Tag Archives: great success

Spinal Tap Shout Out!!

Standard
Spinal Tap Shout Out!!

Howdy! Spinal Tap is one of Johnny’s all time favorite movies and we had a fabulous Middle Class Fancy date night to see the sequel the day it came out. To commemorate the special occasion, Johnny and I wore matching muscle tank tops that was worn by Nigel Tufnel in the first movie. You can peep the OOTD here! A day or so later, I posted a video of my Tap Into Fashion fit on TikTok and didn’t think much of it until I got the most glorious notification this past Friday. Check it out:

When I first got this notification, I assumed it was a fan page. Then, I looked at the profile and was giddy to find out it was the actual Spinal Tap movie page. A page featuring my TikTok set to the tune of Big Bottoms lol. You could have knocked me over with a feather because I genuinely couldn’t believe it. I saw this notification prior to heading back home and the five minute drive felt like an eternity. All I wanted to do was snap my fingers and teleport to Johnny so I could tell him immediately!

As soon as I was home, I came bursting through the door without so much of a hello – just a guess what?! Like me, Johnny was in a state of disbelief before we reveled in this GREAT SUCCESS because honestly wtf? I never expected anything like this because my TikTok is far from popping off and it was confirmation that I am doing at least something right! As a content creator for over a decade, I have had my fair share of wonderful collaborations and so much fun. However, Johnny claims that this was the coolest thing I have ever done and I couldn’t agree more. ❤

This may seem like a small victory but it was a huge deal for Johnny and I as we are such avid fans of Spinal Tap. It made me feel so proud that Johnny started texting all of his former bandmates about it as soon as we recovered from the shock!!

What is the coolest social media interaction you have ever had? What has made you proud recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

5 Below Haul

Standard
5 Below Haul

Hello! My clients absolutely love shopping at 5 Below and I do too! I am always excited to check out what’s new on the cheap whenever we go and had a fabulous haul this past week. We ended up at good ol’ 5 B after a trip to Spirit Halloween was a total dud. Seriously, everything there was SO expensive and we were hard pressed to find anything cool that was below twenty bucks. So, 5 Below it was and we couldn’t have gone at a better time. They were just putting their Halloween collection out and I kid you not, they had so many of the exact same things that we just saw at Spirit Halloween. Everything at Spirit Halloween feels like a rip off when you know where to shop! I couldn’t resist going a little crazy and ended up with a big haul with treats for my nieces, myself, and Johnny too. Check it out:

This haul costed fifty dollars for ten items and you can’t beat that!

Johnny and I have never decorated for holidays because it is Halloween year round in our apartment and that’s just the way we like it. Whenever our happy time comes around, we are always happy to splurge a little on all of the Halloween goodies our favorite stores have to offer. And, in the case of this 5 Below haul, I actually needed to use a cart for the very first time because there were so many items I couldn’t say no to as soon as I walked in the door! 😀

The first thing that caught my eye was His and Hers skeleton plushies that are just so damn cute I can’t stand it. They reminded me of big versions of adorable Frankenstein and skeleton stuffies we got on vacation in the Poconos and I can’t wait to curl up with our newest additions and watch a scary movie. Whoever says adults can’t get plushies has never bought a plushie as an adult before and Johnny and I adore these comfort items. In comparison to the plushies at Spirit Halloween that were thirty dollars and up, these were a steal at five dollars apiece. BALLIN ON A BUDGET, BABY!

Next in my haul was a few candy treats. A few years ago on social media, I saw the Sour Patch Apple Harvest pack but could never find them anywhere in stores. It was a crying shame because apple candy is my favorite so I couldn’t believe my good fortune when I found them at 5 Below. So much so, that I had to get two bags of them lol. They are so delish and my favorite is the Apple Cider flavor. They are not as sour as I would like but they are still really tasty nonetheless. I also got a pack of Caramel Apple Peelerz which I have seen all over social media too so peep a TikTok on a taste test for those coming soon. 😀

After the first portion of 5 Below was thoroughly shopped through, it was onto the clothing department where I got a set of pajamas for me and a couple of shirts for Johnny. This summer, I purchased an adorable short and cami top PJ set from TJMaxx and have been living in them. They are the only pair of non sweatpants pajamas I have so I was excited to find another pair that costed twelve dollars in total. I’m so excited to slip into the bat adorned fleece shorts and oversized tee that says Bite Me on it lol. I actually have a tattoo of vampire fangs that say Bite Me on my shoulder as well as a robe with the same sentiments so this PJ set really spoke to me. 🙂

For Johnny’s treats, I was so excited to find a wicked cool Halloween shirt. I am a Texas Chainsaw Massacre girl, myself, but Johnny is a Michael Myers fan through and through and the original Halloween is his all time favorite. Also, peep that young Jamie Lee Curtis! Such a doll then and now. ❤ Another one of our favorite movies that has nothing to do with Halloween is School Of Rock and how amazing is that band tee?! Unfortunately, they didn’t have it in Johnny’s size so I got the next size up because I knew he would like it. He loved them both and wore his Halloween shirt to work the next day!

My last purchase in this haul was a fun craft for my nieces. I had plans for a visit over the weekend and wanted something we could do all together. One of their favorite activities is pottery paint kits so I got a darling set of pottery fruit planters for them to create a masterpiece. This set of three costed six dollars making them two bucks a pop and that is a steal. The girls are always so proud of their painted creations and I can’t wait to see their fantastically fruity works or art. ❤

Whether it is at TJMaxx, Marc’s, or 5 Below – your girl loves to discount shop. This haul was so good it’s scary and I am stoked to see what other Halloween goodies 5 Below has as the happiest season of all continues!

What is your favorite discount store? Have you had any great hauls recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Friendly Reminder!!

Standard
Friendly Reminder!!

Hello!! After leaving an incredibly shitty work experience in March, I most definitely needed a bit of me time. During that Lil Red mental health retreat, I threw my hands up, said “screw it” (It was actually an expletive!) , and made a TikTok. What makes me really happy is creating content and I decided I needed more of that in my life – even if I am not the biggest fan of making videos. However, after close to five months of posting daily content on TikTok, I finally get it lol. It’s a lot of fun and I love shooting OOTDs, hiking, exploring, cooking, and any and everything videos. All of you have been onto something for a phat minute and although I am literal years late to the party, it’s better late than never! 😀

At the end of May, I was almost at one hundred followers and you have no idea how happy that made me. Fast forward to the here and now and I have around twenty five hundred and you have no idea how happy that makes me! For a page that is still relatively new, it might as well be twenty five million to me and I feel proud of that because my TikTok really is just for funsies. I don’t expect brand deals and billions of views. All I wanted was to go back to making content for me, myself, and I… And anyone who feels like watching or reading it and that is the prize in itself.

While I was in the midst of the not ideal work sitch, I was barely keeping my head above water let alone making content that I felt excellent about. And, in turn, I felt far below excellent because content creating is truly one of my forms of self care. It gives me a safe space to wear whatever I want, experiment, and simply be me. Even if my blog or TikTok got no views, it would be fine because it is mine and mine alone and I made it and had a blast doing it. My mental health has improved tenfold and it feels so SO good to be back in my zone and feeling completely like myself!

If you feel so inclined, I would absolutely love it if you joined me on my TikTok. If not, that’s okay too! I’ll see you around the blogosphere! ❤

What is your favorite form of social media? What makes you feel like yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Cynthia Rowley Dress

Standard
New Cynthia Rowley Dress

Hello! Johnny and I are attending an outdoor summer wedding of our dear friends and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate such a wonderful couple! The wedding will take place on an almost ninety degree day and as you all know, Lil Red does not do well in extreme heat. For this reason, every dress I had in mind to wear went straight out the window because they were thicker in material or a maxi style. While I would have made do, I thought I would try my luck at TJMaxx to see if I could find something that would keep me more comfortable. During my last trip to TJs, everything summer was getting marked down and I was hoping to find a dress on the cheap. The fashion gods truly smiled upon me because the dress I ended up with was the very last one I tried on! Check it out:

As you might remember, I have a method when it comes to shopping at TJMaxx and this trip was a shining example of why it works so well. Step 1) Make my rounds. Step 2) Try clothes on. Step 3) Revisit the departments for anything I might have missed. As I browsed the store for Step 1, I honestly had thought that I had seen it all. The racks of dresses went from jam packed a few weeks ago to barely anything there. And, unfortunately, every dress I did happen to like did nothing for me during my first fitting room session. I was frustrated and I almost bypassed Step 3 of revisiting the dress racks because surely I couldn’t have missed anything when there were such limited options to pick from. WRONG!!

I was SO dead wrong and this is exactly why you never bypass Step 3! Sure enough, as soon as I returned to the dresses, it was like the pretty little Cynthia Rowley number magically appeared. I took a few other dresses to the fitting room and I shouldn’t have even bothered. This dress was last but certainly not least and it was perfect. The price was perfect too – it was only ten dollars!! My new dress is a linen material and it is nice and light and the pattern just screams summer. It is laden with kiwis, pomegranates, and oranges and is basically a fruit salad in a dress. Have I used the word perfect already? Yes, but I don’t care because it also perfectly compliments by orange and pink nails! It was like my trip to Elysian Nails was leading up to this fateful fitting room moment.

Now, this dress might not be dressy enough for a typical wedding. However, an outdoor summer wedding gives you plenty of wiggle room for what’s appropriate to wear. Let’s be honest, is anyone expecting other people to wear full fledged penguin suits and ball gowns? Hard no. It’s all about light fabrics and sundresses and every dress I tried on prior to the Cynthia Rowley one seemed laughable once it was on. They were all long and heavy and I just know I would have been miserable in them even if they looked good. I was genuinely worried about being in the heat for that long and this dress will allow me to celebrate and dance the night away without getting heat stroke. GREAT SUCCESS!

If at first you don’t succeed at TJMaxx, try and try again or however that old saying goes. My only regret is that I didn’t find this dress sooner because I would have been wearing it all summer long!

Have the stores near you put out fall clothing yet? Do you plan on shopping summer clearance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Kyodan Mini Skort

Standard
New Kyodan Mini Skort

Howdy!! This past week I made a trip to TJMaxx for a few things. I needed a reup on serum, beaucoup Bluey gifts for our almost birthday girl niece, and kept my fingers crossed to find a new skirt. The TJs gods smiled upon me because I got everything I wanted in spades! For my birthday, Johnny gifted me with tickets to see The Struts at the House Of Blues (Peep a post about the show and my OOTD soon!). I knew which top and shoes that I wanted to wear but I thought a sassy little mini skirt would take the OOTD OTT (Over The Top lol). It took a while to find what I was looking for but success was oh so sweet when I did:

^^^ Originally forty-eight bucks and I got it for thirteen! SCORE!

When I am shopping for clothing at TJMaxx, I typically follow a specific method: Make one round in the women’s and junior’s department, try clothes on, then make a second round for anything I might have missed or different sizes. During my initial trip around the store, I found several options for mini skirts that could have worked and had no such luck with any of them. After a lackluster fitting room session, I made my way back to hunt for more skirts and was coming up empty. Then, inspiration struck right in the knick of time.

As I went through my mental Rolodex of skirts in my wardrobe, I recalled that one of my favorites wasn’t found in my usual departments at TJs. It was actually a tennis skirt that I found in the athletic section. It was just the brain blast I needed and just as soon as I began browsing the athleisure, I discovered exactly what I had in mind. A bright white school girl style skort by Kyodan. It also happens to be the same brand of my fave tennis skirt!

I knew that the white skort was going to work and trying it on only confirmed it. It was the perfect neutral to pair with the crazy platforms I was going to wear and provided the best movement to dance the night away. This skort was also nice and light and I freaking loved the fact that it was a skort. I was definitely trying to let loose for the concert but I wasn’t trying to let everyone see my underoos all night lol. For thirteen bucks, this skort elevated my OOTD and I can’t wait for all of you to see it. 🙂

An amazing concert deserved an amazing outfit and I felt as much like a star as one of my favorite bands on the stage. Thank you, TJMaxx! ❤

Do you have a method you follow when you shop? What is one of your favorite brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

My Big Weekend In

Standard
My Big Weekend In

Howdy! Last week was freaking awesome because my family went on a little getaway to Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania. We had so much fun but it was total anarchy being with five kids under six years old and by the time we got home, I was SO exhausted lol. Kudos to all parents because I truly don’t know how you do it! I returned to work after our mini vaca and in this particular case, your girl was working for the weekend. Johnny had to work overtime all weekend to complete inventory and that meant that the apartment was ALL mine. I seriously can’t recall a time when I had the apartment to myself – probably before Johnny moved in with me lol. As this is something that literally never happens, I took full advantage of it…

By doing nothing! All I wanted to do was sit, relax, watch my shows, play my games, and talk to my blogging bestie and I did so in spades. After the cacophony of an amusement park, I needed peace and quiet time to unwind and recharge my batteries for this week. I truly became one with my couch, which means that I achieved everything I wanted to do. Although I missed Johnny terribly, I’d be a liar if I said it wasn’t absolutely delicious to put America’s Next Top Model on the boob tube without any complaints. And, if the bunnies did mind, they weren’t saying anything about it. 😀

While the novelty of an ANTM marathon sans Johnny’s commentary was a thrill, the most exciting part of my weekend was finally beating Paper Mario Sticker Star. I am an avid fan of the Paper Mario games and have all of them minus Sticker Star for the 3DS. At a buy/sell/trade store a few weeks ago, I found it for only twenty dollars and it was as good as mine. I had this game FOREVER ago and never beat it. I also have no idea what happened to it and I was so happy to have the completed Paper Mario collection. It was just as fun as I remembered it being and is easily one of my favorites!

With Tyra Banks droning on about smizeing in the background, I played and played and played Paper Mario some more. I haven’t had a good video game session in a long while and I just couldn’t stop myself! In fact, the last time I did “game” was the last time I was playing a Paper Mario game forever ago lol. When I had Sticker Star back in the day, I couldn’t win the final Bowser battle to save my own life. It proved to be just as difficult as I remembered it being and I almost gave up. However, when I was texting with my big bro about it, he encouraged me to keep on trying and that I would be able to do it. Armed with his support, I gave it another go and it’s safe to say I made Bowser my bitch and victory was oh so sweet!

Sometimes you just need to do nothing and that is okay. This is your sign to take it easy when you feel like you need it – as a little treat from me! ❤

What is your favorite video game? Do you have a favorite Mario game? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Summer Breeze OOTD Bloopers

Standard
Summer Breeze OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Summer Breeze OOTD! This little look was worn for a Date Day with my main squeeze and it was a fabulous time! It was also a fabulous fit too and we made the photo shoot work despite the heat. It was seriously hot AF and we were sweating buckets by the time we made it into the restaurant we went to for lunch. But, hey, that’s show biz baby! Take a peek at some of these yikes shots and let’s discuss an update on one of my summer goals that didn’t work out so great:

As you all know, I simply REFUSE to get my vividly dyed hair wet to keep that color fresh until my next hair appointment. Because of this charming quirk, it makes the activity of swimming literally impossible and is more like wading and treading water instead. I have always said that if I ever were to swim swim, that I would get a swimming cap and have never done so… Until my trip to Idlewild Park and SoakZone with my family. I wanted to swim in the pool at the hotel with my littles and live it up at the water park and was not going to let anything get in my way!

After our first day at Idlewild, I was determined to hit the pool as soon as we got to the hotel to give my bright purple swim cap a test run. Within five minutes, my bikini was on, my hair was safely tucked away under the cap, and I was ready to do this thing! I jumped right into the pool and started front stroke, back stroke, and breast stroking away. I was swimming laps like it was my job and it felt so great! After a half hour or so, I was wiped out and made my way back to the room to see how the swim cap fared and… it didn’t. My hair was soaked and I was PISSED. -_- (Also I learned that swim caps weren’t made to keep hair dry which is something I should have Googled in advance SMFH. Such a good idea in theory!)

As I lamented in the bathroom and brushed out my wet hair that was bleeding color profusely, a small silver bag by the hotel provided toiletries caught my eye. It was a shower cap! Since the swim cap didn’t do NOTHING, I figured I might as well give the shower cap a go at the water park the following day. And you know what? It worked like a charm! In fact, I was getting compliments on my hair left and right at SoakZone because everyone could tell exactly why that shower cap was on to begin with despite me sticking out like a sore thumb. A shower cap might not be the move for actual swimming but it did the job perfectly at the water park and that was good enough for me!

Even though my swim cap idea was a bust from its conception, it still felt amazing to swim and major ups to the shower cap for coming through in the clutch. VERY NICE!

What is one of your quirks? What is your favorite summertime activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

July 2025 Finishes

Standard
July 2025 Finishes

Howdy everyone and welcome to a brand new month here on lifewithlilred! We can’t let the beginning of August pass us by without going back in time to July to discuss all things beauty finishes. This past month provided beaucoup empties and while some were great, others missed the mark completely and I was SO happy to be done with them! Let’s take a look at some of the must have highlights as well as the ones that you can thank me later for skipping on:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint Lotion: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Precision Beauty Brightening Serum: NO

Bath & Body Works Gingham All-American Body Cream: YES

Bath & Body Works Always & Forever Body Cream: HARD NO

Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea Shower Gel: YES

Azure Collagen & Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer: NO

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Twisted Peppermint Lotion: Do you enjoy the scent of Thin Mint cookies? If so, you are going to freaking LOVE Twisted Peppermint. This is easily one of my favorite scents from the holiday collection and I was so sad when I used up this lotion after three or so weeks of daily use. It served all of the Christmas in July vibes and I can’t wait to get a re-up on my Twisted Peppermint fix as soon as the holiday season hits!

Precision Beauty Serum: This brightening serum by Precision Beauty was a major disappointment for me. First and foremost, I didn’t notice any differences in my skin’s radiance. Equally as important, this serum was not a great value either. I needed several pumps of the serum to achieve full coverage on my face and neck. It took me a little less than three weeks of twice daily use to finish the bottle. In stark contrast, the serum I have been using since I finished this serum in mid July is not even halfway done yet. This is definitely a product you can bypass.

B&BW Gingham All-American Body Cream: Do you enjoy the scent of Rocket Pops? Or perhaps a juicy bowl of red berries? Then you are going to freaking LOVE Gingham All-American! I am a HUGE fan of all things Gingham from B&BW and their newest addition is pure summer fun. Sweet strawberries and tart raspberries do all of the talking and All-American is high up on my list of favorite Gingham expansions. Don’t get me wrong, nothing will ever beat the OG but All-American is a fabulous all around effort.

B&BW Always & Forever Body Cream: Sometimes when I have a freebie coupon for B&BW, I go fully random. I’ll grab the first travel size item I see, check out, and see what happens later lol. Honestly, I should have given Always & Forever a sniff test because I never would have gotten it! If you are a fan of smelling like an old lady, then go for it obvi. However, if you don’t want to smell like a lace doily, stay clear of Always & Forever for always and forever!

Azure Moisturizer: There were a lot of things that I liked about this moisturizer. The texture was nice and light, which is perfect for summer. It absorbed quickly and sat well under makeup. This moisturizer was also very long lasting and took me over a month of twice daily use to complete the jar. These are all important to me but unfortunately mean nothing because this moisturizer was not it. It made literally no difference to my skin’s appearance after extended use and didn’t provide the tightening sensation that I love in a collagen based product. In theory, this was a good moisturizer. In practice, not so much.

I finished up lots of goodies in July and for the most part, it was a pretty damn successful month on the empties front. I can’t wait to break out new skin care and smell goods all August long! 😀

What products did you finish up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Brunch Babe OOTD Bloopers

Standard
Brunch Babe OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Brunch Babe OOTD! There is nothing better than wearing new clothes and I was so excited to bust out my new top featured in this look by Caroline Constas. It was the ultimate Brunch Babe, farmers market fierce little number I needed for a late morning trip to First Watch! Before I could ever so carefully dig into brunch to avoid a spill on my new duds, pictures were in order. Take a peek at these yikes pics and let’s discuss an instance that simply delighted me this past week:

When I was little, I prided myself on being the best “finder” lol. Someone in my family was always losing something and I was excellent at finding where the misplaced item was. In my old age, however, I fear I may be losing my touch. My eldest niece decided to put together a scavenger hunt with Bluey toys for her little sister at chez grandparents. Lil sis ended up finding almost all of them, but big sis forgot where she put two of the toys (lol) and my parents asked if I would look for them. I searched high and low for the members of the Bluey gang for what felt like forever and, sadly, had no luck. Luckily, I manifested finding something else instead…

For Christmas, I got my mom a gift card to Elysian Nails. Fast forward a few months later when she was ready to cash in her manicure and we couldn’t find the gift card anywhere. Like the Bluey toys, I looked everywhere and ended up convinced it might have been thrown out on accident. When I was on my own scavenger hunt for Bluey’s friends, I thought about how awesome it would be to find the gift card too. A minute or two later, I took off the lid of a decorative pot in the kitchen and gasped at its contents. The Elysian Nails gift card was sitting three feet from my usual spot at the kitchen table this entire time! It was a Christmas in July miracle but I am not hanging up my detective’s cap yet. I will not rest until the remainder of the Bluey toys are returned back to my nieces!

It took seven months to find the missing gift card so maybe in seven months the Bluey toys turn up? Either way, I am on the case!

Have you found anything that has been missing for a while? Where was it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Lucky

Standard
Feeling Lucky

Hello! At the beginning of April, I was in need of some new sunglasses and bought two new pairs at TJMaxx. I was especially partial to the pair by Lucky Brand because it is one of my favorite brands and the sunglasses fit me to the T. In fact, I loved them so much that I almost considered buying two pairs of them. I wore those babies everywhere and I just felt so cool in them! Because I wore them everywhere, it’s no surprise that they accompanied me to the Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson concert. It was one of the craziest nights of my life and I ended up losing my beloved pair of Lucky Brand sunnies in the mix. I was absolutely devastated. I went from wearing them every day to not having them at all and I was kicking myself in the butt for not buying that back up pair.

I was feeling fairly confident that if I went to TJMaxx, they would not have another pair of my beloved Luckies. It had been well over two months since the initial purchase so why would they? However, I just had to see for myself so I made a pit stop to the happiest place on Earth. Rather than browse through the store, I made a beeline to the sunglasses department and began scouring the shelves. I started at the left hand side, looked through the rows from top to bottom, and was seeing nothing. I continued the hunt to be one thousand percent sure and, as luck would have it, one pair of Lucky frames remained at the very end of the display. I couldn’t believe my good fortune and snatched them up!

Had there been more pairs of these sunglasses, I would have bought the lot of them. Sunglasses can get broken or lost so easily and I have experienced both firsthand. So the moral of the story is: There is no shame in buying back ups of anything you really love. It could be a great pair of ballet flats, your favorite T-shirt in different colors, and yes – sunglasses too. I learned my lesson when my favorite pair of sunglasses I have ever owned almost got away from me and I am not making that same mistake twice!

The fashion gods were truly smiling upon me when they returned my Lucky frames to their rightful owner. I was feeling so lucky I should have played the lottery! 😀

Do you buy back ups of anything in your wardrobe? Have you ever lost a favorite fashion item? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah