Tag Archives: opinions

Nail Polish Party

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Nail Polish Party

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Thanks to Influenster, I got to try out Sinful Colors’ limited edition Bling It On collection in Teal Midnight. Usually, I’m not fond of nail polish colors if they’re not black so I was a little ambivalent to paint my nails. Unfortunately, once the polish was on my gut reaction of “I’m not going to like this” was right because I really didn’t like it! Take a listen to a cute Lady Gaga song dedicated to the mani and then let’s discuss:

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It’s not that I don’t mind other colors so much as the fact that this was a glitter polish which is a big fat “no” in my book. Had this been a plain old deep teal sans the glitter, I probably would have liked it a lot but as a rule of thumb I really just don’t do glitter of any kind whether it be on lotion, nail polish, or clothing. It’s not my style and it never will be so in all honesty, I feel super weird having this polish on!

I had to put on three coats of the polish just to make it fully cover my nails and even then you can still see through the coat and onto my nails. I guess as a top coat this polish would be okay but you still would need at least two coats to fully cover your nail in glitter. I was actually a bit disappointed in the quality of this polish because I have seen glitter polish that works very well. Because this polish is so thin in comparison to other glitter polishes that I’ve seen it made the application more annoying than pampering.

As a top coat, I do recommend Sinful Colors’ “Teal Midnight” from their Bling It On collection but as a polish alone I wouldn’t recommend it. I’m very unhappy with how they look and even if glitter polish was my thing, I still would be disappointed over the polish quality. Thankfully, Influenster provided me with nail polish remover pads, too, so hopefully those will get the job of taking the polish off done!

It was a kind of sad Nail Polish Party to say the least but I do want to thank Influenster for allowing me to try the product! What is your go to shade of nail polish? What nail polish color would you not be caught dead in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

iPoll Website Review

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iPoll Website Review

Hey everyone and TGIF! One of my ways to make an extra buck is participating on online survey websites. They’re a great way to earn money, gift cards, and various other rewards and deals. I recently just received a twenty-five dollar Amazon gift card from completing surveys on iPoll. Despite one major issue that I had with the website, I’m overall semi pleased with it, so let’s discuss:

The nice thing about iPoll is that they give you five dollars automatically just for signing up for the website. I love when survey sites do that because it gives you a great head start to getting bigger rewards. I also really appreciated the amount of money that completing each survey was worth. Some sites that I’ve used in the past were only paying pocket change for surveys. Not iPoll. Almost every survey on their site was a dollar or more so that made getting to the twenty-five dollar cash out goal a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, the quickness of completing the surveys did not translate at all to the receiving of monies. After you completed a survey, you then had to wait for what you submitted to pend. This could take one to over six weeks which just didn’t fly with me. The biggest pain in the ass was when I was one pending survey away from reaching the twenty-five dollar goal and it took the final survey EIGHT WEEKS to go through. At that point, it was easy to make the assumption that the website was just trying to hold on to the cash for as long as they possibly could before rewarding their participants. Not cool.

It took me sending an email to customer service for the final pending survey to go through but the waiting game was only just beginning. After I chose the Amazon gift card as my reward, I had to wait an additional six weeks to receive it. Frankly, I wasn’t thrilled with that, either. I finally got the email containing my e-gift card last week and now that I have it, I don’t plan on doing any more business with iPoll. I think that it’s a great site if you’re willing to wait around for months to receive your rewards but I’m just not that patient. It’s too bad, too, because up until those issues, iPoll was easily one of the better survey sites that I’ve used. Oh, well!

So there you have it, my iPoll Website Review! Who participates in taking online surveys? Which ones do you like the best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

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Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review

Helloo everyone and happy weekend! I recently started using a new cleanser by Nourish Organic that I snagged from my skin care hoard and I have been nothing but disappointed with it. The worst part? That once I start a product, I completely refuse to not finish it. So now, I’m stuck with using one of the worst cleansers of all time until there’s none left. #FML. I desperately need a vent session about this cleanser so take a look at the packaging and then let’s discuss:

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Okay, first things first is the smell. The packaging claims that it’s fragrance free but it seriously smells like rotten sunflower seeds. That in itself completely turned me off from the cleanser because waking up and having to scrub that on your face is seriously hell. I’m okay with a fragrance free product if it truly is fragrance free or close to it but the marketing for the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser is a blatant lie. Not cool.

On top of the faulty marketing that Nourish Organic used, the packaging for it kind of sucks, too. The cleanser is so thin in texture that as soon as you pop the lid, the face wash starts pouring out. The first time I used the cleanser, I ended up with a substantial amount on my shower floor because I wasn’t prepared for the flood gates to burst free as soon as I opened it. Once again, not cool.

And finally, the fact that this cleanser doesn’t lather in the slightest is a major issue. Because the texture of the face wash is so runny, it feels like you’re just rubbing slime on your face. The result? That your face feels tight, dehydrated, and not even clean. Every time I finish using my cleanser, I’m always so thankful that I use an exfoliator afterwards to pick up the slack. I would almost be okay with the horrid smell and the shitty packaging if the product actually made my skin feel good but if anything, it just leaves it feeling worse.

So how do I rate this product, you may ask? I’m so glad you did! I give the Nourish Organic Face Cleanser: negative one million billion stars and I would not recommend it to anyone. All I can hope for now is that I finish this cleanser quickly so I can use something different because anything is an upgrade from this!

So there you have it, my Nourish Organic Face Cleanser Review! Has anyone used a product lately that they’re completely disappointed in? What face wash are you currently using? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: This Or That Edition

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Monday Update: This Or That Edition

Howdy everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! I’ve needed to go to the eye doctor for quite some time now and finally managed to get an appointment this past Friday. After I got a new prescription for my contacts, I spent some time looking for new glasses because I’ve seriously had the same pair since I was fifteen. I found a few pairs that really spoke to me so I went home and then returned later in the day with my mom to get her opinion.

I tried on tons of different frames but I ended up returning to the two pairs that I was daydreaming about all afternoon. Two remarkably different but amazingly cute frames. A pair of red, black, and white Kliik Denmarks and a circular black and grey pair of Dolce & Gabbanas. My mom and I were really struggling to figure out which pair was the one and began to grow increasingly aware of the time crunch that we were working with as the office was closing soon.

Lucky for me, I was allowed to take both frames home for the weekend so that I could decide which one I like the best. All weekend I’ve been flip flopping between the two quirky cool pairs and I think I’ve made a decision…But I want to hear what the general public thinks, first. I’m so aware that the following selfies kind of suck but they get the job done. So take a look and then help me decide which pair I should go with:

^^^ Why must I love them both? WHY?!

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: This Or That Edition! What pair of glasses do you like the best? Has anyone struggled with a glasses situation similar to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review

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Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review

Hey everyone and happy Sunday! I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend! When it comes to my night time beauty routine, I LOVE using masks. I’m always on the hunt for a light but effective moisture mask and I happened to find exactly what I wanted in Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask. It is literally the best mask that I’ve ever used and it makes The Body Shop’s Vitamin E and Drops of Youth Bouncy Mask pale in comparison. This is easily one of my favorite items in my beauty arsenal so I just had to review it! Let’s discuss:

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Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask is complete and total magic. Not only is it an amazing product but it’s a very fair price, too. You can’t beat fifteen bucks for a big container! I think that this mask is a steal and it also passes my perfect product checklist with flying colors, starting with the smell. The best way that I can describe the scent is that it’s like a fresh rainfall. It’s so crisp and clean but it is in no way overpowering. The scent is so invigorating that it leaves me bright eyed and bushy tailed until I fall asleep.

The texture of the Active Botanicals Mask is really nice, as well. It fits snugly into the category of just right. I can’t stand when creams or masks are too heavy or light. I like for my masks to be light enough that they absorb well but still heavy enough to feel like they’re getting the job done. The texture of Olay’s mask is what I could imagine The Body Shop’s Drops of Youth Bouncy Mask would feel like it it were a cream instead of a gel. It feels really aquatic and it only takes one small test of the Botanicals mask on your skin to know that using it is going to be the equivalent of giving your skin a huge gulp of water.

Good smell – check. Nice texture – check. Absorbs well? Check! Olay’s Active Botanicals Mask absorbs right into the skin as quickly as you rub it on. But, all of it doesn’t completely soak in. Every time I use this mask, a fine layer always remains on my face as if it knows that I’ll be needing more in my sleep. As soon as you put the mask on, you can feel it working. Within the first minute my skin feels tingly, bright, and hydrated. The following day my skin feels so supple and my under eye circles always look less severe. The reducing of my less than designer bags under my eyes is always a nice bonus!

There’s no way that I would rate this mask with anything lower than: five stars. It’s such an excellent and truly effective product. Olay’s mask is amazing for bringing dry skin back to life and leaving your face perfectly hydrated. I can’t recommend this mask enough, especially if you are looking to ease chapped skin from winter or for adding an extra dose of moisture into your beauty routine.

So there you have it, my Olay Active Botanicals Mask Review! Has anyone used this product before? What did you think about it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Spirit Animal Award

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Spirit Animal Award

Hi everyone and happy Thursday! Yesterday I was nominated by my blogging BFF, Nida, over at ShopaholicBlogs for the Spirit Animal Award. Nida is seriously the sweetest most fabulous blogger around so make sure you check out her page! I was so excited when I was nominated for this award by my friend because the Spirit Animal Award is one that my page has never received before. I was very curious as to what it was and I’m sure you guys are too so let’s take a look at the rules and then get started:

The Rules:

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their page.
  • Post the award picture on your blog.
  • Write a paragraph about yourself and what your blog means to you.
  • If you could be any animal what would it be?
  • Pick and notify ten nominees.

All About lifewithlilred:

My blog is basically my online journal. I love to write and interact with new people and blogging has been an amazing outlet and a great way to meet new friends. All of my posts are a look inside the mind of a very creative and unique gal who has a lot of strong opinions to share. You never know what you’re going to get when you tune into lifewithlilred every day and that’s exactly how I want it. My posts range from discussing beauty and fashion to mental health and everything in between. Lifewithlilred is my safe haven where I can write and create anything that I want and I love going to my laptop every day and seeing what I’ll come up with next!

What Animal Would I Be?

Hmm…Probably a peacock because I’m a colorful person inside and out! And they’re pretty. :*)

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

Thank you again so much to my darling Nida at ShopaholicBlogs for nominating me for the Spirit Animal Award! That was so much fun. What animal would you guys be? Why? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review

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Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review

Howdy! Okay, first off let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Garnier’s skin care line. I’ve used one of their cream cleansers and an exfoliater of theirs multiple times and I’ve always been really happy with them. After I finished my cleanser from Simple, I picked out the Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser from my hoard drawer and had very high hopes for it. I was really excited to try this cleanser out because I’ve been so pleased with their products that I’ve used before – but unfortunately, this face wash really missed the mark. Review their packaging and then let’s discuss:

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I always start my product reviews out by talking about their smell but this cleanser doesn’t have any! I know a few of you have commented on my reviews before saying that you like when skin care doesn’t have a fragrance. That’s all very well, but that’s one thing that I can never get on board with. When I’m taking my morning showers, I love when a product has a really invigorating aroma because it helps wake me up. I don’t mind too much that Garnier’s cleanser is fragrance free because I use a lovely scented exfoliater in the morning, too. But the lack of smell definitely didn’t give this product any brownie points!

One of the reasons why I didn’t care for the Simple cleanser that I had finished before starting this one is that it barely removed any of my makeup. In fact, the only reason why I grabbed Garnier’s cleanser from the hoard drawer is because it spelled out for me right in its name that it was primarily a makeup remover. I like to think that I don’t wear a ton of makeup. I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to use any type of concealer and the only product that I use heavily is the mascara that I love to pile on so very much – which is also the toughest thing to remove. -_-

I didn’t doubt that Garnier’s face wash would do a good job of removing my makeup but I wasn’t blown away by it. Yes, it did get my eye makeup off BUT I’ve used so many cleansers that have done the exact same thing. In fact, Garnier’s other cream cleanser that I’ve used before removed all of my makeup and that bonus was barely even mentioned on their packaging!

The final thing that I discuss when reviewing a skin care or body wash product is if it lathers well. Nice and big suds while I’m scrubbing away are a must for me – I have a hard time feeling truly “clean” without it. This is where Garnier’s cleanser totally missed the mark. The packaging says that this product is for sensitive skin but that doesn’t mean it can’t lather just a little! The texture of the cleanser was thick and creamy but once you rubbed it on your face it literally just sat there and did nothing.

Every morning when I rinse the cleanser off, I’m always so happy that I have an exfoliater that I can use afterwards because the face wash simply does nothing for me. It doesn’t make my skin feel any cleaner and it certainly isn’t doing anything that another more effective cleanser can’t. I’m really disappointed in this product so I’m going to have to rate it with: no stars. There is absolutely nothing about this cleanser that I liked or that made my skin feel good. Now I’m just annoyed that I refuse to not finish products that I start because I’ll be stuck with this sucker for a long while. -__-

So there you have it, my Garnier Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser Review. I will continue using Garnier products after I finish this face wash but you couldn’t pay me to use this one again! Have any of you used this product before? What are your thoughts on it? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Have a new picture of me for your troubles! I love the little wave that my boxer braids from this weekend left me with!

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Vidal Sassoon Runway Red Review

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Vidal Sassoon Runway Red Review

Hi everyone and happy weekend! When it comes to my personal appearance, there is nothing, NOTHING more important to me than my red hair. I’ve had my hair red for quite some time now thanks to my wonderful stylist at the salon but only recently have I started to dye my hair at home. I discovered Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red box color from their London Luxe collection over a year ago and have been a faithful user ever since. Frankly, I’m shocked that I haven’t reviewed this product before now but there’s no better time than the present so let’s do this:

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Once upon a time when I was paying close to eighty dollars monthly to get my hair colored, I thought that there would never be a box color that was as good as what I was getting at the salon. Honestly, there really wasn’t until Vidal Sassoon came out with their London Luxe collection. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I browsed through the box color section of Target or the grocery store only to find reds that weren’t red enough. Then, one day, I saw a commercial on TV for VS’s new collection. I took one good look at the girl with her hair dyed “Runway Red” and thought to myself, “this is it”.

I’m not really sure what brought on the need for me to stop getting my hair done professionally aside from the fact that I wanted to save money. I had been getting my hair done in the salon for years and I was nervous as hell to make the jump to at home coloring. But the next week, I went to Target with my mom and purchased my very first boxed hair dye, Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red.

That evening, I would leave the very capable hands of my stylist and into the hands of my mother, who helped me on my first go at coloring my hair from home. We set up shop in the bathroom and my mom gave me the step by step guide on how to get situated. Step 1) Lay down LOTS of towels on the floor and around the sink. 2) Mix your color. 3) Put on your gloves. 4) Apply the color. And most importantly, always wear a top that you don’t have to lift up over your head!

My mom applied my color for me with the seasoned touch of a woman who’s been dying her hair from the comfort of her bathroom for years. Once my roots were completely covered, there was no turning back. That’s when the nerves really started to kick in! Loops of “What have I gotten myself into? Why did I let my mother near by head with hair dye? What happens if it looks ugly?” were running through my head at a hundred miles per minute.

By the time I eased myself out of a semi panic attack, our timer rang and it was time to apply the color to the rest of my hair. Once all of my hair was covered in red muck, my fate was left up to the gods. I waited for the color to set and then when it was time to rinse, I walked to the shower like I was on my way to the gallows. Once more, I thought to myself, “this is it” and placed my head under frigid cold water to wash away the dye.

As I stood in the shower freezing my nads off, I was shocked by how blood red the water was turning. It was so disgusting but kind of awesome! It took a while to get all of the dye washed away and I felt like I had developed hypothermia by the time I got out of the shower. I wrapped myself in a bunch of towels and held my breath as I rubbed away the fog from the mirror to inspect the color. I relaxed a little when I saw that my hair looked exactly the way it did once the dye is washed out at the salon. But I didn’t celebrate quite yet because the real moment of truth would come once my hair was completely dried.

I never blow dry my hair because it takes forever but I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to grab the dryer so I could start the process. I dried, and dried, and dried my hair some more and then took a tentative look in the mirror when I was finally done. Thankfully, the gods were in my favor because the color looked better than I could have ever expected. It was brighter than what I was getting done at the salon, it was bold, and it looked fabulous. See for yourself the power of Runway Red:

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I couldn’t even tell you the amount of time and money that Vidal Sassoon’s box color has saved me. It is the BEST thing that has ever happened to my beauty routine and I’m so thankful to have found a color that’s even better than what I was getting at the salon. Therefore, I rate Vidal Sassoon’s Runway Red with: one million stars, for making me look beautiful without breaking my bank!

So there you have it, my Vidal Sassoon Runway Red Review! Do you dye your hair at the salon or at home? What box color do you swear by? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

February Finishes

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February Finishes

Hiii everyone and TGIF! I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m in the home stretch of finally finishing a beauty product, I get really antsy! I love to try new products so the anticipation of what I will be using next seriously kills me. In the month of February I finished three beauty products – a cleanser, moisturizer, and a shower gel. Frankly, I’m happy to be rid of all of them so let’s say “BYE Felicia” to my February empties as I send them to their new home in the recycling bin:

All of these products lasted me for a good long while which I was quite impressed with. Here’s how all of them fared:

I linked all of my reviews for each product listed above and now it’s time for the real question… Would I use any of these again? Here’s my verdict:

  • Neutrogena: Yes
  • I Love…: Maybe
  • Simple: No

So what products am I using now? I began using a moisturizer from Trader Joe’s that I got as a Christmas gift today and was pleased with my first use. For my shower gel, I’m using SoftSoap’s Sweet Honeysuckle and Orange Peel which smells delicious. And for my face wash, I started a new makeup removing cream cleanser from Garnier today, as well. I wasn’t very impressed with it this morning, so we’ll see how I feel after a few uses. I’ll be reviewing these products soon so be on the lookout! 🙂

So there you have it, my February Finishes! What beauty products did you use up this month? Have you started any new products recently? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Review

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Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Review

Hii everyone and happy Hump Day! Way back in November, I ran out of whatever moisturizer that I was using and needed a new one ASAP. I wasn’t really interested in going to the store to buy a new one so I raided my bathroom cabinets for any extra moisturizers my mom or I might have stored. I ended up finding a half used bottle of Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Moisture and figured that I would finish the bottle. I kid you not, I’m still using the half used bottle almost five months later so I felt the need to write a review on the product that I feel like I’m never going to finish! Let’s discuss:

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I have always been a fan of Neutrogena products. I can remember being a little girl and seeing all of my grandma’s Neutrogena cleansers and creams in her cabinets. It’s a brand that has been around in my family for forever so when I found the Oil-Free moisturizer in my bathroom, I had no problem giving it a go. Just from looking at the packaging, I liked that it had a SPF of 15 because I rarely use creams with SPF in it. I also liked that it was obviously Oil-Free because I despise products that have a greasy or oily texture.

As always, the first thing that I did after examining the bottle was the smell test. I was a bit worried about what it would smell like because most SPF products smell like you’re lathering yourself up for a day at the beach. The moisturizer definitely had that unmistakable sun block scent but it was very light so I didn’t really mind it. Had it been extremely potent, I don’t think that I could handle it. I’m really sensitive to smells that I don’t care for so having a product sitting on my face with a fragrance that I hated would be torture!

Once the moisturizer passed the smell test, I pumped it into my hands to give it a try. The consistency was very light which is a must for me because I like fast absorbing products that don’t feel heavy or overpowering. I rubbed my hands together and then applied the cream to my face and it felt really nice! Within the time that I put on the moisturizer and got my skin treatment pumped into my hands, the cream was already absorbed so that was a major, major plus.

The best thing about Neutrogena’s moisturizer, though? The fact that a random half a bottle has kept my skin hydrated for nearly five months. I genuinely don’t understand how that happened but I am SO not complaining about it! It’s not like I use a huge amount of the product every day (I use six pumps) but still, I can’t believe that I still had some left to apply this morning. I’ll take it!

All in all, I’m going to rate Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Moisture with: four stars. For excellent value and an overall solid product. My one complaint about this moisturizer would be that it’s almost too light – especially in the winter months. A light as a feather moisturizer is a must for me but on the days when it was particularly frigid, my skin felt like it needed something extra. I wouldn’t recommend this product for people with really dry skin because I just don’t think that it would cut it.

So there you have it, my Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Review! What moisturizer are you currently using? How long does it usually take you to finish a cream or a cleanser? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah