Tag Archives: dresses

TJMaxx Fall Haul

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TJMaxx Fall Haul

Hi everyone and happy Monday! As you read in my last article, Hats Off, I did some major fall shopping this past month. TJMaxx was oh so good to me and I ended up with a hat, shoes, sweater, jacket, and dress for under one hundred dollars!! I’m so obsessed with everything and I’m wearing my new dress as I type this, so let’s take a look at the latest additions to my fall wardrobe:

The Haul:

  • Patchwork Jean Jacket: Ci Sono, $20
  • Patchwork Sweater: Monteau, $16
  • Paisley Pattern Dress: Pink Rose, $13

In case you guys haven’t noticed, I. Love. Fall. Clothing. The styles, the colors, the potential to layer and mix and match – I love it all. So needless to say, when autumn comes around I shop like a mad woman! It’s no exaggeration when I say that at least seventy-five percent of my wardrobe is fall clothing and like a woman possessed, I have no problem adding to my vast collection.

During a shopping trip at TJ’s with my mom, I was simply swooning over the fun patchwork pieces that I got and the adorable patterned dress which will be perfect with tights and booties. I have seen patchwork all over the runways lately so when I had the opportunity to snag two sweet patchwork pieces for thirty-five dollars, I just had to indulge!

I look forward to pairing my cream colored sweater with everything this fall once the weather cools down. Jeans, maxi skirts, a-line skirts, over a dress – I CAN’T WAIT!! The weather has been perfect for my dress and jacket, though, and I’ve already had so much fun sporting both pieces on campus both together and separately. There is nothing better than finding clothes that make you feel confident, chic, and perfectly ready for fall. And at just the right price, how can you say no?

Make sure you keep it posted on lifewithlilred to see the conclusion of my fall haul with a brand new If The Shoe Fits article for my latest finds from TJMaxx and Target! There will also be a new Bath & Body Works Freebie article on the horizon to discuss my three September freebies. Stay tuned!

So there you have it, my TJMaxx Fall Haul! What is your favorite type of fall clothing to wear? What have you splurged on recently to welcome the fall weather into your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Hello, It’s Me

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Hello, It’s Me

Hi everyone and TGIF! Welcome to the month of September here on lifewithlilred! My first week of the fall semester went as good as it can get but I am so looking forward to the three day Labor Day weekend! With summer coming to a close, I had to squeeze in wearing as many dresses as I can sans tights before the cold weather begins. Because I was feeling pretty, witty, and gay I enlisted the help of my lovely mother to take some new pictures of yours truly. I feel like I haven’t posted some Lil Red pics on here in a while so it was long overdue! Check them out and have an awesome weekend! Also, be on the look out for my fall guest bloggers series that premieres this week. The posts are amazing and I am so excited! Much love. -Sarah

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One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

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One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip

Hi everyone and happy weekend! This past week, my sister and I made a little trip to Kent which is a college town in Ohio. We live about twenty-five minutes or so away from there so it’s not really far but it’s far enough that we don’t get to frequent the stores in their downtown area as often as we would like. Kristen needed to get one of her piercings fixed at the shop that we both go to in the area and then we thought that we would do some shopping at one of our favorite stores, Figleaf.

Unfortunately, by the time that we were done with Kristen’s piercing, Figleaf was closed because they always lock up obnoxiously early which we forgot. But Kristen said that she noticed a cute looking store that we drove past right when we pulled into the downtown shopping area. We trekked back to the beginning of downtown Kent and wounded up at One Love Yoga & Boutique.

This store happens to be a clothing boutique on the bottom and a yoga studio on top. Kristen was also so right, the store was absolutely adorable. We spent at least an hour in the boutique trying on clothes, admiring the jewelry, and chatting with the extremely knowledgeable and friendly workers. Kristen ended up with a new crop top, some jewelry, and a dream catcher for her apartment. Yours truly ended up with a gorgeous new dress that will be perfect for fall, pictured below:

The front and back of my new Millibon brand dress is pictured although I am realizing now that both shots look exactly the same! Regardless of that, I love this dress so much! I normally don’t wear a lot of burgundies and reds because I feel like it looks obnoxious with my hair but this dress looked so sweet and pretty that I just had to get it. I love the white flowers against the burgundy color as well as the little flutter at the end of its fitted sleeves.

My new dress is in a pattern that Kristen and I both recognized from Francesca’s and the worker told me that they buy from the same vendor which I thought was so cool! All of the clothes that they had in the boutique were gorgeous and the prices were very reasonable, too. This was definitely a pleasant surprise because I thought that I was going to see one hundred dollar and above price tags on everything! I got my dress at thirty-two dollars which I thought was a steal.

I’m looking forward to welcoming fall weather with my new frock. I plan on wearing it with my knee high tan riding boots for a more casual look and my army green Guess wedges for a night out. This is also a perfect dress to wear tights under as the weather gets colder and it will look lovely when it peeks through my navy blue Modcloth peacoat. So much fun fashion so little time!

Also, if you check out One Love Yoga & Boutique’s Instagram, you might see a picture of me because the owner saw me in the dress when I showed it to my sister and thought it would look nice for their social media pages. I also highly recommend checking out their website which is so well put together and a like on their Facebook page would be nice, too!

So there you have it, my One Love Yoga & Boutique Trip! Kristen and I had a blast and I can’t wait to go there again soon! What is your favorite boutique style store to shop at? Who could see themselves taking yoga classes at One Love? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah

PS: If you’re not on my Facebook page, here’s a new picture of me in my dress from my shopping trip at Urban Outfitters:

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Crocker Park Haul

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Crocker Park Haul

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! Last week my mom, sister, and I went to my favorite place in the whole wide world…Crocker Park! For those of you who aren’t familiar with this amazing, luxurious, Ohio outdoor mall – just know that it is truly the happiest place on earth. It is a little heaven manifested in Westlake where blocks upon blocks of clothing, makeup, and home goods stores reside. Stores like Urban Outfitters, H&M, Francesca’s, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Anthropology, Express, MAC, and Sephora…just to name a few! I made two purchases during our shopping outing and I’m seriously obsessed so take a look and let’s discuss:

The Haul:

  • Urban Outfitters Ecote brand dress
  • Francesca’s Miami brand flannel

Urban Outfitters: If I’m lucky, I make it out to Crocker Park about two times a year. Whenever I’m there, there are two stores that I always try to at least purchase something at and those are Urban Outfitters and H&M. Crocker Park is the only location with both of those stores and since it is about an hour drive away, I obviously don’t get to shop there frequently. Unfortunately, H&M had nothing that caught my eye during this shopping trip but I was so happy to find this gorgeous print dress on sale at Urban Outfitters!

Before our outing, my mom and I were chatting about what color clothing that we like to wear the best while we were walking our dogs. During which, I told her that I would love to find something gold or mustard yellow when we go to Crocker Park because I don’t mean to brag but those colors look dashing on me. 😉 I had my eyes peeled in every store we went into for something that fitted the color palette I was looking for. I struck out in almost all of them until my sister found my pretty little new number in the sale section of Urban. I had saw the dress but I skipped past it because the fit of it usually isn’t the most flattering on me. However, Kristen urged me to try it on so I did.

As soon as the dress was on, I knew that it was perfect. The colors were phenomenal and the fit was just right. It was flowy and fun as opposed to baggy and lifeless. When I walked out of the fitting room, my mom said that it was exactly what she was hoping I would find after our dog walking chat and my heart just melted. I love my new dress so much and I’m actually wearing it right now as I type this! ❤

Francesca’s: Of all of the seasons that Ohio experiences, fall is my all time favorite. About seventy-five percent of my wardrobe consists of fall clothing because I live for fall fashion. Therefore, when I saw my new black and white flannel from Francesca’s, I knew that I had to have it. I’m a big fan of flannels but the trick is that they have to be really unique because I feel like most flannels look exactly the same. When I saw that my new flannel had embroidered patterns in the design as well as zippers going up both of the sides, I fell in love because I knew that it would stick out.

What made the flannel even more “must have” worthy was that it looked really good with the outfit that I was already wearing – a black crop top, black shorts, and forest green wedges. That made it even harder to say no to the top which completed my outfit so nicely. I liked that it was more form fitting, too. It wasn’t tight my any means but compared to all of my baggy Gypsy Warrior flannels at home, it definitely was more fitted which was a nice change. I am looking forward to wearing this flannel around campus this fall for a laid back, college cool look.

The Crocker Park outing that I had with my mom and sister was a total success but I would have been happy even if I ended up with nothing. Us girls had so much fun wandering around the outdoor mall, looking in different stores, and chattering away that it would have been worth it to go home empty handed. BUT – I’m so glad that I didn’t! 😉

So there you have it, my Crocker Park Haul! Does anyone have an outdoor mall similar to Crocker Park in their neck of the woods? How about a favorite store to shop at that you live far away from? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

2016 Summer Trends

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2016 Summer Trends

Hello everyone and welcome to the final post of my vacation guest bloggers series brought to you by Zeighn from One’s Element. You might remember Zeighn from previous guest blogs here on lifewithlilred and now she’s back to show you some of the top fashion trends for the summer. Please be sure to check out her wonderful blog and enjoy the post below!

2016 Summer Trends

Been wanting to get trendy this summer? If the answer is yes, then you’re in just the right place! Now you can finally warmly embrace the biggest summer fashion trends of 2016.

  Rucksacks:                                            Slip Dresses:

  Bomber Jackets:                                  Bright & Bold Stripes:

Gingham:                                          Micro Pleats:

 Sequins & Sparkle:                          Bare Shoulders:

Pop of Color Purses:                             Embellished Bags:

^^^ Thank you so much again to the always fabulous Zeighn for showing us the hot looks for this summer! Once again, please be sure to check out her page at One’s Element! Which trends seen above do you plan on rocking this summer? What is your favorite piece of summer time clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

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Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Last weekend my mom and I ventured to one of the bigger malls that my area of Ohio has to offer, Southpark Mall in Strongsville. We rarely go to Southpark and the last time that I went was years ago. The mall is absolutely gigantic and we went during the holiday season last time around so needless to say, it was quite overwhelming. Last week we went just to change things up a little bit and I died and went to Forever 21 heaven. Their store was huge! Take a look at my latest goodies from my most recent shopping trip:

^^^ I’m a fan.

As all of you know, Lil Red rocks all black everything more often than not so when I saw these edgy hoodie dresses, I knew that they had to be mine. When I used to work at an urban clothing store called Next, they carried the brand HBA (Hood By Air) and I was obsessed. I think that these hoodies are very reminiscent of HBA which is one of the many reasons why I like them so much. Plus, they were infinitely cheaper which was an added bonus! For both of these hoodie dresses I paid fifty dollars which is a quarter of the price of one HBA top. Score!

Usually I’m not one to gravitate towards hoodies or sweatshirts. I much prefer sharp sweaters, tops, or jackets. However, I really liked that these hoodies both went down below the normal at the hip length. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress went down to a little below my knees and the “In High Demand” zip up went down to my calves. This automatically made them way more edgy to me and it created endless styling possibilities.

The great thing about these hoodie dresses, asides from how cute they are, is all of the different outfits that you can wear with them. I tried the sweat dresses on over my black skinnies which worked really well but the possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to wear them with nothing underneath as a real dress or with a pair of opaque or sheer black tights. I also plan on wearing the “In High Demand” dress with the zipper undone to show off a cute pair of shorts and top in the summer. I really like pieces that you can wear all year round so that you can get creative with how you style it!

I’m so aware that these sweat dresses are really similar to each other but I couldn’t pick just one to save my life! I know that if I chose only one that I would be thinking about the hoodie that I left behind for forever. I’m also really glad that I did buy both because when my boyfriend and I went to the mall that he lives by, I popped in the Forever 21 there and they didn’t have either of them! That made me even happier with my decision.

I’ve worn both of my hoodie dresses multiple times already and I can’t get enough of them. I like that these pieces are both amazingly comfortable but they by no means sacrifice style while wearing them. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress is so fun and I had to laugh because I wore it on Thursday night when I was coaching figure skating for the Special Olympics and we just happened to be taking photos that day. I’m sure all of the pictures that I’m in turned out really swell since I’m rockin a hoodie with “Killin’ It” plastered across the front!

As I write this post I’m wearing my “In High Demand” zip up over a pair of black skinnies and a graphic baseball tee and it certainly spruces up the outfit! It also keeps me nice and warm because it’s very chilly in my neck of the woods today. I’m so pleased with my latest purchases and I can’t wait to wear them for many seasons to come. Thanks, Forever 21! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition! I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to your week so far. How was everyone’s weekend? Who has recently snagged some cute new clothes while shopping? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sujata Gazder Wedding Look

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Sujata Gazder Wedding Look

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! This past week I was so honored to be asked by the amazing designer, Sujata Gazder, to create a punky cool wedding look with one of her dresses. Usually wedding attire isn’t my forte but I was excited to give it a try. As you read this post, you can shop along at Gazder’s website: sujatagazder and check out her blog at: sujatagazderblog, as well! Now, check out how I would style an edgy and unconventional wedding look:

Ta Da! While I was creating this look, it was important to me that it still looked wedding appropriate. I achieved this by sticking with a gorgeous and somewhat traditional dress and then accessorizing with pieces that you might not see at your every day wedding. Let’s discuss:

The dress: As I browsed through Sujata Gazder’s website, this dress spoke to me. I liked that it definitely looked like a wedding dress but it was unique enough that one could get away with styling it in an edgy fashion. The hand embroidered vine design at the top of the gown eases effortlessly in to the layers of tulle ruffles for a fun and unexpected twist. The beauty of the dress is its versatility. There are so many different ways to style it depending on the bride, which makes the possibilities endless. The impeccable design, flow, and overall look of this dress allowed me to create a cool punk look that was still appropriate for walking down the aisle.

Hats off: I knew right away that I wanted to top the wedding look off with a hat or fascinator. I also knew that I wanted it to be veiled. Originally, I had my heart set on a pill box hat but as I browsed through different options, none of them screamed out at me. After I searched through the world wide web for a while, I finally stumbled upon the fascinator pictured above. I loved how quirky and sweet it was but I knew that when paired with the right accessories, it would still fall under the punk category. The only thing that I would change about this piece would be the length of the veil. In my mind I envisioned the veil to be long enough to completely cover the face and then be able to pull it back after the bride made her way down the aisle.

Black gloves: Nothing says drama more than a pair of elbow length black gloves. I thought that a glove would pair perfectly with the dress, fascinator, and over all feel of the look that I was going for. Long gloves are so chic and sharp and doing them in  jet black is an edgy twist on the traditional white or cream. They’re bold yet so elegant and classy. To really take the gloves over the top, you could also pile on loud rings and chunky bracelets for some bling!

Sparkled & spiked shoes: As I planned this look out, I knew that the shoes had to be completely out of the ordinary. However, every heel or stiletto that I thought might work always ended up falling short of my expectations. They just weren’t bold enough. I wanted something really loud and I also wanted the shoes to be blatantly “punk”. After much pondering and disappointment, I began to think about heel-less heels and stumbled upon the little beauties featured above from aliexpress. I think that these heel-less heels are absolutely to die for and I love how they counterbalance the sweetness of the dress. Spikes and sparkles? Yes, please. Any bride that can stomp down the aisle in these babies is a friend of mine!

Pucker up: Dramatic makeup is a must for this look and nothing does that better than a deep oxblood lip. Every bride needs the perfect pout to complete her look and a sultry dark shade is the best cocktail of sexy, sophisticated, and so so cool. A beautiful bold lip and a smouldering charcoal smokey eye are the finishing touches in achieving a wedding look that is perfectly punk and totally pretty.

So there you have it, my Sujata Gazder Wedding Look! I had such a blast creating this post and please be sure to check out all of the links within the article to do some shopping of your own! What piece would you like to wear from Sujata Gazder’s collection? How would you style a punk wedding look? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Treat Yoself! My Grown Up Wishlist From Spring

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Treat Yoself! My Grown Up Wishlist From Spring

Hello everyone and happy weekend! I recently got invited to create my own “Treat Yoself” Grown Up wishlist with the amazing products from Spring, an online boutique for all of your fashion needs! I have to say, if I treated myself to everything that I wanted from their incredible selection of clothing and accessories, I would be in severe debt because it’s basically the entire website, which is: Spring . Click on the link, shop along, and see what Lil Red likes the most as well as what you can send my way for the holiday! 😉 ❤

Silk Gauze Parka by Laveer: Oh. My. Goodness. This jacket is fabulous. I’m a huge jacket girl and this piece really caught my eye. As I scrolled through Spring, I noticed a lot of gorgeous leather jackets as well and perhaps if I wasn’t a strict vegetarian, one of those would be on my list. But this Laveer piece is just to die for. If there’s one thing my readers have learned about me, it’s that when I purchase clothing it must fall under the criteria of: black (usually), edgy, and super chic and this jacket fits that to the T.

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Blazer with Bones Crystals by Libertine: Okay, the thing about this blazer is that if I talk about it for too long I’m going to start to cry because that’s how badly I want it. I LOVE Libertine so when I saw this piece I instantly started to drool…metaphorically speaking. This is hands down my favorite item on the website, and that’s really saying something. It’s perfect. I can’t say more than that.

libertine

Mollie Box Pleat V Neck Flare Dress by Alice + Olivia: Surprise! A non black item! I adore this dress! Some people are shocked that I love dresses but the funny thing about my style is that I love either really edgy or really girly pieces, there’s no in between. What I like the most about this dress is the color because I love wearing burnt orange. Rich fall colors make up quite a bit of my wardrobe so this dress would fit in perfectly. And the fact that it’s Alice + Olivia is a plus – their clothes are darling!

alice

Multi Blue “OH ROY” Pump by Pierre Hardy: Soooo…I really like shoes. I tried to go through all of the various categories on Spring but I got stuck on their selection of heels, boots, and flats. These. Are. FABULOUS!! I love pieces that are so unique and out there that the only question people can ask is “where did you find something like that?” These pumps by Pierre Hardy scream quirky to me, therefore, I’m in love.

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Comet Mid Heel Ankle Boot with Removable Bracelet by Freda Salvador: Yes, these are leather but that’s why they’re part of my wishlist…because I wish they weren’t leather! These are the coolest pair of booties ever! And everyone knows that Lil Red loves her booties. There comes a point in the world of ankle boots when they all start to look the same but these are such a loud and cool statement and I can’t get enough of it. Size 6 1/2 pleather, please.

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Embellished Tiger Sweater by Nicole Miller: The thing is…is that I’m kind of obsessed with this sweater. I scrolled through the entire section of tops on Spring and fell in love with their silly slogan-ed shirts adorned with phrases like “Namastay In Bed” but I couldn’t stop thinking about this piece! It’s so quirky, but it’s still sharp and chic and I can’t pinpoint why but I really like it. I’m not exactly one to walk around with an embellished tiger on my tops but I can definitely picture myself rocking this one!

tigre

I had a complete ball making my Treat Yoself! Grown Up Wishlist From Spring and I encourage all of you to check out their site at: Spring. What is your favorite piece from Spring? What are you going to add to your holiday wishlist from their site? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dresses For Sale!

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Dresses For Sale!

Hey guys and TGIF! I recently went through my seasonal purge of my closet to prepare for fall and there were three particular dresses that I really do love but just don’t do it for me anymore. I wanted to give all of you lovelies the opportunity to add one or all of them to your wardrobe because they really are cute as can be! Take a look and if you’re interested in any of them, please shoot me an email at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com so we can negotiate a price and shipping:

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Dress #1) Modcloth, Hot & Delicious, size M. This sweet little number is honestly one of my all time favorites but it unfortunately does not fit as well as it used to in the bust. I love the bubble skirt and it’s in wonderful condition, however, there is a slight ring of color on the inside of the collar from hair dye/makeup. #fakehaircolorproblems

Dress #2) PacSun, LA Hearts, size S. Once again, I really like this dress as well but the fit is just not up to par on my body type. Usually if things don’t fit just so, I shrug it off, but I’m becoming such a stickler for fit that if it isn’t perfection then I won’t stand for it! But it’s a sweet summer dress in great condition. #fashionistaproblems

Dress #3) PacSun, O’Neil, size M. The fit issue on this dress is actually all my fault. I bought this beauty without trying it on and naturally the size was too big and I never bothered fixing it. Because I rarely wore this, it’s in awesome condition! #lazygirlproblems

As I said, I think these dresses are just too darling to not try and hand them off to the capable hands of one of my very stylish readers! And as I also mentioned, you can reach me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com, leave me a comment, or friend me on Facebook at Sarah Mushenheim if you are interested! THANKS. ❤

Monday Update: Online Shopping, Lil Red Style!

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Monday Update: Online Shopping, Lil Red Style!

Hello, hello everyone and Happy Monday!! I hope all of you had a terrific weekend and a lovely Mother’s Day! I did some cleaning out of my vast closet this weekend and hit up Plato’s Closet this morning to get rid of some of my clutter. Before I drop off the items that they didn’t want to purchase at the Goodwill, I wanted to give all of you gorgeous readers the opportunity to get to them first! (And speaking of Goodwill, make sure you take a look at my article “Thrift Shop Fun At Blue” to read all about my amazing thrifting experience this past weekend!) So pull up a chair, get comfy, and check out this cute dress and jewelry that I have up for grabs. And while you’re at it, make sure you check out my articles “Look Like Lil Red” and “Just So You Know” for some other fabulous finds! Here we go, some online shopping Lil Red style!

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And as usual, here’s the breakdown of each item and where they’re from!

  • Sheer dress: Lux, size Small (Forgive me for forgetting where I purchased this bad boy!)
  • Beaded pendant choker: I got this beauty in a fair trade store in Chicago. If memory serves me correctly it was made in Africa.
  • Beaded floral choker: This fun little piece was purchased from The Market Path in Akron, which is another fair trade store. Once again, if memory serves me correctly, this necklace was made in India.
  • Knick knack necklace: American Eagle

The Lux sheer dress is seriously so cute. It looks darling under a black slip and paired with some funky wedges. The gap backed detailing is especially fun and the eyelet button on the back neckline is another sweet little add on. I love fair trade shopping too much, particularly fair trade jewelry shopping as you can see! Nothing is better than buying some great pieces that go to an even better cause. While cleaning my closet this weekend, I went through my jewelry collection so I could try to dwindle it down because it was getting out of control. Despite how cute all three of the necklaces I have up for grabs are, I rarely wear them and they’re just taking up space. All of these pieces are in great condition, and if you’re interested in any or all of them, you can email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com so we can discuss prices and I can send you more detailed pictures! For more exclusive peaks into my wardrobe, make sure you check out “Look Like Lil Red”, “Just So You Know”, and all of my other fashion articles! Happy shopping!

Once again, if you’re interested in any of these pieces, make sure you email me at sarah.mush6794@gmail.com! And as always, keep it tuned in at http://www.lifewithlilred.com for all of the latest and greatest! Where’s all of my fans of The Following at? Are you super hyped for the two hour long episode tonight?! I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah