Tag Archives: products

Feb25

Trader Joe’s Berry Lip Mask Review

Posted on February 25, 2024 by lifewithlilred

Hello! My family absolutely loves Trader Joe’s. Unfortunately, the nearest one to us is about a forty or so minute trek, making it a highly inconvenient place to go to do grocery shopping. Every once in a while, however, my parents will make the trip to TJs (Trader Joe’s, not TJMaxx for once!) and did so a few weeks ago. As a Valentine’s Day treat, my mom surprised my sister and me with a Berry scented lip mask from their skin care department. I have been using it since I got it and I love it so very, berry much! Check it out:

I love the idea of a lip mask, but have never found one that works just right for me. I have tested quite a few and they were mainly ineffective. The best one that I have probably used was one by Laneige that I got as a freebie from Sephora. Then, I realized it wasn’t cruelty free (I HATE when that happens) and pretty much gave up on my hunt for a good lip mask. I opted for Pacifica lip balms, instead, and although they are amazing throughout the day, it just isn’t the same as a lip mask at night.

Because of my lack of luck for a decent lip mask, I was a bit ambivalent about the one from Trader Joe’s. Then, I opened it up and realized that even if it sucked, it still smelled fabulous lol. This mask smells exactly like Raspberry LipSmackers and works so much better! A little dollop of this product to cover my lips is all I need and I have woken up every morning since with a pretty pout. Not only do my lips feel insanely moisturized, but I think they look somewhat fuller too. It is truly the cruelty free compromise to Laneige lip masks and I am thrilled with this Sweet Surprise from my mom! ❤

If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s close to you, then I cannot recommend their lip mask enough. Who knew you could get such awesome skin care at a grocery store?!

What was your favorite LipSmacker scent? Have you found a lip mask that works for you? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb10

New & Improved Beauty Stock Pile

Posted on February 10, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! There are a few things about my apartment that drives me absolutely nuts. One of which is my under the sink cabinet in the bathroom. At my old apartment, both of these cabinets opened perfectly and I was able to house all of my beauty care supplies. Here, however, the left cabinet is stuck something fierce and it is a pain to open. You literally have to rain blows upon it from the inside to get it to open and it is incredibly annoying. It also makes it very difficult to store all of my products because I can essentially only use one side of the cabinet. So, I decided on a simple AF solution that I am so happy with:

As all of you know, I take my beauty stock pile seriously and it currently runneth over with skin care and Bath & Body Works hauls. What I love most about my hoard is being able to see all of the products and choosing which one to use next because it’s kind of like going shopping. This experience wasn’t possible with the cabinets so I used a chest of drawers to keep all of my goodies in instead. These drawers are old as dirt and I wasn’t using them for anything important – just random odds and ends that I had completely forgot about lol. I did find a ton of socks that I had convinced myself were gone for good, though, so that was a huge score!

Once I cleared out the top two shelves and condensed them to the bottom two, I began to fill each drawer. Bath and body care on the top shelf and skin care on the second one. This process was done in a flash, but it felt so good to do! I always consider my wardrobe to be my own personal boutique and now I get the same vibes with my beauty care. It was most pleasing to line them up in the order I wanted and have a visual of everything. It was pretty hard to tell what I even had in the cabinets when everything was piled on top of each other. In fact, I ended up finding tons of travel size B&BW freebies that got lost in the mix and is proof that this quick fix project needed to happen. 😀

Is this an HGTV level renovation? Not even HGTV Junior lol! But, I was able to problem solve and no longer have to punch my cabinet to get things out of it. Total GREAT SUCCESS!

What is a project you completed recently? What are your favorite things to stock up on? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feb3

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Posted on February 3, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hello!! January was the month of a full fledged bath and body care restock. I came, I saw, I shopped during the Semi-Annual Sale at Bath & Body Works. Because I went absolutely nuts, I was rewarded with lots of coupons that included two free full size products. One in the mail and one because I’m a B&BW rewards member. Just when I thought I was done with Bath & Body Works for a while, I happily returned with another mail coupon for a free travel size product. I don’t think I’ll need to re-up my stockpile any time soon! Here is what I picked out:

When I get a coupon for a travel size product, I like to try and change things up from my usual scents. My theory is that I won’t be using them for too long so I might as well experiment! For my freebie, I went for a body cream in the scent At The Beach. I am a fruity gal when it comes to fragrances and shy away from more natural or musky scents. However, I needed some sunshine after an eternally grey month and I figured a beachy scent was the next best thing!

At The Beach features notes of “frangipani blossoms, toasted coconut, and bergamot waters”. While I can’t speak for what frangipani blossoms smell like or what they even are and I have no clue what bergamot waters are, I can definitely smell the coconut lol. This lotion smells exactly like sunscreen and I’m kind of there for it. Is it my favorite scent? Not really. Is it good enough? Absolutely – anything free is! I don’t think that I would get anything from this fragrance line again, but I’m glad I tried something new.

Thanks to all of these Bath & Body Works goodies, I will be the best smelling gal this side of the Mississippi. But is it bad that I’m already beyond excited for the summer Semi-Annual Sale?!

How do you feel about beach scents? What is your favorite bath and body care brand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

Posted on January 23, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 2

Howdy! Judging from yesterday’s post, it’s safe to say that I come alive during the Bath & Body Works semi annual sale lol. With such amazing deals, I would be shocked if I didn’t! I can’t say that I have ever paid full price for anything from B&BW between their coupons, promotions, and fabulous semi annual sales and that is how it should be. I couldn’t imagine spending almost fifteen dollars for one body wash! And, for this haul, I didn’t have to. Each product totaled out to be about four dollars and fifty cents and I was on thrifty girl cloud nine! Let’s check out the rest of this haul and discuss further:

When I shop in store at B&BW, I tend to have my blinders on because I know exactly what I need and don’t want to be tempted by anything else. So, I was shocked to see that B&BW has skin care products as I online shopped my way through the semi annual sale! Despite the fact that I just had a major skin care haul from TJMaxx, I added a dry skin moisturizer to my cart anyway. The reviews for the moisturizer were pretty average and it only received three stars. Normally, I would shy away from something that doesn’t have stellar reviews, but curiosity got the best of me. It was also way cheaper than a moisturizer from TJs. I will be eager to try it out and will be sure to let you all know what I think!

Like the moisturizer, I really didn’t need more hand soap because I just had a holiday scent haul for that too. Also like the moisturizer, the hand soaps were dirt cheap and you all know that they are an absolute necessity in my household. The two soaps I chose were Express Your Elf and Very Berry Good Days. Express Your Elf was described as a “merry cookie” scent and I thought that was hilarious. With fragrance notes of “buttery shortbread, vanilla bourbon icing, and spun sugar”, I have to say that the merry cookie description was dead on lol. Hilarious, yes. Accurate AF, YES! 😀

Very Berry Good Days was said to have a strawberry soda scent and this one was just okay to me. The notes featured are “fresh strawberries, bubbly seltzer, and crushed ice”. It actually does smell like a fizzy, fruity soda and I thought that was cool. However, the strawberry scent translated more as a cough medicine and that was a turn off. One whiff of this soap had me wishing that they went for a limeade fragrance instead because I think that would be delightful.

Last but certainly not least from this haul is the Sun-Washed Citrus fragrance spray and shower gel. (Peep yesterday’s post for more on Poppy!) I am a fruity scent girl through and through and that includes all things citrus. It’s just so invigorating and fresh and gives summertime vibes in the dead of winter. Sun-Washed Citrus is exactly what I imagined it to be with notes of “sugared lemons, mandarin, and agave nectar”. The mandarin is soft and sweet while the lemon adds the perfect amount of zest and it is so very nice. Highly recommend!

This semi annual sale haul was one for the ages and I am so pleased with all of my purchases. The fragrances are sweet, but the prices were (Dare I say?) even sweeter!

What kind of fragrances do you like? What is a fragrance you can’t stand? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan22

Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 1

Posted on January 22, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul Pt. 1

Hello!!! Countless stores run semi annual sales, but the only one that I participate in is Bath & Body Works. You simply cannot beat their promotions, which include up to 75% off of full size products. It’s not a deal, it’s a full on steal and their winter sale couldn’t have come soon enough because I was running low on the bath and body care products in my stock pile. I shopped the semi annual sale online and, admittedly, went a bit nuts lol. However, I won’t have to restock my supplies for a good long while and it was worth every penny!

My haul included twenty-two products (The ones not pictured are for Johnny!) for a grand total of one hundred dollars. This made each item about four dollars and fifty cents as opposed to upwards of eighteen! Like I said, worth every penny. Because this haul was so massive, I will be breaking it up into two parts starting with the following:

There was a point in my life when I was obsessed with the wallflowers from B&BW. What I liked most about them is the fact that they offered a way to add scent to the apartment without being overpowering. I feel like I can taste some of the air freshener brand plugins and I am SO not about that! Then, my favorite Wicked Apple plugin that I kept in the living room broke after a guest bumped into it and I never bothered replacing it. The wallflowers themselves are inexpensive, but the plugins are kind of pricey. The semi annual sale was the perfect time to rectify this and I purchased a new apple plugin and two new wallflower scents in Raspberry Thumbprint and Hanukkah.

I am a HUGE fan of raspberry scents and the Raspberry Thumbprint is just as delicious smelling as I imagined it to be. This wallflower features notes of “buttery shortbread, rich raspberry jam, sprinkled with powdered sugar”. It’s like a bakery in a bottle and I love it so very much. The Hanukkah wallflower was purchased for no other reason other than I was curious. What does Hanukkah smell like? Let’s find out because I’m taking a whiff for the first time now…

Coincidentally, I feel like Hanukkah smells exactly like Raspberry Thumbprint lol! The notes for this one include “Pillowy fried donut, sweet jelly filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar”. So, in other words: Raspberry Thumbprint haha. Hey, kudos to me for trying something different!

While I was most excited to see what scent Hanukkah is, what I was most looking forward to was my purchases from the Poppy line. Poppy is quite possibly one of my all time favorite scents from B&BW and when I say I needed all of it, I mean ALL of it! I ended up with three shower gels, three lotions, and three body creams in Poppy and it took all of my self restraint to not buy more. The fragrance notes of this scent are “fresh morning dew, wild poppies, sugared rhubarb, and juicy pear”. I can’t speak for the morning dew or the wild poppies because, to me, Poppy smells like a strawberry/pear combo and it is magnificent. It is fruity and sweet without being too much because the mellow pear balances out the strawberry scent. It is absolutely divine. ❤

Stay tuned for more from my Bath & Body Works Semi Annual Sale Haul tomorrow because we have a lot more fragrances to discuss. See you then!

Which store has the best semi annual sale? How often do you restock your bath and body care products? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan19

Bath & Body Works January Freebies

Posted on January 19, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Hellooo everyone!!! I live for my freebie coupons that come in the mail for Bath & Body Works and after a while of not receiving any, I finally got one for a free full size product. More than likely because of my hand soap haul and a huge semi annual sale purchase (Which you will see more of later!). I also had another free full size product to cash in from my rewards points so I couldn’t wait to hit up the store and pick out some goodies. I didn’t have the best weekend so I definitely needed a little treat! The best part about this little treat is that it ended up being over thirty dollars worth of product completely free. You can’t beat that! Check it out:

For my free items, I decided to do one shower gel and one lotion. These were very easy choices to make because there were lots of new scents from Bath & Body Works to try. I went for Calypso Clementine for my shower gel and Butterfly for my lotion. The clementine one is brand new to B&BW and I’m not sure if Butterfly is too, but it is new to me. Within ten minutes, I was in and out of the store with my freebies and I cannot wait to use them because they both smell fabulous!!

As you might have guessed, Calypso Clementine features notes of “juicy clementine, neroli nectar, and coastal woods”. Well, maybe you guessed the juicy clementine part anyways lol. This shower gel smells like summer in a bottle and I am obsessed. I am a huge fan of citrus scents and they are often my go to. I like that citrus fragrances tend to be more pungent than your typical fruit scent, but they are by no means overpowering. The Calypso Clementine is zingy and bright and smells good enough to eat.

I wasn’t sure what Butterfly was going to smell like, but I’m really glad I took a whiff instead of breezing by it for the fear that it might be too flowery for my taste. Butterfly offers notes of “raspberry nectar, iris petals, and airy vanilla”. I absolutely adore sweet/tart raspberry scents so this one was perfect for me! While I love vanilla and am not too fond of anything floral, I couldn’t smell the hints of either and that’s okay. All raspberry everything is what I wanted and that’s what I got!

This was a fantastic freebie haul from Bath & Body Works and I am most eager to use my new shower gel and lotion. Stay tuned for my semi annual sale haul that will go live the day after my Busy Day OOTD Bloopers tomorrow! 🙂

What is your favorite fruit scent? How do you feel about floral fragrances? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan9

TJMaxx Skin Care Haul

Posted on January 9, 2024 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! For Christmas and my birthday, I know for a fact that I am going to receive lots of gift cards to TJMaxx. Everyone seems to know by now that it is my happy place and a gift card to TJs is truly the perfect gift for me. With my Christmas gift card hauls, I always like to do a major restock of my skin care supplies. While it would be fun to blow the lot on new clothes and shoes (And I have before!), I like to get things that I actually need and skin care is of the highest priority. I take my skin care routine very seriously and I got enough product to last for at least five months FO FREE. You just can’t beat that! Check it out:

^^^ All of these products are Leaping Bunny Certified!

I visited TJMaxx on January second and the store was understandably pretty bare to prep for their spring shipment. Unfortunately, this meant the skin care department was nowhere near as well stocked as usual. I had to really look to find the serums, moisturizers, toners, eye creams, and cleansers that would not only work for me but were cruelty free too. This was a lot easier said than done and I spent a majority of my shopping trip scouring the shelves. While I did walk away with everything I needed, the biggest disappointment was not being able to find any of my tried and true Evoluderm Micellar Water. Normally, TJs has an entire shelf full so that was a bummer but, luckily, I have more gift cards for when they get a restock! 😀

For this haul, I walked away with two toners, one cleanser, four moisturizers, four serums, and one eye cream. I was very happy with this because of how bare the skin care section was and I was able to find some familiar brands and brand new ones to try. What I am particularly curious about is the Provence Beauty serums in the bright yellow and baby pink bottles. And, yes, I did get them specifically for what they looked like lol. What can I say, I’m a sucker for pretty packaging! I was also most excited to find another Simple eye cream because of what a fantastic value they are. I have been using a similar product by Simple for the past FIVE months and I am still not even close to being done. Highly recommend!

I am very pleased with my gift card haul from TJMaxx and planned it out to perfection. I only paid nine additional dollars for what my gift cards didn’t cover and I thought that was a great success. Nothing makes me happier than a fully restocked skin care hoard and I can’t wait to test out the new to me products!

What are your thoughts on any of these products if you have used them before? What is important for you when it comes to skin care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec30

Face Mask Festivities: GlamUp Nourishing Acaiberry Sheet Mask Edition

Posted on December 30, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Face Mask Festivities: GlamUp Nourishing Acaiberry Sheet Mask Edition

Howdy!! After I enjoyed a super hot bath with the amazing bath bomb you saw yesterday by Rusted Acre Soap Co, I decided to go all out and do a face mask too. After being stuffed up and sick for several days, I was very much in the mood for some pampering! Even though the relief of something so pleasurable was short lived, it was nice to be able to take my mind off of the foul mood I was in for just a little bit. It sucks being sick over the holidays! For the face mask portion of my self care, I went with a Nourishing Acaiberry Sheet Mask by GlamUp. I figured my face could use all of the nourishing it could get after blowing my nose every minute of the past few days lol. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

^^^ I LOOK GREAT!!!!!!!!!

I am not a huge fan of sheet masks and find them to be a bit of a chore. They never fit well and I like the convenience of continuing to go about my business while a clay face mask sits. In this case, I had no issues with having to lay down to let this sheet mask do its thing because it’s not like I was doing anything but laying in my own misery anyway. This sheet mask by GlamUp fit a lot better than other ones that I have tried, smelled delightful, and was loaded with serum to get the job done. Dare I say, too much because it was dripping everywhere!

I let this mask sit for twenty minutes and at that point it had began to dry and I was over scrolling through Facebook to see all of the Christmas fun I couldn’t participate in. I can’t say that I noticed any real difference in the way my skin looked or felt, which is pretty much par for the course of every other sheet mask I’ve used. This wasn’t surprising to me so it wasn’t disappointing. The act of having the face mask on was the most pleasing thing to me because it felt good on my feverish brow and it felt like I was taking care of myself even if it was in a simple way. I wouldn’t buy more from this brand, but the experience was soothing and you can’t ask for much more when you’re sick.

I am going to rate the GlamUp Nourishing Acaiberry Sheet Mask with a two out of ten stars. If it didn’t bring me some type of relief, I would have given it a zero lol. I still have several more GlamUp masks to use and I don’t expect any of them to be any better, but we’ll see what happens!

Do you prefer a clay or sheet mask? 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

Dec28

December 2023 Finishes

Posted on December 28, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Helloooo everyone and welcome to the very last beauty finishes post of 2023! Skin care and bath and body care is very important to me all year round. However, there’s just something about using go to products that hits different during the wintertime. For a majority of the time since November, I have been in a perpetual state of freezing my nads off and it makes my morning and nighttime beauty routines feel even more pampering and luxurious. I finished lots of products this past month so let’s take a look and discuss further:

Would I Use Again?

Lubriderm Lotion: YES (but only for new tattoos)

Coconut + Niacinamide Skin Recovery Face Wash by My Beauty Spot: NO

Bath & Body Works Mango Mandarin Body Spray: YES

Bath & Body Works Among The Clouds Body Wash: MAYBE

Pearlessence Dewy Glow Serum: YES

Azure Retinol & Collagen Moisturizer: NO

Why/Why Not?

Lubriderm Lotion: This month, I was completely out of lotion aside from my bottle of Lubriderm that I use when I get new tattoos. I have never used this brand for normal bath and body care before and, I’ve got to say, I was not impressed. I am all for a nice, light lotion and prefer it. However, the Lubriderm is so light that it was less than helpful in combating my dry winter skin. I will forever use Lubriderm when I get some fresh ink (Coming soon, I hope!), but that is all. Thank goodness I got lots of new lotion for Christmas! 😀

My Beauty Spot Face Wash: I have been using this face wash since the beginning of August, making it a fantastic value. Unfortunately, that was the only thing that the Coconut + Niacinamide face wash by My Beauty Spot had going for it. The coconut scent was pleasing, but I never got the feeling that this face wash was serving a purpose other than cleansing my face. There were no noticeable differences and my skin didn’t feel any different, either – not even from a hydration perspective. I like all of the products that I use to pack multiple punches and this was just not it.

B&BW Shower Gel: I am a huge fan of Bath & Body Works products and Among The Clouds only received a “maybe” for reuse because of its scent. This was not my favorite by a long shot and I think I wasn’t feeling it because I had just used up a B&BW shower gel called Poppy and I LOVED it. While Poppy was bright and invigorating with notes of pear, Among The Clouds was more soft and subdued. This shower gel was a mix of vanilla and berry and it was nowhere near as well liked as Poppy for both me and Johnny! Having said that, the B&BW shower gels are the best and it took over a month of daily use to finish the bottle.

Azure Moisturizer: I will be turning the big 3-0 in June and decided that now was as good of a time as ever to introduce retinol and collagen products into my routine. The Azure moisturizer was the first one that I sampled and it did nothing for me. In a sense, I liked that this moisturizer wasn’t as extreme as other products and I could dip my toes in the water with it. But, not being as extreme meant not as effective and there was no difference in the way my skin looked or felt after over a month of twice daily use. I would definitely not buy or recommend this product!

This wasn’t my most successful month of beauty empties, but I’m honestly so fine with it! I was happy to be able to use all of these products up – especially the ones that I have been working on for a while. Now, I can enjoy all of the goodies I got for Christmas. Be on the lookout for posts about that soon!

Which products did you use up this month? What are your thoughts on any of the above 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

Dec24

Bath & Body Works Holiday Scents Pt. 2

Posted on December 24, 2023 by lifewithlilred

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Howdy!! I used an afternoon off on Tuesday to pop into Bath & Body Works because I was running dangerously low on my beloved foaming hand soaps. The soap from B&BW has been a staple at chez moi ever since I got my own apartment and I simply refuse to buy anything else. They are the absolute best! While I enjoy many of the fragrances that are always available at Bath & Body Works, it’s fun to do a restock when their holiday scents drop. Yesterday, we discussed three of these fragrances and we will chat about the remainder today! Let’s get to it:

Twisted Peppermint: From fragrances to flavors, I love all things peppermint! The Twisted Peppermint from B&BW is exactly what you would expect it to smell like and offers notes of “cool peppermint, sugared snow, and fresh balsam”. Now, I don’t know what sugared smell or balsam is supposed to smell like. I don’t even know what balsam is lol. But, you can definitely smell the peppermint and that is all that matters to me! Some peppermint products can be almost harsh smelling and super mentholy but not this one. The Twisted Peppermint is minty, yes, but it doesn’t sting your nostrils when you take a whiff. It is just right!

Frosted Cranberry: A few years back, I gifted Frosted Cranberry candles for Christmas and I remember really liking the scent. Fast forward to present day and it wasn’t as good as I recall it being, but it’s still nice enough! The fragrance notes for Frosted Cranberry are… “frosted cranberry (lol), red delicious apple, and blonde wood”. What I like about the Frosted Cranberry is that it is much richer in its berriness than the Golden Berry Mistletoe which we reviewed yesterday. Not the best, but certainly not the worst either.

Snowy Peachberry: I think I saved the best for last because the Snowy Peachberry is the bomb.com! This scent serves with hints of “snow-kissed cranberries, frosted peach blossom, and shimmering woods”. I can’t speak for the shimmering woods portion, but this is a perfect wintery peach fragrance. It smells fresh and sweet, but also has some tartness to it compliments of the cranberries (the scent not the band). Snowy Peachberry is a fragrance that I would buy any time of the year and I wish that it would linger beyond the holidays. See what I did there? 😉

My favorite to least favorite scents:

Snowy Peachberry

Pink Sparkling Spritz

Twisted Peppermint/Vanilla Bean Noel (I can’t decide between the two!)

Frosted Cranberry

Golden Berry Mistletoe

Normally after a haul from Bath & Body Works, I consider myself to be well set. However, I think I will definitely be shopping the post holiday sales because some of these fragrances are just too good to only have around this time of year. Give me ALL of the Snowy Peachberry, please! 😀

Will you be doing any sale shopping after the holidays? What is a B&BW fragrance that you wish they had year round? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

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