Tag Archives: fashion

Lil Red Jacket OOTD

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Lil Red Jacket OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! When I shoot outfits over the weekend, I might not necessarily be wearing them in public. Sometimes, I’ll get back in my pajamas immediately afterwards and that was definitely the case with this look lol. Johnny and I had a crazy busy week between work and life craziness and desperately needed some time to veg. That didn’t stop me from putting a little something something together and Johnny absolutely shot these pics in his pajamas! Take a look:

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Houndstooth Topper Jacket: Philosophy, TJMaxx

Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx

Coated Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx

Gold Necklace: Mia Fiore, TJMaxx

Gold Earrings: American Eagle Outfitters

Heeled Combat Boots: Forever 21

One of my favorite things to shop for has got to be jackets. From blazers and trench coats to toppers and moto jackets, there are so many styles to pick from and they can instantly transform any outfit. I always look forward to the fall so I can break out the coats in my expansive collection and decided to start in that department when I began building my outfit. The very first one that caught my eye was the red houndstooth topper jacket by Philosophy. Of course, I love the color but it was also a perfect pairing for the temperate weather as it was nice and light.

Because the Philosophy topper jacket is so bold, I wanted to keep the rest of the look simple. Remember that if you are styling around a statement piece, less is always more. With that approach, I added a plain black sweater to wear underneath to avoid clashing with the red because I didn’t want two loud colors on top of the other. It was also an obvious choice because it is one of the only sweaters I own that doesn’t feature a pattern. Finally, the sweater was just right for layering because it was thin like the jacket. Had the sweater been bulkier, it wouldn’t have laid anywhere near as well beneath the topper.

For jeans, I added some texture and visual interest with a coated pair of Seven skinnies. The sleek coating created such a cool pop against the cloth pieces on top without deterring from the rest of the outfit. Even if you are rocking a simple ensemble or a minimal color palette, you can always spice things up by adding some sheen, shimmer, and glitter as you build your outfit. These skinnies are one of my go tos come fall because they give that little something extra while letting whatever jacket I have on shine.

Finally, it was time for shoes and accessories. As I had a blank canvas on my sweater, a long necklace was in order. I chose one of my favorite chunky coin necklaces by Mia Fiore and loved how it filled the space with some bright, blingy gold. In the shoe department, I selected my white heeled combat boots by Forever 21 for a surprise addition to the color palette. I also liked how the boots have a matte finish so a shiny pair of shoes wasn’t competing against the sleekness of the coated jeans. With that, I was ready to take pictures and go back to bed lol!

My Lil Red Jacket OOTD was short lived, yes. But, I do plan on actually wearing it out this fall! This was just a trial run. 😉

What is fall weather like in your neck of the woods? Do you prefer cold or hot weather? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Candy Queen COTD Bloopers

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Candy Queen COTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Candy Queen COTD! I am so sad that Halloween is officially over, but now we’re onto my next passion: Thanksgiving. Lol, I have been fantasizing about Thanksgiving food since last Thanksgiving and every day that passes is another day closer to all of my favorite foods!! And, to all of you who hate on green bean casserole – you can send it my way!! I do have one final Halloween surprise in store tomorrow that I am absolutely tickled by. But, first, let’s check out the bloopers from my COTD shoot:

Who, me?

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The fairest of them all

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REALLY not used to the whole having hair thing…

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As you can see!

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Do I look like a model or what?!

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The gaze of a total seductress

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Trick or Treat!!!!

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I recently got my hair done (Peep that soon!) and finally returned to the darker hues that I love so very much – specifically Nightfall by Pulp Riot. Nightfall is the most stunning shade of deep navy blue and I missed it immediately as soon as I went light for summer. I had kind of forgotten how obsessed with the color I was until I got it back on my hair… and elsewhere for that matter. It appears I had forgotten how much Nightfall stains too!!

For the past several days, it has been unseasonably warm in Ohio. Like almost eighty degree temperatures at the end of October. Although it was kind of unpleasant, Johnny and I were happy because we have had no heat in our apartment and the spike in temps really helped warm it up. So much so that I have been sweating my nads off in my sleep, causing my hair dye to bleed. I have woken up every morning to blue all over my face, lodged into my ears, and a particularly shocking instance of my right hand being completely blue! It is a massive pain to get off and even after a ton of scrubbing, the traces of blue remain. It was the most wonderful treat to get my hair done, but the aftermath has certainly felt like a Halloween trick!

I’m not feeling blue, by any means, but if you see me looking a little blue… Mind your business! 😀

How did you celebrate Halloween? What are you looking forward to in November? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Couples Costume OOTD Bloopers

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Couples Costume OOTD Bloopers

Howdy!!! Johnny and I absolutely rocked our Halloween costumes this year and he was the perfect Lord Licorice to my Candy Queen. We had so much fun dressing up together and, for once, I didn’t have to beg him to take pictures with me. That was the best treat of all! So, today, we are going to take a peek at a Blooper Reel that doesn’t just feature myself but my main squeeze too. And big ups to Johnny for being the best Blog Husband ever! Let’s get to it:

Johnny’s derpy lil face ❤

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MY derpy lil face!

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An accurate depiction of our relationship. He LOVE it!

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Lmaoo Johnny always makes that face when he’s feeling mischievous

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He’s getting a little tuckered out…

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Lol WE LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Striking a pose

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Your favorite elder emos!!!!

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When I call Johnny my Blog Husband, I mean it in the most affectionate way possible because he truly is. We have been together for over five years and if he were the one typing this he would say it feels like an eternity lol. Regardless, we have been together for more than half a decade and in that time, Johnny has always taken my OOTD pictures without fail. In fact, when we got engaged he used my blog as a ploy…

The day we got engaged, Johnny suggested that we go explore downtown Cuyahoga Falls and we could take pictures of each other and us together with a tripod. I was beyond ecstatic by his idea because I had always wanted to style and photograph him. After our outfits were on point, we went on our adventure and I didn’t even have an inkling about a hidden agenda because we were having an amazing time. I was literally reveling in the experience because I normally have to ask him to help me create content – not the other way around!

After we were done shooting in different locations, Johnny said there was one last place we should take pictures at. He led me to an arch right by the Cuyahoga River and set up our tripod to take a video so we didn’t have to bother with the timer. Then, he told me it would look really nice if I faced the opposite direction. I STILL didn’t have a clue what was going on because of the elation I felt lol Johnny rarely directs me when we take pictures! Once I was turned around, he let me think we were both actively posing. But, really, he was getting down on one knee. You could only imagine my surprise when he told me to turn towards him. It was one of the best, most joyous moments of my life – all thanks to my Blog Husband extraordinaire! ❤

My Johnny is the most wonderful man in the world and I get ALL of the warm fuzzies whenever I think about our engagement. OR just thinking about him in general, which is constantly! ❤

Does your partner help you with your hobbies? What was your engagement like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Candy Queen COTD Pt. 2

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Candy Queen COTD Pt. 2

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:

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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

Candy Queen COTD

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Candy Queen COTD

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!

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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 Highs, 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

Candyland Costume Reveal

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Candyland Costume Reveal

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:

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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

Autumn Errands OOTD Bloopers

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Autumn Errands OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Autumn Errands OOTD! During the work week, you are never going to find me with a full face of makeup or wearing anything but Misny Merch lol. The weekend, however, is my time to shine! Regardless of if I wear the outfit all day or change into my pajamas immediately after, it always feels good to get dressed up. In this look’s case, I was absolutely back in my PJs as soon as we got home from Spirit Halloween. Short lived, yes. Still cute? Definitely! Maybe not these pictures, though…

Howdy partners!!!!

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When something is so funny you forgot to laugh

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Awww shucks

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Clearly about to say something REALLY important…

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But it appears I lost it judging by this blank expression lol

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As always, something STANK

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NAILED IT!

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Having a partner who revels as much as I do in Halloween like Johnny is truly a gift. We live for it and no matter how we spend Halloween celebrating, it is never not a good time. One thing we particularly enjoy is helping out with Trick or Treat in my parents’ neighborhood as my apartment community doesn’t participate. We come armed with bags and bags of candy, Johnny prepares a big bonfire, and then we sit back for a viewing of the costume parade.

In my youth, my siblings and I would literally wear the exact same costumes every year until we outgrew them. They were all super generic, but no one could tell me NOTHING in my Discount Drugmart princess costume lol. It is a scientific fact that the costumes from our trick or treaters put my old duds to shame and there is nothing cuter than seeing all of the kiddos in their Halloween best. We have seen several noteworthy costumes throughout the years, but one specific instance always is the first to pop into mine and Johnny’s heads. There was a two or so year old dressed up as a cup of coffee and her parents were baristas. When we offered her the candy bowl, her parents asked her what piece she wanted. Then, the girl pointed her little finger and declared “DAT ONE”. We still find ourselves saying it years later!

I hope all of you are getting into the Halloween spirit and have the best, spooky time celebrating!

What are you doing for Halloween? What were you for Halloween when you were little? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Autumn Errands OOTD

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Autumn Errands OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This past weekend was a pretty chill one because I had to work on Sunday at an event. So, Johnny and I opted to take it easy and continued to chip away at our 31 in 31 scary movie challenge for October. Before the movie marathon, we made a trip to Spirit Halloween to complete our Candyland themed costumes. It was a short errand, but one worth dressing up over in a fun lil fall fit! Check it out:

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Chartreuse Sweater: Cynthia Rowley, TJMaxx

Skinny Jeans: 1822 Denim, TJMaxx

Heeled Boots: Olivia Miller, TJMaxx

The necklace was my mom’s and the floppy hat is Brandy Melville!

I would never, ever call my personal style “basic”. However, I do love me some basic fall fashion trends – flannels, huge knit sweaters, tall boots, and floppy hats too! Hey, when in Rome and the weather in Ohio is finally matching the autumn aesthetic I have been yearning for. In this particular instance, basic is honestly exactly what I was looking for as I built the outfit. I wanted something quick to throw on with minimal think work for what was an in and out shopping trip. So the Autumn Errands OOTD was born.

My first order of business was sweaters because I have countless ones that I have been dying to wear as the temperature continues to cool. The sweater I was most looking forward to breaking out was the chartreuse number seen above by Cynthia Rowley. It is my absolute favorite! I am a huge fan of anything chartreuse as it is so bold and unique and the stark white boxes on the sweater made it even more special. Chartreuse is one of those colors that scream “look at me” and it is such a nice change of pace from the normal burnt and gemstone hues associated with fall.

After pairing the sweater with a black pair of skinnies as the obvious choice, it was onto shoes and accessories to spice things up. I have several floppy hats in a variety of colors, but the mauve one spoke to me. Green and purple are complementary colors and even though the sweater and hat weren’t “true” green and purple, the sentiment remains the same. I then pulled from the muted mauve hue and selected a hand me down necklace from my mom. It is incredibly special to me and the choker fit with delicate purple crystals was just right against the faux turtleneck of the sweater. To complete the outfit, I slipped on a pair of my go to heeled boots by Olivia Miller and I was ready to go!

Despite changing into my pajamas immediately upon our arrival home, my Autumn Errands OOTD served its purpose well – albeit a little basically!

What is one of your cold weather staples? What is your favorite color to wear? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Final Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

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Final Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

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!):

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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

Chilly Day OOTD Bloopers

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Chilly Day OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Chilly Day OOTD! These pictures were taken before an amazing afternoon with my main squeeze. That day, Johnny and I drove to Burton, Ohio so he could be a featured musician on the PBS show The World According To Polka. It was the best experience and Johnny absolutely crushed. I always say that we are a power couple but that week further solidified the sentiment. While Johnny filmed for PBS on Monday, one of the videos that I shot for Tim Misny aired on CBS that Friday! How cool is that?! Thankfully, none of these yikes shots were on TV so, naturally, I put them on my blog instead. Lol, check it out:

WOW. Talk about a come hither shot! 😉

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Disregard my roots that desperately need touched up… And my face.

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Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down!

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I’M SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I appear to be malfunctioning so big ups to Johnny for capturing it

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Who’s up for a game of Peek A Boo?!

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A bow or a potential face plant? The world may never know! End scene.

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During the work week, I feel like I am ALWAYS driving and that’s probably because I am. Driving to the homes of clients, driving clients, making the voyage to Misnyland, errands, appointments, it’s never ending. With the amount of time I spend in the Little Red Love Machine, you would think that I would listen to a book tape or perhaps a podcast. While Johnny loves them, they are not my bag at all. So, I opt for radio stations that play either rap (My favorite!) or Top 40 hits. Do I enjoy what I listen to? Not always – it often feels like there is literally nothing on. But, the music I do hear keeps me company and is familiar enough that I can perform solo concerts in my whip. It’s fun, keeps me alert and focused, and makes constantly being in my car something that doesn’t feel like a complete chore.

One thing that I have been living for recently as I listen to the radio is a new emergence of pop singers. IE: Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and Chappell Roan. I was born and raised on Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera and have never stopped loving them. These new gals on the scene bring such a fresh take to old favorites and I am so there for it. As soon as I hear ANYTHING by my three main baddies on the radio, it’s game over. I transform into lead singer, backup singer, and musician at the drop of a hat. I’ve got to say, I sound excellent (Not) and maybe Sabrina, Olivia, and Chappell could learn a thing or two from Lil Red (Still not)!!

It’s basically one person Carpool Karaoke all day every day for yours truly. It’s a lot, yes. But, when the jams are on nobody can tell me NOTHING!!

What is your favorite genre of music? Who is one of your favorite new artists? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah