you’re put off going for it, you can look into travel nursing jobs. You don’t have to sacrifice your dreams to land your dream job!

Get An Internship To Gain Some Experience:

You can often pursue your dream job through a college or university while you’re obtaining an education. If you decide to go back and improve your skills so you have more chance of landing your dream job, see if you can get an internship to gain some experience while you’re there. Internships often lead to job offers or, at the least, a more impressive resume, so they are always a good thing.

Join LinkedIn:

LinkedIn can help you to learn a thing or two about the industry you want to be in, as well as make valuable contacts. You never know; you might even find your next job on there. Reach out and make connections because, often times, it’s all about who you know.

Through trial and error, a dream job can certainly be landed on. But, it’s up to you to make the effort to get out there and grab it!

Featured Image By: Unsplash