Tag Archives: costume

Nov1

Couples Pirate COTD

Posted on November 1, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Avast and ahoy landlubbers! Can you tell that I am still obsessing over my Halloween costume?! Johnny and I revel in dressing up together every Halloween and always opt for matching costumes. We understand that pirates is such a basic ass costume choice but once we decided to go for it, we were all in. In both of our thirty something years of living, neither of us have been pirates before for Halloween and there was no better time than the present. If these pictures didn’t make it obvious – we enjoyed every minute! Check it out:

Johnny and I both take our fashion extremely seriously and that is one of my favorite things about him. I like to think that our personal styles are pretty unique and every time we step out together is an occasion to get dressed up. Halloween is no exception. In fact, we probably take our Halloween costumes more seriously than our regular clothes! We’re not massive party goers and we don’t frequent the bar scene so when we dress up to pass out trick or treat candy is our one night to show off our costume creations. One night to let our inner children go crazy and immerse ourselves in a new character.

I have to say, we might have had more fun than the trick or treaters when we were posted up at our candy station. We had a roaring fire, Johnny was playing guitar, and we couldn’t get over the cuteness of every costume we saw. The entire night was a highlight but there was one moment that really stuck out to me. When I was chatting with a family that visited us, the little daughter timidly asked me if I had pink hair last year. I couldn’t believe that she remembered my Candy Queen costume and it warmed my heart so much. We pride ourselves on being the “cool” house to trick or treat at and this solidified that we are doing Halloween right. Sometimes a pirate’s life isn’t plundering for treasure, but sharing the wealth with candy instead!

I love all of the Halloween costumes Johnny and I have put together but our pirate COTD holds a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see what we dream up next year!

What is your favorite candy? Did you have a favorite Halloween costume growing up? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct31

A Pirate’s Life For Me COTD

Posted on October 31, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! Every year Johnny and I look forward to passing out trick or treat candy in my mom and dad’s neighborhood. We set up a bonfire, play music, and delight in all of the costume cuteness. Of course, the trick or treaters aren’t the only ones dressing up and we couldn’t wait to bust out our pirate costumes for the occasion. I seriously couldn’t be happier with how they turned out and am so excited to share ALL of the content with you! Take a look and stay tuned for more swashbuckling good times coming soon:

Who? What? Wear?

Pirate Costume & Accessories: Spirit Halloween

Vertebrae Heels: Show Story

Being pirates was not mine and Johnny’s original plan. We were thinking of doing Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl this year. However, we just didn’t feel like piecing together a costume via online shopping. This was how I built my Candy Queen costume last year and it was expensive and a bit of a hassle and we were so not trying to deal with that. After vetoing Plan A for this year, for some reason “pirates” popped into my head and I had my heart set on it. 1) It would be so totally cute. And 2) Finding a costume would be as simple as a trip to Spirit Halloween!

After making extensive purchases at Spirit Halloween, the trick was honestly on us. It was crazy expensive and we probs could have done our Plan A at a comparable price. We loved what we picked out so much, though, that it didn’t even matter. At this point, we both had being the baddest pirates across the seven seas on our mind and nothing was going to change that. With our costumes and beaucoup accessories prepped to go, all that was left to do was wait (im)patiently for trick or treat time.

I hate to toot my own horn about this costume because all I did was buy it, pick out accessories, and put it on but: TOOT TOOT! As soon as this COTD was on in all of its glory, you could not tell me NOTHIN. I felt absolutely amazing in it and I know it sounds silly but I really did feel like a pirate. Halloween is such a magical time because it allows you to be anything you want to be. To get into character and just have fun. Trust and believe that every trick or treater was a matey to me and Johnny and they were all greeted with a hearty “ahoy”. We pride ourselves on being the “cool” house to trick or treat at and I think this year was one of our best yet!

This costume was all treats and no tricks about it. Set sail for all Halloween everything here on lifewithlilred!

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

Oct24

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Posted on October 24, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Halloween is just around the corner! Are you ready? I sure am! In fact, I’ve been ready since last Halloween. 😀 It goes without saying that everything is SO. Freaking. Expensive nowadays and I completely understand not wanting to shell out for a costume if you are attending a party or an evening at the bars. As much as I love spooky season, I’m genuinely bitter by how expensive my own costume was. If you want to dress up on a budget, there are still plenty of options for you to show out in your Halloween best. Let’s explore a few last minute, budget friendly costumes that you can make with pieces you probably already own:

Robot:

If you’re like me, you are an early bird holiday shopper. Or, you might also be like me and love to online shop period! What does online shopping mean? Lots of boxes! Perfect for jerryrigging a robot costume. With a few boxes and spray paint, you’re in business for a classic robot fit. Simply pair your creation with a black long sleeved shirt and black jeans for underneath and viola. Just don’t try and take over the world when you’re wearing it! 😉

Scarecrow:

If you have a pair of boyfriend or baggy jeans and an old flannel, look no further. A scarecrow costume is the one for you! Bonus points if you have a straw hat but that could easily be found marked down in store for summer clearance or at a costume shop. You could even attach a few decorative crows or birds from a craft shop to your shoulder. You will need some patchwork makeup to sell this look so opt for bright oranges and yellows for this to make it pop. How easy is that?

Devilishly Good:

Love wearing the color red? Love it! If you have a pair of red jeans, a red top, and some funky red shoes or heels – turn this into a devilishly good COTD. Hit up Spirit Halloween for a pair of devil horns and a tail or staff if you’d like and your costume is good to go. This can also be done with an All Black Everything motif!

Your Favorite Person:

A few years ago I had absolutely no time to costume shop but still wanted to dress up, of course. So, I decided to dress up as my husband! After raiding his wardrobe, I came up with a COTD that was a huge hit and was so proud of the reaction I got for such a scrambled costume. This is a fun idea for couples, besties, or siblings so have a wardrobe swap and you’ve got a costume without spending a dime.

Prom King/Queen:

If you have a fancy suit or still own your prom dress or perhaps a bridesmaid dress – be king or queen for the day prom style. You can even make it scary by going as the Carrie version of prom king or queen! Complete the look with a crown and sash and you have my vote for Best Costume. This is your time to shine if you have kept your prom relics so break it out again for the one time!

If you have a majority of the pieces for these ideas, it will cost you roughly twenty to twenty-five dollars to purchase the remaining accessories you need, makeup, or spray paint. Make these last minute costumes your own and no one will be the wiser that you balled on a budget to create them!

What was your favorite Halloween costume you have worn? What are your Halloween plans? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct13

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Posted on October 13, 2025 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! I absolutely love getting dressed up for Halloween and revel in styling costumes as much as any OOTD. Johnny and I do matching costumes and this doubles the fun! This year we were workshopping an Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl costume but decided against it as it would be one we would have to create on our own. Piecing together costumes can be pricey and we are really trying to save for a big vacation next year! We decided to keep it simple by being pirates and I REALLY like what we picked out. However, I do kind of wish that we kept with our original plan because our purchases at Spirit Halloween were CRAZY expensive. I genuinely think we could have done an ode to one of our favorite rockers for a similar price. That’s neither here nor there, though, because I know we are going to be the cutest pirates across the seven seas! Here is a sneak peek of my costume:

There was no shortage of pirate costumes at Spirit Halloween and I had a hard time choosing because they were all adorable! Whenever I ask Johnny’s opinion on which one he likes, he always errs on the side of sexy and he was right – the Wicked Pirate costume set was definitely the best of the bunch! It came with the top, bottoms, and head scarf and I was so pleased that it fit like a glove when I tried it on at home. If you are considering ordering online from Spirit Halloween or shopping there, their sizes are very true to the label. Although you might want to size up if you’d like a bit more wiggle room.

Of course the costumes at Spirit Halloween don’t come with any additional accessories and that simply wouldn’t do. If I am going to dress up, I’m going to do it right! However, the accessories and beauty departments were when things started getting really pricey. The first order of business was a wig because I wanted huge red curls and the Ombre option was exactly what I was looking for. Fake lashes were also a necessity because Halloween is the only time I wear them and the red and black lashes matched my color palette perfectly.

For accessories, I wasn’t feeling the headscarf my costume came with at all so I opted for a hat instead. There were a few different options to pick from that looked like a floppy hat but had buttons to make it a trifold. I was delighted to find one that had red accents when folded up and I think it will look stellar on top of the wig! I also had my heart set on an eye patch and surprisingly there were literally none except for the jeweled one. That was fine because I would have chosen it anyways – it is so freaking cool and provides a fun pop of bling. Speaking of bling, how great are those dangly earrings? I was a bit worried that I was over accessorizing but they will be tangled amidst the curls in the wig and won’t be a focal point.

My last purchase was a pair of thigh high socks which I liked much better than the fishnets seen on the costume packaging. I just thought they were cute and the chain decals look like the one on my costume’s top to tie it together from head to toe. Blessedly, I didn’t need to think about spending any more money on shoes because I plan on wearing my vertebrae heels from my wedding. Thank goodness! 😀

I am so excited to see this costume come together and can’t wait to show all of you the end result. Stay tuned!

Are you dressing up for Halloween? Where do you like to shop for costumes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov12

Hoosige Elf Costume Review

Posted on November 12, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hi everyone!! I am SO excited to start creating content for the holiday season with Tim Misny. We have a ton of fun planned to show off our Misny Merch holiday collection, decor tours, and featuring all things merry and bright. For the festivities, I purchased an elf costume by Hoosige on Amazon and wanted to write a review because I just tried it on. This costume came with six different pieces and was under forty dollars, which will make it a hot seller for holiday celebrations. However, there are definitely some things you should be aware of before clicking on the order button:

^^^ Image by Hoosige

When I am ordering clothing or costumes, I always always check the customer reviews in terms of sizing. Nine times out of ten, these sentiments have steered me in the right direction for a perfect fit. This time – not so much. If you read the Amazon reviews for this costume, almost every person recommended sizing up. So I did. Rather than ordering a small, I went for a medium and I wish I didn’t because the costume was ginormous. Not only was it oversized in width, but it is nowhere near as short as the image will lead you to believe. The dress went to the middle of my calves. With no time to exchange my order, I had to make things work so I gathered the excess in the back and secured it with a hair clip. The moral of the story: Order your regular size and, for once, do not listen to the reviews!

It is also worth mentioning that the socks looked more like sleeves for a shirt and did not fit close to the body at all. I opted to swap mine out for a pair of white, ruffly ankle socks. The shoes also leave a lot to be desired and felt like sanitary coverings. They are not made for outdoor use so if you plan to wear them, put them on after you enter into your destination. I will not be using them and will wear a red pair of heels instead – I need any extra length I can get! I will say that the hat and ears are insanely cute and both stayed nice and secure once on. In fact, they are the only parts of the costume that I don’t have a problem with lol.

Even though I am swimming in this costume, I will be damned if I’m not working it and after some tweaking it did look a lot better. If you plan on ordering one for yourself, just know that it might not be exactly what you had in mind after viewing the product pictures!

Do you have a costume you wear during the holidays? What is your favorite holiday movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov4

Johnny’s GREAT SUCCESS!!

Posted on November 4, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I wouldn’t consider the actual day of Halloween to be anything special to me. Thursdays are a very long, busy day for me at work. Johnny, however, had a banner day at his job! Normally, when I return home for the day, Johnny will greet me at the door looking just as exhausted as I feel. So, you could imagine my surprise when he opened the door bright eyed and bushy tailed! Clearly, he was in a good mood and I found out why when I sat down at my computer. There was a trophy on top of my laptop that he won from the costume contest his job hosted!!

Every year, there is a Halloween costume contest at Johnny’s place of employment and he planned on reprising an oldie but goodie ensemble for the competition: AC/DC’s Angus Young. He was excited to rock that COTD again but a wrench was thrown into the mix when we couldn’t find the signature Angus Young shorts or hat anywhere. We must have turned over the entire apartment trying to find it! Begrudgingly, Johnny settled on being Lord Licorice for the event and got up extra early to get himself dressed to impress. And how he impressed!

Out of the three costume categories of Scariest, Funniest, and Most Creative, my main squeeze won Most Creative on his Lord Licorice look. Along with the trophy, he also received a Yeti tumbler as a prize and he was on cloud nine. I was so tired after work but this excellent news and seeing him so happy perked me right up! As he told me all about his big day, we were both grinning from ear to ear. Johnny and I both put a lot of effort into our costumes and it paid off in a major way. In fact, he ended up saying that he was glad we couldn’t find his Angus Young costume because he didn’t think it would make him a winner after all. It’s funny how things always have a way of getting sorted out. ❤

We are both absolutely elated over this costume contest win. It might not seem like much, but it is a huge deal for us. We thought our costumes were the best and this confirms it! 😀

Do you celebrate holidays at work? What are those events like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct31

Candy Queen COTD Pt. 2

Posted on October 31, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! It’s safe to say that I am literally obsessed with mine and Johnny’s Candyland Halloween costumes. I just can’t get over how good they turned out and the efforts we both made to make the best costumes paid off big time. The entire time we were dressed up, I really did feel like we were Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen because we looked the part so perfectly. In fact, I had several little trick or treaters say “thank you, candy princess” to me and it melted my heart! I couldn’t resist sharing another set of photos from my costume so let’s take a peek:

All of you already know the story behind my Halloween costume, so let’s talk about some of mine and Johnny’s favorites from our evening of passing out candy. Unfortunately this year, we didn’t have as great of a turnout as the year before. Last year, we ran out of candy within an hour or so of the start of Trick or Treat! Although we didn’t see a ton of costumes, there were a few that really took the cake…

Inflatable T-Rex: Inflatable costumes are so hilarious to me and we had a pair of T-Rexes that we got to witness waddling up and down my parents’ steep driveway. It was a complete hoot and we were in stitches as we watched them make their way to the next house in the neighborhood.

Crime Fighters: There were three little boys dressed up as policemen and their costumes were fine, but the interaction was top tier. As I handed out their candy, I told them that I didn’t do it and one of the kiddos deadpanned answered back “yes, you did”. His comedic timing was on point!

Rick Astley: The best costume of the night was, hands down, a kid dressed up as Rick Astley. As he approached me, I could have sworn I heard music. Then, he got closer and I realized I was right. He had a Bluetooth speaker playing “Never Gonna Give You Up” and was Rick Rolling the entire neighborhood. Johnny and I loved it so much that we gave him the rest of the candy we had and called it a night!

A wonderful Trick or Treat was had by all and it brought me and Johnny an incredible amount of joy. Happy Halloween!

What was the best costume you saw for Trick or Treat? How are you celebrating Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

Candy Queen COTD

Posted on October 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD… or should I say COTD on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to take a closer look at my Candy Queen Halloween costume. When I had the idea several months ago for a Candyland themed couples costume, we immediately fell in love with it. Johnny would, indeed, make a stellar Lord Licorice as you saw in yesterday’s post. My Candy Queen costume was one that was pieced together as there were no costume options for Queen Frostine or Princess Lolly. This hodgepodge costume stressed me out more than it should have, but it was well worth the headache – I felt like a star!

Who? What? Wear?

Candy Hearts Dress: Secret Wishes, Amazon

Candy Button Platforms: An online order by the brand B.A.I.T.

Giant Lollipop and Lollipop Earrings and Headband: Amazon

Wig, Pink Tutu, Thigh Eyes, False Eyelashes: Spirit Halloween

After a lot of struggle, I finally ordered the Candy Hearts Dress and said a prayer to the fashion gods that it would work. This costume was my complete and total last resort. You could imagine the flood of relief I had when it arrived in the mail and I found that it was both cute and it fit! The only problem was that the skirt was insanely short, but I knew that ahead of time as per online reviews. My plan was to pair it with a tutu underneath to keep everything from hanging out lol. As soon as the dress was on was when I started getting excited because I essentially built the rest of the costume in that moment.

While shopping for the dress itself wasn’t ideal, you know your girl had an easy time in the shoe department! This was a cake walk in comparison and I ordered the pair of Candy Button Platforms by B.A.I.T. after five minutes of browsing. There were SO many incredible candy themed shoes, but they were SO incredibly expensive. The platforms I chose were under fifty dollars, can definitely be worn outside of Halloween, and featured an iconic candy print. I was sold and can’t wait to wear them next summer! The colors in the shoes also perfectly matched some of those in the dress, which was a nice touch. 🙂

Finally, it was time to accessorize! The accessories are really what turned the pieces I had into a true costume. I knew that candy themed jewelry was a MUST and I also wanted a gigantic lollypop to hold to drive the point home. I ended up with a set that contained the candy headband and earrings, and everything was aces after I superglued some of the lollipops back on the band. I also got the slightly dented pink lollypop, but what can you do lol. Similarly to the shoes, the jewelry and props went from relatively cheap to very pricey and I went with Option A.

Spirit Halloween is where I purchased the remainder of the accessories which included the wig, tutu, thigh highs, and rainbow false eyelashes. The tutu was just what I needed for underneath the dress and I adored the tiered effect that it gave. The dress should have been made like that all along! And can we PLEASE talk about the wig?! You guys have no idea how weird it felt to actually have long, flowing locks. This wig was everything and I couldn’t imagine anything different for my costume. I was so lucky it was the last one available! I didn’t think this costume could get any sweeter until I put the thigh high socks on. And, of course, the final candy surprise was the rainbow lashes for the ultimate pop of color!

My Candy Queen COTD was everything I wanted and so much more. Stay tuned for some bonus pictures tomorrow because I love this look that much. See you then!

What is your favorite Halloween candy? What is the best Halloween costume you saw this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct29

Candyland Costume Reveal

Posted on October 29, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I got dressed up in our Halloween’s best to pass out Trick or Treat candy in my parents’ neighborhood. Our couples costume this year was Candyland inspired with Johnny as Lord Licorice and myself as his Candy Queen. My costume was an absolute pain in my keister to put together after several trials and tribulations, but it was SO worth it. I am absolutely in love with the end result! Check it out:

After two failed attempts for a Halloween costume, I had to go with a last resort option for my Candy Queen dress. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it until the look started to come together with the right shoes and accessories. Once I had everything I needed, I was feeling much better but still had that annoying thought that it wasn’t one of the two costumes that I really wanted. Then, I put on the costume in its entirety on Saturday and ate my words – my Candy Queen costume turned out perfectly and I was so glad that what I originally had in mind didn’t work out. If this COTD (Costume Of The Day) doesn’t scream “Candy Queen”, then I truly don’t know what does!

While I spent what felt like an eternity shopping for a costume that was just right, Johnny had no problem with his. Our running joke is that he literally just makes a costume with clothes he already owns and that was very much the case this year. He used his own pants, top, shoes, hat, and the jacket was compliments of my costume from last year. His only purchases were the wig, cape, and supplies from Menard’s to craft his own cane. My handy guy! Johnny looked amazing as Lord Licorice and he turned our old duds into a costume that fit our Candyland aesthetic to the T.

We had SO much fun creating our costumes and I am absolutely obsessed with how they turned out. That evening, we truly were Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen and all I can say is look out for next year. We plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl!! (And, yes, chances are Johnny will be wearing a variation of his Lord Licorice costume lol!)

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

Oct23

Final Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Posted on October 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I are going to be Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen for Halloween. You would think that such a fun costume would be a joy to shop for. That was, unfortunately, far from the case and it proved to be a massive pain in my nads. I ended up having to settle for my last resort costume and it’s cute, just not what I wanted. The candy button platform heels did help perk me up, though! We both needed a few finishing touches on our costumes so we made a trip to Spirit Halloween on Saturday. Thankfully, we managed to find all of our requirements because the store was already pretty picked over. And, thankfully, I am feeling WAY better about my costume now with these additions (Including some Amazon purchases!):

So the candy headband and giant lollipop both came from Amazon and 0/10 do not recommend. The lollipop came with a huge dent, as you can see, and also you just kind of had to shove the stick into the foam lol. The candy headband also came with a really cute lollipop necklace and earrings (Totes forgot to include those!) and the jewelry was okay. The headband, however, came with three popped off lollipops that I had to superglue back on. It all ended up working out, but it definitely added to the annoyance of my top pick costumes NOT working out.

While the accessories were going to help this costume, they weren’t going to make the look. So, I turned to Spirit Halloween to kick it up a notch. First on the agenda was a wig and I scored massively with a gorgeous pastel blue, pink, and lavender in long, curly tresses. It was also the last one in the store. NICE! Next was a tutu to add some volume to the skirt as well as provide some extra coverage to the very mini length! The pink tutu was also the last one available which was DOUBLE NICE and everything was coming up Lil Red.

The last order of business was thigh highs and eyelashes and things went down slightly lol. I was really hoping to find some pastel pink thigh highs but came up with nothing. The white ones will be okay, though, and I love the bows! For eyelashes, I chose a wonderfully rainbow set to pop against all the pastel. I left the store with *almost* exactly what I wanted/needed and it was a much needed great success after the struggle bus ran me over time and time again!

I am honestly so excited to put this whole costume together over the weekend. It was not what I originally had in mind but maybe that’s a good thing because I’m already obsessed!

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

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	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
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