Tag Archives: freebie

May20

Lil Red’s Book Club: Hide By Lisa Gardner Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Hide By Lisa Gardner Edition

Hi! I love visiting the local libraries in my area because you never know what kind of events are taking place or good stuff that they’re giving away. At the library in North Hill that I go to with one of my clients, there are always a few boxes of books that are free for the taking and we always enjoy looking through those. The last time that we were there, I had a massive haul of thriller, horror, and suspense books including Hide by Lisa Gardner.

I just finished this suspense filled whodoneit a few days ago and I LOVED it. Normally, I am very good at figuring out the outcome of a book or movie well before the grand reveal but, for once, this one kept me guessing the entire time. I hate to brag, but this honestly never happens.

Hide revolves around Tanya or Annabelle or whatever her name is because, sometimes, she doesn’t even know. Her life has been on the run nonstop since her youth and, just as she thought that things were finally settling down, an underground chamber containing the mummified remains of six little girls was found on the grounds of an abandoned mental hospital.

The story is told from the perspectives of Bobby Dodge, a new detective and Annabelle and it switches back and forth every few chapters. Both the detective and Annabelle are trying to solve the mystery of who committed such an atrocious crime and fast. Because, somehow, Annabelle is the missing key and she very well could be next.

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Although this book was just about four hundred and fifty pages, it felt like a quick read and I definitely recommend it for fans of crime related psychological thrillers. My only qualm is that a cheap bottle of window cleaner from the Dollar Tree managed to open in my car and spill all over my book, which made it look pretty gross! Thankfully, I was still able to read it despite the water logged pages and now I am really interested in reading more of Lisa Gardner’s work!

What is your favorite genre to read? What are you reading right now (Other than my blog, of course!)? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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May19

Lil Red’s Presidential Medal Of Freedom: Too Faced Melted Matte In Queen B Edition

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Lil Red’s Presidential Medal Of Freedom: Too Faced Melted Matte In Queen B Edition

Helloooo! Have any of you ever had a beauty product that you were pretty excited about but just never bothered using? Lol, because that’s what definitely happened with the Sephora freebie I got of Too Faced’s Melted Matte lip paint. I got the shade in Queen B FO FREE with a twenty-five dollar online purchase and I thought that the deep mauve shade was pretty but it also is a color that I wouldn’t normally wear so it just sat unused in my makeup box until May 15th, 2019.

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On that fateful day, I was wearing a turquoise spaghetti strap top, denim shorts, black mini platforms, and a jean jacket. I thought that the above shade would look so good with the various blue hues that I had in my OOTD so I put some on, threw the tube of lippie in my bag, and headed out the door.

I was right, of course, because the lipstick looked divine. And, like anyone, I was expecting to have to reapply after working, eating lunch, and kissing my boyfriend. But… I didn’t? I was blown away! This lip paint literally didn’t budge. So, I continued on with my day which included eating Indian food and more kissing my boyfriend. AND IT STILL STAYED ON! It looked like I had just applied it and, at that point, I had had the color on for at least ten hours.

HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!
HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!
WHY HAS IT TAKEN ME ALMOST A YEAR TO USE THIS LIPPIE?!
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK ON I HAVE NO IDEA!

But, seriously though. How is that even possible? This is why I have to award the Too Faced Melted Matte lip paint with the Lil Red Presidential Medal Of Freedom. For withstanding Indian food, PDA, and a day on the job without so much as budging. I thank you for your commendable service and cannot recommend this product enough! 😀

What is your favorite product by Too Faced? Do you have any products that have been sitting unused in your stash? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

Lil Sephora Haul

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Lil Sephora Haul

Helloooo everyone! Within the past year or so, I have become absolutely addicted with shopping Sephora. Can you believe that there was a point in my life when I didn’t understand why people were so obsessed with it?! I used to think that it was so overpriced but, if you know how to shop their deals online, then you literally make out like a bandit with tons of free goodies and promotions.

Whenever I need a reup on my beloved Better Than Sex mascara, I always turn to Sephora’s website so that I can get some free swag with the things that I needed to purchase anyways. In my most recent haul, I grabbed two more BTS mascaras, my favorite highlighter in Sephora’s Golden Hour collection in Dusk, and three freebies. Take a look:

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The Haul:

  • 2 Better Than Sex mascaras by Too Faced
  • Golden Hour collection highlighter in Dusk by Sephora
  • Laura Mercier lipstick in Classic Red – FREE!
  • Daisy by Marc Jacobs perfume sample – FREE!
  • Jack Black Pure Clean Daily Facial Cleanser sample – FREE!

Although I do love shopping Sephora online, it is sometimes disappointing to receive your package and see that the samples that you ordered were replaced with different ones. I originally chose a face mask and serum sample as my two freebies and got the perfume and cleanser, instead, most likely because the two I wanted were out of stock. It’s fine, but I’m not really a perfume girl and I can never tell if I like a cleanser by just one sample use. This has actually happened the past several times I ordered with Sephora and, believe me, I’m not mad about it. It’s just more annoying than anything.

Another unfortunate instance with this order was that the box for one of my mascaras was completely un-intact, which is a little disconcerting with makeup. I’m not worried about it, but it’s just not a good look to open your box and see one of the rather expensive mascara tubes just hanging out in there instead of in its package. Normally, Sephora’s packaging is on point and this was easily the worst overall order I’ve had since shopping with them.

Despite the hiccups with my freebie samples and the poor packaging, I am excited to try the Classic Red lipstick shade by Laura Mercier, which I got for free with a twenty-five dollar purchase. Be on the lookout for a swatch post for that soon. And, here’s to a better unboxing experience next time!

What is your favorite store to purchase makeup from? Which store offers the best freebies or rewards programs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr29

April 2019 Finishes

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April 2019 Finishes

Hi! Another fun filled month has passed by on lifewithlilred with a lot of exciting stuff that has happened – namely my big move into my apartment. I thank all of you for being so supportive and offering me advice and encouragement, it has been so appreciated! I really have the best readers in the world. And, with the end of another month comes our usual empties post, so it’s time to go over the measly amount of beauty products that I finished up in April. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Travel size lotions: MAYBE
  • The Body Shop Nutriganics eye cream: YES

Why/Why Not?

Mini Lotions: In my bath and body care hoard, I have an obscene amount of lotions that have been gifted to me or were freebies including the two above by CeraVe and Eufora. Both of these lotions absorbed quickly without being greasy and, because the CeraVe one was for babies, it was especially gentle which was nice after shaving. I wouldn’t go out of my way to by either of them again but I would use them if given the option.

TBS Eye Cream: We all know that I love me my Nutriganics eye cream and, sadly, it has been discontinued by The Body Shop. I am so upset about this because I’ve been using this cream for what feels like the past decade and the one that I bought from TJMaxx by Lanoline just isn’t cutting it. The Nutriganics eye cream was seriously the best. It was so gentle on the sensitive skin around the eyes but it was effective and sat well under makeup. I wish I could buy a ton in bulk so that I can continue my skin care journey with it, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen. Le sigh. 😦

April was a very underwhelming month for finishes and saying goodbye to an old beauty product companion is never easy. So, here’s to hoping for some fun products to discuss in May that won’t be discontinued in the near future! 😉

Which eye cream do you recommend? What is one of your favorite products that has been discontinued? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr14

Library Freebie Haul

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Library Freebie Haul

Helloooo! While apartment shopping, I have made a really strong effort to shop mainly at discount or thrift stores. Ballin on a budget is important to me and I am so happy to have saved so much money by shopping smart for my new place. Of course, I never say no to freebies, either, and was able to pick out a ton of books from the free to take section at one of the local libraries. Check it out:

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Reading is one of my favorite hobbies and, until I can figure out which entertainment streaming service I’ll be going with, I will be doing a lot of it at my apartment. So, a haul of new books to read was just what I needed! For the most part, all of the books I chose are thrillers and I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into all of them. And, how can you say no to a book by Betty White FO FREE? The answer is: you don’t!

At a book store, all of these would surely total out to around one hundred bucks and I was able to take them home for nothing. This was a great haul and I am so happy to have some new books to stock my shelves with at chez moi. 🙂

Do you frequent any of your local libraries? How do you save money while shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb8

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Swatch In Red Heels

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Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Swatch In Red Heels

Hiii everyone and welcome to the second swatch from my Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire collection samples. We are going to be looking at a gorgeous shade of red appropriately titled Red Heels. And, let me tell you, the glossy shine is so reminiscent of a brand spanking new pair of patent leather red stilettos and I am LIVING for it! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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After falling head over heels for the other sample color in Pink Tie yesterday, I was so excited to give this luscious red a try. And, it definitely did not disappoint. These colors are my first stint at taking a closer look at gloss lippies and, once I got it in my head that it’s going to be a different look than my preferred matte, I was definitely more willing to like something new.

Lil Red is all about rich, saturated colors. And, I think that’s why I always go for matte lipsticks. I like that the color completely covers your lips while a gloss kind of just lays over top of it. I love these Guerlain colors and I think that a gloss would be a nice change of pace when I’m on the go at work, because it’s not so super done up. And, I can totally see myself applying it in my car mirror at a red light. Red lip gloss worn in a little red car? Ugh, forget about it! But, at the end of the day, it will always be all about the matte. Nevertheless, here’s to trying a new product!

Which Guerlain shade do you like better, Pink Tie or Red Heels? What lip products do you prefer to wear at work? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb7

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Swatch In Pink Tie

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Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Swatch In Pink Tie

Howdy! In my most recent Sephora haul, I chose a fragrance and some little pods of lipstick as my free samples. I love when they have lippie samples as an option, because they are so much fun to try out and swatch for the ol’ blog. Today, we will be looking at one of the two colors that came in my sample pack from Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire collection in Pink Tie. And (Shockingly!) I think I like it! Take a look and let’s discuss:

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Okay, we all know that I am so not a pink lipstick girl. But, for some reason, I really really like this Guerlain lippie. It reminds me so much of my watermelon pink Clinique Chubby Stick if the color were more prominent and I’m looking forward to experimenting with it. Unfortunately, this color just doesn’t scream winter weather to me, so trying it out will probably involve me putting it on and immediately taking it off. But, I can totally picture Pink Tie being perfect with a darling dress in the spring and some daring short shorts in the summer. This shade is fun, poppy, and it’s not red – that’s for sure.

And, another thing that it’s not: MATTE. We also all know that I’m so not a glossy lipstick girl. But, for some reason, I really really like the shiny punch of pink. The other shade that came in my sample pod is a gorgeous red called Red Heels and I think that that glossy pop is going to be killer for an upcoming Valentine’s Day post. Keep your eyes peeled!

It’s no secret that Sephora’s free samples are the best. It’s always fun to try something new – and it’s always better when you end up liking the new thing that you tried! 😀

Are you a glossy or matte girl? What is the perfect shade of lippie for Valentine’s Day? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah