Tag Archives: b&bw

Jul3

Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition

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Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition

Hello everyone and happy July!! The month of June brought about a massive amount of beauty finishes for yours truly. As I try to be as detail oriented with product reviews as possible, this post will definitely be a long one! Not only did I finish a bunch of products but I actually liked ALL of them this time around, which doesn’t happen often. Take a look at my June empties and let’s discuss:

june

Would I Use Again?

  • Suave Everlasting Sunshine body wash: YES
  • Paul Mitchell Color Protect Locking Spray: YES
  • Simple Micellar Cleansing Water: YES
  • Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea lotion: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask: YES
  • The Body Shop Vineyard Peach body butter: YES

Why/Why Not?

Suave Body Wash: I think that Suave shower gels are incredibly underrated. They smell amazing, they hydrate, lather well, and leave your skin feeling supple and fresh. And they’re so reasonably priced that it seems like a no brainer to use their products. Everlasting Sunshine is one of my favorite scents by them. It’s floral and bright without being overpowering and it’s such an invigorating scent to hop into the shower with in the morning. It took me a little over one month to finish this product.

Paul Mitchell Spray: As a fake redhead, protecting my color at all costs is crucial. This Paul Mitchell spray kept my red looking bright and shiny throughout the month until I dyed it again. I would spray a generous amount into my hair after dyeing it and would use it before straightening my hair, as well. No matter what color you dye your hair, using a heat protecting and color locking product is essential in keeping your color looking freshly dyed until you hit the salon or boxed dye again. It took me over six months to finish this product.

Simple Cleansing Water: I’ve wanted to try Micellar water for a while but never felt a strong desire to buy a bottle. My mom snagged the Simple brand Cleansing Water on sale for me and I like it well enough. I’ve never seen a huge need to use a toner but I like that this product doubles as a super cheap makeup remover. Every day I dab this product on my face and neck after showering. I haven’t noticed a difference in my skin but it does feel good to use after I wash my face. It took me over a month of daily application and makeup touch ups to finish this bottle of Micellar water.

B&BW Lotion: Bath & Body Work’s Sweet Pea fragrance is fresh out of grade school but I don’t mind! My best friend got me this for some gift giving occasion or another and I just now used it up. I do love me some B&BW goodies so, of course, this lotion was no exception. I think that their lotions are the bomb. They are SO moisturizing while still feeling quite light and that’s really important to me. I’m a very tactile person, so when a lotion doesn’t absorb well or leaves behind a greasy residue, I have a really hard time with that. Bath & Body Works lotions have never given me a problem in regards to it not absorbing quickly or making my skin feel slimy after so it always has an A+ in my book! It took me about six or seven full body uses to finish this lotion.

TBS Skin Boost: Lol, I don’t even need to go into detail about my love for this product. You guys already know that. Anyways, it took me over two months of daily use to finish my Vitamin C Skin Boost.

TBS Moisturizer: Yeah, you guys know that I love this stuff, too. It took me a month of daily use to finish this moisturizer.

TBS Mask: I LOVE THIS FACE MASK SO MUCHHHH. The Body Shop’s Drops Of Youth Bouncy Sleep Mask is the truth. The texture of this mask is unlike anything I’ve ever used before. It’s such a thick, gel-like product but it absorbs like a dream. You would think that because it feels almost “gooey” that it would leave your skin feeling heavy or greasy after but that’s just not the case in the slightest. This mask sinks into your skin so quickly and a little bit of it will easily cover your face, neck, and cleavage.

This mask smells amazingly clean and crisp and damn does it make my skin feel good after using it! Hydrated, supple, smooth, radiant. After letting this mask soak into your skin as you sleep you will notice a difference as soon as you see your reflection in the morning. Your skin just glows. I cannot recommend this product enough and everyone should go get it STAT! It took me about two months of using three or four times a week to finish this mask.

TBS Body Butter: Vineyard Peach is my absolute favorite scent from The Body Shop. I really just love all peach everything. It’s such a sweet, crisp scent but it has this little bite of tartness to it and that’s what I like in a fragrance. This also explains why I adore apple scented products, too. ANYWAYS, I got this body butter at TJMaxx for a whole SIX BUCKS and I was so overcome with joy at that find. A general rule of thumb for me is that I would never pay the whopping twenty-one dollar price tag when it comes to The Body Shop’s body butters, so when TJ’s started carrying them it really was a godsend. The Vineyard Peach scent is to die for and it took me about seven full body uses to finish this product.

HOLY MOLY. Okay, so many finishes so little time amiright?! June definitely was a successful month when it came to using some amazing beauty products and I had a blast applying all of these goodies to my skin and body care routine. Hopefully July will be just as fabulous!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: June 2017 Finishes Edition! What beauty products did you use up this month? Who has used some of the products that I just finished up before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May27

May 2017 Finishes

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May 2017 Finishes

Hi everyone and happy weekend! If you can believe it, we’re already at the end of May, which means that it’s time for my monthly beauty finishes post! This month has been somewhat of a drag and a waiting game. My boyfriend is coming up to Ohio from North Carolina at the end of this month for my birthday so the entire month of May has literally been spent wishing for the days to go by faster! This month didn’t even bring me a lot of beauty empties to look forward to getting through so, needless to say, it’s been a pretty blah May (despite thoroughly enjoying all of my used products!). Take a look at this month’s finishes and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Bath & Body Works Country Apple body spray: YES
  • The Body Shop Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow mask: YES
  • Angie’s Bath & Body Goat’s Milk moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Spray: As I’m sure that all of you know by now, the Country Apple body spray from Bath & Body Works is one of my favorites. I love anything apple scented – lotions, shower gels, you name it. To me, apple is the perfect fruit fragrance. It’s crisp and refreshing and has the perfect balance of a sweet and tart bite, which results in a clean, freshly picked from the orchard scent. This B&BW spray is no exception. I always purchase a half a dozen or so of these sprays when they’re marked down to THREE DOLLARS during B&BW’s summer sale. It takes me about five or so months to finish one bottle, which is a cost of a whole sixty cents per month. Such a steal!!

TBS Mask: I absolutely LOVED the Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow mask from The Body Shop!! I purchased this for fourteen dollars when The Body Shop that I live by closed down and it was worth every penny. Seriously, I wish I bought ten of these bad boys so that I could have a year’s supply! I am obsessed with all things charcoal so I just had to give this mask a try and I am so glad that I did!

The first time that I used this cool, invigoratingly scented mask, I noticed a difference on my skin. As you all know, I am constantly battling blackheads on my nose next to my five piercings, and this mask annihilated them in ONE USE. Not only that, but it left my skin feeling tingling, soft, and totally radiant. I cannot recommend this product enough and I would definitely use it again! It took me about one month to finish this mask.

Angie’s B&B Moisturizer: My dear friend, Angela, the owner of the Etsy shop, Angie’s Bath & Body, gave me a sample of this moisturizer in my last order and I thought that it was fabulous. First of all, it smelled AMAZING. It had such a rich and creamy scent and it was such a delight to put on every morning. Second of all, it was effective. This moisturizer left my skin feeling smooth and hydrated and it looked peaches n’ cream perfection. And finally, a little bit of this moisturizer goes a long way. It took about two weeks to finish the sample pod and I used it every morning on my neck and face, so I can only imagine how long a full sized jar of this would last!

Although I didn’t finish too much this month, I really liked all of the products that I used up. I was happy to use old and new favorites, alike, and all three empties left me feeling nice and pampered. I am confident in recommending all three of my finishes this month and am looking forward to using more from my beauty hoard in June!

So there you have it, this month’s May 2017 Finishes! What beauty products did you use up this month? Has anyone 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

May19

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! This past Wednesday, I went to the mall so that I could pick up a birthday gift for my brother and while I was there, I figured that I would grab my freebie from Bath & Body Works, too. I also thought that it would be a nice break for the people who work at the one that I usually go to, considering I always just get my free item and leave (smh!). For this freebie, I restocked a shower gel that I had just given to a friend as part of her birthday gift in one of my favorite scents. Check it out:

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My best friend gifted me with the lotion of French Lavender & Honey a while back and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. It seriously smells SO. GOOD. I legit can’t get enough of this scent, which is glaringly obvious because I feel like I write about it constantly! These past few months of freebies, I have taken to getting shower gels instead of lotions. I honest to god have a lotion hoard that could keep a family of ten moisturized for the year, so it didn’t make much sense to continue adding to this stockpile just for me!

I think the mini shower gels are great and I can’t wait to use them for travel purposes this summer. The shower gels also make a wonderful addition to a gift that you’re giving, especially if you match the scent of the gel and lotion together. That’s what I did for my friend’s birthday this past week and it added ten extra dollars value to the gift that I didn’t pay a dime for. Sounds like a sweet deal to me!

So there you have it, my May Bath & Body Works Freebie! Who else is guilty of gifting bath and body care items for your girlfriends? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr23

Bath & Body Works April Freebie

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Bath & Body Works April Freebie

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! I hope that all of you are having a wonderful and relaxing weekend. This Friday, I ran into Bath & Body Works to collect my April Freebie and I am not very jazzed about it. I originally had a Sweet Pea shower gel picked out but apparently you could only use the coupon for lotion. Beggars can’t be choosers and I wasn’t in the mood to hunt down a good scent so I just grabbed something and ended up with Hello Beautiful. I thought the name was cute and the packaging was pretty so I thought “why not”. But, unfortunately, I think I should have taken the .3 seconds it takes to smell a product because I discovered that I hated it upon my arrival home! Take a look:

hello

A Lil Red Fun Fact is that I just don’t do floral fragrances. Like, ever. And I really should have examined the packaging closer to put two and two together that something with a flower on it is going to be floral scented, lol SMH! Hello Beautiful is just too heavy for my liking since I am all about fruity, flirty, fun fragrances. Bath & Body Work’s website describes Hello Beautiful as a: “perfect blend of white gardenia, jasmine petals, and magnolia blossom”. And guess what? I hate all three of these things!

Thank gawd this is just a travel size and I can probs pawn it off to someone or another for a gift giving occasion! And next time I grab a freebie, I will be much more attentive to what I’m picking out! #SHAMEFUL

What is one scent that you simply can’t stand? Are you a floral or fruity fan? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr12

Lifewithlilred’s FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

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Lifewithlilred’s FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

Helloooo everyone and welcome to a super exciting Hump Day post here on lifewithlilred! After over two years of my blog being a thing, I have yet to do a giveaway and I think that that is an absolute shame. BUT, there’s no better time than the present, and with the recent launch of my fragrance, Ruby Tulip, now seems like a perfect time for a giveaway! So, take a look at what one lucky reader is going to win and then check out the rules for your entry:

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The Prize:

  • One roll on bottle of Ruby Tulip from Angie’s Bath & Body
  • Two travel sized lotions from Bath & Body Works, Pink Cashmere and Japanese Cherry Blossom

Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to US residents only, but here is how you can enter:

  • Like lifewithlilred on Facebook
  • Follow me on WordPress
  • Reblog this post
  • Leave me a comment to let me know that all three tasks are complete

Lifewithlilred’s FIRST GIVEAWAY will conclude this upcoming Monday, April 17th! Yayayayay! Much love. -Sarah

Mar15

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Hiii everyone and happy Hump Day! Yesterday I made a quick stop into Bath & Body Works to grab my March freebie, a travel sized French Lavender & Honey shower gel. I’m trying to stock up on travel sized necessities like body wash and lotion for when I eventually make it out to Europe because every little bit helps! And as you guys know, I freaking love this scent. Check it out:

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So since we’re all aware of the deliciousness that is French Lavender & Honey, I would like to announce a future giveaway, instead. March is all about the launch of lifewithlilred’s perfume line, Ruby Tulip. But, come April, I would love to do a giveaway of four to five travel sized Bath & Body Works goodies. It will be a lovely variety of different scents to test out for yourself or you could do the Sarah technique and add them on to birthday presents for friends or family. Either way, a giveaway is on the horizon so be on the lookout!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? Who plans on participating in lifewithlilred’s first giveaway? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb9

Bath & Body Works February Freebies

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Bath & Body Works February Freebies

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Bath & Body Works is back on track with their freebies after taking December off and I couldn’t be happier. This month, I switched things up and went with shower gel instead of lotion since I already have like ten travel sized lotions that accumulated over the months. I went with shower gel because when I make my way to Europe hopefully within the year, it will be nice to have travel approved body washes that I didn’t have to pay a dime for. Hey, every little bit helps!

The shower gels will also be a nice addition to add on to gifts to friends and family when their birthdays come around. Adding in a few mini lotions with their shower gel counterparts brings an extra ten or more dollar value to the prezzie without having to break out the plastic or cold hard cash. That’s such a win in my book! Seriously, nothing is better than having a stock pile of beauty items to turn to when you feel like a gift is kind of blah because of either lack of funds or inspiration. What girl doesn’t love a few extra bath and body care goodies to add to her collection?!

feb

Today, I got two travel sized shower gels in Beautiful Day and Pretty As A Peach. Both of these scents are equally delicious but that’s not what I want to talk about in this post. Instead, I want to discuss the possibility of doing a giveaway on lifewithlilred soon – the very first one, as a matter of fact! February is all about my Think Spring guest bloggers series but come March, a giveaway with a little bouquet of four or five travel sized lotions or gels could be lots of fun! Like I said, what girl doesn’t love a few extra bath and body care goodies to add to her collection?!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works February Freebies! How does everyone feel about a giveaway? Which scents do you think I should include? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan26

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

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Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Hii everyone and happy Thursday! So this month I was growing increasingly wary that Bath & Body Works was finally on to the fact that whenever I come into the store, it’s usually just to cash in my freebie coupons. I had not received anything in December so by late January, I assumed that my free ride was over. But, as they say, assume makes an ass out of you and me because this past week I received some of my beloved freebie coupons in the mail. I was really happy about this because after the holiday season, my hoard was beginning to run dry thanks to peppering many a gift with a few travel sized goodies. Lucky for me, I was able to add to the stock pile with these two lotions:

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On Tuesday, I picked up a travel size Pink Cashmere and Magic In The Air lotion. I really like the Pink Cashmere scent because it smells so barely there light which is perfect for someone who doesn’t like an overpowering fragrance. I am one of those people so if I decide to keep this one for myself or gift it, I know that it will be a hit either way. I also LOVE, love, love the packaging for this lotion. It is so girly, soft, and pretty which was the perfect way to go for such a delicate scent.

Magic In The Air is one of B&BW’s winter fragrances and will definitely be one that I’ll be saving for the next holiday season (or perhaps a giveaway!). It won’t do much good to gift someone with a wintery floral scent for a summer birthday! Regardless, I think that this lotion smells really pretty! It has a lovely winter berry scent layered with some sweet florals, which is all combined with the freshness in the air that comes with a crisp winter wind. Normally, I’m not one for floral fragrances but Magic In The Air is one that I can get down with!

I am so #blessed that Bath & Body Works decided to bestow more freebie coupons onto me and am looking forward to refilling my stock pile with lots of wonderful smell goods!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works January Freebie! Who thinks that I should do a lotion giveaway? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov29

November Finishes

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November Finishes

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! The month of November has been a really busy one but it has brought me beaucoup bottles of finished beauty products to discuss with you. I am actually so happy about all of these empties because they were the ones that were legitimately taking forever to finish. Thanks to these completed products seen below I can now break out goodies that I have been waiting an eternity to use, like my cocoa butter from The Body Shop and my pink grapefruit St. Ives cleanser. Happy day! So now, without further ado, take a look at my November Finishes and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Pure & Basic Creme Brulee lotion: YES!
  • Bath & Body Works Mango Mandarin spray: YES
  • St. Ives Indulgent Coconut Milk body wash: YES
  • St. Ives Oatmeal Scrub & Mask: YES
  • Jergens BB Hand cream: YES
  • The Body Shop Aloe night cream: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

Pure & Basic lotion: This Creme Brulee scented lotion smells freaking AMAZING! It literally smells like you are rubbing yourself down with vanilla cake batter and I can definitely get down with that. I got this huge bottle of Pure & Basic lotion at TJMaxx for a whole six dollars and it has lasted me well over three months. This lotion absorbs quickly but is highly moisturizing and I would totally recommend and use it again.

My mom actually taught me a fun trick after I was done with the bottle of Pure & Basic this week and was lamenting over the extra product that gets stuck in the bottle. She told me that when this happens, she puts some water in the bottle and then shakes it up to use as a body milk in the shower the next day. So clever!

B&BW spray: Normally I’m a Country Apple girl when it comes to my Bath & Body Works perfume sprays but I love the Mango Mandarin! I got myself six bottles during their throwback sale in the summer at three dollars a bottle and I am so pleased with that purchase! My favorite thing to do is to layer this spray with my Satsuma spray from TBS for a longer lasting fragrance. It took me about six months to finish this perfume.

St. Ives body wash: The Indulgent Coconut Milk body wash by St. Ives is so delicious. I really enjoy their products and this is probably my favorite body wash by them. It smells completely delectable – even better than The Body Shop’s coconut fragrance, which is really saying something! It also lathers like a dream which provides you with a shower or bubble bath that is purely pampering and relaxing. It took me about three months to finish this product.

St. Ives scrub: Like I just said, I really really like St. Ives products so of course I loved my oatmeal scrub! This product is a really gentle exfoliater so it won’t dry out your skin which is great during the chilly winter months. It smells great and it left my skin looking perfectly peaches and cream afterwards. My scrub lasted me about a month and a half and now I am on to using their pink grapefruit scrub which I am sure will be discussed soon! Spoiler Alert! It smells AMAZING.

Jergens hand cream: I blogged about this wonder cream before so for the full article please check out the link provided! If not, I will say that this is hands down the best hand cream that I have ever used. As a hardcore germophobe and hand washer, it is not hard for my hands to become extremely red and raw within a few days. This cream has provided me with relief as well as a formula that is non greasy and fast absorbing so that I can use it again and again with no lingering residue. I have used this product off and on since February and cannot recommend it enough.

TBS night cream: I really liked the Aloe night cream! I got it for free with an online purchase a few months ago and it made my skin feel so lush before bedtime. I had never used anything from the Aloe line before and I would use it again but I still prefer Vitamin E over it. What I did like was that the cream was a heavier texture but it still absorbed well which is exactly what I look for in a night cream. It took me about a month and a half to finish this product.

TBS moisturizer: I have been an avid lover of The Body Shop’s Vitamin E line for quite some time now. I think that this moisturizer is simply the best and am so happy that I have another jar of it in back stock so that I can continue using it daily. If you are looking for a moisturizer that is light, nourishing, and sits well under makeup than look no further. The Vitamin E moisturizer will leave your skin looking and feeling like a million bucks. It took me about a month and a half to finish this product.

I am SO happy with all of my empties this month, 1) because they were all effective and fabulous and 2) I am looking forward to using more new products! Most of my finishes from this month have been with me for a long time now so I am happy to retire these bottles and move onto some new bath and body and skin care goodies in December!

So there you have it, my November Finishes! What beauty products have you used up this month? What beauty product can you not live without during the winter? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct7

Bath & Body Works October Freebies

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Bath & Body Works October Freebies

Hellooo everyone and TGIF! While I was in Asheville, North Carolina this week, I just had to take advantage of doing some shopping. I had three freebie coupons from Bath & Body Works burning a hole in my pocket and was eager to cash them in. I was also pretty happy to be able to walk into a new B&BW and not get judged too hard for just grabbing the free items and leaving! I’m pretty sure the B&BW that I frequent is super over me by now! I stocked up on three of their fall fragrances and now I’m here to rank them according to which ones I liked best. Take a look:

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  1. Champagne Apple & Honey: If you guys are familiar with my blog, it should come as no surprise that this scent was my favorite! As you know, I am obsessed with apple fragrances and this one is just divine! Bubbly and sweet champagne mixed with a tart, crisp apple and just the smallest splash of honey. This scent combines all of the bite of an apple plucked fresh from the orchard with the girly and fresh scent of sparkling champagne. Cheers!
  2. Golden Pear & Brown Sugar: This scent was nice! I was a bit worried that it would be too sweet of a scent which I don’t care for at all but I was pleasantly mistaken. The soft crunch of a juicy pear blended beautifully with the semi sweet scent of brown sugar. I liked how light this fragrance was because it’s easy for anything with “sugar” in the title to be too sweet to the point that it’s overpowering.
  3. Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte: Speaking of too sweet – this scent just didn’t do it for me. The marshmallow scent in this lotion is actually more like vanilla, which is something that I usually love. Unfortunately, the not so subtle sweetness of the vanilla created something that just smelled off when combined with the frothy pumpkin latte. Had this scent incorporated a bit more PSL style spiciness into it, I think it could have been salvaged but this one is definitely not for me!

Overall, I was really pleased with all of the fall Bath & Body Works fragrances. Despite not caring for the Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte scent, it will make a great add on gift for Christmas presents! And for those of you who live for the B&BW holiday scents, you better hit the mall pronto because they are already available in stores and online!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works October Freebies! Has anyone done some bath and body care shopping recently? What did you get? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah