Tag Archives: june

Jun30

June 2025 Finishes

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June 2025 Finishes

Hello everyone! June is drawing to a close which means bye bye birthaversary month and hello to more summer fun in July! It also means that it’s about that time to discuss my beauty empties. This month, I finished up two long term products. Normally, I am excited about that because I always look forward to trying more new to me bath and body and skin care. This time around, however, I am royally bummed out because these products were easily two of the best that I have used in recent memory. Take a look and let’s discuss:

Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Provence Beauty Hyaluronic Acid + Retinol Eye Cream: YES!!

AllAboutSkin Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream: YES!!

Why/Why Not?

Provence Beauty Eye Cream: I began using this eye cream in April and after almost three months of use, I am so sad to see it go. Usually, I don’t find myself getting attached to products but this one was so good that it was hard not to! This eye cream was a fantastic water gel texture. It was cooling, incredibly light, and I could feel optimum nourishment with the tiniest dab. While using this eye cream, my under eye designer bags decreased significantly and I definitely noticed fine lines getting tighter too. It is an excellent year round product but would be especially nice during the summer because it is so lightweight. I cannot recommend it enough and am keeping my fingers crossed to find another jar or ten at TJMaxx!

AllAboutSkin Moisturizer: Despite the AllAboutSkin Hyaluronic Acid moisturizer being technically a “night cream”, I considered it my all day moisturizer and applied it morning and night. I started using this jar in mid April and literally just finished it. I have never had a moisturizer last me that long before which was, in itself, very impressive for the value of my money alone. Like the eye cream, a super small amount of this moisturizer went a very long way – I used a nickel sized dollop with every use. This was just the right amount because this moisturizer is a bit heavier in texture. Regardless of that, it absorbed really quickly and achieved maximum hydration. My skin felt and looked soft and smooth and transformed into the prettiest peaches and cream complexion. This is the moisturizer to have and I highly recommend it!

Parting was such sweet sorrow with my two new favorite products and I will be keeping my eyes peeled high and low to find them again. How do you say goodbye to the best?!

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

Jun29

June 2024 Finishes

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June 2024 Finishes

Hello everyone!! Just like that, my birthday month is close to drawing to a close. It was a wonderful, celebratory time but all good things must come to an end. So, there is no better time than the present to discuss my beauty empties for the month! I was able to use up a lot of new to me products and quite liked a majority of them. In fact, I would happily use everything again minus one thing so it was a highly successful month indeed. Let’s take a look and discuss further:

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Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Bath & Body Works Calypso Clementine Body Wash: YES

Bath & Body Works At The Beach Body Cream: YES

Provence Beauty Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid Serum: YES

40 Carrots+ Brightening Eye Cream: NO

SOQU Moisturizing & Brightening Rice Cream: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Products: I am a huge fan of the products from Bath & Body Works and use them on a daily basis. My morning showers would not be complete without their body wash and the body creams and lotion are a nighttime staple. I absolutely LOVED the scents of the Calypso Clementine shower gel and At The Beach body cream. The shower gel was bright, fruity, and had the perfect amount of citrusy zest. And, in case you couldn’t guess, At The Beach smells exactly how you think it would – like sunscreen lol. However, it was blended with a soft coconut scent and served pure summer vibes. It took me one month of daily use to finish the shower gel and a week of daily use to finish the travel size body cream.

Provence Beauty Serum: I find serums to be very hit or miss for me. Some are great, some do nothing for me, and some are somewhere right in the middle. The Provence Beauty Vitamin C + Salicylic Acid serum definitely fell under the “great” category! After one month of twice daily use, I can absolutely say that my skin looked brighter and better than it did before. One might even say: Radiant. Provence Beauty is a brand that is very average for me, but I would buy this serum again in a heartbeat. In fact, I would buy a few bottles!!

40 Carrots+ Eye Cream: It took me three months of twice daily use to finish the 40 Carrots+ Brightening Eye Cream and I couldn’t wait for it to be over lol. This product was a total dud and is one that can be skipped on. After ninety days of use, I did not notice one difference to the skin around my eyes. This is in stark comparison to the brightening eye cream that I used prior to starting the 40 Carrots+ because I saw a real difference with it. It’s a HARD no from me, dawg.

SOQU Rice Cream: I very much enjoyed the Moisturizing & Brightening Rice Cream by SOQU and was really sad when I finished it after a month of twice daily use. The texture of this cream was nice and light, making it ideal for the summertime. It absorbed quickly, was non greasy, and sat well under makeup. My skin felt softer and more hydrated with each use and it looked a lot brighter too. Most importantly, my skin felt genuinely healthy with each application and it doesn’t get better than that!

It’s bon voyage to my beauty empties and bonjour to brand new ones. I still have lots of new to me products in my stock pile and I can’t wait to keep testing them out! 😀

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

Jun30

June 2023 Finishes

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June 2023 Finishes

Hello everyone and welcome to my beauty finishes for June!! Johnny and I had a fantastic birthaversary month with lots to celebrate. Now that the festivities are over, it is time to focus our attention on the next big thing: Halloween. It’s never too early for us to start thinking about our other favorite time of the year! This past month, I enjoyed lots of great products with only one dud that came as a surprise to me. It was a serum that I had used religiously in the past, but just didn’t hit the same this time around. Let’s discuss further:

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Would I Use Again?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

Tree Of Life Vitamin C Serum: NO!!!!!

Bath & Body Works Sun-Ripened Raspberry Body Cream: YES

Honest Beauty Calm & Heal Melting Balm: YES

Why/Why Not?

Tree Of Life Serum: Back in 2021, I was using the Tree Of Life Vitamin C serum regularly for several months until I switched things up. I always thought that it worked well, even if it wasn’t my all time favorite. So, when I saw it available at TJMaxx during a January Haul, I instantly added it to my cart. The first time I used it after almost two years, I was taken aback by how much I didn’t like it. The texture of the serum was thick and a decent amount was needed to cover my full face and neck. It also didn’t absorb as well as I would have liked, either. After only three weeks, I completely used up the bottle and my skin had nothing to show for it in terms of a radiance boost. I was very happy to be done with it and now I know that some past used products are better to be left in the past.

B&BW Lotion: Sun-Ripened Raspberry is one of my favorite old school scents from Bath & Body Works and I always have to buy a few lotions or shower gels during their Semi Annual Sales. I don’t use the Body Creams by B&BW too often because they are more expensive than what a full size freebie coupon covers. However, I am VERY impressed with it whenever I get the chance to use it. The shea butter and Hyaluronic Acid base is so nourishing and my skin feels amazing after every use. Any slightly dry patches on my arms feel like they are gone in an instant and it leaves my skin looking and feeling healthy. It took me over three weeks of nighttime use to finish the bottle.

Honest Balm: The Calm & Heal Melting Balm by Honest Beauty was the first product from that brand I ever tried and it was a home run. You can read more about it in my review above, but it is a moisturizer that I would definitely use again. It took about three and a half weeks of twice daily use to finish the jar and I was so sad when I did – it was that good! Highly, highly recommend – especially if you have a dryer skin type.

Even though the Tree Of Life serum sucked, I got to try a new brand out and use an old favorite so this month’s empties were still a GREAT SUCCESS. I am keeping my eyes peeled for more Honest Beauty products every time I go to TJMaxx!

Have you used an old faithful product after a while and been disappointed by it? What is your favorite Honest Beauty product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun28

June 2022 Finishes

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June 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone!! My birth month is drawing to a close and it has been a whirlwind time indeed. Between birthday celebrations and working with new clients, I have been busy but in the best way! No matter how jam packed of a schedule I have, I always have time for my daily beauty routines and am so happy to have finished up products this past month that felt never ending. Let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: This micellar water is a TJMaxx find and I was thrilled to be able to buy more of it during a haul this past February. I loved it as soon as I tried it at least a year ago and *pun intended* it blows the Garnier micellar water out of the water! The Evoluderm micellar water removes makeup effortlessly and feels so nourishing to the skin. It leaves my face feeling refreshed, hydrated, and clean. It took me about a month and a half to finish one bottle.

B&BW Shower Gel: Pearberry is a retired scent from Bath & Body Works and I always have to snag more of it during their Semi-Annual Sale. I love fruity fragrances and Pearberry’s crisp scent of juicy pears mixed with tart berries was so invigorating every morning. I was very sad to finish this bottle because it was my last one and it took me close to two months to use it up.

St. Ives Scrub: I used to love me a St. Ives scrub until I learned that they are not the best for your skin lol. Unfortunately, you all know that I simply refuse to not use up a product so I finished the Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub out of spite. Although I wouldn’t use a St. Ives scrub again once I’m done with the one I’m currently using, I will say that they would be the bomb if it didn’t use crushed walnut shell as the exfoliant. It took me about a month and a half to finish this scrub.

Provence Beauty Serum: I have been having some fun testing out new serums after I felt like I reached the limit of effectiveness with my normal Tree Of Life serums. I found the Provence Beauty Vitamin C serum to be pretty good and I would probably buy it again if I didn’t have any other options at TJMaxx. My main qualm with this product is how liquidy it is. It had the tendency to fall right out of your hand after using the dropper and it didn’t feel as nourishing as I would like. However, I did notice a difference in the brightness of my skin. It took me five weeks of twice daily use to finish it.

Hope Soap Lotion: I received this lotion from a local shop in my neck of the woods as a Christmas gift. The Gingerbread Caramel scent was divine and it smelled good enough to eat. It also did make my hands feel nice and smooth, without a doubt. Although, similarly to the Provence Beauty serum, its texture was very runny. I prefer a thicker lotion at nighttime so this was definitely a negative factor for me. It also took for freaking ever to use up and took over four months (And accidentally dropping it!) of once a day use to finish it. If I were gifted with it again, of course I would use it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to purchase it for myself.

There is nothing better than using up products that took a long time to finish and, despite some wishy washy reviews, I am still pleased with my empties this month. I can’t wait to try lots of new products out in their place this July! 😀

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

 

Jul21

Wedding Pictures!!

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Wedding Pictures!!

HELLO!!!!!!! Johnny and I got married on June 4th and I am so happy to finally be able to share some wedding pictures with all of you! Our photographer did a bang up job and I am so appreciative of her hard work on our big day and afterwards with the intricate editing process. I am in love with the sneak peek she sent us and cannot wait to see the rest! Now, without further ado, here are some shots from my wedding:

Johnny and I had a small wedding ceremony in his best man’s backyard and it was short, sweet, and absolutely perfect for us. It was so special to be surrounded by just our immediate family and best friends and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Looking through the photos from our photographer with Johnny had us reliving our wedding all over again and I can’t wait to frame and hang up our favorites. ❤

I had been so eager to get some pictures back because I was also super looking forward to sharing them with my dear readers. We thank you all so much for the well wishes and support because it really does mean the world. Keep it posted on lifewithlilred for all of the latest and greatest as well as more wedding photos soon!

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

Jun30

June 2021 Finishes

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June 2021 Finishes

Hi! It’s the end of another month here on lifewithlilred, which means it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for June. Tomorrow, we will continue on with a super fun clothing haul from TJMaxx and then it’s onto makeup and skin care thanks to a little Sephora shopping. Be sure to keep it posted for all of the latest and greatest! Now, let’s get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

TBS Clay Wash: It has been a long while since I have tried out a brand new skin care product because once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it. This clay wash from The Body Shop had been sitting in my stock pile for months and I was so happy to have finally been able to use it! I love TBS products and the Himalayan Charcoal clay wash was part of a Christmas gift from my brother and his family.

TBS skin and bath and body care always makes me feel perfectly pampered and this face wash was no exception. The wash had a thinner consistency than a clay mask and it felt so gentle on my skin while still working effectively. The scent was invigorating and my skin looked bright and fresh after using it every morning. A little of the wash also went such a long way and the bottle lasted me at least a month and a half. I highly recommend this product and would really like to use it again!

Nothing pleases Lil Red more than a bunch of monthly empties and I would recommend each and every one of the products above. There are lots of skin care and Face Mask Festivities posts on the horizon so stay tuned on lifewithlilred for more! ❤

Which products did you use up this month? Which skin care products do you recommend? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun1

Happy Birthday, Fiance!!

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Happy Birthday, Fiance!!

Hello!! Today is a happy wonderful day because it is my darling fiance, Johnny’s, birthday! Johnny and I have very close birthdays to each other with his being June first and mine on the seventh and it is such fun to have joined birthday celebrations with him. With our birthdays and upcoming wedding, I think we will be celebrating all month long and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Johnny is, truly, one of the best things to ever happen to me and I cannot wait to be his wife. Everything is just so easy with Johnny and I always feel like my best self around him. My life has felt so complete ever since our first date and every day with him is my favorite day because it feels like a brand new adventure. My Johnny is the most talented, funny, handsome (Wa wa woo we wa!) man on the planet and I still get butterflies every time he looks at me.

While I will never tire of our fabulous date days together, my favorite times with Johnny are when we’re just having a night in in our apartment. Our go to option is playing video games together and the laughter is nonstop the entire time. Then, if I’m lucky, Johnny will get out his guitar and play and sing for me. From private concerts and sing alongs to oldies but goodies and the Family Matters theme song, I could listen to him play all day.

I cannot recall ever being this happy before and I have Johnny to thank for that. I am over the moon to be his bride and to love (And slightly annoy!) him every day for the rest of our lives! 😀

Happy birthday, Johnny!

I love you! ❤

Jun30

June 2020 Finishes Pt. 2

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June 2020 Finishes Pt. 2

Hello! Yesterday, we discussed a lot of the skin care that I finished up this past month of June. And, if you’re checking back in today, you’ll see we have a few more goodies to chit chat about. With the part one and two finishes combined, it would have been a long ass post. So, why not break it up into two? Let’s get on with my June 2020 Finishes… Part Two:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES
  • Bath & Body Works Champagne Apple & Honey shower gel: YES
  • Destiny Boutique Charcoal face wash: YES
  • Azure Lux Rose Gold serum: YES

Why/Why Not?

Evoluderm Micellar Water: It doesn’t really bother me to constantly be using the micellar water by Garnier… Obviously, considering it shows up on almost every empties post! But, whenever given the opportunity at TJMaxx, I just have to grab some of the Evoluderm water if it’s there. I don’t know why it makes Garnier’s micellar water feel like plain old water but the Evoluderm brand feels like magic. I love using it as a toner and makeup remover and one bottle lasts me about a month and a half.

B&BW Shower Gel: Love the B&BW, love anything apple, and love anything champagne! Haha, this shower gel combines a lot of my favorite things and it easily makes the Champagne Apple & Honey scent one of my must haves. It’s sweet and tart and the luscious bubbles make you never want to get out of the shower! One bottle typically lasts me a little over a month.

Destiny Boutique Face Wash: I use a lot of charcoal products when it comes to my skin care and Destiny Boutique has always been one of my go to brands. Their charcoal face wash and face bar have been staples in my skin care routine for years now and I tend to order the goods on Amazon when I can’t find them at TJ’s because the products are that good. Pesky blackheads and blemishes will be a thing of the past and stay that way because one bottle took me over three months to use!

Azure Lux Serum: I was introduced to the Rose Gold serum by Azure Lux a year or so ago and have remained fairly faithful to it since. I just love how radiant the serum makes my skin look and the real flecks of 24K gold makes it feel oh so lush with each use. It takes me one month to finish one bottle and, although I wish it lasted a bit longer, I am never not going to buy it.

June has brought us a ton of empties to discuss and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but fingers crossed for a lighter finishes haul in July! Lol! 😀

Which products did you finish this month? What are your thoughts on any of my empties 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

Jun29

June 2020 Finishes Pt. 1

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June 2020 Finishes Pt. 1

Hello!! I have a theory that June seriously dragged because of my family vacation to look forward to at the end of the month. It made each day feel like a lifetime… Maybe that explains why I have so many empties that I had to break my normal monthly finishes post into a part one and two!

The real reason, however, is that I haven’t been wearing makeup in quarantine. Therefore, I’m using twice as much skin care per month because I have a fresh face to apply a nighttime routine on. I can definitely notice the difference in my skin from the daily double whammies of moisturizers and serums. Now, maybe I’ll be more motivated to take my makeup off at night post quarantine. Maybe!

Lol, let’s take a look at these skin care empties and discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair moisturizer: NO
  • SkinLab Lift & Firm moisturizer: YES
  • SkinLab Lift & Firm Eye Gel: YES
  • Biossance Vitamin C & Rose Hip Serum: YES

Why/Why Not?

Neutrogena Moisturizer: My mom gave me this moisturizer when I was running low at home and holy wow is this stuff powerful. Of course, this product was made with more mature skin in mind and at twenty-six, mine just didn’t meet that mark. After a few days of use, my skin was SO dry and red that I had to put olive oil on it just to breathe some lift back into the painful, burning dryness.

Once I realized it was way too strong for my skin, I mixed a bit of it into my normal SkinLab moisturizer and that felt much better. Waste not, want not as the saying goes. I can’t say I recommend this product for anyone in my age range but I think it would be fabulous for those with more mature skin.

SkinLab Moisturizer: My Lift & Firm moisturizer felt like absolute heaven in comparison to the Neutrogena one! So rich and insanely hydrating, my skin was drinking it up after being so dried out. It takes me one month to finish one jar and I always plan on using it again. In fact, I need a restock soon!

SkinLab Eye Gel: And, as you know, I am all about the SkinLab Eye Gel too. It takes me at least three months to finish one tiny jar and I can’t picture my skin care routine without it, either.

Biossance Serum: I received this little vial of serum as a freebie during my last Sephora haul and, if given the opportunity, I would use it again. My skin looked radiant and felt so nourished after each use. My only qualm, though, is that it never fully sank into my skin and it left a somewhat greasy residue. This is not ideal, especially in the hot summer months. It took me a week and a half of twice daily use to finish the sample.

Now you know all about my skin care empties for the month! Do tune in tomorrow to learn more about the rest of my June Finishes. 🙂

Which products have you used up this month? Have you tried out any new skin care recently? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun8

June 2020 Funky Time Jams

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June 2020 Funky Time Jams

Hello! Wow, everything sucks. But, the end of June will be an exciting time because my family is going to have a little mini vacation to North Carolina. Now, this by no means will be a normal Mushenheim Family Vacation where my dad plans a perfect week full of activities and restaurants. Rather, it will be a more chill time of relaxing in a nice house and eating takeout. The best part? Finally meeting my new baby nephew and having my boyfriend join us on a vacation. 🙂

To keep going with a vacation mood, let’s all go to a happy place in our minds with the following:

^^^ And, as always, I have no rights to these songs or videos!

Feel good music has been a big part of what keeps me sane during the stressful times that we’re all currently living under. During all of the driving I do for work, I use my time in the car to get my mood back to a happy place with a few funky time bangers. And, who doesn’t feel like they just had an afternoon at the beach after hearing “Soak Up The Sun” by Sheryl Crow or “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys?!

If you find yourself getting anxious with today’s uncertainty, put on your favorite jam, take a vacation in your head, and get yourself back to baseline. ❤

Which songs make you think of vacation? What are your plans for the summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah