Hihihi everyone! It’s been a while since I have gotten a freebie coupon from Bath & Body Works, but it happened last week. I assumed that they had finally caught on to me never buying anything and just cashing in the coupons, but it looks like I am back in the good graces of B&BW. Since I haven’t been in in a minute to nab my freebie, I haven’t noticed that they repackaged their signature scents and I am so not a fan. Take a look:
Picture 1: New School
Picture 2: Old School
In my opinion, pretty packaging is a must when it comes to bath and body care goodies. Good packing should tell you everything that you need to know about a product before you even smell it. The new packaging tells the buyers nothing. If you didn’t look at the minuscule print at the bottom, you would have no way of knowing that I picked out the Pretty As A Peach lotion.
Not only did they do away with their signature scent packaging, but they also eliminated the coloring of all of the lotions, as well. I guess that’s a good thing, because they’re getting rid of any excess or unneeded ingredients – but it definitely makes for a pretty blah looking product. #notimpressed
The final surprise when I got my freebie was that B&BW increased the price of the mini products from five dolla to five dolla and fifty cents. Is that a huge increase? Not necessarily. But is a mini lotion or shower gel really worth five fifty? Definitely not. But, I got my mini lotion FO FREE so who am I to complain?! 😉
Am I super bent out of shape over this new rebranding? No, I honestly don’t care. But am I petty enough to nitpick the not so nice looking aspects of it. Hell yeah. Unappealing repackaging and a price increase is never a good look, B&BW!
How do you feel about the new Bath & Body Works packaging? Are you a fan of the new school or old school marketing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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.
😉 😉 😉
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! 😀
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.
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
Hi everyone and happy weekend! The month of February seemed to whizz by and I’m thankful for it because I love the spring time so I am SO ready for March. I didn’t use up too many products this month but I did get to use a lotion from one of my favorite Bath & Body Works scents so take a look at my empties and then let’s discuss:
Would I Use Again?
Bath & Body Works French Lavender & Honey lotion: YES!!!
The Body Shop Fiji Green Tea exfoliater: YES
The Body Shop Vitamin E moisturizer: YES
Why/Why Not?
B&BW Lotion: French Lavender & Honey has skyrocketed to one of my favorite Bath & Body Works scents. My best friend got me this for my birthday last year, I think, and I just now got around to using it. It’s weird, because normally I don’t like lavender – I despise it, actually. But this scent is the farthest thing from lavender that I can think of! It has all of these delicious floral hints to it but the honey scent softens it into something that’s so light and pretty and I just love it. I really want to get the eau de toilette of it soon because the bottle is so pretty and, of course, it smells delicious! I finished this product after six uses.
TBS Exfoliater: The Fiji Green Tea scent from The Body Shop is admittedly not my favorite but I do love using their exfoliaters when I’m shaving. This scrub got passed down to me by my mom as it came in the gift set that she got because she loves the perfume. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get this exact scent again but I wouldn’t say no to it either. The Body Shop’s exfoliaters give me such an exact and close shave, so the scent doesn’t matter too much to me! I finished this travel sized product in three uses.
TBS Moisturizer: You guys already know how much I love The Body Shop’s Vitamin E moisturizer. This cream is so light and soft yet lush and hydrating and it always leaves my skin feeling perfect. It absorbs quickly, smells great, and sits well under makeup. What more could you want in a moisturizer? This product took me about a month and a half to finish.
Although I didn’t finish up too many bath and body and skin care goodies this month, I still got to use some of my favorite products to treat myself with so I would still say that the month of February was very successful! I am currently using some Philosophy products that I got gifted with so I’m excited to tell you all about them in March!
So there you have it, my February 2017 Finishes! What products did you use up this month? What are some of your favorite scents from TBS or B&BW? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Bath & Body Works is back on track with their freebies after taking December off and I couldn’t be happier. This month, I switched things up and went with shower gel instead of lotion since I already have like ten travel sized lotions that accumulated over the months. I went with shower gel because when I make my way to Europe hopefully within the year, it will be nice to have travel approved body washes that I didn’t have to pay a dime for. Hey, every little bit helps!
The shower gels will also be a nice addition to add on to gifts to friends and family when their birthdays come around. Adding in a few mini lotions with their shower gel counterparts brings an extra ten or more dollar value to the prezzie without having to break out the plastic or cold hard cash. That’s such a win in my book! Seriously, nothing is better than having a stock pile of beauty items to turn to when you feel like a gift is kind of blah because of either lack of funds or inspiration. What girl doesn’t love a few extra bath and body care goodies to add to her collection?!
Today, I got two travel sized shower gels in Beautiful Day and Pretty As A Peach. Both of these scents are equally delicious but that’s not what I want to talk about in this post. Instead, I want to discuss the possibility of doing a giveaway on lifewithlilred soon – the very first one, as a matter of fact! February is all about my Think Spring guest bloggers series but come March, a giveaway with a little bouquet of four or five travel sized lotions or gels could be lots of fun! Like I said, what girl doesn’t love a few extra bath and body care goodies to add to her collection?!
So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works February Freebies! How does everyone feel about a giveaway? Which scents do you think I should include? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Experiencing some snow during February is common. The weather is still rather frosty, leaving us vulnerable for a snowstorm. But a lot of people aren’t prepared for when it hits. Here’s how to prepare for a snowstorm, so you don’t end up having a snow-mare!
Get a Good Shovel to Remove the Snow: When a snowstorm hits, it can cause your garden to be full of the thick snow. And as you might know, if it’s not removed quickly, it could end up ruining your plants. Get a good shovel which you can keep in your shed. That way, when the snow arrives, you can quickly get it out and start removing the white snow from your garden before it turns into ice. A shovel or snowblower will come in handy to remove snow from your paths and driveway, too. And make sure you get one which has been designed to deal with snow so that it doesn’t end up frozen while you are trying to remove the snow from problem areas.
Find a Good Company to Deal With the Path: As much as you can attempt to move the snow yourself, it can sometimes be easier to call a professional to do it for you. A company can quickly remove the snow from your sidewalk and drive, and they can also clear your road so that you can drive safely to work. It can be a godsend if your roads are quite hilly. Before the snow arrives, make sure you write down the name and number of a company similar to General Services Corporation who will come out to your home after a snowstorm. That way, you can ring them quickly if the bad weather does arrive soon.
Ensure You Have a Scraper and Defroster For Your Car: One of the worst things about snow is that it can make transportation a nightmare. For one thing, it’s more dangerous to hit the roads when there is snow around, as you might struggle to steer properly and might slide out of your lane. And not only this, but it can take forever in the morning to clear it. Hence the late mornings and apologies to your boss. To ensure that you get a clear windshield sooner rather than later when snow hits, you need to have the tools ready to deal with the window. You should get an ice scraper which will allow you to scrape any snow and ice away. And a defroster is also fantastic to get rid of any ice sitting on your car. In fact, it can make it much easier to scrape it once you have used the handy stuff on your vehicle.
And make sure you prepare yourself for a snow storm. You need a good waterproof coat which will keep you warm and dry in the event of snow. Get gloves for your hands when scraping the car, and a warm scarf to protect your skin from the harsh weather!
Hiii everyone and TGIF! I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m in the home stretch of finally finishing a beauty product, I get really antsy! I love to try new products so the anticipation of what I will be using next seriously kills me. In the month of February I finished three beauty products – a cleanser, moisturizer, and a shower gel. Frankly, I’m happy to be rid of all of them so let’s say “BYE Felicia” to my February empties as I send them to their new home in the recycling bin:
All of these products lasted me for a good long while which I was quite impressed with. Here’s how all of them fared:
I linked all of my reviews for each product listed above and now it’s time for the real question… Would I use any of these again? Here’s my verdict:
Neutrogena: Yes
I Love…: Maybe
Simple: No
So what products am I using now? I began using a moisturizer from Trader Joe’s that I got as a Christmas gift today and was pleased with my first use. For my shower gel, I’m using SoftSoap’s Sweet Honeysuckle and Orange Peel which smells delicious. And for my face wash, I started a new makeup removing cream cleanser from Garnier today, as well. I wasn’t very impressed with it this morning, so we’ll see how I feel after a few uses. I’ll be reviewing these products soon so be on the lookout! 🙂
So there you have it, my February Finishes! What beauty products did you use up this month? Have you started any new products recently? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi everyone and TGIF! This week I stopped in to Bath & Body Works to snag my February Freebie and ended up with a super sweet travel size lotion. As many of you know, I live for my monthly freebie from B&BW and as I counted and calculated all of my loot from my past few visits, I learned that I collected over sixty dollars worth of free product! Not bad! This month, I went with their Pink Chiffon fragrance. Take a look at the pretty in pink packaging and then let’s discuss:
I had a difficult time picking what fragrance I wanted when I went to Bath & Body Works this week. When you cash in your freebie coupon, you’re limited to the scents in B&BW’s signature collection and at this point, I’ve sampled almost all of those fragrances. I wanted something that I haven’t had before, so I decided to finally give the Pink Chiffon lotion a try.
The Pink Chiffon fragrance is very sweet – it seriously smells like spun sugar. I’m not a really big fan of “girly” smelling fragrances, to be honest. I much prefer something fruity, which I think has a little more kick. But the great thing about the Pink Chiffon scent, is that it still smells nice to me despite my preferences. It’s one of those scents that I think everyone would like because it’s so soft and light.
My thought process behind choosing the Pink Chiffon lotion was that it would make a good add on to a birthday or holiday gift because it’s such a universal scent. Thanks to my B&BW freebie hoard, I’ve dodged many an awkward bullet when someone has got me a gift and I didn’t get them anything. My Pink Chiffon lotion will be a great addition to my stock pile and will save me some money when I’m putting together a gift basket or care package. Sweet!
If you’d like to score some free swag from Bath & Body Works, make sure you enter in your email address or phone number next time you go shopping there. This will get you signed up to receive their coupons. You can also do some shopping online at their website! Whenever you shop with B&BW, make sure you enter your information in again at the cash register so you can continue receiving emails and snail mail with their coupons and promotions!
So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works February Freebie! I can’t wait to pick out another fragrance again next month! Are there any good freebie sites that you use? Which store do you think has the best coupons and promotions? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Whatsup guys? So we’ve come to the end of the month of February, and some good things happened and some not so good things happened. Regardless of the good, this month can kiss my butt, so let me be the first to say: BYE FELICIA!!
^ Lol, I love that picture!
Anyways, spring is on the horizon, and spring brings new life, new adventures, and a fabulous new wardrobe. 😉 Point being, I’m ready for a change. I’m ready for a change in people who I associate myself with and most importantly I’m ready for a change in myself. The Lil Red Lifestyle is all about confidence, and lately I haven’t been feeling so hot, and this needs to change ASAP. To do this, I plan on giving myself a mental makeover starting with removing these shitty self harm thoughts once and for all. February was a month of stressers and slip ups but I have a brand new beautiful month to better myself with so let’s get it! Another thing I want to work on changing is the way I view myself. I’m sick of feeling like I’m not good enough for anything or anyone and the only person who can change that is myself. Here’s the thing, I know that I’m a pretty girl and I know that I’m extremely intelligent but I don’t completely believe it. The before mentioned knowledge feels like I’m thinking about a totally different person, because in my head all I see are flaws. It’s so flattering to have people tell me that they think I’m pretty and whatever but it’s sometimes hard to hear it since I don’t believe it myself. (Oh what a tangled web we weave.) So the game plan is to give my negative mind a clean sweep and start over fresh and new. Maybe then I can get to know the Sarah that everyone else sees. I just want to be happy, and once I have a positive mindset, I know my pursuit of happiness will be a hell of a lot easier.
^^ I had to!
I can’t low ball the things that are great right now though – like how I’m absolutely killing the college game at Tri-C! That’s something that I’m extremely proud of! Speaking of which…I got an A on my first math quiz in two and a half years so I was freaking ecstatic about that!!!! I hope you guys don’t think that I’m a completely miserable sad sack, because I’m not. I have a lot of good days, it’s just that the bad days are overwhelmingly bad…and that’s not okay. I had some minor setbacks in February, but I’m ready to get back on the horse, and fuckin kill the game as per usual! I have one more week of class left until my spring break, so I’ll have some much needed Lil Red time so I can pamper myself and sleep in!!! So let’s do it. Operation Positive Mindset and Operation Kill The College Game are a go! My positivity percentage has been at a solid fifty percent these past few months so I plan on raising the bar until I get to a one hundred twenty-five percent, at the very least! 😉 #operation125%
I hope that the month of March treats all of you with beautiful weather and extreme happiness. I also hope that all of you (including myself) are treating yourselves with love and respect. Bon voyage and good riddance to February! Bring on spring! What are you most looking forward to in the month of March? What’s your favorite thing about spring? I’d love to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much Love. -Sarah
^ #TRUEEEE
PS: My featured image photo flaunts my Beetlejuice jacket that I mentioned in my last post Spring Shopping Extravaganza! I love it so much it hurts! Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! ❤
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