Tag Archives: october

Nov2

October 2025 Finishes

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October 2025 Finishes

Hello everyone and happy November! The best holiday of all has came and went and now it’s onto the next best holiday of all. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been thinking about my Thanksgiving plate since last Thanksgiving lol. I freaking love Thanksgiving food so much! 🙂 I also love a successful month of beauty empties and October was pretty darn good in that regard. I think I might have found my new favorite serum! Take a look at these empties and let’s discuss further:

Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Champagne Toast Body Cream: YES

Bath & Body Works Strawberry Soda Shower Gel: NO

Bath & Body Works Golden Mango Lagoon Body Spray: YES

Glow Elixir Hyaluronic & Retinol Serum: YES!!!!

Vital Beauty Cooling Eye Gel: YES

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Body Cream: This isn’t a comment on how amazing this body cream is, just a funny story. Johnny thought that the scent Champagne Toast was Champagne & Toast and I genuinely cannot think of it differently now. In fact, that’s almost how I typed it above! Also the B&BW body cream is so nourishing and fabulous and leaves my skin smooth and hydrated as the temperatures continue to drop. It took a little over two weeks of full body use to finish the bottle.

B&BW Shower Gel: I am extremely faithful to my B&BW shower gel and couldn’t imagine using anything different. I just love how foamy it gets, the scents, and how hydrating they are. However, Strawberry Soda was a scent I couldn’t get behind and I wouldn’t buy it again. This strawberry scent was just too sweet for my liking and almost had a syrupy fragrance. I like my fruity scents with a bit of tartness so it’s a no from me. It took me about a month and a half to finish the bottle.

B&BW Body Spray: If you are looking for sunshine in a bottle, Golden Mango Lagoon is just right for you! This beachy fragrance is paired with freshly cut mango and it is absolutely delicious. This was a freebie item and I thought it would be nice to test out a travel size spray without committing to a full bottle. Normally, I am not one for tropical scents but I loved this one. It invoked sweet summertime on chilly mornings and just made me happy. It took me four months to finish this bottle.

Glow Elixir Serum: So. Much. Yes. This Hyaluronic & Retinol serum by Glow Elixir was the truth. It took me over a month and a half to finish the bottle and I enjoyed every single use. This serum was shockingly thin in consistency and a few drops went a long way for full face and neck coverage. Glow Elixir is the perfect name for this brand because my skin was literally glowing. It was radiant, peaches and cream perfection and I could visibly see it with each morning and night use. I would love to use this serum again and am keeping my fingers crossed to find more at TJMaxx. I’ll buy the lot!

Vital Beauty Eye Gel: I have been loyal to the Vital Beauty eye gels for some time and will happily continue using them. I love the longevity of the product and one jar typically lasts me at least three and a half to four months with twice daily use. That’s awesome! The cooling eye gel soothes and nourishes and feels oh so nice around tired eyes at the end of the day. It also provides an invigorating boost in the morning. As far as I can tell, no new wrinkles have appeared (fingers crossed) with consistent use of this product so I’ll continue to use it as long as TJMaxx has it available!

Out with the old and in with the new! There is nothing better than finishing up long term products and I can’t wait to keep using more goodies and reporting back to all of you! ❤

Which products did you use up last month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct27

October 2024 Finishes

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October 2024 Finishes

Howdy!! Just like that, October is about to draw to a close and that means it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. This is going to be a short and sweet post as there really isn’t too much to chat about. I used up several long term products last month and am still working away at their replacements. I did, however, try one new thing that I fell in love with so take a look and let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Calypso Clementine Body Cream: YES

Provence Beauty Collagen + Retinol Serum: NO

Jergens Ultra Healing Lotion: YES

Bath & Body Works Lavender & Iris Body Butter: YES!!!

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Body Cream: You already know the Calypso Clementine from Bath & Body Works is a forever use again product. Anyone who is a fan of citrus scents like me will love it! It took me two and a half weeks of once daily use to finish the bottle.

Provence Beauty Serum: It took me one month of twice daily use to finish the Collagen + Retinol serum by Provence Beauty and it was just okay for me. I have used several serums by Provence Beauty and they tend to be hit or miss so this wasn’t too much of a shock. I didn’t notice any difference to my skin one way or the other and will be skipping on it if I ever see it again at TJMaxx.

Jergens Lotion: A really cool thing about one of the Targets in my area is that there is always a basket of free travel size products at customer service. My mom snagged the Jergens lotion for me during her last visit and I was delighted because you can’t go wrong with that brand! My skin was smooth and hydrated as can be with each use and I can’t get enough of the rich, creamy scent.

B&BW Body Butter: While I enjoy lotions and creams, body butter always reigns supreme. The body butter from The Body Shop was my favorite thing to treat myself with and, unfortunately, their products are no longer available in the US. I never bothered with another brand of body butter but decided to try B&BW’s during their Semi-Annual Sale. I’m so glad I did because the Calm Haven Lavender & Iris was divine.

Normally, I am not a lavender girl whatsoever but this body butter really didn’t smell like traditional lavender. The scent was soft, light, and soothing rather than overpowering. The texture of the product was whipped, applied easily, absorbed quickly, and I woke up to puppy fur soft skin every morning. It took me two and a half weeks of once daily use to finish the jar and I would happily use it again!

Even though there wasn’t too much to my October Finishes, my skin was ultra soft from the products that I did use up and that is a huge win during cold weather. I’ll take it!

Which products did you finish up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

October 2023 Finishes

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October 2023 Finishes

Hello!! October is drawing to a close which means it’s time to discuss my beauty product finishes for the month. Although I wish it could be Halloween season all year round, I am pretty excited about November lol. Am I the only one who has been craving Thanksgiving food something fierce?! 😀 In October, I used up a lot of products that I have been working on for a while and most of them were A-okay in my book. Take a look and let’s get to it:

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Would I Use Again?

Bath & Body Works Gingham Gorgeous Lotion: MAYBE

Bath & Body Works Poppy Shower Gel: YES!!!!!

Pearlessence Dewy Glow Serum: YES

Clean Beauty Deep Hydration Moisturizer: MAYBE

Evoluderm Micellar Water: YES

The Body Shop Shea Butter Hand Cream: MAYBE

Renew Intensive Skin Therapy Hand Cream: MAYBE

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Lotion: I love the lotions by Bath & Body Works and think that they work marvelously. However, I just could not get behind the Gingham Gorgeous scent. This lotion smelled like a flower shop on steroids and it was a bit much. While I normally never really care about a lotion’s scent because I only use it at nighttime, I was SO ready for this one to be over! Of course, I’d use it if I got it as a gift but I wouldn’t select Gingham Gorgeous for myself again. It took over one month of daily use to finish the bottle.

B&BW Shower Gel: Now, Poppy was a scent that I would definitely use again! It was fantastic and Johnny loved it too lol. Poppy was fruity and sweet but not overly so and it was so nice to use every morning. I really enjoyed the notes of pear and I was sad when I ran out. This is a scent that I think anyone would like and I would happily use it again. It took over one month of daily use to finish the bottle.

Pearlessence Serum: The Dewy Glow Serum by Pearlessence is one that I use frequently from TJMaxx and it hits just right every time. This serum is a bit thicker in texture, but absorbs really quickly and sits well under makeup. I think it definitely helps to revitalize my skin in the morning – especially when I am feeling super tired. I love how fresh my face looks with each use and will always get myself a bottle of it when it’s available at TJs. It took me about a month of twice daily use to finish the bottle.

Clean Beauty Moisturizer: I am kind of torn about the Clean Beauty Deep Hydration Moisturizer. On one hand, I am a huge fan of its value. It took me at least five and a half weeks of twice daily use to finish the jar. On the other hand, I have never noticed mind blowing results from this moisturizer. This is not the first time I have used it and I had similar sentiments every time. If there is nothing else available at TJs, I’d buy it again but otherwise I would skip on it.

Hand Creams: I have been steadily dwindling down the random hand creams I own and both The Body Shop and Renew creams were fine. However, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them again. Neither of them exceeded my expectations in any way, but they would be nice to have handy on the go during the wintertime.

I am really pleased with my October empties overall. Although there were several “maybes” none of them were completely awful and I consider that a GREAT SUCCESS!!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above products if you have used them before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Oct31

October 2022 Finishes

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October 2022 Finishes

Hello everyone!! October is drawing to a close, which means that it’s time to discuss my monthly beauty finishes! And by finishes, I mean “finish” because there is only one product that I used up this month. The current products in my bath and body and skin care routine are all bigger in size and have been taking forever to use up. I’m not complaining, though, because all that does is continue to lower my CPU or “cost per use”! Now, let’s discuss the lone body cream in one of my favorite scents that I managed to finish:

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Would I Use Again?

  • Bath & Body Works Body Cream in Gingham: YES!!!!

Why/Why Not?

B&BW Lotion: As you all know, Gingham is one of my all time favorite scents by Bath & Body Works. One of my sweet neighbors also knows it because this was a gift – an incredibly thoughtful one! I would apply this to my hands, arms, and trunk (lol) every night and it took me a little over a month to complete the bottle. This cream was thicker in texture but it applied easily and absorbed quickly without any greasy residue. That, in itself, is a huge selling point for me because I can’t stand when a lotion doesn’t absorb fully. Every morning, I would wake up to ultra smooth skin that both looked and felt healthy. And, oh yeah, it smells great too! I would definitely recommend this product.

Talk about a short and sweet post amiright?! Thanks for checking in at lifewithlilred and have a fabulous day. See you in November! 😉 ❤

Which beauty products did you use up this month? What is your favorite Bath & Body Works scent? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct7

Simply Spooky OOTD Bonus Pics

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Simply Spooky OOTD Bonus Pics

Hello everyone and welcome to some bonus pics from my Simply Spooky OOTD! This outfit was worn during a date night at Sarah’s Vineyard with Johnny and it was a HOOT. Not only was it a lovely outing but it was nice to get done up and tear ourselves away from our scary movie marathons for a spell! The spooky spirit remained with us, however, with my jack-o-lantern sweater and Johnny’s spiderweb one:

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With my new hair, I feel like the queen of October and I have been looking forward to the happiest time of the year since last Halloween. After the dreadfully hot days of summer, there is truly nothing better to me than a brisk fall day when you can throw on a jacket that you don’t need to instantly take off! From the fashion and decor to all of the scary movies and autumn activities, this is truly the time when Johnny and I thrive.

There are a few fall outings that I am dying to do so maybe I’ll need another spooky sweater or two for all of the following:

Pumpkin Patch:

Are you really a basic ass lover of fall if you don’t go to a pumpkin patch and take pictures? The answer is a resounding NO! We have so many beautiful pumpkin patches/apple orchards nearby and I would love to frequent a few – especially when live music and hay rides are offered over the weekends! Plus, a trip to the pumpkin patch means making jack-o-lanterns later so talk about a win/win!

Movie Nights:

Despite mine and Johnny’s constant stream of horror movies at home, it’s even more fun to share with friends! We are excited to host movie nights with some of our besties to enjoy the season and slashers all together. I can’t wait to scour Pinterest for cute ideas for spooky treats and apple cider cocktails for the whole crew. 😀

Afternoon Hikes:

There are an infinite amount of Metro Parks in my neck of the woods and you would be crazy not to explore them during the fall. It is absolutely glorious when the leaves change colors! Although I don’t think Johnny and I will complete the rounds of the annual Fall Hiking Spree, it will be nice to work up an appetite with an afternoon hike before a dinner date.

Community Activities:

Over the weekend, there are tons of local community events in the good ol’ 330. From movie screenings at the Riverfront to Boo At The Zoo and fall festivals, it is all such a blast. Last year, I took my Val Gal to trick-or-treat in downtown Cuyahoga Falls and it was simply the best. Johnny and I are also eager to assist my parents with trick-or-treat this year in their neighborhood. Fire pit and the Monster Mash on repeat, anyone?!

With all of the outings of fall and an OOTD for every occasion, I am ready to have some fun this October. Who’s with me?!

What are your favorite fall activities? What seasonal events are going on in your area? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct30

October 2021 Finishes

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October 2021 Finishes

Hello! Sadly, official spooky season is drawing to a close which means that it’s time to discuss my beauty finishes for the month. It also commences spooky season all year round for Johnny and I lol! Last month, we had a ton of beauty finishes to discuss while today we only have a mere three so this will be a short and sweet post. Also, make sure you tune in tomorrow to see some Halloween accessories that I purchased when Johnny and I went costume shopping. 😀 Now, lets get to it:

Would I Use Again?

Why/Why Not?

e.l.f. Eye Cream: Prior to the pandemic, I was loyal to the SkinLab products and loved their gel eye cream that I could purchase at TJMaxx. Unfortunately, my monthly TJs trips ended due to COVID and I turned to Amazon for my beauty products. I was surprised to see the gel eye cream that I would normally buy for seven dollars was selling for twenty and I couldn’t bring myself to make the purchase. So, I began searching for cheaper but effective eye creams, instead, and ended up with the Holy Hydration! cream by e.l.f..

I bought this eye cream because it received great reviews on Amazon and was only six dollars. Despite the almost five star rating, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little wary of just how cheap this eye cream was which is why I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with it. The Holy Hydration! eye cream lasted me close to two months and in that time, I noticed that the sensitive skin around my eyes felt smoother and oh so hydrated and my designer bags were decreased too. 😀

For the price, you just can’t beat this eye cream and I highly recommend it. This just goes to show that you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for your skin care! If you would like to read about my other finishes that have already been discussed, be sure to check out the linked posts. ❤

What is your favorite drug store skin care brand? Which products did you use up this month? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct15

Zempertoopa Skeleton Sweater

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Zempertoopa Skeleton Sweater

Hello! From band Ts to straight up silly ones, Johnny and I have a decent amount of matching T-shirts. I always joke that our matching tops will prevent us from getting lost when we are out and about! And, now, we can be twinsies in sweaters too during the cold weather because he bought a skeleton one off of Amazon that didn’t fit and had to order a size up. It was no harm no foul though because it’s mine now! Haha check it out:

For most people, the winter holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. For me and Johnny, however, it is the entire month of October – AKA spooky season! We live for Halloween and prefer to stay in the spooky spirit all year round. Our new sweaters will definitely help the cause of living every day like it’s Halloween. 😀

Johnny has wanted a skeleton style sweater for forever so he was very disappointed when this one didn’t fit. Myself, on the other hand, was more disappointed that he didn’t order me one too so I guess things all worked out in the end lol. This will be the perfect sweater for snuggling up and watching scary movies or going out and about to do fall activities with.

The next outing on our agenda is to hit the pumpkin patch but it won’t be to pick out the perfect Jack-o-lantern pumpkin. We have literally no room in our apartment to carve pumpkins so our plan is to purchase some anyways and go to a wooded area to break them open for all of our animal friends. Pumpkins are a delicious treat for woodland animals and I encourage all of you to do the same when you’re clearing out your Halloween decor. 🙂

Skeletons, pumpkins, and apple orchards – oh my! Your favorite resident emo couple is living their best life right now and I hope the same is true for you too. ❤

Do you like carving pumpkins? What are you going to dress up as for Halloween? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct12

The Old Jail Tour Pt. 2

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The Old Jail Tour Pt. 2

Hello everyone and welcome to the second part of my experience at a tour of The Old Jail in Jim Thorpe, PA! To kick things off, check out some pictures and then we will discuss more:

To start our tour of The Old Jail, we watched a fifteen or so minute video which taught us about the plight of the Irish people during the Potato Famine and how they got to America. Despite being out of the country, Irish people still had a rough time because no one wanted to hire them for work. Other than the coal mines, that is. And it was a dangerous job, indeed.

Cue, the Molly Maguires. The Molly Maguires were a secret society who basically tried to improve everything about the coal mining industry for its workers. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, The Old Jail was where four accused Molly Maguires were hung at the gallows after multiple violent conflicts. After learning this, the tour of the jail itself began.

The tour of The Old Jail was really cool because after our guide gave us some history, we were allowed to move about freely to explore more. We began on the first floor, which is where the gallows were as well as some other unique features. If you look at the ninth picture down, the pictures on the floor were from magazine cutouts that one of the prisoners stuck to the ground with sugar water.

Of course, the most famous feature of The Old Jail is the hand print of one of the Molly Maguires. Before his hanging, he dirtied his hand and placed it on the wall of his cell declaring that it was the hand print of an innocent man. His hand print was attempted to be removed via scrubbing, chiseling, and painting but it still remains, clear as day, to this day. (To preserve the print, we were not allowed to take pictures of it.)

Once we were done on the first floor, we descended down the stairs into the dungeons where people in solitary confinement were kept. Back in the day, those in solitary were in shackles and in the pitch black twenty-four hours a day with nothing but a bucket and a sleeping mat in their cell. All of this is crazy uncomfortable, but add the three coal burning stoves that are located in the dungeons and it was pure misery.

After we saw the dungeons, the tour was pretty much over and we were able to poke around for a bit more before exiting the building. I don’t think any of us could shake the creeped out feeling the entire drive back to our lodging. Speaking of creeped out…

Later that evening, I began the process of going through the pictures that I took and emailing them to myself. I got to the halfway point where I was sending pictures of the dungeons and, all of a sudden, my phone screen went completely frozen and white. I closed out of my email and tried again but it was the same thing every time.

Finally, I decided to restart my phone and it worked perfectly. Was it nothing? Maybe. Or was it the fact that I had just spent time in a haunted location and was working on pictures where people were kept in solitary confinement? Maybe. I know how I feel about it but I’ll let you make your own conclusions!

The tour of The Old Jail was one of the neatest outings both Johnny and I have ever been on. We can’t wait to explore more places like it! 😀

Are there any haunted locations in your area? What are you afraid of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov16

BFF Post Wedding Celebration

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BFF Post Wedding Celebration

Hello everyone! My bestie, Lea, got married on October 24th. I was supposed to be a bridesmaid for her big day but, unfortunately, I did not feel comfortable being there cause COVID. Of course, Lea was A-okay about it and was nothing short of totally understanding to all of the concerns I had. That’s what best friends of over twelve years is for! ❤

I wanted nothing more than to be at Lea’s wedding and, after she returned home from her honeymoon and was settled in, we had our own celebration. For the big evening, I got a bottle of champagne and we watched the professional video of the ceremony together.

Lea looked absolutely beautiful on her big day and it made me so emotional to see my bestie who I grew up with walking down the aisle. We laughed, I cried, and it was perfect. This hang out was, honestly, the next best thing to being able to participate in her wedding and I was so thankful that we got to have that time together because all it did was make our sister like bond even stronger.

After hearing all of the amazing stories from her ceremony and the reception to her secluded honeymoon in the mountains, Lea bestowed these lovely gifts onto me:

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^^^ How adorable is that homemade card?!

Lea has gifted her bridesmaids with the cutest prezzies throughout the months leading up to her wedding and I treasure all of them so much. She’s just the most sweet, thoughtful person and I felt honored that she still wanted to include me as much as she could despite my discomfort.

This was, easily, one of the best times I’ve had since COVID began in March and I am never going to forget it. Popping champagne with my BFF and celebrating her happiness got me over the slump that I have been in and I feel so excited to continue having life adventures with Lea every step of the way! ❤

Have you ever participated in a wedding before? How long have you and your bestie been friends for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct31

Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!

Hello everyone! Just swinging by on this spooky Saturday to wish all of you a very Happy Halloween! Although this year is much different than Halloween’s of past, there is still plenty of fun to be had. From scary movie marathons and crafts to a social distanced bonfire or a scavenger hunt at home, this could potentially be your best Halloween yet because you will have to do something totally different if you wish to be in COVID safety standards. But, something totally different doesn’t mean anything less enjoyable!

Visit previous Halloween posts here on lifewithlilred to help get you inspired and bring some scary fun and completely safe Halloween spirit to you and yours. ❤

Happy Halloween!!

^^^ Never forget my sweet doggie’s Minion costume!

How are you celebrating Halloween this year? What is your favorite Halloween costume ever? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah