Tag Archives: halloween

Oct30

Candy Queen COTD

Posted on October 30, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD… or should I say COTD on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to take a closer look at my Candy Queen Halloween costume. When I had the idea several months ago for a Candyland themed couples costume, we immediately fell in love with it. Johnny would, indeed, make a stellar Lord Licorice as you saw in yesterday’s post. My Candy Queen costume was one that was pieced together as there were no costume options for Queen Frostine or Princess Lolly. This hodgepodge costume stressed me out more than it should have, but it was well worth the headache – I felt like a star!

Who? What? Wear?

Candy Hearts Dress: Secret Wishes, Amazon

Candy Button Platforms: An online order by the brand B.A.I.T.

Giant Lollipop and Lollipop Earrings and Headband: Amazon

Wig, Pink Tutu, Thigh Highs, False Eyelashes: Spirit Halloween

After a lot of struggle, I finally ordered the Candy Hearts Dress and said a prayer to the fashion gods that it would work. This costume was my complete and total last resort. You could imagine the flood of relief I had when it arrived in the mail and I found that it was both cute and it fit! The only problem was that the skirt was insanely short, but I knew that ahead of time as per online reviews. My plan was to pair it with a tutu underneath to keep everything from hanging out lol. As soon as the dress was on was when I started getting excited because I essentially built the rest of the costume in that moment.

While shopping for the dress itself wasn’t ideal, you know your girl had an easy time in the shoe department! This was a cake walk in comparison and I ordered the pair of Candy Button Platforms by B.A.I.T. after five minutes of browsing. There were SO many incredible candy themed shoes, but they were SO incredibly expensive. The platforms I chose were under fifty dollars, can definitely be worn outside of Halloween, and featured an iconic candy print. I was sold and can’t wait to wear them next summer! The colors in the shoes also perfectly matched some of those in the dress, which was a nice touch. 🙂

Finally, it was time to accessorize! The accessories are really what turned the pieces I had into a true costume. I knew that candy themed jewelry was a MUST and I also wanted a gigantic lollypop to hold to drive the point home. I ended up with a set that contained the candy headband and earrings, and everything was aces after I superglued some of the lollipops back on the band. I also got the slightly dented pink lollypop, but what can you do lol. Similarly to the shoes, the jewelry and props went from relatively cheap to very pricey and I went with Option A.

Spirit Halloween is where I purchased the remainder of the accessories which included the wig, tutu, thigh highs, and rainbow false eyelashes. The tutu was just what I needed for underneath the dress and I adored the tiered effect that it gave. The dress should have been made like that all along! And can we PLEASE talk about the wig?! You guys have no idea how weird it felt to actually have long, flowing locks. This wig was everything and I couldn’t imagine anything different for my costume. I was so lucky it was the last one available! I didn’t think this costume could get any sweeter until I put the thigh high socks on. And, of course, the final candy surprise was the rainbow lashes for the ultimate pop of color!

My Candy Queen COTD was everything I wanted and so much more. Stay tuned for some bonus pictures tomorrow because I love this look that much. See you then!

What is your favorite Halloween candy? What is the best Halloween costume you saw this year? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct29

Candyland Costume Reveal

Posted on October 29, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Saturday, Johnny and I got dressed up in our Halloween’s best to pass out Trick or Treat candy in my parents’ neighborhood. Our couples costume this year was Candyland inspired with Johnny as Lord Licorice and myself as his Candy Queen. My costume was an absolute pain in my keister to put together after several trials and tribulations, but it was SO worth it. I am absolutely in love with the end result! Check it out:

After two failed attempts for a Halloween costume, I had to go with a last resort option for my Candy Queen dress. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it until the look started to come together with the right shoes and accessories. Once I had everything I needed, I was feeling much better but still had that annoying thought that it wasn’t one of the two costumes that I really wanted. Then, I put on the costume in its entirety on Saturday and ate my words – my Candy Queen costume turned out perfectly and I was so glad that what I originally had in mind didn’t work out. If this COTD (Costume Of The Day) doesn’t scream “Candy Queen”, then I truly don’t know what does!

While I spent what felt like an eternity shopping for a costume that was just right, Johnny had no problem with his. Our running joke is that he literally just makes a costume with clothes he already owns and that was very much the case this year. He used his own pants, top, shoes, hat, and the jacket was compliments of my costume from last year. His only purchases were the wig, cape, and supplies from Menard’s to craft his own cane. My handy guy! Johnny looked amazing as Lord Licorice and he turned our old duds into a costume that fit our Candyland aesthetic to the T.

We had SO much fun creating our costumes and I am absolutely obsessed with how they turned out. That evening, we truly were Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen and all I can say is look out for next year. We plan on being Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl!! (And, yes, chances are Johnny will be wearing a variation of his Lord Licorice costume lol!)

How did you celebrate Halloween? What did you dress up as? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct26

Autumn Errands OOTD Bloopers

Posted on October 26, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the Blooper Reel from my Autumn Errands OOTD! During the work week, you are never going to find me with a full face of makeup or wearing anything but Misny Merch lol. The weekend, however, is my time to shine! Regardless of if I wear the outfit all day or change into my pajamas immediately after, it always feels good to get dressed up. In this look’s case, I was absolutely back in my PJs as soon as we got home from Spirit Halloween. Short lived, yes. Still cute? Definitely! Maybe not these pictures, though…

Howdy partners!!!!

When something is so funny you forgot to laugh

Awww shucks

Clearly about to say something REALLY important…

But it appears I lost it judging by this blank expression lol

As always, something STANK

NAILED IT!

Having a partner who revels as much as I do in Halloween like Johnny is truly a gift. We live for it and no matter how we spend Halloween celebrating, it is never not a good time. One thing we particularly enjoy is helping out with Trick or Treat in my parents’ neighborhood as my apartment community doesn’t participate. We come armed with bags and bags of candy, Johnny prepares a big bonfire, and then we sit back for a viewing of the costume parade.

In my youth, my siblings and I would literally wear the exact same costumes every year until we outgrew them. They were all super generic, but no one could tell me NOTHING in my Discount Drugmart princess costume lol. It is a scientific fact that the costumes from our trick or treaters put my old duds to shame and there is nothing cuter than seeing all of the kiddos in their Halloween best. We have seen several noteworthy costumes throughout the years, but one specific instance always is the first to pop into mine and Johnny’s heads. There was a two or so year old dressed up as a cup of coffee and her parents were baristas. When we offered her the candy bowl, her parents asked her what piece she wanted. Then, the girl pointed her little finger and declared “DAT ONE”. We still find ourselves saying it years later!

I hope all of you are getting into the Halloween spirit and have the best, spooky time celebrating!

What are you doing for Halloween? What were you for Halloween when you were little? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct23

Final Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Posted on October 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Johnny and I are going to be Lord Licorice and a Candy Queen for Halloween. You would think that such a fun costume would be a joy to shop for. That was, unfortunately, far from the case and it proved to be a massive pain in my nads. I ended up having to settle for my last resort costume and it’s cute, just not what I wanted. The candy button platform heels did help perk me up, though! We both needed a few finishing touches on our costumes so we made a trip to Spirit Halloween on Saturday. Thankfully, we managed to find all of our requirements because the store was already pretty picked over. And, thankfully, I am feeling WAY better about my costume now with these additions (Including some Amazon purchases!):

So the candy headband and giant lollipop both came from Amazon and 0/10 do not recommend. The lollipop came with a huge dent, as you can see, and also you just kind of had to shove the stick into the foam lol. The candy headband also came with a really cute lollipop necklace and earrings (Totes forgot to include those!) and the jewelry was okay. The headband, however, came with three popped off lollipops that I had to superglue back on. It all ended up working out, but it definitely added to the annoyance of my top pick costumes NOT working out.

While the accessories were going to help this costume, they weren’t going to make the look. So, I turned to Spirit Halloween to kick it up a notch. First on the agenda was a wig and I scored massively with a gorgeous pastel blue, pink, and lavender in long, curly tresses. It was also the last one in the store. NICE! Next was a tutu to add some volume to the skirt as well as provide some extra coverage to the very mini length! The pink tutu was also the last one available which was DOUBLE NICE and everything was coming up Lil Red.

The last order of business was thigh highs and eyelashes and things went down slightly lol. I was really hoping to find some pastel pink thigh highs but came up with nothing. The white ones will be okay, though, and I love the bows! For eyelashes, I chose a wonderfully rainbow set to pop against all the pastel. I left the store with *almost* exactly what I wanted/needed and it was a much needed great success after the struggle bus ran me over time and time again!

I am honestly so excited to put this whole costume together over the weekend. It was not what I originally had in mind but maybe that’s a good thing because I’m already obsessed!

What was your favorite Halloween costume? What is your favorite Halloween candy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct18

Halloween Costume Sneak Peek

Posted on October 18, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! It is no secret that Johnny and I revel in all things Halloween – not just during spooky season but all year round. We simply love it and, normally, something like costume shopping would be a complete joy. This year, however, was a totally different story because it proved to be a nightmare. I thought it would be easy as pie to find a costume inspired by sweet treats for our Candyland themed couples costume dreams. This was far from the case and I ended up striking out HARD twice before snagging my last resort costume. Is it what I really wanted? Not really. But, I think with the right accessories I will still be a Candy Queen yet! Check it out:

Prior to purchasing the Candy Heart costume seen above, I had two options that I wanted badly. The first one was rather expensive but I was willing to pay the top dollar price tag for it until I ran into Issue Number One. The costume was only available in what I guesstimated was my size on a website where all sales were final. Had I been absolutely certain that it would have fit, I would have went for it. Suppose it didn’t, though. Then I would be stuck with a too small costume, no way to return it, and my bank account would be down a pretty penny. So, Option One was a no go.

After having my first plan fall through, I had to pivot and scour through a million costumes I had seen before and hoping something new would pop up. What felt like an endless search resulted in me finding a costume I liked even better than Option One and I eagerly placed my order. Everything was coming up Lil Red for like a day and then… I got an email saying JK because my size wasn’t available after all. I was honestly crushed because the costume was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted, the price was nice, and I had all but forgotten the disappointment of failure for Option One.

With both of my desired costumes officially off the table, I was back where I started – with absolutely nothing. At this point, I was getting straight up pissed lol. In fact, I was ready to just throw in the towel and wear my costume from last year. Had I not made a premature announcement of our couples costume on social media, I would have! So, it was back to the drawing board and fruitless browsing, scrolling, begging, and pleading for something – ANYTHING that would work. You all know I live for online shopping, but this was getting ridiculous.

As I painstakingly searched through every corner of the internet for a candy costume, I came to the realization that I was just going to have to make do. Which brings us to the Candy Heart costume. It is super cute and I love the lace up front with the huge heart smack dab in the middle. While it is cute, it is also pretty basic lol. This is where shoes and accessories come into play. I found a darling pair of candy button platforms to wear with it, which I think will be simply charming. Then, I ordered a candy headband, a giant lollipop to hold, and a pair of lollipop earrings too. When Johnny and I visit Spirit Halloween this weekend, I will buy a pink tutu because the skirt is REALLY short, some sheer pink thigh highs, a pink wig, and pastel hued fake eyelashes. Like I said, I will be a Candy Queen yet!

Shopping for my Halloween costume was legit the worst and I am SO happy to be done with it. Although I had to settle for my last resort option, I still think this costume will offer Candyland vibes once it’s all put together!

What is your favorite thing to shop for? How about your least favorite? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct16

If The Shoe Fits: B.A.I.T. Candy Button Platforms Edition

Posted on October 16, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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If The Shoe Fits: B.A.I.T. Candy Button Platforms Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of If The Shoe Fits! Johnny and I are going to be sporting Candyland themed costumes for Halloween. He will be Lord Licorice and I will be a Candy Queen. I honestly thought finding a candy style costume would be like taking candy from a baby lol. Unfortunately, I was dead wrong and the hunt for the perfect costume was not only insanely difficult but insanely annoying too. However, finding the perfect shoes for the cause was a piece of cake! Check it out:

After several failed attempts for finding a Halloween costume to my liking, it was a gift for the shoe buying process to go without a hitch. I’m not surprised, though, you all know I am a shoe girl through and through! The hardest part of finding heels for my costume was narrowing down my options. There were an abundance of candy inspired shoes to browse through, each one cuter than the next. With great cuteness comes great cost or whatever Uncle Ben said because goodness me were some of them expensive. Then, I came across these adorable platforms by B.A.I.T. for under fifty dollars and I knew we were in business!

I went with this pair of candy dot platforms for a lot of different reasons. The price was nice and I also have a pair of mules by B.A.I.T. in my shoe boutique so the fit wasn’t a concern. The primary factor wasn’t either of these even though they were both important. The main selling point was the fact that I could absolutely wear them with an outfit that isn’t a costume. Yes, the candy dot motif is ideal for what I have picked out for Halloween but it wasn’t limited to one time use and that was very appealing. While I am overjoyed that it’s fall, I am kind of sad that summer is over now that I have these platforms. How fun would they be with a little pair of denim shorts?! 😀

I’m not going to lie, costume shopping was more disappointing than enjoyable this year. These platforms definitely helped perk me up and I’m happy at least one aspect of the process was blessedly simple!

What are you going to be for Halloween? Where do you normally purchase your costumes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct7

Halloween Fun

Posted on October 7, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last year was a pretty rough time for yours truly and although Johnny and I always revel in the Halloween season, we didn’t do a whole lot of anything. I am pleased to report that this year, we are back on our BS in a major way and I love that for us! We have grand plans for this beloved time for the both of us and I can’t wait to complete everything on our Halloween checklist:

Haunted House:

Johnny and I started dating in September of 2019 – mere months before the Covid-19 pandemic. That Halloween was the only time that we went to a haunted house together and I just won’t stand for it. There is an absolutely fantastic haunted house about a half hour or so away from us. It’s called the Factory of Terror and it is one of the largest indoor haunted attractions in the country. This is the haunted house we went to when we first started dating! However, it will be nothing like what we saw during our outing. The cool thing about the Factory of Terror is that they change all five of their haunted houses every year into something unrecognizable to prior visits. I can’t wait to see what it looks like this year!

Something you might not know about me is that my first job was working as an actor at a haunted house called Carnival of Horrors. I know every single trick in the book, yet all that knowledge goes out the window as soon as I go to haunted houses. Much to Johnny’s amusement, I become the prime target for the actors because I get got every time lol. I’m sure it will be the same thing this time around but, hey, that’s the fun of a haunted house. 😀

Pumpkin Patch:

One of my all time favorite Date Days with Johnny was when we visited a local pumpkin patch. We got the cutest tiny pumpkins, took the cutest pictures, and enjoyed a yummy meal afterwards. We also never did this again so we are adding it to the agenda! While we don’t have a yard to decorate due to apartment life, we need a little something and no porch is complete without a few pumpkins. Johnny also takes great pleasure in throwing them at trees so we’ll grab a couple of extra ones for that purpose lol.

Trick or Treat:

Last year, Johnny and I made a bonfire and passed out candy with my parents at their house. It was SO much fun to see all of the kids in their costumes parading throughout the neighborhood and we definitely plan on doing that again. We also will be joining our nieces for their Trick or Treat outing and are looking forward to it so much. We are keeping our fingers crossed that our nieces will share the loot with their Fun Aunt and Uncle! 😀

Costumes:

Johnny and I have never done matching costumes and we are going for it this year. We are going to have Candyland inspired costumes with Johnny being Lord Licorice and me being a Candy Queen. I am so excited for it! In fact, we already have our costumes for next year picked out too: Alice Cooper and Cold Ethyl. The hilarious thing about both of these costumes for Johnny is that he literally already has everything he needs in his own wardrobe. Does that mean he’ll go halfsies with me on the costumes I have to buy? #fingerscrossed

31 in 31:

Finally, Johnny and I are VERY committed to completing the 31 scary movies in 31 days challenge this year. We haven’t missed a day yet and it has been great. We have been working our way through Johnny’s silly slashers and my atmospheric picks in alternation. And, of course, wearing our matching spooky pajamas and noshing on movie theater treats. I look forward to what we are going to watch every day upon our return home and it is such a nice change of pace from our usual post-work screenings of SVU!

All aboard the Halloween Fun express because we are living it up this spooky season!

What are your favorite Halloween activities? What is your favorite holiday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct5

New Light Pink & Purple Shimmer Nails

Posted on October 5, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! I live for my monthly break time fills at Elysian Nails and had an appointment this past Tuesday. I am also getting my hair done later this month so LOOK OUT because your girl is about to be feeling her goddamn self. During Treat Day with my niece, I asked her what colors I should get my nails and she suggested pink and purple. She read my mind because that’s exactly what I planned on doing! Check it out:

I’m not sure if I mentioned what mine and Johnny’s Halloween costumes are so if I did, sorry for repeating myself lol. He is going to be Lord Licorice and I will be a Candy Queen inspired by Candyland. It is going to be cute as can be and I am SO excited to order my costume! As you might have guessed, what I picked out primarily features pink and purple so I needed nails to match the vibe. When I approached the nail polish wall, I found two perfect shades of shimmery pink and purple sitting side by side. It was like they were waiting just for me! 😀

As per ushe, my tech did a bang up job and exceeded her former personal best on my nails. She was done in one hour flat and that provided me with the time to actually sit and wait for my nails to dry, run an errand, and still get to work on time. It was absolutely amazing! Boy, did the hour fly by too. We spent the entire sesh gabbing about the Monsters series on Netflix as we both had recently binged the two seasons. Like everything about this appointment, it was exactly what I needed because I really wanted to talk about the show with someone. That ish was CRAZY. 😮

My nails are fully prepped for Halloween and my hair is next. I can’t wait for all of you (and myself) to see the end result!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What are you going to be for Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

Halloween Haul

Posted on October 1, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! In my neck of the woods, Marc’s is a beloved staple. It is a discount grocery store (with lots of random odds and ends) and my family visits it fairly frequently. Around this time of the year, all kinds of Halloween goodies find a home in their “closeout aisle” (that features said random odds and ends). As soon as this happens, my dad always notifies me so I can get first dibs and it never fails to leave me feeling #blessed lol. This past week, I made a Marc’s run to see if there was anything noteworthy and there sure was! I am officially done with my Halloween (all year round) decor shopping from this fun haul. Check it out:

Surprisingly, the first thing I clocked on the shelves wasn’t any of the bigger treats. It was actually the teeny tiny salt and pepper shaker shaped like The Count from Sesame Street. I literally clutched my pearls when I saw it because I knew Johnny would love it. In his youth, one of the Halloween costumes his mom made for him was of The Count, his favorite character. He looks back on all of the costumes crafted by his mom most fondly and he couldn’t believe my fifty cent find. Unfortunately, it was the only one left so a set wasn’t possible, but I think this lone shaker was meant to find a place on our spooky shelves!

I also added a few tiny treat yoselfs to the mix too. I have desperately needed a new travel tumbler so I can sip on water throughout the day. All of mine are too small and constantly need refilling which is inconvenient, but I never cared to spend an arm and a leg on a new one because they can be rather expensive. I scored the ghost adorned tumbler for three bucks and it is the perfect size and matches all my spooky vibes. The jack-o-lantern tights were also a three dollar addition and I am obsessed. I have seen this design of tights before and never bought them for myself so I can’t wait to break them out with skater skirts this season.

After going through the smaller odds and ends of the closeout aisle, I browsed through the bigger pieces of decor. There, I walked away with the most adorable light up vampire and a walking and light up turtle skeleton. Yes, these were partially for Johnny and I BUT I knew our eldest niece would be delighted by them. She is a huge fan of our Halloween decor and Halloween in general and we are so unbelievably happy for it. I know for a fact that she will want to use the vampire as a nightlight during our next slumber party and will, without a doubt in my mind, make the skele-turtle chase her Uncle Johnny! We have instilled a love for Halloween in her since she has been born and it is the absolute best to share in the season with her. ❤

With that, My Halloween shopping is complete and it couldn’t have ended on a cuter note. As always, discount stores for the win!!!!

How are you decorating for Halloween? What is your favorite Halloween candy? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep27

Spooky Surprises

Posted on September 27, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Halloween decor reigns supreme in my household all year round and Johnny and I add a few new things every year when the stores shift to spooky season. For the past two years, my contribution were snow globes with a Halloween twist. I really liked the idea of getting one new snow globe per year as a tradition. During our date day, we made a visit to TJMaxx and, unfortunately, their snow globe selection left a lot to be desired. We did, however, find this ultra cool skull that I am obsessed with! Check it out:

As we made our rounds through spooky decor, everything was pretty picked over. There were a few things that we took note of but nothing worth buying. That is, until the red skull with blinged out devil horns caught my eye. It was the very last one on the shelf and as soon as I saw the ten dollar price tag, it was immediately added to our cart. We are seasoned pros when it comes to Halloween decorations but I had never seen anything quite like this before. This skull is so different from anything we have and its brilliant shade of red speaks sweet nothings to my Lil Red heart. It certainly makes a statement on our many spooky shelves!!

One final little treat I purchased for myself was a pair of Betsey Johnson spiderweb tights. They were expertly placed in the catch all aisle as you are waiting to check out and that really is where TJMaxx gets you! I am a huge fan of all things Betsey and these tights are just what I needed for fall. Literally every pair I have is riddled with holes and while these are holey, they are purposeful lol. Patterned tights are an amazing way to shake up sweater dresses and skater skirts. They also look so edgy and cool when worn under shorts. I cannot wait to break my spiderweb pair out to add some spooky flare to any OOTD. 😀

These Spooky Surprises were the perfect, cost effective little somethings to bring home during our date day shopping trip. The best surprise, though, is the fact that Johnny asked me to go to TJMaxx in the first place!! 🙂

Do you and your partner like to shop together? What are your favorite stores to visit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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