Tag Archives: bath and body care

May25

May 2018 Finishes

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May 2018 Finishes

Hello everyone and TGIF! If you can believe it, another month is almost done here on lifewithlilred! And guess what that means – IT’S ALMOST MY BIRTHDAY! I will be turning 24 on June 7th, so do be sure to mark it in your calendars! 😉 But I digress, so let’s get on to viewing this month’s finishes:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Le Petit Marseiliais White Peach & Nectarine shower gel: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • The Body Shop Satsuma scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Oils Of Life serum: YES
  • Tarte Amazonian Clay blush: YES

Why/Why Not?

LPM Shower Gel: This shower gel and brand in general is awesome. The White Peach & Nectarine scent was so invigorating every morning and, although this was a gel and not a creme, I was still left feeling moisturized after my shower. I finished this body wash in about two and a half months and I am looking forward to using the two other scents that I have by Le Petit Marseiliais soon!

Simple Micellar Water: Even though I am not a huge fan of micellar water, it is way cheaper than eye makeup remover so I am okay with it! I can’t say much for the Simple brand, because I don’t really like it. BUT, I just purchased a bottle of Garnier cleansing water, so we’ll see if I like that kind better. It took me close to two months to finish this bottle.

TBS Scrub: The scrubs from The Body Shop are a must for me when I am shaving and the Satsuma scent is always amazing! I got this as part of a Christmas gift and I got about seven uses out of one of the mini sized bottles.

TBS Moisturizer: I LOVED the Vitamin C moisturizer from The Body Shop. It lasted me two months, it sat well under makeup, and my skin felt nice and hydrated after each use. I would definitely use this again and I hope that they have it back at TJMaxx soon! 😀

TBS Serum: And, of course, I loved the Oils Of Life Serum from The Body Shop, too. One bottle lasted me for five and a half months of daily use, it sat well under makeup, AND MY SKIN FELT NICE AND HYDRATED AFTER EACH USE!!!!!! I am lucky, because I have one more bottle of this and I know that it will last me for close to another half a year!

Tarte Blush: Normally, I don’t write about makeup finishes, but this Tarte blush is different. I got it for my Sephora birthday freebie last June and I JUST FINISHED IT last week. This was my most used blush for the year. The color was gorgeous and I wish that it wasn’t just a one time birthday color. 😥

May brought me a lot more finishes than normal and it was fun being able to use up all of them – especially since I enjoyed each product so much!

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

May24

My Beauty Hoard

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My Beauty Hoard

Hey! When it comes to most of my material pleasures in life, I am lucky enough to have a lot of them. A beautiful collection of shoes, clothing, and accessories help to turn me into the fashionista by day so that I can delve into my pajama collection at night. And, when it comes to beauty products, a collector I am, as well.

I have always been a firm believer in buying in bulk and having the products on hand when I need more, rather than running to the store every month to reup. I am also a firm believer in the power of coupons, freebies, and treasuring gifts from friends, which also helps add to my collection seen below:

hoard

Now, that may look like a lot of stuff – but what if I told you that about fifty percent of the above products were free? Check it out:

  • The three cleansers in the front: FREE
  • Every single mini lotion or shower gel: FREE
  • The three shower gels from The Body Shop: FREE
  • Two mini body butters: FREE
  • Charcoal mask from The Body Shop: FREE

Meanwhile, the other products were all bought on the cheap. For example:

  • The seven perfumes from Bath & Body Works were purchased for about twenty dollars all together.
  • The body butters and skin care were all bought at TJMaxx prices
  • And the remaining shower gels were all bought with coupons.

So, where did all of the free swag come from? The three cleansers and some of the mini lotions are compliments of Walgreen’s freebie bags that I received when purchasing my hair dye. I always wait to restock my boxed color until I get an email saying that Walgreen’s is running their freebie bag promotion with a certain amount of money purchased so that I can score some free goodies while buying a necessity.

All of the Bath & Body Works minis are thanks to the free travel sized coupons that I get from B&BW. Right now I have over sixty dollars worth of free product from there in my hoard and I always have them handy for gift giving occasions. And, the rest of my free products were gifts that I use frugally so that I don’t have to buy more of my favorites until I absolutely have to!

The rest of my hoard was all purchased with the help of coupons or the amazingly low prices of TJMaxx. Very rarely do I purchase anything at full price anymore – and why would I?! With the power of apps, reward programs, coupons, and sale promotions, it’s simple to save and create a collection of your own.

Who else has a beauty care hoard at home? How do you score the best freebies and deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May23

7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty Tag

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7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty Tag

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! If there’s one thing that a Lil Red loves, it’s fun beauty and fashion questionnaires. And, when I stumbled upon the 7 Deadly Sins Of Beauty Tag, I had to give it a try. I found this post on my friend Sarah’s page, Sparkle & Mine, and it was such a creative idea for a beauty tag that I had to give it a go. Check it out and see how the 7 Deadly Sins turn into the topic for each question:

1. GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive? My most inexpensive beauty item is my eyebrow pencil. It is by Wet n’ Wild in a shade called Taupe Of The Morning and I pay a whole one dollar for it. AND it lasts me several months! My most expensive item is definitely my Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, which runs at twenty-three or twenty-four dollars. It’s steep, but I love my lashes when I use it and I try to make it last for as long as I can.

2. WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? Hmmm… I don’t really know if I have a real love/hate relationship with any products that I use. I rarely branch out of the brands that I like and I’m not that adventurous when it comes to buying makeup so I’ve never really used anything that’s made me feel SOME TYPE OF WAY before.

3. GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products? My Cocoa Butter from The Body Shop. Hands down. It smells like the richest, creamiest milk chocolate fresh from the candy store. I also love their Fresh Picked Raspberry body butter, too. It smells like Lip Smackers and I’m obsessed.

4. SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness? So when I’m getting ready, I always do my skin care routine no matter what. But, if I’m feeling lazy that day, I won’t do my hair or makeup all together and go au natural. Painting your face every day gets exhausting so I definitely need some makeup free days throughout the week!

5. PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence? A bright, beautiful red lip, of course! Specifically my signature shade in NYX’s Pure Red Matte lippie.

6. LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex? Someone who’s tall. I love tall, lanky guys. Tattoos or piercings don’t hurt, either!

7. ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift? Oh, it doesn’t really matter to me. As long as I’m not paying for it, I’m happy to try out new products.

This tag was SO much fun to complete and do feel free to copy and paste the questions to answer on your page, too! How would you answer some of the above questions? What other beauty tags should I complete? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr26

April 2018 Finishes

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April 2018 Finishes

Howdy! I hate to say it, but 2018 is moving at a rapid pace. With April drawing to a close, warm summer days will be on the horizon before we know it. As much as I’d love for time to slow down dramatically, that’s just not the way things work! Lovely May is just days away and that means that it’s time to see which beauty products I am saying bye bye to this month. Check it out:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Bath & Body Works Country Apple body spray: YES
  • Tresemme Botanique Damage Recovery hair product: YES
  • Jones New York body cream in White Tea: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Spray: We all know by now how much I love anything apple scented and Country Apple by Bath & Body Works will always be one of my faves. I buy this body spray in bulk for a whole three dollars during B&BW’s summer sales and it usually lasts me close to five months. Talk about a teeny tiny cost per use!

Tresemme Hair Product: I really, really liked this spray. 1) It smelled awesome. 2) It made my hair really shiny. And 3) It provided protection from heat while leaving my hair feeling soft and fresh. It took me at least six months to finish this product and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I plan on it once I finish up the oil that I’m currently using. I would definitely recommend this!

JNY Cream: I got this as a gift from my BFF for Christmas and I ended up really liking it. At first, I wasn’t too wild about the White Tea scent, but it ended up growing on me and by the time I finished my cream, I totally loved it. I love the texture of this product. It was thicker than a normal lotion but not as hard as a body butter by any means, which made applying it so easy. Despite the pillow soft texture, my skin still felt really hydrated and supple after each use and I got as least five full body uses out of the jar. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again, but if I was gifted with it, then I would be really happy. 😀

Even though I didn’t finish up too many goodies this month, I enjoyed using all of my empties, which makes April a definite success!

Which beauty products did you finish up this month? Have you ever used any of my empties before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb23

February 2018 Finishes

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February 2018 Finishes

Hello everyone! Another month is drawing to a close already, and you know what that means. It’s time to discuss my February finishes! This month, it was all about products from The Body Shop. I used up two skin care goodies and one body butter in February and I felt so pampered to be using such wonderful products from my favorite one stop shop for all things beauty. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

TBS Body Butter: Although The Body Shop has many amazing fruity scents to choose from, and I love them, I am always partial to their softer collections. I love their Shea and Cocoa butter and, of course, their Almond body butter! There is nothing better than taking a nice, warm bath and slathering on this body butter before putting on your jammies. I love the nutty scent and how good it makes my skin feel after using it. It took me about seven full body uses to finish this product.

TBS Face Mask: When it comes to skin care, I love all charcoal everything and this mask is freaking EVERYTHING. Within one use, this charcoal face mask eliminates every single stinking black head on my nose and leaves my skin simply glowing afterwards. Despite this mask being an absolute pain to clean up in the shower after using it, it is so worth it and I am so happy to have another one of these in my hoard for future uses. I got about ten uses out of this container.

TBS Moisturizer: My sister actually gave me this hand me down from the Oils Of Life collection because she couldn’t stand the smell. And, I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of it, either. This moisturizer smells very herbal and some people really like that, but me – not so much. Although I’m not huge on the way it smells, I would use this product again because it left my skin feeling so hydrated and well taken care of. I didn’t notice any immediate changes in my skin from using this moisturizer, but I would like to try it again to see if anything magical happens to my face from it. It took me one month to finish this product.

February was a great month for finishes and even though I didn’t care for the Oils Of Life scent, I would still like to use all of these products again. Those who love The Body Shop as much as me can definitely see why I enjoyed this month in beauty products as much as I did!

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

Feb11

Bath & Body Works February Freebie

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Bath & Body Works February Freebie

Hihihi everyone! It’s been a while since I have gotten a freebie coupon from Bath & Body Works, but it happened last week. I assumed that they had finally caught on to me never buying anything and just cashing in the coupons, but it looks like I am back in the good graces of B&BW. Since I haven’t been in in a minute to nab my freebie, I haven’t noticed that they repackaged their signature scents and I am so not a fan. Take a look:

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  • Picture 1: New School
  • Picture 2: Old School

In my opinion, pretty packaging is a must when it comes to bath and body care goodies. Good packing should tell you everything that you need to know about a product before you even smell it. The new packaging tells the buyers nothing. If you didn’t look at the minuscule print at the bottom, you would have no way of knowing that I picked out the Pretty As A Peach lotion.

Not only did they do away with their signature scent packaging, but they also eliminated the coloring of all of the lotions, as well. I guess that’s a good thing, because they’re getting rid of any excess or unneeded ingredients – but it definitely makes for a pretty blah looking product. #notimpressed

The final surprise when I got my freebie was that B&BW increased the price of the mini products from five dolla to five dolla and fifty cents. Is that a huge increase? Not necessarily. But is a mini lotion or shower gel really worth five fifty? Definitely not. But, I got my mini lotion FO FREE so who am I to complain?! 😉

Am I super bent out of shape over this new rebranding? No, I honestly don’t care. But am I petty enough to nitpick the not so nice looking aspects of it. Hell yeah. Unappealing repackaging and a price increase is never a good look, B&BW!

How do you feel about the new Bath & Body Works packaging? Are you a fan of the new school or old school marketing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan27

January 2018 Finishes

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January 2018 Finishes

Hello!! I can’t believe that January is already drawing to a close and another empties post is upon us. The very first one of 2018! I finished up a ton of products this month, some that I really enjoyed and others – ehh, not so much. So take a look at my finishes for the month and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • St. Ives Oatmeal Scrub & Mask: YES
  • The Body Shop Satsuma shower gel: YES
  • Jones New York White Tea body scrub: NO
  • Jones New York White Tea bath salts: NO
  • CeraVe Moisturizing Cream: MAYBE
  • Olay moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey body butter: YES
  • Vital C Vitamin C oil: YES

Why/Why Not:

St. Ives Scrub: Of course you guys know by now that I am all about my St. Ives scrubs and besides from their totally delicious apricot one, the Oatmeal Scrub & Mask is one of my favorites. I love that this scrub is creamy and gentle but it has a good amount of grit in it to get all of the gunk out. It took me about a month and a half to finish this product.

TBS Shower Gel: The Satsuma scent from The Body Shop is probably one of my all time favorites, so it was SO nice to use this shower gel every day. TBS gels lather amazingly well and they are nourishing enough that it doesn’t dry out your skin even during the cold winter months. I began using this body wash in mid November and didn’t finish it until halfway through January, which is a wonderful value!

JNY Scrub: I use a body scrub whenever I shave for a closer and smoother hair removal. Unfortunately, this Jones New York product missed the mark for me. The key to a good body scrub is for it to have a lot of grit to it, but this one just didn’t have it. It was so creamy that it was more like rubbing your hairy legs with soap rather than an exfoliater. I got four full body uses from this container.

JNY Bath Salts: I LOVE bath time more than the average human being, but I never really understood the purpose of bath salts. Every single time that I’ve ever used them, it did nothing to add to the bath time experience – No scents, no extra moisturizing, nada. And it’s not just these bath salts, it’s ALL bath salts. What gives?!!!

CeraVe Cream: I got this sample face cream from my recent Walgreens Haul and got three uses out of it. I quite enjoyed this product, because the texture was nice and thick – which is great, because it has been pretty cold in Ohio. I would consider using this cream during the winter months, but it would be far too thick to use during the spring or summer. It definitely left my skin feeling protected and hydrated, though!

Olay Moisturizer: I got this moisturizer in New York during my Bloggers Conference with Kate from Ankhor You in mid October and I finished it HALFWAY THROUGH JANUARY!! This Olay product was an amazing value and I got it for a whole THIRTY THREE CENTS thanks to my Walgreens rewards card. #ballinonabudget. I liked this moisturizer because it was lightweight, absorbed quickly, and I could easily apply my makeup over top of it. I would use this product again in a heartbeat, for sure.

TBS Body Butter: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED the Almond Milk & Honey scent from The Body Shop. It smelled like a richer, sweeter version of their original Almond fragrance, which is one of my favorites. This body butter was so lush and moisturizing and it was a must have in my winter arsenal to combat dry skin. I got about six full body uses out of this butter and I already wish that I had more of it!

Vital C Oil: This face oil was a TJMaxx find that originally costed close to fifty dollars, and it sure felt like it. It took me about two months to finish this product and I would buy it again without question. I used this oil daily and it left my skin looking so radiant and fresh, especially on no makeup days. Not only did it offer an extra glowing boost, but it was also very hydrating, which was fabulous during the winter cold. Freaking loved it.

Overall, I am really happy with all of my finishes this month, despite a few duds. I fully enjoyed all of the products that I liked, and it definitely makes for a successful month of empties when you would buy a majority of them again without a doubt!

Has anyone ever used any of the products seen above? What products did you finish up this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan19

Walgreens Haul

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Walgreens Haul

Hi!! So a couple of days ago I got an email saying that Walgreens was doing a freebie bag similar to the one I got previously with a twenty dollar online purchase. I needed to buy more hair dye, anyways, and Walgreens is the only place that carries my beloved Vidal Sassoon shade, so I figured why not. I purchased four boxes of dye to last me until May and got this awesome freebie bag along with it (On top of free shipping and two dollars off from my rewards card!). Check it out:

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There was an amazing amount of goodies in my bag including:

  • Coupons
  • Vitamin/Probiotic samples
  • Lotion/Moisturizer samples
  • Colgate Optic White tooth paste
  • Two Aquaphor lotion sprays
  • CeraVe moisturizer
  • Clean & Clear cleanser
  • Aveeno cleanser
  • CeraVe lotion
  • Gold Bond lotion
  • Pantene volumizing foam
  • La Roche Posay healing balm

It was such fun going through my bag and picking out the items that I wanted and then sharing the wealth with my family for the products that I was not interested in. I spent a grand total of forty dollars for my dye and got so much more in return along with it. I freaking love these Walgreens grab bags and I hope that they are doing another one the next time that I need to restock my hair dye!

Which stores give the best freebies? Are there any beauty products that you stock pile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Walgreens

Jan18

Bath Bomb Blitz: Xmas Gift Pt. 2 Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Xmas Gift Pt. 2 Edition

Howdy! Today we are going to talk about the other bath bomb that my BFF gifted me for Christmas. It was a lovely purple and pink one with a Jasmine Rose scent. Although I am not big on either fragrance, this bath bomb was super pleasant to use and I LOVED the color that it made the bath water. And the dried rose petals were definitely a luxurious added bonus! Take a look and let’s discuss:

roserose1rose3rose4rose5rose6

Even though the Cran Orange bath bomb from yesterday’s post was fun, I think that I like the Jasmine Rose one better. I didn’t get any hints of Jasmine at all when I put the bath bomb in the water, it just gave off this soft floral scent that was really pretty. Speaking of pretty, the lavender hue that my water turned into looked so gorgeous and I loved seeing the rose petals and pink glitter swirling around. It made me feel so lux and pampered!

I officially have no more bath bombs to use and now I am craving going to Lush something fierce! Taking baths is one of my favorite ways to relax and bath bombs just add to the R&R in the best way possible. I never thought that I would find myself wanting to go to Lush so badly, but here we are now, and some of their bath bombs sound like the perfect way to treat myself. 😀

What is your favorite Lush product? How do you make your bath time luxurious? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan17

Bath Bomb Blitz: Xmas Gift Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Xmas Gift Edition

This is Bath Bomb Blitz, this is Bath Bomb Blitz, lalala – sung to the tune of Ballroom Blitz, anyone? No? Lol, didn’t think so. Anyways, my BFF got me some homemade bath bombs from a craft show for Christmas, which I was very excited about because I haven’t used one in a while. I’ve used some really good homemade bath bombs before and some really bad ones, so I was a bit ambivalent about what I was getting into, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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First of all, the Cran Orange scent was delicious. As soon as I popped the bath bomb in the water, you got an instant waft of orange-y goodness. And I do love me my citrus scents! And, although the water looks pretty murky in the pictures, it was actually a really pretty medium-peach color and that was fun to soak in. Not to mention the red glitter as an added visual bonus!

This was by far the best homemade bath bomb that I’ve used before. Did it fizz as long as a bath bomb from Lush? No. But it lasted for at least a minute, which is pretty good for a homemade treat. The fragrance used was nice and strong and the soft color of the water made me feel so relaxed. Am I the biggest fan of glitter? No. Cleaning it up afterwards is a pain in the behind. But the red and orange combination looked so pretty that I didn’t even mind it! 😀

Who likes to home make bath and body care products? Does anyone have a favorite recipe that they use? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah