Tag Archives: love

Apr24

Black Leather Jacket OOTD

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Black Leather Jacket OOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a very special post here on lifewithlilred thanks to the fabulous Tara from venuslaughing. When Tara initially approached me for the possibility of guest blogging I was a little ambivalent because I still was unsure of how I wanted to go about doing guest posts on my page. However, after looking over her AMAZING blog, I just couldn’t say no. Tara is so creative, talented, and just lovely as can be and I am so incredibly lucky to have her on my page. I asked Tara if she could create some OOTDs involving a Black Leather Jacket (or pleather which is what I prefer!) and her post and photos blew me away. So without further ado, here is Tara’s guest post created special for my lifewithlilred readers. Enjoy:

Hello! Today I am thrilled to get to share with you one of my favorite wardrobe essentials that can be worn any season: the black leather jacket. I have been drooling over leather jackets for the past two years. Finally, my budget has allowed for this fantasy to become a reality! After a couple hours of careful perusing, I found an Etsy shop in California called The Industry that had a style I loved: vintage 1980s, black, short length, with patina and fringe! I’m so happy this treasure now lives in my closet.
Leather jackets communicate being secure in your own skin, marching to the beat of your own drum, and being in tune with your wildish nature. Also, wearing animal skin is a reminder of our primal connection to the earth itself, which modern society tends to be so out of synch with! And of course, buying vintage/used leather is smart for eco-sustainable and ethical reasons.

A leather jacket can pair with so many things! Here are a few of my favorite looks:
 
A Pop Of Color:
The inspiration for this look came from a beautiful bag my mom surprised me with one day, purchased at a local fair trade store called Just Creations. I had this idea to do my hair up in a kind of Bridget Bardot-esque look. The leopard booties (ASOS) might be too much, but they’re fun! Cut your mesh tights into socks and roll your skinny jeans over them for this look!

Romantic:

The inspiration for the romantic look was this floral summer dress, AKA the “Nashville dress”. It reminds me of a trip my sister and I took to Nashville once to try busking on the street (we made a whopping nine dollars!). Also, a beautiful book called Paris Street Style by Isabelle Thomas and Frederique Veysset, given to me for Christmas by my sister. It has a selection on leather jackets and dresses!
 
 Tips & Pics:
  • Mix it with something frilly, lacey, floral, romantic, or soft.
  • Pair it with white.
  • Bring a pop of color to it with earrings or shoes.
  • Put your hair in an updo to soften the look (Pro Tip: Use hair powder!).
  • Wear a bright colored lipstick.
  • And remember, above all else, have fun! The best fashion breaks rules. Do what feels good!

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Thank you so much to the beautiful Tara for such a wonderful guest post! Once again, please be sure to check out her page at venuslaughing! What is your favorite look that Tara created? How would you style a Black Leather Jacket OOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr17

Glamour Girl MOTD

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Glamour Girl MOTD

Hi everyone and welcome to a very special guest blogging post here on lifewithlilred thanks to my friend, Rehma, over at glamorousetoiles. I adore Rehma’s blog so much and I’m sure that you guys will, too, so please check it out and give her page some love! While Rehma and I discussed what her post should be about, I suggested creating an MOTD and she happily agreed. I’m so glad, too, because Rehma is a makeup queen. And me? Not so much. So check out her Glamour Girl MOTD that she created special for my readers on lifewithlilred and then let’s discuss:

^^^ Beautiful!

Makeup Used:

  • Foundation: TV Paint Stick by Kryolan (FS45)
  • Concealer: NYX Orange Color Corrector & Maybelline Eye Eraser (Nude)
  • Powder: Artistry Mineral Powder (Light)
  • Eye Shadows: Makeup Revolution’s Flawless Palette
  • Waterline: Rimmel London Kohl Kajal (Nude 005)
  • Mascara: Maybelline Sensation and Great Lash (Blackest Black)
  • Highlighting: Colourpop Supershock Cheek and NYX Highlight & Contour Palette
  • Contour: NYX Highlight & Contour Palette
  • Blusher: Sleek Antique
  • Lipstick: Medora in Dark Coco
  • Liner: Makeup Revolution’s black liner
  • Makeup Brushes: Morphe & Makeup Addiction
  • Setting Spray: Urban Decay Chill Cooling & Hydrating Spray

What I love the most about Rehma’s MOTD is her deep berry lip! Nothing screams glamour to me more than a dark lip paired with a dramatic eye. Seriously, this look belongs on the red carpet of a movie premiere! I also like that, for the most part, Rehma created this look with products that you could buy from your local drugstore. I’m particularly obsessed with the fact that she used my personal favorite brand, NYX, to help create her MOTD. You look so gorgeous, Rehma! You go, girl.

I want to thank Rehma again so much for doing such an amazing job on this guest post. It was such a huge help and it turned out fabulous! Once again, please check out her blog at glamorousetoiles and give her page a follow and some love! What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand? What is your favorite makeup brand to splurge on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr14

The Happiness Tag

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The Happiness Tag

Hey everyone and happy Thursday! I was recently nominated by my friend, Ellen, over at eclecticellen for The Happiness Tag and I’m so excited because I’ve never been before. Everyone please give her blog some loving, it’s fabulous! Thanks, Ellen! I think that this tag is great because it will be an awesome reminder of things that make me smile when I’m feeling low. It’s always nice to take a minute and think about all of the good things in your life no matter how you’re feeling so it was such a treat to be able to make this post. Check out the rules and then let’s get started:

The Rules:

  • List 5 things that make you happy.
  • List 5 songs that make you happy.
  • Nominate 5 people to do this tag.
  • Smile while you write this post.

Five Things That Make Me Happy:

  1. Drinking coffee during lunch over the weekend with my parents.
  2. Getting straight A’s for days in school because I love having proof of how hard I work.
  3. That warm fuzzy feeling that I get when I think about my summer internship on my college campus. I’M SO EXCITED!!
  4. Reading before bed every night. I’m reading the final book of The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay, and I’m sad but happy to finish it!
  5. Spending time with my family, friends, boyfriend, and dogs! ❤

Five Songs That Make Me Happy:

  1. Beautiful Day by U2
  2. Fuckin Problems by A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and 2 Chainz 😉
  3. Lazaretto by Jack White
  4. I’ll Believe In Anything by Wolf Parade
  5. Clocks by Coldplay

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

Thank you so much again to Ellen for nominating me for my first Happiness Tag! This was such a fun post to do! And again, please be sure to check out Ellen’s blog! What makes you happy? What’s your favorite feel good song? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr12

It’s In The Bag – Sonoma Edition

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It’s In The Bag – Sonoma Edition

Hello everyone and happy Tuesday! Last week, I had to run into Kohl’s for my mom to return a few things before I had to pick up my brother from work nearby. I was running a bit early so I had some time to browse the store before I left and found the most darling canvas purse on the planet. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I fell in love. I envisioned myself toting it around to my internship this summer and packing it full of necessities to use as an overnight bag on vacation.

Despite my daydreams, the purse didn’t come home with me because I didn’t have any Kohl’s coupons with me and I was certain that they would send some in the mail within the week. In the meantime, I told my mom about the bag in vivid detail and raved about how cute it was. Over the weekend, I decided that I still really wanted the purse so my mom and I ventured off to Kohl’s to make the purchase. By the time we returned, there was only one of the bags left so I quickly plucked it off of the hook and into my loving arms. Take a look at my newest little beauty:

purse

^^^ I LOVE IT!!

The best part about this sweet tote? It was marked down from thirty dollars to fourteen which was a total steal. AND, my mom was kind enough to purchase it for me as a congratulations gift for the internship I landed this summer. I’m so happy with my latest addition to my accessory collection especially considering that I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I saw it and there was only one left when I made my way back to the store. That’s how you know that you and a clothing item or accessory were meant to be!

So there you have it, the latest segment of It’s In The Bag – Sonoma Edition! I can’t wait to incorporate my new favorite purse into my spring and summer wardrobe and I am so totally obsessed! Has anyone scored any good deals while out shopping recently? What warm weather item are you looking forward to wearing? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr10

DOGS

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DOGS

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend! As you guys know, our newest addition to the family was adopted on Valentine’s Day. He’s a little dog named Ollie and he’s seriously the cutest thing on the planet. Every day my family learns something new about Ollie and it has been recently discovered that he’s really afraid of storms.

The first major rainfall in Ohio happened a couple of weeks ago and Ollie was so scared that he retreated under my bed. We didn’t know this, though, and my dad ended up calling my boyfriend and I upstairs from the basement because he couldn’t find Ollie anywhere. We scoured all of the closets, cabinets, and corners and finally Kyle found him curled up under my bed. It was so scary not being able to find him for those few minutes so it was definitely a huge relief when Kyle discovered Ollie’s hiding place.

Now that we know of Ollie’s storm phobia we decided to break out the thunder coat that belonged to one of our past precious pooches. But the trick is, is that the thunder coat is five times too big for little Ollie! My mom and I managed to figure out a way to get the coat wrapped and secured on Ollie and he was then able to brave the next storm like the big boy that he is! Take a look:

^^^ Omg. SO cute.

I love how the thunder coat looks like a little cape on Ollie! He looks like a tiny super hero dog. The picture of me holding him was taken when it was raining and I couldn’t get over how adorable the way I was holding him was. He got himself like that on his own and it was like cradling a fury little toddler!

So there you have it, some cute new pictures of my brave wittle Ollie!! Has anyone welcomed a new pet into their home recently? How do you help comfort a pup that is afraid of storms? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr8

Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

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Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

Hello everyone and TGIF! In the past couple of weeks there have been a lot of birthdays in my family! Both of my parents and now my sister who turns twenty-four today! I refer to my big sister/best friend/soulmate, Kristen, frequently here on lifewithlilred so now it’s time to give her some birthday loving! Let’s do this thing:

Happy birthday to the best sister in the world…MINE. I love you so much, Kristen, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you this weekend! Thank you for all of the late night Taco Bell runs, borrowing my clothes without asking, and always providing me with a laugh or support when I need it. You are the bravest, strongest, most beautiful gal I know and I’m so happy that we share DNA with each other! I can’t wait to continue adding on to our endless list of memories and adventures now that you’re the big 2-4. You are beyond my best friend and I hope that you have the best day in the whole world! ❤

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❤ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEN!! ❤

Apr7

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

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Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Yesterday was a very special day because it was my handsome, fantastic, hunky father’s birthday!! My dad is not a big fan of celebrating birthdays, as he so optimistically puts, “it’s another year closer to the grave”. BUT, that isn’t going to stop me from creating a loving blog post about him anyways:

So here’s to you, dad. You are a real stand up guy and I love you so much! You plan the best vacations, you’re great at making oven pizza and spaghetti, and you always know how to make me laugh! I am the luckiest gal in the world because I get to say that you’re my dad! I hope you had fun on your special day even though you treated it just like any other one. I also hope that you enjoy the season DVDs of the TV show, Fargo, that I got for you because I know how much you liked the series and the movie and I can’t wait to watch them together. Happy birthday!! ❤

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❤ I LOVE YOU, DAD!! ❤

Apr5

TJ’s Trip

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TJ’s Trip

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! As you guys know, I freaking LOVE TJMaxx. I live for all of the fabulous but affordable finds there and always enjoy a TJ’s shopping trip even if I leave empty handed. My mom and I go to TJ’s once or twice a month to see what’s new and we had one of our excursions this past weekend. We left with a scarf for both of us, a new toy for both of our dogs, and a little “Ollie sized” food dish for our most recently adopted pup. I’m seriously so in love with my BCBGeneration scarf that I can’t even handle it so take a look at the darling new addition to my wardrobe:

^^^ So cute!

Usually when my mom and I shop at TJ’s, we breeze by their selection of scarves because we don’t wear them often. However, my mom said that she would like a new and lighter one for spring so we took our time and thumbed through the many scarves that TJ’s had on display. I found my mom a lovely black, grey, and white striped scarf that looked so adorable on her so we decided to go with that one and continue scouring the store.

As we were walking away to go check out the shoes, I took one last survey of the scarves and found the only Popsicle print square scarf that was hanging up. I was instantly enamored by the whimsical pattern, creamy colors, and vintage feel of the silky BCBGeneration scarf. I knew right away that I wanted it. The scarf was the perfect amount of cute and quirky that I love and it was at just the right price of eight bucks. How can you say no to that?!

As soon as I saw the scarf, I began thinking of all of the different ways that I could wear it this spring and summer. Tied in a bow around my neck, Parisian style, as a turban, as a hair wrap, casually flung over my shoulders – the possibilities were endless! I love pieces that are versatile and can be worn during all or most seasons. This sweet little square scarf passed that requirement with flying colors!

The best part about this scarf is the pure luxury of it for such an amazing price. The rich cream, mauve, and baby blue palette just screams vintage chic and the silky material feels so fabulous to the touch. I adore the BCBGeneration brand, too, so the fact that my scarf came from their collection was another added bonus. I’m so excited to sport my quirky and sweet new scarf this season and I’m so beyond happy with my latest TJMaxx find!

My mom and I’s latest TJ’s Trip was an obvious success and I live for our monthly shopping excursions together! What is your favorite way to wear a scarf? What was the latest purchase you made while out shopping? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr3

Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review

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Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review

Hey everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend! When it comes to my night time beauty routine, I LOVE using masks. I’m always on the hunt for a light but effective moisture mask and I happened to find exactly what I wanted in Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask. It is literally the best mask that I’ve ever used and it makes The Body Shop’s Vitamin E and Drops of Youth Bouncy Mask pale in comparison. This is easily one of my favorite items in my beauty arsenal so I just had to review it! Let’s discuss:

olay1

Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask is complete and total magic. Not only is it an amazing product but it’s a very fair price, too. You can’t beat fifteen bucks for a big container! I think that this mask is a steal and it also passes my perfect product checklist with flying colors, starting with the smell. The best way that I can describe the scent is that it’s like a fresh rainfall. It’s so crisp and clean but it is in no way overpowering. The scent is so invigorating that it leaves me bright eyed and bushy tailed until I fall asleep.

The texture of the Active Botanicals Mask is really nice, as well. It fits snugly into the category of just right. I can’t stand when creams or masks are too heavy or light. I like for my masks to be light enough that they absorb well but still heavy enough to feel like they’re getting the job done. The texture of Olay’s mask is what I could imagine The Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Bouncy Mask would feel like it it were a cream instead of a gel. It feels really aquatic and it only takes one small test of the Botanicals mask on your skin to know that using it is going to be the equivalent of giving your skin a huge gulp of water.

Good smell – check. Nice texture – check. Absorbs well? Check! Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask absorbs right into the skin as quickly as you rub it on. But, all of it doesn’t completely soak in. Every time I use this mask, a fine layer always remains on my face as if it knows that I’ll be needing more in my sleep. As soon as you put the mask on, you can feel it working. Within the first minute my skin feels tingly, bright, and hydrated. The following day my skin feels so supple and my under eye circles always look less severe. The reducing of my less than designer bags under my eyes is always a nice bonus!

There’s no way that I would rate this mask with anything lower than: five stars. It’s such an excellent and truly effective product. Olay’s mask is amazing for bringing dry skin back to life and leaving your face perfectly hydrated. I can’t recommend this mask enough, especially if you are looking to ease chapped skin from winter or for adding an extra dose of moisture into your beauty routine.

So there you have it, my Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review! Has anyone used this product before? What did you think about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar23

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Yesterday was a very special day because it was my mom’s birthday!! I am so lucky to have the best mom in the whole wide world and I love her so much. She is the smartest, funniest, bravest, most beautiful person that I know and I’m privileged to be able to call her mom! I hope your new year is filled with nothing but happiness because if anyone deserves it, it’s you. Take a look at us being cute and then be sure to give my mom some happy birthday loving:

momm

^^^ When we took these pics, my madre said that she wasn’t “selfie material”. I say FALSE!!!!

❤ Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!! ❤