Tag Archives: meh

Apr24

No New Nails

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No New Nails

Hello! If you recall, I recently bought a DIY acrylic kit to attempt to fill my talons from home. I’d love to tell you that it worked and my nails look fabulous. But, sadly, it ended up being a crap lousy attempt during a crap lousy day. Mannnn, I don’t know what it was. I guess it was a combination of a bunch of stuff, so let’s discuss:

Despite all of the ideas that I have been posting to keep all of you entertained in self-isolation, no one is saying that it still doesn’t suck. Lol, I guess the day I tried to do my nails, I was really feeling down – blame it on my impending period or all of the coronavirus panic but, damn. Once the acrylic on my nails just refused to dry, the waterworks started flowing.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t just the nails but a build up of a difficult few weeks. Work has been long and boring, tax season and car repairs bled my bank account, and the weather has been crap so leaving the house just for a walk with my boyfriend has been impossible. Call it cabin fever or the pre-period crazies but your girl just cracked.

I cried, and I cried, and I cried some more. Thankfully, my boyfriend was nothing short of supportive and always talks me through my moments when my struggle with depression just gets the best of me. Eventually, once I calmed down, I removed my fake nails and after another cry sesh, Johnny put America’s Next Top Model on for me like the angel he is.

Like I said, no one is saying that this isn’t a hard time and it manifests itself in different ways. Have you felt over emotional lately? Has your normal sleep pattern been disrupted? Are you exhausted all the time? Cause same. And my best advice? Seek the comfort of those you love.

It’s easy when you’re feeling upset to not want to be around someone but, seriously, talk to someone. In my case, I ended up having to cry into the arms of my boyfriend after avoiding talking about how I was feeling once the metaphorical straw broke the camel’s back. Don’t let yourself get to this point because, chances are, everyone is feeling the same way and maybe they need to talk, too.

Contact your friends, do something that makes you smile, or watch a funny movie and get yourself back on track. We can all do this!

How have you been dealing emotionally with the coronavirus? What do you do to make yourself feel better? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr4

Bath Bomb Blitz: Dove Milk Swirls Vanilla Raspberry Creamsicle Edition

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Bath Bomb Blitz: Dove Milk Swirls Vanilla Raspberry Creamsicle Edition

Hello! This past week, my mom gifted me with a marked down bath bomb by Dove that she got while grocery shopping. I like Dove products well enough and the Vanilla Raspberry Creamsicle scent definitely had me invested so I was looking forward to trying it. Unfortunately, I can totally see why this product was marked down after using it and it instantly fell under the “wouldn’t use again” category. Let’s discuss:

D6E363B2-4636-4C85-9BA6-3C8E481F99D4C27B5D5D-D12A-4A5C-844A-20DD57FFC704E5D1D313-C228-474C-8C83-182EDE5DAFEE53F79D99-841D-4078-BB98-9E972C1477E17A122EA4-DED4-48DE-8CAC-2816EE16BA42

When I think of a bath bomb that promises a “bath milk” style feature, I always think of the water looking rich and creamy – kind of like half and half, lol. I figured the raspberry hue and fragrance would offer me a really lush bath filled with delicious, light pink, moisturizing water. Instead, I was offered scuzzy lavender pond water with no change in how it felt or smelled at all.

As soon as I put the bath bomb in the water, it began to fizz and I felt hopeful that it would work how I wanted it to. Especially because it initially fizzed very quickly and the water around it was changing. Unfortunately, about halfway through placing the bath bomb in the tub, it stopped working completely and I just broke the rest apart with my hands.

The sudden halt in the bath bomb working left for murky water and a less than impressive experience. But, I should have known that it wasn’t going to be that great from the beginning. Upon taking the bath bomb out of its plastic wrap, I literally couldn’t smell the Vanilla Raspberry Creamsicle scent that I was so excited for at all. Normally, this is a tell tale sign that the bath bomb is going to be A DUD… And it was. Whomp whomp.

What is your favorite bath bomb? Which bath bomb would you not use again? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar29

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara Swatch In Deep Burgundy

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L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara Swatch In Deep Burgundy

Hello! As you saw yesterday, the L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Cobalt Blue was a bust. And, unfortunately, the mascara sucked in Deep Burgundy, too. Whomp whomp. I can’t say that I was surprised when I gave it a shot and it wasn’t that great but it’s always disappointing to buy a product, test it out, and have it be an epic failure. But, hey, it happens and now you know what not to buy! Let’s get to it:

blueF0DE26E5-E323-41F4-8A9D-E18DD0683E9393659A00-7D17-4A2F-983B-EC75927F555B544C08DA-ECB4-4924-BEDD-2B052667C22F

Despite not being crazy about the mascara formula, at least the Cobalt Blue shade offered some hint of the color – albeit not much! And that is my main bugaboo about the Deep Burgundy hue. I was expecting something more shocking and ended up with brown lashes. I was hoping to see the deep red more clearly and it did not translate that way at all. It applied brown, it dried brown, and even in natural lighting it didn’t show any of the shade that I thought I bought.

And, of course, it must be said again that the formula for this mascara is far from impressive. My lashes looked stumpy while wearing this product and I can’t deal with that. Lol, the mascara clumped and it stumped and it just wasn’t a good look all around. This begs the question of “what’s the point” because this mascara did the polar opposite of what it should do. No volume, no length, and not even a fun color to appease me. Huge disappointment and I wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy… Well, maybe. 😉

Which product have you been disappointed with recently? Which product have you been obsessed with? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar28

L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara Swatch In Cobalt Blue

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L’Oreal Voluminous Original Mascara Swatch In Cobalt Blue

Hi! My skating coach has been rocking burgundy mascara during my last few skates and I am obsessed. I love the pop of color in an unexpected place and was eager to find some of my own the next time I went makeup shopping. I wasn’t expecting to find any funky colors of mascara at the grocery store I was at but I was pleasantly surprised to see a cobalt blue and burgundy shade by L’Oreal and bought them both.

Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at the cobalt blue hue and be sure to tune in tomorrow to talk about the burgundy! Let’s get to it:

blue9D468664-969F-4414-BEC6-413BCED44DF06C17C396-531F-4081-ADE6-57BE667916AD9E8DA33B-A98F-48CB-B95A-2584485DF780773F1A63-129A-4BAB-B935-1BD75D4E9469

I was really looking forward to trying the cobalt blue mascara because I thought that it would give me a more obvious color pop than the burgundy. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with the results. The color was just not saturated enough for a noticeable effect and I could really only tell that the mascara was blue when I was in natural lighting.

Aside from the pigment of this mascara not being shocking enough, I am not too thrilled with the mascara in itself, either. I am so used to my big, bold, fanned out lashes from religious use of Better Than Sex mascara by Too Faced so anything less than over exaggerated lashes are going to be a no from me, dawg. And, because the cobalt pigment is so dull you can’t even layer it over top of a base coat because it will literally do nothing… Believe me, I tried.

I can’t say that I would recommend this mascara and I plan on trying something a bit more high end when self-isolation is lifted and I can actually go play in Sephora. Maybe the burgundy hue will be a bit better? Find out tomorrow!

What is the best colored mascara? How do you add funky color to your makeup looks? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar27

Covergirl Katy Kat Eyeliner Swatch In Kitty Katdabra

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Covergirl Katy Kat Eyeliner Swatch In Kitty Katdabra

Hi! This past week, I stocked up on some fresh food at the grocery store and couldn’t resist looking at the makeup selection. I haven’t been shopping in store or online in so long and I honestly feel like I’m going through withdrawal. So, I just had to treat myself to some funky colored mascara and a glittery eyeliner from the Covergirl Katy Kat collection in Kitty Katdabra. Check it out:

katykaty1

I have been running low on my Black Onyx Covergirl liner and, sadly, the store I was at didn’t have the kind I liked. I was a bit disappointed because you can’t go wrong with a solid black liner but I figured that one with a little glitter wouldn’t hurt. And, normally, Lil Red never says no to a little bling!

I was looking forward to giving this new liner a try because it looked really cute. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t apply as harshly as I would like. I was hoping for something deeper with a sprinkling of midnight stars but the base color applied in an almost grey fashion and I don’t love it. I plan on using this color simply because I have it now and I’m not going to return it but I won’t be buying it again in the future.

How do you add some sparkle to your makeup looks? What is your go to brand of eyeliner? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar20

Coronavirus Vibe Killer

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Coronavirus Vibe Killer

Hi everyone! In the midst of all of this coronavirus craziness, I hope that all of my dear friends and readers are staying safe, happy, and healthy as panic spreads and toilet paper runs scarce. Everyone seems to be quarantining themselves from work, school, and other commitments and gatherings at movie theaters, concerts, and the like have been cancelled.

Normally, I would be stoked on literal government permission to not leave my house. Believe you me, I fantasize about that on mornings where it’s particularly hard to get out of bed and get to work. But, goddamn gang, I am SO disappointed because all of the fun events that I have been looking forward to are dropping out like flies.

For example, I was supposed to see Jesus Christ Super Star twice within one week at Playhouse Square in Cleveland and when it got cancelled your girl was just devastated. I have wanted to see that show live since my youth and seeing it twice was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me… until it didn’t. -___-

My boyfriend’s band, The Outside Voices, was also supposed to open for Molly Hatchet in April, which got the boot amid this unnerving time worldwide too. Am I shocked? No. It’s the right thing to do to protect our vulnerable populations. Am I disappointed? You better fucking believe it!

Yes, I’m disappointed in my festivities being cancelled. But, damn, I’m the most disappointed about certain behaviors that I have seen manifesting during this difficult time. There is absolutely NO need to be stockpiling mass amounts of food and product, preventing those who also need some to be left empty handed. I have also been sickened to see that people have been selling their hoards at an extremely marked up price on Facebook marketplace to make a quick buck. It’s shameful.

I’m sick of the racist remarks, I’m tired of the selfishness, and I urge all of you to take a minute and reflect on everything that is going on and how you can help. Whether that be Purel-ing your hands constantly to stop the spread of germs or packing a lunch for children who might need it now that the schools are shut down. We are all in this together, so let’s start acting like it! Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

How have you been dealing with the coronavirus panic? How has your life been affected by it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar17

Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color Swatch In Moonstone

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Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color Swatch In Moonstone

Hi! At the bridal expo my bestie and I attended they had so many damn vendors I thought we were never going to get through them all. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a bridal expo without your friendly neighborhood Mary Kay representative breathing down your throat. But, they had freebies! In their little goody bags, there was the lip gloss sample you saw yesterday and a single use eyeshadow application that we’ll look more closely at today:

moonmoon1moon2

Let me start off by saying, that I have never seen an eyeshadow sample like Mary Kay’s before. The makeup was protected by a thin sheet of plastic and, once peeled off, you could help yourself to the eyeshadow underneath. I thought this was so clever and it’s a great way to test a color out without committing to the purchase. And, god forbid you end up not liking the color you buy!

Having said that, this eyeshadow sucked lol. At first glance, it looks like this pretty pale yellow mixed with fairy dust. Then, on application, it just looked white with a ton of shimmer and I would never wear anything like that… Even when I was a teenager I didn’t wear anything like that! It also wiped off completely with one gentle swipe of a dry paper towel, so do with that info what you will.

Although I wouldn’t wear this as an eyeshadow, I thought it might make for a pretty highlighter. But, that’s what buying a highlighter is for! I give this Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Moonstone a big fat WHOMP WHOMP and I can guarantee you that you would have better luck with makeup from the dollar store.

Which brand of makeup do you find overrated? How do you rock a shimmery MOTD? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar6

Lil Red’s Art Gallery: Accent Wall Edition

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Lil Red’s Art Gallery: Accent Wall Edition

Hi! Ever since moving into my apartment this past year, I have wanted to do something with the wall alongside my staircase. I pictured a wonderful accent wall with artwork of all different shapes and sizes and decided to go for it… Several months later! Haha, when I first moved in, I bought tons of framed art pieces from Goodwill and a few other locations and they have since been laying in a pile underneath my staircase.

Whomp whomp.

But, thanks to a new record player in my apartment from my boyfriend (which all of you will see later), the under the stairs space needed cleared and it was about damn time to get some of those pictures hung. So, Johnny and I went to Walmart, purchased some Command strips, and I spent some of an afternoon off creating the following:

wallwall1

I am so pleased with how my art wall is starting to take form and there is still much work to be done because those aren’t all of the pictures that I have. However, I am not so pleased with the holding power of the Command strips because the embroidered peacock beneath my “Welcome” sign fell within one hour of hanging it.

And, to make matters worse, simply tapping my Welcome sign when trying to rehang the embroidery made that one fall, too! I was able to get that picture rehung but, sadly, the Command strips were already so worn out on the embroidery that I had to put it back in its nook under the stairs with a broken frame, no less.

Despite how happy I am with the outcome so far, I don’t think I would use the Command strips again to hang the rest of my pictures. I am also pretty nervous for the ones on the wall to fall and cause even more damage! We’ll see how the remaining pieces fair and if they can hold on for longer than a day but, I think I’ll be using the old fashioned way of a hammer and nails in the future. BOOOO.

Do you have an accent wall in your home? What is it like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar5

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Stranger Diaries Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Stranger Diaries Edition

Hi! I have been on a huge graphic novel kick lately so it has been a while since my last Lil Red’s Book Club meeting. But, since I finished the Lucifer series of comics, I am back on my mystery/thriller novel obsession and devoured The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths within a week. Unfortunately, the grand reveal of this book just didn’t do it for me, which is too bad because everything that led up to it was filled with nail biting suspense. So, without giving any spoilers away, let’s discuss:

boook

Talgarth High was the former home to Gothic writer, R.M. Holland, who specialized in the dark and obscure. He is also the favorite of Clare Cassidy, an English teacher who reads his short story, The Stranger, every year to her classes. Clare is a posh, divorced, middle aged woman whose daughter, Georgia, attends Talgarth High, as well. And, as most thrillers go, everything is seemingly perfect until a murder takes place.

Two murders, actually. Two murders that are obviously inspired by The Stranger in the ways that they are committed and in the fact that the killer leaves a quote from the novella behind at each crime scene. “Hell is empty”. The Stranger Diaries is an intertwining whodoneit between Clare, Georgia, and Detective Sargent Harbinder Kaur – all of whom could be in danger if the killer strikes again.

From witchcraft and long dead writers to notes from the killer appearing in Clare’s diaries, red herrings are everywhere in The Stranger Diaries. Will you be able to figure out whodoneit in time? Read the book and find out!

My mom and I normally read the same books as each other and we both came to the conclusion that this was an excellent book with a really shitty ending. The Stranger Diaries was unputdownable for me and I took every opportunity of free time I had to continue turning the pages.

I loved reading snippets from The Stranger, I adored how the book went back and forth between characters, and a lot of the book was downright creepy. How would you feel if someone was writing to you in your private diaries?! But, the big BUT, is that the grand reveal of the killer was the most random, lackluster unveiling I’ve read in a long time and that was so disappointing to me.

Obviously, I’m not saying NOTHIN about whodoneit. But I will say that if you read the book, try not to look too far into the subplots because they are definitely going to cloud your judgement. Take things for what they are and you might just be able to solve the case on your own!

I am going to give The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths a star rating of: five out of ten. Had the ending been better, it might have received the prestigious ten out of ten stars from me but, unfortunately, I am having trouble looking past a huge build up for a let down of a grand reveal. Whomp whomp.

What are you reading right now? Which book should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb9

Kat Von D Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick Swatch In Lolita

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Kat Von D Studded Kiss Creme Lipstick Swatch In Lolita

Hello! Today we are going to look at another one of Kat Von D’s Studded Kiss Creme Lipsticks in the shade “Lolita”. As I scrolled through the comments about this lippie on Sephora’s website, it seemed to be the most popular hue amungst the crowd. But, I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m already not partial to the lipstick brand already after an unsuccessful swatch, but I didn’t think Lolita was that great. Lol, but I’ll let ya’ll be the judge of that! Take a look and let’s discuss:

kat1lolitalolita1

Now, I get why to some this bold take on a nude lip in a dazzling rosewood hue would be a “universally flattering” color. I SAY FALSE! Lolita applied EXTREMELY brown on my lips. I’m talking chocolate milk with the tiniest splash of strawberry mixed in for good measure brown. I thought I was going to get a sultry dusky pink and ended up looking like I stole every single cookie in the cookie jar.

The funny thing is, is that I think a dusky pink is an amazing universal color and I wish they would have stuck with that idea. Lolita was quite possibly the most misleading packaging and swatch I’ve had in my life. Normally, all I need do when I’m lipstick shopping is run a line on my hand to quickly judge the actual color. However, this swatch proved to be much different.

As I applied a lipstick heart to my hand, I was shocked at the results and just how dark it really did apply. So incredulous that I actually took the time to apply this lipstick with my makeup to see the full effect. I thought that maybe the chocolatey shades would soften against the natural pink of my lips but I thought wrong. And, even my boyfriend confirmed!

I was looking forward to trying Lolita out because many a blogger has posted about it before. But, unfortunately, it ended in one big fat “whomp whomp” lol, it was a hand me down free sample, though. So, no harm no foul!

What color do you think is universally flattering? What is a color that looks good or bad on you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah