Tag Archives: pampering

Sep6

Bath Bomb Blitz: Bombs & Balms Edition

Posted on September 6, 2023 by lifewithlilred

Hello!! I enjoyed a wonderful long Labor Day weekend with Johnny and we had a blast doing a whole lot of nothing. One of my “goals” over the weekend was to finally use the last of our purchases from the Punk Rock Flea Market we attended in mid August. Johnny bought me a bath bomb from our friend’s booth, Bombs & Balms, and I have been eager to try it out! This bath bomb was easily the coolest looking one that I have ever used and I think all of you will be able to see why:

There were tons of awesome goodies at the Bombs & Balms stand including bath bombs, obvi, and lots of adorably unique homemade jewelry. Johnny and I both gravitated towards the bath bomb we walked away with immediately because we like anything with skeletons and cauldrons lol. I am also a lover of all things with an apple scent so I couldn’t wait to take a whiff of the Green Apple fragrance! On Sunday evening, I thought I would cross my bath time goal off of my to do list and it was just the relaxing, pampering treat I needed.

The scent of this bath bomb was so perfectly Green Apple and I was really impressed with its sweet/tart fragrance. I had a great feeling about this bath bomb because the last one I used from Bath & Body Works sucked on ice. Before popping this bomb into the tub, it was a given that it would begin to bubble and brew in the cauldron. Seeing it actually happen was SO cool, though, and it was like watching a potion fizz and pop!

My literal only gripe about this bath bomb was that the cauldron floated, so it was up to me to keep it under the water to fully do its thing. This wasn’t a big deal because the novelty of the witch’s brew was fun and different enough that a floating cauldron was the least of my worries. This bath bomb turned my water a bright glittery green and I thought that was fantastic because lighter colored bombs have the potential to turn the water swampy. After my soak, my skin felt soft as can be and as a bonus, the bath bomb washed away completely in the tub so there was no scrubbing afterwards. 😀

You can check out Bombs & Balms on Facebook and place orders through their page. If you are looking for a treat yoself purchase with some spooky flare, then you know exactly where to go!

What is your favorite homemade beauty brand? What is your favorite fall fragrance? 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

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

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

Jul5

Homemade Rose Oil

Posted on July 5, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!!!! Way back in the day, I used to really enjoy making homemade bath and body care like scrubs, shower gels, and lip balms. It has been SO long since I have done that but it was always a blast! This past week, I decided to revisit one of my old hobbies by making some rose oil with petals from a gorgeous bouquet at my mom and dad’s house. It was insanely easy and, even though I wasn’t too fond of the smell, it was an amazing addition to my bubble bath. No thanks to the bath fizzy from Bath & Body Works that you all read about yesterday! Let’s get to it:

Step By Step:

I made my rose oil by following directions from a surprising source – an article posted by HGTV! Directions for making rose water were also included and I might try that next with the remaining flowers from the bouquet I used. A rose oil concoction went a little something like this:

Step One: Tear or shred your petals. For mine, I took several at a time and tore them in half.

Step Two: Pour a cup of oil into a jar with the petals. Jojoba and grapeseed oil were recommended, but I didn’t have any. However, they mentioned that olive oil would work well too so that is what I used.

Step Three: Bring a few inches of water to a raging boil and remove from heat. Place your jar of oil and petals in afterwards until the water cools.

Step Four: Place your jar in front of a sunny window and let it sit for 24 hours.

Step Five: The next day, remove your petals from the jar and squeeze out all of the oil you can from them. To do this, I started pouring the oil with the lid slightly on into another jar. Once a majority of the oil was removed, I used a spoon to press the petals and store the excess.

Easy peasy, right?! Making homemade rose oil was a quick and fun project and I was really pleased with the results. I poured some of my rose oil in the bath tub and it was so lux and lovely. Yes, it was a freaking pain to clean up the oil slick tub after my soak. BUT my skin felt fantastic and it still does several days later. I have noticed a huge difference in the softness of my skin and it feels nourished and healthy. I can’t wait to use it again during my next bath time self care sesh!

Concocting your own rose oil is a wonderful way to bring a second life to roses from your garden or a bouquet. Once again, you can view the directions that I followed here. Tune in tomorrow on lifewithlilred for more flowery vibes as we take a look at my first watercolor painting I have done in a minute!

What is your favorite flower? Do you like to make any crafts or bath and body care with flowers? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun10

New Hair Sneak Peek

Posted on June 10, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! For my 29th birthday, I spent a glorious day at The Shear Shop getting my hair done by my stylist, the amazing Anna. Normally, I go about twelve weeks in between appointments with my go to girl, but that was far from the case this time around. Due to personal reasons, it had been SIX MONTHS since getting my hair done. Needless to say, I couldn’t freaking wait to get my mop taken care of because it was looking REALLY rough. I told Anna when I first sat down at her station that she could literally do anything to my hair and it would be an improvement!

With a half a year of the same hair, I was ready for a big change with the inspiration of my favorite flavor of ice cream, Superman, in mind. Saying that Anna delivered is the understatement of the century. Other than my wedding hair, this is my favorite thing she has ever done and that is really saying something because she has been my stylist for over two decades!

Today, you can peep a sneak peek at my new do and then, keep it locked here on lifewithlilred for a brand new OOTD to show off my locks and new nails! Check it out:

How It Started:

^^^ Lol, we had some fun with this Troll Doll inspired style! I LOOK GREAT!!!

How It’s Going:

^^^ ALL smiles!!! And featuring my new fave shirt!

When I have an appointment at The Shear Shop, it is truly an all day affair. Good things take time and this look took over five hours to create. That is fine by me! Spending time with Anna and my other Shear Shop gals is such a joy and, while bleach and color sets, I can work online or read. Our day began with a whole lot of bleach to lift my roots and the red and pink that was currently residing in my hair. After the bleach sat for about twenty minutes, we washed it out but weren’t completely satisfied with the results. So, we did round two, which got my hair to a place that was ready to accept all of the new colors after fifteen more minutes.

Once the bleach was washed out, it was time for the fun part of applying Pulp Riot’s Pyro to my roots, Satire on my bangs and crown, Fireball for the remainder, and Powder to frame my face. The end result was Troll Doll Chic and, as always, we couldn’t get enough of the delicious Sweet Tart scent of the Pulp Riot dye! After Anna expertly applied the color to the desired areas, I settled in my chair to work because it had to sit for forty-five minutes.

By the time the timer rang, I was ready to jump out of my seat because I couldn’t wait to see what it looked like! And, no, I never mind those ice cold water washes – it was actually really invigorating because I was getting tired. Pampering is hard work! At first glance, everything was perfect. BUT, upon closer inspection, the blue pulled a lot of green tones and we weren’t happy with that at all. That was a quick fix, though, and Anna applied more Powder mixed with a royal blue to cover it up and had it sit for another fifteen minutes.

After the final rinse, we were thrilled with what we were seeing and we even got a surprise bonus: Purple! Because the red at the tips of my hair didn’t fully pull, it blended with the blue to create a peacock array of colors. It definitely wasn’t what we set out to do but, hey, I’m SO not mad about a free color and it turned my hair into a rainbow! 😀

The last thing to do was flat iron my hair and put the finishing touches on my cut. The end result? Perfection. I felt absolutely amazing and I still do! I feel awesome and there is nothing better than looking in the mirror and being blown away by what you see. And, yes, I have been doing that a lot! Thank you to my brilliant genius Anna for getting Lil Red’s groove back. I wouldn’t be me without you! ❤

How long have you been going to your hair stylist? What is your favorite form of self care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May12

New Watermelon Nails

Posted on May 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! This past Wednesday, I was lucky enough to get an appointment first thing in the morning at Elysian Nails for a fill. It was a bit of a time crunch appointment because I needed to be at work very shortly after, but my amazing tech, Mary, made it work! While I always prefer an afternoon time slot to get the full relaxation effect of being at the salon, this speedy session was just what I needed to put some pep back in my step. My nails were looking SO jank and they are now absolutely perfect! Check it out:

^^^ Lol, precious Archie decided he wanted to show off his “talons” too! Cutest thing ever!

With the weather finally heating up in Akron, sweet summertime has been weighing heavily on my mind. So, I chose a color palette in honor of my favorite summer treat: watermelon! There is nothing better on a hot day and just thinking about it makes my mouth water! At the nail polish wall, I selected a pretty glittery pink and a bright and poppy kiwi green. I couldn’t find a glitter shade of green that spoke to me, but I did find a white and green glitter top coat and it worked out even better than I imagined. This is one of my favorite color combos yet!

Once my polish was selected, I let Mary know that I had to leave by eleven and she freaking DELIVERED. Mary has done my nails several times in the past and she has become my new go to girl since my old go to girl got a new job. She blew me away during this fill and, despite her speed, the quality of work was not sacrificed in the slightest. My nails are sturdy, sharp, and shaped to complete perfection. We were also chatting away the entire time which makes this session even more impressive to me. She is the best and I cannot wait for my appointment with her the day after my birthday in June. 😀

My high speed fill at Elysian Nails got me back to feeling myself as I have been feeling so blah as of late. I can’t help but smile every time I look at my watermelon claws and am looking forward to a more leisurely birthday fill soon!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? What is your favorite summertime treat? 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

Mar12

New Shimmer Ocean Blue & Glitter Pink Nails

Posted on March 12, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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New Shimmer Ocean Blue & Glitter Pink Nails

Hello!!! This past Wednesday, I spent a lovely morning before work being pampered with a fill at Elysian Nails. I was bummed because I couldn’t get an appointment with my usual tech, but it honestly ended up working just as well. The tech that did my nails was SO fast and I ended up making it to work early instead of fifteen minutes late like I had originally planned. Normally, I crave extra time at the salon but, in this case, everything was coming up Lil Red! Check out this fill that was completed in forty-five minutes:

As I made my way to Elysian Nails, I struggled to come up with a color combination that spoke to me. So, I decided to let fate decide and left it up to whatever struck my fancy first at the nail polish wall. After a quick once over, my eyes locked in on the bottle of the shimmery ocean blue polish and decided to go for it. It looked so pretty in the bottle and the color reminded me of mermaids! With the mermaid motif in mind, I selected the glittery pink for my second color and waited for my appointment to start.

The tech who did my nails has been at Elysian for forever, but he was new to me. It was freaking amazing to watch him work because he was both fast and efficient but the quality of my nails was still on par if not better than someone who took their time. I admit that I was a bit nervous to have him do my nails because I don’t trust just anyone with my claws. However, my mind was quickly put at ease because he wouldn’t be at the salon if he wasn’t excellent. As we settled into our comfortable silence, I was able to relax and get my HGTV on but before I knew it, he was already done!

I love how my nails turned out and I can’t stop looking at them to save my own life! The shape is perfect and the colors are so playful in the light. Of course, the flash of blingy glitter from the pink is always fun, but I am obsessed with the ocean blue. In just the right lighting it looks emerald green and no matter what color you see it as, it is still gorgeous! 😀

I would happily see the tech who did my nails again and it is good to know that there is another option if my usual gals are booked up. This was definitely another successful trip to Elysian in the books!

What color of nail polish are you rocking? 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

Feb25

Sujata Gazder Valinora Serum Review

Posted on February 25, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Hey! One of my favorite things to do is test out new skin and bath and body care products. Nothing pleases me more than scouring the shelves of TJMaxx’s beauty department for a good haul and trying a new product or two is a relatively cheap way for me to treat myself. As a fanatic for all things beauty, I couldn’t wait to receive a goodie box from my dear friend, Sujata, to celebrate the launch of her new website. 😀

During my unboxing, I was ecstatic to find a body bar and a bottle of Valinora serum. So much so, that I did something that I literally never do: I stopped using the serum I was working on halfway through to try out the new one! Of course, I’ll return to it later but not until I finish every last drop of the Valinora serum. It. Is. AMAZING! Let’s discuss:

During my unboxing post, I used the word “nourishing” to describe the Valinora serum based on sight and scent alone. And, after just one use, I patted myself on the back for using the perfect description because this serum is so incredibly nourishing. I have been using the Valinora serum morning and night for the past week and every time I use it, I like it even more than I did before. All of these sentiments are mine alone and are not said because Sujata is my friend… this stuff is just that good.

The first thing you will notice about the Valinora serum is its scent. Sujata effortlessly combined a shopping list of various oils and essential oils to create this botanical serum. I can really smell the hemp and frankincense but everyone is different and will surely be able to pick up on fragrances that don’t stand out to me. At first, I thought the serum’s scent was a bit overpowering. However, after I gave it a chance, I found it to be invigorating in the morning and soothing at night. I love this, because as a permanently sleepy gal, I need all of the extra pick me ups that I can get in the morning!

This serum is actually quite different from what I usually prefer. While the texture is thin, it is jam packed with skin care magic and takes a decent amount of time to fully absorb. This is something that would normally bother me and it surprisingly doesn’t at all. In fact, I like it! As the serum sets, I know that it is working and the way my skin looks confirms it because it has never looked or felt better.

Yes, the Valinora serum is insanely hydrating and that is awesome in itself, but it is so much more than that. I never have considered myself to have an uneven skin tone and I still don’t. Regardless, whatever was going on with my skin is a problem solved now. Using this serum truly allowed my best face to come forward and my complexion really does look much more even than it did before. I also noticed a HUGE decrease in my designer bags – they are essentially gone! To top it off, my skin simply glows with each use. Like, radiant level glowing and you just can’t beat that!

The Valinora serum by Sujata Gazder is, hands down, one of the best that I have ever used and I cannot sing its praises enough. I have never used a product before and experienced such immediate results and I know all of you will love it too. Shop along at Sujata’s new site and treat yourself to the best in skin care and fashion!

What is the best product you have ever used? Do you like trying new products or sticking to what works? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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