Tag Archives: beauty

Nail Tech Love Is The Best Love!

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Nail Tech Love Is The Best Love!

Hi hi hi everyone! So my summer classes started today and everything is good so far, but I decided to take a quick break to tell you guys a super sweet story about my beloved nail tech Vinny! I was having a not so hot day yesterday, which I mentioned while Vinny and I were texting. After flourishing me with compliments, Vinny sent me a link to his favorite classical song to help me relax:

The song was absolutely gorgeous and as you guys know I fucking love U2, so I texted Vinny to thank him for sharing his favorite song with me. He then texted me back telling me to check the comments on the video, so I got back on YouTube and found the video again. As I looked through the comment section, this is what I found:

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^^^ SO sweet. Once I saw this comment I immediately started ugly crying, but it was a happy ugly cry if that makes sense – Haha I was seriously so touched by my dear friend’s gesture that I just couldn’t help it! I texted Vinny to let him know my current crying situation and then he told me that the song he sent me should be played at my wedding. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and laugh mid cry at such a classic Vinny statement. I then sent him a correction to his previous text, telling him that the song can be playing at *OUR* wedding! Vinny and I have a very special friendship and we both love each other very much, but there was something so special to me about our exchange last night that I just had to share it. It was just so damn sweet and it was exactly what I needed after a not so great day. So here’s to you Vinny – you’re more than just my nail tech, you’re seriously one of my best friends. Thank you for being you and thank you for always treating me like your princess. I LOVE YOU! #teamvinny

I hope everyone is having an absolutely fabulous day so far! Does anyone else have a special relationship with their hair dresser, nail tech, ect? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial

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Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial

Hello, hello everyone! So as you can see by my featured image photo, I’m going nude, au natural, bare faced – in other words makeup free to discuss my without fail facial! I worked as the assistant manager at The Body Shop for over half a year, and it taught me a lot about skin care and products. Now that my older sister is working there as my prodigy, it’s so fun to instill in her some Body Shop knowledge – and still get some awesome discounts on their products! Holla! Thanks to my vast knowledge on skin care, skin types, and everything in between, I’ve been known to give a mean facial at home to my sister and my mom. This past weekend I decided to treat myself (and my sissy!) to one of my fabulous facials to freshen up my skin and go bare faced for the world. If there’s one thing that I get complimented on a lot, it’s my creamy complexion. It’s very important to me to maintain my healthy pale glow, so constant skin care is a must. Here’s another pic of me going au natural, and then we’ll discuss some facial fun with a plethora of Body Shop products!

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^^^ My face is bare and I don’t care….too much anyways 😉 So I lined up all of my Body Shop products in the order that I use them for a Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial, take a look and then I’ll discuss each item! Please don’t mind my dirty bath tub!

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Step 1) Dampen skin with warm water and apply the Warming Mineral Clay Mask and let it sit for five minutes. I absolutely adore this product. The mask is made with ginger and a bunch of other good stuff and begins to warm as soon as it touches the skin. The warming sensation from the clay literally attacks your pores for a deep cleanse. After five minutes of having the mask on, almost all of the blackheads that live around my nostril piercings disappeared. Needless to say, I was a very happy camper about that! After your mask is done sitting, wet a cloth with warm water and gently wipe off your skin.

Step 2) It’s time to wash your face! You can use whatever cleanser you please, but I recommend that it’s a cream base rather than a gel to avoid drying out your skin. I used the Pomegranate Softening Facial Wash to give my skin a nice, gentle cleansing after my pores were stripped from the mask. Wash your face well so you remove any remaining clay and grime, and don’t pat yourself dry quite yet!

Step 3) This step will be different for everyone depending on their skin type. If you have “normal” skin, like myself you should be fine with using a facial scrub like the Tea Tree Squeaky Clean Scrub straight from the container. However, scrubs can be a bit harsh on acne prone skin, so if you do have acne I recommend mixing up the scrub with the Vitamin E Hydrating Toner just like how you would mix it with water before using on the skin. Using a moisturizing toner mixed with a somewhat harsh scrub should eliminate any unpleasant burning or stinging. If you have normal skin, apply the toner after you’re done with your scrub. Tea Tree products are specifically used for acne, but even if you don’t suffer from it, the scrub will leave your skin feeling exhilarated and your pores will be squeaky clean just as the name of the product says!

Step 4)  Apply a treatment. Now is a good time to apply topical acne cream if you use it. If not, I like to put on an eye cream as my treatment, like the Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream. The skin around the eyes is so sensitive and can dry out very easily, so it’s so important to keep the windows to your soul hydrated! There’s plenty of great eye creams at The Body Shop to choose from – I’m also particularly fond of the eye cream in the Vitamin E line as well!

Step 5) Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!!! Like the eye creams, The Body Shop has an abundance of excellent moisturizers to choose from. During my most recent facial I used their new Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturizer but any kind will do! Each line from Aloe to Vitamin E to Pomegranate has their own moisturizer – so it’s up to you to pick the best one for your skin type. I’m all about my skin having a radiant glow to it, so I’m simply thrilled that the Vitamin C line finally has a moisturizer!

Step 6) This step is optional, but I’m including it because it’s part of my skin care regime. To end a facial or my daily skin care routine I always apply the Vitamin C Skin Boost to tie everything together. This fantastic product gives an instant glow to your skin and leaves a lovely matte finish, which is the perfect way to complete a fresh face facial. Having smooth, matte skin is also a bonus if you plan on applying makeup afterwards, but I don’t recommend it – let your skin breathe!!

Next time you or your girlfriends need a night of pampering, make sure to follow my guide for the Lil Red’s Fresh Face Facial! All of the products that I mentioned above can be purchased in stores or online at http://www.thebodyshop.com. Have a fabulous night and please make sure to check out my most recent article “Monday Update: Online Shopping, Lil Red Style” for some amazing pieces up for grabs! What’s your favorite product from The Body Shop? Do you have any questions about the products or steps? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nail Tech Love!

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Nail Tech Love!

Helloooo everyone and happy Hump Day! So as you guys know, I have a deep love for my acrylic nails which are really more like talons than nails. And as you guys also know, I have a deep love for my beloved nail tech – the man who makes it all possible, my boo thang: VINNY!!! Last time I got my nails filled he sharpened the talons to perfection and gave me my usual black nails with two white accent ones. They turned out flawless! Take a look:

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^^^ OBSESSED. #pronails #teamvinny

I usually get my nails filled every three weeks at 1:30 on Thursday like clockwork. But last Thursday I stayed at school in Cleveland later than usual to get some tutoring, so I called up Vinny as I left campus to make sure that he could still see me by the time I got there. Of course he told me that he would make all the time in the world for me! He also asked me to get him his usual 5/5 White Lightening from the Starbucks down the street from the salon, which I was more than happy to do! While stopped at a red light, I checked my phone and he texted me saying that I didn’t have to pay for my nails today since I was buying him his coffee. SO SWEET. Vinny already won’t let me tip him, so he was spoiling me completely rotten. Once I got to the salon, he was outside waiting for me and smoking a cigarette because he says I make him nervous, haha! My favorite thing about going to Vinny to get my nails done (other than the fact that he’s a dear friend and our conversations are fabulous), is that he really takes his time fixing up my talons so that they always end up perfect. He always spends an hour or more filling, sharpening, and painting them and it’s so nice to take that time out of my day to get pampered. And let me tell you, he did a bang up job on the sharpening this last time…the following day I accidentally scratched my cheek while I was putting a shirt on and my nails were so sharp that they left an unsightly red streak on my cheek for the entire day, I swear, they’re like the more fashionable version of carrying around pepper spray! No one should mess with Lil Red! This morning I woke up to a text from my sweet Vinny, which read:

“If I have to scale mountains, endure torture, and defeat ninjas with my kung fu – nothing can prevent me from texting you :)”

Well let me tell you, Vinny…the feeling is one hundred percent mutual! I love you!

I hope all of you guys are having a wonderful day so far! Do any of you have a hair stylist or nail tech that goes above and beyond for you? What shape do you get your acrylics in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Makeup & Skin Care Obsessions

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Makeup & Skin Care Obsessions

So earlier today I wrote about my latest fashion obsessions and I didn’t even dabble in the new makeup and skin care that I’ve been using that I’m absolutely in love with. So let’s discuss!

Revlon Matte Balm: I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this little miracle worker before, but because it’s a miracle worker, it must be mentioned again!! This product is the most fantastic thing that has ever happened to my undying love of red lipstick. Before I found this balm, I would apply Covergirl’s lipstick and blow dry it like crazy, because I loves me a matte pout. All of this blow drying and blotting left my lips incredibly dry and flaky. Revlon’s balm goes on perfectly matte and doesn’t budge from your lips at all, so no lip liner is needed and most importantly: NO BLOW DRYING!!! This product has literally saved my lips from a very dry destiny and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you’re not a fan of a matte lip, fear not! Revlon also makes these balms in glossy! I wear shade number 240 “Striking” and paid roughly seven dollars for my matte balm. Revlon products can be found at your local drug store, Target, Walmart, or where ever else makeup is carried!

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Covergirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara: I really like this stuff! I’ve wanted to try it since I saw the darling commercials with the beautiful Katy Perry advertising the product. Luckily, I was in need of new mascara anyways, so I figured I’d give it a try. This mascara separates and defines my lashes like no other. Best of all it goes on so lightly, so you don’t have to worry about sticky, clumpy lashes. I use this mascara as a base coat before I apply my heavy duty mascaras. I’m a big fan of extremely black and bold lashes so I use Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes mascara and Covergirl’s Flamed Out mascara combined to achieve this look. If you’re looking for a mascara that gives you rich color, I wouldn’t recommend the Full Lash Bloom. However, if you’re in need of a mascara to give you perfectly separated lashes before you break out the big guns, than I say grab some of this stuff in it’s cute pink container at once!

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Regis Designline Hair Oil: Ohhhhhh yes. This stuff is magic in a lovely lavender bottle. My hair has the tendency to get pretty dried out from how often I color and straighten it. I refuse to let my hair be seen if it’s anything but bright bright red and pin straight. Because it gets so dry, when I straighten my hair in the morning it will frizz out towards the bottom and refuse to lay flat. This oil has been the answer to my “fix my frizzy hair” prayers. Literally two drops is all you need for your hair to turn sleek and silky. The great thing about this product is that it doesn’t leave my hair greasy at all. I wash my hair every two weeks, and my hair isn’t insanely oily, greasy, or weighed down by the product by the time I wash my hair. I apply this product after I towel dry my hair as well for a nice deep conditioned feel. Another plus for this hair oil is that it smells like marshmallows! My sister purchased this item at the Best Cuts where we get our hair done, so I’m sure you can find it at any Famous Hair, Fantastic Sam’s, or Best Cuts salon near you!

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Biore Deep Pore Cleanser & Scrub: If there’s one thing I love, it’s squeaky clean pores. I use both of these products every morning and my skin has never looked better. The best part about the cleanser is that it’s made with charcoal so it draws out any grime like a magnet. I’ve never gotten a pimple in my life, honest to god truth, so hopefully these products will keep it that way! However, I get very annoying blackheads on my nostrils, particularly around my four nose piercings. Both the cleanser and the scrub are able to eliminate these blackheads completely without irritating my piercings. Your skin will feel so refreshed when you use these products too, because you get an icy cool sensation when you’re rubbing it in and washing it off. It definitely helps me wake up in the morning! I spent about fifteen dollars for both of these items and they were worth every penny. Biore products can be found at your local drug store, Target, or Walmart.

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Contact Solution & Witch Hazel: This recommendation goes out to my pierced readers of lifewithlilred. When I got my septum pierced about a month ago, my sister happened to ask me if I needed cleaning solution in front of my piercer. He then asked me if I wore contacts, which I do. He told me that contact solution, or any saline solution really can be used to clean piercings. So for the next week or so I washed my new piercing with my contact solution and it healed absolutely beautifully – better than any of my previous thirty piercings. Another product I like to use to keep my piercings nice and clean is witch hazel. It’s a natural astringent, so I feel one hundred percent comfortable using it to clean my four nostril piercings and my septum every morning and night. I used to get unsightly annoying bumps on my nostril piercings before, but since I started my witch hazel regime, those are a thing of the past!

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So there you have it, my newest makeup and skin care obsessions. I blog pretty frequently about beauty products, so definitely skim through my page for more of the products that I can’t life without! What’s one of your favorite makeup items? Do you have any beauty tips or secrets that you swear by? I’d love to hear all about it, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Have a great night! -Sarah