Tag Archives: beauty

Nov20

A La Maison Hand & Body Lotion Review

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A La Maison Hand & Body Lotion Review

Hello! Today, we are going to do a review of a hand and body lotion that my mom so sweetly surprised me with that I am fricken obsessed with. While I do love my Bath & Body Works lotion, I have never used one better than A La Maison’s so I just had to share it with all of you. To help combat dry winter skin, I can’t recommend this product enough:

I have been using this lotion for the past several nights before bed and I have never had such wonderful results before. During the winter months, my hands tend to get really red no matter how much lotion I use. Although my hands aren’t super dry, red belongs on my hair and not on my hands and it can be a bit unsightly. Within three uses of A La Maison, my hands have returned to their normal shade of pale and I was simply amazed.

I love the way that this lotion feels when applying it because it is like a cold cream and I can literally feel my hands getting hydrated as soon as I rub it in. This product absorbs so quickly and I truly don’t think that my hands have ever felt or looked better. I can’t say that I am particularly fond of the Wildflower scent because it is really powdery but that is a small price to pay for beautifully soft hands all winter long. 🙂

If you suffer from dry hands during the winter, then look no further than A La Maison. I cannot sing its praises enough and am already looking forward to buying more! 😀

What is your favorite cream or lotion? How do you combat dry skin? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov13

New Berries & Cream Nails

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New Berries & Cream Nails

Hello! My most recent fill at Elysian Nails was a fabulous one because my go to girl is finally back! My nail tech and friend, Gabby, is literally the best nail tech I have ever been to and she is the best company too. It was so nice to catch up and have girl talk and my nails look gorgeous. This is not to say that everyone at Elysian isn’t incredibly talented but once you find a nail tech or hair stylist that you like, it’s hard to have just anyone do your pampering! Check out these Berries & Cream beauties:

I have never been one for themed nails like red or green during the Christmas season or oranges and browns for Thanksgiving. However, I wanted colors that said fall without being obvious. Prior to hitting the salon, I knew that I definitely wanted a wheat color incorporated and thought that a deep berry would go beautifully with that. I hate to toot my own horn but *toot, toot, toot* because I was so right and I am in love with this color combination. I think that it is so sophisticated while still being a little edgy and it feels fall without being over the top.

After a long day at work, there is seriously nothing better than sitting in the salon chair and relaxing. Although my last few fills at Elysian were good when Gabby was out, they pale in comparison to this one. The shape of my acrylics is absolutely perfect and laughing and gabbing the entire time made the experience even better. Nothing makes me happier than an appointment at Elysian but time spent with my favorite nail tech trumps that completely and that’s really saying something! ❤

What color of nail polish do you have on? What are your favorite fall colors? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov6

Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Face Mask Festivities! Today, we are going to discuss the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask that I got as a freebie during my last Sephora haul. There are some things that I like about this mask and others that I don’t so let’s get to it and you can decide if it’s worth the buy or not:

I have been using this mask morning and night for the past several days and, as you can see, it is fairly thick in texture. Despite that, it applies so easily which I wasn’t expecting at all. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever used a skin care product that applies and absorbs into your skin in one go. One sweep on my face of this mask and I was done. This was definitely a novelty that I enjoyed and was pleasantly surprised by.

Although these were all good things, the buck stopped there. I expected this mask to be ultra hydrating and that just wasn’t there. After continued use, I noticed no real differences in the way my skin looked or felt. Rather, my normal skin care routine provided everything that I wanted this mask to do and more. And, at almost fifty dollars for a full sized tube, I think that I will be sticking to my drugstore brands, thank you very much.

While I love trying out new products compliments of Sephora freebies, I am always pleased to see that my cheaper brands tend to work better than anything with an expensive price tag. If you are looking for a new face mask to try, I would say to skip on the Jet Lag one by Summer Fridays. You’d be surprised at how much more bang for your buck you can get at your local drugstore or the skin care section of TJMaxx!

Have you ever used this face mask before? What did you think of it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov3

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hi! I was running low on my Better Than Sex mascara, which meant that it was time to put an online order in with Sephora. I love shopping on Sephora’s website because of all of the amazing freebies that are offered with your purchase. You can’t beat free shipping, two samples, a mini product, and cashing in your Beauty Insider points for a haul worth writing home about… Or posting on your blog about, I should say! Check it out:

The Haul:

  • 2 Too Faced Better Than Sex mascaras
  • Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer: FREE with Beauty Insider points
  • Summer Fridays Jet Lag face mask: FREE with twenty-five dollar purchase
  • Lancome Advanced Genifique serum sample: FREE with purchase
  • Fenty Skin starter set sample: FREE with purchase

The Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced is the most expensive makeup product that I use. While I cringe a bit at the twenty-seven dollar price tag, I can justify it by all of the goodies that I get to test out from my purchase. Sephora always offers an assortment of free mini products with twenty-five dollar orders and if you shop with Sephora, then you know that that isn’t hard to do!

During my online shopping, I usually like to cash in my Beauty Insider points and when I saw that the Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer was available, it went into my bag immediately. I do love my Garnier SkinActive moisturizers but the Moisture Surge by Clinique is SO nice. It is ultra hydrating, so lightweight, and absorbs like a dream. Although I have a ton of my Garnier moisturizers in my stock pile, the Clinique one will be much appreciated during the winter to help combat dry skin.

For my next freebie, I chose the Jet Lag face mask by Summer Fridays because it has been a while since we have had a Face Mask Festivities post. Testing out new face masks is one of my favorite things to do to relax and you can’t beat trying one out free of charge. I’m excited! 😀

Finally, for my samples I went with a serum by Lancome and the Fenty Skin starter set. I could take or leave the serum because I am most looking forward to trying out the Fenty products – I have always wanted to! The starter set came with the Total Cleans’r, Fat Water, and Hydra Vizor. How can you turn down testing out a product named Fat Water?! The answer is that you don’t lol.

For under sixty dollars, I was able to get my must have mascara and a whole lot of freebies along with it. I can’t wait to try out all of the new to me products in my haul so keep it posted for reviews!

Have you used any of these products before? What do you think of them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Oct30

October 2021 Finishes

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October 2021 Finishes

Hello! Sadly, official spooky season is drawing to a close which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. It also commences spooky season all year round for Johnny and I lol! Last month, we had a ton of beauty finishes to discuss while today we only have a mere three so this will be a short and sweet post. Also, make sure you tune in tomorrow to see some Halloween accessories that I purchased when Johnny and I went costume shopping. 😀 Now, lets get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

e.l.f. Eye Cream: Prior to the pandemic, I was loyal to the SkinLab products and loved their gel eye cream that I could purchase at TJMaxx. Unfortunately, my monthly TJs trips ended due to COVID and I turned to Amazon for my beauty products. I was surprised to see the gel eye cream that I would normally buy for seven dollars was selling for twenty and I couldn’t bring myself to make the purchase. So, I began searching for cheaper but effective eye creams, instead, and ended up with the Holy Hydration! cream by e.l.f..

I bought this eye cream because it received great reviews on Amazon and was only six dollars. Despite the almost five star rating, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little wary of just how cheap this eye cream was which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with it. The Holy Hydration! eye cream lasted me close to two months and in that time, I noticed that the sensitive skin around my eyes felt smoother and oh so hydrated and my designer bags were decreased too. 😀

For the price, you just can’t beat this eye cream and I highly recommend it. This just goes to show that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for your skin care! If you would like to read about my other finishes that have already been discussed, be sure to check out the linked posts. ❤

What is your favorite drug store skin care brand? Which products did you use up this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct28

bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

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bellapierre Cosmetics Mineral Blush Swatch In Desert Rose

Hello! We are going to wrap up our swatch posts from my hand me down haul from my sister by discussing a mineral blush by bellapierre Cosmetics in Desert Rose. This loose powder blush is oh so pretty and even has SPF 15 in it which I thought was very cool because I have never had a blush that offered that before. Now, let’s get swatching:

When opening the jar of Desert Rose blush, my initial impression was that it was a bit too dark for my liking because I have such a fair complexion. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see how light it applied and can definitely see myself using it as a nice change of pace from my Body Shop blushes which I have been using since I was a teen! My makeup motto has always been if it’s not broken, then don’t fix it so it will be fun to try something new that I didn’t have to commit to buying.

This bellapierre blush applied so smoothly and I love that it had a pinch of shimmer in it for glowing skin and protection from the sun all in one. None of my blushes have ever had a touch of glitter in it so this blush is full of firsts for me. 😀 When I do my makeup next time I can’t wait to try it out!

Many thanks to my big sis for passing her unwanted makeup onto me – I LOVE YOU!!!!!! ❤

What is your favorite blush? Where do you like to shop for makeup? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

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Katherine Natural Cosmetics Eyeshadow Swatch In Espresso

Howdy! Today, we are going to check out an eyeshadow swatch by Katherine Natural Cosmetics in Espresso. This color is from her Coffee Talk palette and I’d like to take some time to reflect on how much I adore that name. I have always been a huge Saturday Night Live fan and enjoy watching both old and new episodes alike. Coffee Talk is one of my favorite sketches and boasts one of my most loved quotes of “Duran Duran is neither a Duran nor a Duran… Discuss”. Lol, but I digress! Let’s get swatching:

This eyeshadow was a hand me down from my big sis and it is one that I can definitely picture myself wearing. With my newest hair change of red, pink, and violet, I have grown especially partial to mauve, brown, purple, and pink hues on my eyes. It always blows my mind how changing my hair completely changes my color palette in both makeup and wardrobe because these are shades that I normally would shy away from before. Not that I didn’t like them but because they didn’t look good with whatever color my hair was!

The Espresso shade of this eyeshadow will look charming in assisting with a purple smokey eye and I plan on at least attempting it even though I am not the best at doing eye makeup. However, the fact that this eyeshadow applied like a dream will certainly help the cause. The eyeshadow’s texture is so soft and creamy and I love its ultra rich pigment. SO pretty. 😀

The talk of Coffee Talk is this beautiful Espresso hue by Katherine Natural Cosmetics. I can’t wait to try it out when I actually feel like doing my makeup lol. Cheers!

Is Duran Duran neither a Duran nor a Duran? What are your tips for the perfect smokey eye? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct26

Meech & Mia Eyeshadow Swatch In Beige

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Meech & Mia Eyeshadow Swatch In Beige

Hi! Today, we are going to get our swatch on with a hand me down Meech & Mia eyeshadow from my big sis in Beige. No longer used products from the makeup guru herself are always a treat and I was delighted when she handed me a Birchbox box full of makeup! 😀 Let’s get started and be on the lookout for more product swatches soon:

This eyeshadow was a bit of an enigma because upon first inspection, it looks burnt orange to me – not beige at all. When on, I still see an orange tint depending on the lighting which reminds me of that dress that everyone freaked out about on social media because they couldn’t tell if it was blue or grey or something? Lol but I digress. This is not to say that the color isn’t lovely, it’s just not what I expected!

I do like this color a lot and it is pillowy soft to the touch. However, I am not a huge fan of loose powder eyeshadow. When it comes to makeup, I am not the best at applying and I feel like this eyeshadow would get everywhere if I tried to use it. In fact, it did get everywhere just from opening the jar.

I can’t say that I would use this as the only eyeshadow on my MOTD because it is not pigmented enough for my liking. But, I think I will try dusting it over the color that I choose for some extra shimmer – it’s way too pretty to not at least give it a shot!

What color does this eyeshadow look to you? Do you prefer a loose powder or more compact eyeshadow? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct24

Bath & Body Works Haul

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Bath & Body Works Haul

Hello! When it comes to my beauty hoard, I like to keep it very well stocked. This means having at least two backups of my most used products on hand at all times. Johnny and I are both extremely partial to the hand soaps from Bath & Body Works so when I saw that we only had one left, a restock was definitely in order! Check it out:

Would I Buy Again?

  • Island Papaya: YES
  • Ghoul Friend: YES
  • Afternoon Apple Picking: YES
  • Blueberry Maple Pancakes: NO
  • Peach Bellini: YES
  • Let’s Get Nuts: MAYBE
  • Spooky Hand Sanitizers: YES!

Despite a couple of misses during this B&BW haul, I am still pleased with it. The Island Papaya was a huge success with Johnny who loves all things tropical and I am always happy to get another Peach Bellini hand soap – it’s my favorite! Afternoon Apple Picking was also a scent that we both really liked because it smelled strictly like apples without a touch of cinnamon, which we both hate lol. Now, let’s move on to the not so liked buys:

When I saw the Blueberry Maple Pancakes soap, I thought that it would smell amazing and was looking forward to its arrival in the mail. Unfortunately, it missed the mark big time. Instead of a delicious blueberry bakery scent, it just smells like straight up syrup and is almost sickeningly sweet.

Let’s Get Nuts is another scent that I could probably do without. It is your basic vanilla and, don’t get me wrong, I am a huge vanilla fan. However, vanilla can be kind of boring when there are so many other fun hand soap scents to explore. I actually didn’t plan on buying the soap but almost all of the Halloween scents were sold out so I added it to the shopping cart to make the most of the six soaps for twenty-four dollars deal.

The biggest success of this haul was not the soaps but the hand sanitizers! Last month, I got a coupon for a free sani and I absolutely loved it. The scent was nice and light and it made my hands feel clean without drying them out. Since we couldn’t get many Halloween scented soaps, we settled for the five for eight dollars spooky sani pack which is a great deal. Johnny and I are both currently using Vampire Blood and the only thing that would make it perfect is if we had the hand soap too – it smells SO good!

Hit or miss, you can never go wrong with the foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works. I am already looking forward to the next restock! 😀

What is your favorite B&BW scent? What is in your beauty stock pile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct20

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

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Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops In Moonlight Swatch

Howdy! I am so appreciative to my sister for always giving me her makeup that she no longer wants for the sake of swatching on lifewithlilred. Granted, I haven’t used a majority of her hand me downs because our styles are so different BUT these swatch posts give further insight for people who might be interested in them and that’s all that matters! Today, we are going to be discussing the Custom Enhancer Drops by Cover FX in Moonlight. Let’s get to it:

These drops by Cover FX can be used as a highlighter and I actually like the Moonlight color a lot. However, it is much too intense for my liking! I have never used a liquid highlighter before and much prefer a powder one, myself. But the cool thing about these drops is that you can use as much or as little as you like over or on top of makeup. Did I mention that the color is intense? My swatch consisted of a mere two drops!

I don’t think I would feel comfortable wearing the Custom Enhancer Drops for daily use. Although it could be fun to break out for a New Year’s Eve celebration for an ultra glam look. Cover FX has seven different colors of the drops and I think that I like Glistening Pearl the best. It’s much more toned down than Moonlight and, if given the opportunity, I might be able to get away with wearing it during the day. 😮

Do you prefer a liquid or powder highlighter? How do you achieve a glam makeup look? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah