May18

A Short Story

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A Short Story

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope you all are having a wonderful week so far. As you guys know, I have had an insanely difficult time finding shorts for the summer. It seems like every pair of shorts that I’ve encountered during multiple shopping trips is high waisted and that’s one trend that I just won’t stand for. All I wanted was a few simple pairs of normal rise shorts. After too many shopping excursions to count that ended only in disappointment, I began to think that my simple request would never be fulfilled.

However, a weekend trip to TJMaxx gave my Short Story a happy ending because I left with two pairs of shorts and a beautiful Nine West purse, which you can read about in yesterday’s post. Take a look at the cute new shorties that I added to my wardrobe:

What & Wear?

  • Olive Bermuda Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters, $12.99
  • Black Shorts: Hollister, $12.99
  • Grand Total: Approximately $26
  • In Store Value: Approximately $70-80

I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting to find shorts during my last TJs trip. Past outings there were unsuccessful during my hunt for the perfect shorts so I didn’t think that my weekend excursion would be any different. But boy, was I wrong! TJMaxx had an abundance of shorts from too many brands to recall, Hollister and AEO included. I scrounged the racks of clothing and went to the fitting room with five pairs of shorts in hand. However, my heart was already dead set on wanting the pairs that I purchased desperately.

I tried on three pairs prior to my favorites and rejected them for reasons in regards to the fit and colors. I have to say, by the time I got to trying on my top two pairs, I was very nervous. I didn’t want them to end up in the reject pile and I didn’t want my high hopes for these pairs to be crushed because they were soaring sky high. I slipped on the Hollister shorts first and right away I knew that they would work perfectly. They were low rise, which I liked and they fit well without being too short or revealing. And, of course, I loved that they were black and the zippers were a nice touch!

I was pleased to have found just one pair and after a little celebration, my nerves began to skyrocket again because I really freakin liked the AEO pair. What made me antsy was that they were hung on a hanger that said size three. When I grabbed the pair from the rack, I didn’t think much of it but then I began to think “Well, shit. What if they don’t fit?” Just in the nick of time, though, I remembered that AEO has even sizes instead of odd and that the bermudas were, indeed, a size four.

Once the mystery of the size was solved, I pulled the pair on in record timing because I knew that they would fit well since I wear a four in AEO jeans. I love saying this…I was right! The shorts fit like a glove and they were like nothing that I’ve had before. I loved that they were a skinny fit which was so flattering and the color was out of this world. It was funny, because I was telling my mom on the car ride to the store that if I can’t find any shorts, I would have to resort to going to the mall and going to AE. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with this idea, though, because I really wasn’t trying to drop forty to fifty dollars on one pair of shorts.

I was so incredibly happy with my findings during this past weekend’s TJs trip because I ended up getting two pairs of shorts and a Nine West purse for under sixty dollars. The shorts were about twenty-six dollars in total which was less than what I would have spent on one pair at the mall. I now have three pairs of shorts to wear this summer and on my upcoming vacation so I can breathe easy for a while about not having any to wear. I wouldn’t mind one more pair but I’m just thankful I was able to find TWO pairs in one evening that were perfect for me. Thanks, TJMaxx!! ❤

So there you have it, A Short Story on my newest editions to my wardrobe! What is one piece of clothing that you hate shopping for? Has anyone had as much trouble as I have for finding shorts that work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May17

It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition

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It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! First of all, I want to wish a very happy birthday to my older brother, Andrew! I love you! Second of all, I want to talk to all of you about the most gorgeous purse that I added to my collection this weekend. My mom and I had a gift card from TJMaxx (shocker) so we decided to pop into the store and take a look around. I ended up with two pairs of shorts which you can see on Wednesday’s post “A Short Story” and a beautiful Nine West tote bag. Take a look:

9w

^^^ IT’S SO PRETTY!!!!

I admit that I am not an animal print fan in the slightest. I don’t do leopard, nor cheetah, zebra, or any other print that you can think of. However, I freaking LOVE snakeskin…Fake snakeskin, of course. I think that snakeskin is the most edgy, cool, and rocker chic pattern on the planet. It screams luxury mixed with rebellion and I can’t get enough. So it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you that as soon as I laid eyes on my new beauty that it was love at first sight.

I took a tentative glance at the price tag and was astounded to see that it was only thirty dollars in contrast to the Nine West tag that was still attached and boasting a ninety dollar original price. Once I saw that the bag was reasonably priced, I plucked it from its hanger and slung it over my arm. Usually I don’t like carrying big bags but this one was different. It was made so narrowly that it didn’t look bulky but rather sleek and slinky. I loved that it fit comfortably between my arm and body and of course, the color palette was pure Lil Red perfection.

Although I was so enamored with the Nine West purse, I had a hard time justifying buying a new one since I had just recently got one from Kohl’s. For the entire shopping trip I debated on if it was worth it to bite the bullet and make the purchase. Despite how much I loved the bag, I decided that it wasn’t something that I absolutely needed. But my beloved mother wasn’t having that.

Because my birthday is right around the corner she offered it as an early birthday gift from her and I just couldn’t say no! It was just so perfect and the fact that the price of it was the exact amount of our gift card made it seem like it was meant to be. I love my new purse so much and I can’t wait to use it for work, school, and my internship. Thank you so much, mom! And happy early birthday to me! 😀

So there you have it, the latest issue of It’s In The Bag – Nine West Edition! Has anyone done some shopping recently? What has been your latest purchase? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May16

Monday Update: Vacation Guest Bloggers Edition

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Monday Update: Vacation Guest Bloggers Edition

Hey everyone and welcome to another week here on lifewithlilred! I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing weekend. As you guys know, I was on the hunt for some fabulous guest bloggers to take my place while I’m away on vacation in June. I would much prefer to have some engaging guest blogs than nothing at all! Thanks to an overflow of emails to yours truly, I selected these wonderful writers to pen a guest post while I’m having some fun in the sun. Check it out:

Guest Blogging Schedule:

I’m so excited to welcome some new and old friends into the world of lifewithlilred and after emailing back and forth with everyone, it promises to be a great lineup while I’m away. Thank you so much to those who reached out to me and let’s give a big hand to my vacation guest bloggers!

Didn’t get selected? Don’t worry! I am always looking for Sunday guest bloggers on my page so don’t be afraid to shoot me an email at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com! 🙂

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Vacation Guest Bloggers Edition! Who’s all going on vaca this summer? What was the best or worst vacation you’ve ever been on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May15

Perfect Summer Drinks

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Perfect Summer Drinks

Hello everyone and welcome to part two of this weekend’s guest posts by my darling friend, Zeighn, at oneselementblog! Yesterday featured some of Zeighn’s favorite healthy summer picnic food recipes and today will showcase some sweet drinks to wash it down with. Zeighn linked me to a Cranberry & Ginger Tea Punch that sounds fabulous and will be teaching us how to make a yummy smoothie and mango based beverage below. Cheers!

Peach & Oat Smoothie:

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe peaches, quartered, pits removed
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 frozen banana (peeled before freezing)
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • Optional: 1 tbsp agave, maple syrup, or Stevia for added sweetness. (Or honey for non-Vegan.)

Instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and let set for 5-10 minutes so the oats and chia seeds can soak. Then blend until smooth.
  2. To thicken, add another quarter or half of a frozen banana. To thin, add more almond milk or OJ.
  3. Taste and adjust flavor as needed. I added a touch of agave.
  4. Serve immediately.

peachy.jpg

Super-Spiced Mango Ice:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped, frozen mangoes (or 1 fresh mango)
  • 1 heaping teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 pinch of chili powder
  • Optional: 1 tbsp honey
  • Ice cube tray (Not that you can eat that!)

Instructions:

  1. Thaw the mango for about 30 seconds in the microwave. It’s easier to chop if it’s still partly frozen. Alternatively, chop up a fresh mango. Chop into small cubes, about 1/4 of an inch, and divide evenly into the ice cube tray.
  2. Zest orange and sprinkle into each cube.
  3. Sprinkle chili powder into each cube.
  4. Optional: Squirt a dollop of honey into each cube.
  5. Fill a small cup with water and pour carefully over the tray to cover the fruit. Place in freezer over night.

mango

Thank you so much again to Zeighn for sharing her favorite recipes with us for a perfect summer picnic! If you want more from my lovely guest blogger, check out her blog at oneselementblog or follow her on Instagram. Happy summer! Much love. -Sarah

May14

Perfect Picnic Food

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Perfect Picnic Food

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Today and Sunday are going to be kind of special here on lifewithlilred because both days will be featuring a guest post from my sweet friend, Zeighn, over at oneselementblog. When Zeighn first contacted me, she mentioned that she’s a total fashionista and lives a healthy lifestyle through Veganism and daily yoga.

Initially, my first thoughts were “Great, because I love to eat” so I asked Zeighn if she could create a post with some of her favorite recipes for summer time snacks and drinks. Today will feature some food perfect for a picnic while tomorrow will show you some mouthwatering beverages to wash it down with. Take a look at the post that Zeighn created special for my readers and please be sure to give her page some love:

Perfect Picnic Food

Pack up these delicious meals and head outdoors for a refreshing outing. Best part? Everything is healthy and Vegan! All recipes will be linked down below. 🙂

Make sure not to forget your picnic blanket! A picnic is not complete without a blanket, basket, and lots of fun!

^^^ Omg. Can you say YUM?! All of Zeighn’s favorite recipes sound amazing! If you want more from my lovely guest blogger this weekend, check out her blog or follow her on Instagram. Thanks again, beautiful!

My birthday party at the end of the month is going to be of a garden party theme so now I need everyone’s opinions. What recipe listed above should I attempt to make for my guests? What recipes do you plan on trying? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May13

All Done!

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All Done!

Hey everyone and TGIF! This week my spring semester at Tri-C finished up and I could not be happier. This semester seemed to drag on like no other, especially considering I only really enjoyed one of the classes I was taking. Despite disliking some of my courses, I still ended the semester with straight A’s for days so that was cool! Now that all of my classes are over and done with, I get a little break until the end of May when my summer classes and internship begin.

This summer I’ll be taking a course on Shakespeare, cultural anthropology, and the psychology of personality on top of my internship on campus. In fact, I just logged on to my student page a few minutes ago and saw that I have an official employee email account now so that made me feel…official. 😉 I’m excited that I’ll get to have some time off before my busy summer but I’m so amped to start my new classes and campus job that I just want it to get here now!

My time off will be well spent, though. During my little vaca, I plan on finishing all of my home interviews for a research project my job with NCI (National Core Indicators) is working on. After ten or so more interviews, I’ll be done until we start up our research again this winter. I also have lots of plans to catch up with some old friends as well as perfecting everything for my birthday party at the end of the month! Then it will be off to North Carolina for some much deserved R&R for the family. Can’t wait!

I’m pleased as punch to be All Done with my spring semester – especially with the good grades to show for it! Where are all of my college kids at? How did you fare this semester? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

Wanted: June Guest Bloggers

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Wanted: June Guest Bloggers

Hey everyone and happy Thursday! As you guys know, I am on the hunt for guest bloggers to help maintain lifewithlilred while I’m away on vacation from June third to the eleventh. I would much rather have guest bloggers showcasing their talent on my page than nothing at all while I’m gone so if you’d like a chance to shine here on lifewithlilred, please get in touch! I’d like to be able to prepare the guest posts for publishing and have them scheduled before I leave so I have nothing blog related to worry about while I’m having some fun in the sun.

I also am looking for two more guest bloggers for the last two Sundays of May. If you are interested in writing a guest post for either month, please shoot me an email at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com. Just note that I am a stickler for grammar and spelling and just because you send me an email doesn’t necessarily mean you are “in”! If you have emailed me before and I haven’t gotten back to you, don’t be afraid to reach out to me again! My inbox has been flooded after publishing previous posts about my need for guest bloggers so there’s a good chance that I might not have seen everything!

Once again, if you are seriously interested, shoot me an email at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com!

❤ THANKS!!!  ❤

May11

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Sorry I’ve been MIA these past couple of days, I’ve been uber busy and have had a little case of writer’s block so you weren’t missing out on much! As all of you guys know, I freakin live for my monthly, travel sized freebies from Bath & Body Works. In the past year or so, I’ve probably gotten close to one hundred dollars in free product thanks to these coupons. I always have so much fun picking out what lotion fragrance that I want for the month but this time around I decided to go for an old favorite, Love & Sunshine. Take a look at the sweet packaging and then let’s discuss:

sunshine.jpg

As part of my sister’s birthday gift last month, I added on a freebie set of my Love & Sunshine lotion and shower gel. It was awesome because it was an additional ten dollar gift that I didn’t spend a dime on but it also kind of sucked because it was my favorite scent that I had on back stock in my bath and body care hoard. The good news? My sister loved the Love & Sunshine scent. The bad news? I was without a Love & Sunshine lotion!

I spent my drive home from my boyfriend’s house yesterday morning debating on what lotion I should go with while running errands in the afternoon. I was at a crossroads between Warm Vanilla Brown Sugar and Love & Sunshine and I was simply beside myself on what to do. And then I remembered the painstaking moment when I plucked the L&S lotion and gel from my hoard last month and placed it in my sister’s gift bag and knew that Love & Sunshine was the way to go.

I can’t get enough of the fruit and floral fragrance that Love & Sunshine has to offer. The sweetness of the daisy scent is counterbalanced by tart lemon and strawberries which creates a scent perfect for summertime! I plan on taking my freebie with me while my family vacations in North Carolina next month as my fun in the sun fragrance. Can’t wait!

So there you have it, my May Bath & Body Works Freebie! What is your favorite scent from B&BW? What is your go to scent for summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May8

Au Natural MOTD

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Au Natural MOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Welcome to a shiny new guest blogging post from one of my favorites, Rehma, from Glamorous Etoiles. Her blog is absolutely fantastic so please be sure to check it out and give her some love! Rehma is the queen of all things beauty and makeup so I asked her to create an easy, fresh-faced look that’s perfect for an on the go summer day. Take a look at the Au Natural MOTD created by one of my dear friends, she did a bang up job!:

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Makeup Used:

  • Foundation: TV Paint Stick by Kryolan (FS45)
  • Concealer: Maybelline Eye Eraser (Nude)
  • Powder: Artistry Mineral Powder (Light)
  • Eye Shadows: Makeup Revolution Palette & Sleek Strom Palette
  • Mascara: Maybelline Sensation & Great Lash (Blackest Black)
  • Highlighting: Makeup Revolution Highlighter Palette
  • Contour: NYX Highlight & Contour Palette
  • Blusher: Makeup Revolution Contour Blush
  •  Lipstick: Gerard Cosmetic (Nude)
  • Liner: Maybelline Gel Eyeliner
  • Makeup Brushes: Morphe & Makeup Addiction
  • Setting Spray: Urban Decay Chill Cooling & Hydrating Spray

What I love about Rehma’s MOTD is how light it looks. I think that barely there makeup for summer time is so chic. This Au Natural look is perfect for a day of running around in the sun but can easily be transformed to a night time look with a bold lip. Rehma knows how to rock a winged liner like no other but for us gals who weren’t blessed with a steady hand, a good compromise could be a dusting of a bronze or gold eyeshadow instead! That’s what I plan on doing because god knows I would never be able to achieve a winged look to Rehma’s standard!

Thank you again so much to the always beautiful, Rehma, from Glamorous Etoiles for making this Au Natural MOTD post possible! You’re fabulous. How do you rock an easy, breezy summer look? What is your summer makeup staple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May5

May TJs Trip

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May TJs Trip

Heyy everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. Okay, I swear this is my last time posting about shopping trips to TJMaxx for a while (until June, anyways!) but this time my mom and I really couldn’t help ourselves! It was a dreary weekend night and we both had errands to run in a shopping area that had a TJs so we figured that we might as well stop in to take a look around. Our “looking around” resulted in a haul of more wonderful products from The Body Shop, a new shirt for me, and a new top and workout apparel for my mom. I’ll post pics of my recent clothing purchases later on in the week but for now, check out the latest goodies that we snagged fresh from TBS:

tbs3

The Haul:

  • Jumbo Pink Grapefruit shower gel
  • Virgin Mojito body butter
  • Jumbo Strawberry body butter
  • Jumbo Olive body butter
  • Jumbo Moringa body butter

We Spent: Less than fifty dollars

In store Value: OVER $120!!!!

Okay, so I know it looks bad but I promise it wasn’t that bad! The Virgin Mojito body butter was for my sister and the Olive butter was for my dad to match the jumbo shower gel that we got him a few weeks ago. There was only one Strawberry butter there which was a must for me because I freaking love that scent. There was also only one left of the Pink Grapefruit gel which my mom just had to get to match the jumbo butter from the last haul.

The Moringa butter was a scent that we were both shocked that we liked as much as we did. When I worked at TBS, Moringa was the “it” fragrance. Young girls, teenagers, and adults alike all flooded in to snag the Moringa butters, gels, and lotions. Because it was all Moringa everything during my time at The Body Shop I naturally couldn’t stand the scent since I was surrounded by it daily. But after I took a smell of the butter after years of not working there, the strangest thing happened…I kind of liked it! My mom loved the scent, too, so into our shopping cart it went.

Thanks to TJMaxx we are now overflowing with products from The Body Shop at home that are seriously going to last us for the year. After I finish the lotion that I’m currently using from Victoria’s Secret, I plan on breaking out my Vineyard Peach body butter from a previous TJs trip which will be perfect to welcome the warm summer weather with! I also can’t wait to use my Cocoa Butter which is another one of my classic TBS favorites! Next time you make a trip to TJs or Marshall’s, do make sure that you check out their bath and body care section because you never know what good stuff you’re going to find!

So there you have it, my May TJs Trip! As always, it’s a wonderful time going out and spending time with my beloved madre and I can’t wait to do it again next month! Where are my religious TJMaxx shoppers at? What is the latest item that you scored from there? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah