Tag Archives: beauty

Mar17

Face Mask Festivities: Revitalizing Japanese Sake Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on March 17, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Face Mask Festivities! While I was sick AF, I found myself growing rather fond of sheet masks. Surprising, I know, because I don’t really like them or find them to be effective. However, what I did like was the ritual of it. That twenty or so minutes of just sitting and being while the mask sat was relaxing, even if I was constantly adjusting the mask! Returning back to work this past week after being sick for a week was absolutely exhausting and I was hitting a slump by the time Wednesday rolled around. What I really wanted was to go back to watching TV at noon, but that’s (sadly) not in the cards for me until I retire lol. So, I decided to do a sheet mask instead. Check it out:

I’M SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my schedule allows for a brief break in the afternoon between shifts and I thought that was the perfect time to do a little pampering. Thursday morning, I selected the Revitalizing Japanese Sake sheet mask by GlamUp to bring with me to work. Then, I put it on at my mom and dad’s, which is where I go on my break. Let’s just say that they were completely floored by my beauty as I sat at their kitchen table for twenty minutes with my mask on. Lol, I kid you not my dad literally shuddered when he looked at me!!

I chose the Japanese Sake mask for no particular reason other than that it was said to be “revitalizing” and to “enhance radiance”. I definitely needed a bit of that! As I let the mask sit, I tried to take myself back to sitting on the couch at my apartment, watching TV, and snuggled in my blankets – the pinnacle of relaxation. It was actually pretty nice to take that time to close my eyes, rest, and focus on my happy place. The only thing that was missing was an episode of Euphoria. 😀

After the twenty minutes were up I was, for once, impressed with the results. Before I used the mask, I looked as tired as I physically felt. My skin was dull as dishwater and I couldn’t believe that this mask helped me get my glow back. It was seriously a night and day difference and even though I wasn’t well rested in the slightest, I looked it! I also found that my skin was soft and smooth to the touch. This little pampering break really helped perk me up and I felt ready to take on the rest of my day afterwards.

I am going to rate the Revitalizing Japanese Sake sheet mask with a six out of ten stars. This was, easily, the best GlamUp mask I have used and I think I found my new favorite way to spend a quick break during the work week!

How do you spend your breaks at work? How do you give your skin a radiance boost? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar14

New Hot Pink & Magenta Nails

Posted on March 14, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! When I was sick AF, I had to cancel my appointment for a fill at Elysian Nails and it made me so very sad. Getting my nails done always perks me up and I really needed it because my nails were looking as awful as I felt! Thankfully, the owner of Elysian was able to get me in first thing on Monday morning to get me right and my nails are finally back to their former glory. It felt so good to get pampered after a long week of feeling like ass and I am loving how my nails turned out:

Prior to my go to girl leaving the salon, I would never dream about using anybody else for my nails. However, now that she is employed elsewhere, I alternate between a few different techs. This is fine by me because everyone at Elysian is excellent and I have never had a bad experience with any of them. Back in January, a new to me tech did my nails and she did an absolutely amazing job so I was excited to be back in her chair on Monday. I also couldn’t wait for the bright, poppy palette of hot pink and magenta I picked out to adorn my nails. I needed something fun and zippy after a long, gloomy week of being sick!

Because I couldn’t get in for my regularly scheduled time, my nails were in a worse way than usual when I go for an appointment. They were extremely grown out and the middle finger on my right hand was lifted badly. My tech blew my mind because instead of putting a new tip on the nail, she free painted it with acrylic and I can’t even tell the difference. Prior to my appointment, my nails felt very weak and she fortified them expertly. My acrylics feel so strong now and the length, shape, and color are perfect too. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think I might have a new go to tech. 😀

This was one of the best fills I have gotten at Elysian Nails because it was so desperately needed. My tech was able to turn my busted nails into something beautiful again and I can’t stop looking at them!!

Do you have a go to hair stylist or nail tech? How long have you been their client for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar11

Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Peppermint Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on March 11, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Refreshing Peppermint Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Hello! I spent literally all of last week being sick AF and while it was annoying, I would be a liar if I said it wasn’t kind of nice lol. For one glorious week, I got to sleep in however late I wanted, spend lots of time with my darling bunnies, and binge on Demon Slayer and Euphoria. Thursday was my last day at home before I had to work a must do shift on Friday and I decided to do a face mask in the afternoon for an extra dose of relaxation. I haven’t been too fond of the GlamUp sheet masks that I have a set of, but the last one I used wasn’t too bad so I was kind of looking forward to giving them another shot. Sadly, the Refreshing Peppermint missed the mark. Let’s discuss:

^^^ I’m sexy!!!!!

The last few days of being sick left me with cold symptoms and I was a snotty, congested mess. I chose the peppermint sheet mask because I thought it would help perk me up and I didn’t have peppermint tea to sip lol. Surprisingly, this mask fit way better than the other GlamUp ones I have used before and it made for a much more pleasant experience. I was able to hunker down with my show for twenty minutes comfortably and it was awesome to not constantly be readjusting the mask. I was definitely ready to take it off, though!

After the mask was off, I noticed a slight tingling in my skin and was able to smell the peppermint serum through my clogged up nose. My skin felt cool and *slightly* refreshed, but nothing to write home about. Although I never expect too much out of these masks, I admit that I was a little disappointed! This was the first time I have used a sheet mask that wasn’t a total hindrance in so long and I wanted more from it. The sensation from the peppermint mask was short lived and I wouldn’t use it again. Whomp whomppp.

I am going to rate this mask with a two out of ten stars. The fit was great and the scent was nice, but it did nothing for me besides that!

What is one of your favorite scents? What soothes you when you’re under the weather? 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

Posted on March 4, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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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:

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

Mar1

Face Mask Festivities: Clarifying Oatmeal Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Posted on March 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: Clarifying Oatmeal Sheet Mask By GlamUp Edition

Howdy! Ninety-nine percent of the people I know absolutely despite Mondays and, honestly, I can’t relate. Mondays are actually one of my favorite days of the week when it comes to work! I have an early morning transport client, then I either head to the office of my online boss to work with him or do a video chat to get our weekly projects going. From there, the rest of the day is spent online and it is such a welcome change of pace from the Monday shift that I did have smack dab in the middle of the day.

This Monday, I was able to go home instead of going to the office and was able to get my work done quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I was done a whole two hours before Johnny was due to be home from his job. With this time, I tackled some cleaning projects and still had about an hour to kill. I thought to myself that it would be nice to use a face mask and watch some TV (My 600 Lb. Life, obvi) and that is exactly what I did:

^^^ Lol I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me first start off by saying, I hate sheet masks. I really do. I think they are so wildly inconvenient and I much prefer a classic clay mask. However, I got these GlamUp masks from someone or another who didn’t want them so I might as well use them! I went with the Clarifying Oatmeal mask and didn’t plan on it doing much of anything. This is not my first GlamUp rodeo and I have yet to be impressed with one. Although, I will admit, I was slightly impressed with my choice this time around. Hey, that’s something right?!

As always, the experience of wearing the sheet mask in itself was abysmal. Also as always, it was huge on me and the twenty minutes I had it on for were spent constantly adjusting it to keep from falling off. Clay masks relax me, sheet masks infuriate me and I could not wait to take this thing off! Once the twenty minutes were blessedly done, I was surprised by how soft my skin felt. I am writing this post way after the fact and I still feel like my skin is benefiting from it. Am I blown away by this mask? I wouldn’t go that far, but it was nice to use a GlamUp mask that actually did something lol. 😀

I am going to rate this mask with a five out of ten stars. It got an F- for experience for sure, but a solid B- for results. Not the best, certainly not the complete worst!

What kind of mask do you prefer? What is your favorite day of the week? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb29

February 2024 Finishes

Posted on February 29, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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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:

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

Feb25

Trader Joe’s Berry Lip Mask Review

Posted on February 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! My family absolutely loves Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately, the nearest one to us is about a forty or so minute trek, making it a highly inconvenient place to go to do grocery shopping. Every once in a while, however, my parents will make the trip to TJs (Trader Joe’s, not TJMaxx for once!) and did so a few weeks ago. As a Valentine’s Day treat, my mom surprised my sister and me with a Berry scented lip mask from their skin care department. I have been using it since I got it and I love it so very, berry much! Check it out:

I love the idea of a lip mask, but have never found one that works just right for me. I have tested quite a few and they were mainly ineffective. The best one that I have probably used was one by Laneige that I got as a freebie from Sephora. Then, I realized it wasn’t cruelty free (I HATE when that happens) and pretty much gave up on my hunt for a good lip mask. I opted for Pacifica lip balms, instead, and although they are amazing throughout the day, it just isn’t the same as a lip mask at night.

Because of my lack of luck for a decent lip mask, I was a bit ambivalent about the one from Trader Joe’s. Then, I opened it up and realized that even if it sucked, it still smelled fabulous lol. This mask smells exactly like Raspberry LipSmackers and works so much better! A little dollop of this product to cover my lips is all I need and I have woken up every morning since with a pretty pout. Not only do my lips feel insanely moisturized, but I think they look somewhat fuller too. It is truly the cruelty free compromise to Laneige lip masks and I am thrilled with this Sweet Surprise from my mom! ❤

If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s close to you, then I cannot recommend their lip mask enough. Who knew you could get such awesome skin care at a grocery store?!

What was your favorite LipSmacker scent? Have you found a lip mask that works for you? 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

Posted on February 10, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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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:

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

Feb9

New Glitter Garnet & Ballet Slipper Nails

Posted on February 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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New Glitter Garnet & Ballet Slipper Nails

Hello!! This past Tuesday, I spent some wonderful time getting pampered at Elysian Nails. They had to push my appointment back because my normal gal was having wisdom tooth pain and I could totally sympathize. I definitely know a thing or two about that! This actually ended up working beautifully because I was able to make a quick pop in for a client and run a few errands beforehand. The best part, though, was that I was in and out of the salon in forty-five minutes flat thanks to the super speedy tech who filled in for my fill. I am loving how my nails turned out:

^^^ Also very aware that my right middle finger is still swollen from my tumble, but it’s getting better!

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I decided to use a traditional V-Day palette of red, pink, and all of the glitter. Normally, I shy away from holiday themed nails because they don’t seem very appropriate the day after the fact. However, Valentine’s Day colors look cute anytime and I would use these colors again outside of February. They are so pretty! The garnet is called University Red and it spoke to me immediately. It was exactly the deep shade I wanted to add some edge against the lighter pink I planned on using. I chose Forgotten Pink for that in a soft ballet slipper hue and thought the colors look dynamite together.

Amazingly enough, I didn’t break any nails when I fell and trust and believe that was the first thing that I clocked afterwards lol. I did end up having a nail lift completely off weeks later, though, and that sucked massively! Despite having to do some repairs, my nail tech, Shelly, got me in and out with ample time to spare. She has done my nails several times before and knows exactly how I like them. Her speed and skill will never not amaze me when I’m in her chair and she turned my grown out, janky nails back into a work of art. In record timing to boot!

I feel like a whole new woman with my new hair and nails! It was so nice to get some back to back pampering and here’s to hoping my middle finger will be back to normal next time I get a fill lol SMH.

Do you like to wear traditional holiday colors when they roll around? What color of polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

New Hair, Who Dis?

Posted on February 7, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone!! This past Friday was an excellent day! I spent my morning and afternoon getting my hair done at the Shear Shop and had a slumber party with my bestie, Lea, that evening. I haven’t had a day off since the holidays so it was really nice to have a full day dedicated to some R&R and fun! As always, my amazing stylist, Anna, transformed my hair into something fresh and new and I am loving the results. That Pulp Riot color is absolutely everything! Check it out:

^^^ Shout out to my husband for never taking a nice picture with me lol. Also peep a brand new OOTD coming soon from the above look!

Going to the Shear Shop is one of my favorite forms of self care. Spending time with Anna is like seeing a best friend/therapist and I have never once left her chair without feeling like a billion bucks. The past few times we have done my hair, we have tried to incorporate one of our favorite Pulp Riot shades called Satire amidst Nightfall (navy), Pyro (deep red), and Fireball (bright red). When the bright yellow color was fresh, it looked awesome. However, the Satire and Nightfall would begin to blend together after a while and created an unsightly shade of green. Although we’re never normally mad about random colors that pull, this was one we wouldn’t stand for!

This time around, we decided to scrap Satire altogether and use Pyro, Fireball, and Nightfall. Anna also mixed up some lilac dye with the navy to make a deep purple to place throughout the hair. The entire process took about five hours from start to finish and we began with bleaching the roots for about twenty-five minutes. It’s always fun to see how my hair looks after the bleach is out because the colors can look pretty crazy. For example, there were streaks of emerald green in my hair afterwards. I kind of liked it, actually lol.

After my hair was washed and dried, the hair dye application came next. To achieve this look, Anna painted the top of my roots with Pyro. This deep red is stunning and it’s also strategic. The deeper shade against my roots looks so much better as it’s growing out. Then, she painted the framing of my face with Nightfall and did a halo wrap of it around the bottom layer of my hair and streaked it with purple. All that was left after that was to paint the remainder of my hair with Fireball, sit for about an hour, and see what happened!

Beauty is pain, people, because the water Anna used to wash the dye out was bitter cold. Like the coldest I think the water has ever been, but I will do anything for the best results possible. It felt like heaven to get my hair blow dried shortly after! The ice bath was completely worth it because we are loving how my hair turned out. Not using the Satire was a great move and we have never seen the red looking more vibrant since it wasn’t muddled down with another color. I will also never not be obsessed with Nightfall and I think the color is so flattering on me. Not to mention the wonderful haircut that was much needed after growing out for a few months. C’est magnifique. ❤

I feel my absolute best after an appointment with Anna and know I am looking it too. We plan on lightening things up for my springtime session and I can’t wait to see what we come up with!

How long do you go between getting your hair done? What colors should I get for spring? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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