Tag Archives: holidays

Valentine’s Day Gifts For You

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Valentine’s Day Gifts For You

Hi! The last two posts on lifewithlilred were special for the couples celebrating Valentine’s Day. But what happens if you’re riding solo this year on V-Day? Of course, moping in bed with chocolate and chick flicks is always a viable option, but if you want something more out of Valentine’s Day even though you’re single as a Pringle, then this post is for you!

Treat Yoself:

If you envy the guys and gals that are being spoiled on V-Day, then spoil yourself, instead. Take a trip to the mall or scroll through your favorite online store with a glass of wine in hand and get yourself a special V-Day treat. Nothing perks the mood up like a new pair of shoes, a Pandora bracelet, or some bath and body care goodies. Be good to yourself on Valentine’s Day and get spoiled rotten by the most important person on the planet… you!

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Galentine’s Day:

Misery loves company, so grab all of the single ladies in your life and have a day together. Watch some rom-coms, drink some wine, and eat all of the chocolate – because that literally sounds like a perfect day! And if you’re feeling frisky, you can get yourselves dolled up during the evening and go out for a night on the town. Members of the opposite sex, who?

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Single’s Party:

If you’re looking to celebrate singleness on a larger scale, then give hosting a Single’s Party a go. Round up your infamously single friends, and give them a place to celebrate among like minded people for the night. Do be sure to play “Love Hurts” on repeat the entire time! You can even plan the evening in a potluck style manner and have your guests bring their favorite break up vices to share, so you should have plenty of booze, pizza, and candy for all.

(And, as always, I have no rights to this song or video!)

Focus On Other Things:

If you would feel better about Valentine’s Day by just pretending that it doesn’t exist, then that’s fine too! Go about your day as normal, but maybe do something a little special for yourself to not make V-Day a total bust. Order your favorite takeout, grab a new nail polish color from the store and give yourself a manicure, or just tuck in early with the book that you’ve been meaning to read for months. Valentine’s Day is only a big deal to the people who make it out to be, so if it’s not your thing, then don’t let it get in the way of going about your day.

Whether you’re treating yourself to a shopping spree or if the real Valentine’s Day gift for you is spending it with your friends, just try and enjoy your day as best as you can. No matter how you spend it, V-Day isn’t an excuse for the day to be an instant throw away. And, who knows, you could end up having a lot of fun by starting new traditions with friends or by riding solo and vegging out to your must watch or read list!

How do you treat your sassy, single self on Valentine’s Day? Do you have any V-Day traditions with your friends? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Mr Tumblr

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Him

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Valentine’s Day Gifts For Him

Okay! Yesterday, we talked about some amazing V-Day gift ideas for her. But, now it’s time to hear it for the boys. I’ve noticed throughout the years that some guys are incredibly easy to shop for, while others are damn near impossible. So no matter what difficulty level your boyfriend is on the gifting scale, there are sure to be some ideas that you can work with below. Let’s get to it:

First Of All:

The first thing that I mentioned yesterday was that a card is a necessity in a Valentine’s Day gift for a girlfriend. And, coincidentally, the same goes for your man candy. Guys like romance, too! They might just not be as outward and vocal about it. What do you love about your boyfrand? What makes him different from literally every single guy on the planet? Write it out! Underneath all of the fart jokes and actual farting, there is a sensitive ball of mush in your boyfriend and a card can be just the way to tap into that.

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Definitely not this one!! ^^^

Dapper Dudes:

Does your guy love to get suited up, duded up, and fancy free every chance he can get? Accessories can be a great way to go, then. Enhance the fance with pocket squares, tie clips, cuff links, watches (Wrist or pocket!), and ties. All of these things will take his ensemble to the next level and it will add your personal touch to each of his looks. This is an incredibly thoughtful way to go, especially if your man has a passion for fashion.

Another way to spoil your dapper man is with some pampering. This could be booking a couples massage session or even using a mobile barber in New York or your local area. You can bring the salon to him, and he’ll get a fresh cut just in time for a romantic evening out!

Give Him Some Sugar:

My best friend and I have made chocolate truffles together and it was so much fun and totally delicious. Reach out to your girls and plan an evening to set up bake shop. Sweet treats always go down well and it’s even better when they’re hand made just for him. Throw on a rom-com, pour the wine, and enjoy a bake night with your friends. And, yes, you can taste test! 😀

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^ I promise this chocolate was more delicious than it looks!

Gamer Guys:

A favorite way to pass time for a lot of guys is spent by playing video games. If this sounds like your significant other, get competitive with him and take him out for a night of gaming fun. So many bars now feature arcade games, new and old school, to enjoy and that can be an amazing way to spend an evening. If no bars around you have the arcade game option, Dave & Buster’s or other similar establishments work just as well.

Hone In On Hobbies:

Many a man really enjoys experience gifts rather than sentimental trinkets. So what are some of your boyfriend’s hobbies? Does he love music? Is he a fan of trying different beers when he can? Maybe he loves to cook? Take what your guy enjoys and turn it into a date night. He’ll be shocked that you remembered and touched that you want to share his interests with him.

Still Need Some More Options?

  • Treating your S/O to dinner and a movie is a nice surprise, especially if he doesn’t pick the restaurant or flick very often.
  • If your guy has a beard or is picky about his hair, a trip to the barber to get duded up is a great option. Definitely include his favorite products and beard balm!
  • Couple’s massages, anyone?
  • Does your boyfriend work out? Paying for a few months of his gym membership is sure to please!

And Remember:

As I said yesterday, it’s not about spending money but making memories! There are so many ways to spoil your boothang rotten without breaking the bank. Ball out if you want to, but creating a unique experience for your guy is what Valentine’s Day is all about! Make your day fun or make it romantic, but most importantly – make it special.

What are some of your gift ideas for him for V-Day? Does anyone have Valentine’s Day plans already? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Tumblr

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Her

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Valentine’s Day Gifts For Her

Bonjour! Valentine’s Day is slowly creeping up and just thinking about all of the people that are shopping for their significant other the day before the holiday is enough to give me anxiety. So, I decided to start the V-Day festivities early on lifewithlilred by doing a gift guide for her today and for him tomorrow.

Of course, flowers and chocolates are a great way to go and I would love to get that. But, if you’re on the hunt for something a bit more unique, try some of these ideas:

First Of All:

Okay guys and gals, a cute card is so necessary for your V-Day haul for your S/O. You may find it cheesy, but 99% of the population will find it sweet as can be. Write a heartfelt letter to your partner and don’t skimp on the romance. We’re talking the moment you knew you were in love, your first date memories, or a list of reasons why you love and admire your special someone. This is a great thing to do any time, but definitely pull out all of the stops this Valentine’s Day, which can be done with something as simple as writing a letter.

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Maybe not that one. ^^^

Gift An Experience:

The weather in February can still be pretty sketchy depending on where you live. But, the great thing about concerts is that, for the most part, they are usually indoors! Who is your honey’s favorite band or singer? AKA who do they constantly annoy you with by playing in the car?! A concert is a great date and you can even make a day of it by exploring the area where the venue is and don’t forget the pre-show dinner or drinks!

Pampering Party:

Everyone loves to pamper themselves in some way shape or form and a sultry V-Day surprise could involve an evening of luxury for your S/O. You can never go wrong with gifting bath and body care products and do be sure to throw in a few candles to light for good measure, as most specialty bath and body stores carry them. And guess what else they typically carry? MASSAGE OIL! Quick… Cue the slow jams:

(As always, I have no rights to this video!)

Ahhhh…. That’s the stuff. So, as I was saying:

Run some bath water and let your BOO (Because I don’t say bae!) pick from an assortment of bath bombs to use. Rose petals and bath oil is just as good, too! Have an array of lotions set out for afterwards and the massage oil handy to give a nice………..

FOOT RUB. 😉

Wine And Paint Night:

Many local establishments and bars host wine and paint nights and they are an absolute ball. Most places will even offer a special picture to paint for Valentine’s Day. This is a fresh and fun take on just going out to dinner and it offers a chance for both of you to show off your creative sides or unlock a talent that you didn’t even know was there.

Still Need Some More Options?

  • Mani/Pedis always go down well
  • A shopping trip to their most loved store
  • Cooking dinner (Don’t forget the wine or champagne!)
  • Taking a ballroom dance class
  • Paint your own pottery places are fun
  • Going to a museum (Art or history buffs will love that!)

And Remember…

The most important thing is doing something thoughtful for your loved one. Being showered with presents is nice, and anyone will agree to that. But, creating a happy and special memory is even better. And, keep in mind, that it is NEVER about how much money you spend, either! Ball on a budget or blow it out of the water, but at the end of the day spending a small fortune doesn’t guarantee a wonderful time.

What are some of your Valentine’s Day date ideas? What is one of your happiest V-Day memories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

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New Year’s Resolutions Worth Keeping

The clock strikes 12, it’s finally 2018. Everybody is celebrating and a lot of people are coming up with new year’s resolutions. A lot of them involve losing weight or drinking less alcohol and they don’t usually last that long. If you go to the gym at the beginning of January, it’ll be packed but just a few weeks later, half of those people have gone. The generic resolutions that people make often go out of the window because they just aren’t that valuable. If you really want to make something stick, you need to pick a great resolution that will make a significant positive change in your life, just like some of these:

Quit Smoking:

We don’t need to tell you that smoking is bad for your health so if you’re a smoker, the start of a new year is a great opportunity to try to quit. The reason that most people fail is because they try to go cold turkey straight away. It’s difficult to succeed that way and if you’re serious about quitting, you need some help. Get some e-cigarettes and CBD juice to replace the cigarettes. It’s not the ideal situation because you’re still relying on that e-cigarette but it’s a good stepping stone and it’s nowhere near as bad for your health. There is also loads of great free help and advice on quitting smoking that you can get, which you can speak to your doctor about.

Drink Less Alcohol:

The key word here is ‘less.’ If you try to cut out drinking completely, you’ll get to the end of the week and find that you fancy a drink with friends. There’s nothing wrong with having a casual drink once or twice a week. What you should be doing instead is just cutting down on drinking. For example, if you would have a drink after work during the week, cut that out and just stick to weekends. Or you could just go out on Saturday instead of Friday and Saturday. These small changes will improve your health and save you a bit of money, but they don’t constitute a huge change to your lifestyle like giving up drinking completely would.

Cut Out Toxic People:

Most new year’s resolutions are focused around improving yourself by cutting out unhealthy habits, but you probably haven’t thought about cutting out people. When you’re around people that are overly negative all of the time, that rubs off on you and it can really affect your mood. If you spend a lot of your time with people like this, it can make you feel very negative yourself which has a knock on effect on all areas of your life and stop you from improving yourself. Cutting somebody out of your life can be difficult and it’s often very awkward, but you’ve just got to be upfront about it. Simply tell them that you don’t want to be around them while they’re being so negative. In a lot of cases, you might find that it’s the kick they need to make a change in their own life and you won’t end up cutting them out at all.

These three resolutions are valuable ones that you can keep easily and will positively affect your health, mental health, and wallet.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition

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Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition

Helloooo everyone and welcome to the conclusion of my Holiday Haul, once again compliments of my sister. Kristen was truly the Christmas MVP this year so cue the applause for that wonderful woman! The Room is easily my favorite bad movie ever and it brings me so much joy introducing it to other people. It took Kristen a long time to accept The Room for the hilarity that it is, but her life changed for the better when she finally did.

We recently enjoyed a sister date night to see The Disaster Artist and were in stitches the entire time. Our next “The Room” related festivities include going to the midnight showing of it in Cleveland that happens monthly at an indie theater. I CAN’T WAIT! For Christmas, Kristen gifted me with two of the following prezzies that Tommy Wiseau would be proud of:

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Seen above is a shirt featuring the infamous tagline of “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa” with Tommy Wiseau in a moment of frustrated passion. There is also a homemade card that she ordered from the flower shop “Hi, doggy” scene. If that isn’t prezzie perfect, then I genuinely don’t know what is. Kristen and I were absolutely dying when I opened this gift and I am so excited to finally own some merchandise from The Room!

This Holiday Haul was incredibly successful and I had an amazing time celebrating Christmas with my family. The company, food, and tom foolery was all as good as it can get, and it was definitely one of my favorite Christmases yet.

So there you have it, my Holiday Haul Finale: The Room Edition! Who else is a fan of the infamously bad flick, The Room? What is your favorite cult film? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition

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Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition

Helloooo everyone! Today we are going to talk about a fabulous new scarf from my Holiday Haul compliments of my mom and Mr. Steve Madden. One thing that I love is really cool galaxy prints, and a scarf of the like caught my eye when my mom and I were shopping at TJMaxx. Other things trumped purchasing the scarf, and I had all but forgotten about it until Christmas day. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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It turns out that my mom went back to TJMaxx the following day to get this here scarf for me, because I did like it a lot! I was so surprised when I opened this present, because it was so thoughtful and sweet of my mom to make the trip back there just for one thing. I love all of the planets, stars, and different colors of this Steve Madden scarf. It’s such a fun pattern but it still looks chic and I can picture myself wearing it to work with a crisp white button down to let all of the planets pop!

I love bold accessories, like this scarf, because your outfit doesn’t need much afterwards. Throw on a cute pair of black booties and a sweet peacoat and you’re out the door in no time. This scarf is also perfect for playing around with makeup while wearing it, thanks to all of the gorgeous different colors featured in it. A navy smokey eye would look lovely or even a metallic liner for a cool galaxy pop.

So there you have it, the next part of my Holiday Haul in today’s Scarf Series: Intergalactic Planetary Edition! What is your favorite pattern to wear? How would you style this scarf? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Ensuring Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

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Ensuring Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick

The New Year is upon us, and if you’re like the majority of people in the western world, chances are that you’ve made a resolution or two. Perhaps you’ve decided to make 2018 the year you get serious about exercising, giving up drugs and alcohol, or volunteering in your local community.

Whatever your resolutions are, if you want to stick to them, you’re going to have to get serious because approximately 80 percent of all resolutions are broken by February! If you want to buck that trend, here are a few things that you can do:

Small Steps:

In January, it makes sense to start small. Instead of resolving to spend six days in the gym every week, start with two or three. That way, your resolutions will be much easier to stick to, and you can build upon them as time goes by instead of doing too much too soon, burning out and failing!

One Thing at a Time:

You might want to quit smoking, take up lifting, and eliminate any and all junk from your diet, but numerous studies have shown that the more you try to do, the less likely you are to succeed at changing any of your habits. So, instead of doing the traditional thing of writing down multiple resolutions and trying to work on them all at once, try working on one at a time. Once you’ve got the exercising habit down, then start working on your diet, and so on. Chances are you’ll be much more successful.

Share Them:

Whatever your New Year’s resolutions are, it’s always worth sharing them with others, whether that be friends, family, or even a dedicated support group. Why? Because once you let people know what your intentions are, you’ll be more motivated to stick to your goals and see results, so that you don’t let them down. Not only that but having the support of a group can make the whole process simpler.

Track It:

Whether you’re using an app to track how many pounds you’ve lost, a calendar to mark off every day you’ve gone without a drink/smoke/etc., or something like My Fitness Pal to log the nutritional value of your food, keeping track of your progress is a great way to keep your head in the game. Try it!

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Log that progress!

Seek Help:

Whether it’s a personal trainer, an intervention specialist, or your spouse, asking for help from someone who understands your issues and wants to help you overcome them can be a very effective way of not only sticking to your resolutions but of achieving your goals, too.

Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself:

Remind yourself that there isn’t such a thing as perfection. Just because you caved and ate a piece of cake a week after you vowed to give up sugar doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. The only thing that will make you a failure is throwing in the towel. Most people slip when they’re trying to make positive changes to their lives. But it is the ones who don’t beat themselves up, who stand back up, and keep fighting, who get to where they want to be eventually!

Good Luck!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition

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Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition

Hello!!! Basically all of my favorite gifts this Holiday Haul came from my sister, Kristen. Although our personal styles are very different, she always seems to know exactly what I would like. I like to think that the same goes for me, and it makes me feel good that we are close enough to pick out a slam dunk of a present every single time. This Christmas, Kristen treated me to a necklace from one of my favorite designers, Betsey Johnson. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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If there’s one thing that a Lil Red loves, it’s skulls on clothing and accessories. Normal old skulls, skeletons, sugar skulls – I love it all. I have already worn my gorgeous blinged out sugar skull necklace so many times and it seriously makes every single OOTD pop. I love the heart eyes, the flowers, and the ribbon threaded through the chain. It’s such a fun piece and it is SO obviously Betsey Johnson, which is what I love about her brand.

This necklace looks so pretty when it hits just above a V-neck top or against one of my many black sweaters. The pastel colors really make a statement, and it’s a fun edition to my wardrobe because I don’t have a lot of clothes or accessories in a pastel palette. Kristen took one of my favorite patterns and favorite designers and ran with it, and seriously hit the nail so hard on the head with this beautiful necklace. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! :*)

So there you have it, the next issue in my Holiday Haul with an Accessory Story: Betsey Johnson Edition! Who was gifted with jewelry this year? Who is your favorite designer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy New Year!!

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Happy New Year!!

Hellooooo everyone and welcome to 2018! Here’s to hoping that this is your best year yet, that you keep up with your resolutions, and that you accomplish great things in the new year. Enjoy your celebrations and thanks for sticking around with lifewithlilred! Much love. -Sarah

If The Shoe Fits: Qupid Edition

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If The Shoe Fits: Qupid Edition

Hellooo everyone and welcome to a special Holiday Haul edition of If The Shoe Fits, compliments of my sister, Kristen. Back in November, I sent my sibs a list of gift ideas for yours truly, because I’m pretty particular. Granted, every item on the list was shoes, but that’s neither here nor there. Kristen took this list, which was hashtagged with “all I want for Christmas is shoes”, to heart and got me these amazing Qupid faux snakeskin heeled boots. Take a looksee:

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My favorite animal print of all time is snakeskin. I love it oh so much and, although I already have a snakeskin printed pair of booties, ONE IS NOT ENOUGH!! These Qupid pointed toe babies are just divine. I love the bright white in the pattern as opposed to darker greys and taupes. It gives such an edgy shock to a classic print and that it what I am all about. And, of course, I love anything with a pointed toe!! :*)

Kristen knocked it out of the park with this prezzie, especially because by the time I figured that I would just buy them for myself, they were already sold out – so she was way ahead of the game. These bootie beauties are going to look so sharp throughout the rest of the winter and are going to make a statement with short shorts as the weather warms up. Accessories are so required with these shoes, and I cannot wait to pair them with a huge Panama hat, chunky jewelry, and a bold bag for an overstated but still very chic look.

So there you have it, the latest Holiday Haul issue of If The Shoe Fits, Qupid Edition! What is your favorite animal print? How do you let people know what you really really want for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah