Tag Archives: igk

Nov28

November 2023 Finishes

Posted on November 28, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Howdy!! November is drawing to a close, which can only mean that it’s time to discuss my monthly beauty finishes. I can’t say that this was the most successful month of empties, but damnit if it isn’t satisfying to finish products up lol. Good or bad, I always enjoy trying something new so it’s always exciting for me to use something up and move onto the next thing! There isn’t too much to discuss today so let’s keep things short and sweet and get right to it:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm: YES!!!!

Bath & Body Works Mimosa & Spearmint Hand Cream: MAYBE

Peptid+ Collagen Moisturizer: NO

Why/Why Not?

IGK Hair Balm: The Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm from Sephora is an absolute must in my stockpile. I got a sample of it many moons ago in a free Sephora Play! Box and immediately bought it in full size and have been using it ever since. I use this product before straightening my hair, but also sporadically throughout the week to give my locks the moisture boost it needs. The IGK hair balm leaves my hair so soft and shiny and serves as an amazing heat protector too. With my shorter hair, I only need about a nickle sized dollop because a little goes such a long way. It takes me between five or six months to finish one bottle and is worth every penny.

B&BW Hand Cream: I am not a fan of the hand cream from Bath & Body Works in any sense of the word. In my opinion, they don’t moisturize well and the texture is very greasy. I am always disappointed when I get a freebie coupon for a hand cream in the mail, but free is free. The Mimosa & Spearmint scent left a lot to be desired and it smelled neither here nor there. I noticed no positive improvement in the dryness of my skin in the week it took me to finish the travel size tube.

Peptid+ Moisturizer: I have been dabbling more in moisturizers with collagen or retinal in it as I approach my thirties. Unfortunately, this Peptid+ Collagen Moisturizer was not it. It took me about four weeks of twice daily use to finish the jar. While I appreciated the value of it, this moisturizer is one that I wouldn’t use again or recommend. It did nothing for my skin and, therefore, did nothing for me. In fact, I am noticing more positive differences with the moisturizer I just started using as opposed to this one! It’s a no from me, dawg.

November was a bit of a dud for empties, but that’s okay! It’s nice to know what products to not spend money on again and I like to let all of you know my findings too. A penny saved is a penny earned or whatever! 😀

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

Jul13

Sephora Birthday Haul

Posted on July 13, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! Before my birthday month wrapped up, I had to make sure that I did a little online shopping with Sephora to cash in my free birthday gift. If you are a Beauty Insider, you are treated to your pick from three or so travel size beauty bundles and I look forward to it every year! It was the perfect time for me to place an order because I was running dangerously low on one of my favorite hair care products – the Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm by IGK. Two bottles of the hair balm were the only things that I paid for and the rest of this haul was completely free! Check it out:

^^^ All of these products are from cruelty free brands!

The Haul:

2 bottles of IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm: $29/bottle

Farmacy Birthday Gift: FREE

Goop Glow Vita-C Eye Cream: FREE with $25 purchase

Alpyn Beauty Melt Moisturizer Sample: FREE with purchase

Glossier Cloud Paint Sample: FREE with purchase

Every time I have an amazing Sephora Haul, I always have to mention the merits of making the purchase online. There is typically free shipping for orders over fifty dollars, you get to pick two free samples with every order, and there is a HUGE selection of free product with purchases over twenty-five dollars. You get so much more bang for your buck and I feel satisfied with the money I spent rather than robbed. Hey, you can never go wrong with free!

For my Sephora birthday gift, I chose the skin care set by Farmacy. Every year, the freebie bundle selection usually follows the same formula, just with different brands. There is one for hair care, makeup, fragrance, and skin care, respectively. As I am pretty inflexible with my makeup and hair care, I pick the skin care sets nine times out of ten. Even if I were more adventurous when it comes to makeup, I would still make the same choice because I can never have enough skin care. 😀

Farmacy is a brand that I have heard of, but never tried and I am looking forward to it! This birthday set includes the Honey Potion Plus Hydrating Mask, a moisturizer, and a cleansing balm. I haven’t used a face mask in months so I am most excited to try the Honey Potion Plus. The cleansing balm is one that I could take or leave, but who knows? Maybe I’ll end up loving it! And, of course, testing new moisturizers is always fun. 🙂

For the remainder of my haul, I got a Goop Glow eye cream as my freebie for spending more than twenty-five dollars. Like Farmacy, this is a brand that I am familiar with but haven’t tried anything by. The brand definitely has a name that I wouldn’t soon forget! A moisturizer and blush were my free samples and I have already used the Alpyn Beauty one – it was lovely and would be especially nice for those with a dryer complexion.

I am so happy with my Birthday Haul from Sephora and can’t wait to use all of the new to me products. Keep it locked for a new Face Mask Festivities and swatches from the Glossier blush coming soon!

Which store offers the best promotions? Do you like to shop Sephora in store or online? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct16

Lil Red’s Must Have Beauty Products

Posted on October 16, 2021 by lifewithlilred

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Hi! I consider myself to be a skin care fanatic. I have had a full fledged skin care routine since I was fifteen and I love testing out new products and revisiting old favorites. So, when my dear friend Libby over at Goddess Attainable emailed me about her upcoming post about her must have products, I just had to participate too! Today, we are going to look at some of my go to’s when it comes to skin and hair care. Let’s get to it:

IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm:

I received this product in a Sephora Play! box and it became an instant staple in my beauty routine when I straighten my hair. The IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm offers heat protection, decreases frizziness, and leaves my hair feeling silky smooth. The hair balm receives top marks from me because I don’t wash my hair at all and it never makes my hair oily or greasy, which is a huge necessity.

Ban Deodorant:

Who remembers Teen Spirit deodorant back in the day lol? As soon as I outgrew that sickeningly sweet deodorant, it was all about the unscented Ban roll on! Now, normally, I am a huge scent girl but I just can’t do it when it comes to deodorant. I have been using the Ban deodorant since my teens because it keeps me fresh all day long and doesn’t dry out my skin, either. Who wants dry armpits? Not me!

Bath & Body Works Lotion:

Wrapping up my nighttime skin care routine is not complete without a healthy dose of lotion afterwards. I cannot stand wearing lotion during the day time due to the texture and overpowering scents so I only wear it at night. I am currently working on the Portofino Pink Prosecco scent from Bath & Body Works, which I purchased during a semi-annual sale haul. This is one that you wouldn’t want to wear during the day, anyways, because it smells super boozy!

Garnier Micellar Water:

The Garnier Micellar Water has been a staple in my beauty hoard for the past several years. I use it as a makeup remover, toner, and clean my nose piercings with it too. I always keep several bottles handy at home and might have to restock more often! I have been trying to do Johnny’s makeup since our vacation and it has not gone very well so we have been going through a lot of micellar water. Practice makes perfect, though, and I’m confident that he’ll be rocking guyliner with the best of them soon!

Tree Of Life Vitamin C Serum:

Vitamin C serum has been an essential in my skin care routine since I was a teenager and I have just recently started using the Tree Of Life serum. I love Vitamin C serum because it makes my skin luminous and bright even on days when I feel dead tired. Both my morning and nighttime skin care routine has started with a Vitamin C serum for so long and I often wonder what my skin would look like without being such a dedicated user for over a decade.

e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream:

More often that not, you can catch Lil Red using drugstore brands as you can see from several items on this list. I am nothing if not frugal when it comes to skin care and don’t believe in paying an arm and a leg for it. At about six dollars per jar, the e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Eye Cream is a true testament to that. This is the first time I have used this product and I plan on rebuying it again. At two months plus, I am still using the same jar. It is so gentle on the sensitive skin that it targets and I feel like my designer eye bags have decreased too. 😀

Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Gel Cream:

I have been using the Garnier SkinActive moisturizers since the beginning of the pandemic and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. You simply cannot beat the price at eight or so dollars per jar for such an effective product. The Moisture Rescue gel cream absorbs quickly, sits well under makeup, and leaves my skin feeling so nourished and soft. With twice daily use, I typically finish one jar per month which is also a great value.

Thank you so much again to Libby from Goddess Attainable for inviting me to join in on her beauty post. And, keep it posted, because we will be talking makeup must haves soon on lifewithlilred! ❤

What are some of your beauty staples? 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

Jun19

Huge Sephora Haul

Posted on June 19, 2020 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! I don’t shop in store with Sephora often, unless I plan on purchasing new makeup. Normally, I just get everything I already know I like online because they have amazing freebie deals and free shipping with a fifty dollar purchase… Which, let’s be honest, is not hard to do!

This past online order, I really needed more of my favorite hair product: IGK’s Mistress Hair Balm and I also was in the mood to order some treats. So, I decided to scour their sale section and ended up with some darling new fake eyelashes, a face mask, a butt mask (lol!), and a whole lot of freebies. Check it out:

Okay, let’s start out by addressing the elephant in the room: THE BUTT MASK. I did not go on Sephora’s website specifically to buy this! I was literally one dollar away from free shipping and didn’t want to make a huge purchase, so I bought the mask on sale for four bucks to get me over the limit. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t curious and obviously I’m looking forward to using it. Since when is there a beauty product just for the booty boo?!

Anyways, I planned out this purchase to get the maximum amount of freebies, as you can see. Not only did I get my birthday freebie by Milk Makeup but I also got eleven additional samples with a twenty-five dollar purchase and two extra ones just for online shopping. It was a great deal and I have been enjoying testing out all of the high end skin care I got samples of.

It has already been established that I’m looking forward to trying my face AND butt mask but I think I am the most excited about my new eyelashes. The Museum Of Ice Cream and Sephora collab introduced the world to the most adorable, feather adorned fake eyelashes I have ever seen. Of course, there’s nowhere to flaunt them now but once I get my hair done it’s photo shoot time so be on the lookout to see a super funky and cool MOTD!

How do you get the best deals when shopping Sephora? Which beauty products do you love to treat yourself to? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep30

September 2019 Finishes

Posted on September 30, 2019 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy! We’ve reached the end of another wonderful month here on lifewithlilred and that means it’s time to discuss my monthly empties. I used up some really good stuff this past month. Stuff that I’ve been using for forever, stuff that took me a short amount of time to finish, and just stuff in general! So take a look and let’s get to it:

Would I Use Again:

Softsoap Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion body wash: YES
Yes To Cotton micellar water: NO
IGK Mistress leave in conditioner: YES
Clinicals Anti-Aging Vitamin C facial oil: YES

Why/Why Not:

Softsoap Body Wash: As you all know, I am a huge Softsoap fan. The brand is cheap as can be but all of their body washes smell amazing, they lather well, and are always so damn invigorating during my morning shower. The little moisture beads are a nice touch, too! It takes me one month to use one bottle which includes daily use and a weekly bubble bath and at three bucks and change, I can definitely swing that.

Yes To Micellar Water: My mom got this bottle of micellar water for me on sale and I was very unimpressed. I used up the bottle in a month because I wasn’t going to not finish it but I was happy to have been done! It just didn’t make my skin feel as fresh and clean as the Garnier micellar water and it was also not the best at removing all traces of makeup. I’m sure it’s significantly cheaper than the Garnier brand but I have a rule of thumb of not skimping on the good stuff when it comes to my skin care!

IGK Leave In Conditioner: I absolutely love this product by IGK! I have been using it for the past year or so and I honestly don’t think that I could live without it. The Mistress leave in conditioner smells so good, it smooths out all of my frizz, it makes my hair shiny, and it protects my locks from the heat. Does your leave in conditioner do that? Although the price is steep at twenty-nine bucks a tube, it takes me over six months to finish it up and, with all of that in mind, it is worth every penny.

Clinicals Serum: What I love about skin care products with Vitamin C in it is that I can always see noticeable results from it. My skin glows and is radiant without having to break the bank on an expensive treatment. I really enjoyed using the Vitamin C serum by Clinicals. It sat well under makeup and I loved how my skin looked and felt after each use. My only qualm with this product is that the serum was in a spray bottle, which I didn’t like because I felt like I had to use a ton of it to get full coverage on my face and neck. Despite that, it still took me one month to use up the bottle.

With a seventy-five percent success rate, I’d say I did pretty good with my empties for the month of September! I would recommend all of the products that I liked above but definitely stay clear of the Yes To Cotton micellar water!

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

Jul22

Sephora Haul

Posted on July 22, 2019 by lifewithlilred

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Helloooo everyone! I promise you I’m done shopping for a while, just kidding I will never be done shopping so I have a Sephora Haul to share with all of you! This needed to happen, though, because I can’t live without my leave in conditioner by IGK and I was almost out. So, I stocked up by getting two bottles of that and a bunch of free goodies. Make sure to check in tomorrow and the following day for swatches of the lip colors by Clinique and Jouer!

The Haul:

Two IGK Mistress hydrating hair balms
Jouer lip creme in Rose Gold (FREE!)
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey (FREE!)
Belif The true cream aqua bomb sample (FREE!)
AmorePacific enzyme peel sample (FREE!)

When it comes to shopping Sephora, I always try and get the most bang for my buck. And, although the IGK product I got is expensive, I got all kinds of free goodies and free shipping to make up for it. I can’t wait to show you guys swatches of the new lip colors because they are GORGEOUS. I am especially obsessed with the metallic Jouer lip creme in Rose Gold – you guys are going to love it!

I am also always up for aqua bomb style moisturizers so I will be looking forward to giving the sample by Belif a go. But, I am most curious about the enzyme peel by AmorePacific. So, be on the lookout for my post on giving that a try and we’ll figure out just what the heck it is together. 😀

How do you score the best deals at Sephora? Which stores offer the best online deals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar27

March 2019 Finishes

Posted on March 27, 2019 by lifewithlilred

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Hiiii! With yet another month of 2019 drawing to a close, it is time to discuss the beauty finishes that I had for March. This month, I finished up a lot of travel sized products, as well as a new and old favorite. Sadly, the new favorite is from TJMaxx and I don’t know if I will ever see it again. So, if any of you have some intel on where I can get it, please leave me a comment! Take a look and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

IGK Mistress leave in conditioner: YES!!
Evoluderm micellar water: YES!!
Essano micellar water: YES
Bath & Body Works/Hempz lotion: YES
Danielle Laroche moisturizer: YES

Why/Why Not?

IGK Leave In Conditioner: I sampled this product from a Sephora Play! box that I got over the summer and, within the week or so of using it, I realized that I couldn’t live without it. The Mistress balm by IGK leaves my hair feeling nourished and healthy while looking so shiny and I use it every single day. It sinks completely into your hair, which makes it feel touchable and easy to manage without any stickiness. And, one tube lasted me about six months, making the twenty-nine dollar price tag well worth it.

Evoluderm Micellar Water: I never understood the big deal that French people made over micellar water, until I tried French micellar water. This product by Evoluderm was simply life changing! It somehow felt thicker than the water I normally use by Garnier, if that makes any sense. But, it hydrated my skin so well and it made for such easy makeup removal without scrubbing. The month that I had with this micellar water was not long enough so if anyone knows where I can get more, then PLEASE let me know!

Essano Micellar Water: I was out of micellar water after my Evoluderm success and my dear sweet mother picked this travel sized bottle up for me at TJMaxx, as it was the only micellar water they had. It definitely wasn’t as good as the previous product but it was okay. It took me a little over two weeks to finish the bottle.

Travel Size Lotion: As per ushe, I enjoyed my B&BW lotions and the random Hempz freebie that I had, too. I got a full body and a half use out of each bottle and all of them were so nice to put on post leg shaving. I wasn’t too fond of the B&BW scents of Magic In The Air and Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte, but the Hempz Pomegranate smelled really good. 😀

Danielle LaRoche Moisturizer: This product took me over a month to finish and I liked it a lot. I am a fan of any skin care with gold in it, which made the Danielle LaRoche moisturizer an obvious choice when I was picking it out. I would use it again in a heartbeat, because it was really moisturizing without being too heavy and it sat well under my makeup. It smelled so rich and creamy, too, which I love!

March was a very successful month for all of my finishes and I would happily use all of them again. It felt good to clear out some clutter by finishing up my travel sized products and I love when I can finish up something that I’ve been using for a while, like my IGK hair balm. 10/10 would recommend all of these products.

Have you used any of the beauty care items seen above? What were your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep4

Small Sephora Shopping

Posted on September 4, 2018 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Literally hours before I fell ill last week, I did a spot of shopping at Sephora to get myself a new highlighter and grab a full sized item that I fell in love with after using a tester in my Play! box. If you remember from my unboxing of the goodie bag, then you will know that the product that I’m talking about is the IGK Hydrating Hair Balm in Mistress. It is absolutely divine and is what we will be talking about in this post, as I will be swatching the highlighter tomorrow. Check it out:

Now, normally, I would never pay TWENTY-NINE DOLLARS for a tube of hair product, but, then, I remembered that it took me three weeks to finish the tester and sometimes I used it twice a day. So, a little obviously goes a long way. I suspect that I will have this product for close to a year and that makes the initial, somewhat expensive investment, well worth it.

And, the fact that this balm kicks ass makes the investment worth it, too. My hair had three weeks of feeling simply lustrous and I would be a monkey’s uncle if I gave that up! The coconut oil in IGK’s leave in conditioner gives it a rich, creamy smell without being too perfumey or overpowering. It leaves your hair with the perfect amount of sleekness and shine but it doesn’t weigh it down, so your locks will still be able to maintain body and volume. Frizzy days are definitely a thing of the past thanks to Mistress, and your hair will look and feel like you got it done at the salon after styling it with each use.

I put a dime size dollop into my hair after my shower and by the time I’m ready to straighten it, the product is locked, loaded, and ready for action. I love the shine that my hair has from using this IGK balm and it feels so silky to the touch all day. It’s like you don’t even have anything in your hair. So consider it our little secret, okay? 🙂

Tomorrow, we’ll swatch my new highlighter from Sephora’s Golden Hour collection called Dusk. But, for now, what is your favorite hair product to use? What is one of your at home remedies for perfect hair? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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