Tag Archives: fashion

Oct4

You’re Never Too Old!

Posted on October 4, 2022 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! As you all know, I am a HUGE lover of body modifications, fun hair, and fashion. I’m twenty-eight years old and I could never picture looking or dressing any differently than I do. In fact, I truly believe that I will have my five nose piercings in for all eternity and that’s fine by me!

When I’m out and about in a killer OOTD or just bumming it while running errands, a comment that I always seem to get is: “I wish I could dress or dye my hair like that but I’m too old.” To which I will always reply: “NO YOU’RE NOT!!” As sweet of a compliment as it is, it makes me sad because I am a firm believer in age being nothing but a number – even though I sometimes internally cry over approaching the big 3-0 *face palm*.

I also think that life is too short to be anything other than yourself. And if that means getting a tattoo or piercing at fifty or dying your hair pink at ninety, then I say go for it! What is the point in denying yourself something that would make you happy? Answer: There is no point.

During a trip to the zoo a few weekends ago, I wore this outfit:

While exploring the Akron Zoo with my sister and nieces, I ran into one of my friends and her three daughters. The two older of the three told me that they wanted to dress like me when they grow up and it warmed my cold, bitter heart. They also said that they never see adults who look like me and it’s cool.

I asked how old they thought I was because sometimes I have a hard time believing I’m an adult lol and one of them replied with “I don’t know… nineteen?” At this point, I thought my heart was going to explode and their minds were blown when I told them how old I am. I enlightened them on my philosophy about always being true to your own personal style and I think that it stuck!

No matter your age, there is nothing wrong with being the best version of yourself. If you are toying with the idea of changing your look up, then this is your sign to do it. You can thank me by telling me all about your transformation! ❤

What do you love about yourself? Do you have any plans for new hair, tattoos, etc? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct2

A Day At The Zoo OOTD

Posted on October 2, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last weekend, I was surprised with a text from my sister asking if I’d like to join her and my nieces at the Akron Zoo. Spending time with Kristen, Val Gal, and Raya is the absolute best so I jumped at the opportunity. It was also free admission for Community Day and you can’t beat that! We had a wonderful afternoon exploring the zoo and I had a blast spoiling my best girls with lots of treats. Of course, I couldn’t step out without showing out so I put together this little OOTD:

Who? What? Wear?

Houndstooth Vest: Sincerely Jules, TJMaxx
New Moon, Who Dis? Dress: Hot Topic
Black Sweater: Shrinking Violet, TJMaxx
Gemstone Fishnets: Urban Outfitters
Hardware Embellished Loafers: Chase + Chloe, Forever 21
I have no idea where I got the apple clasp belt from lol

My sister and nieces always look darling so ol’ TT had to match their energy! I purchased the Sincerely Jules vest during my last TJMaxx haul and had been dying to break it out. I think that it is such a fun and unique piece and is perfect for some fall outings. When I am building outfits, I tend to select one focal point item and continue on from there. Once you have a staple picked out, it is much easier to style a look around it, which was definitely the case with my vest.

For this OOTD, I chose to keep the color palette minimal with surprise pops of color, which I thought added a cool retro touch to the vest. Originally, I had my New Moon, Who Dis? T-shirt dress on under the vest but I was afraid that it might be too cold for bare arms. To rectify this, I simply added my Shrinking Violet sweater on underneath the dress and I am glad that I did – it was a beautiful but very brisk day!

As a side note, remember that when you are layering items, you have to be careful with the fit of the clothes. For example, the T-shirt dress was loose while the sweater was tighter fitting and that made it an ideal layering combination. Two form fitting pieces or two looser ones just doesn’t have the same effect so go for opposites in fit and you will be a layering master.

ANYWHO, with the base of my outfit settled, it was time to accessorize. My vest has a menswear fit and the dress didn’t offer a distinct shape so the obvious choice was to add a belt. Surprisingly, I only have one belt in my clothing collection and it worked just fine. The quirky apple clasp is so cheeky and cute while, most importantly, accentuating my waistline.

Tights were also a must and I went with my favorite Urban Outfitters fishnets. These gemstone tights are simply the best and I get compliments on them whenever I wear them. I also liked that they showed a bit of skin since the rest of my body was covered up. To continue with the embellished theme, I chose my Chase + Chloe loafers. The jewels on the tights flowed seamlessly into the studs and spikes on the shoes while also enhancing a more color blocked look.

I haven’t received so many compliments on an outfit in a while and your girl was feeling her damn self. As a whole, this OOTD is bold and screams “look at me”. But that’s not all there is to it. The closer you look, the more you see all of the unique touches that are essential to my personal style. From the corset style laces at the bottom of the dress to being able to see my tattoos through the fishnets, there was visual interest everywhere. Remember, you always want to make the eyes of whomever is looking at you dance and this OOTD achieved that to the T.

My Day At The Zoo was just what I needed to lift my spirits and how could it not? It’s a wonder what good company and good fashion can do for the soul! ❤

How would you describe your personal style? Whose style do you admire? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

Summer In Fall OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 29, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Summer In Fall OOTD! We are stepping into year eight of lifewithlilred with my goal in mind of lots more OOTDs so I hope that you are all ready for some fashion fun. Today, we are going to take a look at what didn’t make the cut during my last hurrah for summer shoot. Then, it is back to all of the fall fashion! Let’s get to it:

As always, I have no idea what I’m doing

Three cheers for lifewithlilred and this terrifying picture!

Surprised by my own butt

What a babe!!!!!

Just here getting my America’s Next Top Model on 😉

I LOOK GREAT!!!! 😀

How did I even get up here??

Looking like Heatmeiser from that one Christmas movie

Give me my phoooooone

Lol, what a HOOT! There is nothing better than a good ol’ blooper reel to make me laugh and these posts are, honestly, so refreshing to make. After taking pictures with Johnny, it might take me upwards of an hour to sort through the millions of pictures he has snapped. During that time, I am looking for the “perfect” pictures while weeding out the ones that aren’t up to snuff. You know, the ones where the lighting is just right, your face is pretty, body looks awesome, and the outfit shines. It’s enough to drive anyone crazy and it’s easy to start scrutinizing every single shot.

With the bloopers post, it’s so different because my mindset changes drastically. With a snap of the fingers I go from “wow, I’m working it” to “wow, I look terrible… perfect!” And that’s okay! For bloopers, the cringier the better and I have no shame in it. I am a huge believer in being able to poke fun at yourself and showing my entire photo taking process along the way. The good, the bad, and the:

^^^ Lol, had to casually toss this in one more time!

Has anyone had any blooper reel worthy moments lately? What happened? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah!

Sep28

Summer In Fall OOTD

Posted on September 28, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! In early fall, you never know what kind of weather you are going to get. Is it going to be summer hot or hoodie weather? Who knows?! On this particular day that I took pictures, it was hot AF so I decided to do one final hurrah for summertime. Now, bring on the brisk days of fall, baby! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Mustard Yellow Kimono: Rebellion Again, TJMaxx
Floral Top: Banana Republic, TJMaxx
Distressed Jean Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters
The lace up wedges are old as the hills and I think I got them from Kohl’s?

This past summer, I learned to love warm weather fashion a little more. Although it will never be my favorite season to dress for, I admit that it does have its merits lol. I just love more elaborate fall outfits so the simplicity of clothing to keep you cool in the summertime bores me. That is why fun additional pieces like kimonos, earthy wedges, and quirky jewelry are a must for my summer apparel, as you can see in this OOTD.

I already had the Rebellion Again kimono in mind and I thought that its gauzy fabric in my favorite hue of mustard yellow was an ideal summer piece to welcome the fall. It is such a versatile option and would make a fabulous cover up over a bathing suit or look charming over top of a dress at a summer wedding… Which I definitely wore last year when mine and Johnny’s friends tied the knot!

Pairing my kimono with the Banana Republic cami top was a no brainer as you can see from the colors in its pattern. While the yellow flowers weren’t a perfect match, it was close enough. The blue flowers, however, popped just right against the distressed jean shorts, which you can really see when the kimono is off. I found this top when I was going through my “I have no tops” phase and love its sweet pattern and silky fabric. It was also a total steal at just twelve bucks for a Banana Republic top. Freaking SCORE! 😀

The styling of this outfit really did speak for itself as I prepped in my wardrobe office and it’s always great when a cute fit requires minimal think work. My lace up wedges of unknown origin was just right to tie the outfit together. I’m actually just noticing this now but the earthy tones of the canvas also work in tandem with the olive green flowers in the top. NICE.

Guys, I love these damn shoes so much it’s not even funny. They were one of my first pairs of wedges and my massive shoe collection went haywire after that! Unfortunately, I pushed them too hard in this OOTD. After getting back in the car, I saw a huge tear from the canvas to the woven heel and I was SO sad. Despite their unwearable condition, I refuse to part with them for sentimental purposes. But, what a way to glorify them for forever with one last killer OOTD! But, I digress…

After the shoes (RIP) were selected, it was time to accessorize. I went with my go to bangle bracelets that I adore. They are even more special because all of them were gifted to me from my mom and sister. For earrings, I chose my dangle feather pair that was a hand me down from my sis. Do you remember when feather earrings were all the rage and then they just weren’t? Lol, they, obviously, still are for me and looked so pretty against the creamy base of the cami top.

Let’s be real, it has been fall in my head since late August but I just had to send summer off with a bang with my Summer In Fall OOTD. Keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for lots more fall fun, fits, and fabulousness! ❤

What is a trend that you can think of that was wildly popular then wasn’t? What is fall weather like where you live? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep26

Halloween Treats (No Tricks!)

Posted on September 26, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last weekend, Johnny and I went to TJMaxx AND got Mexican food after an OOTD shoot (Keep it posted for that!). It was literally all of my favorite activities in one morning and it was a HOOT! Of course, whenever I go to TJs, it is physically impossible for me to leave without a little treat for myself or someone else. My purchases included an amazing houndstooth vest by Sincerely Jules as well as these fun Halloween goodies:

When it comes to my own personal philosophy on fashion, I place style over comfort every single time. If I like something enough, I will make it work even if it is slightly uncomfortable. In fact, other than pajamas, two pairs of leggings, and a couple of hoodies everything I own is runway ready. This is just me but I would rather spend my money on a great pair of jeans over a pair of sweats any day of the week – sue me for it!

The Better/Together cropped Halloween sweater broke this mindset clean in two because it is quite possibly the most comfortable thing that I have ever owned. It is the softest, coziest little number and, oh yeah, it’s cute too! As soon as I saw it, I thought that it would be just perfect for snuggling up in and watching scary movies. It will also be great for a brisk day at the pumpkin patch with Johnny, my nieces, or clients for some Halloween fun.

Once I completed a super quick once over of the clothing department (I knew Johnny wouldn’t approve of my standard two round process), we headed to the home decor section. I couldn’t believe my luck that another Royal Stafford plate pattern was available because I am obsessed with them. I have quite the collection of their spooky themed plates and always have to buy one if they’re there. This new addition might just be my favorite yet and it’s basically me and Johnny! Although they are way too pretty to eat off of, I like having them just to have them lol. I’ll find out some cool way to incorporate my plates into my apartment decor… eventually. 😉

There were no tricks to this mini TJMaxx Haul, just lots of treats! Stay tuned on lifewithlilred for a brand new OOTD and more Halloween happiness! 😀

Do you have any scary movie recommendations? What do you value more, style or comfort? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep22

New Sincerely Jules Vest

Posted on September 22, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Saturday was absolutely FABULOUS. It was seriously the best day that I have had in over a month and it was just wonderful. To start, Johnny took some new OOTD pictures for me (Check it out soon!). Afterwards we went on a crawl of all of my favorite places. We went to my happy place of TJMaxx and then to my other happy place of El Meson for Mexican food. Once lunch was over, we spent a lovely afternoon at my parents’ house and then back to our apartment for an evening of video games. Like I said, it was the best.

Johnny and I went to TJMaxx with the purpose of checking out their Halloween decorations. As always, I couldn’t go to my own personal Disney Land without buying a little something for myself too lol. The store was overflowing with gorgeous fall clothes and they were all speaking to me. Out of hunger and knowing that Johnny wasn’t going to last long during a morning shopping session, I walked away with a darling houndstooth vest by Sincerely Jules. It’s SO cute and was convenient because I didn’t have to try it on in the fitting room lol check it out:

Dressing for fall is such fun for me because I get to layer up with all of my favorite things – sweaters, cardigans, flannels, and jackets. Why stop at just one piece when you can layer?! I was ecstatic when I saw this Sincerely Jules number because I don’t have anything like it in my wardrobe and, yes, it is a perfect layering piece! Of course, it will be great over top of my plethora of black sweaters but can you imagine it over a jewel tone like cobalt blue? Beautiful!

What I like about this vest the most is its shape. Normally, vests for women taper sharply inwards underneath the breasts and that is not flattering for my body type at all. My new Sincerely Jules vest, however, has a more straight fit to it and invokes all of the menswear vibes, which I am so there for. It has some extra wiggle room to it that provides a bit of movement and will be able to be worn comfortably over a thicker top.

I cannot wait to style this vest for a future OOTD post and I already have so many ideas. To keep with a menswear theme, I plan on raiding Johnny’s wardrobe because he has the best button downs. A more masculine fit on top begs for some sexy heels on the bottom so I might just have to break out my wedding heels one time for the one time. Stay tuned on lifewithlilred to see the completed look!

What is your favorite layering piece? What is your favorite season to shop for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Thankful For Bloopers

Posted on September 21, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I don’t know about all of you, but when it comes to pictures on my phone, I am basically a hoarder. I never delete anything and never really thought about it until taking pictures for my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD. While Johnny was snapping away at one last location, he said “Oh no” and I thought that someone might have been in the shot. Rather, every influencer’s nightmare came true when he told me my phone was out of memory. It had me feeling pretty much like this:

Thankfully, this breach in storage happened at the end of the photo shoot and I knew that I would have to have a major deleting session. At first, the delete-athon was fairly easy because duplicates and screen shots of things that I would never buy was a good place to start. However, it just wasn’t good enough. So, I began to delete apps that I never used and that helped moderately but not enough too.

I realized that I would have to start deleting pictures with a less discerning eye and began the process of deleting blooper OOTD shots. And, in that moment, I was SO. Freaking. Glad. that I began the blooper reel segment from my OOTDs this past January. Without posting these shots that definitely didn’t make the cut, they would have been gone forever!

I truly do think that it is important to show what goes on behind every fabulous photo that I share in each OOTD post. I am far from perfect and unless you’re a professional super model, a lot of your shots are probably going to end up like this:

^^^ Lol.

Not only do I think that these outtakes are encouraging for other bloggers, I also think that they are just hilarious. Johnny and I love to look back at the blooper shots and have a laugh and I hope that the same goes for all of you. It seemed like such a shame for no one to see this pure comedy gold and I think that it is refreshing when people poke some good old fashioned fun at themselves. It makes me feel like this:

Although a majority of my bloopers are no more on my phone, they are here forever on lifewithlilred and that’s good enough for me. Long live the blooper reel!

What is your favorite segment on lifewithlilred? What are the first things you delete when your phone runs out of space? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep18

New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 18, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD! I have had such a blast creating the bloopers for several of my past OOTDs and it is a relatively new segment on lifewithlilred. I have turned into a firm believer of sharing the entire photo taking process of an influencer because for every awesome shot there are probably twenty bad ones! The blooper reel is a true testament to that:

Johnny was cracking me up with an incredibly bad Alex Jones impression

I swear to drunk, I’m not god lol

My face when I see a dog walking by!! It was amazing!

I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!

Not sure what this stank face is for lol

Showing off some Dancing With The Stars worthy moves

Not sure what this stank face is for, either…

I have no idea what is happening…

If you’re new to the OOTD picture world and a majority of your shots look like the above, that is okay! I remember some of my first OOTD shoots and I was like “yikes” when looking through them afterwards. Practice really does make perfect, though, and you will get more comfortable the more you get in front of the camera.

I used to think that practicing my posing and facial expressions in the mirror was something only contestants on America’s Next Top Model did – but it really does work! Before every shoot, I spend some time in front of my full length mirror practicing different angles, movements, and expressions. With my little study session beforehand, I can take everything that is still fresh in my mind and apply it to my pictures. That’s how I end up with something like these and not any of the above lol:

That does it for my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD and I hope that all of you enjoyed it as much as I did. Tune in tomorrow for my eight year Blogiversary stroll down memory lane. We will also be discussing new recipes and more OOTDs later this week. Year nine of lifewithlilred is starting off with a bang!

How do you practice before getting in front of the camera? What are some of your modeling pro tips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD Pt. 2

Posted on September 17, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD! This shoot was just too much fun and turned out exactly how I wanted so, of course, I have to share some extras. You can also keep it posted tomorrow for the blooper reel and then it is on to celebrating lifewithlilred’s eight year Blogiversary. There’s nothing better than ringing in a brand new year of blogging with a brand new me OOTD! Check it out:

Johnny always tells me that I have perfect timing in the most sarcastic way possible. For example, I’ll ask him for something to drink as soon as he sits down or try to change my DoorDash order right before he’s about to send it in. I never mean to but apparently I have a knack for it! In the case of this OOTD coinciding with my blogiversary, I agree with my husband. My timing is perfect lol.

I had, honestly, forgotten about my blogiversary completely with all of the craziness going on in my life. So you can imagine my surprise when I got the WordPress notification before I began yesterday’s post! A reminder of all of my years of dedication to lifewithlilred paired with pictures that I am obsessed with was just the pick me up I needed. It’s so easy to lose sight of accomplishments – especially when it feels like your life is in shambles *face palm*. But another year of posting daily content under my belt is something that I am so proud of and it felt good to remember that.

Starting my new blogging calendar off with a new OOTD is also serendipitous because lots of OOTD posts are my goal for going into year nine of lifewithlilred. Creating new outfits in a variety of styles is such a blast for me and fall outfits are my jam. So, yes, to my husband – sometimes I really do have perfect timing. Keep it locked for more unique and affordable looks coming soon!

What is something that you are proud of? What is your favorite type of post to write on your blog? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep16

New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD

Posted on September 16, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD compliments of my brand new hair! I am loving my new look so much and couldn’t wait to take pictures this past weekend to show it off. Johnny and I visited a covered bridge in the Cuyahoga Valley to take these pics and, it’s safe to say that we got a ton of weird looks when walking the short trail to the bridge lol. I don’t know why, considering I was in my walking shoes! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Sheer Sleeve Sweater: DKNY, TJMaxx
Snakeskin Pattern Jeans: Seven Jeans, TJMaxx
Flame Platforms: Forever 21
Bejeweled Cheetah Necklace: Natasha, TJMaxx

After my most recent haul from TJMaxx, I knew that I wanted my DKNY sweater featured in my next OOTD. I love it so very much and sheer sleeve sweaters are, easily, my favorite new trend. It is the perfect compromise to not seeing my tattoos pretty much all fall and winter long and it’s unique too. I have never seen anything like it before until late July and I wish I had five hundred more sweaters with the sheer sleeve style!

With the top already pre-selected, putting together the rest of the outfit was a no brainer. For this OOTD, I wanted to play with different textures to add some spice to an almost All Black Everything look. The Seven Jeans were an obvious choice because they are coated and provided some extra shine. It played off so nicely with the knit base of the sweater and the billowy pinstriped sleeves.

Can we also just talk about how amazing Seven Jeans are in general? There is a reason why Fergie mentions them in the timeless classic, “My Humps” by the Black Eyed Peas. These jeans fit just right and hug my curves without being too tight. You also know how much I love anything snakeskin patterned so this was a fabulous TJMaxx find!

Moving on lol, it was time for shoes and accessories. To continue on with the almost all black palette and keeping texture in mind, I went with my Forever 21 platforms. These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes that I have ever owned! After several years of wearing them, they are not as shiny as they were originally. This is fine, though, and the matte base added another texture twist against the coated jeans.

Finally, it was time for some bling, baby! I have a huge collection of chunky gold jewelry and wanted to stay in that realm because it was going to look awesome against my new hair. To play it up even more, I wanted a chain that was shorter in length to make it really pop. After a few no-gos, I tried the cheetah Natasha necklace and knew that it was the one. It also tied together the flames in the shoes to the rest of the outfit.

This OOTD is a great example of a monochrome look done right. When you are working with just one color, it is so important to use texture to your advantage to add visual interest. You are not going to get it, otherwise, with say a green jacket and dress set. You should also try to incorporate some additional detail to the outfit through cleverly placed accessories with a pop of color. This way, the eyes of whomever you see will still be dancing despite a look with a minimal color palette.

Be sure to tune in this week for bonus pics and bloopers from my New Hair, Who Dis? OOTD! We will also be celebrating my eight year blogiversary a few days late so keep it posted for that! ❤

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

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