Apr25

Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition

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Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new week here on lifewithlilred! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend. If there’s one thing that Lil Red loves, its cooking and baking. I could spend all day in the kitchen whipping up new meals and treats and have the time of my life. Recently, my mom acquired a new recipe from Today’s Kitchen in Wooster, Ohio to make Raspberry White Chocolate Scones and they are just as amazing as they sound. These scones are one of my favorite things to make and I just had to share the recipe with all of you since I made a fresh batch this weekend. They were delicious, if I do say so myself, so take a look at my finished product and then stick around for the recipe:

scones

Raspberry White Chocolate Scones:

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream, half and half, or milk
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I use 1 tsp)
  • 1/4 cup raspberries (I use 22 raspberries on the dot)
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

The Glaze:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla powder (I use 1 tsp)
  • 3 tbsp cream or milk

Directions:

  1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2.  Whisk sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in butter until it is in small pieces. With a spatula stir in 3/4 cup cream, extract, berries, and white chocolate chips. Add more flour if dough is too wet. (Dough should form a relatively smooth, firm ball.)
  3.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead gently. (I usually have a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour handy because the dough will still be pretty wet.) Press or roll out into a 6 to 8 inch circle and cut into eight wedges. Place the wedges, not touching, on baking sheet. Bake scones for 20 minutes or until golden and slightly firm when pressed. (I bake mine for 12 minutes because my oven sucks.)
  4.  Cool on a wire rack and then coat with glaze.

These scones are simply to die for and I hope all of you enjoy them as much as my family and I do! Thank you so much again to Today’s Kitchen in Wooster, Ohio for the divine recipe!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Really Good Scones Edition! What is your favorite thing to cook or bake? Has anyone had any kitchen disasters lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr24

Black Leather Jacket OOTD

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Black Leather Jacket OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a very special post here on lifewithlilred thanks to the fabulous Tara from venuslaughing. When Tara initially approached me for the possibility of guest blogging I was a little ambivalent because I still was unsure of how I wanted to go about doing guest posts on my page. However, after looking over her AMAZING blog, I just couldn’t say no. Tara is so creative, talented, and just lovely as can be and I am so incredibly lucky to have her on my page. I asked Tara if she could create some OOTDs involving a Black Leather Jacket (or pleather which is what I prefer!) and her post and photos blew me away. So without further ado, here is Tara’s guest post created special for my lifewithlilred readers. Enjoy:

Hello! Today I am thrilled to get to share with you one of my favorite wardrobe essentials that can be worn any season: the black leather jacket. I have been drooling over leather jackets for the past two years. Finally, my budget has allowed for this fantasy to become a reality! After a couple hours of careful perusing, I found an Etsy shop in California called The Industry that had a style I loved: vintage 1980s, black, short length, with patina and fringe! I’m so happy this treasure now lives in my closet.
Leather jackets communicate being secure in your own skin, marching to the beat of your own drum, and being in tune with your wildish nature. Also, wearing animal skin is a reminder of our primal connection to the earth itself, which modern society tends to be so out of synch with! And of course, buying vintage/used leather is smart for eco-sustainable and ethical reasons.

A leather jacket can pair with so many things! Here are a few of my favorite looks:
 
A Pop Of Color:
The inspiration for this look came from a beautiful bag my mom surprised me with one day, purchased at a local fair trade store called Just Creations. I had this idea to do my hair up in a kind of Bridget Bardot-esque look. The leopard booties (ASOS) might be too much, but they’re fun! Cut your mesh tights into socks and roll your skinny jeans over them for this look!

Romantic:

The inspiration for the romantic look was this floral summer dress, AKA the “Nashville dress”. It reminds me of a trip my sister and I took to Nashville once to try busking on the street (we made a whopping nine dollars!). Also, a beautiful book called Paris Street Style by Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset, given to me for Christmas by my sister. It has a selection on leather jackets and dresses!
 
 Tips & Pics:
  • Mix it with something frilly, lacey, floral, romantic, or soft.
  • Pair it with white.
  • Bring a pop of color to it with earrings or shoes.
  • Put your hair in an updo to soften the look (Pro Tip: Use hair powder!).
  • Wear a bright colored lipstick.
  • And remember, above all else, have fun! The best fashion breaks rules. Do what feels good!

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Thank you so much to the beautiful Tara for such a wonderful guest post! Once again, please be sure to check out her page at venuslaughing! What is your favorite look that Tara created? How would you style a Black Leather Jacket OOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr23

Guest Bloggers Update

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Guest Bloggers Update

Hey everyone and happy weekend! I wanted to thank everyone who shot me an email after this week’s Monday Update to inquire about being a potential guest blogger here on lifewithlilred. I have four fabulous bloggers selected for the month of May and am very excited! I want May to be filled with posts about sweet summertime so every Sunday will feature beauty, fashion, or lifestyle tips from across the globe! I can’t wait to ring in the summer season with some new and old blogging friends so be prepared for tons of fun posts!

If you didn’t get picked for the month of May, fear not! I will be away on vacation June third through the tenth so I will need a lot of guest bloggers while I’m away. So if you are interested, please keep those emails coming to sarah.mush6794@gmail.com and I will be sure to get back to you at some point during the month to discuss blogging for me while I’m on vaca!

No email? No problem! You can also get in touch with me on my personal Facebook page or my page for lifewithlilred. Just please make sure you give me a like, follow, or a click on my Twistfire ads while you’re there! 😉 Have a great weekend and I look forward to hearing from all of you soon! Much love. -Sarah

Apr22

iPoll Website Review

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iPoll Website Review

Hey everyone and TGIF! One of my ways to make an extra buck is participating on online survey websites. They’re a great way to earn money, gift cards, and various other rewards and deals. I recently just received a twenty-five dollar Amazon gift card from completing surveys on iPoll. Despite one major issue that I had with the website, I’m overall semi pleased with it, so let’s discuss:

The nice thing about iPoll is that they give you five dollars automatically just for signing up for the website. I love when survey sites do that because it gives you a great head start to getting bigger rewards. I also really appreciated the amount of money that completing each survey was worth. Some sites that I’ve used in the past were only paying pocket change for surveys. Not iPoll. Almost every survey on their site was a dollar or more so that made getting to the twenty-five dollar cash out goal a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, the quickness of completing the surveys did not translate at all to the receiving of monies. After you completed a survey, you then had to wait for what you submitted to pend. This could take one to over six weeks which just didn’t fly with me. The biggest pain in the ass was when I was one pending survey away from reaching the twenty-five dollar goal and it took the final survey EIGHT WEEKS to go through. At that point, it was easy to make the assumption that the website was just trying to hold on to the cash for as long as they possibly could before rewarding their participants. Not cool.

It took me sending an email to customer service for the final pending survey to go through but the waiting game was only just beginning. After I chose the Amazon gift card as my reward, I had to wait an additional six weeks to receive it. Frankly, I wasn’t thrilled with that, either. I finally got the email containing my e-gift card last week and now that I have it, I don’t plan on doing any more business with iPoll. I think that it’s a great site if you’re willing to wait around for months to receive your rewards but I’m just not that patient. It’s too bad, too, because up until those issues, iPoll was easily one of the better survey sites that I’ve used. Oh, well!

So there you have it, my iPoll Website Review! Who participates in taking online surveys? Which ones do you like the best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr21

It’s In The Bag – Lost & Found Edition Update

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It’s In The Bag – Lost & Found Edition Update

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! About a month ago my boyfriend brought me a makeup bag that was sitting in the lost and found of his restaurant. I wrote about it in my post, It’s In The Bag – Lost & Found Edition, and all of you seemed interested in what I did with the products next. In case you forgot, here’s a pic of the contents of a complete stranger’s makeup bag:

vip2

So what did I do? Nothing, really. Like all of the comments suggested, I ditched the lip glosses which kind of hurt because I’ve heard so many good things about Hikari. I also sanitized the stick makeup with rubbing alcohol and cut off the used portion which was something that I discussed in the comments, as well. I also threw away the nail file because 1) I don’t use them and 2) even if I did, I don’t think that I would be okay with using it considering all of the nail particles on it! (Is that even a thing?)

I kept the mirror, the creams, and the sanitizer but I just haven’t gotten around to using the products yet. As you might have gathered from my reviews before, I’m one of those people who has to finish what I’m already using before I start a new anything. Honestly, it’s going to take a while because you guys have no idea how many beauty items I have on back stock!

I look forward to trying all the different creams as soon as I finish the Jergens hand cream that I keep in my purse. I also love having the cute little mirror in my bag! Quite a few of the lipsticks will be going to my sister because if you can’t tell after close to two years of my blog being up – I only wear red lipstick! And the shades that the lost and found bag contained would look much better on her, anyways.

As soon as I can add a new product into my beauty routine once I finish something, I will try to make it an item from the makeup bag. But until then, rest assured that most of the contents of my stranger friend’s left behind beauty products did not go to waste! Thank you to whomever forgot to take their makeup bag home with them, wherever you may be!  ❤

So there you have it, an Update on my post, It’s In The Bag – Lost & Found Edition! What do you keep in your makeup bag? How would you feel if you left all of your go to beauty products behind somewhere? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr20

TJMaxx Trip

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TJMaxx Trip

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Over the weekend my mom and I had our monthly TJMaxx Trip and returned home with a huge bath and body care haul. Let’s be honest, when you’re out shopping, sometimes it’s much easier to just browse through the things that you don’t have to try on. My mom and I were both feeling ambivalent about clothes shopping so when we stumbled upon the shelf of marked down bath and body care goods, we just couldn’t tear ourselves away. Take a look at some of our new goodies:

tjs1

The Haul:

  • Pure & Basic Creme Brulee scented lotion: $6
  • The Body Shop Honeymania shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Argon Oil shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Olive shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit jumbo body butter: $10
  • The Body Shop Smoky Poppy body butter: $4.50

In Store Value:

  • Approximately $130!!!!

For less than fifty dollars at TJs, my mom and I scored a major haul full of goodies from The Body Shop. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the bath and body care goods from TBS. However, I would never ever pay thirty dollars for a jumbo sized body butter. Or twenty bucks for their mega shower gel. It all just seems so ridiculous to me. I do use their skin care products, which I am willing to shell out the cash for. But to pay so much for lotions and body wash seems like pure insanity. Having said that, I have absolutely no problem buying them super marked down at TJs…Obviously.

The great thing about this TJs haul is that it gave me the opportunity to try new TBS scents. The only product that we got that I’ve used before was the Pink Grapefruit butter so I’m looking forward to giving the Smoky Poppy, Honeymania, and Argon Oil a go. The Olive scent is a good fragrance for men so we got that shower gel to spoil my dad and brother a little! I also can’t wait to try out the super delicious smelling Creme Brulee lotion from Pure & Basic. It seriously smells like a rich vanilla and caramel cake so I’m kind of obsessed!

When you’re in a slump and don’t feel like clothes shopping you literally can’t go wrong with browsing the shoes, bath and body care, and home goods sections of TJMaxx. My mom and I walked away with new towels, makeup, shower gels, lotions, and a new pot and bird feeder for our garden. Our April TJMaxx Trip was an obvious success and I can’t wait to do it again in May!

So there you have it, my latest TJMaxx Trip! What is the best item that you’ve scored at a discount store? What was one of your favorite finds at TJMaxx? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr19

Follow/Like Me! (Please?!)

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Follow/Like Me! (Please?!)

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! This is your friendly reminder post to show your favorite redhead some Facebook lovin! I have reached the 5,000 friend mark on the ol’ FB but that doesn’t mean you can’t give your girl a follow! A follow is pretty much like being friends with me without really being friends with me. You’ll still get to see all of my status updates and pictures on your newsfeed without having me on your friends list. I personally think that this is still a win/win for everyone!

You can reach out to me on my personal Facebook page and a like on my page for lifewithlilred wouldn’t hurt either! And as always, please help me get paid by clicking the ads from Twistfire Media on my personal Facebook! I have lots of fun articles, quizzes, and facts posted so check them out, have a laugh, and help me put some moolah in my bank! Once again, it’s a win/win! If you are interested in posting for Twistfire on your Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest please feel free to email me at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com!

❤ THANKS!!! ❤

Apr18

Monday Update: Guest Bloggers, I STILL Want You Edition

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Monday Update: Guest Bloggers, I STILL Want You Edition

Hi everyone and welcome to another week here on lifewithlilred! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! As the title of this post may suggest, I’m still on the hunt for guest bloggers. I have the month of April covered with a wonderful post that’s in the works as we speak so now I have my sights set on May. Ideally, I’d like to have a guest post on the last two Sundays of the month but I’m not opposed to having more!

What I want is a team, so to speak, of reliable and talented bloggers that I can turn to for these next few months because they’re going to be insanely busy. I would much rather have posts from my blogging friends than no posts at all when I don’t have time to write them! I’m looking for everything from beauty and fashion gurus to fitness and health tips and everything in between. If this interests you then PLEASE email me at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com. If you comment on here but don’t send an email, I’m not going to hunt you down! (I sound like a teacher there. -_-)

Guest Bloggers near and far, I STILL Want You so don’t be afraid to get in touch if you are interested! How was everyone’s weekend? Did anyone attend a concert or see a movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr17

Glamour Girl MOTD

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Glamour Girl MOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a very special guest blogging post here on lifewithlilred thanks to my friend, Rehma, over at glamorousetoiles. I adore Rehma’s blog so much and I’m sure that you guys will, too, so please check it out and give her page some love! While Rehma and I discussed what her post should be about, I suggested creating an MOTD and she happily agreed. I’m so glad, too, because Rehma is a makeup queen. And me? Not so much. So check out her Glamour Girl MOTD that she created special for my readers on lifewithlilred and then let’s discuss:

^^^ Beautiful!

Makeup Used:

  • Foundation: TV Paint Stick by Kryolan (FS45)
  • Concealer: NYX Orange Color Corrector & Maybelline Eye Eraser (Nude)
  • Powder: Artistry Mineral Powder (Light)
  • Eye Shadows: Makeup Revolution’s Flawless Palette
  • Waterline: Rimmel London Kohl Kajal (Nude 005)
  • Mascara: Maybelline Sensation and Great Lash (Blackest Black)
  • Highlighting: Colourpop Supershock Cheek and NYX Highlight & Contour Palette
  • Contour: NYX Highlight & Contour Palette
  • Blusher: Sleek Antique
  • Lipstick: Medora in Dark Coco
  • Liner: Makeup Revolution’s black liner
  • Makeup Brushes: Morphe & Makeup Addiction
  • Setting Spray: Urban Decay Chill Cooling & Hydrating Spray

What I love the most about Rehma’s MOTD is her deep berry lip! Nothing screams glamour to me more than a dark lip paired with a dramatic eye. Seriously, this look belongs on the red carpet of a movie premiere! I also like that, for the most part, Rehma created this look with products that you could buy from your local drugstore. I’m particularly obsessed with the fact that she used my personal favorite brand, NYX, to help create her MOTD. You look so gorgeous, Rehma! You go, girl.

I want to thank Rehma again so much for doing such an amazing job on this guest post. It was such a huge help and it turned out fabulous! Once again, please check out her blog at glamorousetoiles and give her page a follow and some love! What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand? What is your favorite makeup brand to splurge on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr16

Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

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Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

Helloo everyone and happy weekend! I recently started using a new cleanser by Nourish Organic that I snagged from my skin care hoard and I have been nothing but disappointed with it. The worst part? That once I start a product, I completely refuse to not finish it. So now, I’m stuck with using one of the worst cleansers of all time until there’s none left. #FML. I desperately need a vent session about this cleanser so take a look at the packaging and then let’s discuss:

organic

Okay, first things first is the smell. The packaging claims that it’s fragrance free but it seriously smells like rotten sunflower seeds. That in itself completely turned me off from the cleanser because waking up and having to scrub that on your face is seriously hell. I’m okay with a fragrance free product if it truly is fragrance free or close to it but the marketing for the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser is a blatant lie. Not cool.

On top of the faulty marketing that Nourish Organic used, the packaging for it kind of sucks, too. The cleanser is so thin in texture that as soon as you pop the lid, the face wash starts pouring out. The first time I used the cleanser, I ended up with a substantial amount on my shower floor because I wasn’t prepared for the flood gates to burst free as soon as I opened it. Once again, not cool.

And finally, the fact that this cleanser doesn’t lather in the slightest is a major issue. Because the texture of the face wash is so runny, it feels like you’re just rubbing slime on your face. The result? That your face feels tight, dehydrated, and not even clean. Every time I finish using my cleanser, I’m always so thankful that I use an exfoliator afterwards to pick up the slack. I would almost be okay with the horrid smell and the shitty packaging if the product actually made my skin feel good but if anything, it just leaves it feeling worse.

So how do I rate this product, you may ask? I’m so glad you did! I give the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser: negative one million billion stars and I would not recommend it to anyone. All I can hope for now is that I finish this cleanser quickly so I can use something different because anything is an upgrade from this!

So there you have it, my Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review! Has anyone used a product lately that they’re completely disappointed in? What face wash are you currently using? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah