Tag Archives: beauty

Nov10

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

Nov7

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

Nov6

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:

treattreat1treat2

^^^ 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! 😀

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

Oct31

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:

oct.jpeg

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

Oct29

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

Oct28

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. 😀

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

Oct27

Tiny TJMaxx Beauty Haul

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Tiny TJMaxx Beauty Haul

Howdy! When it comes to beauty products, I am really not picky. I’ve never minded using bath and body care from the grocery store, drugstore makeup brands, and basic skin care. Well, that is, until I started working at The Body Shop several years ago, because that turned me into a skin care freak!

For a while, I was strictly using their products when it came to my skin care routine. I have since branched out and I have TJMaxx to thank for that, because they have such a fantastic beauty section with all kinds of fun new brands and old favorites to try. Now, whenever I run out of anything in my pampering routine, I hit up TJs to restock. Check it out:

serum

When it comes to styling my hair, a good heat protector and leave in conditioner are a must for me. Both help to eliminate any frizz and keep my hair silky and sleek for the perfect pin straight appearance. I had purchased my first bottle of thermal serum by RUSK way back in January and I am just now finishing up the bottle. This is astounding, because I use the product almost every day and, at ten dollars, that makes the cost per wear mere fractions of a cent!

This thermal serum works wonders. It smells awesome, it doesn’t leave my hair greasy, and my hair has never looked healthier even with daily heat styling. My ends aren’t fried and my locks are so smooth to the touch so I was very happy when TJMaxx had another bottle of it available because adding it into my cart was a no brainer.

And, of course, I would be nowhere without a good Vitamin C serum during my skin care routine. I chose a bottle of Provence Beauty’s brightening serum and am looking forward to trying it. It was six dollars for one bottle but it seems to be filled to the brim with product so I am hoping that it will last me a long time. Come cold weather, it is easy for your skin to take on a dull appearance from the lack of sunshine. Thankfully, my Vitamin C products keep me radiant all year long and I completely swear by them.

This was a tiny beauty haul but I did get everything I needed and then some… because, seriously, who goes into TJMaxx for just one thing?! 😉

Which beauty products do you swear by? How do you save money on your beauty routine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct22

Hair Tinsel Help

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Hair Tinsel Help

Hellooooo everyone! While on vacation, we were wandering around downtown Hendersonville in North Carolina and I stumbled upon a little boutique advertising “fairy hair”. Naturally, I was intrigued and ended up with ten strands of colored tinsel in my hair, which you can kind of see in my featured image. I loved my fairy hair so much that I decided to order a hair tinsel kit on Amazon but, unfortunately, it is much harder than the lady made it seem in the shop!

hair

^^^ So fun!

While attempting to put some blue tinsel in my sister’s hair, we read directions and watched YouTube videos and I could not for the life of me figure out how to tie a slip knot to get the process started. I seriously must have tried for a half hour and just when I thought I got it, I was sadly mistaken.

I plan on having my hair stylist put my tinsel in because there is no way in hell I will be able to do it on my own. But, I would like to be able to do it for my friends so I am open to any and all advice to make the hair tinseling easier! Simple slip knots, a step by step guide, the best way to separate the hair. Basically, I really need help lol so if you have any blog posts or videos that could be of service be sure to put them in my comments!

What is your favorite trend for hair? How do you rock bling in your hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct16

New Black & Red Matte Nails

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New Black & Red Matte Nails

Hello hello! During the car accident, two of my nails broke. I was in such a state of shock that I didn’t realize how much pain I was actually in and just thought about how I’d like to get my nails fixed up. But, unfortunately, I ended up in the hospital instead of the nail salon. Luckily for me, I always keep super glue on me for occasions such as this when a nail breaks or lifts and was able to fix the damage in the hospital bed. It looked janky as hell, though, so I was so happy to be able to get my claws right after a week of recovery! Check it out:

matte

As I made my rounds of visiting people once I was well enough after the accident, I noticed that my neighbor’s son’s girlfriend had matte nails and I was obsessed. So, I decided to get some for myself this time around. Since spooky season is upon us, I went for a black and red combination for ultimate slasher vibes on my talons.

All of my friends who work at Elysian Nails knew about the car accident and were so kind and attentive to me. My girl, Mary, who has now become my usual nail tech did such a wonderful job, as per ushe. She takes her time, which I love, and was able to repair all of the damage and sharpen my claws to perfection – just how I like it.

It was so nice to be able to take an evening to myself to relax after everything that had happened. I had a blast girl talking with my favorite nail techs and the lovely ladies who were sitting beside me and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks. Thanks to the team at Elysian Nails and to Mary for helping me feel like myself again! ❤

What color of polish do you have on right now? How do you do Halloween nails? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep30

September 2019 Finishes

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September 2019 Finishes

Howdy! We’ve reached the end of another wonderful month here on lifewithlilred and that means it’s time to discuss my monthly empties. I used up some really good stuff this past month. Stuff that I’ve been using for forever, stuff that took me a short amount of time to finish, and just stuff in general! So take a look and let’s get to it:

sept

Would I Use Again:

  • Softsoap Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion body wash: YES
  • Yes To Cotton micellar water: NO
  • IGK Mistress leave in conditioner: YES
  • Clinicals Anti-Aging Vitamin C facial oil: YES

Why/Why Not:

Softsoap Body Wash: As you all know, I am a huge Softsoap fan. The brand is cheap as can be but all of their body washes smell amazing, they lather well, and are always so damn invigorating during my morning shower. The little moisture beads are a nice touch, too! It takes me one month to use one bottle which includes daily use and a weekly bubble bath and at three bucks and change, I can definitely swing that.

Yes To Micellar Water: My mom got this bottle of micellar water for me on sale and I was very unimpressed. I used up the bottle in a month because I wasn’t going to not finish it but I was happy to have been done! It just didn’t make my skin feel as fresh and clean as the Garnier micellar water and it was also not the best at removing all traces of makeup. I’m sure it’s significantly cheaper than the Garnier brand but I have a rule of thumb of not skimping on the good stuff when it comes to my skin care!

IGK Leave In Conditioner: I absolutely love this product by IGK! I have been using it for the past year or so and I honestly don’t think that I could live without it. The Mistress leave in conditioner smells so good, it smooths out all of my frizz, it makes my hair shiny, and it protects my locks from the heat. Does your leave in conditioner do that? Although the price is steep at twenty-nine bucks a tube, it takes me over six months to finish it up and, with all of that in mind, it is worth every penny.

Clinicals Serum: What I love about skin care products with Vitamin C in it is that I can always see noticeable results from it. My skin glows and is radiant without having to break the bank on an expensive treatment. I really enjoyed using the Vitamin C serum by Clinicals. It sat well under makeup and I loved how my skin looked and felt after each use. My only qualm with this product is that the serum was in a spray bottle, which I didn’t like because I felt like I had to use a ton of it to get full coverage on my face and neck. Despite that, it still took me one month to use up the bottle.

With a seventy-five percent success rate, I’d say I did pretty good with my empties for the month of September! I would recommend all of the products that I liked above but definitely stay clear of the Yes To Cotton micellar water!

Which products did you use up this month? What were your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah