Tag Archives: pictures

Oct26

NC OOTD

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NC OOTD

Hi everyone and TGIF! While on vacation in North Carolina, my family did a lot of hiking so styling outfits that slay wasn’t high on my priority list. But, on our last day of the trip, we bummed around downtown Hendersonville for the afternoon, no muddy trails required. So, trust and believe that I took this opportunity very seriously and created an edgy look that was a far cry from Southern Charm! Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

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Who? What? Wear?

Upon ordering my Fervour jumpsuit from ModCloth earlier this month, I have been chomping at the bit to wear it. I thought that breaking it out on vaca would be the perfect time to do so, because it traveled well in my suitcase, it’s insanely comfortable, and it’s an easy outfit because you don’t have to pair it with anything. I have been on the prowl for a cool jumpsuit for years now, and it doesn’t get much better for me than this one. It fits well (Unlike every single one that I’ve ever tried on) and it’s goth with just the perfect amount of sweetness to it thanks to the embroidered heart. In other words, it’s basically me in a nutshell.

Because the jumpsuit is a built in outfit, all that’s left to do is accessorize when wearing one. Since I was away, I didn’t have all of my options handy so I did the best that I could with what I did have. A moto jacket was a must with the jumpsuit, though, because my Nasty Gal one is tighter fitting, which complimented the bagginess of the suit well. I also went with heeled boots that would fit over the leggings to create length, which is important when something is oversized. To finish things off, I toted along my It Brit purse, white sunnies, and my signature red lip for a head turning OOTD in the streets of NC.

I love this look and I felt insanely confident in it, but I’m excited to style another OOTD now that I’m back and my wardrobe is accessible. I can picture this jumpsuit in a really sporty sense, so I’m thinking of wearing a loose fitting crop top over it, a flannel tied at the waist to cinch things in, and some cute little Nike’s for a look that Sporty Spice would be proud of!

Where do you shop for the best jumpsuits? How would you style my skeleton chic suit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct24

Carl Sandburg Home

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Carl Sandburg Home

Hi! During my family vacation, we visited the incomparable Carl Sandburg Home. Although we didn’t go inside the house itself, exploring the gorgeous property and playing with goats (Yes, goats!) was more than good enough for us! During our time at the Carl Sandburg estate, we learned a lot about the great American poet and, even though I wasn’t familiar with his work before, this might have been my favorite part of our trip. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

 

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So, how did I get up close and personal enough with a field full of goats to be able to take a selfie with one of them, you might ask? Well, these goats are direct descendants from the ones that Carl’s wife, Lilian, raised until her passing. All of the goats are handled by humans as soon as they’re born, so they’re incredibly friendly and love having visitors. Each goat has his or her own name, which you can see on their collars, and they are all so tame that you can approach and handle them without any fuss. It. Was. AMAZING!

And, of course, the property was spectacular, too. The foliage was beautiful, the walking trail was pleasant to stroll through, and all of the homes on the estate for Sandburg’s family looked so quaint and charming. We spent a good few hours at the Carl Sandburg Home and I honestly would have been happy spending an entire day there! The scenery and especially the goats stole the show and I would love to go back. 12/10 Would recommend visiting if you are in the area.

What is your favorite animal? Who is your favorite poet? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct23

Sky Top Apple Orchard

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Sky Top Apple Orchard

Howdy! When my family vacations in North Carolina, we always go apple picking. This time around, we visited Sky Top orchard. And an appropriate name it is, indeed, because it’s at the very top of a mountain! Unfortunately, we came at a bad time, because a huge school field trip was just finishing up, so the trees were pretty much picked clean. But, we still managed to get a basket full of delicious Pink Lady, Cameo, Honey Crisp, and Fuji apples. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

 

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Although I had a lot of fun at the orchard with my family and the caterpillar friend I made along the way, I preferred other orchards that we visited over Sky Top. Because of the mountainous terrain, exploring the massive property was anything but pleasant. The hills were incredibly steep and the orchard didn’t seem to be very well maintained. Along every row of apple trees, the ground was completely littered with rotten fruit and flies, bees, and ants were swarming all over. I absolutely understand that an orchard isn’t going to be totally pristine, but you literally couldn’t step anywhere without a rotten apple squishing beneath your feet and bugs flying on and around you. Gross.

Having said all of that, their market area was really cute and clean. And, an entire bucket of apples to pick was only twenty dollars, which was a great value. It was nice to visit a different orchard in North Carolina but, next time that we go, I hope that we stick to Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, which was scenic (without being mountainous) and well maintained outdoors and in their market.

Who else loves going apple picking in the fall? What is your favorite type of apple? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct22

Triple Falls Hike

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Triple Falls Hike

Hello! During my family vacation to Hendersonville, North Carolina we enjoyed several of the amazing hiking trails in the vicinity. In fact, one of the trails that we went to was so amazing that some of The Hunger Games was filmed there! Walking the trail to get to the Triple Falls was intense, as there were a lot of hills to go up and down. But, seeing the majestic waterfalls once we reached our final destination made the infinite inclines well worth it (And, my gloots are thanking me!). Take a look at some of the pics that I snapped and let’s discuss:

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I’m not gonna lie, I was definitely pretending to be Katniss during the entire hike and it was exhilarating to unleash my inner badass. We only hiked the Triple Falls trail, but throughout the walk, there were places where you could break away that would take you to other waterfalls. In my opinion, nothing could compare to the three spectacular falls flowing into each other. Hearing the rushing water, being enveloped by the mist, and feeling the gentle spray of the water was such a delight to all of the senses. And, although we were all sore by the time we got back to the car, I think that we would all do the hike again in a heartbeat!

What is your favorite adventure movie? What is your favorite trail to hike in the fall? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct20

NC Scenery

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NC Scenery

Hi everyone and happy weekend! For the past week, my family enjoyed a vacation in Hendersonville, North Carolina. A fun time was had by all and it was so nice to share in the beautiful scenery of the mountains with amazing company. On one of our excursions, we hiked at a trail called Catawba Falls and were treated to a glorious view of several smaller waterfalls flowing into each other at the top. We were also the recipients of some wildly muddy shoes and jeans compliments of Hurricane Michael! Take a look:

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A moderate hike on a good day, this trail was actually fairly difficult when we were there, because of the intense rain that North Carolina got the week before. So, the mostly upward trail was really muddy, which led to some slipping, sliding, and very dirty shoes! There is nothing better than being amongst nature and hearing the flowing water from the falls joining you with every step, though, and the mud and gunk was just a small price to pay for that.

After our hike, a cold treat was definitely in order and we stopped for a shaved ice at Pelican’s before heading back to our cabin. Try not to drool at all this deliciousness:

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With over one hundred flavors to choose from at Pelican’s, the possibilities were literally endless. And, unfortunately for me, every flavor sounded fantastic! So, I just had to pick one and go with it and went for French Vanilla Cola because after the hike, I wanted nothing more than an ice cold Diet Coke. The shaved ice was a fine substitute, but ordering a large size was a total mistake because of the classic case of “eyes being bigger than your stomach”. If you’re in the area and stop by Pelican’s, just know that you will be more than okay with the kiddie size! 😀

Where was the location of your last family vacation? What is your favorite hiking trail in your neck of the woods? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct19

Lil Red’s Adventures In Microblading

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Lil Red’s Adventures In Microblading

Hello! During a recent trip to Pittsburgh, I got to spend time with my super cool cousin, Laura, exploring the city, eating hella food, and having her microblade me! Laura is one of the pioneers in bringing microblading to Pittsburgh and owns her own studio, La Marie Brow Club, where she works her magic. Admittedly nervous, although I had absolutely no reason to be after the fact, I am now a walking testament to Laura’s work and am a firm believer in the power of microblading!

My nervousness definitely stemmed from the fact that I am a low key girl when it comes to my brows. I fill them in with an eighty-nine cent pencil annnnd that’s about it. Whenever I pluck them, I always end up overdoing it so, now, I just let them do their own thang. Have I wanted better brows? Sure. But, I’ve never been keen on constant waxing and maintenance and, at first, microblading sounded lightweight terrifying! But, now that I officially have amazing brows, I can’t believe that I didn’t do this sooner. Take a look at my before and after shots and, then, we’ll discuss everything further:

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As soon as we got to the salon, Laura immediately got to work preparing the space and explaining the first steps in the microblading process to me. First, we took some before pictures, which you can see above. And, then, Laura began to map out my brows according to my preferred side, which happens to be ol’ rightie. She used an eyebrow pencil to take measurements and used her makeup artist’s eye to create an outline that enhanced my right brow and made my left brow closely mimic its partner.

After a game plan was made special for my MUG, Laura applied a topical numbing agent to my brow area and we let it sit for twenty minutes before the microblading began. For those of you who aren’t hip, microblading is the manual process of implanting pigment into the upper region of our skin’s dermis in a way to mimic the appearance of natural hair. The blade that is used is dipped in pigment and each hair stroke is manually placed into the skin.

Once my brows were comfortably numb, Laura began the microblading festivities. The best way that I can describe the feeling of being microbladed is like getting papercuts on your eyebrows. Papercuts are a pain in the butt. But they are not unbearable and, although I could definitely feel some strokes more than others, the overall level of pain was extremely tolerable.

During a brief break after Laura’s first pass with my brows, a second numbing agent was applied to help ease any discomfort after wiping them down. Then, a second go was made for Laura to add the final touches and hair strokes to complete my beautiful new brows!

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^^^ Peep those results!

Spending time with Laura in her salon has been the highlight of my last few months and I cannot wait to come back to Pittsburgh in two months for her to touch my brows up. La Marie Brow Club provided a sterile and safe environment for me to get eyebrows perfectly customized for my face. Laura made me feel so comfortable and secure with all of the choices that we made together and she walked me through every step of the way with ease.

Watching my cousin display her amazing talents and doing a damn good job of it was so inspiring to me. Laura’s artistry involves immense skill and she was able to complete a task that looks dauntingly difficult with a smile on her face and well thought out answers to all of my questions. Saying I recommend Laura highly is an understatement, because she instilled a newfound confidence in me with her craft, and nothing can ever top that.

Take an inside look at Laura’s salon, located behind Lantern Rose tattoo shop!

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More about Laura:

Laura opened her business, La Marie Brow Club, in April of 2017 and received her certification in January of 2016. Not only does she offer microblading, but she also does upper lash line enhancement, freckles, beauty marks, and tooth gems (Which are so cute!). Laura has spent over ten years in the field as a licensed cosmetologist and esthetician, but enjoys doing eyebrows the most. When she is not booked at the salon, she loves spending time with her boyfriend, Victor, and beloved pets: Randy the cat and Lucille and Igor the Boston Terriers (And they are all so cute, too!).

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Interested in getting microbladed? You can reach Laura with the following:

Social Media Platforms

Thank you so much again to my beautiful and talented cousin for finessing my brows! Laura has the Lil Red Guarantee for fantastic results and service so, if you were at all on the fence about being microbladed like I was, trust in that and schedule an appointment today!

Do you have microbladed brows? How were your results? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct13

Feeling Fall OOTD

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Feeling Fall OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to one of my favorite OOTDs to date! Lil Red loves dressing for fall, this we know. And, to me, my Feeling Fall look embodies the joy that comes with the changing of seasons perfectly. A statement boot and a bold, yet simple, find from TJMaxx created an outfit that was easy peasy to style but looks oh so chic when stomping through the leaves during a blustery fall day. And, also, peep the amazing pictures of yours truly taken by my darling beau! Love themmmmm.

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Who? What? Wear?

When people ask me how I go about styling my outfits, they usually get a response along the lines of “I just throw them together”. And, that’s not a lie. The best outfits come when you don’t think about it, because fashion should be a fun thing – not stressful. That’s why it’s very important to me to completely love every single item that I buy. When your clothing makes you feel confident, you don’t have a second thought when you’re throwing them on. And, that’s why I love this look so much. It was such a cinch to put together, but it looked timeless and fashion forward and you can never go wrong with that.

As gingham is considered the “it” pattern for summer, fall is about all plaid everything. If I could, I would wear this totally cozy and perfectly posh Modena New York poncho all year round. Because I wanted this cool cape to do the talking, I kept things simple underneath with a tighter fitting black sweater. The soft color palette of fifty shades of grey and taupe is just right against the vibrant autumnal colors adorning the trees. And, although this poncho fits closer to the body than most, it still has lots of movement, which beautifully mimics the leaves dancing as the wind blows.

Because the poncho and oversized Argentino Vivo earrings provide such lovely movement, I wanted to keep everything else about this outfit form fitting. As an added bonus, making the top half of your OOTD the focal point makes people more focused on your face, which is a good pro tip if you have any insecurities about your lower half (I know I do!). A looser fitting poncho or sweater also keeps your tummy in check if you didn’t quite get your beach body this year (I know I didn’t!).

Anyways, form fitting. Skinny jeans, as always, were in order. Then, to cap off the look, I wore my absolute favorite thigh high boots by Candies. These sexy little things slinky ink all the way up to just below the middle of my thighs and they make me feel so fabulous that I can hardly stand myself. The heel is high, the fabric is a soft faux suede, and the confidence level is through the roof. These boots hugged against my skinnies just right, which created a lengthening effect and put all eyes on my MUG and way cool cape. Just as I suspected! 😀

This Feeling Fall OOTD can be easily duplicated with your favorite chunky sweater, cardigan, cape, or poncho. The trick is to keep things on your bottom half nice and fitted and, then, you can work that autumn breeze as your cape billows in the wind. Gorgeous, easy, and one hundred percent fall.

How do you style an OOTD that embodies autumn? What is your favorite cold weather accessory? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep30

Fall Finesse OOTD

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Fall Finesse OOTD

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! Today, we are going to discuss a fall OOTD post to help set the mood for the upcoming spooktacular month of October. My friend, Carlie, who I’m sure you remember from guest posts on my page has also created an autumn outfit so do be sure to head over to Bombshell and check hers out, too! The pictures below were taken by my boyfriend, which is always so much fun, so take a look and let’s get to it:

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Who? What? Wear?

During the fall, there’s nothing better than an All Black Everything OOTD to set some witchy vibes for the day. Once you create your base with a pair of black skinnies or joggers and a black sweater, tee, or jacket, it’s all about the accessories. Because of a mundane palette, you can choose pieces that really pop to decorate your look with. You can always add a pop of color accessory to break up the monotoned look, or you can stick with equally bleak but chic pieces, which is what I did.

To start accessorizing, I began with the main focal point in my look, which is the Printed Village scarf. This lovely little number shows the various stages of the moon in waxing and waning in striking silver, and it instantly added dimension to my OOTD. The best part about this scarf, is that it’s really long and wide so it can be worn in a variety of ways. For this particular look, I wore it as a shawl. But, I have worn it before as a skirt, Parisian style, and as a plain old scarf so it definitely offers a lot of variety!

And, of course, the glistening silver moons wouldn’t be complete without some gold thrown into the mix. I chose to combine the cool metallic colors by wearing my Baroque patterned Bamboo healed booties, which just so happens to be one of my favorites! Some might think that wearing silver and gold together is a no no. And, they are absolutely right if they’re paired with a multitude of other colors. But, when worn with just one other color, the end result is amazing. The shimmering shades danced so beautifully together in the light and, instead of the “don’t look at me” vibe that all black can give off, all eyes will definitely be on you.

To finish styling my outfit, it was time to add some jewelry. To keep with the spooky chic motif, I added in some Halloween appropriate rings like the spread winged owl and the turquoise cross that attached to a bracelet with a skull on it. Then, I went for some of my favorite jewelry in my arsenal for around my neck – my rosaries. I have three in my collection and I love them all equally. They vary in color and length and, when worn together, the effect is effortlessly cool and will complete any look perfectly.

What I like about this Fall Finesse OOTD is that it started out really simple and, then, it was taken to a whole new level by pairing it with the right accessories. Creating visual break up with the jewelry, shoes, scarves, and whatever else you see fit takes a look from zero to one hundred real quick and, the beauty of accessories, is that you can use them as sparingly or as boldly as you like. My look can be easily replicated, but never completely the same, thanks to unique accessories adding their own special flavor to each OOTD!

How would you accessorize an all black everything outfit? How do you express yourself through accessories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep28

Cleveland Aquarium Pics

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Cleveland Aquarium Pics

Hi everyone and happy Friday! I hope all of you had a wonderful week and are looking forward to a fun and relaxing weekend. This past Saturday, I visited the Cleveland Aquarium, and it was mediocre at best for the price of admission. And, we all know that this is no beuno for a gal who balls on a budget! But, I did get some nice pictures of the undersea life that was there so take a look and let’s discuss:

 

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The total cost of admission was twenty dollars as well as a six dollar parking fee and the time spent in the aquarium amounted to barely an hour and a half. This was disappointing to me because, although the displays that were there looked cool, I felt like I wasn’t getting a lot of bang for my buck. The aquarium, in total, was three or four rooms with spaced out displays and, then, two other rooms with full room displays that included a string ray touch tank and the shark tank with a walk in tunnel.

I really enjoyed the shark room and the walk in tunnel was really neat and long in length. However, the other rooms that had spaced out displays featuring aquatic life of different countries left a lot to be desired. There were about three or four tanks per room and that was it. So, it felt more like a large, well decorated pet store than an actual aquarium.

If you are planning a trip to the Cleveland Aquarium, my best advice to you is don’t. You are much better off spending a day at the Cleveland Zoo, which provides you with an excellent value for your money, as it is a whole park rather than just a handful of rooms. It is also cheaper than the Aquarium, too! 😀

What is your favorite activity to do in a big city near you? Who else has a zoo or aquarium close by? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep12

Sugar & Spice OOTD

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Sugar & Spice OOTD

Hello everyone and welcome to a new OOTD post here on lifewithlilred! Today, we are going to talk about how to style a Sugar & Spice look that combines all things edgy with a little bit of sweetness to it. This post is also very special, because my boyfriend took all of these pictures! I have so much fun creating camera ready looks and taking pictures with my MAN, and it makes for an amazing date – no credit cards or cash required! Take a look:

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Who? What? Wear?

Whenever I am styling an outfit, I normally always go the edgy route with it. It’s rare that you will see me in something purely girly, like a dress without a moto jacket over top of it! But, combining Sugar & Spice gives you a look with dimension and a lot of visual break up to make one’s eyes dance when they look at you. It also keeps an outfit looking like me, which is of utmost importance.

To start with this look, I went with one of my favorite tops from Kohl’s. This Rock & Republic number has literally been sitting, untouched in my closet for years and I have finally realized its glory after all of this time. I love the crosses, jewels, and safety pins adorning it and the touch of glitter on the sleeves and around the bottom adds some unexpected sweetness. With a top that’s relatively busy, you don’t need anything for your bottoms except a pair of solid colored shorts or jeans. So, I went with my Hollister short shorts from TJ’s to continue with the black motif on top.

Now, for some sugar. To add some visual interest to this OOTD, I paired a gorgeous pair of Bonetti Giordano knee highs with one of my favorite pairs of heels. Because everything in my outfit is neutral, the bright floral colors on the knee highs didn’t look costumey and flowed really well with the ensemble. I loved how the heather grey socks looked against the cream Juicy Couture heels, and it all counterbalanced the black top and shorts for a striking but cohesive overall look.

And, finally, we need accessories to complete the OOTD. I chose to use one of my favorite purses from Charming Charlie’s as the statement accessory and then kept everything else pretty simple. With a loud British flag with studs outlining it, you don’t need much more! So, I opted for a big pair of Loft sunnies attached to a belt loop and my long gold chain earrings along with a pair with black crosses at the end of each chain. Any more accessories than that would have felt like too much for this look, especially with the bleak color palette. When in doubt, always go for the less is more option!

I really enjoyed styling and wearing this outfit. It made me feel so confident, and you can’t ask for more than that when creating a killer OOTD!

How would you style a Sugar & Spice look? What are some of your go to accessories? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah