Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hey everyone and welcome to a new week here on lifewithlilred! My most recent online shopping stint with Sephora has been nothing short of wonderful and I can’t wait to share all of my new goodies with you. From awesome products to amazing customer service, this haul had it all. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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^^^ Peep that gorgeous Better Than Sex glitter packaging for Too Faced’s 20th birthday!

The Haul:

  • Too Faced Better Than Birthday Sex mascara
  • Too Faced Melted Matte lip paint in Queen B (Free!)
  • Sephora Play! box in Survival Of The Chillest
  • Givenchy Le Rouge Liquide sample (Free!)
  • Belif Hydrating Eye Bomb sample (Free!)

And, before we talk more about my haul, I have to commend Sephora’s customer service. Two of the samples that I ordered were out of stock and was replaced with the Belif eye cream sample. I called the customer service number, because I was unaware of that, and I got to talk to someone immediately. Yasmine solved my problem quickly by offering to add TWO HUNDRED Beauty Insider points to my account. It was such a generous solution to a little issue and I am so thankful for that. Thanks again, Yasmine!

And, finally, the haul. I am so pleased with everything that I received in my latest order. I LOVE the packing on Too Faced’s Better Than Birthday Sex mascara. Nothing screams ultimate girly girl like some baby pink and glitter! So cute! And, it was so nice to receive a free lip paint for purchasing something that I needed to buy, anyways. It made me feel like I got a lot of bang for my buck and I really like that since the BTS mascara is the most expensive thing in my makeup arsenal.

We will be discussing my Play! box tomorrow, but just know that I am freaking obsessed and already want another one! I am also very pleased with the Belif eye cream sample that I got. It has about three uses in one little packet and it felt so nice on the delicate skin around my eyes. I might just have to give it a try if the price is right once I finish my Nutriganics eye cream from The Body Shop.

And, can we please talk about the Givenchy lippie samples?! It came with an application wand and three single use colors. How nice is that?! I’ll be sure to do some swatches of each color, as well as the Too Faced lip paint and the lippie that came in my Play! box, so keep it posted!

I consider this haul to be money well spent. I got a lot of good stuff for about sixty dollars as well as free shipping on my order. I’m looking forward to online shopping with Sephora again once I need a reup on my products and it will be so fun to share them with all of you! 🙂

Which store offers the best freebies and rewards? Have you ever had a really successful customer service experience? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Making Moscow Mules

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Making Moscow Mules

Helloooo! This past week, my brother and sister in law came up to visit from Atlanta, Georgia. During this exciting reunion, Peter, Megan, and I decided to make DRANKS and settled upon Moscow Mules. We used Megan’s recipe and it was delicious so, now, I will share it with all of you! POUR UP.

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  • One shot vodka
  • 1/2 bottle of ginger beer
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • Ice

** And if you don’t have copper mugs, coffee mugs will do just fine! 😀

Moscow Mules are one of my favorite drinks. They are so crisp and refreshing and always seem to go down just right. And, who knew that they would be so easy to make?! These drinks are a wonderful option when entertaining guests or when you feel like day drinking on your day off! It’s up to you to be as classy or, for lack of a better words, trashy with it as you like. I don’t have room to talk, though, because I created this post at 11:30 in the morning on my day off and enjoyed two drinks before lunch! #YOLO 😉

What is your favorite drink? What is one of your tried and true drink recipes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Posh Polishes

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Posh Polishes

Hey everyone and happy weekend! Lil Red is the ultimate girly girl and nothing pleases me more than caring for my tresses, skin, and having gorgeous acrylics on my nails. But, gorgeous acrylics need gorgeous polishes to top them, which is where Londontown comes in to play. Londontown features a wide array of colors, treatments, and goodies to keep your nails looking lovely one fab shade at a time. Including some of the following:

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And, if the colors Chim Cher-ee, Briolette, and Opal look familiar, that’s because they’re on my acrylics as we speak! Experimenting with different nail polishes is always fun, especially if you can’t find the shade you’re looking for in store or at your salon. That’s why it’s such a treat to enjoy some new colors exclusively at Londontown. And, to make the feeling of luxury even sweeter, the website frequently offers wonderful promotions to save you money. And that’s something Lil Red can always get behind! 😀

What is your favorite shade of nail polish? What color is on your nails today? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

3 Reasons Why You Should Take A Photo Every Day

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3 Reasons Why You Should Take A Photo Every Day

You’ve got to give it to people, they are pretty good at coming up with weird and interesting ways of spending their free time. The kinds of hobbies and pastimes which work their way into the public consciousness range from daredevil stunts to things like knitting and stamp collecting, on the extreme opposite end of the scale.

One trend which took off with a few vloggers some years ago, included taking a photo of themselves every day for a number of years, and then compiling the photos together into time-lapse videos. Here’s a slightly different proposition for you. Instead of taking a photo of yourself every day, why not take a photo every day of anything that you find interesting?

What you do with the photos is up to you. You could visit Setapp.com for a list of tips on how to edit photos on your Mac, and then set about turning them into pieces of art, or you could create a conventional photo album. Whatever the case may be, here are some good reasons why you should take a photo every day:

It forces you to look for the interesting in each day:

You know how a typical day goes in your life. You get out of bed, force down your breakfast, go to work, come home, collapse on the sofa, and space out, feeling deeply bored and unimpressed. Then, there’s that one friend of yours who has pretty much the same routine, but who always seems to light up a dark room and to genuinely have fun each day.

Taking a photo each day forces you to move a bit closer to that positive mode of being. Why? Because it inspires you to look for the interesting in each day, in order to take a photo worth having. It could be anything from a cool rock on the ground to a gorgeous sunset, but it makes you keep your eyes peeled all day for the perfect shot.

It gives you a great log of your life:

Journals are a pretty good way of documenting your life and experiences that you can look back on with joy and satisfaction. The thing is, a lot of people don’t really like journaling. It takes time, it can be hard to know what to say, and there’s always the issue of someone else reading it. Taking a photo each day can be a great way of documenting your life, and providing you with mental anchors to events and moments, years down the line.

It can help kick start new art projects and other cool pastimes:

Taking a photo every day can be a wonderful first step in exploring your more artistic side. Once you’ve amassed a good enough number of photos, you can create a display out of them, put them up online, or do any number of interesting things with them. This can, in turn, lead you towards other cool pastimes and hobbies, and can also be a great conversation starter or anecdote to share.

Having a hobby is important. Having a hobby that helps improve your daily life is even better. What can you capture with a photo a day?

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Movie Time!

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Movie Time!

Hello one and all and TGIF! After discovering the magic of the five dollar movie selections while shopping in store at places like Target and Walmart, collecting movies has become a new interest of mine. It’s nice to have all of your favorite flicks readily available to you, no trip to the library or being upset if it isn’t on Netflix required. Throwing in a five dollar movie is a cheap night in and I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t love displaying them on my book shelf!

As a horror movie junkie, I couldn’t say no to snagging these two DVDs for a whopping ten bucks at Walmart. Check it out:

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What makes a movie fall under my “favorite” category is if I can watch it multiple times a year and not grow tired of it. This rule applies to all genres, which gives me an overall pretty eclectic list of my fave flicks. Especially because Don’t Breathe and 31 are considered a favorite to me along with movies like The Heat, Napoleon Dynamite, Harry Potter, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

Despite both of these movies having a fairly classic story line, they are both done well and have enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. But, that’s just my opinion. Don’t Breathe had excellent reviews, while many found 31 to be a disappointment. I couldn’t disagree more. I am a huge fan of Rob Zombie movies and I felt like he had such fun with this one, and you can certainly tell. It’s campy and raunchy in all of the best ways and can we talk about Sheri Moon Zombie’s killer crop top?! Forget about it!

Who else enjoys purchasing movies? How many flicks are in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sephora Shopping Steals

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Sephora Shopping Steals

Hi everyone! I regret saying this, because the last thing I need is another store to obsess over – BUT, I am definitely doing that over Sephora! Seriously, their online deals are FABULOUS. I recently got an email saying that if you spend over twenty-five dollars on Too Faced products, then you could get a free mini lip paint with your purchase. I needed to reup on my Better Than Sex mascara, anyways, so I figured that I might as well get it online.

After spending just five minutes on their website, I decided that I will be doing all of my shopping online from now on. You get three free samples with your order, free shipping if you spend over fifty dollars, and there is almost always a promotion to get a freebie gift with your purchase if you spend over twenty-five dollars. Shopping in store is fun, but you get nowhere near that value when you are in person. And, why not get free stuff if you have the option to?

I’m lucky, because I haven’t fallen too deeply into my Sephora shopping to be spending a small fortune on beauty products. Normally, I just get my sister’s prezzies from there for gift giving occasions and stock up on my BTS mascara. But, that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t get maximum savings when I do so. If I ever feel the urge to explore makeup more closely, I will definitely shop in store and then make the purchase online.

I ordered a Sephora Play bag to get myself over the fifty dollar free shipping mark, so maybe the day will come sooner than later where I feel like experimenting with more of the products at Sephora. And, if that ever happens, it’s nice to know that I will be getting a lot of bang for my buck by shopping with Sephora online!

Which stores offers the best freebies or rewards programs? What are some of your savings tips for when you shop Sephora? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dress Obsessed: BCBG Pt. 2 Edition

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Dress Obsessed: BCBG Pt. 2 Edition

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Welcome to the second part of Dress Obsessed with another lovely number by BCBG. This piece is quite a bit different in color palette than the one from yesterday, but the shape and style remain really similar. In true Sarah fashion, since I liked the overall look of the dress, I had to get it in multiple colors! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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(TJMaxx Price: $40)

What I love about this dress is the incorporation of the color white, because I’ve really been trying to work that color into my wardrobe. There is something so pleasing to me about a crisp, white piece of clothing and, I hate to brag, but it looks great on me, to boot! The white turtleneck looks so sweet underneath the pebble grey jumper and is a stark contrast to my dress from yesterday, although the shape is still the same.

I love how cozy this dress feels, because the turtleneck is nice and thin, but the grey portion is made from a more sweater-like material. This will be perfect with a thick pair of tights and a scarf around the neck to accessorize during a warmer fall day. My new BCBG dress reminds me of an old school cheerleading uniform and I really freaking dig it. The more forgiving material adds some flounce to it, which will be perfect for an on the go day of work or play.

How would you style this dress? How would you style a perfect fall outfit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dress Obsessed: BCBG Edition

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Dress Obsessed: BCBG Edition

Hellooo everyone and a happy Tuesday to all of you! I would never call myself a “label whore” by any means. I’m happy as a clam in any brand, as long as the price is right and it looks cute. But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t more high end brands that I admire from afar. One of them being, BCBG. What I love the most about that brand is that they do sexy clothing in a way that’s still really tasteful and chic. The silhouettes in BCBG’s clothing are always form fitting but it’s done in the way that it should be: it shows your body’s shape without the garment clinging to you for dear life!

I was lucky enough to snag two BCBG dresses from TJMaxx for forty dollars apiece, which is still cheaper than the original price of eighty-eight dollars per dress. Take a look at the little number we’ll be discussing today and swing by tomorrow to look at my other new favorite dress:

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Before we even talk about how gorgeous this dress is, I really need to commend BCBG’s sizing. It can definitely be intimidating when you order things online, because you always have to factor in the “what if it doesn’t fit” element. That’s why, I’m pleased to say that this dress fit me like a glove.

I looked up BCBG’s sizing chart before ordering and went with a size small, which is for sizes four to six. I am a true blue size four and that really is what I got with my new purchase. It fit me beautifully without being overly tight or clingy. It showed my shape without showing it in its entirety through a modest knee length and long sleeves. Like I said earlier, it’s sexy done right.

Now, we can talk about the simply charming nod to 70’s flower power in the long sleeves and the netted black carving a gorgeous shape throughout the fabric. From the color combinations and pattern to the varying degrees of texture, this dress is interesting to look at both on and off the hanger! I feel like I’ve never seen anything that looks like it before, and I’ll definitely be scouring the TJ’s website monthly for more BCBG gems like the dresses from today and tomorrow’s post.

My new BCBG dress really doesn’t need accessorizing, because it’s a fairly busy piece. But, I do plan on pairing it with my pearls and wooden Steve Madden heels for a sexy but still sweet OOTD.

What are some brand names that you admire from afar? How would you style this dress? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Quick & Easy Skin Care Tips

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Quick & Easy Skin Care Tips

Caring for your skin doesn’t need to be complicated. You simply need to adopt the best skincare routine, use the right beauty products, and avoid items that could cause an unwanted reaction that could damage your skin and dent your self-confidence. If you want to enjoy a clear, radiant complexion day after day, find out how to look after your skin easily with these tips:

Wash Your Face in the Morning and Evening:

If you want to have a clean and healthy glow every day, you must wash your face in the morning and once again in the evening. It should be the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning, and one of the last things you do before bed to keep yourself radiant. Once your skin is properly cleansed, then it can more fully accept the products you put on afterwards. As you build your beauty routine, research different options like skin-nomad.com or must try brands that your friends recommend. If you stick to your regime, you will be rewarded with a more radiant complexion.

Choose the Right Cleanser for Your Skin Type:

You also should pick a facial cleanser that is right for your skin type. For example, avoid products that contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid if you have either oily skin or acne. However, if you are living with dry skin, pick up a gentle, fragrance-free face cleanser for optimum results.

Turn Down the Heat in the Bath or Shower:

Hot water can damage your skin because it can strip away its natural oils, which can lead to dryness – so turn down the heat in the bath or shower. Try to only use warm water in a bath, and you would also be wise to limit your bathing time to just twenty minutes.

Try to avoid using fragranced soaps, as well, as they can be harsh on your skin. Once your bath or shower time is over, pat your skin dry instead of rubbing, and leave a little water on your skin so that it can soak up the excess moisture.

Buy Nickel-Free Jewelry to Avoid Irritation:

If you want to avoid an unwanted skin reaction, you should only buy hypoallergenic jewelry. Unfortunately, people living with a nickel allergy can struggle to find the right necklaces, bracelets, and earrings for their skin. Don’t make the mistake of triggering a flare up and turn to Blomdahl USA for fashionable, nickel free jewelry to complement your personal style.

Limit Exfoliation to Only Twice Per Week:

Many people make the mistake of believing that the key to healthy, clean skin is to exfoliate every day. But, this can be a huge problem, as it can seriously dry out your skin. If you want to scrub away dead skin cells to enjoy softer skin, you should limit exfoliation to twice per week.

Give a New Product Time to Work:

Unless a beauty product has resulted in an adverse skin reaction, such as a rash or redness, you should give it time to work. It can take time for you to feel the benefits of a fragrance-free moisturizer or cleanser, so have a little patience before you start seeing the desired results. If you use the product multiple times and experience little or no change, you should then look for a different option for your skin.

Of course, if you are eager for noticeable and immediate results, you aren’t going to get it with products alone. Instead, you might want to explore beauty treatments like those offered at a med spa. These treatments can include chemical peels, Botox, scar removal, and body contouring to name a few. If this sounds like the place for you, simply enter a search for “med spa Franklin, TN” (or your local area). Prior to your consultation, address your problem areas truthfully and what you would like to see improved so your practitioner has the best idea of where to start.

Skin care doesn’t have to be difficult and, with the steps above, you will be well on your way to a beautiful complexion in no time.

New Kasper Topper Coat

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New Kasper Topper Coat

Hi everyone and welcome to another wonderful week here on lifewithlilred! I’ve been bad…real bad…Because I ended up ordering more stuff on TJMaxx! But, in my defense, I want to finish all of my fall clothing shopping before I move into my apartment so SUE ME FOR IT. My purchases included two drop dead gorgeous BCBG dresses, which you will see tomorrow and Wednesday, and this lovely topper coat by Kasper seen below. Let’s discuss:

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  • Suggested Price: $149
  • TJMaxx Price: $40
  • Total Savings: $109

My favorite pieces of clothing are definitely coats and jackets. I love how something that you literally just throw on can transform an outfit in its entirety. From moto jackets and peacoats to blazers and trenches, they each hold a special place in my heart. But, I’ve never owned a topper coat until now. Do I know exactly what it is? NO. Do I love it, anyways? HELL YES!

This little number by Kasper is going to look so freaking posh come fall and winter and I cannot wait to wear it for the first time once the weather cools down. I love the black scales peaking out from underneath the white netting, its length, and the elbow length sleeves. And then pairing it with black, thigh high boots and a large statement bag with your OOTD? Forget about it.

From the work Christmas party to throwing this topper on and running your errands, my new Kasper coat will serve its purpose well once the temps get chilly. Can fall get here now, or?

How would you style this topper? Better yet, what the hell is a topper?! I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah