Tag Archives: meh

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi! So Bath & Body Works finally sent me a freebie coupon after months of not receiving anything, so I was excited to run into the store and grab a travel sized lotion or shower gel. I was in a rush when I was in the store, and their new packaging definitely didn’t help, because I couldn’t tell what the idea was for any of their scents. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean:

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I really did like B&BW’s old packaging, because it let you know what the product would smell like without having to flip the lid. Now, you can’t tell what their scent would be like from anything and, frankly, I think the packaging looks cheap. I selected a new scent of theirs called Happy Vibes and it smelled okay. It’s a floral/citrus scent and the only reason why I selected it was because I was in a hurry. The flowers in this gel definitely overpowered any notes of citrus that you could smell, so I am not a huge fun. But, hey, it was free! 😀

How do you feel about B&BW’s new packaging? What is your favorite shower gel fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: Therapy Edition

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Monday Update: Therapy Edition

Hi everyone and welcome to another week here on lifewithlilred! As many of you have shown an interest in my therapy journey, here is an update. Meh, it’s going so so. I feel like I have hit the metaphorical wall where nothing seems helpful and I’m running out of things to talk about. And, I’m getting frustrated with rehashing the same shit just worded differently all of the time.

I’ve actually been playing around with the idea of not going after the few appointments left that I have scheduled. But, I feel like that’s a bad idea. Maybe once every two weeks would be a bit better. I don’t know, it’s just becoming more of an annoyance than anything, and I feel like I’m getting even more pissed off by my weekly visits.

Obviously, there’s still a bunch of stuff in the ol’ mental health department that I need to work on, but I just feel kind of burnt out. Like I’m so micro-focused on it that it’s making me even more depressed, anxious, and just all around angry. I feel like I need a break. I guess that will just be something to chat about during this week’s session, amIright?!

Who else has felt similarly to the above during their time in therapy? How did you deal with it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Blahhhhhhhh

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Feeling Blahhhhhhhh

Hiii everyone and happy weekend! Ugh, I don’t know about any of you guys, but I have been feeling so blah lately. I am in the process of getting over a flu/cold thingie that lingered on with me for a week and am now just trying to get myself back up to snuff. I had hot and cold flashes, a sore throat, a cold from hell, body aches, and – to top it off – I was on my period for part of it! Could it get any worse?!

During this agonizing week, I had a really hard time keeping up with my 10,000 steps per day walking regimen because I was so weak. And, now, after a week of feeling sluggish with some movement here and there when I was up to it, I am left feeling so blah about everything. The way my body looks, how I’m still feeling the effects of the sniffles from this blasted cold, and my severe lack of energy. Could it get any worse?!

I know that these feelings will pass, and I have been trying really hard to get myself back on track with my walking. But, I am having a hard time shaking away the post sickness blues, even with the lovely weather that Ohio is finally having. It’s been a lot of going through the motions for the past week, and feeling self conscious the entire time, so I am definitely looking forward to feeling back to normal soon so that I can start enjoying my days again.

Has anyone else been dealing with the blahs lately? How do you combat the post sickness blues? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Face Mask Festivities: CVS Avocado Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: CVS Avocado Oatmeal Clay Mask Edition

Hey everyone and happy Hump Day! If there’s one thing a Lil Red loves, it’s a clay mask. I don’t buy them too often because I don’t use them too often, but the one that we’re discussing today was a hand me down from my beauty queen sister. It wasn’t the best, but it certainly wasn’t the worst, either. So, take a look and let’s get to it:

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Okay, so a major pro of this mask was that it smelled awesome. It had a nice and creamy texture thanks to the avocado, but it’s scent was rich and sweet from the oatmeal. I have a love/hate relationship with the overall feel of this mask, though. I liked that the consistency of it was lighter than a standard clay mask. But, at the end of the day, I love a really thick texture. It’s a matter of preference, though. I love being able to take a bath and let a thicker mask soak in. It was impossible to do that with the CVS one, because it dried so quickly!

Although this product smelled really good, I am glad that I didn’t go out of my way to purchase it for myself. When I use a face mask, I’m only genuinely concerned about one thing: Blackhead removal. And, unfortunately, my blackheads were none of the better after using this mask even though it’s supposed to be a purifying one. Don’t get me wrong, my skin felt soft after using it and it will be nice to apply every once in a while. But, don’t expect a miracle in this face mask, because you aren’t going to get it.

What is your favorite face mask to use? How do you like to pamper yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

What Might Really Be Causing Your Headaches

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What Might Really Be Causing Your Headaches

If you find that you are getting a lot of frequent headaches, you will certainly want to find a way to get to the bottom of it. Having headaches all of the time is not the kind of thing that many people can put up with very well for too long, and it makes sense to want to sort it out as early as you can. As it happens, there can be many reasons that you might develop a headache, and it is often necessary to look into the underlying cause before you can find the best solution for your particular situation. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most common causes of headaches, so that you can be sure what you know is causing yours – and hopefully fix it all the sooner:

Stress:

We all experience a lot of stress in our daily lives, and this can lead to many health problems in time if we allow it to overtake us. This is all too easy to do if you are not careful and allow it to worsen, so it is a good idea to make sure that you deal with it as early as possible. One of the possible results of a lot of stress, is that you might experience headaches throughout the day. You can generally tell if it is a stress headache because there will not appear to be any underlying health problems and it will be linked to stressful or triggering situations. Obviously, the way to get rid of such headaches is to remove the source of stress, or to take up stress-busting activities such as meditation and mindfulness exercises.

Poor Eyesight:

If you have eyesight which is gradually worsening, that too can lead to some pretty bad headaches on the whole. You might have a hard time working out whether you are experiencing this kind of headache, but again there will be some telltale signs. Probably the most obvious is that you will have headaches mostly when you are doing a lot of close reading, or possibly while driving and other activities like that. If you are having this a lot, you might want to get an eye exam and see whether your eyesight is getting worse or not. If it is, wearing glasses or contacts might be the answer, and will hopefully reduce headaches, as well.

Dehydration:

We all know the feeling of the hangover headache – all of this is really  dehydration, and if you are frequently dehydrated you will find that you are having a lot of headaches. The best solution here is preventative – in other words, make sure to drink plenty of water at all times. But if you are struggling to do that, you might want to set yourself reminders so that you can be sure of doing it more often and more easily. With any luck, your headaches will disappear, and if they don’t you will at least know that the cause must be something else.

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Hydrate!

Featured Image By: Pexels

Revlon Balm Stain Swatch In Crush

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Revlon Balm Stain Swatch In Crush

Hey everyone and happy Monday! There were a few winners in my hand me down makeup haul from my sister. Others were…ehh not so much. Including the product being swatched today. Wow, great intro I know – BUT the only reason why this Revlon Balm Stain isn’t an enthusiastic maybe from me is because I. Don’t. Do. Purple! HOWEVER, I am not everyone so, of course, I had to give this product a swatch for the lucky ladies who can rock a purple lip! Take a look:

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I’ve owned a few Revlon matte lipsticks in the chubby shape, and have been pretty indifferent about them. The color is alright, but I always found that the product didn’t have a lot of longevity on the lips and it seemed to smear throughout the day. Not a good look. To elaborate on that further, this product wiped off almost instantly with a wet cloth so eating or drinking anything with this on is a definite no no. BUT, the nice thing about this balm stain is that it smells super minty, which is a fun bonus. 😀

Despite not being wild about how this balm stain works, I am a little disappointed that purple doesn’t look good on me. I think that this shade is SO pretty! The muddled blueberry color is really lovely. I do like berry shades with a red undertone to it, but this one is just so powerfully purple that I looked a hot mess when I was feeling saucy enough to see what it looked like on my lips. #notdoingthatagain!

In my opinion, there are definitely better balm stains available, but this Revlon shade sure is pretty and would make a nice pop of color to a more neutral makeup look.

Has anyone used any of the chubby shaped Revlon lip products before? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Blah, Meh, Whomp Whomp Whomp

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Blah, Meh, Whomp Whomp Whomp

Heyyy everyone. Is it just me, or is 2018 feeling totally lackluster? Recent single digit temps in good ol’ Akron, Ohio have given me a case of cabin fever to no end and, as the title of this post reads, I am definitely feeling Blah, Meh, Whomp Whomp Whomp. Is it a lack of Vitamin D? Maybe. Is therapy not helpful? No, I wouldn’t say that. Therapy has been going pretty well, actually.

SO WHAT IS IT?!

I don’t know!! The doldrums are so real, though. I just feel so stagnant at the moment, and it’s not a good feeling. Between multiple jobs, one would think that stagnant is the last word to describe my life. Not the case. I feel so bored. So indifferent. I wouldn’t go as far as to say depressed…but it definitely could escalate to that.

I feel stressed about wanting to move out. I feel stressed about feeling stressed. I feel stressed about feeling so below average. And we’re barely even into the new year!! So, what gives? Sometimes, I feel like the new year puts a lot of pressure on people. Pressure to instantly get happy or instantly turn their life around. Obviously, this is never the case. But, it sure does suck on ice when that’s the mindset around the holiday and you feel yourself going backwards instead of forward.

Oyyyy, sorry. I needed to throw myself a little pity party. But, now that the party hat is off, the cake has been binge ate, and I’m still feeling like shit, I guess that it’s time to get back on the horse and try again for a better day tomorrow.

How do you shake away the new year blahs? What do you think 2018 has in store for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

DLS Vengeance Swatch

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DLS Vengeance Swatch

Hellooo! With a makeup queen for an older sister, I am lucky enough to receive all of her hand me downs when she decides that she dislikes a product or is sick of it. There is also the occasional miss from her Ipsy subscription that falls into my lap, as well. I recently was given the lippie seen below by DLS, which I now know stands for “Dirty Little Secret”, and I don’t particularly care for it.

SO WHY ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT IT?!?!

Because someone might! This shade in “Vengeance” is wayyyy too purpley for my taste. I stick to my reds and nudes, thank you very much. With my pale complexion and vibrant red hair, I avoid purple makeup like the plague, because it looks very clown-like on me. Not a good look! But if you are #blessed enough to be able to rock purple lipstick, then this shade might be for you:

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So, the first heart seen above is taken without the flash and it looks quite pink, right? At least, to me, it looks like a deep rose. The second heart picture was taken with the flash on and WOAH, hello purple! My mind was blown by this, because in the tube you can see that Vengeance looks like a dusky magenta but you really couldn’t see that color pop until the flash was on.

This intrigued me, and I had to bite the bullet and apply the lipstick – even though I knew that it would look horrible – to get to the bottom of this color mystery. And, what do you know? The lipstick looked super purple on my lips. This was all so crazy to me, because to my eyes, it looked so pink on my hand – but on my lips it was a different story!

Was the pink shade picture a camera fluke? Maybe, my iPod doesn’t take the best pics. BUT, that doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t see purple in the original swatch until the flash setting was on my camera. Is it all in the lighting, how you see color, and where on your body you apply the lippie? I guess so!

What shades of lipstick look best on you? Which shades of lippie are ehh…not so much? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sick As A Dog :(

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Sick As A Dog :(

Helloooooo. No offense to all of the beautiful dogs in the world, but I sure was sick as one this past week. From Friday until Monday I was suffering from a nasty sore throat, aches, fatigue, and nausea – it was seriously enough to make a grown man cry. And, because I turn into an overemotional mess while sick, cry I did. You seriously take your health for granted until you start feeling like a big bag of butts.

But, I am feeling much better, and now things are back to normal here on lifewithlilred! You just didn’t get to hear me complain about my disease ridden self because of a little thing called pre-writing. But, I promise that you weren’t missing out on much! How do you cure the winter flu? What are some of your tried and true home remedies? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

NYX Liquid Suede Stone Fox Swatch

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NYX Liquid Suede Stone Fox Swatch

Helloooo everyone and happy Sunday! I hope that all of you are having a lovely weekend full of fun, friends, and family. Today, I thought that we would talk about a lipstick that I have no genuine idea why I bought, but I figured it would be beneficial to someone out there to see the swatch for. We’re talking NYX’s Liquid Suede lipstick in Stone Fox. Take a looksee and let’s discuss:

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First of all, I love NYX products. My all time favorite shade of red lippie is NYX and I will be sure to write about it later, because it is divine. This shade for me, though? Not so much. I was stoked when the Liquid Suede line came out, because it offered an array of different jewel toned shades that all looked gorgeous. It also featured the color seen above, Stone Fox.

The Liquid Suede line came out at just the right time, because that’s when jewel tones and black/grey lipstick was becoming extremely popular. I had seen dark grey and black lippie shades all over the blogosphere, and I really wanted to give it a try. I am an emo kid at heart, and the idea of wearing a dark, almost costume style lip and have it be seen as fashion forward instead of weird was exhilarating to me.

Unfortunately, the exhilaration of the prospect of a charcoal lip was short lived. I tried this shade on at home and it looked like SHIT on me. Seriously, it looked like I smeared car grease all over my mouth and it was anything but fashion forward. It’s a damn shame, because all of the girls that I have seen rocking this trend look stunning. So, why not me? Well, there’s a few reasons:

  • This color looked a lot “much” with my face full of piercings.
  • This color looked abysmal when paired with my bright red hair.
  • And, at the end of the day, your girl was just not meant for charcoal lips.

Whomp, whomp.

In a desperate attempt to get this lippie off once I realized that it looked like I ate paint, I applied a lavender shade of chapstick over top of it, because this product doesn’t budge once it dries. Shockingly, the Stone Fox mixed with the lavender looked like a really pretty, smokey lilac and I loved it. BUT, ain’t nobody got time for that and despite liking the concocted color, it just wasn’t for me. That story was just an idea for the girls interested in giving this shade a go. YOU’RE WELCOME! :*)

I do like trying new lipstick colors but, true to my namesake, Lil Red will always love red lipstick the best! How do you feel about black and jewel toned lipstick? Could you pull off charcoal colored lips? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah