Tag Archives: nail polish

Nov8

New Navy & Grey Nails

Posted on November 8, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello!!! I don’t know about all of you, but I had an excellent weekend! I got my nails done on Friday and my bestie girl came over and on Saturday I attended the Akron Comicon. You will see much more about that this week – it was a hoot. 😀 I couldn’t wait for my appointment at Elysian Nails after my work day on Friday because my nails were looking pretty rough. They were lifting and outgrown and I always know that it’s time for a fill when my acrylics poke through the gloves I wear to clean the bunnies’ litter box. So gross lol.

Thankfully, my tech got me right and the timing couldn’t be better – I’m attending an event this Friday that I am beyond excited about. It’s a surprise, but you will all be informed soon!! Check out my New Navy & Grey Nails:

During the fall and winter, I always gravitate towards bold, rich nail polish paired with a lighter hue. It creates a gorgeous contrast and I think it looks so chic and sophisticated. After oxblood and beige nails during my last fill, I wanted to get away from warmer hues and delve into something more icy and cool. I have been obsessed with all things navy since adding the shade into my hair a few months ago and needed more of it! I selected a deep navy and softer heather grey for my colors and love how it turned out. They make me feel like a total ice queen!

Normally when I get my nails done, I opt for a first thing in the morning appointment. That didn’t work out this time around, but it was pretty nice to wrap up my week at the nail salon. Closing the work day out by getting pampered was most relaxing and, as always, my nail tech crushed. She got my janky nails looking brand new again. They feel so secure and sturdy as if some of the nails hadn’t been lifted at all. The shape is exactly how I like them, the colors are divine, and I can’t wait to show them off this Friday at a shindig with a local celebrity. 😀

There is nothing like a fresh fill to get your girl back to feeling her damn self and I can’t stop looking at my new nails. And, yes, I already booked my December appointment in October lol. Make sure you get your beauty appointments scheduled while you still can for the holiday season!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? When during the day to you like to schedule your beauty appointments? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct6

New Mocha & Oxblood Nails

Posted on October 6, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! When Johnny and I had COVID, I had a nail appointment that needed to be cancelled. The last thing I wanted was to make all of the fabulous techs and patrons of my favorite salon sick! As I lounged about doing a whole lot of nothing, the promise of a fill was the treat I needed to look forward to. My nails were so grown out and it was driving me nuts! This past Tuesday, I couldn’t wait to hit the salon after a quick shift at work and Shelley slayed on these Mocha & Oxblood nails:

I was feeling very uninspired the past few fills in terms of nail polish colors. Summer was winding down, but it wasn’t quite fall and it was hard to determine what I wanted to go with. Not this time, though! On Monday evening, I went out to a delicious Mexican dinner with my bestie, Lea. She had on the most lovely beige polish and that was all of the inspo I needed. This is not the first time that I have done a variation of nude and red polish, but it hits just right every time. It feels so chic for fall and I am living for that oxblood polish – it is gorgeous!

When I have a first thing in the morning appointment at Elysian Nails, I am SO fine with the fill taking longer because my work won’t start until later. In the middle of the day, however, I want a super speedy session so I can get back to whatever else is on my agenda for the day. Shelley is synonymous with super speedy fills and she knocked mine out in forty minutes. As always, it is most impressive and she completely rocked it. In under an hour, my grown out talons were a distant memory and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks. This is the first fill I have been excited about in a while and the color combo has me feeling like a fall queen.

Some pampering was exactly what I needed for a post COVID pick me up and your girl is officially back to feeling herself. It’s amazing what a mere hour at the salon can do!

What are your favorite fall colors? What color of nail polish do you have on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep4

New Pink & Lavender Glitter Nails

Posted on September 4, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Lil Red has some REALLY exciting news on the horizon and I can’t wait to announce it! Unfortunately, everyone is going to have to wait a little bit longer because the event that I will be attending got postponed a week. It is not often that I get my nails done twice in one month and I guess I could have held off a little bit longer. But, I didn’t hear about the rescheduling of the event until it was too late to reschedule my nail appointment. That’s okay, though, because I never say no to some extra pampering and I love my new Pink & Lavender Glitter Nails! Check it out:

When I was on my way to Elysian Nails, I didn’t know what I wanted to do for my colors. Did I want to give a final hurrah to summer? Or did I want to welcome fall with rich deep hues and jewel tones? Both options sounded good to me so I decided to let the nail polish wall decide. As I browsed through the endless array of nail polish, I ended up going with not my first idea or second one either. Instead, I found an adorable glitter pink called “Bubble Bop” and glitter lavender called “Just 4 U” sitting side by side. They looked so cute together that I figured I might as well! My new nails look exactly like candy with these sweet shades and I am obsessed.

Mary, my nail tech, knocked this fill out of the park as always. We were working on a time crunch because she was running a little late and I needed to get back to work, which was totally fine. I have had many a speedy fill by Mary and I trust her with my claws completely. It always amazes me when Mary does my nails with limited time because they still look like someone spent over an hour on them. This fill was accomplished in forty minutes and in that time she didn’t miss a beat with her attention to detail or customer service. I cannot wait to sport her handiwork for the event I am going to!! 😀

Keep it locked on lifewithlilred for some big news and a brand new Bath Bomb Blitz all coming soon!! YAY! ❤

Do you like glitter on your nails? Do you prefer gel, dip, or regular polish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul16

New Glitter Bright Pink & Emerald Green Nails

Posted on July 16, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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New Glitter Bright Pink & Emerald Green Nails

Hello! This past Friday, I enjoyed a fill at Elysian Nails and it was just what the doctor ordered. Johnny and I had Val over for a slumber party the night before and I needed some relaxation! I was able to get an appointment first thing in the morning with the wonderful Shelly and, as always, she absolutely slayed. She even pulled through with a celebrity choice for one of my nail colors and she was spot on. I love how they turned out and I am getting all of the Ariel vibes! Check it out:

Normally before a fill, I have an idea of the colors I would like to use before stepping foot in the salon. This time, however, I was feeling very uninspired and even more so once I was at the polish wall. I immediately gravitated towards a bright pink, but I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what color I wanted to go with it. I decided on a shimmer lavender shade after what felt like forever at the polish wall and sat down at Shelly’s station. I can’t say I was particularly thrilled with that choice, though.

As Shelly made quick work of making my nails perfect, I was still thinking that I didn’t like my color selection all that much. And, as I was examining the nail polish bottles, I got called out! Shelly asked if I liked the colors and I said not really and requested that she choose a new polish to replace the lavender for me. While I paid for my pampering, she hit the polish wall and came back with the glitter emerald green to go with the pink. She said it reminded her of The Little Mermaid and I was instantly there for it!

This was the first time that I had one of my nail techs select a color for me and I think I might start making a habit of it. The green was a color that I never would have chose myself and I am obsessed with it. It has been over a week since I got my nails done and I still can’t stop looking at them constantly!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? Do you pick your colors at the salon or does your nail tech? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun11

New Orange & Purple Glitter Nails

Posted on June 11, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! For my 29th birthday, I got SO pampered by spending Wednesday at The Shear Shop getting my hair did and Thursday morning at Elysian Nails for a fill. I was so excited for both appointments and they were just what I needed to get Lil Red’s groove back! Both my hair and nails were in desperate need of improvement. I hadn’t gotten my hair done in SIX months and my nails were looking really jank with two broken tips. In fact, I broke one in my sleep during a night terror, which was really sucky to say the least lol.

Thankfully, my darling Mary at Elysian Nails got me right with a super speedy fill and repairs and I am obsessed with the end result! Check it out:

With a rainbow of colors in my hair, I needed fun nails to match and wanted bright, summery shades. I loved the glitter top coat that we used on a few of my nails last fill and knew that I wanted to use it again, but on what?! At the nail polish wall, I was instantly drawn to the pretty, jammy purple you see above and thought that it would look perfect with orange. So, I selected a neon hue for all of the Bird of Paradise vibes and headed off to Mary’s station so she could work her magic.

The past few times I have gotten my nails done, my schedule has been drastically different than usual. Normally, I opt for an early afternoon time to fully enjoy the pampering after work. However, I have needed first thing in the morning appointments to get to work on time and go to the Cleveland Clinic afterwards. Mary knows this, and has delivered with an under an hour fill every time and it is SO appreciated.

Despite the speed Mary works at, we still manage to catch up on everything going on with each other, girl talk, and gab about anime. During our chatter, she doesn’t miss a beat and my nails turn out amazing every single time. She knows exactly what I like and I barely pay attention to the process because I know that my hands are in the best hands. I am in love with how my talons turned out from the shape and sharpness to the adorable polish combination. As always, she turned my outgrown, broken ass nails into a work of art!

After this appointment, I will be back on my normal work schedule and will be able to have a fill without feeling rushed. I can’t wait, but even on time crunch appointments, I always leave Elysian Nails feeling like a million bucks thanks to my go to girl!

What are your favorite summer colors? What color of nail polish are you currently rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr14

New Hot Pink & Tiger Orange Nails

Posted on April 14, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I had a simply lovely day on Tuesday and can’t wait to share with all of you in the next few posts. I visited my loved one at the hospital, got my nails done *finally*, prepared a gorgeous OOTD, and saw Jesus Christ Superstar in Akron with my mother in law! Due to family emergencies, I had to cancel my fill last week and had been looking forward to a trip to Elysian Nails every time I caught a glance of my grown out talons. They were really, really bad! Thankfully, the team at my happy place always gets me right and I am loving my freshly done claws:

Unfortunately, my favorite tech from Elysian Nails moved onto a new job so I have taken to scheduling appointments with anyone that I can get. My preferred choices are usually all booked up and that’s fine because all of the employees at Elysian are excellent. Due to the rush of spring nails and pedicures, old staff members have been brought back and I actually ended up having an appointment with one of my least favorites. The few times she did my nails in the past, she was so rough and it made for a pretty unpleasant experience. However, she really turned things around this time and while I wouldn’t go to her again, I still enjoyed my time at the salon and zoning out to HGTV. 😀

For my nail polish colors, I wanted bright, springy hues and had highlighter colors in mind. The weather in Ohio has been lovely and I wanted my nails to reflect it! To start, I chose a vibrant tiger orange and went from there. I decided that pink would be a nice compliment and selected a bottle of hot pink polish. But I am calling BS! It looked pink in the bottle but it applied as a cherry red. I didn’t care enough to switch out to the flamingo pink I was eyeballing and I still like this combination all the same. It reminds me of Taco Bell sauce packets and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that!

Spring has finally sprung and I am ready for some fun in the sun with these nails! They are exactly the pop of color I needed and I am eager for my appointment next month with one of my go to girls… I actually just booked the appointment!

What color of nail polish do you have on? What is your favorite springtime activity? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan15

New Light Blue & Tangerine Nails

Posted on January 15, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! This past week, my talons were in desperate need of a fill. They were grown out and one was lifting badly, which was perfectly awful. Unfortunately, my normal salon was closed for their holiday break when the lifting incident occurred so I enlisted the help of my tech for a salon she recommends. Then, she said exactly what I hoped she would: She would come to my apartment and do them for me! What. An. ANGEL. There was nothing better than getting my nails done in my own home and I seriously felt like a celebrity – it was amazing!! Check out my new and improved claws:

My tech, admittedly, didn’t have as expansive as a nail polish selection as the salon but when she sent me my choices the light blue and tangerine orange instantly stuck out to me. I love bright blue and orange together and it makes me think of a day at the beach. However, the softer hues of these polishes make it feel appropriate to start thinking spring with and it’s a nice change of pace from the typical darker shades for winter.

I have never had any type of salon service done at my home that wasn’t something I was capable of doing by myself. It was seriously one of the best experiences to be able to relax, girl talk, and hang out without being surrounded by other salon goers. If you have the opportunity for your nails, hair, etc. to be done at your place, then I can’t recommend it enough. I always feel pampered after a trip to the salon but this took it to a whole new level. Plus, it made my apartment smell like a nail salon and it was, honestly, freaking awesome lol.

An afternoon at my apartment salon was just what I needed and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The constant applying of nail glue to my lifted nail was getting so annoying. My nails look amazing and I am so thankful to my tech for working her magic!

Do you have a good relationship with your nail tech or hair stylist? Have you ever had a salon treatment at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov20

New Mocha & Glitter Pink Nails

Posted on November 20, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! During the trying times of Lil Red’s life right now, I find solace in the beauty salon. This past Wednesday, I got my hair done for the holiday season at The Shear Shop. And, this Wednesday, I visited Elysian Nails for an appointment with my favorite tech to get my nails looking right too. Now that I have been spending almost every day at the Cleveland Clinic (A sixty-six mile round trip drive), it is important for me to take some time for myself to avoid going crazy. Although my mental health was at a negative ten (Which is better than negative one hundred!) when leaving Elysian Nails, my acrylics still looked like a million bucks! Check it out:

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and, although I am not one for holiday themed nails, I like to choose colors that give a unique twist for the season. This fall, I have noticed a resounding amount of pretty beige, cream, and burgundy shades that look lovely but are just a smidge boring for my taste. At the nail polish wall, I was instantly drawn to the mocha hue that I selected and loved the grey undertones that added dimension to the neutral shade. Then, I decided to dress it up with glittery pink for some holiday flare without going overboard. The colors play against each other so well and they both pop beautifully in the light. This is one of my favorite color combos that I have done in a long while!

Last time I got my nails done, my go to girl was unavailable and that was okay because every nail tech at Elysian is awesome. However, the salon experience just hits different when your favorite gal and good friend is the one pampering you. It was SO nice to catch up with her after some time apart and it felt so good to chat about literally anything other than all of the stressful stuff happening in my world. And, of course, my preferred nail tech knows just the way I like my nails after almost two years of being her client and they are sharpened and shaped to perfection. The gorgeous shaping and nail polish colors look divine and it was a very much needed pick me up. ❤

The amazing staff and atmosphere at Elysian Nails truly feels like a home away from home each month and going there is a monthly treat that I always look forward to. I have my appointment already booked for December before the schedule fills up and I can’t wait to go back!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? Do you prefer gel or regular nail polish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

New Deep Red & Black Nails

Posted on October 30, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! October has been a crazy busy/stressful month for yours truly and it took me forever to find some spare time to get to Elysian Nails. My old nails were definitely reflecting the craziness because they were looking JANK – so grown out, dull, and some of them were lifting! Thankfully, the wonderful techs at Elysian are always there to get me right and my girl, Shelly, hooked it up:

I have been going gaga over the gorgeous Halloween nail art that has been plastered all over my Facebook newsfeed. Ghosts, mummies, spiders, and dripping blood nails sent my Halloween loving self into a tizzy. While I would love to indulge in nail art, I just can’t justify the additional cost. Between my nails, hair, and a constant desire to treat myself, it is expensive being Lil Red! So, I decided to go for my old spooky season standby of black and deep red. Is it as exciting as a full Halloween set? No way. But, my nails look fabulous and, for that, I am grateful.

Because my go to nail tech wasn’t working during my appointment, I was treated by the fabulous Shelly doing my fill. It is always so nice to catch up with her and her sister because they work side by side. Shelly is also the literal fastest nail tech I have ever been to. Despite the fact that she had a lot of fixing up to do on my nails, I was still out of the salon in an hour and that blew my mind. At other salons that I have been to, the techs can be hit or miss. However, every single nail tech at Elysian is so incredibly skilled and kind so it is never an issue when I can’t be fit into my usual tech’s schedule. For that, I am also grateful! ❤

There is nothing like getting pampered at the salon after a long and trying month and I left Elysian feeling way better than I did before. As always, I can’t wait to go back already!

What color of nail polish are you wearing? Do you get nail art when you get your nails done? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug21

New Violet & Punch Pink Nails

Posted on August 21, 2022 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! After several long and stressful weeks, I was in desperate need of some self care and had been counting down the days till my next appointment at Elysian Nails. Not only did I need a pampering session but my nails were looking JANK. As always, Elysian got me right and my nail tech did a fabulous job on my talons. Check it out:

Normally, I have a color palette in mind before I go to the salon for a fill. This time around, however, I decided to let the polish wall speak to me and made my choice almost instantly. Directly in my line of sight was the OPI shades in Strawberry Margarita (Which I totally get) and Grandma Kissed A Gaucho (Which I don’t get at all).

Lol despite one nail polish name making no sense to me or my nail tech, I am in love with this color combo. It is such a perfect palette to wrap up summertime with before we move onto plum, oxblood, and jewel tones for fall. These nails look like a sweet candy treat or summer sunset and I catch myself looking at them constantly. So cute!

As you all know, pampering is my favorite form of self care and this trip to Elysian Nails definitely helped put some pep back in my step. It’s almost impossible not to when I leave the salon with nails looking like a billion bucks!

What color of nail polish are you wearing? What are your favorite summer nail polish colors? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

	lifewithlilred on Spirit Christmas Haul
	oliveunicorn on Spirit Christmas Haul
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	lifewithlilred on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers
	Simon on Thxgiving OOTD Bloopers