Tag Archives: all black everything

Jan23

Halloween Pop Up Tree

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Halloween Pop Up Tree

Hello! This past holiday season, my client’s mom offered my family her pop up Christmas tree to use since we didn’t put one up. She also learned that Johnny and I didn’t have a tree, either, but if we ever got one then, of course, it had to be black. As a bonus Christmas gift, I was surprised once again by her generosity because Johnny and I got the Christmas or should I say Halloween tree of our dreams! Check it out:

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^^^ Lol, please don’t mind our corral of bunny supplies in the background!

When I originally brought the borrowed pop up tree to my family home, I had no idea what it entailed because I had never heard of it before! It is, however, exactly what you would think it would be and is so very cool. A pop up tree is basically a base, poles, and a “tree” to place over them. The Christmas pop up tree that we used was five feet tall and came pre-decorated with ornaments, ribbons, and lights. Similarly, our Halloween tree came pre-lit and adorned with glittery pumpkins. 😀

It took me less than two minutes to assemble the tree and I couldn’t believe its perfection. Everything about it is just right for me and Johnny. The narrow size is also ideal for our apartment setting and we will be able to put it anywhere without taking up too much space. Every year for Christmas, Johnny’s mom gifts us with a couple of ornaments apiece and they have all been sitting on our knick knack shelves. Now, we finally have a tree of our own to decorate and I can’t wait to dress it up with our fairly extensive ornament collection!

I am obsessed with my Halloween Pop Up Tree and am so appreciative to my client’s mom for the amazing gift. And, yes, just like all of our other Halloween gear, the tree will be staying up all year round!

Do you use real or artificial Christmas trees? What is your favorite Christmas ornament? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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Sep16

New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD

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New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD compliments of my brand new hair! I am loving my new look so much and couldn’t wait to take pictures this past weekend to show it off. Johnny and I visited a covered bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley to take these pics and, it’s safe to say that we got a ton of weird looks when walking the short trail to the bridge lol. I don’t know why, considering I was in my walking shoes! Check it out:

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Who? What? Wear?

After my most recent haul from TJMaxx, I knew that I wanted my DKNY sweater featured in my next OOTD. I love it so very much and sheer sleeve sweaters are, easily, my favorite new trend. It is the perfect compromise to not seeing my tattoos pretty much all fall and winter long and it’s unique too. I have never seen anything like it before until late July and I wish I had five hundred more sweaters with the sheer sleeve style!

With the top already pre-selected, putting together the rest of the outfit was a no brainer. For this OOTD, I wanted to play with different textures to add some spice to an almost All Black Everything look. The Seven Jeans were an obvious choice because they are coated and provided some extra shine. It played off so nicely with the knit base of the sweater and the billowy pinstriped sleeves.

Can we also just talk about how amazing Seven Jeans are in general? There is a reason why Fergie mentions them in the timeless classic, “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas. These jeans fit just right and hug my curves without being too tight. You also know how much I love anything snakeskin patterned so this was a fabulous TJMaxx find!

Moving on lol, it was time for shoes and accessories. To continue on with the almost all black palette and keeping texture in mind, I went with my Forever 21 platforms. These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes that I have ever owned! After several years of wearing them, they are not as shiny as they were originally. This is fine, though, and the matte base added another texture twist against the coated jeans.

Finally, it was time for some bling, baby! I have a huge collection of chunky gold jewelry and wanted to stay in that realm because it was going to look awesome against my new hair. To play it up even more, I wanted a chain that was shorter in length to make it really pop. After a few no-gos, I tried the cheetah Natasha necklace and knew that it was the one. It also tied together the flames in the shoes to the rest of the outfit.

This OOTD is a great example of a monochrome look done right. When you are working with just one color, it is so important to use texture to your advantage to add visual interest. You are not going to get it, otherwise, with say a green jacket and dress set. You should also try to incorporate some additional detail to the outfit through cleverly placed accessories with a pop of color. This way, the eyes of whomever you see will still be dancing despite a look with a minimal color palette.

Be sure to tune in this week for bonus pics and bloopers from my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD! We will also be celebrating my eight year blogiversary a few days late so keep it posted for that! ❤

How do you rock a monochrome look? What is your new favorite trend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

May30

New Gaze Mesh Crop Top

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New Gaze Mesh Crop Top

Hey! During my shopping at the new TJMaxx in the area, I made a purchase that I actually didn’t intend on making at all. However, the more that I had the top on in the fitting room, the more I wanted it and it ended up coming home with me. Mainly because it gave me ultimate Jules vibes from Euphoria! Check out my new mesh crop top by Gaze:

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While my mom and I were making our second round throughout the store, I grabbed this top to try on with a pair of white bottoms. It is a far cry from something that I would normally wear but I just needed something to go with the pants! I really liked the pattern and the material but I was worried that the mesh would be super see through and I’m just not comfortable with that. It is also a much shorter crop than what I prefer, making it an instant no go in my head.

