Tag Archives: maxxinista

Oct19

New Happily Grey Topper Jacket

Posted on October 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello!!! This past Tuesday, I had an afternoon off and decided to do a little holiday shopping at TJMaxx. However, I am in the phase of my early Christmas shopping where I need a treat too and it turned into a shopping trip for me! Lol, when I got home with TJs bags in tow I told Johnny that “I did some shopping for XYZ” to which he said “And…?” My reply: “…And a little something for me too”. Haha, he knows me so well! But, obviously, I just couldn’t say no to this gorgeous topper jacket by Happily Grey:

I am a huge fan of topper jackets and I clutched my pearls when I saw this number by Happily Grey. Johnny and I love the 70s era of fashion and this jacket gave me all of those vibes. It was one of those pieces that I just knew was going home with me and I considered it a steal at just thirty dollars! I have a feeling that I will be rocking my find all fall and winter long. I own maybe two or so full on “winter jackets”, but I much prefer a topper instead. I like that it gives you the option of layering and that I’m not sweating bullets as soon as I get into a car with the heat on!

I was drawn to my new Happily Grey topper for many reasons, the first of which being the colors. Burnished gold is one of my favorite hues and the cream filigree detailing looked so rich and lux against it. I also live for a faux fur collar, which just added to the expensive aesthetic that this topper gave. The length was lovely too, hitting at the mid calf and I could already picture wearing it with my knee high winter boots. Pair it with cable knit tights and a knee length skirt or dress? Yes, please. 😀

I am so happy with this TJMaxx purchase and I already put it to great use. You can peep that soon in an upcoming OOTD that I created for seeing The Wiz at Playhouse Square. If you are in need of new cold weather duds, hit up TJs ASAP because it is all there for the taking. PS – their holiday decor is out too!

What is your preferred style of winter coat? Does your winter wardrobe need a refresh? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct14

Double Dinner Date OOTD

Posted on October 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! This past Friday was so lovely because I went on a double date with Johnny, my boss, and his wife. Starting in January, I started a position as the in house writer for a local tech entrepreneur. We handle everything virtually and just didn’t have a need or occasion to meet IRL. On Friday, however, we were working with a new restaurant for one of the businesses we manage and thought it would be fun to make a night of it with our partners. I was SO excited to have a night on the town all together and wanted to create a look that showed off my personal style while still looking professional. This is what I came up with and I was loving it:

Who? What? Wear?

Dress: MaxSport LA, TJMaxx

Boots: Formentini, TJMaxx

*** The earrings are Lucky Brand, the bracelet was bought at a vendor fair, and the necklace is from American Eagle Outfitters.

When I began styling this look, I knew I wanted to wear a dress. The only question was “which one?”. I didn’t want a dress that was too tight or too showy because the night wasn’t about my outfit. It was about helping out a small local business and meeting my boss. So, I decided on something that I would wear for a business lunch or coffee and chose my dress by MaxSport LA. This was a ten dollar steal from TJMaxx and I thought it served its purpose very well.

I selected this dress for many reasons. First and foremost, I love it. But it also checked off all of the boxes that I required. It was form fitting without being tight, knee length, and something I could picture myself wearing to an office if I worked in one lol. The colors featured on this frock are gorgeous and it felt so perfectly fall with a fun nod to the 70s. The pattern was another huge plus as it was bold, but didn’t feel like too much.

The weather on Friday night was still nice and warm so a jacket or tights weren’t necessary. So, it was onto shoes and accessories. For shoes, I went with one of my favorite pairs of heeled boots by Formentini. I am as obsessed with these boots now as I was the day I got them and they paired beautifully with the MaxSport LA dress. These little numbers added a classy amount of length and tied into the retro vibe that the dress invoked for cohesion’s sake.

Finally, it was time for accessories. To start, I put on a dangly pair of turquoise earrings by Lucky Brand. These were a gift from my mom and I love them so very much. Turquoise, burnt orange, and burgundy are a match made in fall color heaven. The lower neckline on my dress provided real estate to add on a delicate necklace and I put on a tiny charm one from AEO for some modest bling. The capped bell sleeves of the dress offered room for a bracelet too so I went back into the jewelry box and came out with a bronze chain bracelet with a turquoise bead and feather. The feather was another understated tip of the cap to all things 70s and the bead matched my earrings. Total win/win!

I felt like a class act in my Double Dinner Date OOTD and this is one that I can definitely picture wearing in a work environment or another night on the town. A wonderful time was had by all and we cannot wait to get together again soon. I would say this business/fun dinner out was a GREAT SUCCESS!

How do you rock a business casual look? Have you ever met someone you work with virtually IRL? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct9

Crochet For Days OOTD

Posted on October 9, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! It has been a minute since I shot an outfit because COVID and I am a little late to posting these pics because there was a lot of updates to discuss. But, I’m back at it baby and you can expect more fall looks regularly on my page. While I love my Crochet For Days OOTD, this was a classic case of “looking good, but can’t take a good picture to save my life”. Lol, these were taken the weekend before I went back to work and I still was experiencing fatigue something fierce. I was left with minimal pictures that I actually liked and an endless amount of bloopers SMH. They can’t all be winners, though, and that’s okay! Let’s get to it:

Who? What? Wear?

Crochet Sweater: Debut, TJMaxx

The jeans are Johnny’s and are from Hot Topic

Platform Loafers: ModCloth

The earrings are a hand me down from my sister and are from Francesca’s

Ever since buying my Debut crochet sweater from TJMaxx, I have been really eager to wear it. It was purchased at the end of July, however, and it has just been too hot in my neck of the woods to break it out. With the temperature in Akron shifting into fall mode, I was finally able to style a look based around it. What I love about this sweater other than everything is the shape. It’s baggy without being oversized and it’s perfect for cozying up or stepping out in. And, of course, the mishmash of colors used is nothing short of a delight!

To play off of the shape of the sweater, I decided to wear a pair of Johnny’s jeans instead of my own. I don’t own any boyfriend fit jeans so I went with husband fit lol. While I could have easily worn this sweater with skinny jeans, I wanted to embrace the bagginess of the sweater by wearing looser fitting denim. Not only were Johnny’s jeans insanely comfy, but they emphasized the relaxed vibe that I wanted to invoke. This is not the first time I have worn my husband’s jeans and it definitely won’t be the last. 😀

With the base of the outfit sorted, it was time for shoes and accessories. Since my clothes weren’t form fitting, adding height was essential to keep from being overwhelmed in the fabric. I went with my platform loafers from ModCloth for the assist. They are old as dirt, but they still serve me well and were a laid back option to keep things cohesive. And, with not much real estate available for jewelry, I chose a simple pair of flower dangle earrings and called it a look!

Despite not having much photo evidence of my Crochet For Days OOTD, it still turned out great. It gave me all of the comfy cozy vibes for fall and is a fit that I plan on rocking again. Stay tuned tomorrow for the blooper reel!

What is something that frustrates you about taking pictures? Can you relate to not being able to take a good pic even when you’re looking your best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep21

Whatever The Weather OOTD

Posted on September 21, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! No matter the time of year, everyone in Ohio knows the weather to be temperamental at best. For the past several weeks, we have fluctuated between hot AF, breezy, and rainy days. Most mornings, I am freezing my nads off only to be having a hot flash by mid afternoon! For flip flop weather, the best thing that you can do when you get ready for the day is layer. Then, as the temperature changes, all you have to do is add or remove your layering pieces to your liking.

Last week, my Early Fall OOTD began the saga of the switching weather and we are going to continue on with that theme. At this current juncture, cardigans are my layering BFF. It’s not cold enough for a coat, but you definitely need something to keep you warm until the day heats up. Whatever The Weather, I know that I will be rocking all the fall fashion – my favorite! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Emerald Green Cardigan: Candie’s, Kohl’s

White Tank Top: Rachel Zoe, TJMaxx

Floral Pants: Nicole Miller, TJMaxx

Denim Platforms: Bamboo/Cape Robbin, TJMaxx

The necklace is handmade and was purchased at a vendor fair

The earrings are Lucky Brand and were a gift from my mom 🙂

Whenever I am styling an OOTD, I tend to start with one piece of clothing and build from there. In this case, I began from the bottom up in the pants department. Although I am forever partial to my black skinny jeans, I don’t want to wear them all of the time! I have many a patterned pants that deserve their day in the sort of sun and I decided to go with my floral pair by Nicole Miller. These pants were a strategic choice because they made styling SO easy. All I had to do was pull from colors that were featured in the pattern!

With something as bold as a patterned pant, it is wise to go simple for the rest of the look. Patterns on patterns can work, but they also can make for a haphazard appearance if not done properly. I don’t own anything patterned that would have even remotely gone well with my pants so I opted for a plain white tank by Rachel Zoe. Afterwards, I examined the pattern in the pants and pulled from the green in the leaves which helped me choose my emerald green cardi on top. Remember, the colors don’t have to be a perfect match – as long as they are from the same color family, you are golden.

(A little side note about the cardigan: It is old as dirt lol. I bought it when I was twenty I think? I needed business casual attire for a new job and felt oh so grown up in black slacks and the cardigan!)

Finally, it was time for accessories and shoes to complete the look. Since the top portion of my OOTD was completely plain, I added the gorgeous, feather adorned handmade necklace. It fit in beautifully with the earthy palette that I had established. Then, I put on turquoise Lucky Brand earrings to pull from the blue in the pants pattern. To create cohesion from head to toe, I went with my deep denim hued platforms to compliment the dark green on top and I was ready to go!

To end this Whatever The Weather OOTD, I will leave you with a little tongue twister we would warm up with when I did theater… Whether the weather is cold or whether the weather is hot, whatever the weather we’ll weather the weather, whether we like it or not. Try saying that five times fast!

What is your favorite jewel tone color? How do you rock patterned pants? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep14

Early Fall OOTD

Posted on September 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred!! The weather in Ohio is slowly making its way towards fall like temps. The mornings and evenings are chilly, but it still is getting close to the eighties during the daytime. With this fluctuation between fall and summer temps it can be hard to decide what to wear. So, I decided to create an Early Fall OOTD to make the most of the weather, whether it is warm or cool! Check it out:

Who? What? Wear?

Ivory Sweater: Jessica Simpson, TJMaxx

Floral Crop Top: Altar’d State

High Waisted Skinny Jeans: American Eagle Outfitters

Barbie Pink Platforms: Marc Fisher, TJMaxx

The bracelet ring is from Claire’s and I have no idea where the earrings are from lol

When I began styling my Early Fall OOTD, I already had my Jessica Simpson sweater in mind. It is brand new and I couldn’t wait to wear it! A sweet sweater or cozy cardigan is also an ideal way to go when creating an outfit for a questionable temperature. All you need to do is slip it off or on at your convenience! An important thing to note about this layering piece is to make sure what you have on underneath still forms a cohesive look in case you want to take it off. The rest of the OOTD still matters even if it’s covered up at first!

With the sweater already a must for my outfit, it was onto forming the rest of the base. I pulled from the creamy color of the sweater and chose a lavender crop top with white flowers from Altar’d State. This crop top is cute as can be and is a great piece to keep cool in once the day begins to warm up. Remember when you are layering that you never want two heavy pieces together – IE a thick sweater underneath a cardigan. All this does is create width. This crop top was just right for underneath my sweater because it laid comfortably without competing in color, shape, or style.

Since the top half of this look was oh so sweet with the soft colors and florals, I wanted to edge things up with the jeans. I went with my distressed high waisted skinnies from American Eagle Outfitters to help the cause. The high waist complimented the crop top and sweater alike because its waistline hit close to where both of the hemlines ended. The huge holes in these jeans also provided some extra ventilation in case the day started getting hot!

With the base of my Early Fall OOTD settled, it was time for shoes and accessories. For shoes, I put on my Marc Fisher platforms. I thought the Barbie pink heels paired with the lavender crop top looked darling. It also matched my nails beautifully! To complete the look, I chose a pair of dangly owl earrings and my ring bracelet. I didn’t feel the need for too many pieces of jewelry since my arms were covered by the sweater for most of the day. I also didn’t want to take away from that fabulous square neckline on the crop top!

The beginning of fall is the time to give those summer clothes a final hurrah and I consider that mission accomplished for my Early Fall OOTD. This blended look of seasons was exactly what I needed to keep me both warm and cool throughout the day!

When do you put your summer clothes away for the season? What is your favorite sweater or cardigan like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep13

New Jessica Simpson Sweater

Posted on September 13, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Johnny was a real champ during our Labor Day shopping trip at TJMaxx. I, admittedly, spent forever looking for skin care, perused through Halloween goodies, and tried a bunch of clothes on and he only complained a little. What a guy!! It was a glorious sight in the clothing departments at TJs because it was filled to the brim with fall clothing. There were cute cardigans, warm jackets, and snuggly sweaters galore. I was originally shopping for an outfit to wear to an event that Johnny and I will be attending soon. I couldn’t find jack, but ended up walking away with this gorgeous sweater by Jessica Simpson:

I am a highly experienced shopper and with that experience comes knowledge. When I see a piece of clothing, I know almost immediately if it will work well for me or not. Nine times out of ten, I am right and these pieces end up coming home with me. It’s a gift, really. When I saw this lovely, ivory hued sweater, I gasped. I have never seen anything like it with those beautiful raised flowers and could have bought it without even trying it on. Like I said, I just know!

On the off chance that I was wrong about this sweater (obviously I wasn’t lol), I tried it on anyways and loved what I saw. This sweater is perfect. The color is so creamy and rich, it’s soft as can be, and offers endless styling possibilities. It hits right at the top of the waist, which makes it an ideal candidate with high waisted skinnies. It could be worn over top of a sweet dress, paired with a skirt, or even with a jumpsuit to extend those fun summer staples into fall. This sweater can be worn with any color or anything and it’s exciting to find pieces that are so versatile. 😀

I cannot wait to feature this little Jessica Simpson number in an upcoming OOTD so keep your eyes peeled for it. Hurray for fall clothes!!!!

Are you revamping your wardrobe for fall? What are you shopping for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep12

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Posted on September 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! On Labor Day, I had the potential to go into work but as luck would have it, I had the day off. Johnny and I made the most of our free day by visiting his parents, going grocery shopping at Aldi, and shopping at TJMaxx. I was fresh out of moisturizer and needed to do a restock of my beauty hoard. And, of course, I never say no to early holiday shopping and treats like a gorgeous new sweater you will see tomorrow! The skin care department was severely lacking during this trip, but I managed to walk away with the following:

Normally, it doesn’t take me long to pick out skin care when I’m at TJs. I know which brands I like and are cruelty free so it’s just a matter of locating them and filling up my cart. This time around, I couldn’t find any of my go to brands! I was really hoping to find another jar of the Rescue Me moisturizer by goodhabit, but it was nowhere to be found. To add salt to the wound, the majority of the selection was from brands that weren’t cruelty free. I spent SO long going through all of the moisturizers and serums and coming up empty handed. Not that I mind the thrill of the hunt for skin care, but even I was getting annoyed!

For moisturizers, I ended up with three jars that I probably wouldn’t have bought if the pickings weren’t so slim. I’m sure they will be fine and maybe I’ll end up liking them, but I am always partial to a gel based moisturizer! These were the literal only cruelty free ones I could find and were relatively cheap at six bucks a pop so what can you do? I also found a serum that I am kind of interested in trying out with all of that shimmer. I love a touch of glitter and I’m hoping it will bring a pop of brightness during the grey months of fall and winter.

One final thing that caught my eye was some floss picks, which I also happened to be running low on. Rather than making a separate trip to Giant Eagle for them, I thought I’d give these plant based picks a go. You never know what you’ll find at TJMaxx! I have taken my oral health very seriously since my raging success at my last periodontist appointment. Floss picks have become a must have staple for me and it makes me feel good to be taking much better care of my teeth. I’m just hoping these plant based picks will be as durable as the ones that I usually use!

Am I thrilled with this TJMaxx Skin Care Haul? Not particularly and it was a very lackluster showing on TJ’s part. On the bright side, these are all new to me products and it’s always fun to test out new brands. We’ll see what happens!

What are your must have beauty products? What is your favorite cruelty free brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep8

YAS In Yellow OOTD Bloopers

Posted on September 8, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my YAS In Yellow OOTD! Despite the fact that I am in a perpetual state of fall and have already begun my Christmas shopping, it is still hot, hot, hot in Ohio. I am not a fan, but at least I have gotten to wear lots of pretty little dresses sans tights for my past few OOTDs! I felt great in my YAS In Yellow look and I know I look it in all of these shots:

Lol, my bottom lip looks HUGE

Taking a brief moment to contemplate my life

When Johnny says my phone is out of storage smh

Practicing my Frankenstein for Halloween

Electrocuted or just excited… the world may never know

Omg haha definitely a YIKES shot!!

Can’t wait for Johnny to give me my phone!!! 😀

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how my dress from Target shrunk in the wash. It only came up in length a few inches, but I knew what happened and I just never wore it again. When I tried it on for the first time in forever, I was pleased to see that it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it being. However, it still felt a little short. I would be a liar if I said that I wasn’t a tad self conscious about it, but I kept on wearing it anyways.

After having the dress on for a while and seeing myself looking awesome in it, I realized that I shouldn’t be self conscious at all. My logic? I have shorts that are shorter than this dress and I have been wearing them all summer long! When I thought about it that way, I went from self conscious to self confident. The moral of the story? This is something that I say often, but it needs repeated: Wear the clothes. If something is putting you out of your comfort zone, wear it anyways. Of course, there are exceptions to this golden rule – but nine times out of ten it will do you a world of good to rock that look!

Thanks to my YAS In Yellow OOTD, my old favorite dress turned into my new favorite. I took my own advice and it definitely paid off!

What is something about clothing that makes you feel self conscious? How do you remedy it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep7

YAS In Yellow OOTD

Posted on September 7, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new OOTD here on lifewithlilred! Even though it has been hot as BEJEEZUS for the past several days, I have been in a complete fall state of mind thanks to my new hair. During last week’s OOTD, I created an outfit to fully compliment my new do and I loved how it turned out so much that I wanted to go that route again. I also want to take all of the opportunities I can to wear dresses without tights before the weather gets too cold! Take a look at this look and let’s discuss:

Who? What? Wear?

Yellow Floral Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Denim Platforms: Bamboo, TJMaxx

Double Strand Earrings: I think these are from Target?

Can we all just talk about how great dresses are for a minute? They are one of those pieces where literally all you have to do is throw it on and you have an outfit. Also, bonus points if the dress has pockets like the one I’m wearing in this OOTD! It feels so weird to not see a huge list of clothing and accessories under Who? What? Wear? but I simply didn’t need anything more than what I had. That’s the power of a patterned dress because the last thing a bold print needs it to be bogged down with anything extra.

After rocking a navy blue dress last week, I decided to show attention to another color in my hair – Pulp Riot’s Satire. This yellow shade is my absolute favorite and it feels perfect for the last days of summertime and the approaching fall season. I mentioned in the Fabulously Fall OOTD that I thought the dress I was wearing shrank but, alas, it wasn’t the one I had on. It was actually the Target dress I have on in this shoot lol.

After assessing my options, I decided to try the lovely yellow frock to see if it was as badly shrunk as I remember it being. Happily, that wasn’t the case even with platforms on so we were in business! I love this dress so much and I have yet to find anything similar to it in stores. This dress is old as dirt, but it still feels brand new – especially since I just didn’t wear it for years straight lol. Of course, the color is great but there is so much more to this little number than that. The bell sleeves, for example? Darling! The burnished gold buttons down the front? Adorable! Flowy A-line skirt? Too cute! This dress is a statement in itself and when you break down why, it makes sense to style the rest of the look minimally.

For shoes, I went with my denim embroidered platforms by Bamboo. Although there were no perfect color matches to the shoes in the dress, that was okay! Denim is a neutral – this is why you can pair anything with blue jeans and it’s going to look good every time. These heels added fantastic length without making the dress too short and they are also comfy as can be. I could walk for miles in them… I think, anyways. 😀

All that was left to do for this look was accessorize and with the patterned dress, I didn’t need much of anything other than earrings and rings. However, there is more to keeping things minimal than just the pattern of the dress. Notice the neckline, for instance. It’s almost nonexistent and there are already tie down strings so you can tie it with a bow if you want. Would it be smart from a styling standpoint to put a necklace there anyways? No! Same with the sleeves of this dress. Sure, you could wear bracelets but I would rather the focal point be on the gorgeous bell sleeves!

Styling killer OOTDs is all about common sense and if you are struggling to create something, it helps to look at your clothing objectively. You can then see what parts of the outfit needs built up and what parts you can leave alone. This YAS In Yellow OOTD was all about minimal styling because the dress required it to be. When you can establish how and why you need to style specific pieces, you’re outfit building game will improve tenfold!

What is your favorite thing to shop for at Target? What is something you struggle with when styling OOTDs? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug30

goodhabit Rescue Me Water Jelly Dew Cream Review

Posted on August 30, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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goodhabit Rescue Me Water Jelly Dew Cream Review

Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new skin care review on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to be talking about the Rescue Me Water Jelly Dew Cream by goodhabit. I have been using it for the past month and still have a little ways to go and I have been loving it. Johnny really likes it too and it has treated his forever dry forehead well lol. The only thing we still can’t quite wrap our mind around is the color of this moisturizer! Take a look:

I will never forget when I opened this moisturizer for the first time and my first impression was simply “Smurf blue”. I always open a new moisturizer expecting a white or off white color so you could color me surprised when the Water Jelly Dew Cream just wasn’t haha. After the initial shock of all blue everything, I was able to appreciate the delightful aquatic scent this moisturizer has. It is so crisp and refreshing! This product also fully lives up to the name of a Jelly Dew Cream because it feels exactly like jelly and jiggles like it too. 😀

Applying the goodhabit moisturizer is like giving your skin an instant hydration boost. You barely need any of it to fully cover your face and neck – a little goes a very long way, but just a little packs a huge punch. This moisturizer absorbs really fast, sits well under makeup, and my skin has never looked or felt better. My face feels SO insanely soft and it looks fresh and bright… almost as if I am well rested for once in my life! I am going to be so sad once it is all gone and I think Johnny will be too!

If you are on the market for a new moisturizer, I can’t recommend goodhabit’s Rescue Me Water Jelly Dew Cream (that’s a mouthful!) enough. I am hoping that I find more during my next TJMaxx shopping trip because I could imagine it being most helpful for dry skin during the fall and winter!

What is your favorite skin care brand? Have you used any goodhabit products before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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