Tag Archives: lilred

Dec27

All For The Gram

Posted on by
Standard
All For The Gram

Hello! Lil Red is truly skyrocketing into the twenty-first century with my new(ish) smartphone. I have so enjoyed using it to take OOTD pictures for lifewithlilred and *gasp* I have made an Instagram! For the longest time, I avoided making any new social media accounts because between my blog, Facebook (Sarah Mushenheim), and job I have my hands full enough as is.

However, during my little holiday break, I figured that there was no better time than the present to give Instagram a try. I will admit that it is not my favorite form of social media because I am, first and foremost, a word girl. But, if you are interested in exclusive content from yours truly that doesn’t make it onto lifewithlilred or my Facebook page, give me a follow at @lifewithlilred94 . You can also see my Insta posts on the side bar of my blog too!

I would love to have some more followers on THE GRAM and, of course, I’ll follow you back. And, eventually, you will be able to shop my OOTD styles on there so do keep it posted! ❤

What is your favorite social media platform? What is your favorite thing to post pictures of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec25

Merry Christmas!

Posted on by
Standard
Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas! To those who celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy, good company, and holiday cheer. For those who don’t celebrate – I hope the same for you! I will keep this post short and sweet so everyone can get prepared for their festivities but I just wanted to say how thankful I am for all of you. ❤

With the pandemic, everything feels crazy and scary. Writing on my blog every day brings a much needed touch of normalcy to my life and I hope that everyone tuning in feels that way too. My audience has turned into such dear friends and I love you all. I love your insights, your kindness, and the happiness I feel to have you in my life – even if it is from the computer screen.

For Christmas and every holiday celebrated, I encourage all of you to take proper safety precautions to keep things merry and bright for everyone. I can’t wait to hear how all of you spend your day and thank you for being you!

Merry Christmas!

Much love. -Sarah

Dec16

What Have I Been Up To?

Posted on by
Standard
What Have I Been Up To?

Hello!! It has been a busy time for yours truly between work, the blog, skating practice, and holiday preparations but I think that things are finally slowing down. I am pleased to report that almost all of my presents are wrapped and I am very much looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family! ❤

Johnny and I haven’t been up to anything too exciting lately other than the fact that we are almost done watching Criminal Minds in its entirety. This is very bittersweet for the both of us because we are fricken obsessed with that show lol. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we ended up rewatching it once we’re done because we will miss Matthew Gray Gubler way too much – he’s our favorite/best friend in our heads. 😀

When we aren’t binging on our programs, I have been playing Animal Crossing every chance I can get. I am still loving the new update so much and am really enjoying Happy Home Paradise – it’s so fun! I will admit that the game can be tedious at times but my days don’t feel complete without playing it… Sometimes I even get up extra early for work to get some playing time in and watch an episode of Black Clover before I leave. And, eventually, I will get to digging up all of the overgrown flowers on my island. The key word being eventually, of course!

According to my calculations, there are nine days left until Christmas and I am hoping that they pass by quickly. To be honest, I’m even getting annoyed with myself constantly asking if I can tell all of my giftees what I got them! Until then, Johnny and I will be filling our time with our favorite shows, weekend game nights, and laughing at how I look when I use a sheet face mask. 🙂

What has everyone been up to lately? Anything exciting? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov26

Holiday Season = Prime Blogging Season

Posted on by
Standard
Holiday Season = Prime Blogging Season

Hi! Since completing my 1,000 day writing steak, I am currently at 1,070 days of blogging in a row. It may be crazy to some but it’s daily life for me and the holiday season is the perfect time to get creative with your posts. There are so many great ways to get content out during these next few weeks and, today, we are going to discuss some ideas to inspire you on your own page. Let’s get to it:

What The Holiday Season Means To You:

What holiday do you celebrate this time of the year? Or do you not celebrate at all? Everyone views these times differently so what does it mean to you specifically? Talking about the holiday that you celebrate is an amazing way to open people’s eyes about the many different ones that take place during the season because we all know that it’s not just Christmas. Teaching your readers about your celebrated holiday and the traditions that come with it will be educational and oh so interesting.

Holiday Crafts:

If you are crafty, how about a step by step guide of the projects that you’re working on this holiday season? Whether you’re hand making ornaments or building the ultimate gingerbread house, share it with your readers! Even if you’re not crafty in the slightest (like yours truly) it will be fun to try something new. You could even have a “crafting contest” for your readers and give away a prize for the best craft, honorable mentions, and not so muches.

Tips & Tricks:

According to Pam from The Office, if you need more than three pieces of tape to wrap a present, then you are doing it wrong. Are you a gift wrapping pro or know how to score the best deals on holiday shopping? Feel free to share with the class! Everyone loves tips and tricks on how to make things easier on themselves or save some money so don’t keep it to yourself – tis the season to be giving, after all! 😀

Decor Galore:

If you are particularly proud of your holiday decorating skills, then let’s see it! There is nothing better than doing a drive through the neighborhood and seeing yards decorated for the holidays. In this case, it will be scrolling through your page but that’s okay! You could get together some other blogging friends and create a holiday decor scavenger hunt through your pages and pictures of your decor. How fun would that be?!

Recipes, Please:

For Christmas dinner, my family always just has a round two of Thanksgiving and that is fine by everyone because we love it. However, there are so many people looking to shake up their holiday dinner menu which is where you come in. If you have a dish that your guests beg you to make or one that you especially look forward to, then share away! Your favorite dish on the menu could end up in a holiday meal halfway across the world.

Holiday Style:

The long running joke of the winter holidays is that everyone gets dressed up to sit around the house. It is hilarious and so very true! It also means that it is the perfect excuse to share your OOTDs and MOTDs with us. Give us New Year’s Eve glam or your fave PJs that you wear on Christmas morning, either way you are sure to sleigh… See what I did there? 😉

Help Give Back:

During the holiday season, it is so important to give back to those less fortunate than us. If you have a charity that you love to help out, let your readers know about it or have them give proof of a donation that they made in their hometown. Draw names from a hat of the people who gave back and send them a small holiday gift if their name was selected.

With the tips above, you will have fresh as fallen snow content all holiday season long. Happy writing!

Which of these ideas are you going to write about? How often do you post on your page? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov25

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on by
Standard
Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! This has been a year full of exciting things for yours truly including getting married, achieving a 1,000 day writing streak, and being fully vaccinated with a booster shot included. I am so thankful for all of this and, as always, I am so thankful for all of you – my dear readers and friends. ❤

Without your unending support, lifewithlilred would not be going strong for seven plus years and I love being with all of you on my blogging and life journey. While I feel lucky for this every day, days like Thanksgiving make me feel extra sentimental about it and I can’t express my gratitude enough.

I will keep this post short and sweet so you can go back to enjoying your Thanksgiving day. I just wanted to say that I love you all and hope you have the most joyous time with family and friends! ❤

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving? What are you thankful for? 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 by
Standard
Lil Red’s Must Have Beauty Products

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

Sep24

New Hair, Don’t Care

Posted on by
Standard
New Hair, Don’t Care

Hi! I haven’t had my hair done or a day off, for that matter, since the day before my wedding. So, needless to say, your girl was in desperate need of both! This past week, I took a day off to have my dear friend and stylist, Anna, work her magic at the Shear Shop. This time around, we incorporated Pulp Riot’s Lilac into the red and pink for something totally different and totally fun. I am totally obsessed! Take a look and be sure to tune in tomorrow for more OOTD pics:

To achieve my multi-colored hair, Anna used Pulp Riot’s Fireball, Blush, and Lilac after bleaching the roots. The Lilac dye was applied to all of my insanely grown out roots for a new twist on the convertible hair that I have been rocking. I love the full effect when my hair is down but it is also so cute when it is pulled up and you can see the lilac roots underneath the top layer.

My new hair legit makes me feel like a fairy princess and I have basically been living in front of the mirror since I got it done because I can’t stop looking at myself! The three different colors are just so pretty together and it is exciting to have such a big change from what I was doing before. While some might find it nerve wracking to have something so major done to their hair, I am never worried because I know that I am in the best hands with Anna and she delivers every time.

Nothing makes me feel more confident than freshly dyed and cut hair as well as my time spent with my stylist. I wouldn’t want to spend a day off anywhere else than in her salon chair and I am already itching to go back. As mentioned before, be sure to check in tomorrow so you can see my hair in all of its glory from every angle! ❤

How do you like to pamper yourself? What is your favorite Pulp Riot color? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep17

1,000 Day Streak: Complete!

Posted on by
Standard
1,000 Day Streak: Complete!

Hello everyone and welcome to my 1,000th day of writing in a row here on lifewithlilred!! I am so proud to have accomplished this monumental achievement and here’s to 1,000 more days of daily content on my blog. To celebrate, I will be hosting a giveaway for a twenty dollar amazon gift card and the whole world is included! The rules are simple and there will be one week to complete the following:

  • Follow my blog
  • Share this post
  • Like this post
  • Leave me a comment letting me know that you have done all three
  • Bonus point if your comment links to one of your favorite posts on your blog

It’s that easy, folks!

For 1,000 days straight, Lil Red has been dedicated and oh so motivated to deliver fun and fresh content to my dear friends and readers every day. I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support, which makes all of this more worthwhile than words can say. It means the world to me and I love you all!

What motivates you? What are your writing goals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep15

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Posted on by
Standard
These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Hi! Guess what?! We are officially THREE DAYS AWAY from my 1,000 post streak and I am so beyond excited! Make sure you keep it posted for a giveaway to celebrate this monumental accomplishment. 🙂 We all know that Lil Red loves to write, but what about my other favorite things? Read on to find out more:

Favorite Drink?

Every day I try to drink a lot of water and bring my travel mug from the Department Of Developmental Disabilities with me everywhere to stay hydrated. This makes me feel less bad about drinking two cans of Diet Coke every morning for a caffeine jolt before work lol! Diet Coke is, hands down, my favorite drink and I could drink it all day. When it comes to adult beverages, I love champagne and my life changed for the better when I learned that you don’t need a special occasion to drink it. 😀

Favorite Non-Writing Hobby:

I have always loved to read and I try to finish at least two books per month. Getting lost in a good book is one of my favorite forms of self care and it’s even better if it is raining outside! I also really enjoy learning different languages and am on a three hundred twenty-five day streak on Duolingo. French is my best language, by far, but it is such fun to try and improve my Spanish, Italian, German, and Czech too!

Favorite Season?

Fall, of course! Every year I look forward to fall time… Mainly for the fashion! I love layering, boots, and breaking out all of my favorite jackets. Fall time activities like apple picking, hiking, and corn mazes are also a blast and I live for haunted houses. I haven’t been in two years due to the pandemic and, sadly, probably won’t get to go this year due to the rises in COVID cases. But I cannot wait to get reacquainted with my favorite haunts when it’s safer.

My first job was actually as an actor at the Carnival Of Horrors and, even though I know a ton of haunted house tricks, I am still terrified at every one I visit!

Favorite Thing About Myself?

Well, I like to think that I’m frickin hilarious. But, my favorite thing about myself is probably my determination. Once I have a goal in mind, I try to stick with it and I wouldn’t be reaching a 1,000 post writing streak without that. Nothing pleases me more than crossing things off of my mental daily “to do” list and that’s what keeps me motivated to continue writing, practicing my languages, and working out every day.

Favorite Sport:

Ice skating! I skated competitively for about ten years and stopped when I was sixteen or so. Prior to the pandemic, I got back into it and lived for my weekly skate sessions. I actually just had my first lesson since the winter of 2020 a few weekends ago and it was amazing… Even though my legs felt like Jello all day afterwards!

When it comes to my favorite sport that I like to watch other than skating, I would definitely say gymnastics. My mind is blown every time I see it so, trust and believe that my brain was exploding during these past Olympic Games.

Favorite Memory:

My wedding!! Getting married this June was so amazing and I love being a wifey. Any time spent with my Johnny is my favorite. I also loved becoming an aunt when my niece was born, graduating from Cuyahoga Community College, and vacationing in Orlando, Florida with my family.

Favorite Game:

My husband and I are avid gamers and I love our weekend game nights together. Word games are my favorite so my preferred game is Scrabble, for sure. Johnny and I also love the game Horrified where you have to save a village from classic movie monsters. In terms of video games, I am still addicted to Animal Crossing and Pokemon Snap – I actually just played both last night! 😀

And, of course, another one of my favorite things is creating content every day for my dear friends and readers. I love you all so much! ❤

What are some of your favorite things? What are your goals? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep4

How To Avoid Blogging Burn Out

Posted on by
Standard
How To Avoid Blogging Burn Out

Hi! In thirteen short days, I will complete my 1,000 day writing streak on lifewithlilred and I am SO beyond excited! One of the questions that I often get asked, especially as my blog has been going strong for almost seven years now, is how I avoid burn out when it comes to writing. So, today, I thought that I would go over my tips and tricks that help to keep myself fresh and inspired so I can sit down and write every day. Let’s get to it:

It’s All Good:

Are my blog posts always the most insightful? No. Are my pictures on my page the best? Thanks to my old school phone, still no. But do I let those factors stress me out? Definitely not! I write purely for the joy of writing, which is why all of the extra things are not even on my radar. Of course, it’s important for your blog to look nice and presentable but the bells and whistles can get you distracted from the main goal of content creating if you stress about them. Take a breath, relax, and let the words on your posts do the talking.

Keep Your Motivation Up:

I write every day strictly because I want to and that’s what keeps me waking up extra early to blog before work. I want to check in with my readers and friends and I want them all to have daily content to look forward to. This gives me tremendous drive and I wouldn’t be nearing a 1,000 day writing streak without it.

Setting goals for yourself or simply crossing “blogging” off of your to do list every day could be motivating enough. But, if it isn’t that’s okay too! Writing should be a fun activity and not something that you feel like you have to do. If you are feeling burnt out or that you are running out of content, it is always a good idea to take a few days off and then try again. Have a breather, find content inspo, and blog later with a clearer head. There is never any shame in that. ❤

Newsflash:

One of the main pressures that writers put on themselves is having absolutely groundbreaking content and I am here to tell you that you don’t need it! While ultra profound posts are great, that isn’t why your readers keep coming back to you. They visit your page again and again because they like you and feel a connection through your writing. This is extremely comforting to me and, therefore, it makes me feel comfortable with posts where I just have something silly or random to say. Remember, writing becomes more of a chore than a joy when you are too hard on yourself.

It’s The Little Things:

I struggle with writer’s block just as much as anyone and a surefire cure for it is to think outside of the box. You don’t need a major event or a bunch of vacation pics to have a good post. Rather, always keep your eyes open for the little things that happen throughout your day because the content is there if you pay attention. When your blog is a healthy mix of this, that, and the other, it keeps your readers excited to tune in every day because they can’t guess what will be posted on your page next.

For me, blogging on lifewithlilred is all about keeping it footloose and fancy free. This helps eliminate the pressure, keeps my motivation high, and makes me love writing even more every day! ❤

What are some of your tips and tricks when it comes to blogging? What motivates you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah