Tag Archives: fun

Summer Fun Q & A

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Summer Fun Q & A

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Can you believe we’re already one week into July?? Summer has really been in full swing lately, especially with scorching temperatures and summer holiday celebrations. So, now it’s time to recap the season so far with a little Q & A that I concocted! Feel free to spread the fun on your page, too! Let’s get to it:

Q & A:

What is the most summer-like activity that you have done so far? I have been on many a hikes in Ohio’s wonderful Metro Parks and I’ve also gone swimming in one of the lovely lakes that they offer. That was a lot of fun, minus the sunburn!

What is the hottest that it has been in your neck of the woods? It was 96 degrees a few days ago in the A-K-Rowdy, but it had a “it feels like” temperature of 109! Gross.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip, but it has to be the green kind!!

What is your favorite beverage to cool off with? I love the Very Berry Hibiscus refreshers from Starbucks but, if we’re talking alcohol, then I love me a Moscow Mule so very, very much.

What is the perfect temperature for a summer day? I friggen HATE the heat, so I would be really happy with a day in the low 70s.

What are you still looking forward to this summer? My family’s North Carolina vacation, even though it isn’t until October. 😦 😦 😦

What would your ideal summer day look like? Sleeping in past seven o’clock, hitting up my favorite outdoor shopping mall called Crocker Park, and enjoying dinner and drinks in the air conditioning!

What is your favorite thing about summer time? My birthday! I turned 24 on June 7th and I always have loved having a summer birthday. There is nothing better than getting drinks on the patio of my favorite bar during an early summer evening to celebrate.

Does the way you eat or drink change during the summer? I would say somewhat. I definitely prefer cold teas over my normal water when it’s hot out. I also think that I enjoy lighter foods like salads and flatbreads more in the summer. Because I don’t like the heat, I’m really just looking for my food and drinks to make me feel refreshed!

What happens when you get too much sun? Pardon my French, but I burn like a motherfucker. I burn, and I burn, and I burn some more. But, now I have a secret weapon up my sleeve: Aloe Vera. That stuff is the best, and I can’t believe that I haven’t used it sooner. It literally got rid of my sunburn after applying it three times a day for TWO DAYS! So amazing!

How would you answer some of the above questions? What are some of your summer time questions for me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Hand Mask Hullabaloo: Lush’s Golden Handshake Edition

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Hand Mask Hullabaloo: Lush’s Golden Handshake Edition

Helloooo and happy Hump Day! In this post, we will be talking about my last birthday goodie from Lush, a hand mask called Golden Handshake. Before my darling friend, Kate, gifted me with this, I had no idea that hand masks even existed – but here we are now! I really enjoyed using this product and, what’s even better, is that I got to pamper my mom with it, too. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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To use the Golden Handshake hand mask, you boiled water and then swirled the product around in it until it melted and changed the H2O consistency into rich, creamy lusciousness. I used a baking pan for my concoction, which was a good move because it was big enough for both mine and my mom’s hands. It was initially a long process to get the mask to melt, so we opted to break it apart, which helped speed it up immensely.

From getting Golden Handshake ready for use to applying it and letting it sit was a totally unique and indulgent pampering experience. First, I loved the way that this product smelled. It had a rich, nutty aroma to it, which is one of my favorite scents for bath products. I also thought that the light dusting of gold glitter was a lovely touch! And, most importantly, Golden Handshake felt so soothing on my hands and left them feeling soft and moisturized. They still feel as smooth as ever even after my shower and multiple hand washes.

Another nice thing about this hand mask is that it’s reusable. My mom and I poured the water through a sieve so that we could catch the chunks of product before it went down the drain. We then put the remainders of the mask in a little container and let it harden in the refrigerator so that we can use it again during our next pampering session. I can’t wait!

What is your favorite way to pamper yourself? Have you ever used a hand mask before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cleveland Zoo Fun

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Cleveland Zoo Fun

Hello! Last week, I got to enjoy some time at the Cleveland Zoo and it was such a blast. This zoo offers at least five major exhibits including the Asian Highlands, Australian Outback, African Savannah, and so much more. There is also a separate building that mimics a tropical rain forest for you to explore. It’s so cool! Here are some of the pictures that I snapped throughout the day for your viewing pleasure:

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It is always so amazing to take a trip to the zoo, especially a big one like the Cleveland Zoo, so that you can see all of your favorite animals up close and personal. I am a lover of all creatures big and small, but when I am at the zoo, I am incredibly partial to the monkeys because they all have such distinct personalities. It was a hoot to see one of the monkeys passed out in a cat nap and the tiny black one licking his fingers after a yummy treat. But, the orangutans will always be my number one favorite.

Orangutans are such fascinating creatures to me, and I could seriously watch them all day. You can genuinely see such human like traits in their eyes like empathy and humor and I would give anything to be able to interact with them. The baby orangutan seen in the last two pictures above definitely stole the show, though. You could tell that he or she was having the time of its life just monkeying around and making us humans laugh. He was doing yoga-like poses, snuggling with his mom and dad, and playing dress up with the burlap sack. It doesn’t get much cuter than that!

What is your favorite animal to see at the zoo? Do you have a zoo that you like to frequent in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy 24th Birthday To Me!!

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Happy 24th Birthday To Me!!

Hello!!! Today is a wonderful day for planet Earth, because it’s my 24th birthday! Although I’m not too keen on getting older, birthdays are still a time for celebration – and I do love celebrating myself. 😀 These past few years have been a royal shit show for yours truly so, even though going into a new year is scary, I am looking forward to things *hopefully* going up from here!

Thanks again to all of my wonderful readers for all of the love and I hope you guys have an amazing day – I’m sure going to try to!

Happy birthday to meeeeee!!!!!!!!

English Factory Tennis Dress

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English Factory Tennis Dress

Hello!! My favorite thing about TJMaxx, other than their amazing prices, is that it gives you access to brands that you’ve never heard of or brands that are a bit out of your budget. Both of these go for the brand English Factory, which I discovered during an online shopping stint on TJ’s website. Upon inspection of English Factory’s own page, I saw that there was really nothing on there that I would be comfortable paying for, because all of their items were upwards of one hundred dollars. But, thirty five dollars for the beautiful, albeit a tad wrinkly dress seen below? I can swing that! Take a look:

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Before we go any further – yes, this dress has been ironed since these pictures have been taken! Lol!

I haven’t had much luck recently when it comes to finding some cute new dresses. And, with summer officially here, I was getting pretty desperate to find a lightweight dress or two to wear for work or play. And then, this English Factory beauty comes along and knocks me off of my feet. As soon as I saw this online, I loved it and I was completely confident that it would look awesome on me. And, obviously I was right. So much so, that out of the seven or eight items that I ordered, this dress is the only thing that I kept.

I love the quirky retro brickabrack detailing on this little number. It looks so sailor girl chic against the crisp, white cotton and I’ve never seen anything that looks like it before. The shape is also extremely flattering on me. The more structured top that turns into a flouncy skirt gives a unique silhouette – very different than every single piece of clothing in my wardrobe. And, the best thing about this dress, is that there is a slip built into the skirt so that your underwears don’t show through. Freaking SCORE.

My new English Factory dress doesn’t need much when it comes to styling an OOTD. A fun pair of platforms and one of my new Foley + Corinna purses are all I need to create a statement look!

How would you style this dress? What are some of your favorite, lesser known brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Gift Ideas For Your Best Friend’s Milestone Birthday

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Gift Ideas For Your Best Friend’s Milestone Birthday

You and your best friend have been close for many years and you have never celebrated a birthday without being by each other’s sides. Reaching those milestones together has been a ton of fun and you can’t wait for her big birthday to approach. You are always giving the best gifts to each other and this year will be no exception. You want to make sure that she has one to remember and that means going bigger and better than ever before. Grab some inspiration from here and light up her eyes with glee as soon as she receives her perfect present:

Beautifully Blooming:

A bunch of bright and beautiful flowers are bound to brighten up anybody’s day, especially when they are turning a year older. Make their day even better by organizing a flower delivery straight to their home or workplace. In the personal message you could include a special clue about what their evening ahead might entail. You can choose from an array of colors, species, and sizes too, so make sure you pick their favorite. From lovely lilies to perfect poppies you are bound to bring a smile to their face.

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 So pretty!

Happy Holidays:

Celebrating a milestone birthday can bring a sense of panic to anybody, so why not whisk them away and allow them to forget about their troubles? Choose their favorite holiday destination and book them a lovely trip away so that they can truly relax and celebrate their birthday. Whether they’d love an Australian adventure down under or a sun soaked beach holiday in Spain, book their tickets and join them for the trip of their lives!

Picture Perfect:

A picture is always going to be one of the most personal gifts that you can give to somebody. You could create your very own collage book filled with memories of your friendship. Allow them to travel back in time and smile to themselves as they flick through the personalized scrapbook that you created just for them.

Excellent Experiences:

Instead of a physical gift, you could take your friend on a day out to celebrate their birthday. There are so many experience days to choose from, no matter what your favorite activity is. You could go for a wine tasting afternoon at a fancy bar or take a trip to the theater and meet the cast at the end of the show. Think carefully about what your friend would really like to do and make it happen for her; you will never forget the huge smile on her face when she realizes what you’re doing together.

Whether your friend believes flowers are fabulous or a holiday would make her happy, be sure to go with her individual preferences. No matter what the milestone is, make sure it is one for her to remember forever. You might find that a combination of these gifts would make the ideal offering, so don’t be afraid to go all out and choose a few. Her birthday is going to be unforgettable, so splurge on something special and share the happiness on her big day.

100+ Beauty Tag Finale

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100+ Beauty Tag Finale

Hello! Today is the grand finale for the 100+ Beauty Tag as I answer the remaining twenty or so questions left! If you choose to complete the questionnaire, do tag me in your post or comment it to me so that I can see all of your answers. 🙂

Which cream or moisturizer is your favorite? The Vitamin E moisturizer by The Body Shop, and I also like their Vitamin C one a lot, too.

How many times do you use a moisturizer? Just once in the morning. I really should start taking my makeup off and using a night cream, though.

Have you ever tried using natural beauty products? Oh yes, that’s the best way to go.

Which natural beauty product is your favorite? Literally anything from The Body Shop.

Which fashion magazine do you read for styling and beauty tips? I’m not a huge magazine reader, because all of the fashion magazines feature clothing that is so unattainable price wise. And I have all of the beauty tips that I need right there, thanks to all of the amazing beauty bloggers on WordPress!

Which three beauty tips would you recommend? 1) Invest in a lipstick that makes you feel awesome. 2) Style your makeup and clothing in a way that makes YOU feel good. And 3) Try to make a statement with every look that you create.

Do you believe in using anti-ageing creams? Sure. I’m not at that point yet, but I would definitely use them later on down the line.

Do you choose your foundation according to your undertone color? I don’t wear foundation – but isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?

Skincare or makeup? Which is more important? SKIN CARE. You need a clean slate to apply your makeup on and that can only be achieved with good skin care.

What makeup tools do you use while applying makeup? Q-tips, lol.

Which makeup tool is always in your handbag? None.

What was the worst color that you dyed your hair? Black. I used to want the jet black, almost blue hair so badly and my hair just never took to it. It always looked dull and dusty after a few weeks and it was so disappointing.

What is your favorite eyeshadow color? Bronze, gold, and green.

A heavy makeup look or a natural one? I like somewhere in between.

Do you use a pencil eyeliner or liquid? A pencil. I do not have the steady hand for a liquid liner!

What is your experience with pigment eyeshadows? Lol, what is a pigment eyeshadow?

What is your favorite contrast color for eye shades? I love when my hazel eyes choose to be green for the day and I use a purple-ish eye pencil or shadow. It really makes my eyes pop!

Suggest a thing that makeup lovers should never miss? A good sale! 😀

All Done!!

How would you answer some of the above questions? Do you have any other beauty questions for me? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

100+ Beauty Tag Part Three

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100+ Beauty Tag Part Three

 

Hello everyone and happy Monday! We are on the final half of the 100+ Beauty Tag that I’ve been working diligently on. I have to tell you, it’s been a hoot and I definitely recommend joining in on the fun by completing it yourself! Here are my answers to questions sixty through ninety:

Define beauty in one sentence? Beauty is feeling confident in your own skin.

Share the funniest makeup memory of yours? Oh jeez… I don’t think that I really have a funny one. But, I used to work as an actor at a haunted house and doing my makeup there was always good fun.

Discounted products or branded? Which do you prefer? Discounted, of course. #ballinonabudget

Do you share your beauty products with anyone? If yes, then whom? HELL NO! My sister used to use my makeup when we were younger and I hated that!!

What’s your favorite nail polish brand? Before I started getting acrylics, I really liked Sally Hanson.

What kind of coverage do you like from a foundation? I don’t wear it, so it doesn’t matter.

A simple nail color or designing? Which do you like? I would love to get designs on my acrylics if it wasn’t so damn expensive. So, simple colors it is, and then I do the rhinestones myself.

What is your favorite high end brand? I like Clinique.

A new makeup purchase or a dinner out. Which do you prefer? Food, food, always food.

What’s your favorite contrast for nail polishes? What does that mean?

Name the person who taught you how to paint your nails: I’m pretty sure it was my grandma.

Do you wear fake eyelashes? No. I have no idea how to apply them, anyways!

Share the worst moment of wearing fake eyelashes? None.

Has anybody praised your eye color while you were wearing contact lenses? I don’t wear colored contacts, but people do praise my natural eye color *hair flip*.

What is your favorite drugstore brand? I like CoverGirl.

Suppose you’re on your way to a party and you realize that you forgot to put on blush. What could be your best possible alternative? Take some of your lipstick and rub it in to your cheeks.

Describe your perfect mascara in one sentence: My perfect mascara is jet black and gives longer than life lashes.

Have you ever put mascara in your eyes on accident? YES. It always gets on my contacts and I have to put in a new pair of my one a days. So annoying.

Do you like a lipstick only or do you use it with a lip gloss? Lipstick only. I’ve never been a big lip gloss girl.

A simple lip gloss or a glittered one? If I did wear lip gloss, a glitter one might be fun!

What is your favorite hair product? Heat protecting spray is a necessity for me, because I flat iron my hair almost every day.

Do you like using different nail polishes at once? I usually do all black except for an accent nail on my pointer finger.

Do you ever consider taking makeup classes? Not really. But, I always am up for trying new things!

Which brand’s lipstick stays on the best while eating? I kid you not, I just ate a full on Mexican dinner the other day and my NYX matte lippie didn’t even budge.

How many times do you use a face wash? I use both a cleansing bar and a face wash during my shower in the morning. I don’t wash my face at night, but I really should.

Which makeup remover do you prefer? Micellar water is okay and cheap.

Name three differences that you feel in yourself with or without makeup? I feel more confident and beautiful in makeup. But, I feel more comfortable without it.

Do you use makeup base for the eyes, as well? Nope.

Do you like to gift makeup kits to your female friends? Not really, I prefer gifting bath and body care because you really can’t go wrong with that.

Name a beauty product that you always want to steal from your mom’s kit? I love my mom’s nude lipsticks and I want to snag her Pixi Glow Tonic so bad!!

How would you answer some of the above questions? How is your Monday going? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

100+ Beauty Tag Part Two

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100+ Beauty Tag Part Two

Hello!! Yesterday I answered thirty of the questions from the 100+ Beauty Tag that I found and now I am going to answer thirty more! Here we go:

 

How often do you use contact lenses? Daily. Unless I know that I will be at home all day, then I might wear my glasses.

Which color of contact lenses is your favorite? I’ve never tried any of the colored contacts before, but I would love to give lavender a shot.

Have you ever tried Eastern makeup styles? What does that mean? Lol.

Which country’s makeup is your favorite? I don’t know! I’ve never really thought of it.

Has someone ever made fun of your makeup? Yes. 😦 I experimented with some cool green eyeshadow in fifth grade and evil classmates poked fun of me for that. Assholes.

At what age did you begin to wear makeup? Honestly, I don’t think I regularly wore makeup until I was a sophomore in high school. So fifteen, maybe? But when I was younger, I wore makeup for dance recitals and figure skating competitions, of course.

What was the first beauty product you tried? Technically, it was Lip Smackers. But, my first “real” makeup product was probably a CoverGirl mascara.

Name the celebrity that you hate for their makeup? None! Girls and guys should be able to express themselves however they want without being hated for it.

Have you ever put makeup on someone else? No way. I do not have the steady hand or creativity for that.

Which beauty product do you recommend in the summer? SUNSCREEN!!!!

Which beauty product will you never recommend for summers? Heavy moisturizers or lotions are gross in the summer time.

Which brand has the most attractive packaging? I love the Soap & Glory packaging.

Suppose that there is only one beauty product left in the world. What do you wish it would be? Red lipstick! Preferably matte, please.

How many eye mascara coats do you put on? I put on a healthy five or six.

Black eye mascara or a glittered one? They have glitter kinds?!?!

How much money do you spend on beauty products per month? It depends on what I need. Some months it might be nothing, other months it might be forty or so if I am restocking products.

Only lipstick or with a lip liner. What do you prefer? I used to wear lip liner, but it doesn’t do much for me so I just wear lipstick now.

What’s your favorite bath and body brand? The Body Shop.

Do you like to try different skin products or keep with certain items? Yes and no. I do have my favorite skin care products, but I don’t mind experimenting with them if a good deal or something new comes up.

Name your favorite shop for makeup products? Target!

Have you ever tried a mixed foundation of two different brands? No. I don’t wear foundation – but mixing two of them sounds tricky!

What’s the color of your favorite eye pencil? Black for my under eyes and emerald green for my eyelids.

Kajal or eye mascara? What do you prefer? What is kajal??

If given a chance, what type of cosmetic surgery would you go through? Honest answer? I would love to have another breast reduction.

Have you ever tried a makeup to change your face to resemble your favorite celebrity? Lol, no!

Have you ever followed any Hollywood celebrity makeup and hair styling? No. I just kind of make it up as I go along.

Which hair dye color is your favorite? Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red from their London Luxe collection.

Which brand’s hair dye do you use? See the above answer. 😉

Hair gloss or highlights. What would you prefer if asked? Neither. I prefer all over color.

Do you have a beauty budget or do you buy whatever you like? As a whole, I don’t really go overboard when buying beauty products, so I don’t have a budget.

How would you answer some of the above questions?? Who else is going to try this tag? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

100+ Beauty Tag Part One

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100+ Beauty Tag Part One

Helloooo everyone and happy weekend! I found this super fun ONE HUNDRED PLUS QUESTIONNAIRE that I just had to complete. Mainly because I have no ideas for posts at the moment and also because I really enjoy doing these. Even Lil Red runs out of blog topics sometimes, so I decided to break this tag up into parts and give you my answers on all things beauty! Check it out:

 

What is your most favorite makeup brand? Hmm… I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite, but I will say NYX just because they carry my favorite lipstick. Other than that, I’m not too picky when it comes to brands.

What is your favorite cosmetic? Lipstick, of course. And I’ve grown increasingly fond of the highlighter by Becca that I’m using. And, does hair dye count??

Which brand’s eyeliner do you love the most? I love CoverGirl’s Liquid Blast eyeliner in Black Fire. It’s a pencil, but it has the perfect amount of moisture to it to give you the easiest application ever.

Name the brand that ever caused you a skin allergy: Aquaphor made my skin break out in a really weird bumpy rash when I was using it after getting a tattoo. Needless to say, I stopped using that immediately and switched to Lubriderm.

Which three cosmetics are always in your handbag? None, usually. But if I’m wearing a lippie, then I’ll keep that with me.

A concealer or a foundation? What do you apply first? Neither, because I don’t use them.

An eyeliner or mascara? What is your favorite? BOTH. Lol, I know that’s not an answer, but my makeup look isn’t really complete without either.

Which blush color is your favorite? Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy blush in Fresh Pink.

Name a cosmetic product that you avoid using in summers? None. But I do try and opt for a lighter moisturizer if I have one available.

Name a cosmetic brand that you avoid during winters? None.

Which face wash is your favorite? Destiny Boutique’s charcoal face wash. I love it and use it every day.

Which color of lipstick do you prefer during summers? RED.

Which color of lipstick do you prefer during autumn? RED.

Name the makeup brand that you always want to buy but your pocket does not allow? I wouldn’t say that I have one. If I like something that I know that I will get good use out of, then I will buy it. But, trust and believe that I’ll try to find a drugstore dupe first!

Name your favorite beauty soap? I’ll use whatever bar soap for my body, that doesn’t matter too much to me. But, I love Destiny Boutique’s charcoal bar for my face.

Name your favorite shampoo? I actually don’t wash my hair. I only get my hair wet once a month when I’m redyeing it and I will use a conditioner to wash it out, but that’s it. I gotta keep my red fresh, honey!

A hair straightener or a curler? Straightener! But I do like to try curling my hair every once in a blue moon.

How much time do you often require for a party makeup? Probably the same as my normal makeup, so like thirty-five or forty minutes.

Good clothes or a stylish makeup? What is more difficult to choose? Makeup. I’ve got fashion on lock, but I do need a little help with makeup!

Do you like multi-functional cosmetic products? Not really.

Name the product that without which you can’t leave the house? None.

How many lipsticks do you have right now? I’d say eight to ten but I only actively use three or so.

What is your favorite color of lipstick? RED!!!

Do you remove your makeup before bed? This is so bad, but no. I sleep in my makeup!

Name the body lotion you use: Right now I am using Cocoa Butter from The Body Shop.

Which moisturizer is your favorite? The Body Shop’s Vitamin E moisturizer.

Do you still like using a baby lotion? Lol, no?

Name your three favorite beauty stylists? I don’t have one. But I do love the looks of Kat Von D and Jeffree Star.

Which celebrity do you follow for hair styling? I love Julianne Hough’s shorter hair.

Name your favorite beauty salon: The Shear Shop. The woman who does my hair has been my stylist for well over a decade. I love her!

How would you answer some of the above questions? What kind of post should I do next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah