Hi! As we all know, Lil Red is a nail girl. I would be nowhere without my talon style acrylics and am only in my truest form when they are eye poking sharp! Getting my nails done is such a treat and I look forward to my monthly visit to the salon to get myself right. There is nothing better than taking an hour or two to yourself to get pampered and I always leave my stomping grounds of Elysian Nails feeling like a million bucks.
I am especially excited for my next trip to get a fill because I have some amazing new goodies from Londontown to test out. Boasting a vegan, 9-free formula and a stunning array of colors to choose from, my nails are never going to look better compliments of the products below. Check it out:
Seen From Top To Bottom:
Buckingham Blue polish
Summer Fling polish
Electric Avenue polish
Restorative Nail Cream
Nourishing Cuticle Oil
In the next few days, you can see all of my nail care adventures including an outing to the salon and a girls night in with my darling mom to test out the cuticle oil and nail cream. It’s going to be a lot of fun and the end results are sure to be gorgeous so keep it posted on lifewithlilred!
How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite nail polish color from Londontown? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hey there! Welcome to the last day of October here on lifewithlilred and thanks for stopping by. Today, we will be discussing my monthly finishes of skin and bath and body care products. I am pretty happy about this month’s empties, mainly due to the fact that I finally finished the jar of eye cream that I have been working on using up for the past half a year! There is something so satisfying on finishing a product that you have been using for forever and needing new skin care means a shopping trip to TJMaxx for me, so it truly is a win/win all around. Lol, take a look at my empties for this month and let’s get to it:
Coffee Scrub: For those of you who don’t know, I take shaving very seriously. I have perfected my shaving routine to a science and the Wonder Therapy coffee cream scrub will always be a part of it from now on. First of all, the coffee/lavender/coconut scent was absolutely divine. It was rich without being overpowering and the coffee aroma was invigorating.
And, most importantly, it gave me the best, closest shave of my life. The exfoliating coffee grounds mixed with the moisturizing cream provided the perfect combo for prepping my skin for a shave while protecting it from drying out. My skin has never felt smoother and my shave lasts for at least four days without prickles. Does your favorite scrub do that? One bottle of this miracle product lasted me about two months with weekly, full body use.
Rose Gold Serum: I love me my Azure Lux serum and will always purchase a bottle when it is available at TJMaxx. With pieces of twenty-four karat gold and rose hip mixed in the formula, this serum leaves my skin feeling blinged out and super hydrated with just a thin application. My only qualm with the product is that the consistency of the serum is quite thick, which makes the bottle go quickly as I finished it in under a month. It leaves my skin positively radiant, though, so I’ll deal with it!
Manuka Honey Face Cream: I quite liked this moisturizer by Lanocreme! It was so rich and creamy without feeling greasy and it sat well under my makeup. The light honey scent was delicious and I loved using it in the morning after my shower. I like a thicker moisturizer during the cooler months and I would definitely use it again. It took me a little over one month to finish this product.
Mokita Eye Cream: My mom bestowed this eye cream onto me at the beginning of May and it took me until the end of October to use up. The large jar was completely filled to the brim with product and even daily application didn’t put a dent in it. I’ve never really worried about eye wrinkles because I legit have been using an eye cream since I was fifteen and this Mokita cream helped keep them at bay for a while longer. Although I liked the product, I was very happy to use it up because I love trying new skin care goodies. But, if given the opportunity, I would for sure use it again.
As you can see, October was a very successful month for empties and I would highly recommend all of the reviewed items above. So, hit up TJMaxx and get you some, STAT!
Which products have you used up this month? What are your thoughts on any of my empties 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
Howdy! We’ve reached the end of another wonderful month here on lifewithlilred and that means it’s time to discuss my monthly empties. I used up some really good stuff this past month. Stuff that I’ve been using for forever, stuff that took me a short amount of time to finish, and just stuff in general! So take a look and let’s get to it:
Would I Use Again:
Softsoap Citrus Splash & Berry Fusion body wash: YES
Yes To Cotton micellar water: NO
IGK Mistress leave in conditioner: YES
Clinicals Anti-Aging Vitamin C facial oil: YES
Why/Why Not:
Softsoap Body Wash: As you all know, I am a huge Softsoap fan. The brand is cheap as can be but all of their body washes smell amazing, they lather well, and are always so damn invigorating during my morning shower. The little moisture beads are a nice touch, too! It takes me one month to use one bottle which includes daily use and a weekly bubble bath and at three bucks and change, I can definitely swing that.
Yes To Micellar Water: My mom got this bottle of micellar water for me on sale and I was very unimpressed. I used up the bottle in a month because I wasn’t going to not finish it but I was happy to have been done! It just didn’t make my skin feel as fresh and clean as the Garnier micellar water and it was also not the best at removing all traces of makeup. I’m sure it’s significantly cheaper than the Garnier brand but I have a rule of thumb of not skimping on the good stuff when it comes to my skin care!
IGK Leave In Conditioner: I absolutely love this product by IGK! I have been using it for the past year or so and I honestly don’t think that I could live without it. The Mistress leave in conditioner smells so good, it smooths out all of my frizz, it makes my hair shiny, and it protects my locks from the heat. Does your leave in conditioner do that? Although the price is steep at twenty-nine bucks a tube, it takes me over six months to finish it up and, with all of that in mind, it is worth every penny.
Clinicals Serum: What I love about skin care products with Vitamin C in it is that I can always see noticeable results from it. My skin glows and is radiant without having to break the bank on an expensive treatment. I really enjoyed using the Vitamin C serum by Clinicals. It sat well under makeup and I loved how my skin looked and felt after each use. My only qualm with this product is that the serum was in a spray bottle, which I didn’t like because I felt like I had to use a ton of it to get full coverage on my face and neck. Despite that, it still took me one month to use up the bottle.
With a seventy-five percent success rate, I’d say I did pretty good with my empties for the month of September! I would recommend all of the products that I liked above but definitely stay clear of the Yes To Cotton micellar water!
Which products did you use up this month? What were your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Yo, yo, yo! Can you believe that it’s the end of August already? Me either! I, for one, am ecstatic about it and have been waiting for summer to be over since it began. I absolutely despise hot weather and would rather experience the bitter cold than extreme heat. So, needless to say, bring on the fall baby! Although it definitely hasn’t been my favorite time of the year, August was good for using up a lot of products that I’ve been working on for a while and we all know how much I love when that happens. Check it out:
Jergens Lotion: I purchased this big bottle o’ Jergens when I first moved into my apartment in April and I finished it halfway through this month after once weekly full body uses. I like that this lotion wasn’t heavily scented and it felt rich and creamy on my skin without feeling greasy or leaving residue. I used my lotion after my weekly shaving extravaganza and I think it definitely helped my shave last longer and my skin felt really healthy and hydrated after each use.
Softsoap Body Wash: I have never been one to believe in purchasing expensive or fancy body washes. My three dollar bottles of Softsoap suits me just fine, thank you very much. The pomegranate and mango sent was delicious and invigorating in the morning, it lathered well, and it didn’t dry out my skin. One bottle lasted me for one month with daily use and a weekly bubble bath.
TBS Facial Oil: I absolutely love the Oils Of Life serum by The Body Shop. It is so rich and leaves my skin feeling well loved but it somehow manages to absorb quickly and sits perfectly beneath makeup. One bottle lasted me at least three months with daily use and I wish I could use it all of the time throughout the year. I noticed visible differences in the brightness and fine lines on my face and I highly recommend this product!
Garnier Micellar Water: I have been using the Garnier micellar water for well over a year now and have never felt the need to use anything different. I happily shelled out close to seven bucks a pop monthly for a new bottle without complaints. So, you can imagine how excited I was to find an industrial sized bottle of it at Target for ten dollars! The big mama bottle lasted me for THREE MONTHS and I can definitely get down with that! 😀
B&BW Hand Soap: When I moved into my apartment, I utilized the five for twenty three dollar deal that Bath & Body Works was having on their foaming hand soap and I am so happy with that purchase. I freaking love that stuff and the Peach Bellini soap that I just finished up smelled divine. The soap never dried my hands out and really made them feel clean with its foaming goodness.
And, the best part is, one bottle lasted me a long ass time! I have had the same bottle in my bathroom since moving in and finally finished it halfway through August. Even when I was at the final dregs of it, the remainders lasted me for several more days. Highly recommend for your kitchen and bathrooms.
Garnier Cleanser: I am usually a big fan of Garnier products and, although I didn’t hate this cleanser, I don’t plan on using it again. It really was just your standard facial cleanser with nothing special about it. It lasted me about two months and I appreciate that but, I like something really crisp and refreshing in the morning when I’m washing my face and this one didn’t do it for me.
Drunk Elephant Cleanser: The Jelly Cleanser by Drunk Elephant was part of my Sephora birthday gift this year and I wasn’t impressed. And, this just goes to show you that sometimes the more expensive brands aren’t worth the money that you’re dishing out for it. The sample bottle lasted me for a little under two weeks, which was enough time to tell that I wouldn’t be using it again. It had no scent, it didn’t lather well, and my skin felt really tight after using it. No thank you!
Despite two no go’s on my August empties, I used up a lot of products that I am really happy with and would definitely recommend. I would buy all of the finishes that I liked again and I think that all of you would enjoy them too!
Which beauty products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the products above if you have used them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Much has been said about gaining the trust of your customers. You need to have great branding efforts and your marketing materials should be engaging enough to draw them in. However, building trust goes beyond all of these. You need to show that your brand is genuinely caring – that you will always provide them with products and services whenever they need them. You shall act as a friendly advisor. On top of these promises, you have to be fair. Fairness is among the values that establishes the foundation of customer relationships. One way of exemplifying fairness is through pricing the products the right way.
Many business people, though they are genuinely caring, often make the mistake of putting up a high price tag. Your goal is to earn profit, but that does not mean that you will not be transparent with your dealings. You just don’t give prices without any basis. There are a lot of factors that come into play. Here are some of them:
Gauge the market:
The market shall always be your compass when determining the prices of your product. Just look at your competitors. They may be offering the same products and services, and you have to know how much they are charging. By simply looking at this factor will allow you to play the game with your ear. If you charge too much, your customers will go to your competitors. When your prices are too low, there will be risk of overwhelming demands, which in turn may compromise the quality of your offerings. Find the middle ground and take it from there. You can use various price monitoring tools in this case for guidance.
Consider your costs:
Sometimes, you will need to look at your own resources and production to gauge how much you are going to charge. You need to have a breakeven and even get your ROI. Otherwise, you will experience loss, which is not a good thing. Take into account other factors besides product development and manufacturing and include overheads, such as rent, staff salary, and marketing in your list. If you are having difficulty breaking even due to a struggle with efficiency, software services like PLM can assist with task management and production. Tools like this could be the game changer your business needs to experience meaningful growth.
Talk to your customers:
Before you release or launch a new product, you have to talk to your customers first. Find out if they are willing to spend their money for the product or service you are releasing. You can conduct a survey or a focus group discussion to make this prospect easy. You can also streamline the process with online services like the Kano Model that can be employed to give you more insight into the customer experience.
Look at the economy:
You will also have to look at what the economy does to various industries. The effects of macroeconomic activities trickle down to businesses. They affect the prices of raw materials and manufacturing services. The price of your products should depend on the costs you incur at a specific economic phase.
The price is right, that should be the guiding principle you follow when deciding on the price tags of your product. When you price the products right, you are showing your commitment to being transparent and building trust. Pricing the products the right way should not be difficult, as there will always be methods and tools that will help you.
Depending on your line of business and the products you’re selling, there’s a chance that you’ll need to export your products for customers, business partners, or resellers abroad even if you’re still just operating as a small-scale enterprise. Global trade is quite competitive, so when there’s a demand for your product to be shipped to another country, you want to do it right and profit as much as possible. With this in mind, as well as the tips below, you may wish to access site of someone like 3G and invest in shipping software that can help you streamline your processes and enable you to keep tabs on your shipments so that you can be sure they will arrive safely at their destination.
Before you export your products, you’ll want to know if the product is legal or complies with any regulations and restrictions in the country it’ll be exported to. So, do your research before contacting a logistics company or upping your production to meet the demand in your target country.
Get Partners:
When talking about exporting your products as a small business, you might be thinking about sending your products directly and individually to your clients. However, this can be quite costly in terms of shipping and would take a lot of time and effort to track individually. As such, the best way for you to sell your products abroad is to find partners who are willing to buy and sell the product for you in their country.
This way, you’d be able to send products via air freight or whatever method you choose in bulk, which is cheaper and more convenient for you. Having partners would also mean that you’d be able to sell your products and have you earn more consistently. Your partners may even be willing to process and pay for the shipping for you. But it’s also important that you do your research regarding your partners to know that they’re legitimate and could be trusted to avoid risk.
Packaging:
You may also want to have different packaging for your exported products; perhaps with better packaging or provide a translation of your product’s manual and other information (such as ingredients and nutritional value). It is so important for your product to be accessible to all future customers and translations are a huge part of it. Whether it’s a small recipe book or wine bottles labels with unique logos and phrases, it is a great idea to print them in the most spoken language of each country you ship to. It could make the difference between someone purchasing it or not.
Decide on the Pricing:
Another thing you’d also want to consider when exporting your products is the pricing. Your pricing would depend on whether you’re selling directly to a customer or a partner, as well as various other factors that make up your transportøkonomi (transport economy). When selling to a business partner, you’d have to consider your bulk pricing and should also include all the costs related to shipping, customs, and logistics, as well as the cost of labor. The price should be agreed upon by you and your business partner in a way that you’re both able to profit while your business partners can still sell it at a competitive and reasonable price in their respective countries.
Exporting products can be expensive, but there are software solutions that can help with cost control, economic freight analysis, and more. These solutions will be tailor made to your company to help ensure best results.
Choose a Good Logistics Company:
You’d be sending valuable products to your partners or customers in another country that’s miles away, so it’s important that you find a company to ship it safely and make sure that it arrives on time to its intended destination without any hitch. As such, you will want to choose a licensed customs broker that would be able to store, handle, and deliver your products on time and also handle all of the necessary legal paperwork and customs clearances. The bottom line, is that you want to ship your products safely, legally, and on time.
Utilizing the best technology can ensure that your products are always ending up in your customer’s hands. Freight Management Software can be a huge assistance in this as it handles the management of shipments, manifests, and customers. It can also include label printing, least cost routing, and real time quotes. A service like this can save you a lot of extra time and money so look into the best fit for your company. A happy customer is one with the product they purchased arriving in a timely, safe manner.
Knowing how to export your product properly can be the key to turning your small business into a huge enterprise. As such, it’s important to keep these pointers in mind when you’re shipping your products abroad.
Hellooo everyone! I feel like all of you know by now that when I start using a beauty product, I stick to it and finish it off until the bitter end – even if I’m not crazy about it. But, for this particular eye serum by Lanoline that I have been using, I just had to put my foot down and stop using it. It is the literal WORST and it would behoove all of you to not even consider using it on the delicate skin around your eyes. Smdh.
I purchased this serum from TJMaxx back in January but didn’t begin using it until mid March or so. I can recall using it for the first time and it stung so badly. However, I was in the midst of seasonal allergies at the time, so I credited that sensation to my itchy eyes. So, I continued using the serum and assumed that my eyes would feel better soon. But, once my allergies subsided, I was still experiencing such dryness after each use with the serum that I would have to take my one a day contacts out and swap them for a new pair.
Although this serum was giving me grief, I tried to continue using it like an idiot. But, once I realized how low I was running on my contacts supply that should last me six months, I gave up that ghost. There was nothing soothing about this serum, despite what its packaging says, and it left my eye area stinging and feeling tight all day.
I am currently using an eye cream by Mokita now and could notice a difference in how my eyes felt after just one use. After this disappointing run with the Lanoline serum, I would never use any of their products again and, at the very least, I would tell all of you to not buy this serum even if it was the last one on earth!
What is a beauty product that you would never recommend? What type of eye serum or cream do you use? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Hi! Another fun filled month has passed by on lifewithlilred with a lot of exciting stuff that has happened – namely my big move into my apartment. I thank all of you for being so supportive and offering me advice and encouragement, it has been so appreciated! I really have the best readers in the world. And, with the end of another month comes our usual empties post, so it’s time to go over the measly amount of beauty products that I finished up in April. Take a look and let’s discuss:
Would I Use Again?
Travel size lotions: MAYBE
The Body Shop Nutriganics eye cream: YES
Why/Why Not?
Mini Lotions: In my bath and body care hoard, I have an obscene amount of lotions that have been gifted to me or were freebies including the two above by CeraVe and Eufora. Both of these lotions absorbed quickly without being greasy and, because the CeraVe one was for babies, it was especially gentle which was nice after shaving. I wouldn’t go out of my way to by either of them again but I would use them if given the option.
TBS Eye Cream: We all know that I love me my Nutriganics eye cream and, sadly, it has been discontinued by The Body Shop. I am so upset about this because I’ve been using this cream for what feels like the past decade and the one that I bought from TJMaxx by Lanoline just isn’t cutting it. The Nutriganics eye cream was seriously the best. It was so gentle on the sensitive skin around the eyes but it was effective and sat well under makeup. I wish I could buy a ton in bulk so that I can continue my skin care journey with it, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen. Le sigh. 😦
April was a very underwhelming month for finishes and saying goodbye to an old beauty product companion is never easy. So, here’s to hoping for some fun products to discuss in May that won’t be discontinued in the near future! 😉
Which eye cream do you recommend? What is one of your favorite products that has been discontinued? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
They say we should treat our body like a temple, but many of us are very good at ignoring that advice. In fact, some of us behave more like our bodies are toxic dumping grounds and completely forget that the things we consume actually have a significant effect on our health and well being. Luckily, if we know what is good and bad for our body, we can make much more educated and healthy decisions. A topic you can read more about in the post below:
Liquids:
There are some things that are good to drink and some that aren’t so great for you. Of course, water is essential, as staying hydrated can not only help you be more mentally alert but can help your body function better all the way down to the molecular level! Be careful, though, because you can have too much of a good thing. In fact, if you go over your recommended daily water amount it can actually make you quite ill.
There are some drinks that you should try to stay away from, as well, or at least minimize your consumption of, due to their toxic nature. These include alcohol, sugary soft drinks, and even caffeinated beverages. You don’t have to give them up entirely if you don’t want to, but they all can have a dehydrating effect. Sugar and caffeine can also cause an increase in anxiety, while too much alcohol is not only bad for the liver but can seriously impair your judgment.
Products:
I know you’re expecting the next section to be all about things you should not eat because they are toxic, but before we get to that, we want to talk about the lesser known issue of products that we use that can have an adverse effect on our health. In particular, makeup, perfume, and cosmetics need mentioning here, because they are nearly always applied directly to the skin and so are easily absorbed by the body. What that means, is that if there is anything nasty in them, it will end up in you!
In fact, recently, there has been a move towards more natural and healthy products in the cosmetic and toiletries industry including non toxic perfume and paraben free toiletries. Using beauty products that are better for you has never been easier.
Food:
Finally, when it comes to food, there are plenty of things that can be toxic if you consume them. However, apart from the basic poisonous plants and berries, there are also other things that you need to watch out for. These include sugar which, while we love the taste is beginning to be thought of like a narcotic style substance that can cause many problems when ingested.
It’s also wise to be mindful of the containers you store your foods in, as some can leach out plastic molecules, which we then end up ingesting. This is something that can lead to a toxic buildup in our system and contribute to all sorts of health problems!
Treating your body as a temple includes being mindful of what you’re putting in it, so use the tips above to detoxify your lifestyle today!
Helloo!! Whenever I get a gift card to TJMaxx, I always try to stock up on things that I know I’m going to need in the future. So, despite always wanting new shoes, I normally will purchase my skin care essentials like moisturizer, micellar water, and serums. My neighbor who I dogsit for treated me to a leftover TJs gift card of hers to spend while I was watching her pups and I ended up with two new moisturizers that I’m really looking forward to trying. Check it out:
^^^ First of all, peep the Cosmo and Wanda green and pink a la the Fairly Odd Parents! 😀
While browsing the beauty section, both of these Skin Lab moisturizers spoke to me. And, it was impossible to just choose one, considering they both have a really different formula but they each look equally as beneficial. I also liked how the packaging fully explained what each ingredient in the moisturizer does so that you feel like you’re taking charge of your skin care routine.
When choosing a moisturizer, texture is one of the most important things that I look for in determining if it will work for me or not. With normal skin, anything too heavy is just too much and doesn’t sit well under makeup. While anything too light leaves my skin feeling thirsty for more hydration. Both of these moisturizers have either a whipped or gel texture, which is exactly what I like. The gel one will be perfect during the warm summer days, while the whipped will be great for the spring, as it can still be chilly and windy.
Another added bonus, is that these two moisturizers together cost me about fifteen bucks, which definitely beats buying one for that price at a drugstore. I can’t wait to try both of these Skin Lab products out and all of you will be the first to know if they are worth trying out for yourself! 😀
What is your favorite store to get a gift card at? Do you have a skin care stockpile at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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