When I was in the fitting room, I was surprised that you could barely see my bra even with the mesh thanks to the background being black and only the pattern being white. It also fit just right with the high waisted pants I had on, making it much less revealing than what I had originally envisioned. And, oh yeah, it was SO comfy that I genuinely felt disappointed when I had to take it off and put my hoodie back on.

Prior to this shopping trip, I had recently finished binging Euphoria and it reminded me so much of the fashion in the show. I can’t wait to pair it with my favorite black pair of shorts from American Eagle or with my sweet skort by Almost Famous to give a dress like illusion. Pair with some killer platforms, rinse, repeat for a perfectly summer look that will help keep me perfectly cool even in all black. My emo kid dream come true! ❤

While I love a good online shopping sesh, there is nothing like some in store shopping to play around with different styles. This top by Gaze would have been an automatic no had I seen it online but trying it on in person was a totally different story. I can’t wait to incorporate it into my summer wardrobe… with maybe a few more tops for good measure!

What is something that you purchased that you originally thought you wouldn’t like? Do you prefer in store or online shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

May12

A Night At The Theater OOTD Pt. 3

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A Night At The Theater OOTD Pt. 3

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to be taking a look at my look for an evening at Playhouse Square this past weekend. My mom and I had a night on the town for Mother’s Day and it was so much fun! We stepped out in our Saturday night’s best for a delicious meal at Pepper’s and seeing To Kill A Mockingbird at Playhouse Square. Here’s what I wore:

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Who? What? Wear?

I’m not going to lie, I struggled a bit with creating this OOTD and it was thrown together about fifteen minutes before I left to pick up my mom. The original dress I had on just wasn’t doing anything for me and while it was pretty, it didn’t blow me away. I had toyed around with the idea of wearing Johnny’s blinged out button down the night before and am so happy that I went for it. The end result is definitely an outfit that I would wear again!

Playhouse Square is, honestly, one of the fanciest locations that I have ever been to and it’s fun to go there and see everyone dressed to the nines. This is actually why I vetoed this look at first because I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of wearing jeans. With a little styling magic, I ended up with what I thought was a very chic look and apparently everyone else thought so too – I was getting compliments all night. 😀

With Johnny’s shirt in mind that I had been coveting since he got it, I went from there. The button down from Phix felt like an accessory in itself with shining glittery stars so I wanted that to be the main statement of my look. To achieve that, I kept things simple and put on one of my favorite cami tops from French Rooster. Note that I didn’t add a necklace to keep from going overboard with the accessories and it was just right. The button down really didn’t need much!

The Seven Jeans that I wore were an obvious choice because they are coated and provided sheen to help compliment the glitter. And, in just the right lighting, you could see the snakeskin pattern really well and that made my Nine West purse pop even if its an all neutral color palette. The higher rise on the jeans gave a nice long leg line which helped make the look even more sleek.

My Forever 21 platforms were also a no brainer for my OOTD and they are one of my most treasured pairs of shoes. I love them SO. Freaking. Much. The red and gold flames on the heels gave an actual pop of color and the boot platform base blended seamlessly with the rest of the look. This enhanced the leg line and I felt six feet tall instead of barely over five foot one.

I am the queen of overthinking and that is exactly what I was doing before putting this outfit together. When, really, I should have just worn it from the start. This OOTD is very much inspired by my husband’s style with my own personal twist to it and I felt like a rock star all evening. I think that I’ll be raiding Johnny’s wardrobe a lot more often! ❤

What do you like to wear to dress up? Whose style inspires you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb15

New Black & Ballet Slipper Pink Nails

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New Black & Ballet Slipper Pink Nails

Howdy! My monthly fills at Elysian Nails have truly become a highlight for me because I love hanging out with my nail tech. Catching up and girl talking with her is SO much fun and I, honestly, never even look at my nails anymore when she’s doing them because she always makes them perfect. For Valentine’s Day, I almost considered doing red and pink nails but decided against it last minute and went with this, instead:

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As you all know, I am not one for holiday themed nails and on the drive to the salon, I made the choice to go with black and pink for some sugar and spice. It has been forever since I had black nails and, I have to admit, that my husband’s nails that are always painted black made me jealous! While I do love experimenting with different color combinations, nothing beats the old standby and I think they turned out so cute.

At the polish wall, I was inspired by my new Marc Fisher platforms for the shade of pink that I wanted but I had such a hard time finding black polish. Every shade that I thought was black just ended up being deep purple! Lol, when my tech came over, she showed me where the black polish was hiding and it was in the one spot that I completely overlooked. Whoops!

Because my nail tech is so gifted, I never think that my nails look that bad before my fill but I am amazed at the huge difference when she is done. In fact, I don’t even tell her what I need anymore because she already knows what it is lol. With a little nod to V-Day and a bigger nod to my emo roots, I am obsessed with the end result and seriously can’t stop looking at them. It’s going to take a lot of effort to not have them painted black next time around!

What color of nail polish do you have on? How often do you get your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec10

Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD

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Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past Saturday, Johnny and I celebrated our half year wedding anniversary and had a date day to celebrate. We met with my parents and niece in downtown Cuyahoga Falls for a puppy parade, had lunch at a build your own taco restaurant called Barrio, and a drink at our favorite bar in Kent called the Zephyr. It was the best!

For such an amazing day, I needed an amazing outfit to step out in. Inspired by being told that I looked like a Disney villain twice in one day (best compliment ever!), I came up with the following:

Who? What? Wear?

Saturday was an absolutely glorious day for being the beginning of December and the weather was much warmer than my last OOTD shoot. Because of the mid forty temps, I was able to get away with just a sweater and the faux fur vest and I was so there for it! However, by the time my sweet Johnny took my pictures, the wind had really picked up. And, as any Midwesterner would tell you, it’s not so much the cold as it is the wind lol.

Despite the chilly breeze, Johnny powered through and took what felt like a million rapid fire pictures of my Faux Fur Fabulous OOTD – such a blog husband! ❤ Like many of my OOTDs featured on lifewithlilred, this look combined lots of older pieces in my closet in a new way. While your girl really likes to shop, I also revel in making years old clothes feel brand new again.

For this look, I already planned on wearing the faux fur vest and built the outfit from there. For styling looks with a more unique piece like the vest, this is the best way to go. As per ushie, I feel my best in an All Black Everything OOTD as does my husband lol. So, I incorporated pops of color into the palette through the accessories to brighten things up.

For the shoes, I went with one of my favorite TJMaxx purchases of the baroque heeled boots. I have several pairs of Bamboo brand shoes and they are all so unbelievably comfy and cute. In fact, I usually call them my “walking shoes” and could walk for miles in them. This is no exaggeration because I did when I visited my bestie in New York City! 😀

To continue with the gold embellished theme, I chose my Mia Fiore necklace which boasts a historical coin at the end of the chunky gold chain. I am a huge fan of gaudy gold jewelry and loved how this necklace looked with the outfit. An OOTD is only as good as its accessories, after all, and the necklace made a statement of its own against my statement vest.

Johnny and I had so much fun celebrating a half a year of wedded bliss together and we had a perfect day. Tune in tomorrow for bonus pictures from this shoot as well as more about the adorable PUPPY PARADE!!

What is your favorite statement piece in your closet? How do you incorporate faux fur into your outfits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Oct22

Show Your Bones OOTD

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Show Your Bones OOTD

Hi! I have been making great use out of my new iPhone for exactly why I wanted it in the first place – lots of OOTD posts. 😀 Today, we are going to check out a spooky OOTD perfect for Halloween that I sported this weekend for a date night with Johnny. Let’s get to it:

Who? What? Wear?

Over the weekend, I got certified in Medication Administration which was a nine to five class both Saturday and Sunday. The location of the training was a decent amount away from the homestead, so I thought that I would get a hotel nearby to make it easier on myself. The classes were very intense and the only thing getting me through the day towards the end of the Saturday lesson was a date night afterwards.

After class, Johnny took me to a delicious Italian dinner at Napoli’s. Then, we headed to an arcade bar called the Buzzbin to play some games. However, when we got there we learned that there were no longer any arcade games there. Johnny immediately hopped on the case and we ended up at Rack It Up, which was another arcade bar in the area. We must have played ski ball for close to an hour – it was a hoot!

Whenever my husband and I step out together, we love to show out in our emo’s best. With spooky season upon us, I couldn’t think of a better time to break out my hand me down skeleton sweater from Johnny. While it was too small for him, it fit me just right. 🙂 All Black Everything was an obvious must for this look and to keep the wearing your insides on your sleeve motif going, I wore my vertebrae platforms a la Dolls Kill. It has been a while since I have gotten to wear them and they reminded me so much of the heels that I wore for my wedding. :*)

Although my Show Your Bones OOTD is quite simple, it was so much fun to wear because it felt like Halloween came early! As a short gal, it is important to me to create the illusion of length in the outfits that I style and I felt ten feet tall in this one. Rest assured that no bones were broken in the making of this post! 😀

What are you going to be for Halloween? Where do you find the best spooky themed clothes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul21

Wedding Pictures!!

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Wedding Pictures!!

HELLO!!!!!!! Johnny and I got married on June 4th and I am so happy to finally be able to share some wedding pictures with all of you! Our photographer did a bang up job and I am so appreciative of her hard work on our big day and afterwards with the intricate editing process. I am in love with the sneak peek she sent us and cannot wait to see the rest! Now, without further ado, here are some shots from my wedding:

Johnny and I had a small wedding ceremony in his best man’s backyard and it was short, sweet, and absolutely perfect for us. It was so special to be surrounded by just our immediate family and best friends and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Looking through the photos from our photographer with Johnny had us reliving our wedding all over again and I can’t wait to frame and hang up our favorites. ❤

I had been so eager to get some pictures back because I was also super looking forward to sharing them with my dear readers. We thank you all so much for the well wishes and support because it really does mean the world. Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for all of the latest and greatest as well as more wedding photos soon!

What is your dream wedding like? What was your wedding like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun28

Red By BKE Date Night Top

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Red By BKE Date Night Top

Hello! During my recent trip to Summit Mall with my friend, Danielle, she suggested shopping at Dry Goods and it was a huge success. Prior to my Altar’d State haul at the end of May, I had not been to the mall in years so I thought it best for Danielle to lead the way. We ended up in one of her favorite stores, Buckle, and I walked away with a gorgeous date night top by Red By BKE. Check it out:

When I first saw this top, I fell in love immediately and I also knew that Johnny would love it too. We both heavily favor the color black in our wardrobes and this little number actually reminded me of my black wedding dress! I had a feeling that my purchase was going to work well for me but I was blown away by how fabulous it was when I tried it on.

I would consider this top to be one of the sexiest that I own and, originally, I had a slight fear that it was going to be too much. However, once I tried it on, I felt completely chic. While the black lace is, indeed, sexy it is counterbalanced with only the lace from the shoulders up being sheer. This left no part of me feeling exposed, which made me feel incredibly comfortable in it.

My new top is form fitting and, as a bustier girl, I tend to shy away from curve hugging clothes. The genius of the design by Red By BKE eased that self consciousness, though! The opaque striping throughout the top makes your eyes dance rather than focus on just one part and it made me feel really confident. I also love that there is striping on the sheer lace placed exactly where your bra straps would be so I can get away with wearing a cleverly disguised black bra.

I am so happy with my buy from Buckle and I feel awesome in it. To me, it is the perfect balance of sex appeal and sophistication and it’s cool to see myself in that light because it is so different from what is in my closet. I can’t wait to wear this for the next date night with my husband!

What makes you feel confident? How would you style this top? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun13

If The Shoe Fits: Show Story Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: Show Story Edition

Hello! For the most part, shopping for my wedding dress and accessories was very enjoyable and I am simply thrilled with the end result:

My only complaint? I fell victim to what I felt to be a super scammy website for my heels. This is a Lil Red first because I don’t think I have ever complained during an issue of If The Shoe Fits before!! Lol, take a look at some pics of my heels by Show Story and let’s discuss:

^^^ Can everyone please do me a solid and pretend that they don’t see dirt from my backyard wedding caked on the heel? Haha, I was SO tired when I took these pics and I seriously didn’t even notice it until now… Smh!!!! Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming:

I ordered these heels off of Wildly Untamed Boutique in a wine red originally and, unfortunately, they were way too big. The size I needed in red was, sadly, sold out so I went for a black pair instead and asked the page’s customer service if this could be processed as an exchange, which was fine. However, all was not fine when I was sent a shipping address to China and found out the cost to send it back would be several hundred dollars. It would have costed me more to ship them back than what I even paid for the heels.

Things got even worse when I was told I couldn’t ship them back to a closer location despite them arriving in the mail from a California address. But, the real kicker was that the heels on Wildly Untamed Boutique were one hundred and fifteen dollars and were selling for forty on the brand’s own website. I am, now, basically stuck with a pair of shoes that are entirely too big and there is nothing I can do about it.

Despite all of the major annoyances and disappointments, I do really love these shoes and it is a shame that I am just now saying that close to the end of the post! An edgy black wedding dress and veil can only be paired with the edgiest of heels and I truly feel like I got exactly what I was looking for.

There are so many fun surprises on these Show Story heels like the studs on the toe, side zipper, and skull charm. The best part, of course, is the vertebrae ultra high heel that I think are just the coolest. Not only are my heels the ultimate in goth chic but they were really easy to walk in, even in a slightly damp, grassy backyard. I am a seasoned heel wearer and my feet didn’t even hurt at the end of the night, either, which shocked me!

Although there were ups and downs to this purchase off of Wildly Untamed Boutique, I felt awesome in my Show Story heels and that is all you can ask for on your wedding day!

Where do you find the best unique shoes? Have you ever had a similar online shopping experience to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah