Tag Archives: all done

Feb28

February 2022 Finishes

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February 2022 Finishes

Hellooo everyone and happy last day of February! I don’t know about you guys but January seemed like it lasted a year and February went by in a week! Today, we will be wrapping up the month by discussing my beauty finishes and there are a lot of them so let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

St. Ives Scrub: I love me a St. Ives scrub and, although there are reviews about how bad they are for your skin out there, I really don’t care lol. I have been using these scrubs for well over a decade now and have literally never had a problem with them. The Coconut & Coffee scrub is SO nice in the mornings and using it always made me feel much more alert and invigorated.

It took me twoish months to finish the bottle and I noticed a difference in my skin right away when I was no longer using it. My skin looked a little more tired and my pores felt clogged. I think I will have to incorporate a scrub as an all the time product in my beauty routine.

Innisfree Mask: I received this mask as a freebie from a Sephora haul and it has been sitting on my bathroom counter for months now. I finally decided to finish it a few days ago when I noticed that my skin was looking a bit lackluster. While I did think it helped clear my pores a little bit, I wasn’t blown away by any means and felt just as ambivalent as the first time I used it. I got three uses out of the travel size pot and would not bother using it again.

Hyaluronic Acid Serum: I haven’t been a fan of the Hyaluronic Acid serum by Tree Of Life since I got it in a multipack about a half a year ago and have been using it simply because I have it. Despite morning and night use, I never noticed a difference in how my skin looked or felt. It takes me about three or so weeks to finish one bottle and once I was done, I was eager to start using the Vitamin C one again. The Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum is one that I would definitely recommend and I always love seeing a difference in my skin’s brightness after just one use.

TBS Body Butters: I have been diligently chipping away at my travel size body butters from a Christmas gift and the Shea and Almond Milk & Honey were the last of them. They also happen to be two of my favorite product lines from The Body Shop. Their rich and creamy scents are so soothing and my winter skin has vastly improved from using them in terms of red and dryness. It took me about a week and a half to finish each mini jar with nightly use on my hands and areas with stretch marks.

Despite some duds in February’s beauty finishes, I am very happy with everything else. I am even happier to use more products from my beauty hoard, though, after all of these empties!

Which products did you finish this month? What are your thoughts on any of my empties 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

 

 

Jan30

January 2022 Finishes

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January 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to the first beauty empties post of 2022! Beauty care in the winter is all about hydrating dry skin, which I tended to this past month with lots of body butters that I finally got around to using from The Body Shop. My hands have suffered from dry winter skin for as long as I can remember and they have looked much better this time around thanks to these product finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

TBS Body Butters: I have always been fond of the products from The Body Shop and their body butters are wonderful. Using them is such a lush experience and it feels like the ultimate treat from my own self care perspective. The Moringa butter is not my favorite scent by TBS but that’s because I’m not a floral girl, however, if given the opportunity I would happily use any of their product lines!

It took about a week and a half to finish each mini jar from nightly use on my hands and areas where I have stretch marks. After the body butter is on my hands, I put on my compression gloves for bed and have noticed a huge difference in the discoloration and texture of my dry skin. TBS body butters are the best extra oomph that you need for nourishing winter skin.

Equilibria Oil: This oil treatment was a Christmas gift that actually included soothing CBD in its ingredients. It took me roughly two months to finish the Equilibria Daily Oil Treatment and I would use it again if it was gifted to me but wouldn’t buy it for myself. The scent wasn’t the most pleasant and it was also a mixed bag in terms of effectiveness. Sometimes, it left my skin feeling even dryer than before and left my face with unsightly red patches. Other times, it felt hydrating and my skin looked picture perfect. Not the best product but not the worst.

Clinique Moisturizer: The Moisture Surge moisturizer by Clinique was a freebie from a past Sephora haul and I really enjoyed it. I finished the jar after a week of morning and night use and wish that I had more of it! This moisturizer had a slightly thicker texture than a traditional gel one and was ultra nourishing but never felt heavy. It absorbed quickly and sat well under makeup. I probably will never get a full size of this moisturizer but will always order it if it is a freebie option with Sephora!

Overall, my first beauty finishes of 2022 was pretty good. While I’m pleased with most of the products, I’m even happier to be using up lots of the goodies in my new and improved beauty hoard! 😀

Which products did you use up this month? How do you combat dry skin? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec31

December 2021 Finishes

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December 2021 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to the last post of 2021 here on lifewithlilred! We’ll talk New Years tomorrow but, today, we will be wrapping up the year with my December finishes. There were a lot of them so let’s get started:

Would I Use Again:

Why/Why Not?

Clean & Clear Cleanser: I absolutely love the Morning Burst cleanser by Clean & Clear. It is so refreshing during my morning shower and the citrus scent never fails to at least sort of wake me up lol. This cleanser leaves my skin feeling invigorated and looking bright. It was also an excellent value! I bought it in a set of two for eleven dollars and it took me about five months to finish one bottle.

St. Ives Scrub: I have always loved the St. Ives scrubs and have been using them on and off since I was a teenager. My favorite, of course, is the Apricot scrub and I just had to buy it when I saw it for three bucks at TJMaxx. It has been a while since I used this scrub and I was honestly blown away the first time I used it again. My skin felt SO. Freaking. Soft. and I looked forward to using it every morning. It took me a little over one month to finish the bottle.

B&BW Body Wash: This lavender scented aromatherapy body wash was a gift from my bestie and I used it as a bubble bath. While I would happily use this again if I was gifted with it, I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it for myself. I much prefer the regular old body washes from B&BW. That’s not to say that the aromatherapy one wasn’t pleasant to use, though. It smelled nice and bubbled up really well! I got about eight uses out of one bottle.

A La Maison Cream: If you read the linked review for this hand cream, then you will know that I freaking loved it. If you didn’t read the linked review, then I freaking loved this hand cream lol. It is one of the best products that I have used in a while and I wish I had more of it. I could take or leave the Wildflower scent but that’s no matter because of how well it worked. I noticed a huge difference in how my hands looked and felt after just one use. It took over a month of daily use to finish one bottle.

Tree Of Life Serum: It took my skin a couple of uses to get used to the Retinol serum by Tree Of Life. I rarely use retinol products so it dried my skin out initially. However, it did work well and I noticed a difference in the tightness of my skin after a month of twice daily use. This serum was also a great deal as I purchased a set of three for twenty dollars making it buy two get one free.

As you can see, December was a wildly successful month of beauty finishes. Now, here’s to hoping the new year will be just as good. 😀 See you tomorrow in 2022!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Dec29

LEGO Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets Completed Set

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LEGO Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets Completed Set

Hello! During our holiday break, Johnny and I completed the final set from our LEGO haul, which means that it’s time to buy more! We spent about three hours building the Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets from Harry Potter and it turned out great. With fun surprises everywhere you looked and awesome extras like Chocolate Frog cards, glow in the dark pieces, and a golden Voldemort, this might be one of my favorite builds yet! Check it out:

Johnny and I are frequent builders of LEGO and I can tell that our skills have improved. Considering the size of this set, it didn’t take us too too long to complete it. We were so pleased with our handiwork! Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is one of my favorite books and movies in the series and this set definitely did it justice.

While the builds for Hogwarts in itself are always really neat, the Chamber Of Secrets gives it a wonderful contrast. I love how you can make the basilisk move in and out of the chamber just like in the movie. It also includes a slide for the Minifigs to go down and the snake adorned door to enter the depths of Hogwarts. I wish that there was a set just of the Chamber because I would be all over it. 😀

My favorite part of this set is, easily, the pictures of Gilderoy Lockhart and I laugh every time I look at them – they are so funny! Expertly placed Chocolate Frogs and Cornish Pixies are also much appreciated and I can’t wait for my niece to come over to see if she can find them all. She is our future LEGO Master!

Johnny and I are fresh out of LEGO now but I already know which sets I want next, as always. I have my eye on the Astronomy Tower and Hogsmeade Village and I can’t wait to get them!

What do you like to build with LEGO? Did anyone receive any LEGO sets for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Dec2

Completed Whomping Willow LEGO Set

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Completed Whomping Willow LEGO Set

Hi! Johnny and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and I hope that all of you did too! We built LEGO, had a day date, took our niece to see Santa, and (as always) watched so much Criminal Minds lol. I had a hankering to work on one of our Harry Potter LEGO sets and we completed the Whomping Willow in about two hours this past Friday. 

Although this set is a lot smaller in comparison to what we like to build, it is an important one to have. The Whomping Willow set connects some of the ones that we already have like The Great Hall and Clock Tower to make our Hogwarts castle even bigger! Check it out:

Building LEGO with Johnny is one of my favorite things to do on a day off and it’s such a great project to complete together. While I prefer the big sets for more of a challenge, it was fun to bust out the Whomping Willow set quickly. As with all of the LEGO sets, there were tons of cool surprises tucked away in the build like Trevor the frog, the spinning Whomping Willow, and the potions and baubles throughout each room. These little details make even the smallest set exciting to put together!

Now that this set is complete, all Johnny and I have left from a previous LEGO haul is the Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets and I am itching to start it. As usual, I already have my eye on what I want next which is the Astronomy Tower and the Hogsmeade Village. In non Harry Potter news, the LEGO Haunted House looks amazing and really speaks to mine and Johnny’s spooky selves. 😀

Unfortunately, we don’t have lots of room in our apartment to show off our completed builds so at some point we are going to clear off our Spooky Shelf to showcase our work. Keep it posted for the end result, which we’ll get to eventually lol!

Who else likes to build LEGO? Where can you score great deals on new sets? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Nov28

November 2021 Finishes

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November 2021 Finishes

Hey everyone!! It’s about that time to discuss my product empties for the month because we are almost done with November! I swear, the days seem to fly by in double time during the holiday season and before we know it, we will be in 2022. This month, I finished a ton of products which included a few that I have been working on for forever and that is always exciting for me… It’s the little things lol! Let’s take a look:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Lotion: After what seemed like FOREVER of using the Portofino Pink Prosecco lotion, I am finally done with it! For about three months, I have been using this lotion on my hands before bed every night so it was a welcome change to switch to a new lotion that I have been loving. Of course, I always enjoy my B&BW products but I will be the first to admit that the boozy scent of this one definitely got old lol. If given the opportunity, I would use it again because I never say no to B&BW but I think a new scent will be in order during my next semi annual sale haul.

B&BW Shower Gel: Gingham from Bath & Body Works is one of my favorite scents and I finished this shower gel in two months. It was also a freebie, which is nice since it’s a full size product! This scent reminds me of a picnic on a warm spring day, which is a great thing to manifest during my morning showers in the cold winter months.

Now that I’m done with this shower gel, I have moved onto one of the bars of soap that I got when I was on vacation. While I always prefer shower gels, I love me a bar soap every once in a while so the ultra moisturizing soaps by Our Own Candle Company will do the trick for dry winter skin just fine.

Hyaluronic Acid Serum: This serum by Tree Of Life was the “dud” of the multi pack that I purchased and if it wasn’t such a darn good deal, I wouldn’t use this product again. I was looking forward to trying the Hyaluronic Acid serum out because it’s a wonderful ingredient to incorporate into your skin care routine. However, after completing a bottle with morning and night use, I noticed no difference in how my skin looked or felt. #notimpressed

Summer Fridays Mask: I got the Jet Lag face mask by Summer Fridays as a freebie during my last Sephora haul and it left a lot to be desired. I got about eight uses out of the tube and I did like the way my skin felt but I would never pay forty-five dollars for a full size of it. As a freebie, this was a nice mask to try out. However, my skin feels equally as good, if not better, when completing my normal skin care routine with mostly drugstore products.

November brought me so many finishes and I am glad for it! There is nothing better to me than completing a product that I have been using for a while and I can’t wait to see which empties I’ll have in December for our last finishes post of 2021. 😀

Which products did you use up this month? What did you think of the products above if you have used any of them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

October 2021 Finishes

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October 2021 Finishes

Hello! Sadly, official spooky season is drawing to a close which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. It also commences spooky season all year round for Johnny and I lol! Last month, we had a ton of beauty finishes to discuss while today we only have a mere three so this will be a short and sweet post. Also, make sure you tune in tomorrow to see some Halloween accessories that I purchased when Johnny and I went costume shopping. 😀 Now, lets get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

e.l.f. Eye Cream: Prior to the pandemic, I was loyal to the SkinLab products and loved their gel eye cream that I could purchase at TJMaxx. Unfortunately, my monthly TJs trips ended due to COVID and I turned to Amazon for my beauty products. I was surprised to see the gel eye cream that I would normally buy for seven dollars was selling for twenty and I couldn’t bring myself to make the purchase. So, I began searching for cheaper but effective eye creams, instead, and ended up with the Holy Hydration! cream by e.l.f..

I bought this eye cream because it received great reviews on Amazon and was only six dollars. Despite the almost five star rating, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little wary of just how cheap this eye cream was which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with it. The Holy Hydration! eye cream lasted me close to two months and in that time, I noticed that the sensitive skin around my eyes felt smoother and oh so hydrated and my designer bags were decreased too. 😀

For the price, you just can’t beat this eye cream and I highly recommend it. This just goes to show that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for your skin care! If you would like to read about my other finishes that have already been discussed, be sure to check out the linked posts. ❤

What is your favorite drug store skin care brand? Which products did you use up this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct29

Attack On The Burrow Harry Potter LEGO Set

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Attack On The Burrow Harry Potter LEGO Set

Hi! During the last LEGO haul that Johnny and I had, he surprised me with an additional set for our two year anniversary. To continue on with our Harry Potter collection, he got me the Attack On The Burrow set which is one that I have had my eye on for a while. This build took us about five hours to complete and we just finished it this past weekend – it turned out great and had all of the quirky touches that you would expect in the Weasley home. Check it out:

The Attack On The Burrow is, easily, one of my favorite sets that we have built together because it was so different than any of the other Harry Potter ones that we have. All of our other Harry Potter sets are in the Hogwarts castle and while they were very fun to build, each one was quite similar in terms of color palette and the hidden surprises. The Attack On The Burrow was a colorful and unique change of pace and the end result looks fantastic, if I do say so myself!

The best part about building LEGO sets is all of the detail that they incorporate into it. The Burrow wouldn’t be complete without them and the set had surprises in spades. I loved Molly’s knitting nook where a Weasley sweater is being made and the picture above it of their trip to Egypt. The kitchen is also a delight with a big breakfast on the table, potted plants, and Floo Powder fire place in the adjoining room. And, yes, it does have a knob that you can turn to make the fire go from red to green. 😀

If you look at the pictures of the set in its entirety, you can see that it is built on a slant which adds to the charm of the Weasley household. I didn’t even realize this as Johnny and I were building so seeing it once we were done was another awesome surprise. And, of course, the animal friends like the pig, Hedwig, and Errol was another nice touch. 🙂

It goes without saying that Johnny had to take care of all of the detail work on this build while I took care of the bigger pieces. Thank goodness for that because there was, obviously, a ton. Don’t believe me? Just take a closer look at the breakfast table lol. Next on deck, we plan on building our Hogwarts Chamber Of Secrets set and we are already itching to get started for more witchcraft and wizardry right in our apartment! ❤

What are you currently building with LEGO? Do you have any of the Harry Potter sets? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

September 2021 Finishes

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September 2021 Finishes

Howdy! September was a super exciting time for Lil Red as I completed my 1,000 day streak of writing! It was also a hugely successful month for product empties because I got to finish up a lot of the skin and bath and body care that I had been using for a while. Some of these products were new to me too, which is always fun! Take a look at my empties and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Body Wash: Other than apple, vanilla is one of my favorite scents and I was really eager to try Bath & Body Works interpretation of Vanilla Bean. It definitely didn’t disappoint and this is actually one of my favorite scents that I have tried from them. While I love vanilla, I hate when it is scented too strongly or too sweet. B&BW’s Vanilla Bean was nice and light and wasn’t sugary in the slightest. It took me a month and a half to finish one bottle.

Tree Of Life Serum: For some reason, Amazon has stopped selling the Eclat Vitamin C serum that I was using and I was so disappointed! The Eclat serum had an unbeatable price (seven dollars) and my skin had never looked better when I was using it. The Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum was the next cheapest alternative (ten dollars) that still had good ratings so I gave it a shot.

This serum is much thicker than the Eclat one, which is nice because you don’t need to use as much of it. Most importantly, it worked well on my skin and gives an extra boost of brightness and radiance. My main qualm with this product isn’t so much the product itself as it is with the dropper. It is so short that by the time you finish two thirds of the bottle, you have to start tipping it out into your hands because it can’t reach the rest. Annoying? Totally. Deal breaker? No.

LANEIGE Mask: I so enjoyed using the Berry Lip Sleeping Mask by LANEIGE, which you can read about more in the linked post. It took me almost four months to complete the tiny sample sized jar!

TBS Mask: The Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask was, easily, one of the worst products that I have used by The Body Shop. That is really saying something because I have a deep love for most of their products. After twelve or so uses of this mask, I still didn’t notice any type of difference in my skin afterwards. Whomp Whomp.

TBS Eye Cream: On the contrary, the Vitamin E eye cream from The Body Shop is the absolute best! My favorite thing about this eye cream is that it literally lasts for forever and it took me about three months of morning and night uses to complete the tube. This eye cream makes the delicate skin around my eyes feel so moisturized and stronger too. It also does wonders in decreasing the designer bags under my eyes which isn’t so bad, either. 😀

Like I mentioned before, I finished a lot of products this September and almost all of them were a success. Here’s to pampering products for all in October!

Which products did you finish up this month? What is your favorite eye cream? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep3

LEGO Seinfeld Set

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LEGO Seinfeld Set

Hello! Johnny and I recently had a huge LEGO Haul that included some new Harry Potter sets and, most importantly, a set of Jerry’s apartment from Seinfeld. We are both huge fans of the show and we just had to buy it as a crowning jewel of our apartment!

When I returned home from work and an outing last week, I was so surprised to see that Johnny had completed the set while I was away as a surprise. Why didn’t we build it together, you might ask? Check out these pics and allow me to explain:

For my birthday last year, Johnny gifted me with the Clock Tower Harry Potter LEGO set. This was my first experience of building with LEGO in my entire life and, let’s just say it didn’t go very well at first. The entire beginning of this set involved incredibly small bricks and I just couldn’t put two and two together with my acrylics. I got so frustrated because I assumed that this was all LEGO was and what was the fun in that if I couldn’t do it?

I left Johnny to complete all of the small accessories and when bigger bricks finally came into play, I was elated to find that I could build with them with no problem. Now, whenever Johnny and I build with LEGO, I take care of all of the big parts of the build and he handles all of the small bricks and details. Our system works beautifully and it makes what was originally impossible for me to do a hobby that I can’t get enough of.

As you can see from the Seinfeld set, it is basically all small bricks and Johnny and I knew that it would be one that he would have to build on his own. Once I returned home from my day to see it in all of its glory on the coffee table, I was blown away because the set it absolutely perfect.

One of the things that Johnny and I love the most when it comes to LEGO are the small surprises that are included in each set. We were in hysterics over the LEGO pictures of The Kramer portrait and George’s boudoir shot and can’t get over the fact that Kramer has his own “Coffee Table Book”. The Festivus Pole in the left corner is also a nice touch and there is even a picture of a LEGO Larry David on the fridge! 😀

While there is nothing better than building a LEGO set with Johnny, I so appreciate that he spared me the frustration of attempting to help with the Seinfeld set, lol. Unfortunately, we have had no such luck in finding a house to rent. But, when we eventually do, we can’t wait to have more room to display our completed sets and, of course, build more! ❤

What is your favorite thing that you have built with LEGO? Does anyone watch LEGO Masters? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah