Tag Archives: beauty

Sephora Haul

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Sephora Haul

Hi!! Whenever I need to restock my Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced, I always shop Sephora online to get the best deals. With free shipping with a fifty dollar purchase (Which isn’t hard to do!), two free samples, and an option for more freebies with a coupon code, it just makes sense to do – especially if you know exactly what you want. And, if I ever did want to play around with new products in store, I would definitely go home and order the goods online to bank in on all of the great promotions! πŸ˜€

This time around, I scored an amazing goodie bag filled with trial sized products to try out and I am looking forward to testing them all and sharing my findings with you. Check it out:

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The Haul:

  • 2 Better Than Sex mascaras
  • Laneige Water Sleeping Mask
  • Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
  • Replica perfume
  • Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment
  • Ouai Leave In Conditioner
  • Bite Beauty Lip Crayon in Glace
  • Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
  • Laura Mercier Lipstick samples
  • Atelier Vanilla Incense perfume

For fifty dollars total, I got all of the products seen above and I consider that a steal. There is nothing better than getting a lot of bang for your buck and I feel like I get that every time I shop with Sephora. I also love being able to try out beauty products without having to commit to them and, who knows, maybe I will find a new favorite in the sample sizes.

I wouldn’t be a good sister or daughter if I didn’t share the wealth and have given my mom the perfume samples because she’s a fragrance gal and the Tarte mascara and Bite lippie to my sister. I already have both of those and will not be using either up any time soon. Sharing is caring and it’s nice to be able to enjoy all of this awesome stuff together. Both of those very special ladies in my life always know how to make my day with something as simple as a text message so I take every opportunity I can to treat them, too!

How do you score the best deals at Sephora? What did you get in your most recent beauty haul? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hi! This past week, I treated my mom to a pampering party with some amazing products by Londontown. My sweet mother, JANE, tested out the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream and fell in love with the Londontown brand as much as I have. Of course, I would have liked to use these products myself, but they wouldn’t have been much good over top of my talons! But, it was even more fun letting my mom get the royal treatment because we always revel in the chance to play beauty shop. πŸ™‚ Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

Nourishing Cuticle Oil:

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Restorative Nail Cream:

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^^^ Peep my claws in Londontown’s Buckingham Blue and Electric Avenue!

My mom is the literal queen of surprising her loved ones with beautiful gifts that catch her eye when she’s out and about. So, whenever I have a chance to give back to her, I jump on it. On a day when I finished work early, I headed over to chez mom and dad, enjoyed a Chinese dinner, and prepped the station for an impromptu beauty salon.

First, I soaked my mom’s nails in warm water. Then, I applied the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, rubbed it in, and let it sit for a while before I pushed her cuticles back. The oil made the cuticles much more pliable and it was so easy to remove all of the overgrown parts once they were nice and soft. After using the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, my mom had actual nails again that looked long and healthy.

The pampering had only just begun, though, because it was now time to top if off with the Restorative Nail Cream, which is what we are both the most excited about. This product is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Let’s start with the fact that it smells so good – the light as air, fresh cotton scent was just right with the rich, super hydrating cream.

And, most importantly, the non greasy formula left my mom’s nails and the surrounding areas smooth as silk. It also made her nails so insanely shiny which was a vast improvement to the dull hue that they were before. There was a noticeable difference after just one use and we are both looking forward to seeing her nails look better over time with continued use of the Restorative Nail Cream.

The Londontown Pampering Party that I had with my mom was a huge success. It was such a blast being able to spend time with her and it felt so good to let her be the one to get treated for a change. We can both attest to Londontown’s fabulous products and highly recommend the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream for your pampering pleasure!

How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite Londontown product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath & Body Works Holiday Haul

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Bath & Body Works Holiday Haul

Hello! Some of my favorite go to gifts to give are candles and bath and body care. These are things that your friends and family might not splurge on for themselves so they are always sure to please. And, who doesn’t like a little pampering?! To get some of the presents that I needed to purchase for the holidays out of the way, I hit up Bath & Body Works and got some delicious smelling stocking stuffers for all of my favorite lady friends. Check it out:

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It is always exciting to see all of the holiday themed decor and scents available in store. Bath & Body Works is completely filled with wall to wall holiday scented goodies, which made coming to a decision a difficult task. But, I am really happy with the products that I purchased.

I am not too wild about the super sweet holiday scents like snickerdoodle and hot chocolate and I despise the spicy fragrances like cinnamon and nutmeg. The Frosted Cranberry candles, Winter Candy Apple hand soap, and Fresh Sparkling Snow lotions and shower gel all smell appropriate for the holidays without being overpowering. They are also scents that you could get away with using after December 25th, which made them the perfect candidates to purchase.

Some might say that the candle and bath and body care route is an overdone one. BUT I SAY DIFFERENT! Probably because I would love to receive these gifts, myself. I know for a fact that all of the products above will go over well and, although B&BW can be a bit pricey, they were worth every penny. I am slowly but surely checking all of my giftees off the list and am eager to be completely done hopefully come December! πŸ˜€

How far along are you in your holiday shopping? What is your favorite holiday scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Lime Green & Navy Nails

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New Lime Green & Navy Nails

Helloooo everyone! I spent a much needed Saturday morning at the salon after an even earlier morning at the skating rink getting my talons fixed up. It was so nice to sit back and relax after a work out that dragged me out of bed at 6:30 (Wah, wah, wah!) and now my claws are all ready for a Thanksgiving extravaganza with the most non-Thanksgiving colors imaginable – but that’s neither here nor there.

I brought my own polishes to Elysian Nails this time around because I had some new shades from Londontown that I have been dying to try out. I used Electric Avenue and Buckingham Blue and the final result is gorgeous. Check it out:

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Londontown is an amazing one stop shop for all of your nail care needs that features a vegan and 9-free formula. Their polishes offer gel like wear, a flawless application, and dries faster than any nail polish I’ve ever used before. I absolutely love all of my Londontown polishes but I think that this navy and funky green combination takes the cake. My nail tech was just as obsessed with the super rich and ultra glossy hues as I was and bringing in such a high end feeling polish made my experience even more posh.

If you have a nail crazy person in your life or you are one, yourself (Like me!), then Londontown is definitely the place to be for all of your holiday shopping needs. With the best nail and cuticle treatments and a wide array of stunning colors to choose from, your stockings will be stuffed with the most lux goodies on the market. Happy shopping!

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

Dollar Tree Fake Eyelash Success!

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Dollar Tree Fake Eyelash Success!

Helloooo everyone! During a recent Dollar Tree haul, I was totally enamored with their Halloween fake eyelashes and bought a set in every color that they had. Now, mind you, I have never applied fake eyelashes in my life and it could have either gone really good or really freaking bad. Quality is also always a concern when you shop beauty at the Dollar Tree and I didn’t want to have to worry about the lashes coming off all day.

Purchasing the eyelashes was a gamble, to say the least, but taking the risk reaped a huge reward because they were wildly successful! Check it out:

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For Halloween, my boyfriend’s band The Outside Voices were playing at a local venue in downtown Akron called Musica. All of the members of the band dressed up as rock legends and you can peep Johnny’s lil Angus Young get up! This means that not dressing up was not an option so your girl got to bust out the Sexy Raggedy Anne costume that I’ve literally had since high school. *Praise be to he that it still fits!*

As soon as I saw the red fake eyelashes at the Dollar Tree, I thought that it would be the perfect addition to my makeup look and bought the lot of them. The morning of the concert, I decided that I would just apply the lashes then because I was working from home and I would have time to fix them if they were an epic failure.

I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t nervous – applying fake lashes has always seemed like a difficult feat to me and I don’t have the most steady hand. But, I put the lash glue along the lid line and gave it my best shot. And, hey, it worked! Not only were my red glitter lashes a hit, but they stayed on all day and night and are still in tact if I want to use them again.

As you all know, I had a disappointing experience with a Dollar Tree bath bomb so I wasn’t expecting much. This made the huge success of my lashes even more pleasantly surprising and it made me so happy that I bought a set in each color. Now, if only I can figure out an occasion to wear them again. New Year’s Eve party, anyone?

What did you dress up as for Halloween? How do you rock fake lashes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Londontown Unboxing

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Londontown Unboxing

Hi! As we all know, Lil Red is a nail girl. I would be nowhere without my talon style acrylics and am only in my truest form when they are eye poking sharp! Getting my nails done is such a treat and I look forward to my monthly visit to the salon to get myself right. There is nothing better than taking an hour or two to yourself to get pampered and I always leave my stomping grounds of Elysian Nails feeling like a million bucks.

I am especially excited for my next trip to get a fill because I have some amazing new goodies from Londontown to test out. Boasting a vegan, 9-free formula and a stunning array of colors to choose from, my nails are never going to look better compliments of the products below. Check it out:

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Seen From Top To Bottom:

  • Buckingham Blue polish
  • Summer Fling polish
  • Electric Avenue polish
  • Restorative Nail Cream
  • Nourishing Cuticle Oil

In the next few days, you can see all of my nail care adventures including an outing to the salon and a girls night in with my darling mom to test out the cuticle oil and nail cream. It’s going to be a lot of fun and the end results are sure to be gorgeous so keep it posted on lifewithlilred!

How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite nail polish color from Londontown? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Bath Bomb Blitz: Treat Me Pt. 2 Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Treat Me Pt. 2 Edition

Howdy! Today, we are going to discuss the other bath bomb that I purchased from the Dollar Tree that was equally as disappointing as the first one, lolol. It’s fine, though, because it’s not like I was expecting anything different and my curiosity has been tended to. So, now, I have even more of an excuse to shop at Lush because any other brand is a disgrace! Take a look at some pics and let’s get to it:

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^^^ Whomp whomp.

I selected the bath bomb above because the colors reminded me of the always popular galaxy print and I had a fleeting hope that it would be reminiscent of Lush’s intergalactic style bomb. But, obviously, I was dead wrong. Although the colors of the bath bomb were pretty, all it did was create a murky mauve once it hit the water and that was that.

Now, can any of us say that we’re surprised? Absolutely not. This is a Dollar Tree bath bomb we’re talking about. But, I’m glad that I conducted this little experiment for your viewing pleasure and for my knowledge in the future. I now know that these are not the move for an add on gift or a treat to myself. And, it is also a friendly reminder that sometimes you have to splurge to get a product worth using. So, let’s hit Lush and do some shopping! πŸ˜€

What is your favorite Lush bath bomb? How about your favorite Lush product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

October 2019 Finishes

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October 2019 Finishes

Hey there! Welcome to the last day of October here on lifewithlilred and thanks for stopping by. Today, we will be discussing my monthly finishes of skin and bath and body care products. I am pretty happy about this month’s empties, mainly due to the fact that I finally finished the jar of eye cream that I have been working on using up for the past half a year! There is something so satisfying on finishing a product that you have been using for forever and needing new skin care means a shopping trip to TJMaxx for me, so it truly is a win/win all around. Lol, take a look at my empties for this month and let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Coffee Scrub: For those of you who don’t know, I take shaving very seriously. I have perfected my shaving routine to a science and the Wonder Therapy coffee cream scrub will always be a part of it from now on. First of all, the coffee/lavender/coconut scent was absolutely divine. It was rich without being overpowering and the coffee aroma was invigorating.

And, most importantly, it gave me the best, closest shave of my life. The exfoliating coffee grounds mixed with the moisturizing cream provided the perfect combo for prepping my skin for a shave while protecting it from drying out. My skin has never felt smoother and my shave lasts for at least four days without prickles. Does your favorite scrub do that? One bottle of this miracle product lasted me about two months with weekly, full body use.

Rose Gold Serum: I love me my Azure Lux serum and will always purchase a bottle when it is available at TJMaxx. With pieces of twenty-four karat gold and rose hip mixed in the formula, this serum leaves my skin feeling blinged out and super hydrated with just a thin application. My only qualm with the product is that the consistency of the serum is quite thick, which makes the bottle go quickly as I finished it in under a month. It leaves my skin positively radiant, though, so I’ll deal with it!

Manuka Honey Face Cream: I quite liked this moisturizer by Lanocreme! It was so rich and creamy without feeling greasy and it sat well under my makeup. The light honey scent was delicious and I loved using it in the morning after my shower. I like a thicker moisturizer during the cooler months and I would definitely use it again. It took me a little over one month to finish this product.

Mokita Eye Cream: My mom bestowed this eye cream onto me at the beginning of May and it took me until the end of October to use up. The large jar was completely filled to the brim with product and even daily application didn’t put a dent in it. I’ve never really worried about eye wrinkles because I legit have been using an eye cream since I was fifteen and this Mokita cream helped keep them at bay for a while longer. Although I liked the product, I was very happy to use it up because I love trying new skin care goodies. But, if given the opportunity, I would for sure use it again.

As you can see, October was a very successful month for empties and I would highly recommend all of the reviewed items above. So, hit up TJMaxx and get you some, STAT!

Which products have you used up this month? What are your thoughts on any of my empties 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

Bath Bomb Blitz: Treat Me Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Treat Me Edition

Yo yo yo. Yesterday, you all saw my little beauty haul from the Dollar Tree, which included two bath bombs. Obviously, I was not anticipating a Lush quality treat from the bombs that I purchased. But, I also wasn’t expecting it to suck so bad, lol. Either way, I’m glad that I tried it out. The Dollar Tree is one of my favorite places to buy small add ons to holiday and birthday gifts like candles, candy, and coffee mugs. And, now I know (and all of you will, too) that the bath bombs are something that you can take a hard pass on for your stocking stuffers this year. Let’s discuss:

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The rainbow bath bomb is, admittedly, very cute and I thought that it would be a fun one to try out for the ol’ blog. I wouldn’t say that I was excited to give it a shot, I was more curious than anything. So, I filled up my bath tub, dropped the bomb in, and watched as the fizzy spectacle took place. Sadly, that’s all that happened when the bath bomb touched the water. It fizzed for a solid minute or two, turned the water a murky pink, and that was that.

Was I surprised? Definitely not. And, oddly, I was still okay with testing it out to give all of you the details and because it was a whopping one dollar so it didn’t break my bank! I still have one bath bomb by Treat Me left to try and I am not anticipating any bath tub magic a la Lush but, maybe – just maybe, the other one will be better. #wishfulthinking

What is your favorite bath bomb by Lush? How do you do stocking stuffers for the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dollar Tree Beauty Haul

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Dollar Tree Beauty Haul

Salutations! So, I know what some of you are thinking from the title of this post… “What kind of beauty products could they possibly have at the Dollar Tree?” Lol, well, you’d be surprised! On top of my new Halloween glasses, I ended up with a bunch of fun little beauty goodies to take home during my last Dollar Tree shopping excursion. I didn’t mean to go so hard but WHAT CAN YA DO?! Blog about it, obvi. Haha, take a look and let’s discuss:

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I have never been one for fake eyelashes and just opt for my Better Than Sex mascara to give me big, bold lashes. However, as soon as I saw the fun green, red, purple, and blue lashes I was instantly enamored and needed all of them. With Halloween around the corner, the red ones will be perfect with my sexy Raggedy Anne costume and I’m sure I’ll find use for the other three when my boyfriend’s band plays a show. Will they be of the best quality? Absolutely not. Will they last at least one night? Here’s to hoping!

And, of course, I couldn’t say no to the darling new lip balms in the cherry and red lip containers. I shit you not, I have had the same chapstacks in my purse for literal years so it was definitely time for an upgrade. I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than with a great big red lip container since we all know that that’s my signature. :*)

Finally, I snagged a few bath bombs because I thought it would be interesting to see how they worked. Will they be of the best quality? Absolutely not. Will it be on the blog tomorrow for a new edition of Bath Bomb Blitz? You know it!

There is nothing like getting some treats for yourself to perk you up during the work week and this little haul did just that. I’m excited to experiment with all of my new goodies and I’m even more excited that they didn’t break the bank at a dollar apiece. πŸ˜€

How do you treat yoself? What is your favorite discount store? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah