Tag Archives: fashion

Single On Valentine’s Day? It’s Okay!

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Single On Valentine’s Day? It’s Okay!

Hola! It’s easy for all the single ladies to get stressed with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. I get that and I am here to tell you that it is okay! Yours truly has spent plenty of Valentine’s Days by myself with a bottle of wine or going credit card crazy with online shopping. So, like I said, I get it.

Valentine’s Day can seem like it’s a couples only holiday but, damn it, that’s just not true. Hello, Galentine’s Day, ironic singles parties, and taking the day to treat yourself like the queen that you are. So let’s get some tunes going while we discuss some ideas on how to keep the single goddesses out of the Valentine’s Day funk:

(And, as per ushe, I have no rights to this song or video!)

First things first:

Just because you’re single on Valentine’s Day doesn’t make you any less desirable, beautiful, or fabulous. It just means that your special someone hasn’t made a cameo in your life yet and that’s okay!! I think that you’re all the most wonderful women alive and that’s all that really matters, anyways.

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😉 😉 😉

Second of all:

Valentine’s Day is just another day of the year. Truly. You are just more aware of it because couples are constantly posting on social media to showcase their true love. If you don’t want to see it, go off the grid for the day and come back tomorrow when Facebook is back to puppy videos and conspiracy theory rants.

And, finally:

It’s okay to spend your Valentine’s Day alone! Sometimes it can be just what you need to recharge your batteries and start the day shiny and new. You can even do some of the following:

Have a spa day:

Who doesn’t love being pampered? Go get your hair done, get a manicure, or just stay at home and take a nice, hot bubble bath. Light some candles, throw in a bath bomb, and pour yourself a glass of your favorite drink. Bath time is relaxing, fun (I think so, anyways!), and just plain luxurious. Taking good care of yourself will make you feel good. And nothing is better than lotioning up and putting on your favorite pair of PJs afterwards! 😀

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You can even use a charcoal bath bomb if you’re in a love bites type of mood!

Hang with the girls:

Nothing is more fun than gossiping, watching movies, and sharing chocolate and wine with your best friends. Invite your single and ready to mingle friends over for a slumber party and your relationship woes will be forgotten instantly. Have each friend bring her favorite rom-com, a bottle of wine, chocolate, or snacks and enjoy a potluck style partay with your besties. Boyfriend, who?

Treat Yoself:

Whether it be ordering your favorite takeout, buying a new pair of shoes, or finally finishing the book that you’ve been reading, do be sure to treat yoself on Valentine’s Day. One of my all time favorite Valentine’s Days that I spent single was going to TJMaxx and having a shopping spree. It’s honestly one of the best times to go shopping because everything seems to be on sale as stores are trying to purge themselves of anything winter so that they can welcome spring product. Physically buying a present for yourself is a great pick me up, but you don’t have to go crazy. A sweet Alex & Ani bracelet or a new CD will do just fine.

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Do something new:

A great way to shake off the blues of a lackluster day is to try something new. Hit up a zumba class at the gym, see if you have a green thumb and work with some potted plants, or even just experiment with a new makeup color or hair style. New things are exciting and are sure to brighten your mood. Valentine’s Day is only a problematic day if you allow it to be. Do something to get yourself out of a slump and V-Day will be a breeze. It will be just like any other day, if you will. 😉

Valentine’s Day as a single lady can be awesome or it can be completely miserable. It all depends on what you choose to do with it. But an awesome day sounds a bit more appealing, yes? Use this handy guide and have a ball!

How are you spending Valentine’s Day? What was your favorite V-Day like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Fesdove

Creating A Signature Look For Yourself

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Creating A Signature Look For Yourself

In a world where people follow the say-so of magazines, celebrities, and other forms of media when it comes to our appearance, it’s always refreshing to see someone taking on their own approach to their style. Be this person! Stand out from the crowd and create your own signature look. Here are just a couple of areas to focus on:

Hair

Hair can create a signature look that is solely associated with you. Think of Marilyn Monroe’s blonde bob, Dita Von Teese’s jet black 40’s curls, or Miley Cyrus’s slicked back outgrown pixie cut. If you’re not quite ready to reach for the clippers or bright and bold hair dyes, you can ease yourself into more unique looks with styles like ombre. Ombre is a two or more tone look that’s achieved with balayage (which is French for “sweep”). It involves sweeping bleach through different small triangle sections of the hair and leaving the bleach to take for different amounts of time. This helps your hair to subtly alter from areas of lighter shades to areas of darker shades. The majority of people opting for ombre tend to opt for darker roots, slowly and discreetly becoming lighter towards the ends.

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Love top knots!

Clothes

With the rise of street fashion, it’s extremely difficult to curate a personal look that seemingly endless numbers of other people aren’t already wearing at the same time. Think of all of the rails of the same item piled back in big name brand chains. These are going to be bought, there are more in the stockroom, there are even more in other chains, and whole piles of the product are waiting in storehouses to be bought by people online. When you buy the piece you’re looking at, you become one of potentially thousands who are going to have the exact same item. Not only does this make you meld into the background, but it can create awkward situations like turning up at social events or parties in the exact same outfit as somebody else.

The problem with this? It conjures up comparisons between you and the other person, setting off the beginnings of endless “who wore it better?” conversations. Besides this, surely you want to be an individual! Many people think that the only way to do this is to purchase expensive custom or designer pieces that others generally can’t afford. But this isn’t necessarily true. Even just a plain T-shirt can turn into something special with a punchy pattern or a cool slogan. You can check out these Chummy Tees reviews so you can start elevating basic staples to fit your style. As you can see, there are various ways to put together an astounding and truly unique wardrobe. Here are just a few to consider:

Shop Vintage

Vintage stores and outlets are a great place to start when it comes to creating a unique style for yourself. Vintage clothes date from the 1990s and the years before. They tend to be one-off pieces, as the others produced at the same time have been disposed of, recycled, or are no longer in good enough condition to wear. This means that you are extremely unlikely to see anyone else with the same piece as you. But don’t just pick up any old item. There’s a thin line between quirky chic and items that you would likely see an elderly relative wearing.

Do a little research of the different eras and get to know desirable vintage labels to look out for. If the sixties cater well to your tastes, look out for St. Michael’s, Aquascutum, and Biba originals. If the seventies are more your thing, search for Levi bell bottoms and old-school graphic tees. Remember to check the quality of everything that you like the look of and try things on before purchasing. Vintage stores rarely offer refunds or exchanges, so you will want to be sure that they fit and have fully functioning zips and no missing buttons or moth holes before paying.

Upcycling

Upcycling is slowly but surely becoming a more common activity. It is a simple process where you transform items that you already own. You can upcycle all sorts of things: furniture, accessories, and (most exciting of all) your wardrobe. You can turn jeans into shorts for the hot summer months, pillowcases into cute beach tote bags, or perhaps just jazz up a jacket with pins and patches. Whatever you decide to do, upcycling puts your personal touch to your clothing. While someone else might have the same base item, yours will almost certainly stand apart from it.

DIY

If you find that you enjoy upcycling, you might want to try out something a little more complex, but even more rewarding: making your own clothes from scratch. This gives you a lot more freedom over your garments, as you can choose the exact design, fabric, and fit. Start out with simple patterns and follow online tutorials and advice pieces. It may take a little time before you start producing things that you want to wear, but practice makes perfect and developing this brilliant life skill is definitely worth the effort.

Altering your look may take a little time, effort, and planning. However, it’s better to get started sooner rather than later. This will allow you to see positive changes and results as soon as possible!

Featured Image By: Pexels

If The Shoe Fits: Qupid Platforms Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: Qupid Platforms Edition

Howdy! One of my favorite styles of shoes is easily the platform heel. The height, the chunky heel, the retro vibe – they just look so sexy and summery to me. During the warmer weather, I live in my platform collection and during the spring and fall, I love pairing them with gorgeous knee highs for some extra warmth. Needless to say, I am missing my 70s throwback babes something fierce this winter!

I have had really awesome success with the brand Qupid while online shoe shopping with TJMaxx and am so excited to break out these Barbie platforms this spring:

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These platforms are SO darling to me and they make me really happy to look at. Although I am not the biggest floral girl in the world, I just couldn’t say no to these shoes. They remind me of something that my Barbie or Bratz dolls would have worn back in the day, and I just couldn’t deny myself that nostalgia. I think every little girl has wished that she could have the clothes that her fashion dolls have. I definitely did! So it’s pretty fun to have the adult size version of my early 2000s fashion doll faves.

I seriously can’t wait to wear these Qupid babies. Of course, they will look beautiful in the spring with tights and little dresses. However, I’m more excited to break them out during the summer time with short shorts and maxi skirts to strut about town in. Platforms add the perfect amount of funky flare to any look and these new heels make an amazing and sure to be well loved addition to my collection!

Which style of shoe is your favorite? How would you style these floral fun platforms? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

If The Shoe Fits: LFL Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: LFL Edition

Hi hi hi and happy Monday! As we all know by now, I am an avid shoe lover. Heels, platforms, wedges, boots, booties, combat boots, mules – I LOVE THEM ALL and I can’t get enough. TJMaxx’s amazing online store does nothing but add fuel to the fire, because they are constantly adding new and beautiful shoes every day. And you can’t not take a quick peek, right?

WRONG.

Just looking turned into just buying. But, as the saying on these new shoe babies goes: WHO CARES?!

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If these shoes look familiar to you, that’s because they are. I have two similar pairs by Lust For Life that I am equally as obsessed with. This style of shoe is just pure and cheeky fun. The thought bubble mini platforms add the perfect touch of attitude to any outfit so that something girly chic is instantly sassed up and perfectly punk turns even more edgy.

Of course the phrase on this shoe is perfect, but I absolutely love the matte black glitter on the heels. The other two LFL heels that I have are faux suede, so when the sun strikes these babies in the summer it will definitely make a sparkly statement. I have always been one to buy a style that I like in all of the colors that are available and, obviously, these shoes are no exception. Now, if only they would make the thought clouds attachable by Velcro so that I can mix and match all of my phrases! 😀

What is something that you have in multiple different colors? How would you style these sassy talk-back heels? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Penguin Pajama Party: Isaac Mizrahi Edition

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Penguin Pajama Party: Isaac Mizrahi Edition

Hola! One of my favorite things to treat myself to is pajamas. They are fairly cheap, they’re cute, comfy, and make going to bed even more fun than it already is. TJMaxx always has a wonderful selection of PJs to hit the hay in, including this darling pair of sleep bottoms that I got for TEN BUCKS! Take a look:

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One of my favorite animals (Besides for peacocks, dogs, and bunnies!) is the penguin. They are so cute and look so cuddly and I love the way that their little bodies waddle when they walk. So, of course, I had to get these PJ bottoms when I saw them, because nothing is more precious than penguins dressed up in winter accessories!

I love the soft taupe of the background color and I am especially partial to the little guy in the second picture in the bottom left corner who is decked out in a green hat and red scarf. His wittle flippers are out and he looks like he’s having a ball. The penguins in glasses are also pretty adorable, too. They all are! 😀

What is your favorite animal? Who else is an avid pajama lover? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Scarf Series: Wet Seal Edition

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Scarf Series: Wet Seal Edition

Ooooooh, Wet Seal. Who remembers that store? When I was a teenager, I could always get down with Wet Seal, Charlotte Rousse, and Aeropostale. Now, as a twenty-something  fashionista by trade, I cringe at the names of all of those stores – how times have changed! But, all of those stores catered to a teenager’s budget and tastes and, for that, they served their purpose well. Especially when my absolute FAVORITE cold weather scarf is from Wet Seal.

….Wait, what?

Isn’t that crazy? Lol, check it out and maybe you’ll see why:

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I think that I was fifteen or so when I bought this scarf, and I’m fairly confident that it was about fifteen bucks from Wet Seal. I vividly remember going shopping with a friend with the twenty dollars that my dad gave me tucked safely in my pocket (“Don’t spend it all in one place!”). We visited store after store and nothing spoke to me, that is, until I saw this magnificent highlighter pink scarf with…

What is that?? SKULLS?!

Ohhh yes. Lil Red loves and loved* her skulls. Even back in the day (Almost a decade, but that’s neither here nor there!), did I love all skulls everything and this scarf was a MUST. I remember being So. Freaking. Excited. about this Wet Seal find and wore it as often as I could. The colors, the fringe, the patterns – it really was true love. So, extra special shout out to my dad, because I know that my fifteen year old self would have been PISSED if I didn’t have any dough to buy it!

I honestly don’t think that I will ever get rid of this scarf and, although I have other cold weather scarves, this one always seems to be the one that I gravitate towards. And, because I sport an all black everything ensemble most days, this scarf pops like a florescent beacon when its worn. A beacon that says, “Not everything that I bought as a teenager was completely awful, AND HERE’S THE PROOF!!” You know, something like that.

What was one of your major fashion faux pas as a teen? Do you still own any clothing or accessories from when you were a teenager? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Accessory Story: Surprise Pick Me Up Edition

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Accessory Story: Surprise Pick Me Up Edition

Hiiiiiiii! My mom is my best friend, partner in crime, and shopping buddy. Our excursions to the shops has given my mom expert knowledge into Lil Red’s fashion sense, and she now seems to know my personal style like the back of her hand. My mom is also an amazing surprise giver and always seems to know when her daughter needs a little pick me up. After a seriously lackluster and downright shitty afternoon, my beloved mom returned home from Target with these gorgeous earrings for little old moi:

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When it comes to earrings, I made the lifestyle choice years ago to only wear dangly ones, because they are extra fun with short hair. I also deeply enjoy loud gold jewelry, but never really buy any for myself because I’m not the biggest accessorizer in the world. I love these earrings that my mom picked out for me, but I don’t know if I would have bought them for myself – which is probably exactly why she chose them!

It doesn’t take much to make me happy. A kind word always will do – but a lovely new pair of earrings definitely helps the cause! Thanks to a sweet surprise, my mom took away the not so stellar parts of my day and replaced it with something good and kind. She really is the best!

I LOVE YOU, MOM!!!! ❤

What is the easiest way for someone to cheer you up? How do you like to surprise a loved one? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cleaning Out My Clothing Hoard

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Cleaning Out My Clothing Hoard

Hey!! One thing that I have a really difficult time doing is letting go of clothing. I have a dresser and closet filled with gorgeous clothes that are certainly pretty to look at, but some of them really just don’t belong anymore. Whether that be from the clothes not fitting the best or I haven’t worn it in years, I never know when I might need it! 😉 Hence, a massive clothing hoard that needed to be tamed.

On the day after Christmas, I spent my time going through my closet and dresser and selecting clothes to sell to Plato’s Closet. It was hard!! There were pieces that I had in mind to add to my Plato’s bag, but when the time came to remove it from the hanger and fold it, it was like my feet became super glued to the floor. I knew that I needed to purge my closet but, damnit, I really didn’t want to!

Despite massive cold feet about my closet clean out, I managed to fill a whole bag to bring to Plato’s Closet. How, you might ask? First, the clothes that didn’t fit well were an automatic toss into the bag. Then, I took a deep breath, really tried to measure how many times I’ve worn the piece in the past year, and made my decision based on that.

The first few times that I had to make a decision to keep or toss was so difficult because, of course, you want to keep everything! But, then you think about why the clothing is taking up space in your closet if you’re not using it and it just makes sense to rid yourself of it. It really seemed like a “now or never” type of situation and even though I had a hard time, I was committed to completing my project in the now.

I took my clothes to Plato’s Closet and got twenty-five bucks for the clothes that they wanted the day after Christmas. It was great, because no one was there so I was in and out in no time! Everyone, me included, thinks that their clothes are worth way more but hey, it’s better than nothing!

I wasn’t too disappointed that everything wasn’t taken from my bag, but there are two things that I wanted to throw out to the blogging world to see if anyone wanted to make an offer on them. They just seem too nice and cute for someone not to want to score a great deal!!

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Both the Express blazer and American Eagle Outfitters peacoat are an Extra Small. The blazer was originally $108 with the tags still on it and the AEO peacoat was close to one hundred, as well. The Express blazer has a bit of discoloration on the collar from my hair dye, but can’t be seen when it’s worn. Both are super cute and in great condition, so if you want to make an offer, it’s all yours! 🙂

What are your tips on cleaning out a clothing hoard? How do you choose which items to keep or toss? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition

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Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition

Helloooo everyone! Today we are going to talk about a fabulous new scarf from my Holiday Haul compliments of my mom and Mr. Steve Madden. One thing that I love is really cool galaxy prints, and a scarf of the like caught my eye when my mom and I were shopping at TJMaxx. Other things trumped purchasing the scarf, and I had all but forgotten about it until Christmas day. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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It turns out that my mom went back to TJMaxx the following day to get this here scarf for me, because I did like it a lot! I was so surprised when I opened this present, because it was so thoughtful and sweet of my mom to make the trip back there just for one thing. I love all of the planets, stars, and different colors of this Steve Madden scarf. It’s such a fun pattern but it still looks chic and I can picture myself wearing it to work with a crisp white button down to let all of the planets pop!

I love bold accessories, like this scarf, because your outfit doesn’t need much afterwards. Throw on a cute pair of black booties and a sweet peacoat and you’re out the door in no time. This scarf is also perfect for playing around with makeup while wearing it, thanks to all of the gorgeous different colors featured in it. A navy smokey eye would look lovely or even a metallic liner for a cool galaxy pop.

So there you have it, the next part of my Holiday Haul in today’s Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition! What is your favorite pattern to wear? How would you style this scarf? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition

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Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition

Hello!!! Basically all of my favorite gifts this Holiday Haul came from my sister, Kristen. Although our personal styles are very different, she always seems to know exactly what I would like. I like to think that the same goes for me, and it makes me feel good that we are close enough to pick out a slam dunk of a present every single time. This Christmas, Kristen treated me to a necklace from one of my favorite designers, Betsey Johnson. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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If there’s one thing that a Lil Red loves, it’s skulls on clothing and accessories. Normal old skulls, skeletons, sugar skulls – I love it all. I have already worn my gorgeous blinged out sugar skull necklace so many times and it seriously makes every single OOTD pop. I love the heart eyes, the flowers, and the ribbon threaded through the chain. It’s such a fun piece and it is SO obviously Betsey Johnson, which is what I love about her brand.

This necklace looks so pretty when it hits just above a V-neck top or against one of my many black sweaters. The pastel colors really make a statement, and it’s a fun edition to my wardrobe because I don’t have a lot of clothes or accessories in a pastel palette. Kristen took one of my favorite patterns and favorite designers and ran with it, and seriously hit the nail so hard on the head with this beautiful necklace. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! :*)

So there you have it, the next issue in my Holiday Haul with an Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition! Who was gifted with jewelry this year? Who is your favorite designer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah