Hello! My mom and I have had TJMaxx gift cards burning a hole in our pockets and decided to have an impromptu shopping trip during my break this past Tuesday. It was just the little pick me up I needed and we had so much fun. I absolutely love going shopping with my mom, I always have and I always will and she is my partner in crime. Normally, I like to stock up on skin care when I have gift cards to spend. This time, however, I was on the hunt for new summer clothes. As a gal who loves dressing for the fall, my warm weather clothes are lacking and I have recently been lamenting over having “nothing” to wear. Happily, I found three amazing new pieces to update my summer wardrobe and I can’t wait to show all of you! Let’s get started with this gorgeous top by Caroline Constas:
When I am at TJMaxx, I browse in the junior and women’s department alike and tend to have good luck across the board. Other than a super cute crop that you will see soon, the junior’s department was doing nothing for me during this trip. Everything was so small, so short, plain ugly, or featured a tie in the front of the tops which I freaking hate lol. The women’s department was much more like it and I literally GASPED when I saw the flower power top by Caroline Constas. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful top at Urban Outfitters that I was obsessed with. It was very expensive and it didn’t come home with me. I honestly couldn’t even tell you what it looked like now, but for some reason the idea of it came to my head when I saw my new top. It was like getting a second chance at the one that got away and I was not letting it slip through my fingers again.
This cropped number is everything and it is so unique and adorable. The poppy embroidered flowers and red border over a stark white base remind me of an artist’s smock in the best way possible. And, of course, I loves me anything with balloon sleeves! This top screams fun in the sun and I cannot wait to pair it with sweet denim shorts and wedge sandals. It was a bit more expensive than I usually will spend for a top at thirty-five dollars, but it was worth every penny. There was no original price tag to compare to so I looked it up online and saw it for sale on Poshmark for one hundred and twenty-five smackers. Whatever it originally costed, I got it for a fraction of the price and you can’t beat that!
I have a feeling I will be wearing this top all summer long and it is officially one of my new favorites. Stay tuned for a brand new OOTD soon!
What is your favorite designer brand? Which stores or websites can you get the best bargains on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! During my hand soap restock at Bath & Body Works that you saw yesterday, I also got to pick out a free travel size item for my birthday. I absolutely love cashing in on those birthday offers and it’s so nice to get a little treat from the stores that I frequent. While I did have some difficulty selecting my hand soaps, my birthday freebie was a no brainer. I am a HUGE fan of the Gingham line from B&BW and when I saw that there was a new addition to the collection, it was game over! Check it out:
Literally every time the Gingham line is updated, I have to see what that’s all about lol. I have tried every single Gingham expansion and have no plans on stopping now, as you can see. Although nothing will ever be better than the OG, Gingham All-American is a really nice addition. The packaging screams red, white, and blue but the fragrance notes of “juicy red fruits, white freesia, and blueberry sugar” do all the talking! 😀
Gingham All-American is a fresh summer berry delight. I primarily can pick up on raspberry and strawberry with just the slightest hint of the freesia. I am not a floral scent fan, but I find that the flowers in the Gingham line almost feel like an afterthought and you really have to work to pick up on it. That is perfectly fine by me! This scent is juicy, a little tart from the raspberries, and gives all of the summer fruit salad vibes. What a fabulous birthday gift to get a new fragrance from my favorite line!
If you are a Gingham fan too, RUN – don’t walk to give All-American a try. You will definitely be in for a treat!
What is your go to fragrance? What is your favorite scent from the Gingham line? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! While I love a good skin care restock, one of my favorite things is when I am running low on my beloved foaming hand soap because that means a trip to Bath & Body Works is in order. Their foaming hand soap has been a staple in my apartment since moving out of chez parents and I legit couldn’t imagine using anything else. It is simply the best! This past week, I made a stop at B&BW for a reup on my must have and ended up with all new to me scents. Take a look and let’s discuss:
White Tea & Sage: As I browsed the soap department, I found that the pickings were incredibly slim and was smelling different scents for the heck of it. White Tea & Sage is something that I wouldn’t have given a second glance to, but I gave it a shot and was surprised by how much I liked it. The featured notes include “fresh tea, lemon, and herbs”. I can definitely pick up on the lemon but it mainly just smells minty, which is perfectly fine by me. I am a minty fragrance gal and White Tea & Sage is crisp and invigorating. Look at me broadening my horizons!
Pineapple Prosecco: If you are a fan of pineapple, then this scent is for you! If not, then this scent is not for you! While Pineapple Prosecco offers notes of “sparkling pineapple, bubbly Prosecco, and white nectarine”, it just smells like straight up pineapple lol. This scent is juicy and the slightest bit tart and perfect for summertime.
Sweet Strawberry Scoop: Strawberry fragrances tend to be hit or miss for me as they can often verge on being too sweet. I loved the Strawberry line from The Body Shop and the Sweet Strawberry Scoop from B&BW is very nice. The fragrance notes in this scent are “sugared pink strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream”. The vanilla ice cream makes this scent really rich and it smells like pure strawberries and cream. Once again, this is a great summertime scent!
Fresh Watermelon: Do you remember what the Watermelon Lip Smackers smelled like? If so, then that is exactly what B&BW’s Fresh Watermelon smells like and I am SO there for it. Although the notes of this scent offer “fresh cut watermelon, pink sea salt, and sweet sunrise”, it is artificial watermelon smelling through and through. If you are looking for a pure, light watermelon fragrance then this is not the scent for you. If you are looking for a heavy dose of Lip Smackers nostalgia, however, go for it!!
Garden Tea Cookie: I was so conflicted about if Garden Tea Cookie smelled good to me or not and the final consensus was that it did lol. This is a very unique scent and is something that I usually wouldn’t go for, but this shopping trip was all about shaking things up. Garden Tea Cookie features notes of “powdered sugar, fresh citrus zest, and whipped vanilla”. It really does smell like a freshly baked tea cookie! I typically am not one for dessert fragrances but that zingy citrus and airy powdered sugar sold me!
This was an interesting trip to B&BW because I had to smell a ton of different soaps to end up with my final selection. I learned that, under the right circumstances, I might be a dessert and earthy fragrance fan after all!
What are some of your must have products at home? Where do you shop for bath and body care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello!! One of mine and Johnny’s all time favorite board games is called Horrified. It is a co-op game where you have to save a village from classic horror movie monsters like Dracula, the Mummy, and the Wolfman. Each monster has specific challenges that you must complete to defeat them while still protecting yourself and the villagers on the board. It is a complete and total blast!! Johnny and I have played the original Horrified countless times and would often lament on our desire for new boards. You couldn’t imagine our surprise when we learned that there were three other expansions: American Monsters, World Of Monsters, and our newest addition – Greek Monsters!
We are simply elated to have the completed set of Horrified and we busted out Greek Monsters for the first time this weekend. Also lol at the headline “All Hades breaks loose!”. The monsters for this board include: Medusa, Cerberus, Minotaur, Chimera, Siren, and Basilisk. As per the game’s recommendation, we started with the Cerberus and Basilisk and I am pleased to report that we dominated! Check it out:
Like the other Horrified boards, the way to play remains the same: You take a turn, the monster takes a turn, and so on, and so forth. Johnny and I really appreciate this because it can be intimidating to learn a brand new game and the only thing that changes on the Horrified boards are the monsters and challenges to beat them. If this game looks intimidating to you – I so get it. It honestly does look like a lot lol. However, this is one of the most simple co-op games Johnny and I have ever played and once you get the hang of it, the entire Horrified collection opens up to you.
As Johnny and I played Greek Monsters, it only felt appropriate that we listened to our record of Hadestown! It was the perfect soundtrack to protect our village from Cerberus and the Basilisk. These monsters were recommended as they were the easiest, but it was actually quite challenging due to the special actions of the monsters. In fact, we were getting down to the wire and the game could have gone either way – a victory for us or the monsters. Through the power of teamwork, Johnny and I prevailed and I cannot wait to play again!
If you are looking for a super fun and super cool board game, you have just got to try Horrified!! I am absolutely terrible at learning games and if I can tackle this co-op, anyone can!
What is your favorite board game? Have you played Horrified before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing a book that simply delighted me from start to finish: The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose. This is the third installment in The Maid series and if you are like me, you fell head over heels for the unlikely heroine, Molly, and a cast of supporting characters that can’t be beat. Like its predecessors, The Maid’s Secret welcomes us back to the Regency Grand Hotel for Molly the Maid’s biggest mystery yet. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on The Maid’s Secret for physical abuse and sexual assault. Now, let’s get to it:
It’s a big day for Molly and her beloved fiance, Juan Manuel. The Regency Grand is hosting a live taping of the hit show, Hidden Treasures. The Hidden Treasures! Hosted by the adoring couple, Baxley Brown and Thomas Beagle, the two art aficionados uncover lost art and heirlooms in the most unexpected places and shed light on hidden masterpieces. The hotel is abuzz with excitement from VIP guests and the staff alike because they will be able to get their trinkets and special items appraised too. Before leaving their humble apartment, Molly assembles a box from her dearest gran’s curio cabinet with prized possessions. And, at Juan’s insistence, she brings the “golden huevo” an unspeakably beautiful treasure that fell into Molly’s hands at a manor her gran once worked at as a maid.
With the treasure box in tow, Molly and Juan walk to work and into the hustle and bustle of the big event. After last minute preparations are done to perfection, the staff waits in line to meet Baxley and Brown to see if the old saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” rings true. Before she knows it, it’s Molly’s turn to grace the stage and show the hosts what she brought. Her gran’s teacup and silver spoon that contained priceless sentimental value holds no monetary gain. However, the “golden huevo” catches the eyes of Baxley and Brown. This is no ordinary piece of decor at all: It is the original prototype made from the House of Faberge. Molly is an instant multimillionaire, promptly faints, and becomes an instant sensation too.
When Molly comes to, she is enveloped in a strange new world. Suddenly, her and Juan are rich beyond their wildest dreams and everyone wants a piece of her. From invisible to overnight celebrity, the doting couple tries to take their change of fortune in stride but it proves to be most difficult. At the end of the day, Molly loves her life with Juan Manuel and wants everything to return to normal ASAP. With the hopes of never having to penny pinch again and for her newfound celebrity to die down, Molly agrees to auction off her treasured treasure. The auction will take place at the Regency Grand and when it is over, Molly and Juan will be able to afford their dream wedding, a new apartment, and anything and everything they could ever want.
We return to the tearoom of the Regency Grand where everyone is on pins and needles for the auction’s end result. To Molly’s utter surprise, the lost Faberge is sold for a cool ten million smackers. The lights dim, the crowd goes wild, and when the room is illuminated once again there is one thing missing. The egg! The Faberge was stolen right beneath everyone’s noses and is yet again lost to the world. The only clue? A threat to Molly written on a piece of paper: Find the egg and you die.
Just like that, the buzz on Molly the Maid comes to a screeching halt. No Faberge and no money, but on the bright side – her and Juan get to live their normal life together. That is, until the egg has been returned. The investigation is in full swing once again and it is up to Molly and her companions to solve the case: Her dear granddad, true crime obsessed Angela, Detective Stark, and support from the person she needs the most – the words in a journal from her beloved, departed gran. Will this unlikely team crack the case of the Faberge? Read The Maid’s Secret to find out!
Holy WOW was the third installment of The Maid series amazing. In fact, The Maid’s Secret is my favorite one yet! This book went back and forth between the journal of gran and Molly’s latest adventure and I could not stop reading if you paid me. The multiple narrator format is something I am most fond of and it was incredible to be reunited with gran. She has always been with Molly, but to read her words and hear her story that she kept hidden for so long allowed the series to shine in a brand new light. All of the fairy tales and fables that gran would instill in Molly turned out to have a deeper meaning than you could ever imagine and it was absolutely beautiful to read.
Of course, it was also incredible to be reunited with Molly! Her character is a gift to the literary world and between all of her quirks and darling phrases, I would be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t instantly fall in love with her. She is the girl you want to root for and see win and everyone in her close circle feels the same way. To have a supporting cast that wants nothing but the best for Molly, just like me, is a rarity in the books I typically read and my heart was bursting with every turn of the page. The true beauty of Molly is that even, in her words, the “bad eggs” have a chance to redeem themselves and that is such an important lesson in and of itself. Molly is a heroine that will encourage, teach, and stay with you and The Maid’s Secret has further solidified her as one of my all time favorite characters.
I am going to award The Maid’s Secret with the coveted ten out of ten stars. If you, too, are a fan of the series: RUN don’t walk to read this book!
Who is your favorite literary character? What is your favorite book in The Maid trilogy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Howdy! The foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works are a staple at chez moi and Johnny. We absolutely love them and so do all of our guests – especially our nieces! We were running low on our supply and it couldn’t have happened at a better time because I just got some coupons in the mail. During one of my work breaks, I hit up B&BW for a re-up and ended up with five new soaps and a freebie item for twenty bucks. You can’t beat that! I picked out several new to us scents and this was truly Johnny’s time to shine. He is a tropical boy and the store was jam packed with beachy, fruity, summery scents for days. Check it out:
Pink Kiwi Berry: One of my favorites of the bunch! The Pink Kiwi Berry soap seriously smells like candy – almost like a watermelon Jolly Rancher and it is delightful. I can literally smell the sugar crystals, which makes sense as this scent offers notes of “sweet kiwi, candied citrus, and sunny orchids”. I can’t speak to the sunny orchids lol but if you are looking for a sweet/tart scent that is primarily sweet, you are going to LOVE Pink Kiwi Berry!
Peach Bellini: You already KNOW I had to get me a Peach Bellini – one of my tried and true scents. In fact, this was one of the first hand soaps I purchased when I moved into my own apartment! It has been a go to of mine for over six years and I don’t plan on not getting it anytime soon. If you are a fan of all things peach and haven’t tried Peach Bellini from B&BW – what are you waiting for?! It is like biting into a juicy peach with every use.
Mango Papaya Paradise: Let’s hear it for the boy because this scent is one hundred percent Johnny. I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of mango fragrances because I always thought the mango line from The Body Shop smelled moldy lol. However, the Mango Papaya Paradise is pretty nice! This scent features notes of “succulent mango, golden papaya, and warm tropical breeze”. It is my least favorite in the bunch strictly for my preferences but it does smell fresh and zingy and I know my main squeeze will love it!
Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit: Now, this tropical scent, I like! The packaging also really pleases me! The Sweet Kiwi & Starfruit is more subtle – it actually smells reminiscent of a toned down version of the Pink Kiwi Berry. As that was my favorite scent from the haul, what’s not to like?! This soap offers notes of “golden kiwi, juicy starfruit, and solar woods” (Whatever solar woods smells like). If you are looking for a fragrance that packs a punch, this is one you could skip on. Should your tastes match a subtly sweet scent, you are in for a treat.
Vanilla Swirl: This is a new vanilla scent from B&BW and as a HUGE fan of all things vanilla, I had to hop on it! Vanilla Swirl is what it is. If you, too, live for vanilla fragrances then this is a must buy. If not, then definitely skip on it because this is a true vanilla scent through and through.
As I actually shopped in store for this haul, it was a wildly successful one with a little something for me and my Johnny!
Do you like tropical scents? What is your favorite fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Howdy!! One of mine and Johnny’s all time favorite board games is called Horrified. In this game, you save a village from classic horror movie monsters like Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, etc. While we love the first edition of the game, we would always lament over the fact that different boards weren’t available. So, you can imagine our delight when we found out that wasn’t the case at all. Actually, there are three additional boards of Horrified. There is World of Monsters, Greek Monsters, and our newest addition – American Monsters. We played our first round a few days ago, absolutely crushed, and a fun time was had by all. Check it out:
Like the other expansions of Horrified, the game play in American Monsters remains the same: Complete the tasks to defeat the monsters and bring safety to a peaceful town. The only difference is, of course, the monsters, heroes, villagers, and items. In the American Monsters expansion, the monsters are all cryptids that include Bigfoot, Mothman, the Jersey Devil, Chupacabra, Banshee of the Badlands, and the Ozark Howler. As per the game’s recommendation, we played against the Chupacabra and the Banshee of the Badlands. And, as per random selection, I played as the Cryptozoologist and Johnny played as the Mountain Man and can I please repeat that we totally dominated!
The pairing that the directions suggested was a way to dip your toes in the water in terms of difficulty. Despite the Chupacabra and the Banshee of the Badlands being the easiest way to start, I really think it was the characters we ended up with that helped the most. If you are new to the game, the Cryptozoologist and the Mountain Man worked incredibly well together against these monsters because of their special powers. Johnny’s character could move to any space and mine could move to any space with a monster in it. This gave us the ability to move here, there, and everywhere with ease which was so beneficial for the tasks we needed to do. Had we randomly drawn different heroes, the game probably wouldn’t have gone as smoothly and I highly recommend the monster and hero pairings we did if you are a brand new player. It will definitely help boost your confidence to learn the game in a lower key way and get an easy win under your belt.
Because Johnny and I are not new to Horrified, we plan on going BALLS TO THE WALL when we purchase the Greek Monsters expansion. We know the game like the back of our hands and the training wheels are coming off. We are going to break in the board with the most difficult pairing and see what happens. I can’t wait!
Have you played Horrified before? What is your favorite cryptid? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! This look is the second one that I shot all by myself on my tripod. I had every intention of doing some shooting outside, then I walked outside, froze my buns off, and promptly returned into my apartment cocoon lol. As I scoured chez moi for a Plan B, I decided to make use of Johnny’s guitar corner to show off one of my favorite dresses. This was a bit of a process because the lighting did not want to behave whatsoever so I was making adjustments here there and everywhere. I did end up with a few good shots, though! Check it out:
As you can see, there really wasn’t much to this OOTD but I still think it packs a punch! I fell in love with this dress by BCBG as soon as I saw it during an online shopping stint with TJMaxx. I didn’t think I could possibly love it more until I tried it on! Once I looked in the mirror, this little number skyrocketed to one of my all time favorites because it is so different than anything else I own and the concern I did have went right out the window. As a girl with a bigger chest, I was worried that the black cutout portion of the dress would be “too much” and that’s something that definitely makes me feel uncomfortable. However, the funky 70’s print button down part of the dress balanced it out. Instead of having the key focal point be smack dab on my chest, there was a surprise pattern and it allowed the eyes to dance rather than settle.
In conclusion, this dress is perfect lol. I am genuinely enamored by the button down pattern and would so love to have it in a dress or shirt too. Not to mention how striking of an hourglass silhouette it creates. Can you say va va voom?! This dress makes me feel so confident and when you have something on that makes you feel that good, you really don’t need anything else. So, I popped on a pair of super fun word bubble heels by Lust For Life, a dangly pair of cross earrings, and was ready to model in front of a bunch of instruments that I have no idea how to play!
The Best Dress, indeed! Peep my TikTok (lilred6794) for more from this look and stay tuned for the Blooper Reel too! ❤
Do you have an outfit that makes you feel really confident? What is it like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hello! Johnny and I love playing board games together and one of our favorites is, hands down, Horrified. In this co-op game, your mission is to work as a team and save a village from classic horror movie monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein and his Bride, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Each monster has its own unique way of being defeated with tasks you must complete and all the while, you have to protect yourself, teammates, and villagers on the board. It is so much fun!!
We have gotten great use out of Horrified and Johnny and I always hoped they would make a new board with new monsters. You could imagine our surprise when we found out there was three! In addition to the original, there is a board for American Monsters, Greek Monsters, and World of Monsters. This past weekend, we made a Target Run to see if they had any of these new boards available. They had World of Monsters and we played it as soon as we got home. We had an absolute blast!
The premise of World of Monsters is the exact same as the original Horrified but with brand new heroes, monsters, villagers, items, action cards, and objectives. In World of Monsters, you can go toe to toe with the Sphinx, Yeti, Jiangshi, and Cthulhu. As per the game’s recommendation, we battled the Sphinx and Yeti first to get a feel for the board. Johnny played as the Buccaneer and I chose the Parapsychologist. Both of these heroes worked really well together and we were able to utilize their strengths for optimal results because we reigned victorious. Granted, our Life Counter was getting down to the wire but we still won so who cares lol.
Despite the fact that the way you play the other Horrified games doesn’t change, World of Monsters still felt so fresh and new. It was exciting to see everything the new board had to offer and it looked amazing too! If you are as big of fans of the first game as Johnny and I am, then this is a must buy. We plan on getting the other two boards as well and I have a feeling we are going to be playing a lot. I am SO not mad about this and would love to pencil in a game if we are both up for it after work instead of retiring to the couch. These new boards are what we have been waiting for and, as great as the original is, it’s going to make returning to it after playing something different even better!
Horrified is an easy to learn, fast, total blast of a game and I cannot recommend World of Monsters enough. And I cannot wait to play more!!
What is your favorite board game? Have you played Horrified before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Howdy!! I have been a vegetarian for as long as I can remember and I will forever be checking the labels of food at the store/where the food is prepared in restaurants. I refuse to let my streak be broken and that often means not getting the things that I would like to try. Soup is a shining example of this because a majority of what you’re buying in store is made with some type of meat based broth. Another food that has fairly limited options is ramen. There’s a million noodle packs for carnivores and one or two for vegetarians!
I have tried a handful of quick to go vegetarian ramen and none of them have ever done much for me. However, I have had a lot of luck in finding my favorite kind during my past few grocery trips. This specific kind of ramen isn’t always available so I get a ton when it is for a speedy and cheap meal. If you are forever on the hunt for a good vegetarian ramen, I can’t recommend this kind enough:
A little sweet, a little spicy, and a little over a dollar – this Sweet Chili ramen is the bomb.com ! It is bold, flavorful, and filling and I actually just had a cup prior to writing this lol. What can I say, I decided to switch my breakfast up from my recent avocado toast kick! It might not seem like much, but it really is a beautiful thing when you can find a food that you like that adheres to your dietary restrictions. In cases like this, it’s like finding the holy grail and you are in for a treat if you try it too. It is SO. Freaking. Yummy!!
The Chili Lime ramen has become my foolproof option and it is easily the best out of every kind I have tried before. 12/10!
What are some of your favorite vegetarian options at the grocery store? Do you have a favorite meatless brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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