Tag Archives: gift card

New Chelsea & Theodore Skirt

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New Chelsea & Theodore Skirt

Howdy! Want to know my favorite thing about going shopping around this time of the year? Besides going shopping, of course! It would have to be because the store is bringing out all of the clothing that didn’t sell throughout the year to make room for the new product that will be coming in hot for spring. Maybe the sizes were too big or too small or maybe they were just really ugly! Either way, it brings out all kinds of unique pieces like the fabulous snakeskin patterned skirt seen below:

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I absolutely LOVE a good snakeskin pattern and I literally gasped when I saw this little Chelsea & Theodore number on the rack at TJMaxx. The harsh black mixed with pale grey and taupe? And those darling buttons going down the middle?! Ugh, forget about it! I knew that I would be purchasing this skirt as soon as I laid eyes on it and I only needed to have it on for about fifteen seconds in the fitting room to confirm it.

This skirt gives off such country western vibes, which will make it a really cool piece to modernize. On New Year’s Eve, I wore my new skirt with knee high boots, a tan topper jacket, and a faux fur collar and felt like the belle of the ball. The compliments were pouring in and I was just feeling my goddamn self. The old school saloon aura of the skirt mixed with the classic jacket and edged up with the faux fur and heeled boots made the OOTD a knockout and is a perfect example of giving a modern flare to vintage appearing clothing.

I am looking forward to creating more fabulous OOTDs with my Chelsea & Theodore skirt. But, I am the most excited for pairing it with a fitted black blazer, a white t-shirt, Mary Jane’s, and a cool backpack for the ultimate Elaine vibes a la Seinfeld. GET OUT!

Is there a TV or movie character whose style you admire? How do you rock an animal print? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Caution To The Wind Top

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New Caution To The Wind Top

Howdy! During my TJMaxx gift card shopping extravaganza, I ended up with two new tops, a skirt, and a necklace on top of a buttload of skin care. The little peplum number that you are about to see below by Caution To The Wind is one that I normally wouldn’t try on. However, there was just something I liked about it enough to take with me into the fitting room and I’m glad I did! Check it out:

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Usually, I avoid peplum tops like the plague because they make my boobs look huge from the tiny waist line. I also steer clear of a plunging neckline because someone could drown in that cleavage! But, I liked the forest green and cream color combination in this top so much that I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

The day I went to TJMaxx, I had actually just gone skating so I had my sports bra on, which is what I tried this shirt with. It looked SO freaking cute and sporty with the heather grey bra peeking out and it made my body look slamming. For a ten dollar price tag, I couldn’t say no to purchasing the top as a nice little change up to always wearing hoodies at the skating rink. One might even say that I threw caution to the wind! Ba dum chhhhhh.

Would I buy or try a top like this one again? Mmmm… No, probably not. The only reason it really worked is because of the sports bra plastering my boobs down. Am I excited to wear it skating? Definitely, because the top is adorable and it will be great for just lounging around the house in. The moral of the story? It doesn’t hurt to try something new!

What fit of clothing is the most flattering for you? How about a fit that you try to avoid? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

HUGE TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

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HUGE TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Howdy! Thanks to SO many generous people in my life who know of my undying love for TJMaxx, I was able to go on a post holiday spending spree with my gift cards. I went into the store with a clear vision of what I would like to spend my money on and that was stocking up on all of my skin care needs for the next few months and then some treats for myself with the remainder.

I hate to toot my own horn, but I only ended up spending eight dollars over my gift card amount and I was very pleased with my mental math and the haul below! Check it out:

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The Haul:

As you can see, I am a huge fan of SkinLab products and have been using them pretty exclusively for the past half a year or so. At twenty-five, I feel like it is now time to start looking into skin care that lifts and firms and the SkinLab regimen I purchased does just that. I have been using the lift and firm products for over a month now and I already see a noticeable difference in the tightness of my skin. I’m really happy that I was able to nab more of the goods to keep this beauty routine going and hopefully they will be still be at TJMaxx when I need more!

I also took it upon myself to grab some more heat serum for my hair because, might as well. I have been using the Rusk serum for the past year now and have had no complaints. It leaves my hair silky without getting greasy and it protects my locks from the 450 degree heat of my straightener so it is an obvious must. Plus, it smells awesome!

And, finally, the micellar water and the pore minimisers. The Evoluderm micellar water is easily the best one I’ve ever used and I was so excited that TJMaxx had it again. The bottle I purchased came with a free travel size, too, which made the find even sweeter. I was also thrilled to have purchased the pore minimisers by TBS because I was obsessed with that product when I worked there. It leaves your skin so perfectly matte while shrinking pesky open pores that can cause blemishes. A little of the good stuff goes a long way so I suspect I’ll have these two bottles for a while. 😀

I am beyond appreciative to my loved ones for hooking me up with a post holiday shopping spree and had so much fun sharing the experience with my mom. ❤ Tune in tomorrow for more of my gift card haul!

Do you have a beauty product hoard? What kind of stuff do you stockpile? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Tiny TJMaxx Haul

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Tiny TJMaxx Haul

Helloo!! Whenever I get a gift card to TJMaxx, I always try to stock up on things that I know I’m going to need in the future. So, despite always wanting new shoes, I normally will purchase my skin care essentials like moisturizer, micellar water, and serums. My neighbor who I dogsit for treated me to a leftover TJs gift card of hers to spend while I was watching her pups and I ended up with two new moisturizers that I’m really looking forward to trying. Check it out:

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^^^ First of all, peep the Cosmo and Wanda green and pink a la the Fairly Odd Parents! 😀

While browsing the beauty section, both of these Skin Lab moisturizers spoke to me. And, it was impossible to just choose one, considering they both have a really different formula but they each look equally as beneficial. I also liked how the packaging fully explained what each ingredient in the moisturizer does so that you feel like you’re taking charge of your skin care routine.

When choosing a moisturizer, texture is one of the most important things that I look for in determining if it will work for me or not. With normal skin, anything too heavy is just too much and doesn’t sit well under makeup. While anything too light leaves my skin feeling thirsty for more hydration. Both of these moisturizers have either a whipped or gel texture, which is exactly what I like. The gel one will be perfect during the warm summer days, while the whipped will be great for the spring, as it can still be chilly and windy.

Another added bonus, is that these two moisturizers together cost me about fifteen bucks, which definitely beats buying one for that price at a drugstore. I can’t wait to try both of these Skin Lab products out and all of you will be the first to know if they are worth trying out for yourself! 😀

What is your favorite store to get a gift card at? Do you have a skin care stockpile at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition

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Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition

Heyyy everyone and happy Monday! This past weekend was SO much fun because it was my sister, Kristen’s, 25th birthday! We had such a wonderful time celebrating and I was really happy because I got to spend her entire birthday with her. Kristen is unbearably hard to shop for, so for her birthday I decided to keep it simple and snag her some gift cards so that we could make a day out of using them. Which is exactly what we did!

I got Kristen a gift card to Sephora and to the nail salon that we go to, so we spent the afternoon girling out with pedicures and makeup shopping. Although I didn’t get a pedi because balling on a budget, I got to soak my nasty feet and sit in a massage chair while Kristen got pampered and we had so much fun chit chatting and laughing with all of our favorite nail techies. Kristen got the Hello Kitty pink polish that I recently got on my nails on her toes and it looked so freaking cute! I can’t say that about my feet, but I’m glad that her toesies are on point just in time for flip flop season!

After pedicures, we went to the mall to ultimately spend what felt like forever in Sephora. I have actually never spent that much time in there before and it was surprisingly really fun. We tried on different lipsticks and browsed through the aisles pointing out ridiculous eyeshadow or lip colors and figuring out the best way for her to spend her gift card. Kristen ended up getting a gorgeous new lipstick and an eyebrow pencil as well as a birthday gift from the store (a blush and lip gloss) and some freebies that she got from cashing in the points on her reward card.

Although I tried on some okay-ish lipsticks, I just ended up going with a tube of the Better Than Sex mascara. Kristen got it for me for Christmas this year and since I’ve ran out, no other mascara can compare, so it was a must to get another one! I was really happy because the gift card that I got her covered everything that she wanted and she also got some super nice freebies, so she walked away with an awesome Sephora birthday haul.

Once we were done shopping, I treated Kristen to coffee and then dropped her off at her apartment so that she could get ready for the evening festivities. Our night was a boozy celebration of going to get margaritas with her friends and then hitting the bars afterwards for some more alcohol related fun. AND I also got to ride in my first Uber, so that was really exciting, lol. THE DRIVER WAS SO NICE!! #ubereverywhere

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(The lovely lady in the second photo, Kelsey, will be featured on lifewithlilred soon so keep your eyes peeled!)

The day after Kristen’s birthday was spent nursing a very worthwhile hangover and celebrating at home with the family. I know I had a blast and it felt really good knowing that Kristen did, too, and I like to think that I helped make that possible! Now, I’m just excited for my birthday to roll around in June so that she can return the favor!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Sister’s Birthday Celebration Edition! How did you celebrate your birthday this year? How did you spend your weekend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Amazon Freebie

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Amazon Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! I am finally getting up to date on all of my summer purchases posts and this one pertains to my new favorite sweatshirt that I got on Amazon for FREE! Thanks to completing surveys on IPoll, I received a twenty-five dollar Amazon gift card in April or so. Since then, the card has been burning a hole in my pocket but after watching Animal House with my parents last month, I knew just what to spend it on. Take a look:

Animal House is one of my favorite movies because it’s basically the original Old School – which happens to be another one of my favorites! In Animal House, the “COLLEGE” sweatshirt that Bluto sports while downing a bottle of Jack always cracks me up. The shirt is just so ridiculous and as soon as I saw it while watching the movie last month, I knew that I wanted one of my own.

After the movie was finished, I turned to Amazon and hoped that they would have one for a reasonable price. I was in luck because they had a great selection and all of the sweatshirts seemed to be in my gift card budget and had excellent reviews. I was able to snag my Animal House style sweatshirt for twenty-seven bucks but thanks to my gift card and the points that I accumulated from my Amazon credit card, I got it FO FREE! Now that’s what I call ballin on a budget!

So there you have it, my Animal House Amazon Freebie! What is your favorite crazy college kids movie? What is your favorite quote from Animal House? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. –Sarah