Tag Archives: haul

Jan14

Little Christmas Haul

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Little Christmas Haul

Hi! We celebrated with Johnny’s family on Christmas Day and had the most wonderful time. Unfortunately, his aunt couldn’t attend and it just wasn’t the same without her. We were so happy that she was in town this past week and finally got to have our “Little Christmas” get together. It’s basically the same thing as Christmas but we ordered Chinese food lol. It was amazing to be all together again for our bonus celebration and it certainly felt Christmas-y despite it being January eighth! Check out my very last holiday haul:

Johnny and I were so generously gifted with lots of goodies and he received something really cool! My husband is a history buff and his aunt gave him her freshman year of high school American History text book. It was complete with her notes and highlighted sections and he has already enjoyed flipping through the pages of yesteryear. As a gift for both of us, we got the absolutely adorable Rudolph hot cocoa set. Seriously, how cute is that? We just love those mugs and although we are not big hot chocolate drinkers, our nieces can’t get enough of it. We are so excited to have them over for one of their favorite treats but in different mugs lol. I would be so sad if one of them broke because did I mention holy cuteness?! 😀

One gift we all had to laugh at was the Wicked slippers. I have never seen Wicked and I have zero desire to do so. When I opened the box, however, I genuinely thought the Ws were cacti and I could definitely get down with that! It wasn’t until further inspection that I realized what they were but I’m still going with cacti and they look comfy as can be. I am also delighted to have some more cozy pairs of boot socks because ankle socks during the winter is for the birds. I am SO sick of them sliding off so I have a double dose of treats for my feet. 🙂

Last but not least is the pretty as a picture picture frame, candle, and picture keeper. How sweet is that frame? I think it will be the perfect one to house a snapshot of me and my three nieces! ❤ I also adore being gifted with candles because I never buy them for myself. I have been loving burning the one my bestie got me for Christmas so this will be great to have on standby. And, finally, I have no idea what the picture keeper is or how to use it. BUT, if it gives us a space to free up the rapidly dwindling storage on our phones from OOTD shoots then we needed it like yesterday!!

We have been looking forward to Little Christmas since Christmas and now it’s officially a wrap on our holiday season. What a fantastic one it was!

Are you a Wicked fan? What is your favorite kind of cozy clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan12

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul

Hello! As soon as I woke up on the day after Christmas, I headed straight to my laptop to shop the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale. There is nothing better than getting the products that I always use for dirt cheap and I had a massive restock of my foaming hand soaps and wallflower plugins. It couldn’t have come at a moment too soon because I was running very low! After my shopping spree I ended up with seventeen products for sixty dollars making each item about three dollars and fifty cents. You just can’t beat that! Check it out and let’s discuss the scents that are new to me:

Would I Buy Again?

Peppermint Bark Truffle: YES!!!!!!!!!!

Cereal Milk Soft Serve: NO

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Cookie: MAYBE

Grape Spritz: YES

Why/Why Not?

Peppermint Bark Truffle: Out of the Milk X B&BW collabs that I have tried, the Peppermint Bark Truffle is the absolute best. If you are a fan of chocolate and peppermint, then this is the scent for you because that is exactly what it smells like. I freaking love any kind of peppermint scent and this pairing with the dark chocolate is *chef’s kiss*. Peppermint Bark Truffle literally smells good enough to eat and I wish that I bought more of it. Highly recommend!

Cereal Milk Soft Serve: The fragrance notes of Cereal Milk Soft Serve include “Soft ice cream, golden cornflakes, and frosted sugar”. In theory, this sounds delightful. In practice is a whole different story. This scent smells like a bowl of cereal that has been sitting out for an hour and I just can’t. B&BW has tried their hand at cereal themed scents before and this is one of the rare occasions where they fail epically. However, if you are into smelling like old milk then go for it, I guess? Lol.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Cookie: This scent is just okay for me and I would only buy it again as a last resort. The fragrance notes of “Toasted pretzel, cinnamon dusting, and sugared vanilla” are nice but it’s just a bit too subtle for me. I like my smell goods to pack a punch! On the bright side, the Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Cookie really does smell like the description and is still infinitely better than the milk one!

Grape Spritz: Where my grape soda fans at?! While I love an orange soda, grape reigns supreme in my world and I am all about Grape Spritz. With notes of “Bubbly white grape juice, peach nectar, and orange zest” this fizzy scent smells exactly like a freshly poured grape soda. It is bold, bright, and provides a pop of sweet summertime in the winter. After a few dud scents, this was much more like it because I am so there for it. 😀

During the winter Semi Annual Sale I like to stock up on my go to seasonal scents like Vanilla Bean Noel and Twisted Peppermint. For good or bad, it’s always fun to try a few new fragrances though!

Did you shop the Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale? How did you make out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan8

BFF Holiday Haul

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BFF Holiday Haul

Hello! This past Friday I finally got to celebrate Christmas with my BFF and this hang out was a long time coming. Getting Covid at the beginning of December threw a wrench in our plans and we couldn’t have our annual holiday hang until after the New Year. It was certainly worth the wait though because we had the most wonderful time! We ordered Chinese food, opened gifts, and girl talked the evening away. It was just what the doctor ordered to wrap up a beautiful holiday season. My bestie treated me to so many lovely gifts and I can’t wait for all of you to see the piece de resistance! Check it out:

When it comes to gifts, I absolutely love receiving bath and body care. What can I say, I’m a huge fan of smell goods! My bestie knows this and graced me with some goodies from Bath & Body Works. This included a shower gel of my favorite scent, Champagne Toast, or as Johnny would call it “Champagne & Toast”. I also got a Snickerdoodle candle that makes my apartment smell like a bakery and another of my beloved foaming hand soaps too. I had to laugh when I saw the scent was Pomegranate & Blackberry because this was actually a hand soap that I skipped on when I shopped the Semi-Annual Sale. Not because I didn’t want it but I had too many products in my cart. Lol, I got it after all and she knows me so well!

The next gift I unwrapped was a double gift – a travel jewelry case with the sweetest bunny necklace tucked inside. Perfect for everyone’s favorite bunny mom! I literally clutched my pearls when I saw the little bunny atop a gold moon and I have a feeling I will be wearing it every day. I also know that my travel jewelry case will be getting excellent use too. Johnny and I are going on a BIG trip this year (More on that later) and I now have something to safely store all my bits and baubles. It will be like a hug from my bestie when I take it on our travels. ❤

This post Christmas bash was definitely worth the wait! The best gift, though? My best friend (Of over eighteen years), of course!

How did you celebrate the holidays with your friends? Which of your gifts have you put to use? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan4

Big Blanket Co Robe

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Big Blanket Co Robe

Hello! This Christmas was all about the gift of warmth. I received a brand new heated blanket from my parents to replace my broken one as well as an extra dose of cozy comfort. Johnny’s aunt gifted us with HUGE robes from Big Blanket Co and Johnny and I have basically been living in them since Christmas. It may have taken several minutes to release the robe from its bag (Peep my TikTok for that soon!) but it was so worth it. Once the robe was free was when the real magic began because this baby was full of fun surprises to keep me warm for the rest of the winter. Check it out:

When Johnny and I first opened our Big Blanket Co gift we genuinely thought it was a sleeping bag and were oh so surprised when it ended up being a robe! Johnny got a charcoal grey one and I got purple because I am a queen lol. It has been frigid cold in Ohio with temperatures barely above twenty degrees and I never realized how badly I needed something like this until now. It is the epitome of comfort and is so nice to wear around the apartment. This is especially true during the mornings at chez nous while it warms up after a freezing night. However, it makes me just want to go back to bed! 😀

The Big Blanket Co robes are definitely not the ordinary. It is SO heavy that it almost feels weighted and that extra heft paired with the soft fleece lining makes you want to wrap yourself in it and never leave. What Johnny and I love the most about these robes are the thumb holes! As soon as he realized they were there we were simply delighted by it – probably from our elder emo roots lol. Not only are there thumb holes but there is also a hood and sleeping mask too! This is literally a comforter and robe combined and it is nothing but joyous when we return home from work and put it on for the evening. Highly recommend. 🙂

For my fellow freeze babies out there, have I got a robe for you. This Big Blanket Co robe is everything and more and you will love it!

Do you have a favorite drink to warm you up when you’re cold? How about a go to piece of clothing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

Family Holiday Haul

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Family Holiday Haul

Hi hi! Whenever anyone asks me what I want for Christmas, I never know what to say. Literally all I do throughout the year is spoil and pamper myself so I already have everything I could possibly want lol. This year, however, my tune changed because there actually were a few things I would love to be gifted with. A new electric blanket because mine went kaput as well as baking pans which I have none of. I thought it would be fun for when my nieces come over as they enjoy being helpers when their mom is baking. I asked, I received, and I am so beyond happy with these gifts from my mom and dad:

My blogging bestie gifted me with an electric blanket for Christmas a few years ago. I basically lived in it and looked forward to returning home from work every day to snuggle up. Then, out of the blue, it just stopped working. There was no rhyme or reason for it and it was a sad day, indeed. Although I loved that damn heated blanket more than most people, I never bothered replacing it. It fell under my nice to have but not must have category and was the number one thing I asked for for Christmas. I was absolutely delighted when I opened it!

As for the baking pans, I never bothered getting them because Johnny and I really don’t have a sweet tooth. We might indulge in chocolate or ice cream from time to time but that is about it. I also have always preferred cooking to baking so cake pans and cupcake tins were unnecessary. My nieces just love to help with the ingredients, taste test, and decorate sweet treats, though, and I wanted to have the equipment so they could do the same at my place. Whenever we’re watching our nieces I like to have activities for the day planned and this is one of their favorites. Who knows, maybe I’ll even bake some of the recipes that I have saved and neglected on Facebook lol.

I knew exactly what I wanted this Christmas and was thrilled when my requests were waiting for me under the tree. I can’t wait to break them out!

What is your favorite thing to bake? Did you get everything you wanted this Christmas? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec30

In Laws Holiday Haul

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In Laws Holiday Haul

Hello! Johnny and I celebrated on Christmas day with his parents and it was so lovely. So much so that we are going to have Little Christmas in January to continue the festivities when his aunt comes to visit. I can’t wait because Christmas just wasn’t the same without her! Our day was full of laughter, amazing food, fun games, and wonderful gifts. Johnny’s family is always so sweet to spoil us and I can’t wait to use all of my prezzies! Check it out:

Yowza! My gift bags and stocking was filled to the brim with the most thoughtful gifts. Johnny’s dad is the king of the practical gift and we had our minds blown by the portable sealing machine. My main squeeze and I are most fond of a salty snack and if our chip bags can be sealed after digging in then life will never be the same. I also deeply appreciated the tiny Lowe’s bucket which my father in law has quite the collection of. It’s so classic him and will have a shining spot to be proudly displayed on our knick knack shelves! ❤

Johnny’s mom, on the other hand, loves to find those unique little somethings that we normally wouldn’t buy for ourselves. I love the gorgeous sketchpad that I received complete with a set of colored pencils so I can craft amateur masterpieces. I have zero talent for art but, hey, it’s exciting to create and Johnny’s mom requested a Lil Red Original to hang up. I’m looking forward to giving it my best shot! Also included was a stunning pair of earrings as well as goodies in my favorite scent from Bath & Body Works – Champagne Toast. Or as Johnny would call it, “Champagne & Toast” lol.

The piece de resistance of our presents has got to be the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Monopoly board. Johnny’s family has watched this movie on every Christmas day since it came out in 1989 and it is our favorite tradition. It is never not funny and we basically recite the entire movie every time we watch it. This year, we will watch it together with his aunt on Little Christmas because we need her vocals for the “Hey, Santa Claus” song! In lieu of watching the flick, we played Monopoly instead and had a blast. Johnny ran away with it but I am confident we can band together and beat his butt next time!!! 😀

Christmas day with my second family was absolutely fabulous and I can’t wait to do it all again on Little Christmas!

How did you celebrate the holidays? What is your favorite gift that you got? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec27

Blogging Bestie Holiday Haul

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Blogging Bestie Holiday Haul

Hello!! When lifewithlilred first began in 2014, the blogosphere gods smiled down on me and I mean that most sincerely. I started my blog as a fun and creative space for myself, yes, but I was also hoping to meet new friends and the world said “Have a best one, instead”. Cue Kate of Live In The Nautical! One day shortly after my blog was live, Kate and I started talking and literally have never stopped since lol. We may live states away but in my head she is right across the street and my days feel incomplete without us texting at least a few novels back and forth per day! Kate is my Gemini Twin and, like me, she revels in a gift giving occasion. We live for picking out that perfect something for everyone on our list and she absolutely crushed with these Christmas prezzies:

Talk about a fabulous haul, amiright?! This past month has been so exciting because my Santa Mail from Kate was broken up into three individual packages. I knew they were on the way but didn’t know when they would show up which just added to the anticipation! The first gift that arrived was the Darknight botanical brick set. This was a full stop gift in itself because I am most fond of the Lego Botanical sets but they are something I wouldn’t purchase for myself. I also adore being gifted with flowers and the beauty of this gift is that these will never die! I can’t wait to put it together with Johnny for a coffee table centerpiece. Also that delightfully spooky palette will make a welcome addition to our all year round Halloween decor. 😀

The next gift to be delivered was the pinky red customized Yeti tumbler and it made me clutch my pearls. Kate is, hands down, the most thoughtful person AND gift giver I know and this prezzie is a testament to that. It features my blog’s name on one side and my tagline on the other and it just makes me so happy. I am a huge fan of a good tumbler and this is my all time favorite. The hydration factor is nice but the repping my brand factor is even nicer! This gift arrived in the mail weeks ago but I am still not even close to being over it and I suspect I never will be. ❤

The last gift from my bestie haul was a gorgeous pair of earrings by McChang. Kate knows my style so well and these earrings would definitely have come home with me if I found them while shopping. I have a substantial collection of earrings featuring daggers and now I’m upgraded to a full fledged sword lol. My new earrings are a double dangle which I love and the details of the stacked jewels and burnt orange gems are oh so pretty. So looking forward to breaking these beauties out in a new OOTD!

Thank you to my darling Kate for the most wonderful friendship and wonderful gifts. I love you so!

How did you and your best friend meet? How do you celebrate holidays together? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec19

Spirit Christmas Haul

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Spirit Christmas Haul

Hello! This past week I took a trip to Spirit Christmas and had a complete blast. Spirit Christmas is basically Spirit Halloween… But Christmas lol and the setup is the same. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by a walk through of motion activated decor and there is also an area filled to the brim with inflatable lawn decor. And, oh yeah, beaucoup holiday themed T-shirts, costumes, ugly sweaters, stockings, and ornaments. For my holiday OOTD, I had a vision of a Sabrina Carpenter inspired ensemble. The sweater vest below is for my “naughty” OOTD and the T-shirt is for the “nice” version! Check it out:

Prior to visiting Spirit Christmas I was browsing on a few online stores for a holiday OOTD. However, I didn’t make any purchases as I had never bought from them before and wasn’t sure of how the clothes would fit. The last thing I wanted to do was to make last minute returns and exchanges so I decided shopping in store was the best way to go. Although Spirit Christmas had a handful of pre-assembled costumes, they were a bit too basic for my liking. Luckily, they had stand alone options too so I pieced together my OOTD and I am loving it!

The first thing I clocked was the Christmas tree inspired mini skirt and I knew I could work with that. It is just so festive and FUN with that sparkling tinsel and disco ball style ornaments. I cannot wait to twirl and swirl in it and am happy to have it as I have literally no holiday season themed clothing. I think this skirt is the best place to start! The next order of business was finding a top to pair it with. I bypassed the ugly sweaters because they were upwards of seventy dollars and that was way too expensive to justify. That was no matter because who needs an ugly sweater when you have a Step Brothers T-shirt and sweater vest? 😀

In the T-shirt department, I snatched the Step Brothers T as soon as I saw it. It’s literally perfect lol. Step Brothers is one of my all time favorite movies and I all but have it memorized. Nothing says Season’s Greetings like Dale and Brennan sending their well wishes for an activity filled Christmas and it was just what I needed for my “nice” OOTD. For the “naughty” portion, I simply could not say no to the “Santa’s Favorite Ho” sweater vest because LOLOLOL. This little number is so sassy and downright hilarious and it’s going to look amazing with the mini skirt. It’s a Sabrina Carpenter style OOTD Lil Red’s way to the T and I couldn’t ask for anything more. ❤

I cannot wait to show off my naughty and nice OOTDs so stay tuned all holiday season long on lifewithlilred for more fashion fun!

Are you dressing up in a costume for the holidays? Did you get a new outfit to celebrate in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov24

Funko Pop Haul

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Funko Pop Haul

Hi!! A few weekends ago I attended Akron Comicon with Johnny and my big bro. It is our tradition to go together and we look forward to it every year! Akron Comicon is the place to be to celebrate any and all fandoms, meet new friends, and shop til you drop. From walls of Lego Minifigs to outstanding artwork and collectables of all kinds, it is so much fun to walk through the vendors peddling their wares. One of the stands was selling Funko Pops for half off which was SUCH a steal and we ended up walking away with four more to add to our collection. Check it out:

Our haul definitely erred on the side of Christmas with a side of music for good measure. I was absolutely elated when Johnny found Luke Spiller, the front man of The Struts. This is one I have coveted for a while as they are one of our favorite bands and we were lucky enough to see them in Cleveland this past August. Experiencing The Struts live was one of our bucket list concerts and it was unforgettable. I still can’t quite believe it and our new Funko is such a fantastic nod to our big night out. ❤

On a polar opposite note, the remainder of our haul paid homage to our all time favorite Christmas movies. Ever since Johnny and I started dating, it is our tradition to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol together every Christmas. I am treated to a concert starring Johnny as he knows every song by heart. I must say, last year’s performance was probably the best one yet and we were both impressed with his character voice work lol. There is nothing humbug about our new Scrooge Funko, though! How cute is that?! It even comes complete with his first gift he received – a red scarf. :*)

Last but not least was our little pride and joys from Jingle All The Way. This is not just a Christmas movie to us but a year round flick and we must watch it at least ten times per year. We love an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle and this one holds strangely sentimental sentiments. When Johnny and I had our first conversation on Facebook Messenger, I scrolled through his page and saw that the only thing he posted in literal months was a video of the “Put the cookie down – NOW!” scene. It really humored me and I knew he was a keeper! Also we just LOVE that Howard As Turbo Man is holding a little Turbo Man Funko!! 😀

This Funko Pop Haul was a collection of a few of our favorite things and we got them for a steal. You can’t beat that!

Do you collect anything? Do you have any Funko Pops? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct14

Amazing Bath & Body Works Haul

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Amazing Bath & Body Works Haul

Hello! I was due for a reup of my beloved foaming hand soaps from Bath & Body Works and made a shopping trip this past Tuesday. I was armed with a free travel size product and twenty percent off coupon and was ready to save money AND smell all the things! I walked in knowing exactly what I needed but Bath & Body Works told me what I needed… And that was seventy-five percent off their Halloween fragrances! It honestly couldn’t have come at a better time because I was running dangerously low on lotion. Between the $3.50 hand soap promotion the store was running, Semi-Annual Sale pricing on Halloween goodies, and my coupons I ended up making out like a bandit. I got the fifteen products you see below for thirty-seven dollars even! How amazing is that?! Let’s discuss some of these scents:

Pearberry: Pearberry is one of my all time favorite throwback scents and I couldn’t believe it was available in hand soap form. Normally I have to wait for a Semi-Annual Sale to score this fragrance! For those of you who don’t recall, Pearberry offers notes of “anjou pear, wild berries, and golden freesia”. It is a primarily pear fragrance with the slightest tartness from the berries and a hint of freesia floral. I love a good fruity fragrance with no floral notes but Pearberry has always been the exception!

Frosted Cranberry: With Halloween scents out the door, holiday fragrances were in full swing at B&BW and Frosted Cranberry is one of my faves. This is a sweet/tart scent with notes of “frosted cranberry, red delicious apple, and blonde wood”. I can’t speak for the blonde wood lol but this is a perfect holiday fragrance. It invokes freshly baked cranberry scones, falling snow, and a crackling fire. I can’t get enough of it and it seriously smells good enough to eat.

Whipped White Cocoa: This scent is exactly what the fragrance notes describe with “white chocolate, frothy milk, and whipped cream” and it is absolutely delicious! It’s such a true match to the real drink that one smell will have you feeling like you are holding a warm cup of cocoa between your hands. I am a huge fan of this one!

Milk Bar Birthday Cake: Mmmmm… “Layered vanilla cake, creamy frosting, and rainbow sprinkles”? Yes, please! The Milk Bar Birthday Cake in its delightful pink packaging is such a treat and smells like it too. If you’re like me and love a cakey, vanilla scent then you cannot skip on this one. It smells just like cake batter!

Vampire Blood: This is a scent we have discussed a few times before on lifewithlilred so peep the review here. Other than I Scream Float, this is my favorite Halloween fragrance hands down. 😀

I Scream Float: This is also a scent that you can read a review for but I do need to repeat one thing: I Scream Float smells EXACTLY like Diet Coke and if you are as fond of the most delightful beverage in the world as I am, it is a complete must!! ❤

Cookie Butter Truffle: Can you tell that I live for dessert fragrances?! With notes of “cookie butter (As the name implies lol), whipped cream, and vanilla extract you are going to be craving a homemade cookie with each use. This is my least favorite one of the bunch because I actually smell a lot of cinnamon in it, which I despise. Definitely will skip on this one in the future.

As well as my hand soaps, I purchased a couple of wallflowers, body cream, a fragrance spray, and shower gel. Evil Queen is the only one from that batch we haven’t talked about previously so let’s get to it:

Evil Queen: The Disney Villains line was also part of the seventy-five percent off promo and whatever came in the green bottle STANK. I think it was the Maleficent fragrance? I wouldn’t say Evil Queen is my favorite scent in the world but I needed lotion and it was infinitely better than my other option! This scent features notes of “dark red apple, vanilla suede, and wicked pear”. This is a really light fragrance and I wish it had more oomph because I love everything in the fragrance notes. Great in a pinch but I wouldn’t purchase it again.

Thanks to this fabulous haul, I am going to be well set with my bath and body care until the winter Semi-Annual Sale rolls around. I still can’t get over the price for so many goodies and ended up saving a total of one hundred twenty dollars!!!!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works throwback scent? Where do you like to shop for bath and body care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah