Tag Archives: beauty

Mar27

March 2021 Finishes

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March 2021 Finishes

Hi everyone! Can you believe we’re almost through with another month of 2021 already? March was such a happy and exciting time for me because I got engaged and my family got to celebrate my amazing mom and lil niece’s birthdays too. Between birthdays, house hunting, and wedding planning the days have been flying by. Hustle and bustle has never prevented me from completing my daily beauty routines, however, and March has also left me with lots of empty products to discuss so let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Clean & Clear Face Wash: I absolutely LOVED the Morning Burst hydrating facial cleanser by Clean & Clear and it helped keep my skin nice and moisturized all winter long. Not to mention that the eight or so dollar bottle lasted me all winter long too – it took me close to five months of daily use to finish it. I am all about effective and budget friendly beauty products and I would definitely use this cleanser again. It smelled amazing, lathered well, was invigorating, and my skin felt so soft and hydrated after each use.

B&BW Spray: While I would never pay full price for Bath & Body Works products, I am happy to buy huge hauls during their semi-annual sales. This fragrance spray is actually from a perfume haul several years ago and I am still working on finishing them all up. It’s taking a lot longer than expected, though, considering each bottle lasts me around half a year with daily use! That’s perfectly fine by me, however, because the Country Apple spray smells so good. I love apple scented anything because of its sweet/tart fragrance and, lucky for me, I still have a few more bottles left!

Neutrogena Moisturizer: A month ago, I did some research about beauty products that people in their late twenties should be using and hyaluronic acid was an ingredient that was encouraged. I purchased the Neutrogena Hydro Boost moisturizer for that reason and I am glad that I did because it is really nice. In fact, I have already bought a few more for myself despite it being a bit more pricey at around thirteen dollars per jar.

Although this moisturizer has a price tag that I usually wouldn’t pay, I have noticed a difference in my skin after a month’s worth of use so I thought it was well worth it. My skin looks more radiant and rested and it feels so soft too. The light gel texture is also a welcome change of pace after the heavy creams of winter.

Nothing pleases me more than finishing up products that I would happily use again because that means it was money well spent. March was a very successful month for me so I guess it only makes sense that all of the products discussed today were successful too! 🙂

Which products did you use up this month? What kind of skin care products are recommended for your age? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar23

New Baby & Bubblegum Pink Nails

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New Baby & Bubblegum Pink Nails

Hello!! After getting engaged, I just had to get my nails done so I could take some pictures of my engagement ring with a fresh fill. You will have to wait a few more days to see my ring because it is getting resized but that doesn’t mean you can’t check out my claws in the meantime!

I was so excited to go to Elysian Nails to share the good news with my tech, Gabby. As always, she did an amazing job and it was so nice to gab and be pampered in my happy place. I love how my nails turned out and once I can pick up my ring it will be perfect. Take a look:

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While you will have to keep checking in to see the piece de resistance of my engagement ring, I can tell you that it is a pearl with a sterling silver band. Prior to going to the salon, I knew I wanted a really light pink to compliment the pearl but I was stumped on the second color. A few shades of lavender caught my eye but, then I saw the name “Fairy Land” on a bottle of polish before really noticing what the color was. I was already sold just by the name but when I took a better look at the bubblegum pink hue, I thought it it was a great choice. Not just to enhance my ring but for spring, too.

As a child and to this day, I love fairy tales and my engagement felt like my own personal fairy tale coming to life, which is why that polish spoke to me. Despite my red and pink hair and pink nails, pink is by no means my favorite color. However, Gabby is so good at shaping and sharpening my nails that even with the most girly of polish colors they still look edgy while being oh so pretty. Spoiler Alert! Edgy and pretty describes my engagement ring to the T!

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

Mar17

Amazon Skin Care Haul

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Amazon Skin Care Haul

Hello! Pre-pandemic, I would just go to TJMaxx whenever I needed to restock my beauty supplies. For the past year, however, I’ve just been placing orders on Amazon every couple of months for my moisturizers, serums, and eye cream. Believe you me, there is nothing I miss more than browsing the aisles of TJMaxx and finding all of the things that I didn’t know I needed but limiting my exposure to COVID-19 whenever I can will always be more important.

I had come to the bottom of the barrel of my beauty stockpile so there were a lot of products that needed replacing. I also wanted to start some birthday shopping for my dad and sister! As always, Amazon came through and I have a huge skin care haul to show for it. Check it out:

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During my last Amazon haul, I tried the Neutrogena Hydro Boost moisturizer and Eclat Vitamin C serum for the first time and enjoyed using them so much that I just had to buy more. My skin looked brighter and more radiant after only one use of the Vitamin C serum and I definitely have noticed a difference in the smoothness of my skin compliments of the moisturizer. The Hydro Boost by Neutrogena is a bit pricey so I decided to get a two pack of the Garnier Moisture Rescue gel moisturizer too to help cut the cost. Both of these moisturizers have a light gel texture making them perfect for summer.

As far as eye cream goes, I was looking for something a bit cheaper than The Body Shop’s Vitamin E cream or my usual SkinLab Lift & Firm gel. They both run for around twenty dollars on Amazon while I used to get them for around seven at TJMaxx. I purchased the Elf Holy Hydration! eye cream for under seven bucks a jar and it had great reviews on Amazon so I am hoping I will like it too… Considering I got three of them lol!

Nothing is better to me than actually going shopping but I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t love online shopping too! Whether it’s a birthday present for a loved one or just restocking my skin care hoard, it’s fun to get packages in the mail and I am looking forward to incorporating my purchases into my daily beauty routine.

What is your favorite skin care brand? How often do you resupply your beauty stock pile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar15

Updating Your Skin Care Routine For Summer

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Updating Your Skin Care Routine For Summer

Hello! Just like your wardrobe needs updated come the warm weather, your skin care routine will need a few changes too to keep you looking your best. Heavy products for dry skin in the winter can cause oiliness and breakouts when it’s really hot out so light but effective products are the name of the game when it comes to summer skin care. Today, we are going to look at a few simple changes you can make to your routine for radiant skin all summer long:

Products With SPF:

Skin care products with SPF in it should be used all year round but it is especially important in the summer time – of course! There are plenty of moisturizers, serums, lotions, and chapsticks with SPF that will help protect your skin in the sunshine. Incorporating SPF into your skin care routine is also a great hack if, like me, you hate putting on sunscreen. While we all are excited to soak up the sun after a long winter, we must do so safely and using SPF products will better protect you from harmful UV rays that can cause burns and cancer.

Lighter Moisturizer:

As mentioned above, you will want to switch to a lighter skin care formula like this Palo Duro Moisturizer during the warm weather to prevent oiliness and clogged pores. We all know how uncomfortable it is when a product just feels greasy in the summer so you might want to opt for a gel moisturizer, instead. A gel moisturizer absorbs quickly while still being super hydrating which will keep your skin from feeling weighed down by heavy products.

Don’t forget to switch out any cream based cleansers too! Rather, go for a gel base again. I, personally, love the Clean & Clear Hydrating Facial Cleanser. It’s invigorating, smells amazing, oil free, and leaves my skin feeling so clean without the dried out sensation.

Facial Scrub:

I am sure we all plan on being outside as often as we can to enjoy the warm weather and while it will be wonderful, there is so much that can clog up your pores in the summer. Dirt, grime, and sweat can all lead to clogged pores which, in turn, can cause breakouts. During the summer, I highly recommend incorporating a facial scrub into your skin care routine to use a few times throughout the week. Not only will it help rid yourself of any remaining dry winter skin but it will also clear up the gunk that gathers in your pores. 

Another great benefit of facial scrubs is that the removal of dead and dry skin has a brightening effect. There is nothing better than sun kissed radiant skin! Another way to achieve enhanced radiance is to treat yourself to a brightening facial. You will be amazed by the results after just one trip to the spa and it will become your favorite form of self care. 

Making the above changes in your skin care routine will keep your skin clear and healthy all summer long. You can’t go wrong with lighter products that offer SPF!

How does your skin care routine change with the seasons? What is your favorite skin care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar4

Cheer Up, Charles!

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Cheer Up, Charles!

Hello! My dad, CHARLES, is always spreading joy in the home with his beautiful bouquets and I look forward to seeing what arrangement is going to be on the kitchen table every time I stop by. This is his latest work:

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My dad is the best, funniest, most wonderful man I have ever known and, unfortunately, he broke his arm and dislocated his shoulder this past week. 😦 It makes me so sad and we are all hoping for a speedy recovery for him and are extremely thankful that he’s okay.

I wanted to make a call to action for Operation: Cheer Up, Charles and would love it if all of you could please comment with your favorite flowers and any well wishes. It will be like my readers are sending him a virtual bouquet! It would be so very appreciated and will be sure to make his day.

Thanks in advance to all and get well soon, Dad. I love you! ❤

Feb27

February 2021 Finishes

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February 2021 Finishes

Howdy! While January literally felt like it lasted for five months, February flew by and it is already time to discuss my beauty product finishes for the month. I have always enjoyed testing out new bath, body, and skin care products but I never realized just how much until the COVID-19 pandemic. Trying new products not only keeps me looking my best but gives me something different in my routine to look forward to, is relatively cheap, and helps enhance my relaxation time after work.

Whenever I do any online shopping, I usually will buy a couple of beauty treats for myself and tested out two new serums this month. I was very impressed with one but the other? Not in the slightest. Let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Lubriderm Lotion: Pre-pandemic, I was getting tattooed regularly and always had several bottles of fragrance free Lubriderm lotion handy in my stockpile for after care. Obviously, I haven’t been to my favorite tattoo shop any time recently so my half used bottle of Lubriderm had just been sitting there on the bathroom counter taking up space. Waste not want not, so for the past four or five months I tried to use the lotion before bed or after my shower much to the relief of my dry winter skin! Other than the bonus of being fragrance free, this lotion absorbs super quickly and feels light while working effectively.

I was glad to finally finish this lotion up and will be looking forward to using the good ol’ Lubriderm again… After getting new tattoos post pandemic, that is! 😀

Azure Lux Serum: I have been using Azure Lux Sparkling Oil serums pretty regularly for the past two years, switching between the 24K and Rose Gold options. I decided that I wanted to try a different serum by them and went with the White Gold which encouraged firming, toning, and rejuvenating. For the entire month of using it twice daily, I noticed no difference in my skin whatsoever. In fact, I can recall times when I thought my skin looked dull and that was never an issue with the Rose or 24K Gold serums. I definitely won’t be buying this product again and would not recommend it.

I actually don’t plan on purchasing any more Azure Lux serums after I finish what is in my stockpile because I feel like the products are no longer benefiting my skin. Which directly leads into me trying out the last finish that we’re going to talk about:

Eclat Serum: After making the decision to wean myself off of the Azure Lux products, I began to research the best recommended skin care for people in their mid-twenties. The resounding theme was incorporating a Vitamin C serum and hyaluronic acid into your routine so I ordered a serum by Eclat and a moisturizer by Neutrogena. The Eclat serum was not only very highly rated on Amazon (five stars) but also very cheap (seven bucks) so I figured why not? And I am so glad I did!

After one use of the Eclat serum, I noticed a difference in my skin which was incredibly radiant despite the fact that I was dead tired. I was simply amazed by the results and continued to be impressed morning and night because the difference it made in my skin in one use wasn’t just a fluke. My skin was glowing! I cannot wait to finish up the rest of my Azure Lux serums so I can use it again and I highly recommend it.

My only qualm with this serum is that the bottle is fairly small. If you are thinking of making a purchase, make sure you get two of them if you want a full month of usage. With twice daily use, I finished this serum in a little under three weeks.

Overall, February was a pretty good month for finishes. I have also been enjoying using up the several slabs of bar soap that I received as gifts. If you want to make an effort to reduce the use of plastic in your life, using face and body bars as opposed to shower gels and cleansers is a great first step! 🙂

What is a must have beauty product for you? What is your skin care routine like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb23

Stepping Up Your Pampering At Home

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Stepping Up Your Pampering At Home

Howdy! I don’t know about all of you, but I freaking love pampering myself with beauty treatments at home. From face masks to body scrubs and skin care, I have always enjoyed trying new products, scents, and ingredients to enhance my pampering even more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am sure that many of us have turned to at home beauty treatments to minimize unnecessary exposure. And, due to the pandemic approaching its one year anniversary, you might be running out of ideas for your at home spa nights!

We all deserve to feel relaxed and pampered and if you are feeling blah with your current treatments, step them up by trying the following:

Make Your Own:

If you have exhausted all of the sheet and clay face masks at your local pharmacy or are sick of your bath and body care scents, why not try making your own beauty products? There are countless how to guides and recipes out there for face masks, hair and nail treatments, and lotion and you might just find your new favorite hobby. You will also be amazed at how many products you could make with ingredients that you already have in your own home like avocado, olive oil, sugar, and eggs. You could even have a Zoom spa night with your friends where you can all make and use a spa treatment together while catching up on the latest.

If you aren’t interested in making your own products but would like to try something new, then try supporting a local or small online business that specializes in beauty care. I love testing out products from local creators and often find that their products are even better than store bought brands!

Tend To Neglected Areas:

I recently just realized that I spend so much time with products for my face that I have lightweight neglected several opportunities for pampering. To emphasize that point, at almost twenty-seven years old I just started using hand lotion before bed regularly a month ago. If this sounds like you, spend some time during your next spa night getting acquainted with neglected areas like overgrown cuticles, dry elbows, and rough heels for a complete pampering experience.

Create A Relaxing Space:

There is absolutely nothing relaxing about sitting in your bathroom waiting for your face mask to dry, lol. Enhance your spa night by creating a relaxing space. You could draw a nice hot bath or you could carve out a little space in your home where you can lounge and read as your treatments settle in. Don’t forget that scented candles, oil burners, or incense as well as nature sounds and soothing music will help make your experience even better!

Lil Red Pro Tip:

I am definitely not perfect when it comes to my skin care and my recent bout with a super huge zit can attest to that! I also just got over a case of the literal worst dandruff ever about a month ago and all I can say if you are dealing with dandruff is: Olive oil. There was no Head & Shoulders at my place and after researching online, I learned that an olive oil treatment is really effective. I soaked my scalp with olive oil for about fifteen minutes, washed my hair twice to get it all out, and was blown away to see no more white flakes. See! Awesome beauty treatments can be found right in your own home. 🙂

Give how you pamper yourself a makeover with the tips above to spruce things up during your next spa night!

How do you pamper yourself at home? What is your favorite beauty treatment? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb18

New Slate Grey & Denim Blue Nails

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New Slate Grey & Denim Blue Nails

Hello! For Valentine’s Day, I just had to treat myself to a fill for my talons even though it was a bit earlier than my four week mark between appointments. I had an insanely busy week and the fact that I could get pampered at the end of it definitely helped get me through the long work days. My go to girl at Elysian Nails was unavailable, however, another of my favorite techs was able to fit me in and it was so nice to catch up. She also did a fabulous job on my claws! Check it out:

Normally, it takes me a fairly long time to pick out the perfect color combination for my nails. This time, though, I walked up to the polish station and my eyes immediately locked on a bottle of rich denim blue by OPI. I was in love and decided to go with a slate grey because of its blue undertones to enhance the beautiful blue even more. I am particularly fond of the shade of slate grey that I picked out and have used similar colors before but this one is definitely my favorite! I also love the fact that, in certain lighting, the denim blue looks black – it’s like having two different polish colors in one. 😀

I knew I was in good hands with my nail tech and we spent my entire time at the salon gabbing away about quarantine life, our favorite TV shows, and the traditions of Lunar New Year, which my tech was kind enough to teach me about. I also happened to get my fill on my favorite day at Elysian Nails: Throwback Thursday! They play the best hits of the late 90s and early 2000s all day and every time a new song would come on, we would both reminisce on how it was our jam. And apparently still is now!

Elysian Nails is, hands down, the best salon that I have ever been to. The nail techs are so incredibly talented and I enjoy getting to know each of them. The atmosphere created in the salon is not only fun with the great music and constant chit chat but I also feel safe when I go there because of their dedication to following COVID-19 regulations and then some. Whenever I go there, I not only get to be pampered like a queen but I get to see all of the techs and the owners who I am lucky enough to consider friends now. ❤

What is your nail salon like? What color of nail polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb15

Ugh! Pimple Problems & How I Dealt With Mine

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Ugh! Pimple Problems & How I Dealt With Mine

Hi! I have been lucky enough to say that I have never dealt with problems with acne in my adolescence or in my twenties. However, my lucky streak ended when I woke up to a HUGE pus filled pimple right in the middle of my forehead. TMI I know but, guys, it was awful and I wore a beanie every day until it was gone to cover it up. Because I’ve never had a pimple like this before, I really didn’t know what to do about it.

Of course, everyone’s first instinct is to pop a pimple even though it’s frowned upon and, I have to admit, it was the first thing I tried, lol. However, with my acrylics, popping it was impossible. After a few days with little to no improvement on my zit, I finally concocted a skin care combination that not only made the pimple go away in three days flat but it also allowed it to heal evenly. Check it out:

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When it comes to dealing with a tough pimple, I found that you can’t go wrong with charcoal and benzoyl peroxide. Charcoal is amazing for drawing all of the yuck out like a magnet and the benzoyl peroxide helps to kill any excess bacteria, oil, and dead skin. I figured that combining the two together would be my best shot at eliminating the problem and, I am pleased to say, that it worked like a charm. Fingers crossed I’ll never get a pimple again (Here’s hoping!) but, at least, now I know how to deal with it.

Once I was done completing my night time skin care routine, I put my theory into practice and added a mixture of The Body Shop’s Himalayan Charcoal face mask and Clean & Clear’s persa-gel 10 onto the problem area and slept with it on. When I woke up after the first application, I could already tell that it made a difference because the pimple was much less swollen than it was before so I knew I was on the right track.

By the morning of day two, my pimple opened up naturally and I was able to squeeze out an okay amount of the gunk inside. I was encouraged by this because it’s not like I actually popped it! Once day three rolled around, I was able to completely rid the zit of anything left inside and, albeit red, my skin looked even and I knew that it would heal well.

I was insanely self conscious of my zit (Or the “honker” as my boyfriend so lovingly put it!) and it honestly felt like I was going to be stuck with it for forever. However, after a few treatments with products that were under thirty dollars in total, I solved my problem. Remember, when dealing with acne you not only want to rid yourself of blemishes but you want to make sure your skin heals well in the process. My method worked on both of these fronts and here’s to The Body Shop and Clean & Clear for allowing me to retire my beanie… Until my next bad hair day, that is!

How do you solve pimple problems? What are the best skin care products for problem skin? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb14

Celebrating My Inner Goddess

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Celebrating My Inner Goddess

Hi!! I love making new friendships through lifewithlilred and I am so thankful to have “met” Libby from The Goddess Attainable who so graciously guest posted on my page a few weeks ago. I was so honored when she contacted me shortly after her post published asking if I would guest blog for her and am excited to explore her prompts of what being a goddess means to me.

Libby encourages and inspires people to not only be the best version of themselves but to love who they are, too. In my post, I wanted to touch on two of her topics, one of which is how I access my inner goddess and the other is how my mom helps determine my definition of a goddess. Let’s get to it!

Celebrating My Inner Goddess

The word “goddess” is often affiliated with a beautiful woman and, while I do feel like a goddess when I am all dressed up, I feel even more so when I am working hard to achieve my goals. Goddesses aren’t just a pretty face but they are also ladies who are determined, strong, and motivated to keep going forward even when things are difficult. A goddess strives for greatness for herself and loved ones while letting her inner beauty shine brightly every step of the way.

My life has been dedicated to working with people with special needs and I have still been seeing all of my clients throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other than when I’m just hanging out with my boyfriend on the couch, I feel most like a goddess when I am at work. I love the families who I help and seeing my clients smile or hearing them laugh makes all of my hard work one hundred and fifty percent worth it. I know that I am doing something meaningful for my clients and myself and the passion I feel for the field I work in and improving people’s lives feels like goddesshood to me.

From sitting down at my laptop to write to the good old days pre-pandemic when I could hit the skating rink for practice, exploring my passions makes me feel immensely proud of myself. I have struggled with mental health issues for a majority of my life and being able to acknowledge that I am doing a good job is something that has never come easy to me. Goddesses not only love the world around them but they love themselves and continuing on with my passions has given me a newfound appreciation for myself that I have never had before. Who knew that that feels like goddesshood, too?!

As I continue on in my own life journey, I turn to a seasoned goddess when I need encouragement: My mom! I am so lucky to say that my mom is my best friend and there is really nothing that a quick phone call or text to her can’t fix. My mom is strong, smart, and simply beautiful inside and out. As a doctor, she has been dedicated to seeing her patients online throughout the pandemic and she was still working even as she underwent cancer treatment. Goddess much?

My mom is so beloved by everyone she meets because she takes the time out of her day to chat with, compliment, and get to know whomever she encounters. She shares her inner light generously and it is absolutely infectious. Whenever I am feeling down, I think about my mom (and dad!) and my favorite memories with them that I treasure so much. My mom sees the best in everyone and not only does that make her a goddess but it makes me feel like one, too, whenever I am around her. ❤

I want to thank Libby so much again for giving me this opportunity of reflection and I highly encourage all of you to get in touch with your inner goddess on her page. You will be glad you did!

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What makes you feel like a goddess? What is something that you’re proud of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah