Tag Archives: beauty

May10

New Cherry & Orange Nails

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New Cherry & Orange Nails

Hello!! I have had an incredible couple of days of pampering compliments of Elysian Nails. This past Friday, I enjoyed a pedicure appointment with Johnny’s mom and aunt and it was heavenly! I haven’t gotten a pedicure since last year and just like the last time, I left the salon wondering why the heck I don’t do that more often. Then, I remembered my talons which always take priority over toes! After getting my tootsies right, I was back at the salon a few days later for a fill featuring the sweetest Cherry and Orange combo. Check it out:

During my last fill, I was feeling an orange and pink combo. However, my tech showed me some brand new colors and I fell in love with the prettiest light pink and purple glitter polishes. I vowed to do the original colors I had in mind at my next appointment and it definitely made the daunting task of selecting nail polish a breeze! Granted, I couldn’t even remember the colors I was going to use but, hey, I knew it was orange and pink so anything in that realm would be close enough. I ended up with a shade called Cherry and another simply called Orange and we were in business! This is the perfect fruity and bright pairing to welcome warm weather with. Or, at least dream about because the weather has been crap lousy here. -_-

Once my colors were selected, it was time for my tech to work her magic and you know I hit her with the old “long time no see” considering it had only been four days! Hilarious, I know. 😀 As always, work her magic my nail tech did and, as always, she fixed them up just right. I never really notice any lifting or problem areas until the polish is off, like at this appointment for instance, and my tech repaired any uh-ohs with ease and speed. After two repairs, shaping, filing, and painting I was still in time for my next shift at work. I genuinely have no idea how she does it!

The weather might not be the best but my nails are fresh and gives me a dose of sunshine every time I look at them. I’ll take it until this rain, rain goes away!

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

May5

Bird Watching

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Bird Watching

Hello!! Spring is here in all of its glory and it is so exciting to see my dad’s beautiful yard come back to life. Flowers are blooming, darling bunnies hop about, squirrels run and play, and there is an abundance of birds at every feeder set out. One of mine and my dad’s favorite things to do is watch all of the activity from his “nature window” to see what kind of visitors we have. Recently, our hummingbirds came back as well as a new friend. My dad informed me that a new to our backyard Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been by and I was lucky enough to see it too. I was so happy to have been able to snap these pictures because this is one of the prettiest birds I have ever seen:

This bird fits my go to color palette to the T: Black, white, and red! I was absolutely blown away by the shocking patch of crimson on its chest and told my dad that it looks like a heart. While the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is aptly named, we prefer to call it the Heart Bird and that is what we are going with! This past week was a bit crummy and our new backyard bird couldn’t have come at a better time. This special visitor was such a wonderful reminder of better things to come and bright spring days ahead!

If being an adult means getting really excited about bird watching, then I guess I am okay with that lol. I cannot wait to see the Heart Bird again! ❤

What is your favorite outdoor activity? What is your favorite bird? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May4

New Hair Obsessed!

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New Hair Obsessed!

Hello!! I enjoyed a wonderful trip to the Shear Shop to get my hair right for spring in mid April and your girl has been feeling herself ever since! My amazing stylist, Anna, painted a beautiful palette with Pulp Riot’s finest in Pyro, Lemon, Blue Muse, and Desert Sky and it created pure Rainbow Ice magic. I am having so much fun with my new look and have been loving showing it off as often as I can get in OOTD posts while it is still at its freshest.

As I was shooting my 70s Spring OOTD, I realized that I had not changed my profile picture on literally any platforms in a PHAT minute. I decided to rectify that by taking some ready for my closeup shots and am so happy with how these turned out. And, yes, I do realize they both look exactly the same but I just don’t care lolol:

Whenever Anna does my hair, I always revel in the excitement of a brand new change. It’s such fun to experiment with different colors and I leave the salon feeling like a billion bucks and then some. I can definitely tell how good I feel in the photos above and the sentiment still remains the same! This trip to the Shear Shop couldn’t have come at a better time because I had a pretty crummy few months prior to. The new hair and taking pictures when I was feeling my absolute best was a major confidence boost. It was like turning a new page and I had the photographic proof that Lil Red was back, baby, and better than ever!

The moral of the story is that you can always bounce back to living your best life and sometimes you might need a little push. In my case, it was a new look to close a chapter with and I am ready to take on the next one with a better outlook AND better hair!

What makes you feel confident? What is your favorite thing about yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

April 2025 Finishes

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April 2025 Finishes

Howdy!! Just like that, April is drawing to a close and it went by in the blink of an eye. Honestly, I’m sad to see it go because April was a pretty good month for me. In its entirety, I got to bask in the glow of being, blessedly, way less busy and enjoying all of the fun that comes with it. It has been a gift to make plans, keep them, and genuinely look forward to what’s next. Speaking of looking forward to what’s next, I can’t wait to test out lots more skin and bath and body care goodies. This past month was nothing exciting in that regard which typically means that May will be the month to finish long term products and try something new. Take a look at these empties and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Lotion: Yes

Pearlessence Argan + Vitamin E Facial Oil: No

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Shower Gel: Johnny is a huge fan of tropical scents. Me? Not so much. However, I absolutely love the scent of pineapple and the Costa Rica Pink Pineapple Sunrise from B&BW was the bomb.com! This fragrance was incredibly straight forward and if you love the smell of fresh pineapple too, then this scent is for you. This shower gel gave me a heaping dose of sunshine even on the greyest April days and I enjoyed using it daily for the whole month.

Pearlessence Facial Oil: I decided to experiment with facial oils this winter and the lesson I learned is that I don’t like it at all lol. The initial test product by CleanBeauty was an instant no from me but I still had the Argan + Vitamin E oil by Pearlessence and wanted to just get it over with. I will say that this was a fair bit lighter as far as facial oils go and while I appreciated that, it was still much too heavy for my liking. If you have very dry skin, the Pearlessence oil could be a good option for you. If not, this is a product you can definitely skip on. It took me about five weeks of twice daily use to finish the bottle and I was so happy to be done with it!

Like I said, this wasn’t a very exciting product roundup so let’s wrap it up and I will see all of you darlings in May! ❤

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products 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

Apr21

New Hair, Who Dis?

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New Hair, Who Dis?

Hello!! This past Friday I enjoyed a wonderful day at The Shear Shop so my stylist, Anna, could get my hair right. I had been looking forward to this since I booked the appointment because I couldn’t wait to start experimenting with lighter colors again for spring. Anna selected brand new Pulp Riot colors just for me and created a masterpiece that we lovingly named “Rainbow Ice”. It reminded us so much of the signature shaved ice from the ice cream truck! Take a look:

^^^ Pulp Riot colors are Blue Muse, Lemon, Pyro, and Desert Sky!

The last time Anna did my hair, we were enamored by the end results after bleach was applied. My hair turned into a mermaid palette of yellow, orange, blue, and teal. We wanted to invoke those same summer vibes but in a cleaned up version and that served as our inspiration for this look. To start, Anna bleached my hair twice. Once to lighten up my roots and twice to strip the rest of the hair. As per ushe, we loved how my locks looked post bleach and briefly contemplated just leaving it like that. However, temptation for new Pulp Riot colors won as soon as Anna showed me my options!

For our Rainbow Ice palette, Anna chose Blue Muse, Lemon, Pyro, and Desert Sky. The wild card factor was also considered because my hair truly has a mind of its own. We never have any idea of the way my hair is going to pull colors and what the fresh dye is going to do on top of old colors that didn’t get bleached out all of the way. In that regard, there is some risk because there is an element of the unknown. However, this risk payed off big time and my hair did exactly what we wanted it to.

To start, Anna painted my bangs and top roots with Pyro because it blends so nicely with my real hair color. Then, she applied Desert Sky with a hint of Lemon at the bottom for the top half of my hair. Finally, it was time to bring on the blue and Blue Muse was painted onto the rest. All that was left to do was wait fifty minutes for the color to set and I damn near ran to my ice cold water wash. I was on pins and needles to see what was going on under all of that foil!

After my ice bath, I was in love immediately. Then, Anna cut my hair into a pseudo shag, styled it, turned my chair to the mirror, and I was head over heels. This Rainbow Ice palette is pure magic! From the Pyro, pretty peachy pink of Desert Sky, and Lemon on top with the Blue Muse on the bottom, it looked like a literal sunset over the ocean. We also were crazy about how the Blue Muse pulled. It wasn’t completely true to the color it should have been, which is a bright electric blue. We were fully aware of the possibility of Blue Muse looking more teal from the bleach and remaining navy blue in my hair and were so not mad about it. In fact, I couldn’t picture anything different because this new spring hair is everything. ❤

Huge shout out to my amazing Anna because this isn’t just dyed hair – this is art!!!!!

Are you changing your hair for spring and summer? How often do you get your hair done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr15

New Light Pink & Purple Glitter Nails

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New Light Pink & Purple Glitter Nails

Howdy!! I had a delightful break time fill at Elysian Nails this past Tuesday and it was just what the doctor ordered. My nails were insanely grown out and were in desperate need of some TLC! As always, my nail tech worked wonders and they are back to their former glory and, I daresay, better than ever. This appointment also came with a surprise – brand new colors to pick from! Take a look:

Prior to my appointment, I selected my nail polish colors and waited for my tech at her station. As soon as she saw me, she called me over to the other polish options which I don’t entertain. They are usually all gel and dip and I just go for regular old nail polish. I jokingly asked her if this was her trying to convert me to gel polish and we had a right laugh! Rather, she showed me brand new nail polishes and my original choices went straight out the window. I instantly fell in love with the pale pink and purple glitter shades! They look like fairy tale colors and are so delicate and pretty. My only qualm is that the two colors are more similar than I had anticipated from the sample, making it hard to differentiate them. However, I never say no to trying something brand new and they actually remind me of the Disney princess nail polish that my eldest niece adores. I think she is going to go crazy for this combo!

Of course, I couldn’t wait to get my nails right but I also was chomping at the bit to gossip with my tech. I had SO much scoop to tell her since my last appointment and it’s always fun to update each other on our never ending sagas. After spilling all the tea, we go through our monthly recommendations. From books we read to TV shows we’re binging, we cover it all and I love hearing her reviews. We have very different tastes when it comes to our preferred genres and it’s nice to have new options when I’m in the mood to break free from the norm. By the time my appointment was done, my nails were exquisite, the tea runneth over, and I was ready to return to work feeling like a billion bucks.

These new nail polish shades are perfect for spring and for letting your inner fairy princess go wild. Mine is certainly having a partay!

What kind of polish do you get when you get your nails done? What is your favorite acrylic shape? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr5

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy! I had a recent trip to Bath & Body Works to restock my beloved foaming hand soap and cash in a freebie coupon. While I love shopping at B&BW, there comes a point in the process when I am simply smelled out lol. I took a whiff of so many different hand soaps that everything just started smelling the exact same. Once my soaps were selected, I literally could not smell one more product – even for my free travel size lotion. So, I grabbed what I thought was the cutest packaging, checked out, and gulped down the fresh air as soon as I exited the store. Let’s find out together what Strawberry Pound Cake smells like because this is my first time smelling it too!

^^^ Seriously, though – how cute is that packaging?!

I have never ventured into strawberry fragrances because the desire was lacking. In fact, the Strawberry Pound Cake line from B&BW is one that I passed on several times when I had freebie coupons. I loved the strawberry line from The Body Shop and once I find a scent that I like, I declare everything else to not be as good lol. Because I was smelled out, I threw caution to the wind and decided to go for it and am glad I did. I wouldn’t say I would get it again, but it’s actually pretty nice!

Strawberry Pound Cake features notes of “fresh strawberries, golden shortcake, and whipped cream”. That is basically the scent in a nutshell – it smells exactly like the dessert so, in other words, good enough to eat! I have mixed feelings about this fragrance. As a lotion, it’s fine because I only wear lotion to bed. Would I buy a fragrance spray of it? Hard no. I am a huge fan of most fruity scents but Strawberry Pound Cake is more of a food fragrance and I have no idea why but I am just not there for it. Maybe because I would be hungry if I was smelling dessert all day? 😀

Strawberry Pound Cake is a hit or miss scent but it is certainly a transparent one. If you are down to smell like dessert, you will be in for a treat!

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

Apr3

Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

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Bath & Body Works Hand Soap Haul

Howdy! The foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works are a staple at chez moi and Johnny. We absolutely love them and so do all of our guests – especially our nieces! We were running low on our supply and it couldn’t have happened at a better time because I just got some coupons in the mail. During one of my work breaks, I hit up B&BW for a re-up and ended up with five new soaps and a freebie item for twenty bucks. You can’t beat that! I picked out several new to us scents and this was truly Johnny’s time to shine. He is a tropical boy and the store was jam packed with beachy, fruity, summery scents for days. Check it out:

Pink Kiwi Berry: One of my favorites of the bunch! The Pink Kiwi Berry soap seriously smells like candy – almost like a watermelon Jolly Rancher and it is delightful. I can literally smell the sugar crystals, which makes sense as this scent offers notes of “sweet kiwi, candied citrus, and sunny orchids”. I can’t speak to the sunny orchids lol but if you are looking for a sweet/tart scent that is primarily sweet, you are going to LOVE Pink Kiwi Berry!

Peach Bellini: You already KNOW I had to get me a Peach Bellini – one of my tried and true scents. In fact, this was one of the first hand soaps I purchased when I moved into my own apartment! It has been a go to of mine for over six years and I don’t plan on not getting it anytime soon. If you are a fan of all things peach and haven’t tried Peach Bellini from B&BW – what are you waiting for?! It is like biting into a juicy peach with every use.

Mango Papaya Paradise: Let’s hear it for the boy because this scent is one hundred percent Johnny. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of mango fragrances because I always thought the mango line from The Body Shop smelled moldy lol. However, the Mango Papaya Paradise is pretty nice! This scent features notes of “succulent mango, golden papaya, and warm tropical breeze”. It is my least favorite in the bunch strictly for my preferences but it does smell fresh and zingy and I know my main squeeze will love it!

Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit: Now, this tropical scent, I like! The packaging also really pleases me! The Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit is more subtle – it actually smells reminiscent of a toned down version of the Pink Kiwi Berry. As that was my favorite scent from the haul, what’s not to like?! This soap offers notes of “golden kiwi, juicy starfruit, and solar woods” (Whatever solar woods smells like). If you are looking for a fragrance that packs a punch, this is one you could skip on. Should your tastes match a subtly sweet scent, you are in for a treat.

Vanilla Swirl: This is a new vanilla scent from B&BW and as a HUGE fan of all things vanilla, I had to hop on it! Vanilla Swirl is what it is. If you, too, live for vanilla fragrances then this is a must buy. If not, then definitely skip on it because this is a true vanilla scent through and through.

As I actually shopped in store for this haul, it was a wildly successful one with a little something for me and my Johnny!

Do you like tropical scents? What is your favorite fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar31

March 2025 Finishes

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March 2025 Finishes

Oh hey! It’s the last day of March and, I’ve got to say, it has been a pretty good month for your favorite lil blogger. And the fact that spring is… springing makes everything that much better! Before we dive head first into April showers to bring May flowers, it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. I’ve also got to say, they were pretty good too! Check it out:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Vitamin C Micellar Water: NO

Envy Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides Cleanser: NO

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple Lotion: YES

Vital Beauty Cooling Eye Gel: YES

Clinical Works Hyaluronic Acid Face Cream: YES!!

Why/Why Not?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: During a TJMaxx skin care haul, I purchased a full bottle and travel size pack of the Evoluderm Vitamin C micellar water. I used up the travel size one last month, didn’t care for it, and completing the full size bottle solidified my “whomp whomp” sentiments. I noticed no positive changes in my skin with the different formula and makeup removal was more difficult. I have tried countless variations of traditional micellar water and always find myself wanting to return to my old standby. I am glad I can get back to the classic Evoluderm micellar water now that this dud is done!

Envy Cleanser: I have been using the Hyaluronic Acid & Ceramides cleanser by Envy every day for the past three months and change. I am SO happy to be done with it because I was less than impressed. Despite the fact that is lathered well and there was a lot of bang for the buck since a little went a long way, the results just weren’t there. It also had more of a cream texture which, in my opinion, is far less refreshing than my go to foaming cleansers. This is definitely a product that can be skipped on.

Clinical Works Moisturizer: Now, this Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer by Clinical Works was a winner and I so wish I had more! It took me five weeks of twice daily use to finish the big jar and I could absolutely see a difference in my skin. It looked bright, dewy, and was simply glowing. My skin felt soft and smooth and it looked it, too. This pleasing somewhere in between a gel and cream texture would be perfect for late spring and summer use and I am keeping my fingers, toes, and eyes crossed that I can find more at TJMaxx. Highly recommend!

Even though there were a few losers in the mix, this batch of empties was a GREAT SUCCESS because I truly couldn’t wait to be done with some of these long term products. I hope I have better luck with their replacements!

Which products did you finish up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products 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

Mar14

Spring Flower Surprise

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Spring Flower Surprise

Hello! The weather in Ohio these past few weeks has been crazy. It went from single digit temperatures and snow to a full fledged heat wave this entire week. Since Sunday, we have been experiencing blessedly warm temperatures in the high fifties and low sixties. It might even get up to seventy degrees this weekend! I have been loving it and it feels so weird to not be bundling up in a million layers every time I step foot outside. The sunshine alone has put a huge pep back in my step because my seasonal depression has kicked rocks and left me with plain old depression lol. But, hey, that’s manageable! 😀

Because the weather did a complete one eighty, spring flowers weren’t anywhere on my mind because it just seemed too early. However, I had an amazing surprise when I worked at chez mom and dad on Tuesday. My dad let me know that a patch of pretty yellow flowers had bloomed! Check it out:

When I visited the backyard before heading home, I was expecting to see a couple of flowers bravely peeking out of the ground. I was so shocked to see a huge patch of yellow flowers, instead! It took my breath away to see the petals dancing in the wind and was just what I needed after having a lot of recent stress. It felt so good to see these beautiful blooms, gulp down the fresh air, and have a big smile on my face. I think I could have stood out there all day. I always look forward to the first flowers of spring and these ones were there when I needed it most – I am so appreciative for that. ❤

I hope these flowers brightened your day as much as it did mine. Here’s to warm weather and all the spring flowers!

What is your favorite flower? What do you look forward to in the spring? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah