Tag Archives: love

Jan24

New Target Dress

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New Target Dress

Hiii everyone and happy Tuesday! This past weekend I did a little shopping to beat the winter blahs of January away and I ended up with a super cute new dress from Target. As I entered the store, I was so happy to see that they had their spring clothing on display. The winter weather in Ohio has been unusually, freakishly mild this year – we’re talking weather in the 50s and 60s. So, needless to say, I have definitely been thinking spring! I am a bit sad that I haven’t gotten to make use out of all of my gorgeous cold weather clothing but I can’t complain about this warm streak of weather when Ohio winters are usually bitter cold.

Not only did the spring style temps inspire me to buy myself something pretty but I also got my new dress to spice up my work wardrobe. I have grown weary of wearing the same pants and a blazer during the days when I’m bopping around visiting different day programs and group homes so I thought some fun new dresses would be a perfect way to go. For work, I always enjoy pairing up a dress with some tall riding boots and tights to create a look that is posh and profesh rather than too revealing. Take a look at my newest work and play wardrobe addition:

What I love the most about this dress is the shape and, of course, the color! Mustard yellow is one of those colors that happens to look really good on me thanks to the pasty pale skin and red hair so whenever I see something cute in this color, I always have to try it on! I love the base color of this dress but I also think that the periwinkle blue, cream, and pink floral pattern looks gorgeous over top of it. This dress reminds me a bit of my all time favorite dress from Urban Outfitters but I think that it is so darling that I don’t even care!

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The other fantastic thing about my new dress is the shape. It looks like a seriously seventies style frock and I think that it’s just perfect. The buttons down the front add some edge while the fluttering, flowy sleeves add a sweet touch of 1970s glam. I can’t wait to pair this dress with my tan knee high riding boots for work and then ditching the boots for my pair of BCBGeneration cut out heels for play as seen below:

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If you have spring on your mind and are getting winter cabin fever, then you better head to Target and get your shop on. Their spring collection is filled with pretty frocks, kimono tops, and a whole lot of girly fun!

How do you rock a business casual work outfit? What clothing items are you most looking forward to wearing when the warm weather finally hits? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan13

Black & Neon Green Nails

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Black & Neon Green Nails

Hi everyone and TGIF! Yesterday was crazy busy for me but because I always get my nails done on Thursdays when I need a new set of nails or a fill, I just had to make time to see my beloved nail tech, Vinny, so he could get me right. I usually get my nails filled every three weeks for twenty bucks and honestly it’s the best money that I spend all month. To me, there is nothing better than taking a breather and being pampered before you have to step back into the real world. And, of course, it is always so fun hanging out with Vinny and the salon gang for an hour or two!

Last fill, I was loving the hot pink accent nails that I picked and I decided to go bright or go home again this time with neon green and a coat of sparkles over top of it. As always, the rest of my nails were black with an airbrushed cross on each middle finger. I’m thinking of upgrading to gemstone crosses next fill, though! I’m so obsessed with how my nails turned out yesterday and they might just be my favorite fill yet. Check it out:

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LOVE!!!!!

After a delightful rendezvous at the salon, I went to get myself some Starbucks with a Christmas gift card before heading to the skating rink to coach for the Special Olympics. As I was being rung out, the barista asked for my name and when I told him it was Sarah he checked to see if it was with or without an H (I love when people do that!). After I told him that it was with an H (the best way), he told me that he’s “always told that the H is for ‘high maintenance'”. I guess that has to be true, considering that I was just coming from getting my nails done!

What is your favorite nail polish shade right now? What color should my accent nails be next fill? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan13

Make Your House The Forever Home Of An Animal That Needs It

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Make Your House The Forever Home Of An Animal That Needs It

Rescuing a pet is the most admirable thing any pet owner can do. There are millions of adorable pets in rescue centers, all waiting to start again. If you’re interested in rescuing, congratulations! You’re about to make a huge different to an animal who needs it. It’s important to bear in mind that there’s a lot to consider when embarking on an adopted pet. The pet you choose could have experienced horrendous treatment. They could have any number of behavioral problems as a result. Don’t let that put you off. There’s so much you can do to help your pet adjust. These tips should give you some idea of how to approach the situation:

Learn Their Backstory: Before you adopt any animal, learn their backstory. This is important so you can understand the pet you choose. It may be a horrible reality to confront, but it’s important to ask about what’s happened in the past. That way, you can prepare for any behavioral peculiarities you come across. You’ll also be able to be more sympathetic to any bad behavior that your new pet expresses. If you have a family, it’s especially important to get a comprehensive history. Though we all want to give a home to the pet with the worst history, it may not be the best thing if you have children. Bear in mind that you need a dog with the best temperament possible. That said, some of the dogs with the worst histories are the kindest you’ll find. They’ve just been waiting all their life for your love!

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DOG! ❤

Start With Training Straight Away: It’s important to treat a rescue animal as though they’re starting out fresh. That’s why it’s crucial to get started on training the first chance you get. If it’s a dog you’ve chosen, training is of particular importance. Dogs are intelligent. You should be able to change their behavior with some effort. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a turnaround in the way they act. If you’ve never trained a dog before, get ideas about what to do on sites like the one found here. Even cats and other animals can require additional training. Observe your pet’s behavior to see what you would like to change, then research the best training techniques to fix the problem.

If you are struggling with ideas for this, then finding an expert specific to the pet you have chosen could help you get the very best advice. Whether that is a bird vet, a canine professional, or a feline expert enlist the help you need for your pet to ensure the home environment becomes the perfect safe haven for them.

Practice Patience: There’s no easy solution for helping a rescue animal. The past will have made them distrustful and scared. All you can do is show them as much love as possible. Then, you should practice patience and let them come to you. Your relationship with a rescue animal may be different to what you’re used to. Accept that, and embrace the relationship for what it is. Some rescue animals will have a complete transformation, and become the most trusting pets. Others will always have a slight fear of interaction. Either way, rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve given an unloved animal a forever home. They’re sure to love you, whether they can show it or not!

Featured Image By: Wikimedia

Jan12

Being Female Isn’t Easy, But You Can Make It Fun!

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Being Female Isn’t Easy, But You Can Make It Fun!

As a woman, you can often feel like life is either on your shoulders or an absolute blessing – we never really spend a lot of time in-between (thank you hormones). Although we have some tough times to deal with, it’s not all that bad. Being a woman has it’s woes – think childbirth, periods, and taking longer to get ready in the morning, it also has it’s highs. When you’re female, you get to have a whole lot of fun and be girly in ways that really highlight the little perks in life. So, if you’ve all but given up on being a girl, these little reminders should pick you back up and perk you up on your (high heeled) toes.

You Get To Dress Up: What girl doesn’t love to dress up? We all did it as children, and sometimes, being able to raid your mom’s closet was the best fun you could ever have. But now, you get to do it all in your own closet – and who wouldn’t want that. Sometimes, we get wrapped up in the idea of looking good and shaming our own bodies, that we forget how fun it is to get all dressed up!

And Play Around With Makeup: If the whole idea of wearing an incredible outfit isn’t enough, we also get to wear makeup, too. To some people, it will be a chore. But, when you have enough time to do it, playing around with makeup is a whole lot of fun. Not only can you experiment with different looks and try out different hacks, but you also get to feel beautiful throughout the entire process.

We Have More Clothing Options: Whoever invented the dress and skirt should be given a medal! Not only does that mean we can explore more options to choose from in the morning (and who doesn’t love options), we also get a lot more choices than men do. Skirts and dress are huge wardrobe staples. They have the power to make you feel girly and sexy and they can be pretty exciting to buy, too.

Feeling Sexy Is Fun: And while we’re on the topic of feeling sexy, let’s talk underwear. As women, we’re well and truly spoiled. Men usually have a total of three underwear options to choose from! But us, we have so much more. Choosing sexy underwear can be just as fun as wearing it. Whenever you’re feeling down, you can buy a new set, like the Freya underwear and lingerie options and completely change your panty drawer game.

And So Is Wearing Heels: Being female really does become the ultimate treat when it comes to fashion. We’ve talked about clothing, underwear, and beauty too. But it all really kicks up a notch when we get to the footwear. A good pair of shoes is all every girl could ever ask for, right? And, flats are great and everything, but, we all have to agree that heels are the best! When you get to wear heels, you not only feel fantastic, but you look it, too!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Jan10

Blogger’s Blooming Business

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Blogger’s Blooming Business

Heyyy guys! When I have a friend who is very dear to me, I always make sure that I am one hundred percent supportive of all of their creative endeavors. One of my beloved blogging beauties, Miss Angela, has been a reader turned friend of mine for quite some time now. I can always look to Angela for rays of positivity and sunshine whether it be on her Facebook page or in my comments section and it always brightens my day infinitely.

Recently, Angela opened her own Etsy shop, Angie’s Bath & Body, which is chock full of amazing homemade and natural bath and body goodies. There are body butters, bath salts and fizzies, sugar scrubs, and so much more to browse through and I promise you that they both look and smell simply delicious! I encourage all of you to take a look at Angie’s Bath & Body and give some love to one of my dear blogging friends and maybe even treat yourself to some new luxury bath and body care! Love you, Ang!

Jan3

How To Brew Delicious French Press Coffee

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How To Brew Delicious French Press Coffee

Us coffee drinkers know that there’s nothing quite like that first steaming hot morning cup of coffee to awaken our senses and get us ready for the challenges of a brand new day. Forget standing in long Starbucks queues or missing an important phone call because you were busy at the coffee machine. Or – the worst – instead of having a rich, full bodied brew: drinking plain average coffee because it’s the only choice that you have. In recent years the humble coffee bean has exploded on to the scene, going from being a simple, hot drink at breakfast to a full on lifestyle statement. Read up to see how you can make the perfect cup to kick start your morning:

What Is A French Press? A French press, or a Cafetière, is a coffee brewing product which allows the water to permeate the coffee beans. The plunger separates the beans from the brewed coffee which, if allowed the seep through, can make the coffee astringent and bitter. First designed in Italy by the designer, Attilio Calimani in 1929, today the French press is used all over the world and is said to make a smoother, richer cup of coffee than any other method. French presses are fairly inexpensive and tend to last for a good few years. Depending on what beans you choose to use, you may also want to purchase a grinder as finely ground beans often taste better than rough ground ones. However, at the end of the day, it’s down to the coffee drinker’s personal preference.

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 trophygeek Image

The Best Beans: Coffee comes in a variety of strengths and flavors. From the milky yet sophisticated cappuccino, dark espresso, and chocolate infused mocha to the simple black coffee, latte, and the sugary sweet cuban cafe con leche there are countless ways of making coffee and just as many beans themselves. Let yourself experiment with different beans or, if you prefer instant coffee, then go online to check out some instant coffee reviews by those who take their morning cup of joe pretty seriously.

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Rick Harris Image

How Much Water? Brewing a cup of coffee is, in theory, relatively simple. However there are a couple of things that, if you get them wrong can ruin the whole batch. First, make sure your beans are ground coarsely enough and if you’re using instant coffee, make sure that it’s a good quality brand with a high richness rating. Boiling water will scorch the grounds instantly which will leave you with a very bitter cup and tepid water won’t fully extract the coffee from the beans.

A good way to achieve the perfect temperature is by letting the water fully boil, then remove it from the heat to sit for a minute before pouring into the French press itself. When it comes to how much water to use consider how much coffee you want to make. One serving will equal one cup of water and two tablespoons of coffee beans; two servings equals two cups of water and a 1/4 cup of coffee beans and so on. A good French press coffee should be brewed for two to four minutes while cold brewed coffee uses a different method and should instead be left for two to four hours.

Featured Image By: Bryan Mills

Dec29

Loft Unicorn Sweater

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Loft Unicorn Sweater

Heyyy everyone and happy Thursday! I feel like such a dummy because I forgot one of my absolute favorite presents that I received from my mom in the Best Of My Holiday Haul. My mom and I love shopping at Loft and in early December, the most darling sweater was featured in their holiday ads that we were thumbing through. It was a deep navy blue and had an outline of a unicorn stitched in the middle with baby blue thread. I expressed my love for it to my beloved mother and the sneaky devil must have ordered it shortly after! Take a look:

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So. Cute!

One thing that I really love are fun and unique sweaters. It is so easy to get lost in the blah of constant cable knit that one might simply forget that there is so much more in the world of sweaters. As one of my favorite 60 degrees and below weather staples, I am always on the lookout for new sweaters to add to my collection. I love fun colors, patterns, and pictures and I think that this unicorn stitched sweater is just perfect! Thank you so much for such an amazing gift, mom. I LOVE YOU!! ❤

Loft has more adorable animal sweaters in store and online but bear in mind that they run very large. The sweater pictured above is an extra small so it might be wise to size down so you’re not swimming in it!

My new Loft Unicorn Sweater is one of my favorites and I have already worn it twice since receiving it on Christmas! Who went to an ugly sweater party this year? What is one of your favorite sweaters in your wardrobe? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec28

Post Christmas Shopping

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Post Christmas Shopping

Hi everyone and happy hump day! I hope all of you are having a fabulous week so far. The day after Christmas, my mom and I ventured to the mall to make some returns and do a little shopping. It was actually not as crazy as I expected it to be and thanks to some gift cards and holiday cash, I was able to add two fun new things to my wardrobe. Take a look and let’s discuss:

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The Haul:

  • Forever 21 cropped rainbow sweater
  • Loft velvet skinny jeans

F21 Sweater: I lucked out this Christmas and ended up getting some gift cards to Forever 21 which is easily one of my favorite stores. I think that this sweater is the cutest and it was only twenty dollars which, in my opinion, was a steal. My mom and I went shopping at just the right time because I snagged the only small that was left among a bunch of larges! GREAT SUCCESS. I am actually wearing my new sweater along with my velvet skinnies from Loft at this very moment and it looks adorable! Pictures will definitely be up some time this week so stay tuned! 🙂

Loft Jeans: First of all, Loft literally has the best skinny jeans that I have ever worn, so I was so happy to score another pair that was marked all the way down to twenty-seven bucks from seventy! Second of all, I have had a love/hate relationship with the velvet trend that has been so popular as of late. I love some of the velveteen pieces that I’ve seen but I hate that none of them speak to me on a personal level! But, black velvet skinnies are definitely something that I can do since you guys all know that black skinnies are all I wear. Not only is the fit of the Loft skinny jeans superb but the velvet adds a fun new texture to every outfit and I am loving them with my Forever 21 rainbow sweater! ❤

After a tiny post Christmas shopping haul, it’s now time to save my money and store away my Forever 21 gift cards until spring to add to my warm weather wardrobe. However, this is going to be SO HARD considering my email inbox is legitimately overflowing with sale notifications from all of my favorite stores! GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!!

So there you have it, my Post Christmas Shopping! Has anyone scored some amazing after holiday deals? Where is the best place to get the best price after the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec26

December Finishes

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December Finishes

Hello everyone and a very happy Monday to all! I hope that those who celebrated Christmas yesterday had a fantastic day and that everyone is enjoying the holiday season. This is my last post about my monthly empties for 2016 and it is kind of a blah one because all of the products are from The Body Shop! This month was about sticking with what I know and using up some of my favorite products from my go to bath and body and skin care shopping spot. So take a look and let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Again?

  • The Body Shop Strawberry Body Scrub: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisturizer: YES
  • The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter: YES
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES

Why/Why Not?

Strawberry Scrub: The scrubs from TBS are a must for me when I am shaving, as they exfoliate, moisturize, and lift the hair from their follicles which results in a smoother shave. I love both the strawberry and satsuma scrub and was lucky enough to find both at TJMaxx for five dollars apiece. Score! The best thing about this scrub is how well it lathers – a small quarter sized squeeze can easily cover your entire leg! A little goes such a long way with this product which is why I finally finished it after the better part of five months. I essentially paid a dollar a month to use my scrub and I can totally get down with that!

Moisturizer: I have wrote about my beloved Vitamin E Moisturizer many a times and my love for it grows with every use. This cream is perfectly in between a heavy and light consistency which leaves your skin feeling like peaches and cream every time. Your skin will look and feel so smooth, soft, and dreamy creamy. Thankfully, I got another jar for Christmas since I’m all out! It took me about a month and a half to finish this moisturizer.

Cocoa Butter: The cocoa butter is easily my favorite body butter that the store has to offer. It smells deliciously rich and chocolate-y in the most subtle way and you can feel it nourishing you as soon as it makes contact with your skin. This was the scent that I always recommended when I worked at The Body Shop because I feel like everyone who uses it loves it just the same. The nice thing about cocoa butter is that it is not as heavy as the Shea butter for those who like something lighter, like myself. Make sure you ask the employees at the store about which butters have a cocoa or Shea butter base next time you shop to get the consistency that you like! It took me about a month to finish this body butter which I scored for six bucks at TJs!

Vitamin C Boost: I am sure that all of you guys know by now about my undying love for the Vitamin C Skin Boost. I have been using this stuff since I was a teenager and I honestly don’t think that I will ever stop. I really feel like my skin looks brighter and more radiant thanks to consistent use of this product and I am so thankful for it! Nothing is better to me than luminescent skin so to achieve that with two pumps of the skin boost per day seems like a no brainer! It took me three months to finish this product.

It was such a treat to use up some of my favorite goodies from The Body Shop this month. It left me feeling perfectly pampered and incredibly happy that I was able to take care of my body with some of the products that I feel are the very best. Here’s to many more skin, beauty, and body care must haves in 2017!

So there you have it, my December Finishes! Please stay tuned this week for some of my favorite new items in my holiday haul! What was your favorite beauty product of 2016? Did anyone score any new makeup or beauty items for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec25

Merry Christmas!!

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Merry Christmas!!

Hello everyone and a Merry Merry Christmas to all of you!! I hope that you guys have a wonderful day celebrating or doing whatever it is that you do today. No matter what holiday you celebrate, my wish is that you have a joyous holiday season with your friends and loved ones. I am SO excited to give all of my gifts to their recipients because I have literally been waiting ALL MONTH to do so! I am also really looking forward to ringing in the New Year with all of you here on lifewithlilred.

I am keeping this Christmas post short and sweet so that you can get back to going about your day so I will talk to all of you later. Remember that you are each so special to me and please accept a big, virtual holiday hug from me to you! What was in your holiday haul? How do you celebrate the holiday season? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!