Tag Archives: haul

Dec14

New Philosophy Sweater

Posted on December 14, 2022 by lifewithlilred

Hello! While I love to get pampered with my monthly fill and trips to the hair salon, my favorite form of spoiling myself is with some good old fashioned retail therapy. This past week, I did just that at TJMaxx after tricking myself into thinking I was only going to go there to pick up some more skin care. I knew that that was a bust as soon as I walked into the store and couldn’t help myself from at least taking a peek at the clothing selection. And, here we are now three jackets and one sweater later lol. But hey, I figured I deserved a treat too after just completing my Christmas shopping! Check out the first item from my TJMaxx Haul – a gorgeous little striped sweater by Philosophy:

I have to admit, my winter fashion game during the work week is totally different than what you see in my cold weather OOTDs. Besides two or three short shifts with other clients, I am mainly working at my parents’ home Monday through Friday and I can tell. I basically only wear hoodies to work! Part of it is the cold and the other part is sheer laziness/lack of desire on my part lol. For these past few months, fashion has been far from my mind because things have been hectically awful in Lil Red’s world. However, a recent upswing has put myself back in the mood for actually getting dressed for work and I was happy to find some new clothes to reflect that. Of course, there is nothing wrong with dressing casually for work or literally whenever, but I do feel my best when I put at least some effort into my appearance and I was severely neglecting that.

I wasn’t planning on going clothing crazy at TJs but when I saw this darling sweater by Philosophy, I was already too far gone to turn back! My first thought was that it would be perfect to wear for work and would still be something comfortable to wear without being lounge ware. I loved the bold, colorful stripes against the black base and the poppy colors bring a smile to my face, especially considering the dreary and grey December weather.

The fit of this sweater is also VERY NICE and it has just a touch of additional wiggle room, which I like. It is form fitting enough without being too tight and this was appealing to me because the clothing racks seemed to be swimming with oversized options. This Philosophy sweater hit right at the waistline of my jeans but was by no means cropped and it was really flattering. I mean, obviously, lol I wouldn’t have bought it if that weren’t the case! 😀

Although my mental health is still not the best at this moment in time, your girl is still trucking. My new twenty dollar sweater (Total steal!) made me feel encouraged to put my fashion armor back on and bring some Lil Red style back into the work week. I consider this money well spent!

How do you know when you’re in a rut? What helps you get through it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec13

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Posted on December 13, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! After reorganizing my work bag, I realized that I had a ten dollar rewards certificate from TJMaxx due to my expert spending this year lol. I couldn’t have stumbled upon this at a better time because I was running low on lots of my skin care staples and decided to take a TJs trip during a free afternoon. As always, I told myself that I was only going to look at beauty products but that was just a lie to make myself feel better because you all know I got some clothes too! Take a look at what should have been my only purchases during my shopping and keep it posted for what I treated myself with:

Prior to the pandemic, I would say that I was going to TJMaxx at least bimonthly and would restock my beauty products as needed. This worked for me at the time but my shopping process has certainly changed since 2020. Now, when I make it to my beloved TJMaxx (It has been over three months since my last visit!), I stock up on what I need so that I don’t have to keep returning back. An all around restock was definitely what I needed this time around and all of the products seen above will last me close to four months. I consider this a blessing because it will keep me away from all of the temptations of winter clearance! 😀

My skin care routine is a fairly simple one that includes a scrub, cleanser, micellar water, serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. I use most of these products twice daily and it is easy to see why I would go to TJs in shorter intervals because some of the items can get used up rather quickly. I am used to finishing a product like a serum or moisturizer every month but I had a revelation while writing my November 2022 Finishes post: Sometimes, bigger is better. This past month, I finished up a gigantic tub of moisturizer that lasted me close to a month and a half. It really blew my mind and I thought that I would incorporate my discovery into this skin care restock, as you can see by the huge bottles of serum! I was disappointed that I couldn’t find any similar sizes of moisturizer to the Pearlessence one that I used and loved but what can ya do?

There are lots of new to me products in my skin care haul that I am excited to try out like the eye cream and Neutrogena cleanser. I actually just used the SpaLife serum with the beads in it and it was pretty good. Yes, I mainly bought it because it looked cool! But I digress. I am most looking forward to trying the Dope Dreams sleeping mask by ELF. I have used a CBD moisturizer before that I wasn’t too impressed with but this mask intrigued me. Keep checking back for a new Face Mask Festivities about it soon!

I am obsessed with skin care all year round but it just hits different in the winter. When I saw my go to products running low, it was off to TJs I went and I think I should be pretty well stocked until spring! 😀

What is your winter skin care routine like? What is your favorite skin care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec10

Happy Haulidays: Blogging Bestie Edition

Posted on December 10, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Happy Haulidays: Blogging Bestie Edition

Hello!!! Kate from Live In The Nautical has been one of my best friends for well over eight years. She was one of the first people who I came in contact with when lifewithlilred first began and the rest is history. These past few months have been difficult on our friendship. No, we absolutely did not have a falling out – we have both just been crazy freaking busy. My poor bestie was severely under the weather and my life was insane with a month of almost daily trips to downtown Cleveland to visit a loved one at the Cleveland Clinic.

They say that the holidays bring people together and this was so true for both of your favorite bloggers. This past Monday, I received Kate’s Christmas prezzie in the mail and the best friend telepathy was still as strong as ever. I had been waiting since Friday for Etsy links to the gifts I wanted to purchase for her!! As always, Kate spoiled me rotten and I can’t wait to relax with all of these goodies from Lush. I can feel my worries soaking away already! Check it out:

Anyone who follows me on my blog or social media knows that my husband and I share a deep love for Halloween and all things macabre. As you can see, Kate knows this too and turned my Christmas gifts into a part two celebration of the happiest time of the year for me. As soon as I opened my package, I knew that there were Lush products involved because I could smell them right away! Kate is so thoughtful because she knows that I would take a bath with a Lush bath bomb every day if I could but I literally never buy them for myself.

I cannot wait to pamper myself with all of these wonderful bath time treats and it is truly a two part present because it gives me the gift of content! Keep it posted for brand new Bath Bomb Blitz posts to see the scary good results of each product. While I am looking forward to using all of my gifts, I think I am most excited to try the Black Rose bath bomb. And, of course, I am especially partial to the vampire bubble bar or, as Lush cleverly calls it, the Bubble Lugosi lol! 😀

Kate’s Halloween themed Christmas gifts were all treats and no tricks. Not only did she go above and beyond with Lush goodies galore but she also got me a super cool music sheet of This Is Halloween from the Nightmare Before Christmas. It is going to look so amazing framed and hung up on mine and Johnny’s art wall! Anything that adds to the Halloween decor in my apartment is a GREAT SUCCESS of a gift and I also love the front and back of the protective covering she put the music sheet in. The skeleton couple on the back is definitely me and Johnny!

A month ago, I was not looking forward to Christmas at all. However, the holiday season got started with a bang after I received my gift in the mail from Kate. We are reunited and it feels so good and this Grinch’s heart is bursting at the seams!! ❤

What is your favorite Lush product? What gets you in the holiday spirit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov10

Sweet Surprises: Husband’s Haul Edition

Posted on November 10, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past weekend, Johnny and my brother visited a Comicon event that was happening right down the street from us at a banquet center. Like the last time that they went to a similar event this past summer, both guys walked away with a ton of awesome purchases from the vendors that were set up. By the time I returned home after their outing, Johnny was already out for the evening. But, he told me the amount of goodies he set up throughout the apartment and it was like a scavenger hunt to find them all! Check it out:

As I wandered around the apartment trying to find all of Johnny’s purchases, I couldn’t quite believe it – everything was just so cool! I also loved that he knew exactly what I would have bought for myself if I had been able to come because I would have been all over that Sam Minifig from Trick ‘R Treat. The Link Minifig that Johnny got for himself also looks fantastic next to our collection of Legend Of Zelda amiibos. And, of course, our Funko Pop collection continues to grow with figures from our favorite holiday flick, Jingle All The Way. Now, I just need to get my hands on a Turbo Man Funko! 😀

What really blew my mind from Johnny’s haul was the perler bead art of R2D2 and Duck Hunt. Perler beads were something that I constantly played with when I was little and I hadn’t really thought about them until seeing our new wall art. The Duck Hunt one is so clever and I wish that I came up with the idea myself! In fact, I kind of want to try some perler bead kits in my free time – although it might be kind of difficult with my talon nails lol smh.

The most noticeable change in our apartment’s decor is, obviously, the huge horror movie icon prints that Johnny got from the hosts of Transylvania Tonight. All of these were painted by “Drac” and both him and “Countess Carita” signed the print of one of their advertisement shots. From what Johnny told me, they both definitely seem like our kind of people and I can’t get over how spectacular each print is. As soon as I saw them hanging up thanks to Johnny’s handiwork, I literally clutched my pearls!

I am so proud of my Johnny’s Comicon haul and I wish that I could have joined in the fun with him and my brother. However, it’s probably a good thing that I had other plans because our whole apartment would be overrun with purchases!

Have you ever been to a Comicon before? What is your favorite horror movie? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct3

Bath & Body Works Mini Haul

Posted on October 3, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I had a couple of free coupons to cash in at Bath & Body Works and they couldn’t have come at a better time. My lotion supply in the stock pile has been running low and you can also never have too much shower gel! Because of my fear that I would be rang up by an employee who followed the “limit one free coupon per day” rule, I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to buy two more wallflowers too. *Spoiler alert* the cashier didn’t care lol and I got all of the following for six bucks:

A little fun fact about me is that I don’t really like birthday cake (It’s a texture thing) but I LOVE birthday cake ice cream and anything scented like it. I had never seen the Happy Birthday scent at Bath & Body Works before and was all over it like bees to honey. The scent description is “frosted vanilla” and it most certainly is! It smells just like a freshly made rich vanilla cake and I’ve already taken fifty plus whiffs of it while writing this. I am SO happy that I was able to get both the lotion and shower gel for free so if you catch scent of a freshly made pastry while out and about, it’s probably just me. 😀

As you all know, prior to purchasing my Halloween themed wallflower holders from B&BW, I was very much against buying them. This wasn’t because I didn’t like the idea of the product itself because I did. It was more of the fact that I would like them too much and it would just be another item that I’d have to keep up with buying. However, here we are now six wallflowers in and I ain’t mad about it. They are an absolute delight!

Johnny and I are currently using the Wild Berry Tea Spritzer and Honey Crisp Apple wallflowers. As expected, my favorite scent of apple is divine but we both can hardly smell the tea spritzer. I would have bought another Honey Crisp Apple if it was available but, alas, it wasn’t so I settled for Mahogany Apple, instead. There wasn’t a tester open of this scent so I’m not sure what it smells like but I’m hoping that the woodsy fragrances won’t overpower the apple. We’ll find out soon enough.

Since the tea spritzer wallflower was a bust, I decided to go with something that I knew I would enjoy and that is Gingham Love. I am obsessed with the Gingham line and when they added Love I almost lost my shit – it was my favorite scent this summer! With all of the original crispness of Gingham and juicy berries thrown in for good measure, Gingham Love is the sequel scent that I didn’t know I needed. It is the perfect summer in fall fragrance and I can’t wait to use the wallflower!

You just can’t beat six dollars for four products and I am thrilled with this B&BW Mini Haul. Is it bad that I’m already daydreaming about their holiday scents?!

What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? What is your favorite B&BW fragrance season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct1

Mini Halloween Haul

Posted on October 1, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! It is spooky season all year long in mine and Johnny’s world and the decor in our apartment reflects this. We love all things horror and true crime and Halloween is the happiest time of the year for us. Now that we are settled comfortably in our new apartment, we really wanted to upgrade our spooky decor since we have so much more additional space.

After a wildly successful haul at Marc’s, a discount store in my neck of the woods, I was itching to go back. I got all kinds of cool Halloween goodies and the best part was seeing the same items I purchased at Walgreen’s for triple the cost. The haul below costed me a whole ten bucks at Marc’s and from the Akron Zoo when I went with my nieces and sister. You can peep the OOTD from our outing tomorrow! Now, let’s take a look-see at my new Halloween treats – no tricks necessary!

^^^ The little ghost and pumpkin are from the zoo, the rest is from Marc’s.

My Johnny has a huge collection of Halloween themed socks and he actually just bought a ton more from TJMaxx when we went last week. I was so proud! I’d be a liar if I said that I wasn’t a tad jealous so I was so happy to find some socks of my own at Marc’s. They are also the same brand of the Frankenstein socks that Johnny surprised me with last year and that I’m currently wearing right now! While my collection will never achieve Johnny level, it’s a pretty good start. 😀

The skull candles were a whopping two for a dollar and I am obsessed with them. 1) Talk about a STEAL and 2) they will be perfect for our scary movie marathons every weekend! The piece de resistance of my haul, however, is the skeleton hand candle holder. This costed me two dollars and I couldn’t believe my good luck. It reminded me so much of this year’s Bath & Body Works Halloween line and probably would have been selling for twenty or more bucks from there. Talk about an amazing find!

And, finally, who knew you could find some Halloween cuteness at the zoo?! At the Akron Zoo, you have to exit through the gift shop and it’s a total money trap lol. I love spoiling my nieces with a new stuffed animal every time we go, though, so what can ya do except buy a treat for yourself too! Every year, Johnny and I work on instilling a love of Halloween in our oldest niece, Val. It’s definitely working and she picked out the pumpkin for herself. She also plays with the decorations on our spooky shelf whenever she comes over. Proud aunt and uncle alert!! ❤

Not bad for a ten dollar haul, right? Mine and Johnny’s apartment is filling up nicely with Halloween decor and it is what we have always wanted. A local discount store with the coolest spooky treats is really helping the cause!

What is your favorite discount store? Do you have your Halloween decorations out yet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep26

Halloween Treats (No Tricks!)

Posted on September 26, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Last weekend, Johnny and I went to TJMaxx AND got Mexican food after an OOTD shoot (Keep it posted for that!). It was literally all of my favorite activities in one morning and it was a HOOT! Of course, whenever I go to TJs, it is physically impossible for me to leave without a little treat for myself or someone else. My purchases included an amazing houndstooth vest by Sincerely Jules as well as these fun Halloween goodies:

When it comes to my own personal philosophy on fashion, I place style over comfort every single time. If I like something enough, I will make it work even if it is slightly uncomfortable. In fact, other than pajamas, two pairs of leggings, and a couple of hoodies everything I own is runway ready. This is just me but I would rather spend my money on a great pair of jeans over a pair of sweats any day of the week – sue me for it!

The Better/Together cropped Halloween sweater broke this mindset clean in two because it is quite possibly the most comfortable thing that I have ever owned. It is the softest, coziest little number and, oh yeah, it’s cute too! As soon as I saw it, I thought that it would be just perfect for snuggling up in and watching scary movies. It will also be great for a brisk day at the pumpkin patch with Johnny, my nieces, or clients for some Halloween fun.

Once I completed a super quick once over of the clothing department (I knew Johnny wouldn’t approve of my standard two round process), we headed to the home decor section. I couldn’t believe my luck that another Royal Stafford plate pattern was available because I am obsessed with them. I have quite the collection of their spooky themed plates and always have to buy one if they’re there. This new addition might just be my favorite yet and it’s basically me and Johnny! Although they are way too pretty to eat off of, I like having them just to have them lol. I’ll find out some cool way to incorporate my plates into my apartment decor… eventually. 😉

There were no tricks to this mini TJMaxx Haul, just lots of treats! Stay tuned on lifewithlilred for a brand new OOTD and more Halloween happiness! 😀

Do you have any scary movie recommendations? What do you value more, style or comfort? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep14

Marc’s Halloween Haul

Posted on September 14, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! In my neck of the woods, there is a discount store called Marc’s that offers everything from food and clothing to toys and home goods. This past week, they also had a ton of Halloween goodies that I just had to snag for the apartment. Everything was SO cute and also way cheaper than anything you would find at TJMaxx and Walmart. Take a look:

It is Halloween year round in mine and Johnny’s home and our decor includes skeletons, pumpkins, ghosts, ghouls, and a Jason Voorhees cardboard cutout lol. Our neighbor gave us this life size likeness and it still freaks me out sometimes! I have taken it upon myself to freshen up our Halloween stock pile this year and just couldn’t say no to the above purchases – especially considering I got all of them for under twenty-five dollars. 😀

I am particularly partial to the glittery hanging skeleton with the bow tie and Johnny loves the skeleton and scepter statue. Our niece, Valerie, always wants to play with our ghost figurines when she comes over so I think she will be a huge fan of the “BOO” ghost statue! As soon as I brought this haul home, it was like a kid in a candy store and Johnny added them to our spooky shelves throughout the apartment. SO. Precious!

While chain stores might have a bigger selection of Halloween goodies, don’t write off the discount stores. I have never seen anything like my purchases at Marc’s elsewhere so you are sure to find some very unique pieces if you know where to look. Now, is it Halloween yet?!

Where is your favorite place to shop for seasonal decor? How do you decorate for Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep4

New Rachel Zoe Sweater

Posted on September 4, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello and welcome to the last new purchase from my TJMaxx Haul! When I go shopping, I usually know instantly if a piece of clothing is going to work for me just by looking at it. I am a seasoned pro, after all, and I am well versed in the styles, shapes, and colors that work best for my body type, hair color, and complexion. This little number by Rachel Zoe is a prime example of that and I fell in love as soon as I saw it:

Similarly to my new DKNY sweater that you saw yesterday, I gasped when I saw this Rachel Zoe sweater. The shape is almost identical to my favorite chartreuse sweater by Cynthia Rowley and I haven’t found anything like it since buying it three years ago. I am living for the mock turtle neck, form fitting but not too tight fit, and diamond block pattern. The ultra soft material and all of the fun styling potentials are the cherry on top!

Thanks to my sixth sense when it comes to clothing, all I had to do was slip this sweater on and off for a second or two to know that it was a must have. And, within that time, visions of fabulous fall OOTDs began to swirl inside my head. I can’t wait to sport my new sweater with skinny jeans, brown ankle boots, and my Peter Grimm hat. It will be the perfect look for a leisurely autumn hike. I also love the idea of pairing it over top of a maxi dress or skirt for something more dressed up. This sweater screams “fall” and I am so there for it. 😀

Autumn is amazing for many reasons – cooler weather, leaves changing colors, Halloween and, oh yeah – the clothes. Keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for all of the fall OOTDs coming soon!

What is your fall style like? How would you style this sweater? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep3

New DKNY Sweater

Posted on September 3, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! What was supposed to be some light shopping at TJMaxx turned into a full blown haul because fall clothes are back in stores, baby! While I had fun styling all kinds of summer looks, I am beyond ready for the crisp days of autumn. Oh yeah, and literally all of the sweaters, cardigans, coats, and cold weather accessories too. With the greatest season of all at the forefront of my mind, I just couldn’t say no to this darling DKNY sweater:

^^^ Originally seventy dollars and I got it for thirty. NICE!

When I first saw this sweater, I literally clutched my pearls because it features what is, apparently, my new favorite trend: Sheer sleeves. This little DKNY number reminded me of my new Zara top that I got last haul and I knew that it would be a winner. As a heavily tattooed lady, it is always sad for all of them to get covered up come cold weather. Sheer sleeves allow for the tattoos on my arms to still be seen and I am so there for it. It’s seriously the perfect fix for the seasonal problem of forgetting what tattoos I even have until it gets warm out again lol.

Of course, my new sweater will look amazing with black super skinny jeans and ankle boots. Throwing on a huge floppy hat with it is also a definite must. I also have visions of pairing this sweater with a sweet skater skirt, cableknit tights, and a fun pair of heels. I think that it will be an awesome look for date night or family holiday gatherings.

I love refreshing my wardrobe with a few new pieces as the seasons change to keep things interesting. I consider this DKNY sweater and the Rachel Zoe one that you will see tomorrow as ideal additions to my fall clothes. I can’t wait to wear them!

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

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