Tag Archives: bath and body care

Apr16

Mini Madness

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Mini Madness

Hello! During the work week, I typically have an hour and a half or so of time in between shifts to run errands on Tuesday. I take full advantage of this because then I don’t have to pencil in time during the weekend to make it happen. If I have nothing that needs done, I’ll post up in a Panera or Starbucks and grab a drink and set up my laptop there. This past Tuesday, I had a few little odds and ends to take care of including a quick stop in Bath & Body Works and TJMaxx for some mini goodies. Check it out:

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I have been running dangerously low on my Better Than Sex mascara. However, I simply refuse to buy more from Sephora until my birthday month in June so I can get my free birthday prezzie with the purchase. During my last TJs shopping trip, I purchased some Ellen Tracey mascara to tide me over. Unfortunately, it was the most crap lousy product I have ever used in my life. I needed to go to TJs anyways to make a return so I just bought a mini MAC tube of mascara to get me through until June. I was disappointed they didn’t have some Better Than Sex mascara in store because they sometimes do, but beggars can’t be choosers. -_-

After my astoundingly quick time in TJMaxx, I went to Bath & Body Works next to cash in a free travel size product coupon. Normally when I get a freebie coupon, I like to try new to me scents. This time around, I reverted back to a fragrance I got in my January freebie haul: Calypso Clementine. This scent is exactly what you think it is and it’s delightful. I am extremely partial to citrus and just had to get Calypso Clementine in a fragrance spray too. I have a feeling I am going to be wearing it all summer. It is bright, zesty, and screams sunshine! Highly recommend. 😀

Good things come in small packages and that was definitely the case with this Mini Madness. Now, here’s to hoping I won’t need any more mascara until June! #fingerscrossed

What is your favorite brand of mascara? What is your favorite summertime scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr11

Pedi Party

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Pedi Party

Hello!! Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week because I either work with my online boss in person or just get to work from home and it is great! I also love being able to spend that WFH time with the bunnies so it is a banner day to be me. This past Monday was even better than usual. I worked from home, Johnny was off, the solar eclipse happened (More on that soon!), and I got to hang out with my mom. As a belated birthday gift, I treated my mom and I to Spa Pedicures at Elysian Nails. This is the fourth pedicure I’ve ever had and my mom’s first and we both enjoyed ourselves so much! Check it out:

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The last time I got a pedicure was when I got married and I just did the most basic one. I wanted to go all out for my mom’s birthday treat, though, so two Spa Pedis it was. This type of pedicure came with all of the bells and whistles and my mom and I loved every minute of it. After selecting our colors (Hot pink gel for her and black polish for me), we sat down in massage chairs and let the fantastic techs get to work. I think we would have both been happy with our feet in the warm water and letting the massage chairs do their thing!

For almost an entire hour, we were pampered with scrubs, rubs, hot towels, and the finest attention to detail on our tootsies. After just a few minutes of our pedicure, it was like looking at entirely different toes! We were both amazed at how the nails were essentially reshaped and it was a night and day difference. All of the treatments used worked wonders too. My feet and calves have never felt so soft and smooth and I didn’t think it was possible for them to feel that good. We both left our appointment feeling like a million bucks with pretty painted toes and a brand new memory to share together. ❤

As we drove home from our Pedi Party, we decided that twice a year pedicures should be a new tradition for my sister, mom, and me. I already can’t wait for our next one and, as always, Elysian Nails got us just right!

How often do you get pedicures? What is your favorite spa treatment? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar30

March 2024 Finishes

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March 2024 Finishes

Hellooo everyone! Is it just me or did January and February drag major ass and March simply flew by?! We are already wrapping up the month, which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty empties. This past month, I used several new to me products and that is something that I always enjoy! Were they buy again worthy or total duds? Let’s find out!

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Would I Use Again?

Hope Soap Grapefruit & Bamboo Body Cream: MAYBE

Clinical Works Cleansing Toner: NO

The Beauty Standard Vitamin C Moisturizer: NO

Bath & Body Works Dry Skin Moisturizer: MAYBE

Provence Beauty Collagen Serum: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

Hope Soap Cream: Hope Soap is a local business in my neck of the woods and my darling mother in law gifts me with their products for Christmas. I have used their Body Nectar several times and while they were nice, they didn’t blow me away. The mango butter body cream called The Sauce, however, was much more like it! The Grapefruit & Bamboo scent was zingy and refreshing and it felt so rich and nourishing on my skin. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again, but it is definitely my favorite Hope Soap product that I have used. It took me about a month to finish the bottle with once daily use.

Clinical Works Toner: During my TJMaxx holiday gift card skin care restock extravaganza (What a mouthful!), I was so disappointed that there was not a single bottle of my beloved Evoluderm micellar water in sight. So, I had to make do with random toners instead like this one by Clinical Works. I finished the bottle with once daily use in a month and I was less than impressed. What I like about the Evoluderm micellar water is that it really does feel like a beauty treatment. The toner by Clinical Works literally just felt like I was rubbing water on my face lol SMH.

The Beauty Standard Moisturizer: Normally when I use a product, I make mental notes in my head of what I liked and didn’t like about it. In the case of the Vitamin C moisturizer by The Beauty Standard, I am drawing a blank! I genuinely can’t remember if I felt any type of way about it so I’m assuming that it was very average. Since it was anything but noteworthy in my head, this is a moisturizer that I wouldn’t buy again!

B&BW Moisturizer: During my winter Semi Annual Sale shopping spree at Bath & Body Works, I was surprised to learn that they had a skin care line. I purchased one of their dry skin moisturizers out of sheer curiosity and it took me a month of twice daily use to finish the jar. During that time, I enjoyed using the moisturizer and loved how soft and smooth my skin felt with each use. It was very hydrating and it just felt nice to use. Would I buy it at full price? Hard no. But, if it is on sale again during the summer Semi Annual, I will be more than happy to buy a few jars of it.

Provence Beauty Serum: I have used several Provence Beauty products in the past because they are almost always available at TJMaxx. For the most part, I have found their skin care to be a bit above average and those are my sentiments for the Collagen Serum too. This serum absorbed nicely into the skin, sat well under makeup, and I did notice a slight difference in the tightness of my skin after a month of twice daily use. Like most of the products we discussed, the jury is out on if I would buy this serum again. However, if it were available at TJs and I needed a serum restock, I would *probably* add it to my cart.

My March empties were, clearly, nothing to write home about but were certainly worth blogging about. You are not missing out on a majority of the above if you bypass them in the store!

Have you tried any new products recently? What did you think about them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Mar4

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy!! After going absolutely insane during Bath & Body Works’ winter Semi-Annual Sale, I have been receiving hella coupons in the mail and it is great. Each packet has contained a free travel size or full size product coupon and even though my shelves are fully stocked, free is free! 😀 This past Thursday, I had a quick minute to run into the store and used my coupon to get a free travel size shower gel in B&BW’s new scent, Tropidelic. I never would have picked it for myself so I was glad that the sales associate pointed it out! Let’s discuss:

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Whenever I stop into B&BW during the work week, I am going at high speed because it’s in between shifts. I am a woman on a mission and I have been told as such the past two times I walked into the store lol. As per ushe, I bee lined to the travel size section to pick whatever tickled my fancy. I am never too picky when it comes to the smaller size because it’s nice to try something new without having to use it for forever.

As I was making my decision, the sales associate asked if I had tried out the new Tropidelic line, I said no, and she returned with a fragrance spray tester stick. I took one whiff and it was good enough for me. Tropidelic offers notes of “passion flower, ylang ylang, and misty rainforest”. I’ll be honest with all of you, I have no idea what any of this is supposed to smell like lol, but I liked it! This really is a lush scent that teleports you to a tropical climate. It’s slightly floral, but the main notes are quite earthy. Tropidelic is way different than what I normally go for. I can’t say I would make the plunge to buy it in full size, however, I’m happy to sample it for a while. 😀

Bath & Body Works has been dropping new fragrance lines like it’s hot so if you are looking for a new spring scent, you know where to go!!

Do you like to use one specific scent or do you change it up? Do you swap scents with the seasons? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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

 

Feb10

New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

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New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

Hello!! There are a few things about my apartment that drives me absolutely nuts. One of which is my under the sink cabinet in the bathroom. At my old apartment, both of these cabinets opened perfectly and I was able to house all of my beauty care supplies. Here, however, the left cabinet is stuck something fierce and it is a pain to open. You literally have to rain blows upon it from the inside to get it to open and it is incredibly annoying. It also makes it very difficult to store all of my products because I can essentially only use one side of the cabinet. So, I decided on a simple AF solution that I am so happy with:

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As all of you know, I take my beauty stock pile seriously and it currently runneth over with skin care and Bath & Body Works hauls. What I love most about my hoard is being able to see all of the products and choosing which one to use next because it’s kind of like going shopping. This experience wasn’t possible with the cabinets so I used a chest of drawers to keep all of my goodies in instead. These drawers are old as dirt and I wasn’t using them for anything important – just random odds and ends that I had completely forgot about lol. I did find a ton of socks that I had convinced myself were gone for good, though, so that was a huge score!

Once I cleared out the top two shelves and condensed them to the bottom two, I began to fill each drawer. Bath and body care on the top shelf and skin care on the second one. This process was done in a flash, but it felt so good to do! I always consider my wardrobe to be my own personal boutique and now I get the same vibes with my beauty care. It was most pleasing to line them up in the order I wanted and have a visual of everything. It was pretty hard to tell what I even had in the cabinets when everything was piled on top of each other. In fact, I ended up finding tons of travel size B&BW freebies that got lost in the mix and is proof that this quick fix project needed to happen. 😀

Is this an HGTV level renovation? Not even HGTV Junior lol! But, I was able to problem solve and no longer have to punch my cabinet to get things out of it. Total GREAT SUCCESS!

What is a project you completed recently? What are your favorite things to stock up on? 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

 

Jan25

Bath Bomb Blitz: Rusted Acre Soap Co. Freddy Krueger Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Rusted Acre Soap Co. Freddy Krueger Edition

Hello!! This past weekend was a nice and relaxing one and I decided to take a soak with one of the amazing horror themed bath bombs my bestie got me for Christmas. These bath bombs by Rusted Acre Soap Co. are the literal bomb and I was highly impressed by the knife and Jason Voorhees ones that I used previously. They put on the most amazing show that put them on a Lush level for me and that’s really saying something! Needless to say, I was very excited to use the Freddy Krueger bath bomb but, unfortunately, it missed the mark in a big way. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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One, two Freddy’s coming for youuu

Similarly to the other two bath bombs that I used in this collection, not much happened for the first few minutes of the Freddy Krueger bomb being in the water. It fizzed out white bubbles and didn’t start turning the water red until the bath water was topped with a hazy film. Then, the bath bomb started really going into action with red and yellow bubbles bursting out at a rapid pace. This was pretty par for the course and I was actually willing the process to go faster because I was looking forward to the surprise finish that the previous two bath bombs had.

Nearing the end, the knife bath bomb spurted out inky, glittery black water and it looked SO cool. The Jason Voorhees one, on the other hand, erupted green and red from the eyes and ended up replicating his mask in the water. For the grand finale for Freddy Krueger, I was expecting to see the water bursts create a pattern like his gloves. This was the most logical way for it to go and I couldn’t wait to see it. Sadly, nothing happened once the bath bomb was about to fizz out completely and that was a big disappointment.

I will say that this bath bomb turned the water into a fantastic shade of deep, blood red and that was a nice touch. However, it basically did everything the other bath bombs did without anything unique about it. I’m not sure if this was because these bath bombs are a bit older. They did come shrink wrapped but maybe they needed to be used by a specific date to be at their most effective? We’ll see what the Ghostface and Michael Myers bombs do when I use them to determine if this was a factor or not.

Overall, I am going to rate the Freddy Krueger bath bomb with a four and a half out of ten stars. This was my least favorite one from the pack so far for its lack of excitement. Whomp whomp!!

Who is your favorite slasher villain? What is your favorite color palette for the water to change with a bath bomb? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

Howdy! Judging from yesterday’s post, it’s safe to say that I come alive during the Bath & Body Works semi annual sale lol. With such amazing deals, I would be shocked if I didn’t! I can’t say that I have ever paid full price for anything from B&BW between their coupons, promotions, and fabulous semi annual sales and that is how it should be. I couldn’t imagine spending almost fifteen dollars for one body wash! And, for this haul, I didn’t have to. Each product totaled out to be about four dollars and fifty cents and I was on thrifty girl cloud nine! Let’s check out the rest of this haul and discuss further:

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When I shop in store at B&BW, I tend to have my blinders on because I know exactly what I need and don’t want to be tempted by anything else. So, I was shocked to see that B&BW has skin care products as I online shopped my way through the semi annual sale! Despite the fact that I just had a major skin care haul from TJMaxx, I added a dry skin moisturizer to my cart anyway. The reviews for the moisturizer were pretty average and it only received three stars. Normally, I would shy away from something that doesn’t have stellar reviews, but curiosity got the best of me. It was also way cheaper than a moisturizer from TJs. I will be eager to try it out and will be sure to let you all know what I think!

Like the moisturizer, I really didn’t need more hand soap because I just had a holiday scent haul for that too. Also like the moisturizer, the hand soaps were dirt cheap and you all know that they are an absolute necessity in my household. The two soaps I chose were Express Your Elf and Very Berry Good Days. Express Your Elf was described as a “merry cookie” scent and I thought that was hilarious. With fragrance notes of “buttery shortbread, vanilla bourbon icing, and spun sugar”, I have to say that the merry cookie description was dead on lol. Hilarious, yes. Accurate AF, YES! 😀

Very Berry Good Days was said to have a strawberry soda scent and this one was just okay to me. The notes featured are “fresh strawberries, bubbly seltzer, and crushed ice”. It actually does smell like a fizzy, fruity soda and I thought that was cool. However, the strawberry scent translated more as a cough medicine and that was a turn off. One whiff of this soap had me wishing that they went for a limeade fragrance instead because I think that would be delightful.

Last but certainly not least from this haul is the Sun-Washed Citrus fragrance spray and shower gel. (Peep yesterday’s post for more on Poppy!) I am a fruity scent girl through and through and that includes all things citrus. It’s just so invigorating and fresh and gives summertime vibes in the dead of winter. Sun-Washed Citrus is exactly what I imagined it to be with notes of “sugared lemons, mandarin, and agave nectar”. The mandarin is soft and sweet while the lemon adds the perfect amount of zest and it is so very nice. Highly recommend!

This semi annual sale haul was one for the ages and I am so pleased with all of my purchases. The fragrances are sweet, but the prices were (Dare I say?) even sweeter!

What kind of fragrances do you like? What is a fragrance you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah