Tag Archives: new

Apr15

New Light Pink & Purple Glitter Nails

Posted on April 15, 2025 by lifewithlilred

Howdy!! I had a delightful break time fill at Elysian Nails this past Tuesday and it was just what the doctor ordered. My nails were insanely grown out and were in desperate need of some TLC! As always, my nail tech worked wonders and they are back to their former glory and, I daresay, better than ever. This appointment also came with a surprise – brand new colors to pick from! Take a look:

Prior to my appointment, I selected my nail polish colors and waited for my tech at her station. As soon as she saw me, she called me over to the other polish options which I don’t entertain. They are usually all gel and dip and I just go for regular old nail polish. I jokingly asked her if this was her trying to convert me to gel polish and we had a right laugh! Rather, she showed me brand new nail polishes and my original choices went straight out the window. I instantly fell in love with the pale pink and purple glitter shades! They look like fairy tale colors and are so delicate and pretty. My only qualm is that the two colors are more similar than I had anticipated from the sample, making it hard to differentiate them. However, I never say no to trying something brand new and they actually remind me of the Disney princess nail polish that my eldest niece adores. I think she is going to go crazy for this combo!

Of course, I couldn’t wait to get my nails right but I also was chomping at the bit to gossip with my tech. I had SO much scoop to tell her since my last appointment and it’s always fun to update each other on our never ending sagas. After spilling all the tea, we go through our monthly recommendations. From books we read to TV shows we’re binging, we cover it all and I love hearing her reviews. We have very different tastes when it comes to our preferred genres and it’s nice to have new options when I’m in the mood to break free from the norm. By the time my appointment was done, my nails were exquisite, the tea runneth over, and I was ready to return to work feeling like a billion bucks.

These new nail polish shades are perfect for spring and for letting your inner fairy princess go wild. Mine is certainly having a partay!

What kind of polish do you get when you get your nails done? What is your favorite acrylic shape? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct20

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Posted on October 20, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! During my Tuesday afternoons, I have an hour and a half or so in between shifts of time to kill. Usually, I will spend it posted up in a cafe working on the computer. If I don’t have much to do online, I will read a book or graphic novel OR go to TJMaxx as it is right next to the cafe. I’m sure you all can guess what my preferred option is! This past Tuesday was one of those days where I didn’t have much of anything to do and nothing to read, either. So, TJs it was to knock out some holiday shopping! I completed purchases for several people on my list and I didn’t even look at clothes – shocking, I know. I did, however, need to reup my skin care stock pile so I walked away with some goodies for me too:

^^^ All of these products are cruelty free!!

Nothing will ever please me more than a good clothing haul. Skin care is a very close second, though! I absolutely love the skin care department of TJMaxx and it is a very rare occasion that I don’t find everything I need and then some when it’s time to replenish products. My general rule of thumb when it comes to skin care is to get three of everything – moisturizers, serums, and eye creams. Then, I don’t have to keep returning back every month for more (No matter how much I would like to!). I haven’t had a skin care haul since the end of May and according to my normal time frame, I was right on time to find what I hope will be some new favorite products and brands!

When I started perusing the skin care department, I was already a happy girl. The shelves were stocked to the brim with bottles and jars and it was like the staff knew I would be in for a visit! In no time at all, my cart was full of five dollar or less products to keep my skin care on lock beyond the new year. I ended up with three moisturizers, two serums, two eye creams, a cleanser, micellar water, and some desperately needed lip balm. I realize this doesn’t follow my rule of threes but my stock pile wasn’t completely bare before this haul. I am really looking forward to trying the Dirty Works moisturizers because I have never used that brand but have always been interested in testing it out. What I am most excited for is the lip balm, though. In this past week, I have finished almost all of the lip chap I have been painstakingly working through which was highly inconvenient albeit highly satisfying. 😀

Stay tuned for new product reviews coming soon here on lifewithlilred and we’ll find out what works and what doesn’t together!

How often do you shop for skin care? What is your favorite skin care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct9

Weed Boutique

Posted on October 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! Not a ton of cool stuff happens in Ohio. In 2023, however, a legalization for recreational marijuana use passed and that was pretty damn cool lol. Since then, dispensaries have popped up all around the greater Akron area – one of which being a mere fifteen minutes from Johnny and me. I have never visited a dispensary before and that changed this past Saturday when we made a trip to curaleaf. It was definitely not what I expected!!

^^^ Lol at the copy of Shrek that was on a display shelf!

I’m not sure what I thought curaleaf was going to be like. Was it going to be a hazy hangout like local head shops? Was it going to be set up like you were in a lab? I had no clue because I had no experience to base it off of! Upon my entry, it was a bit of a shock – you basically walked into an office where IDs were checked. Then, the doors opened into the store itself and it really was like walking into a Weed Boutique. curaleaf was smartly decorated with lush plants, brightly hued marketing, and no product. Rather than browsing through the store, iPads were set up and you would shop from there, place an order, and receive your purchase at the checkout counter.

Honestly, looking through the online catalogue was overwhelming. There were SO many different options for however you prefer your cannabis and all of them sounded good lol. We opted for gummies and a vape cartridge that were extremely reasonable in price. The staff was also most knowledgeable for any questions we might have had while we shopped and we were in and out in about twenty minutes. After exiting the sterile environment of the store, it felt really weird to be deposited back into a rundown plaza. The weirdest of all, though, was that we literally just left a store to purchase cannabis products – that certainly was novel!!

This outing was a brand new experience to me and curaleaf made it a great one. I have a for sure feeling that we will be back!

How do you like to relax? Are there any dispensaries near you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb14

New Jane + Delancey Button Down

Posted on February 14, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello darlings and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! This past Thursday, I had a surprise afternoon off and was able to spend that time with my mom for a girls day out. We started our extravaganza with a delicious lunch at Panera and then shopped till we dropped at TJMaxx. It was perfect and we had so much fun together doing two of my favorite activities – shopping and lunching lol. We also went to TJMaxx at a great time too because all of their new spring arrivals were out and it was glorious. You’ll see more from my haul after a brand new OOTD tomorrow! Now, check out this adorable Jane + Delancey Button Down:

Naturally at TJs, there was a lot of Valentine’s Day apparel on display. Normally, I am not one for holiday themed clothes because the time you can wear them is so limited. I like clothes that will work for a majority of the seasons or year round. However, I just had to add the heart adorned button down from Jane + Delancey to my try on pile. The stark white base with the red embroidered hearts spoke to me and it was so different than the other V-Day clothes available. I was drowning in a sea of pink!

Although I loved the shirt on the hanger, I wasn’t completely sold on it. That is, until I tried it on! As soon as I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it was a winner and, most importantly, my mom agreed too. The fit of the button down was oversized without being huge. It looked flirty and fun and it surprised me by being something that I would happily wear beyond February. I can’t wait to wear it in the summer tucked into a pair of jean shorts with a cute pair of wedges. This top looked even better on than I could have imagined and I can’t wait for you to see it in the OOTD post tomorrow. 🙂

I hope all of you have a wonderful V-Day! You are all my Valentines and thank you for continuing to tune into all of the latest and greatest here on lifewithlilred! ❤

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day? How do you feel about holiday themed clothes? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec9

Linguine With Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Posted on December 9, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Linguine With Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Howdy!! Johnny and I finally went grocery shopping this past week and I could not wait to try out some new recipes. I am planning on doing a Chipotle taste alike meal this weekend and I am most excited for that! During the week days, however, I am always looking for recipes that are easy to make with a limited amount of ingredients. My original plan for a meal this past week was to make sun dried tomato, spinach, and ricotta stuffed shells. Unfortunately, jumbo shells weren’t available at the grocery store, but I bought the ingredients anyways thinking the filling would still be good over linguine.

Later that evening, however, I began to pivot as I was fearful that the filling wouldn’t have enough sauce to coat the noodles with. I decided to start searching for a sun dried tomato sauce that would use some of the ingredients that I already had. After lots of scrolling through Pinterest, I found a recipe for a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce by Midwest Foodie that I thought would work. The end result was, sadly, one that I was not pleased with. Let’s discuss:

The Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce recipe was an incredibly easy one to make. All I needed to do was blend the tomatoes, oil from the jar, and garlic in a food processor. After everything was blended to a pesto like texture, I put it in a pan with more oil from the tomato jar and let it cook for about a minute. Herbs and vegetable stock came next and once that mixture had a chance to simmer, all that was left was to add the cheese and heavy cream. I followed the instructions to the letter and the only things I changed was using dried parsley instead of fresh and grated Parmesan instead of shredded.

This meal took me about thirty minutes to make and I was really excited to try it. I wanted to like it so badly and Johnny and I both agreed that it was good, but not great. The flavors in this sauce were fairly subtle and they didn’t pack as much of a punch as I would have liked. Granted, this might be due to the fact that I didn’t have fresh parsley or shaved Parmesan. This wasn’t a huge deal and could be fixed with some additional seasoning. The biggest issue was the sauce’s consistency. It was very, very thin and runny. Was it because I didn’t use the shaved Parm? Who’s to say? But, I don’t think it would have made that big of a difference.

I expect this sauce to thicken in the fridge and I’ll add more seasoning to it as I heat it up on the stove top for leftovers. I think that will help a lot, but I do not plan on making this Midwest Foodie recipe again. It’s always disappointing when a new recipe doesn’t go accordingly to plan, but it was fun to cook something brand new!

Have you tried any new recipes recently? How did they turn out? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov25

New Piercing, Who Dis?

Posted on November 25, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello! Last weekend was full of changes and I felt nothing short of inspired after getting my hair done. So much so, that a new hairdo was simply not enough and I needed something more. I have been wanting a double septum piercing for literal years now and I decided that there was no better time than the present. Rather than thinking about wanting it for the millionth time, I finally walked the walk on top of the talk and scheduled an appointment to get it done last Saturday. I went to Lucid, which is an amazing piercing shop down the street from me. Alex, the owner, took exceptional care and gave me an end result that I am thrilled with:

^^^ Don’t mind these terrible pictures lol you will see my new piercing soon enough in my Thanksgiving OOTDs! 🙂

I have been to Lucid several times to change out my nose jewelry, but have never been pierced by Alex before. As soon as Johnny and I walked into the store, he armed me with knowledge about the procedure of the piercing and assisted in the jewelry selection. For my original septum piercing, I chose a new close fitting hoop with black gem detailing – it is gorgeous! I still loved the shape of the horseshoe jewelry for my original piercing and chose a slightly smaller version for the piercing that Alex would be doing. Once my jewelry was chosen, he went to work on sterilizing the jewelry and piercing room. I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous because it has been over half a decade at least since I have gotten a new piercing!

After the room was prepped, it was time to get this thing over with. I definitely had some butterflies in my basket and Alex was most skilled at putting me at ease. Throughout the entire process, he talked me through every step of what he was doing as he did it. His voice was so soothing and calm and it made me feel infinitely better to hear him explain things since I couldn’t really see it. Alex swapped out my original jewelry, marked where my new piercing would go, pierced my double septum, and…

It wasn’t so bad!! Lol, it was honestly exactly how it felt when I got my septum pierced the first time and that was minimally painful. Then again, I have a really high pain tolerance so my opinion might not be the best one if you are considering something similar! After my jewelry was in, I was blown away by Alex’s expertise. He placed the new piercing perfectly and I couldn’t stop looking at myself in the mirror. This new piercing is fun and different and I can’t believe it took me this long to finally get it done!

I am loving my new look and am considering a Medusa piercing in the future. Hey, I’m not getting any younger and I know exactly where I’ll go if I get it done!

Have you gotten a new body modification recently? Do you have any plans to get one soon? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov19

veg+ Review

Posted on November 19, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! My Misnyland weekend was a very eventful one. After hanging out with Tim, Johnny and I visited his parents, then we met up with my sister and her family for dinner. The following day, my mom, Kristen, my nieces, and aunt and uncle hit up a new vegetarian restaurant in my neck of the woods for lunch. The restaurant is called veg+ and it has been open for a few months or so. It’s actually pretty crazy because I just so happen to drive by it almost every day for work and I never noticed it lol. In my defense, the outdoor signage is lacking and I’m more focused on driving than checking out the scenery! Our experience was alright so let’s chat some more:

From the outside, veg+ leaves a lot to be desired but it was quaint and cute in the restaurant itself. We were graciously seated all by our lonesome at a big table in the backroom and that couldn’t have been better. It gave Val and Raya ample room to roam and play while the big people talked and we didn’t have to constantly remind them of their inside voice! Although it was great to have an entire room to ourselves, we were pretty sure that we had been forgotten because it took forever for our order to be placed. Our uncle had to track the waitress down after a solid twenty plus minutes, but she was very sweet as was the other staff.

The menu at veg+ was fairly limited and we all ordered the same thing – either a veggie burger or a hummus wrap. Val got the pretzels and cheese and Raya had some beans and rice. They were also able to make me a mimosa and that was very tasty! When our food arrived we were famished and had to laugh over the ginormous size of the veggie burgers. It would have been impossible to eat them normally so we cut them in half – some being more successful than others lol mine was a hot mess.

The general consensus we all came to was that the food was good. It didn’t blow us away, but it was a nice meal altogether. I liked the sweet potato fries with the aioli sauce the best. The fries were crisp on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside and the dipping sauce was delish. Val’s pretzels were actually the favorite among the table, but the vegan cheese it came with was a very strange texture and we opted for the mustard to dip instead. The veggie burger was just alright. The buns were obviously a bit of an issue and they were a tinge hard. The burger patty itself was also rather dry and there didn’t seem to be any sauce on it. I expected the veggie burger to knock our socks off but, unfortunately, it left everyone less than impressed.

Despite the food not being our favorite, it was so great to be able to get together for lunch at veg+. I wouldn’t be opposed to visiting it again if someone suggested it, but it wouldn’t be my first choice!

What is your favorite type of restaurant to go to? What is your favorite vegetarian dish? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov1

How To Learn A Brand New Skill In Middle-Age

Posted on November 1, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Middle age is nowhere near the “can’t teach an old dog new tricks” stage yet, and that adage is hardly even true in the first place. Sure, nootropics like Fasoracetam can give you a leg up, but nothing beats diligent hard work and motivation. So, let’s say you want to dive straight into embracing your novicehood in a brand new skill. How might you go about it? That’s not an easy question to answer, but in this post, we’ll help you get there. Let’s begin:

Don’t Over Complicate It:

Your age doesn’t mean you have to swim before you can walk, so never over complicating your pursuit is healthy. Say you want to learn how to draw – using anatomy figures and learning very basic perspective tips with YouTube tutorials or even sketchbooks can be tremendously helpful. Perhaps instead of learning a new hobby, you would like to try a different career. You can do this no matter what your age is and all you need to do is start. You can look into local colleges, certification programs, or community services courses online so you can learn in your own time and give back to those who need it. Remember that you have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself.

Fall In Love With The Craft:

As we get older, we tend to learn skills for practicality. This is because we all have to earn a living, or refine ourselves in certain roles, be that parent, homeowner, business person, etc. But obligation can often make you feel disconnected or even tired of the skill or habit before you even begin. That’s why it’s good to fall in love with the craft, even if it’s learning basic DIY so you can improve certain aspects of the home more cheaply and integrate your own aesthetic changes.

Join A Social Group:

This is an optional step, but you’ll find it’s much healthier to learn alongside and make mistakes with novices just like you, who may be in the same boat. For example, you can definitely learn yoga poses and take classes online, but there’s something connective about being in a studio with people from all walks of life and trying not to fall down among them during increasingly difficult poses that yes, you one day will pull off. Not only does this turn the skill into an event, but let’s face it, it can be harder to make friends as you get older. As such, this provides a golden opportunity to get started and socialize while doing it.

With this advice, you’re sure to not only learn, but excel in a brand new skill, no matter your age!

Aug26

A Trip To The County Fair

Posted on August 26, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!! One of my little quirks that Johnny has never wrapped his head around is that I have never been to a county fair. In my defense, it makes the utmost sense. My parents didn’t trust the carnival rides and we have lots of strict vegetarians in my family so we avoided the buying and selling of livestock. This was so normal to me that I didn’t really realize everyone else has been to a county fair! So, when Johnny found out that the fair he attended in his youth was going on this past week, we had to go. Even if it was on a work night!

^^^ Yes, Johnny did wear that shirt during our wedding!

Once I returned from work on Tuesday, it was off to the Portage County Randolph Fair. Johnny ordered our tickets ahead of time as well as tickets to a demolition derby (Which is an event I have also never attended!). I had a hunch of what the fair would be like from Johnny’s musings and it was exactly what I expected. Lol, there were animals, more than enough food to feed a small country, games, and rides. Between all of the sights, smells, and people it was total sensory overload for the first ten or so minutes!

I will be discussing more of what we did at the fair along with lots of pictures tomorrow. You can also peep my OOTD and bloopers coming up soon too! What I will say in this post, is that I love all of the new experiences that Johnny and I have together. From going to the shooting range to attending a county fair, it is always something exciting when we go on a date. When we went to the fair, everything was new. I played my first carnival game, ate my first fair food, and was in a situation I never thought I would be in. And it was fun! 😀

Our outing to the Portage County Randolph Fair was a novelty in so many ways, but mainly it was SO different being out on a work night! I truly can’t remember the last time we did something during the week day – it was definitely before we started living together. Even though we were dead tired the following day, it was beyond worth it. The county fair might not be my favorite place in the world, but I was there with my favorite guy and that made it the best. ❤

Because I have never been to an Oktoberfest, that is next on our agenda and we have a grand plan. Do a drop in, get food, and go home lol. Here’s to brand new experiences and be sure to tune in for more on the county fair!

Have you ever attended a county fair before? What was your favorite/least favorite thing about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug9

New Glitter Gold & Sky Blue Nails

Posted on August 9, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! I have picked up some extra shifts this past month or so and rearranged my schedule to make getting to them more convenient. It has been awesome and the best part is that my new schedule gives me Friday morning off! This has worked nicely for scheduling doctors appointments, getting a little extra shut eye, and getting my nails done of course. This past Friday, I enjoyed a fantastic morning at Elysian Nails getting pampered and I love how my nails turned out! Take a look:

During my last appointment at Elysian, I was feeling very uninspired in choosing a color palette. That wasn’t the case this time around, though, and I was thinking a blue and yellow motif as a final hurrah for summer. Last time, my nail tech helped pick out colors that reminded her of Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I guess I still had Disney princesses on my mind because the glitter gold and sky blue that I selected reminded me so much of Princess Jasmine! I didn’t realize this happy coincidence until my nails were already painted and I was so there for it. 😀

This past year has been nutso in Lil Red’s world and even though I always love getting my nails done, I wasn’t fully enjoying it. There was so much to do and so much on my mind that I was mentally willing time to go faster instead of relaxing. With things vastly improving and my schedule being more accommodating, I was able to get the full salon experience again on Friday. It was great! I had nowhere to be until late morning and all that was left to do was sit back and be pampered. As always, my nail tech knocked it out of the park and I left the salon feeling like a million bucks. ❤

With my nails now in check, I am eagerly anticipating my next salon visit this month to get my hair done. Keep it locked to see my new do coming soon!

What helps you relax? What color of nail polish are you rocking? 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