Tag Archives: disappointed

May3

Nail Polish Party

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Nail Polish Party

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Thanks to Influenster, I got to try out Sinful Colors’ limited edition Bling It On collection in Teal Midnight. Usually, I’m not fond of nail polish colors if they’re not black so I was a little ambivalent to paint my nails. Unfortunately, once the polish was on my gut reaction of “I’m not going to like this” was right because I really didn’t like it! Take a listen to a cute Lady Gaga song dedicated to the mani and then let’s discuss:

nails1

It’s not that I don’t mind other colors so much as the fact that this was a glitter polish which is a big fat “no” in my book. Had this been a plain old deep teal sans the glitter, I probably would have liked it a lot but as a rule of thumb I really just don’t do glitter of any kind whether it be on lotion, nail polish, or clothing. It’s not my style and it never will be so in all honesty, I feel super weird having this polish on!

I had to put on three coats of the polish just to make it fully cover my nails and even then you can still see through the coat and onto my nails. I guess as a top coat this polish would be okay but you still would need at least two coats to fully cover your nail in glitter. I was actually a bit disappointed in the quality of this polish because I have seen glitter polish that works very well. Because this polish is so thin in comparison to other glitter polishes that I’ve seen it made the application more annoying than pampering.

As a top coat, I do recommend Sinful Colors’ “Teal Midnight” from their Bling It On collection but as a polish alone I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m very unhappy with how they look and even if glitter polish was my thing, I still would be disappointed over the polish quality. Thankfully, Influenster provided me with nail polish remover pads, too, so hopefully those will get the job of taking the polish off done!

It was a kind of sad Nail Polish Party to say the least but I do want to thank Influenster for allowing me to try the product! What is your go to shade of nail polish? What nail polish color would you not be caught dead in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Apr22

iPoll Website Review

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iPoll Website Review

Hey everyone and TGIF! One of my ways to make an extra buck is participating on online survey websites. They’re a great way to earn money, gift cards, and various other rewards and deals. I recently just received a twenty-five dollar Amazon gift card from completing surveys on iPoll. Despite one major issue that I had with the website, I’m overall semi pleased with it, so let’s discuss:

The nice thing about iPoll is that they give you five dollars automatically just for signing up for the website. I love when survey sites do that because it gives you a great head start to getting bigger rewards. I also really appreciated the amount of money that completing each survey was worth. Some sites that I’ve used in the past were only paying pocket change for surveys. Not iPoll. Almost every survey on their site was a dollar or more so that made getting to the twenty-five dollar cash out goal a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, the quickness of completing the surveys did not translate at all to the receiving of monies. After you completed a survey, you then had to wait for what you submitted to pend. This could take one to over six weeks which just didn’t fly with me. The biggest pain in the ass was when I was one pending survey away from reaching the twenty-five dollar goal and it took the final survey EIGHT WEEKS to go through. At that point, it was easy to make the assumption that the website was just trying to hold on to the cash for as long as they possibly could before rewarding their participants. Not cool.

It took me sending an email to customer service for the final pending survey to go through but the waiting game was only just beginning. After I chose the Amazon gift card as my reward, I had to wait an additional six weeks to receive it. Frankly, I wasn’t thrilled with that, either. I finally got the email containing my e-gift card last week and now that I have it, I don’t plan on doing any more business with iPoll. I think that it’s a great site if you’re willing to wait around for months to receive your rewards but I’m just not that patient. It’s too bad, too, because up until those issues, iPoll was easily one of the better survey sites that I’ve used. Oh, well!

So there you have it, my iPoll Website Review! Who participates in taking online surveys? Which ones do you like the best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr16

Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

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Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

Helloo everyone and happy weekend! I recently started using a new cleanser by Nourish Organic that I snagged from my skin care hoard and I have been nothing but disappointed with it. The worst part? That once I start a product, I completely refuse to not finish it. So now, I’m stuck with using one of the worst cleansers of all time until there’s none left. #FML. I desperately need a vent session about this cleanser so take a look at the packaging and then let’s discuss:

organic

Okay, first things first is the smell. The packaging claims that it’s fragrance free but it seriously smells like rotten sunflower seeds. That in itself completely turned me off from the cleanser because waking up and having to scrub that on your face is seriously hell. I’m okay with a fragrance free product if it truly is fragrance free or close to it but the marketing for the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser is a blatant lie. Not cool.

On top of the faulty marketing that Nourish Organic used, the packaging for it kind of sucks, too. The cleanser is so thin in texture that as soon as you pop the lid, the face wash starts pouring out. The first time I used the cleanser, I ended up with a substantial amount on my shower floor because I wasn’t prepared for the flood gates to burst free as soon as I opened it. Once again, not cool.

And finally, the fact that this cleanser doesn’t lather in the slightest is a major issue. Because the texture of the face wash is so runny, it feels like you’re just rubbing slime on your face. The result? That your face feels tight, dehydrated, and not even clean. Every time I finish using my cleanser, I’m always so thankful that I use an exfoliator afterwards to pick up the slack. I would almost be okay with the horrid smell and the shitty packaging if the product actually made my skin feel good but if anything, it just leaves it feeling worse.

So how do I rate this product, you may ask? I’m so glad you did! I give the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser: negative one million billion stars and I would not recommend it to anyone. All I can hope for now is that I finish this cleanser quickly so I can use something different because anything is an upgrade from this!

So there you have it, my Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review! Has anyone used a product lately that they’re completely disappointed in? What face wash are you currently using? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar3

Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review

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Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review

Howdy! Okay, first off let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Garnier’s skin care line. I’ve used one of their cream cleansers and an exfoliater of theirs multiple times and I’ve always been really happy with them. After I finished my cleanser from Simple, I picked out the Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser from my hoard drawer and had very high hopes for it. I was really excited to try this cleanser out because I’ve been so pleased with their products that I’ve used before – but unfortunately, this face wash really missed the mark. Review their packaging and then let’s discuss:

garnier

I always start my product reviews out by talking about their smell but this cleanser doesn’t have any! I know a few of you have commented on my reviews before saying that you like when skin care doesn’t have a fragrance. That’s all very well, but that’s one thing that I can never get on board with. When I’m taking my morning showers, I love when a product has a really invigorating aroma because it helps wake me up. I don’t mind too much that Garnier’s cleanser is fragrance free because I use a lovely scented exfoliater in the morning, too. But the lack of smell definitely didn’t give this product any brownie points!

One of the reasons why I didn’t care for the Simple cleanser that I had finished before starting this one is that it barely removed any of my makeup. In fact, the only reason why I grabbed Garnier’s cleanser from the hoard drawer is because it spelled out for me right in its name that it was primarily a makeup remover. I like to think that I don’t wear a ton of makeup. I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to use any type of concealer and the only product that I use heavily is the mascara that I love to pile on so very much – which is also the toughest thing to remove. -_-

I didn’t doubt that Garnier’s face wash would do a good job of removing my makeup but I wasn’t blown away by it. Yes, it did get my eye makeup off BUT I’ve used so many cleansers that have done the exact same thing. In fact, Garnier’s other cream cleanser that I’ve used before removed all of my makeup and that bonus was barely even mentioned on their packaging!

The final thing that I discuss when reviewing a skin care or body wash product is if it lathers well. Nice and big suds while I’m scrubbing away are a must for me – I have a hard time feeling truly “clean” without it. This is where Garnier’s cleanser totally missed the mark. The packaging says that this product is for sensitive skin but that doesn’t mean it can’t lather just a little! The texture of the cleanser was thick and creamy but once you rubbed it on your face it literally just sat there and did nothing.

Every morning when I rinse the cleanser off, I’m always so happy that I have an exfoliater that I can use afterwards because the face wash simply does nothing for me. It doesn’t make my skin feel any cleaner and it certainly isn’t doing anything that another more effective cleanser can’t. I’m really disappointed in this product so I’m going to have to rate it with: no stars. There is absolutely nothing about this cleanser that I liked or that made my skin feel good. Now I’m just annoyed that I refuse to not finish products that I start because I’ll be stuck with this sucker for a long while. -__-

So there you have it, my Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review. I will continue using Garnier products after I finish this face wash but you couldn’t pay me to use this one again! Have any of you used this product before? What are your thoughts on it? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Have a new picture of me for your troubles! I love the little wave that my boxer braids from this weekend left me with!

me3

Feb6

Nivea “A Kiss of Smoothness” Chapstick Review

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Nivea “A Kiss of Smoothness” Chapstick Review

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Last week my mom surprised me with a new chapstick because I’m seriously always complaining about how chapped my lips are. She came home from the grocery store with Nivea’s “A Kiss of Smoothness” balm and I was so excited because I’ve heard lots of good things about their products. But unfortunately, my new chapstick didn’t quite make the mark so let’s discuss:

My first impression of Nivea’s “A Kiss of Smoothness” chapstick when I put it on was how light it felt. The balms that I usually use tend to be thicker in their consistency which is something that I didn’t realize I liked until now. My number one complaint with this chapstick is that it absorbs much too quickly. To some, that’s a good thing. For me, not so much. I like being able to feel my chapstick on my lips and know that it’s working. Within five to seven minutes the Nivea balm was almost completely absorbed and I was left feeling like I needed more.

Before I snapped some quick pictures of the product, I applied a healthy layer on my lips. By the time I finished preparing the photos, categories, and schedule of this post – I was ready for another helping. What’s the point of a chapstick if you have to keep applying it multiple times per hour? My thing is, is that if the product felt like it was working every time I reapplied it, I wouldn’t have as big of an issue with it. But Nivea’s chapstick leaves my lips feeling dryer than they were before. The way I see it, Nivea’s “A Kiss of Smoothness” balm is giving my lips a few sips of hydration when I really just need a whole bottle!

One nice thing about this product is that it’s not fragranced which is a plus for me. I always end up licking the balm off if it’s scented with a delicious smelling flavor! I can see this balm being great in the summer time when something light is all that’s needed. However, with cold winter weather among us, I need something that really gets the job done and Nivea’s “A Kiss of Smoothness” balm just isn’t strong enough to do that.

All in all, I’m going to rate this product with: one and a half stars. The lightness of the balm and its lack of fragrance is nice. Having said that, it’s extremely inconvenient and annoying to have to reapply your chapstick constantly. Nivea’s “A Kiss of Smoothness” balm might be good for use on occasion but if you’re looking for the cure all product to your chapped lips then this chapstick is not for you…or me, for that matter.

So there you have it, my Nivea “A Kiss of Smoothness” Chapstick Review! What lip balm do you swear by? Who likes to make their own lip care products? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan7

Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash Review

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Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash Review

Helloo everyone and happy Thursday! As many of you know, my mom and I have quite the stockpile of bath and body products – lotions, perfumes, shower gel…You name it. Our hoard also includes skincare products like face washes and moisturizers, as well. To me, a face wash is a dime a dozen but I’ve been quite disappointed with Simple’s Moisturizing Facial Wash. I’ve been using this product as of late and have been less than impressed, so let’s discuss:

simple1.jpg

My skin type is completely normal – I don’t get break outs, I don’t experience dryness or oiliness, and my skin tone is even. All I really need in a face wash is something that’s strong enough to remove my makeup when I do my daily cleansing in the shower. Usually, I can get away with whatever cleanser I grab from my stockpile but Simple is just not doing it for me.

I understand that Simple’s products specialize in sensitive skin but the facial wash that I’m using seriously feels like it was made for a baby. The texture of the wash is something in between of a cream and a gel and it doesn’t create any type of a lather to cleanse your face with. The lack of lather is evident to the point that it feels like you’re washing your face with nothing. Not to mention, it makes the removal of makeup nearly impossible.

When I wash my face, my skin can always tell. It feels invigorated, supple, and ready for the day. Unfortunately, with Simple, I don’t feel much of anything – except the desire to cleanse my face with another product. Like I said before, I don’t have “problem” skin in the slightest but Simple’s face wash just doesn’t do what I like my cleansers to do…make my skin feel clean! This product had to have been made for those with the most sensitive of sensitive skin…Babies! So if you like your face washes to do a little something extra than Simple is definitely not for you.

I’m going to finish my tube of cleanser because once I start a product like a face wash or exfoliater, I refuse to not finish it. However, the next face wash that I choose will be either strictly a gel or a cream – not something in between. All in all, I’m going to have to rate this product with: half a star. Simple’s Moisturizing Facial Wash receives this low rating for an all around disappointing product as far as cleansing, the texture of it, and the removal of makeup goes. I would not recommend this and do not plan on using any Simple products in the future.

So there you have it, my review of the Simple Moisturizing Facial Wash. How many of you have used Simple products before? How do you feel about them? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec10

American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

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American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

Helloo everyone and a very happy evening to all of you! Alright, guys. No one can say I didn’t try. NO ONE. But, on this ninth episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, “She Wants Revenge”, I am throwing in the towel. I refuse to spend any more time on this season. Therefore, I’m renaming tonight’s episode, “Lil Red’s Farewell”.

boohoo

Week after week you guys have tuned in for my reviews and opinions on the new episodes of AHS and I am so humbled and appreciate it greatly. However, it doesn’t feel right putting aside an hour for a television show that’s below sub par. During tonight’s new episode, all I could think of was how much I wanted to crawl into bed and crack open Stephen King’s “Cell”, which I began rereading yesterday. I was craving genuine horror as opposed to the soap opera dramatics that AHS has been delivering every week with episodes that have consistently disappointed.

Not only has this season bored me to tears BUT these posts have been boring me as well. Don’t get me wrong, if I was loving the season it would be different – but it’s so hard to crank out similar posts for every episode when nothing exciting is really happening. During Freak Show, I lived for my Wednesday night articles on the new episodes…So you know something is wrong when I dread firing up the ol’ laptop after epis of Hotel!

I gave this season my best shot and the benefit of the doubt for nine weeks, but enough is enough. I now plan on spending my Wednesday nights tucked in with a good book or perhaps watching some old slasher films. I have an insatiable urge to absorb entertainment of quality and Hotel has done nothing to satisfy this. So, that’s that. I bid you farewell, American Horror Story: Hotel because I’m breaking up with you for good this time. Better luck on season six! Now cue the music!

So there you have it, the final post on American Horror Story: Hotel, “Lil Red’s Farewell”. Now if you’ll excuse me, Cell and a midnight snack is calling my name! What are your opinions on this season of AHS? Who has given up on the show? Who is a die hard Hotel fan? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Don’t you worry about what I’ll be filling the Thursday and Friday slots on lifewithlilred with! I have some very fun upcoming posts up my sleeve! ❤ 🙂

Nov27

The Body Shop Black Friday Disappointment

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The Body Shop Black Friday Disappointment

Helloooo everyone and happy Black Friday! I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving doing whatever it is that you do. As I mentioned in a previous post, my mom and I love hitting up The Body Shop on Black Friday but unfortunately due to a raise in their prices, we’ll be staying home today. Let’s discuss:

For forever and always, The Body Shop has run their “3 for 30” deal but this year the price got jacked up to “3 for 36”. Not only did the promotion increase in price but so did the gift that you can purchase if you participate in the 3 for 36 deal. Instead of the usual $25 gift bag filled with product that you can buy, it is now $35. This increase in prices equals sixteen extra dollars that you will be spending at TBS if you decide to shop their sales.

Now, “sixteen extra dollars? That isn’t bad,” you might think and I guess maybe it isn’t. BUT STILL! For years and years I’ve looked forward to shopping the 3 for 30 deal so this raise in prices seems cruel and unusual. Have they not heard of the motto “if it isn’t broken then don’t fix it”? The 3 for 30 promo always seemed too good to be true and now it is just a figment of my imagination. Shameful.

In all reality, the deal is okay if you’re buying more expensive items BUT I’M STILL BITTER!! Their Black Friday promotion for 2015 is definitely not worth venturing out to the mall for. In my opinion, I’ll be better off shopping their deals online when they are running one of their beautiful “50% off site wide” promotions. I plan on waiting until the holiday season is over for a promo like that to happen so I can stock up on all of my necessities as opposed to doing so today.

shame

^^^ This basically sums up my feelings about the Black Friday promotion price increase. I’m boycotting!!

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who feels pissy about The Body Shop’s new Black Friday deal. PLEASE?! Who is going out shopping today? What store has the best deals? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov20

I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 7)

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I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 7)

Alright everyone, I need you to know that I’ve tried – but I can’t do it anymore. I’m going to go right out and say it: This season SUCKS. Believe me, I’ve tried SO hard to get into it. I’ve had faith week after week that the episodes are going to get better, but alas, they’re not and I’m thoroughly disappointed. The newest episode of American Horror Story: Hotel entitled “Flicker” will receive my lowest ratings of the season with: half a star. “Why?” You might ask. Well, let me tell ya:

Where is the horror?!: Yes, this season has boasted some terrible and shameful scenes, however, I wouldn’t classify Hotel as “scary” in the slightest. Yes, things get a little bit gory on the show – but is that truly frightening? No. There hasn’t been one moment during season five where I’ve truly been scared and therefore, I’m not a fan. “Flicker” offered quite a lengthy back story on the Countess as well as a possible lead on the Ten Commandments Killer and that’s about it. Did anything really “happen” in the episode? No, not really. I was bored to tears. #sorrynotsorry

Where is the plot going?!: What is this season even about? Lol, seriously someone please enlighten me because the multiple plots that have been introduced are going nowhere fast. There hasn’t been one solid and steady plot throughout the entire season and to me, that’s unacceptable. I have no idea where the episodes are going and what they have to do with the big picture. It’s so evident that Ryan Murphy bit off more than he can chew and I think it was a big mistake casting Lady Gaga. All the Countess seems to do on the show is offer a fashionable presence, which I feel is exactly what she wanted. As I’ve said multiple times, give me Jessica Lange or give me nothing because this show is a flop without her.

boohoo

Where is the acting?!: As a person who loves the theater, I hate “hating” on actors – but the acting on Hotel is sub par at best. Sarah Paulson is dull. Wes Bentley is dull. Chloe Sevigny is dull. Lady Gaga is dull. It’s all very very boring. All of the characters seem to be talking but saying nothing and frankly, it looks like all of the actors were half asleep when they were shooting because their eyes are all glazed over and they look just as confused as the viewers. What drew me in to American Horror Story was that it was a television show that had really phenomenal  actors – and most of the actors on Hotel are phenomenal but they just aren’t bringing it. No one is doing it for me and I’m just completely over it.

*Breaths deeply*…Wow, I really needed to get that off of my chest because it’s been building up for a PHAT minute. As mentioned earlier, episode seven – “Flicker” received half a star for poor acting, a crummy story line, and an overall snooze fest of an episode. Better luck next week, AHS.

I Told You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought of episode seven of American Horror Story: Hotel, “Flicker”, and now it’s your turn! What are your thoughts on the episode and season in general? Who do you think is the Ten Commandments Killer? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: For the record, I don’t think that John Lowe is the Ten Commandments Killer. I know a lot of people think so but it just seems like too obvious of a choice for him to be the TCK. #quotemeonit

Nov13

I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 6)

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I’ll Tell You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought (AHS Episode 6)

Helloooo everyone and welcome to my opinion post on the newest episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, “Room 33”. To be frank, I wasn’t a fan. This episode had me questioning whether or not I wanted to continue watching season five – but fear not, I wouldn’t do that to my readers who tune in to these posts! :*) There was a lot that I just didn’t care for in “Room 33”, so let’s get to it:

Jumpy story lines: “Room 33” was all over the place. The story lines of season five being jumpier than a rabbit on Ecstasy has been one of my complaints since the very beginning, but the newest epi was just too much. We were going from time period, to location, to person, to plot quicker than you could wrap your head around the previous scene. This would all be fine and well if they gave the individual story lines time to develop but that really isn’t happening. In almost every episode we’re introduced to something that could be a potentially cool plot to delve further into but it’s either A) not mentioned again or B) brought up again too late into the season to the point that it feels irrelevant.

Now usually I’m a huge fan of intricate episodes and story lines but there comes a time when it feels like overkill. In almost every episode of Hotel thus far, I feel like Ryan Murphy has bit off more than he can chew. The flimsy plot feels more like unfortunate sloppiness rather than a build up of instances that are going to lead to one major turning point in the season. #whompwhomp

boohoo

A sub par cast: Sorry, but I’m not blown away by any of the actors in this season aside from Denis O’Hare. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is doing an okay job – but that’s just it, they’re just okay. I haven’t seen one stand out performance by a leading character all season and that’s just unacceptable. Wes Bentley is delivering a similar performance each week, so is Chloe Sevigny (Alex), Lady Gaga, Finn Wittrock – basically everyone. And don’t even get me started on Sarah Paulson. Despite Paulson’s lack of being featured in each episode, I’m still very disappointed in her performance. All of the Hotel tenants just seem very lackluster and dull. If you’ve seen ten minutes of acting from each character, you’ve seen it all.

Murder House similarities: “Room 33” felt like I was watching an episode of Murder House that wasn’t very good. I loved the dead and living interaction in Murder House and I never minded it when it showed up sparingly in Hotel. However, the newest episode revolved around the interactions of the living characters and those who died in the Cortez and I felt like I’ve seen it all before. The episode felt too familiar and not in the good way. I understand that the plot calls for the dead to wreak some havoc on the living in the Cortez. BUT, the dead in “Room 33” were being featured more than the living, which I feel is so unnecessary. Had they cut out some of the scenes with those who passed in the Cortez (IE: the woman in the bath tub) and focused a little more on the characters who are still alive, then the episode might have been more cohesive.

All in all, I’m going to have to give episode six, “Room 33” a rating of: one star. This episode did nothing for me and received such a low rating for dull performances and a plot that was too jumpy to be enjoyable. Better luck on episode seven! #disappointed

I Told You What I Thought, What I Really Really Thought about the newest episode of American Horror Story: Hotel and now it’s your turn! What did you think of “Room 33”? What character would you like to see more of in the next episode? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah