Tag Archives: 2024

Feb29

February 2024 Finishes

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February 2024 Finishes

Helloooo everyone! We are wrapping up the month of February today on lifewithlilred and that means it’s time to discuss the beauty products that I used up. We have quite a few new to me empties to chat about with hit or miss reviews so why wait? Let’s take a look:

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Would I Use Again?

Rusted Acre Soap Co. Whipped Soap in Sugar Cookie: NO

Hope Soap Body Nectar in Fruity Loops: YES

Home & Body Company Rose Body Oil: NO

Simple Brightening Eye Gel: YES

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

Whipped Soap: I have always been intrigued by the concept of “whipped soap” and this was my first time using it. While Rusted Acre Soap Co. delivered with the Sugar Cookie scent, I wouldn’t use it again. I love a body wash that lathers really well and using the whipped soap just wasn’t the same as my standard shower gel from Bath & Body Works. I also found that I needed to use a lot of the soap to get a decent lather going so the value for this product wasn’t there. It took me under one month to finish the jar.

Hope Soap Lotion: I received the Fruity Loops Body Nectar by Hope Soap from my mother-in-law for Christmas and it was the best. Hope Soap is a local business in my neck of the woods and I have used several of their products before. Although all of them were pretty good, Fruity Loops took the cake for scent alone. It smelled exactly like Fruity Pebbles and it was divine! My niece also loved it and I had to send her home from my house with a little jar of her own. 🙂 It took me about five weeks to finish this jar with nightly use.

Body Oil: I have been working on the Rose body oil by the Home & Body Company since December and I am SO freaking happy to be done with it lol. I bought this oil from TJMaxx thinking that the bottle would last me a long time as a serum. And, it did. However, it definitely wasn’t my favorite. This product was very greasy and it felt like it never absorbed into the skin. It also didn’t sit well under makeup so I would have to use a different serum for the day if I planned on applying any. I did like this oil when my skin felt dry from the winter weather, but it isn’t practical for every day use. It took me two and a half months to finish the bottle.

Simple Eye Gel: Now, if you want to talk about a product with real longevity, the Simple Brightening Eye Gel wins by far. It took me a staggering over half a year of twice daily use to finish this little tube! How? The tiniest amount went a very long way! I was really impressed with this product and after such an extended use, I could see the results. I thought my designer bags decreased significantly and the skin around my eyes did seem brighter. I still can’t believe I got this eye gel for five bucks and it lasted this long. Highly recommend!

Palmer’s Moisturizer: I am a huge cocoa butter fan. I love the moisturize boost but, mainly, I love the smell! I had no idea that Palmer’s made skin care products too so I just had to snag a moisturizer when I saw it at TJMaxx. I’m glad I did because it was awesome! This moisturizer was so rich and creamy, but it still absorbed nice and quick. And, of course, it smelled good enough to eat. It took me about a month of twice daily use to finish the jar and I would definitely buy it again.

Despite some duds, I was stoked to be able to finish up some products that I have been using for forever this past month. I was elated to be done with the body oil lol. GREAT SUCCESS, indeed!

What is your favorite scent? What are your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Feb11

V-Day Our Way

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V-Day Our Way

Hello darlings!! Sending hugs and kisses your way because it’s almost Valentine’s Day! V-Day is one of those holidays that you either love, hate, or are totally indifferent about. I have to admit that I am one of those people who are right down the middle. Honestly, every day with Johnny feels like Valentine’s Day, so when the actual day does roll around we’re both just like “oh” lol. While it can be fun to go all out on the day of love with elaborate gifts and dates, Johnny and I do V-Day Our Way. It looks a little something like this:

Gifts: 

For a majority of the gift giving occasions, I like to surprise Johnny. However, there are times where we both have specific things in mind that we would like and it’s so much easier to just tell each other what it is. For example, Johnny told me that he wants a new denim jacket because his old one has seen better days. He found the one he wanted and I will order it. This worked out perfectly because I had a gift for myself picked out too: A new Keurig! My old one got waterlogged when my kitchen flooded due to a burst pipe in the building and we never replaced it. Now, I need one desperately because of my 3 AM work mornings and Johnny will order me a new one too and a pack of K-cups. I can’t wait!

Dinner:

Johnny and I rarely go out to eat and find that it is so much more luxurious to DoorDash something! To us, there is nothing better than getting food from one of our favorite places and enjoying it from the comfort of our pajamas. Texas Roadhouse is one of our preferred “special occasion” restaurants to order from so we might end up going that route. But, we’ll see what strikes us the day of… We are always one hundred percent content with getting Taco Bell. 😀

Entertainment:

Valentine’s Day is on a weekday and that automatically makes it highly inconvenient for me and my main squeeze. We both have very early starts to our morning and are normally exhausted by the time we get home. There is a one million percent chance that we will return from our shifts and be ready to turn Criminal Minds on! Over the weekend, I am sure we’ll take the night on Friday or Saturday to make it about us. And, by that I mean, we will play Diablo IV and Resident Evil IV together all evening. We love to game together and that is always our go to way to celebrate. It is never not a complete blast!!

V-Day Our Way looks like any other day for Johnny and I and that is fine by us. We tend to go all out for our Birthaversary and I anticipate slightly more than the usual in June! No matter how we spend the day, I’m just happy it’s with my husband. ❤

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? How are you celebrating this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb3

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

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Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Hello!! January was the month of a full fledged bath and body care restock. I came, I saw, I shopped during the Semi-Annual Sale at Bath & Body Works. Because I went absolutely nuts, I was rewarded with lots of coupons that included two free full size products. One in the mail and one because I’m a B&BW rewards member. Just when I thought I was done with Bath & Body Works for a while, I happily returned with another mail coupon for a free travel size product. I don’t think I’ll need to re-up my stockpile any time soon! Here is what I picked out:

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When I get a coupon for a travel size product, I like to try and change things up from my usual scents. My theory is that I won’t be using them for too long so I might as well experiment! For my freebie, I went for a body cream in the scent At The Beach. I am a fruity gal when it comes to fragrances and shy away from more natural or musky scents. However, I needed some sunshine after an eternally grey month and I figured a beachy scent was the next best thing!

At The Beach features notes of “frangipani blossoms, toasted coconut, and bergamot waters”. While I can’t speak for what frangipani blossoms smell like or what they even are and I have no clue what bergamot waters are, I can definitely smell the coconut lol. This lotion smells exactly like sunscreen and I’m kind of there for it. Is it my favorite scent? Not really. Is it good enough? Absolutely – anything free is! I don’t think that I would get anything from this fragrance line again, but I’m glad I tried something new.

Thanks to all of these Bath & Body Works goodies, I will be the best smelling gal this side of the Mississippi. But is it bad that I’m already beyond excited for the summer Semi-Annual Sale?!

How do you feel about beach scents? What is your favorite bath and body care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan29

January 2024 Finishes

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January 2024 Finishes

Helloooo!!! We are FINALLY nearing the end of January and all I have to say is thank gawd lol. This past month has felt like a year and I have been ready for it to be over weeks ago. I am eagerly anticipating the start of spring, warmer weather, and getting back to my walking regimen. The past several weeks in Akron, Ohio have been bitterly cold, rainy, snowy, sleety, icy, and everything in between and it has really been putting a damper on things both literally and metaphorically! Thankfully, the month is almost out and here’s to brighter days ahead! Now, let’s get to these beauty empties. This post will be short and sweet because there wasn’t much in the “all done” department:

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Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Gingham Vibrant Shower Gel: YES

Dead Sea Collection 24K Gold + Collagen Night Cream: NO

Why/Why Not:

B&BW Shower Gel: I am a Bath & Body Works Gingham girl through and through and it is one of my favorite scent collections. I LOVED Gingham Love and flipped shit when they released more scents like Gingham Vibrant, Gorgeous, and Fresh. Gingham Vibrant mixes the classic crisp scent of the original fragrance with tart blackberries and soft notes of vanilla. It definitely lives up to the name Vibrant because it is such a lively and bright scent. Sadly, the Vibrant and Fresh lines got discontinued, but they will live on forever in my heart lol. It took me a month and a half to finish this bottle.

Dead Sea Collection Cream: I have recently started introducing skin care with retinol and collagen into my skin care routine. Unfortunately, I haven’t found one that works for me yet because the last one I used and the Dead Sea Collection cream were massive duds. I’m not saying I want a product with tightening and firming agents to feel like my face is burning off, but I would like to feel something. Just for the confirmation that it’s working. I noticed no differences in the feel or look of my skin and that was disappointing. On the bright side, now I know which brands to steer clear of and am hoping through the process of elimination that I will find the moisturizer for me. It took me about three and a half weeks of twice daily use to finish the jar.

That’s that for the January empties – I told you it would be a short post! Bring on February because I can’t wait to try out all of my new goodies from recent bath and body and skin care hauls! 😀

What is a product you loved that got discontinued? What is your favorite collagen/retinol cream? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jan19

Bath & Body Works January Freebies

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Bath & Body Works January Freebies

Hellooo everyone!!! I live for my freebie coupons that come in the mail for Bath & Body Works and after a while of not receiving any, I finally got one for a free full size product. More than likely because of my hand soap haul and a huge semi annual sale purchase (Which you will see more of later!). I also had another free full size product to cash in from my rewards points so I couldn’t wait to hit up the store and pick out some goodies. I didn’t have the best weekend so I definitely needed a little treat! The best part about this little treat is that it ended up being over thirty dollars worth of product completely free. You can’t beat that! Check it out:

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For my free items, I decided to do one shower gel and one lotion. These were very easy choices to make because there were lots of new scents from Bath & Body Works to try. I went for Calypso Clementine for my shower gel and Butterfly for my lotion. The clementine one is brand new to B&BW and I’m not sure if Butterfly is too, but it is new to me. Within ten minutes, I was in and out of the store with my freebies and I cannot wait to use them because they both smell fabulous!!

As you might have guessed, Calypso Clementine features notes of “juicy clementine, neroli nectar, and coastal woods”. Well, maybe you guessed the juicy clementine part anyways lol. This shower gel smells like summer in a bottle and I am obsessed. I am a huge fan of citrus scents and they are often my go to. I like that citrus fragrances tend to be more pungent than your typical fruit scent, but they are by no means overpowering. The Calypso Clementine is zingy and bright and smells good enough to eat.

I wasn’t sure what Butterfly was going to smell like, but I’m really glad I took a whiff instead of breezing by it for the fear that it might be too flowery for my taste. Butterfly offers notes of “raspberry nectar, iris petals, and airy vanilla”. I absolutely adore sweet/tart raspberry scents so this one was perfect for me! While I love vanilla and am not too fond of anything floral, I couldn’t smell the hints of either and that’s okay. All raspberry everything is what I wanted and that’s what I got!

This was a fantastic freebie haul from Bath & Body Works and I am most eager to use my new shower gel and lotion. Stay tuned for my semi annual sale haul that will go live the day after my Busy Day OOTD Bloopers tomorrow! 🙂

What is your favorite fruit scent? How do you feel about floral fragrances? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan16

Writing Prompts For 2024

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Writing Prompts For 2024

Howdy everyone!! Is it just me or does January feel like an entire year in itself? Lol, it has been rainy and so freaking cold in good old Akron, Ohio and every day has felt like an eternity. I literally just said yesterday that one of my blogging goals was to try lots of new activities and hit up restaurants and stores that are outside of the norm for me. However, I think I will do all of that when I can leave the apartment without getting drenched or frostbite lol. If you are hibernating like me this month, it might be hard to create content so I thought I would share some writing prompts to help the cause. Let’s get to it:

  • What are you most looking forward to in 2024?
  • If you are rocking a “new year, new me” vibe, what is going to be new about you?
  • What is a goal or resolution that you have achieved?
  • What is a goal or resolution that you gave up on?
  • What is something new that you want to try this year?
  • What is something that you are leaving behind in 2023?
  • How would you recap 2023? Did anything amazing happen?
  • Is there anything you really hope to accomplish this year?
  • What does a new year mean to you? Is it inspiring or daunting?
  • Do you plan on making any major changes this year? What are they?

The beginning of a new year is a time for reflection and that can be reflected in your content! This is the perfect time to start planning what you want 2024 to look like for you and figuring out the steps you need to take to make it happen. You might find that these prompts will be able to help with that, which is the whole point! This time of the year can be inspiring or it can be writer’s block central. It’s up to you, so make the most of it. 🙂

If you use any of the above prompts, please tag me in the post or shoot me a comment so I can check it out. I would love to see it! ❤

What helps you when you have writer’s block? Does the weather tend to affect your mood or motivation? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan15

2024 Blogging Goals

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2024 Blogging Goals

Hello!! We are a few weeks into 2024 and so far so good in my neck of the woods! I can’t remember the last time I made a New Years Resolution, but I do see the merit in setting achievable goals for my blog at the start of each new year. So I guess it’s kind of the same thing? Lol, either way, I always find that setting blog goals keeps me even more motivated to continue sending content into the blogosphere. Last year, I wanted to try and create OOTD posts as often as I could and I think I did a really good job of it! This is something that I definitely want to keep up with as well as the following:

More OOTDs:

My goal last year was to shoot OOTD content each weekend and even though I missed quite a few, I still managed to create more fashion content than ever on lifewithlilred. This was really beneficial to the blog for several reasons. 1) First and foremost, it was a lot of fun. 2) OOTD content gave me two set in stone posts per week for the outfit itself and blooper reel. For someone who publishes daily content, this was a godsend. I will be happy if I can keep up with the pace I established last year so my goal is to keep doing more of the same!

Daily Content:

I have been publishing once a day on lifewithlilred for over four years and it is an amazing achievement! With a streak like that, it is incredibly motivating to keep it up and I simply refuse to break it. Most of the time, it is very easy for me to create posts for my blog. Other times, writer’s block strikes and it can be like pulling teeth! I have two goals this year to help assist in my daily content endeavor and those are: 1) Not to be so hard on myself when I’m feeling uninspired because that just makes writer’s block even worse. 2) To try lots of new things like different experiences, restaurants, and activities to not only enjoy myself but to keep content fresh.

Ten Year Blogiversary Extravaganza:

It will be my ten year blogiversary in September and I am beyond thrilled about it! If anyone were to tell me when I started lifewithlilred that I would still be going strong a decade later, I would have thought it impossible. Yet, here we are and I am so very, very proud. To commemorate this huge achievement, I would love to do a super cute celebratory photo shoot as well as do a few giveaways and contests too. This will be the first time I will be doing something like hosting a contest on my page and I can’t think of a better time to start than a ten year blogiversary. 😀

Interact More:

I have acquired quite a few jobs in the social media field this past year and I feel like I have ignored my newsfeed on WordPress completely. I am not particularly proud of this and it is something that I would like to change. My plan of action will be to spend some time throughout the week exploring new blogs rather than endlessly scrolling through my personal Facebook. The beauty of the blogosphere is making new friends and finding content that inspires you and I definitely need more of that in my life!

Are these goals or New Years Resolutions, who’s to say? But, I plan on sticking with them and I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for lifewithlilred!

How is 2024 treating you so far? What are some goals for your blog this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan1

Happy New Year!!

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Happy New Year!!

Helloooo darlings and Happy New Year!!! It’s 2024, baby and this is a most exciting year indeed. Come September, it will be lifewithlilred’s TEN YEAR blogiversary spectacular!! I have never been one for making New Year’s Resolutions and, honestly, is anyone really? I feel like no one makes them anymore and the ones I have made in the past were broken pretty much immediately lol. However, I am bringing nothing but good vibes into 2024 because there is so much to look forward to!

As you all know, I formed a partnership with one of Ohio’s most well known local celebrities, Tim Misny, this past November. In the New Year, we will be taking our content creating to the next level with lots of fun adventures and I couldn’t be more excited. We have grand plans of podcasts, videos, and merch photo shoots and it is such a thrill for all of my hard work to pay off in such a major way. lifewithlilred has been an almost decade long journey and this is, easily, the coolest thing my blog baby has ever done for me. 😀

From taking on new clients in my work as an Independent Provider as well as some social media management gigs, it’s safe to say I like to keep myself busy. This is a wonderful thing and I love all of my many jobs more than words can say. However, after getting pretty sick on what should have been my holiday vacation, I realized how damaging the “grind don’t stop” lifestyle can be. I guess I do have a resolution to be more lenient with myself when I need to take a break as well as recognizing my own limitations. I am only one person and definitely need to treat myself better as my own employer! The grind should stop sometimes and whether that be taking a long weekend or clearing my schedule for a day, I plan on doing that more this year.

Last year was for lack of better words, a shit show. There was SO much going wrong and I feel like I am finally getting a grasp on normal life again. One constant in my life is my blog and I am so thankful for all of you because I think I would go nuts without lifewithlilred! I hope each and every one of you has a New Year full of smiles, success, and joy. Let’s make 2024 our best year yet and thank you for joining me on another trip around the blogosphere. I love you all. ❤

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!