Tag Archives: lotion

Mar21

Monday Update: Bath & Body Care Hoard Edition

Posted on March 21, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! If you were to go into my bathroom and open the below the sink counter, you would find it stuffed full of all things bath and body care. I’m a self proclaimed bath and body care hoarder and I’m pretty proud of it! Thanks to shopping great deals and stockpiling gifts and freebies, I’ve accumulated quite a collection of stuff. From shower gel to lotion and perfume to makeup, I’ve got it all. I feel like I mention my hoard often enough that it’s finally time to pay it some tribute so take a look at my ever growing below the sink collection:

^^^ So. Much. Stuff.

Let’s start out with a disclaimer – a lot of the items pictured above were things that I didn’t pay a dime for. Thanks to working at The Body Shop, I accumulated a solid amount of goods from there. The entire line of Bath & Body Works products were totally free as well as about half of the other lotions which were gifts. All of the other items seen above were bought from amazing sales. For example, the line dedicated to my Bath & Body Works Country Apple spray was a whole nine dollars! You can’t beat that!

The best part about my hoard, besides the fact that I’m never going to smell bad, is that I always have in case of emergency gifts handy. It’s always nice to be able to throw in a freebie lotion or two into a gift that I’m giving to lower the cost of buying other items in store. It’s also fantastic around the holiday times when someone might have gotten a gift for you and you didn’t get them anything – which totally happened to me this year! My hoard has saved me a solid amount of embarrassment and lots of moolah, to boot.

All of these little blurbs are all very well but do you know the funny thing about this hoard? I’m not a really big lotion fan. Ha! I hate the feeling of being greasy after I lather up with lotion and I don’t care for the residue or smell that some of them leave behind. I’m also really particular about lotions and fragrances so the fact that a lot of these were scents that I normally wouldn’t pick for myself has made me wary to use some of these products.

Despite my olfactory and tactile preferences, I’m trying really hard to dwindle my hoard down. On nights that I feel like it, I’ll slather on a healthy amount of lotion so that I can let it soak in while I’m asleep and don’t have to feel or smell it. This month, I finally finished one of my Body Shop lotions as well as three small tubes of lotion that provided about two or three uses each. So far I’m actually enjoying my lotion testing journey and am looking forward to making a post about all of the items that I finished in March! Definitely be on the look out for a finished product post at the end of the month!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Bath & Body Care Hoard Edition! What is your favorite product to stockpile? Does anyone have a hoard similar to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review

Posted on March 5, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review

Hey everyone and happy weekend! Today I’m going to be discussing my new favorite product, compliments of a Christmas gift from mi madre. I always ask for a supply of my beauty and skin care necessities for Christmas so my mom hooked me up with a new moisturizer from Trader Joe’s. I only recently started using my Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion because I’ve been in the process of finishing a Neutrogena moisturizer since November. Last week I finally finished my Neutrogena and began my TJ’s journey and let me tell you…I’m already hooked. Take a look at their packaging and then let’s discuss:

I’ve been writing about quite a few fragrance free products lately which is weird but I actually really don’t mind this moisturizers lack of a scent – especially because it has SPF 15 in it. I find that most skin care products that have SPF in it always smell like you’re lathering yourself up to get ready for the beach. My Neutrogena moisturizer had SPF 15 in it, as well, and you could definitely tell by its scent. When it comes to products that have any amount of SPF in it, I would prefer for it to be fragrance free so that’s a major plus for Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion.

When I am browsing the market for a new moisturizer, I’m always very concerned about the texture of it. I can’t stand products that are greasy, oily, or too thick. Lucky for me, none of these issues were a problem with TJ’s face lotion. The texture was so lusciously creamy and it actually was quite thick – I know, I know, I just said that this was a problem. BUT to me, there’s a big difference between a thickness that’s goopy and heavy and one that is nice and rich. Obviously, Trader Joe’s lotion texture was the latter or I would not be using it!

The final “must” for me when it comes to a new moisturizer or lotion is how well it absorbs. I have to say, I was very impressed with how quickly Trader Joe’s lotion absorbed considering that it is a bit thicker than what I normally would use. A quarter sized squeeze sunk into my skin in record time and it left absolutely no residue. My skin felt hydrated and soft and I was amazed at the way my skin looked after using it. My prized super pale epidermis (science!) looked like porcelain. My face looked and felt so supple and I was blown away. I’ve never used a moisturizer before that had such evident results after ONE USE. You can’t beat that!

Of course, I’m going to have to rate Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion with: five stars. I really can’t recommend this product enough, especially for those with a normal to dry skin type. I’m aware that the packaging says that all skin types can use it but I fear that it might be a bit too heavy for problem skin. But, I suppose a thin layer can’t hurt!

So there you have it, my Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion Review! Has anyone used this moisturizer before? What did you think of it? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb18

I Love…Strawberries & Milkshake Shower Gel Review

Posted on February 18, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! In my neck of the woods, there’s a discount store called Marc’s that’s seriously the best. They have the most fantastic closeout products ever and their prices certainly won’t break your bank. When my mom does her weekly grocery shopping there, she’ll sometimes surprise me with a beauty treat from the closeout section. A couple of months ago she brought me home an exfoliating shower gel from the brand I Love… I finally got around to using it and finished the gel yesterday so take a look at the pretty in pink packaging and then let’s discuss:

Those who have read my product reviews before will know that for me to like a gel, cleanser, or what have you – it has to smell good! Usually I’m not the biggest fan of strawberry fragrances because it’s too sweet but I actually quite liked the scent of the I Love…Strawberries & Milkshake shower gel. What was nice about the aroma of the gel was that it wasn’t a straight up strawberry scent. The “milkshake” essence of the gel dulled down what would be a potent strawberry fragrance with the luxurious scent of rich, freshly churned cream. The result of this combination was true to the product’s namesake…It really did smell like a frothy strawberry milkshake!

When it comes to cleansers and shower gels, another must for me is that it lathers well. This is where I Love’s… exfoliating body wash fell short. The texture of the product was one that I thought would bubble nicely – it was rich and creamy. It also had what appeared to be strawberry seeds thrown in for good measure. Despite having a texture that I usually would love, the lather that this gel created was minimal, at best. I really don’t like that. I love seeing big, soapy bubbles when I’m showering. It enhances my morning hygiene experience and most importantly, it makes me feel clean!

I’m going to chalk the lack of lather up to the fact that this gel tried to do a two for one by combining an exfoliant with a gel. Frankly, I think this product would have been a better exfoliater than a body wash. On the rare occasions that I do use an exfoliater on my body, I prefer for it to be cream rather than gel based. Products that are strictly gel based dehydrate my body to the extreme. The Body Shop has a strawberry seed exfoliater that’s a gel and I honestly think that if I Love’s… body wash was just an exfoliater, I would prefer it over TBS. (For a product to trump The Body Shop usually never happens for me!)

Although this product wasn’t the best body wash, per se, it still has a lot of potential and I really do like the I Love… brand. I’m going to rate the I Love…Strawberries & Milkshake shower gel with three stars. My mom paid a whole two dollars for this body wash (granted, it was a closeout) and I think that it was a solid product, especially for what she paid! I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy the shower gel again but I wouldn’t say “no” to using it if the opportunity came about!

So there you have it, my I Love…Strawberries & Milkshake Shower Gel Review! My mom scored some of the brand’s lotion at the Marc’s closeout recently so I look forward to giving that a shot soon! Is there a discount store in your area that you like to shop at? What is your favorite body wash fragrance? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb5

Bath & Body Works February Freebie

Posted on February 5, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hi everyone and TGIF! This week I stopped in to Bath & Body Works to snag my February Freebie and ended up with a super sweet travel size lotion. As many of you know, I live for my monthly freebie from B&BW and as I counted and calculated all of my loot from my past few visits, I learned that I collected over sixty dollars worth of free product! Not bad! This month, I went with their Pink Chiffon fragrance. Take a look at the pretty in pink packaging and then let’s discuss:

I had a difficult time picking what fragrance I wanted when I went to Bath & Body Works this week. When you cash in your freebie coupon, you’re limited to the scents in B&BW’s signature collection and at this point, I’ve sampled almost all of those fragrances. I wanted something that I haven’t had before, so I decided to finally give the Pink Chiffon lotion a try.

The Pink Chiffon fragrance is very sweet – it seriously smells like spun sugar. I’m not a really big fan of “girly” smelling fragrances, to be honest. I much prefer something fruity, which I think has a little more kick. But the great thing about the Pink Chiffon scent, is that it still smells nice to me despite my preferences. It’s one of those scents that I think everyone would like because it’s so soft and light.

My thought process behind choosing the Pink Chiffon lotion was that it would make a good add on to a birthday or holiday gift because it’s such a universal scent. Thanks to my B&BW freebie hoard, I’ve dodged many an awkward bullet when someone has got me a gift and I didn’t get them anything. My Pink Chiffon lotion will be a great addition to my stock pile and will save me some money when I’m putting together a gift basket or care package. Sweet!

If you’d like to score some free swag from Bath & Body Works, make sure you enter in your email address or phone number next time you go shopping there. This will get you signed up to receive their coupons. You can also do some shopping online at their website! Whenever you shop with B&BW, make sure you enter your information in again at the cash register so you can continue receiving emails and snail mail with their coupons and promotions!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works February Freebie! I can’t wait to pick out another fragrance again next month! Are there any good freebie sites that you use? Which store do you think has the best coupons and promotions? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan22

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Posted on January 22, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hi everyone and TGIF! First things first, before we start to discuss my Bath & Body Works January Freebie, I have to mention my all star student status. I’m writing this as I take a homework break and I had the most terrifying test taking scenario ever that I managed to overcome…

I was taking a timed test and less than half way through, I realized that I really had to go to the bathroom. I mean it was bad. I couldn’t just walk away from the test though, so I did what any normal person would do…squirm around in my seat, speed through the test as quickly as possible, and leave the grade up to fate. Despite this major bathroom set back, your girl still managed to get a 100!! HOLLER. #starstudent #selfcontrol #blessed

ANYWAYS, now that we got that important announcement out of the way, let’s talk freebies! Just about every month, I get a coupon from Bath & Body Works for a free travel sized product to add to my hoard. Thanks to a shopping trip this week with my sister, I scored my January freebie which was a travel sized lotion of their scent A Thousand Wishes.

I always really enjoy my monthly trip to B&BW to snag my freebie and I have to say, I love the scent that I picked out. A Thousand Wishes is a super sweet holiday scent with hints of cranberry and vanilla that I just can’t get enough of. I’ve always been fond of cranberry fragrances – I live for The Body Shop’s seasonal cranberry scent, so I was pleased to find this cranberry infused goodie from B&BW. I like that A Thousand Wishes has an aroma that’s very soft and subtle because if there’s one thing that Lil Red hates, it’s an overpowering fragrance. And can we talk about how cute the packaging is?! LOVE.

Thanks to my B&BW freebie coupons, I’ve been able to have monthly sweet treats for myself and who doesn’t love that? I’ve also been able to avoid the awkwardness of not giving a gift to someone who got me a present this holiday season. I was simply able to put together a little something from my collection and be on my merry way without being labeled as a non-gift giving asshat. Thank you, Bath & Body Works! 😉

To get monthly freebies of your own, simply put in your email address or phone number next time you make a purchase at Bath & Body Works to get some coupons sent your way. You can also do some shopping and enter in your email address on their website! To keep the B&BW coupons coming, make sure you enter your email address or phone number each time you make a purchase or cash in a freebie coupon to keep all of your information up to date. You’ll be glad you did once you have a nice little hoard of your own!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works January Freebie! What stores give away the best coupons or freebie items? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan8

Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review

Posted on January 8, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review

Helloooo everyone and TGIF!! This Christmas I was given some Philosophy bath and body care goodies by my boyfriend’s mom. I’ve never tried any of Philosophy’s products before but have always wanted to because the scents sound amazing and I’ve heard many rave reviews. Needless to say, when I received a lotion and my Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shower gel, I was beyond excited! For the most part, I agree with the excellent reviews that I’ve heard, so let’s discuss:

Philosophy is a brand that I would never buy on my own because to my understanding, it’s quite expensive. Receiving the lotion and shower gel as a gift was so special to me and I couldn’t wait to give the products a try! I stored my lotion in my stockpile because I’m still working on finishing a bottle from The Body Shop. Then, I stowed the gel safely in my shower to enjoy the following morning.

The day after Christmas, I turned the water in my shower on nice and hot and took a deep sniff of the gel as I waited for the water to heat up. The Spiced Gingerbread Cookie scent was to die for! It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and it was balanced out impeccably. The fragrance was potent but not so much so that it was overpowering. Had it been too sweet, the smell would have been too sugary and young. Had it been spicier, the scent would be much too pungent. The in between level that was concocted by Philosophy really was wonderful.

Once I was in the shower, I poured a small amount onto my scruffy and lathered up. I was pleasantly surprised at how well a small amount of the gel bubbled. This shower gel was really nice to use because the texture of it once it was lathered was very creamy – it didn’t feel harsh like some gels tend to do. My skin felt soft and smooth after I washed myself rather than dry and tight…I didn’t even feel the need to apply lotion afterwards, which was an added bonus!

My only minor complaint about Philosophy’s product is the bottle that it comes in. I know, I know – I’m such a stickler! But seriously, the plastic that the bottle is made out of is incredibly strong and firm, so squeezing the gel out proved to be quite difficult. I’ve used bottles like this before and once there’s not much gel left it gets even harder to use. I’m really not looking forward to that. I wish the bottle had a pump on it because that would make it a lot easier to get the product out rather than squeezing it for dear life!

All in all, I’m really enjoying my Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie shower gel and I’m going to rate it with: four stars. There is no question that Philosophy makes excellent products. I don’t plan on buying it for myself once my lotion and shower gel are all used up, however. Despite how nice each of them are, I’m sure I can find similar products elsewhere for a cheaper price!

So there you have it, my Philosophy Spiced Gingerbread Cookie Shower Gel Review! Who uses any of Philosophy’s products? What is your favorite scent by them? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan2

Best Friend Christmas Haul

Posted on January 2, 2016 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Helloooo everyone and happy 2016! My best friend, Lea, and I were a little bit late in celebrating Christmas with each other but it finally happened this past week and it was glorious! We had such a wonderful time opening our presents, eating Taco Bell, and girl talking to our hearts content. Take a look at what I was gifted with by my darling:

From Lea I got:

A cozy fleece blanket (which I’m wrapped in right now!)
A to go coffee mug (which I’m obsessed with)
A Starbucks mini ornament
Bath & Body Works lotion
A coffee mug filled with bath and body products

I love everything that Lea got me so much but honestly I didn’t need anything from her. Our over seven years of best friendship is enough for me! It was a bit funny opening our gifts, however, because we got each other very similar presents. I got my girl a new mug and bath and body care goodies, as well, among other things! We seriously know each other too well and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m so looking forward to a new year full of hang outs with my best girlfriend and I’m so thankful for her friendship and the beautiful Christmas gifts I received! You’re such a doll and I love you, Lea!! ❤

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year’s weekend! Make sure you tune in with me for this week’s Monday Update so I can tell you about how I rung in the new year! Until then, how did everyone celebrate the arrival of 2016? Who has been doing some last minute Christmas gifting to your friends and family? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov3

Bath & Body Works November Freebie

Posted on November 3, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Hellooo everyone and happy Tuesday! As you guys know, I love receiving my monthly Bath & Body Works freebie coupons in the mail. This month I got a coupon for a free full sized signature item (lotion, cream, or shower gel) so I stopped in this morning to pick up my pay free product. Today I went with a body cream of my favorite fragrance B&BW has to offer: Beautiful Day. My cream was a thirteen dollar value and it was definitely an awesome treat to ring in the holiday shopping season with!

Unfortunately, this month’s freebie excursion wasn’t as pleasant as it usually is thanks to the rudest employee ever but it was still nice to be able to go in and pick out a full rather than travel sized item. If you have a Bath & Body Works around you, I can’t recommend Beautiful Day enough! I’m a fan of anything apple scented and Beautiful Day is perfectly apple-y with the slightest hints of pear and poppies. It’s a flawless combination of tart green apples and sweet flowers and I just love it.

My hoard of free B&BW products continues to grow, which is great because as I mentioned before, they’re going to make terrific little additions for Christmas gifts. Even though I didn’t have the best experience with one of the employees, I still walked away with a thirteen dollar lotion that I didn’t pay one penny for and that’s good enough for me!

I know I mentioned in my Monday Update yesterday that my Trades Of Hope article would be publishing today but my client pushed it back until tomorrow so make sure you tune in on Hump Day for that! Until then, what is your favorite fragrance from Bath & Body Works? What was the worst customer service experience you’ve ever had? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Click the following link to shop the scents at B&BW: http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/home/index.jsp

Oct10

Bath & Body Works Freebies

Posted on October 10, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Heyyy everyone! I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend so far! I’ve raved before about my freebie addiction to Bath & Body Works and in the start of this month alone I’ve received two freebie coupons in the mail which I was so excited to use! I got a free PocketBac hand sanitizer and a new travel sized lotion which brings my tally of no pay goodies to ten products in barely over half a year! Nice!

For my free PocketBac ($1.75 value) I opted for their new Apple Harvest scent. I told the young lady working that apple is my favorite fragrance so I was very excited to try their interpretation on a tried and true fall flavor. I was definitely not disappointed, either! The sanitizer smells SO insanely apple-y with just the faintest hint of spices and it leaves my hands feeling so clean. The nice thing about the PocketBac sanitizers is that they don’t leave your skin feeling dried out like Purell, either. Apple Harvest is a lovely scent for fall and I plan on purchasing some of the lotion if it’s still available during their winter sale!

When I pick out my free travel sized lotion ($5 value) I’m never too picky with my choices. Half of the fun of going to get my freebies is selecting the fragrance and trying something that I might not normally pick out for myself. I went with their Love & Sunshine lotion which I was actually shocked by. It’s a somewhat floral fragrance as you can see by the daisy packaging and I’m not usually a big fan of florals. But the sweetness of the flower scent was balanced out by tart lemon and strawberries and it made for a very fresh and girly smell. Making a selection from the entire wall of travel sized goodies is always a tough choice but I’m really pleased with what I picked!

Wanna know how you can get a stock pile of free Bath & Body Works goodies? Sign up for their emails at http://www.bathandbodyworks.com, for starters. And if you go into the store to do some shopping make sure you enter your email or phone number with your purchase. Every time you buy something keep on adding your info so it updates every time and you continue to receive emails and coupons! I’m so glad I did – my hoard of lotions will make great add on gifts this holiday season and will be a nice little treat for me, too!

So there you have it, my newest Bath & Body Works Freebies to add to the collection! What is your favorite B&BW fragrance? What store do you get the best freebies from? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul21

Pampering Party!

Posted on July 21, 2015 by lifewithlilred

Standard

Helloooo my loves and happy Tuesday! I had a lovely weekend of head to toe pampering starting with dying my hair with my beloved Vidal Sassoon Runway Red dye from their London Luxe collection. My brother is getting married this weekend so best believe that my hair has to be nice and fresh. I’ve been coloring my hair with Runway Red for close to a year now and it has saved me a buttload of money because the color perfectly mimics what I was paying a lot of cash to get done at the salon. While I was waiting for the dye to set I had a half hour of TV time so I figured a selfie was definitely in order! Take a look:

^^^ Lol, I always joke that I feel like Heatmiser from the Christmas cartoons when I dye my hair so it was absolutely necessary to do a side by side PicStitch! My color turned out beautiful as usual and on Sunday I got my angular haircut shaped up for the wedding so it looks sharp and sleek. I plan on curling my hair and pinning it for the big day so if any of you have some hair styling tips, please let me know!

To keep my red at its brightest at all times, I only wash my hair about two times a month. I’ve been blessed with locks that don’t get greasy or oily so all I need is a dash of dry shampoo to keep it feeling clean. I usually use Batiste or Dove dry shampoo but my mom brought home a can of Herbal Essence’s “Color Me Happy” dry shampoo and I just had to try it. Let me tell you, I’m so glad I did because I absolutely LOVE it! For one, it smells awesome. For two, it makes my hair feel infinitely cleaner than Batiste or Dove. With just a quick spritz of this new product my hair goes from a weeks worth of not washing it to freshly scrubbed in a matter of seconds. If you’re a dry shampoo girl like myself then I can’t recommend this product enough! So fabulous.

If you recall from an earlier post “Lil Red Shopping Tips: Freebie Edition” then you’ll remember my recent steals from Bath & Body Works. At least once a month I get a free lotion coupon from them in the mail and every time I redeem it I go with my favorite scent called “Beautiful Day”. My go to fragrance is anything apple-y and “Beautiful Day” is the perfect combination of both floral and fruity. Not only does it don my must have scent of apples but the name of the lotion is also the name of my all time favorite song “Be,autiful Day” by U2. You can’t beat that! Every night before bed I lather myself up with my freebie lotion and it’s such a fun treat. The sweet smelling moisturizer goes in so smoothly – you can’t even feel that you have lotion on. That’s a big plus for me because I hate when I wear lotion and it feels greasy. If you’re looking for a new perfume spray or lotion to try, definitely consider “Beautiful Day” from Bath & Body Works!!

If there’s one thing that Lil Red can never recommend enough, it’s TREATING YOSELF! Nothing makes me feel better than taking some extra time to pamper and love myself. Whether that be a deep conditioning hair treatment or a spritz of a new perfume, I think it’s so important to take the time to make yourself feel good. With small pick me ups throughout the week like a rub down with a new lotion or a stylish new hair cut you’re in for a better mood and an even more fabulous appearance. So to all of my lovely readers: Take ten minutes out of your day and TREAT YOSELF!!!

So there you have it, my Pampering Party post! I hope all of you are having a great day so far! Does anyone have any tips for curling hair? What’s your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on A Little Update
	Henrietta Watson on A Little Update
	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers